More Than Half Of Toronto, GTA Residents Agree With Current Reduced Immigration Levels: Poll

Ten months after the federal government changed its immigration laws to reduce and restrict the number of immigrants coming to Canada, half of Toronto and the GTA say nothing has changed in terms of the government’s management, but they agree with the current reduced levels, according to a new poll.

Just 23 per cent in Toronto said the federal government is managing the immigration system better, while 27 per cent said it was worse, especially with respect to its impact where those polled lived. In the GTA, 27 per cent said it was better, while 22 per cent said it was worse.

The survey, conducted by Canada Pulse Insights on behalf of CityNews, polled Torontonians and those in the GTA on how the government should address immigration after it capped international student study and work permits and restricted temporary foreign workers.

In Toronto, almost six in 10 of those polled say the government should continue to receive newcomers but maintain the reduced levels. Thirty per cent said no newcomers should be allowed into the country for the foreseeable future. Around 10 per cent said Canada should loosen the restrictions, especially among certain groups.

Thirty-seven per cent of those polled in the GTA said Canada should not let any newcomers into the country for the foreseeable future, and 54 per cent said they should continue to receive newcomers at the current reduced level.

The newcomers to Toronto and those in the GTA want Canada to admit economic immigrants at 84 per cent for Toronto and 78 per cent for the GTA, international students at 48 per cent, and sponsored family class immigrants at around 45 per cent.

Toronto would welcome refugees at 42 per cent and temporary foreign workers at 41 per cent, while only 35 per cent of the GTA said they should admit refugees and protected persons, and 34 per cent of temporary foreign workers.

In terms of whether the federal government is providing enough financial and other support mechanisms to Toronto for their intake of newcomers, those who were polled were split nearly three ways, with 36 per cent saying it was not enough, 35 per cent saying it was the right amount, and the remainder said it was too much and should be used for other things.

In the GTA, it was also split three ways, but 37 per cent agreed it was the right amount; 33 per cent said it was too much, while the remainder said it wasn’t enough.

Those polled were asked if they agreed or disagreed with several sentiments related to immigration, and Torontonians were split right down the middle on most of the questions.

The vote was nearly 50-50 on higher foreign worker permit levels, with a slowing economy being the reason youth can’t find jobs. New immigrants in the city had a positive impact, and higher immigration levels, not a lack of doctors or medical services, were primarily responsible for clogged emergency wards at hospitals.

In the GTA, the numbers weren’t as split. Fifty-seven per cent of the residents surveyed disagreed that new immigrants were having a positive impact, 59 per cent said higher foreign worker permit levels are the reason youth can’t find jobs, and 58 per cent agreed that higher immigration was responsible for busy emergency rooms in hospitals.

Fifty-eight per cent in Toronto and 65 per cent of GTA residents agreed housing affordability issues were due to the population pressures brought on by immigration rather than by developers and landlords who want to increase the price to make more profit.

The majority of those polled, 76 per cent in Toronto and 77 per cent in the GTA, also agreed that most companies used foreign workers to reduce labour costs rather than due to genuine labour shortages.

The poll was conducted between Sept. 30 and Oct. 6 among an even-based random selection of Canadian adults in Toronto and across the GTA. It is accurate within +/- 4.9 per cent 19 times out of 20.