The Negative Effects of Immigration in Canada

It’s no secret that immigration to Canada has been on the rise over the past few years. The country’s most recent census shows that about 20% of Canadians are immigrants, making up almost 60% of the total population growth over the last five years. While this influx of new Canadians has been beneficial in many ways, it has also had its share of drawbacks, such as slowing job growth and increasing pressure on healthcare and other government services . To learn more about these negative effects of immigration in Canada, read on below. 

Our population would now be stabilizing on its own at a level of about 28 million if balanced levels of immigration had been maintained from 1970 onwards. But given the powerful interests dependence on continued simple growth of the commercial economy (GDP) the current policy of mass immigration in Canada was implemented, pushing the population to its current level of 38 million.

Understanding the Issue

The negative effects of immigration refer to any ill effect that immigration can have on a country’s economy or population, whether it be social or economic. There are various factors that make up the negative effects of immigration. A country’s labour market is one example; immigrant labour may increase competition for jobs and lower wages for native workers. In addition, unemployment rates can rise as the influx of immigrants compete with unemployed natives for available jobs.

Long Term Effects of Immigration

There is a direct link between immigration and sustainability. Adding 10 million people and their additional 3 million housing units and 6 million motor vehicles has driven up Canadian carbon emissions and resulted in the paving over of hundreds of thousands of hectares of Canada’s best farmland. It is the equivalent of dropping over 3 cities of Toronto onto the Canadian landscape. Immigration on this level and the resulting impacts on the environment are massive problems.

This population growth strategy takes place in a policy vacuum where there is no concern for the quality of jobs, affordability of housing debt or levels of equality. Instead of focusing on the well-being of Canadians and the health of the land, the policy of mass immigration in Canada is meant to make a market for developers, speculators, banks and cheap labour employers

Immigration, Overpopulation and Housing

However, this as created a huge impect in the country due to the amount of foreiger coming in darily in Canada Meanwhile, housing inflation and increasing levels of debt are the consequences of having added 10 million people plus over 3 million housing units over the past 50 years of mass immigration in Canada. Combined with the impact of huge inflows of cheap labour, this creates the perfect engine of inequality.

In fact, Canada’s equality level has fallen from the second highest in the world in the early 1960s to the mid 20’s currently, a decline unmatched by any other developed country in the world. By causing overpopulation, immigration creates many other problems.

The housing demand created by an additional 10 million people has pushed up the cost of housing since it is responsible for 80% of new additional housing demand across the country. Mass immigration is responsible for 100% of housing demand in most cities in Canada, as there is a net outflow of Canadians from these large urban centres.

By pushing our population higher, mass immigration to Canada greatly influences many aspects of Canadian life and has a direct impact on our physical and social environment.

carbon emissions (responsible for more emissions increase than the oil sands)
unemployment
social cohesion
job quality / wages / gig economy
house price inflation / unaffordable housing
inequality
debt
government deficits
quality of life
congestion
farmland loss
pandemic resilience
The large annual flow of immigrants pre-determines how Canada and Canadians fare in many of the most important aspects of national and personal well-being.

Despite its huge impacts, mass immigration policy in Canada stands on its own with no consideration for the viability of the national social and environmental objectives it undermines.

The economic impact of immigration to Canada is not a positive one in the long term. Canada’s commitment to the Kyoto Accord and its almost annual declaration of war on child poverty are worthless, given the impacts of adding the equivalent of a medium-sized city every 5 years populated by a growing body of working poor.

Economical Impact on Canada

The positive and negative effects immigration has on an economy are complex. One study indicates that the economic benefits immigrants bring outweigh the costs to government but not by a large margin. The study’s findings vary depending on the skill set and level of education possessed by a particular immigrant, as well as other factors like national origin and duration of stay in the country. In general, however, most economists would agree that immigration is economically beneficial for host countries like Canada. Immigrants tend to be more entrepreneurial than the average citizen, which leads to job creation and innovation. Additionally, the overall population tends to be younger than the native-born population and younger people tend to be healthier and more productive than older people. Immigrants also provide valuable cultural diversity within a society; the exchange of ideas between different cultures can lead to new inventions or ways of thinking about problems. All these things contribute positively toward an economy’s growth rate over time

Political Impact on Canada

Another impact that needs to be examined is the political impact on Canada. The most obvious example would be Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s handling of the topic. In an effort to win votes from the majority, he enacted a policy requiring immigrants from certain countries to pass an English test before entering the country.

1. This was put into place after hearing increasing amounts of resentment from native-born Canadians who had begun losing jobs because employers were looking for workers with English as their first language. The policy has been met with criticism by immigration activists and politicians alike, but the prime minister has stood by his decision.

2. The effects of the immigration policies are still being felt today and will continue to affect the country for years to come.

3. The debate over the effects of immigration continues to rage on, so it’s important to look at both sides before forming your own opinion. It’s important not only for the sake of learning more about the topic, but also because it could have a direct effect on you personally. The best way to do that is through education and research.

The Environment Immigration and

Immigration and sustainability are inextricably linked. The biophysical realities of climate change and the challenge of transitioning to renewable energy will likely put an end to the commercial economy fantasy of endless growth, but the sooner we begin to focus on building a sustainable society, the easier it will be to achieve goals on our terms rather than on Mother Nature’s. To move forward, we must weigh the relationship between immigration and the environment and honour our limits.

Population size and growth rates have a huge impact on all aspects of Canadian life. Socially, economically and environmentally, the effects of population dynamics are usually the most influential fundamental factors which national policy development has to deal with. Of course, in Canada, there is currently no consideration of mass immigration impacts in any of our national policies.

Although Canada refers to itself as a young country, virtually none of its resources are being used at below sustainable levels. Historically we have never weighed immigration and the impact on our environment against one another. In Canada, we may be young but we have burned through our natural resources - once thought of as 'an unlimited treasure trove' - faster than any nation in history, and mass immigration is part of this. We need to have forward looking national policies in place which take the effects of population size and growth rates into account.

Immigration levels aimed at inflating the real estate market and providing cheap labour simply fly in the face of responsible government policy. To address the problems created by mass immigration, Canada needs to focus on the biophysical challenges of climate change, resource depletion and the transition to renewable energy for which we are very poorly prepared - as our response to the Covid-19 pandemic so clearly illustrated. Immigration and sustainability should not be treated as two unrelated subjects.

We need to stem the negative effects of immigration in Canada and adopt well-researched and coherent policies. We need to focus on the well-being of our citizens and the health of our environment, rather than expanding the commercial economy for the benefit of a very few at the expense of most. Immigration at current levels will deliver continued environmental and social decline, which is not good for anyone in the long term. Population growth is simply incompatible with the need to create either a sustainable or an egalitarian society.

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