Trudeau admits Canada's immigration missteps: Could've turned off the taps faster

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged that his government could have acted faster to address flaws in immigration programmes, citing “bad actors” exploiting the system to defend substantial cuts in permanent and temporary resident admissions.

Trudeau’s admission came in a seven-minute YouTube video released on Sunday, detailing changes to immigration policies and why his government decided to enact them.

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, Trudeau said, Canada ramped up immigration to bolster the labour market and stave off a recession. However, he noted, some entities manipulated these programmes for profit.

“Some saw that as a profit, to game the system. We saw way too many large corporations do this,” Trudeau said in the video.

He also criticised colleges and universities for using international student programs to boost revenues, and scammers for preying on vulnerable immigrants with false promises of citizenship.

“Looking back, when the post-pandemic boom cooled and businesses no longer needed the additional labour help, as a federal team we could have acted quicker and turned off the taps faster,” Trudeau added.

The new immigration plan will lower the number of permanent residents admitted to Canada, targeting 395,000 in 2025—a nearly 20 per cent drop from the 485,000 expected this year. Temporary immigrants, including international students and foreign workers, will also see reductions, with numbers falling to 446,000 annually by 2025 and 2026, and just 17,400 new non-permanent residents by 2027.

In a major policy shift, Canada also ended the fast-track study visa programme (SDS) this month, a blow to international students, particularly from India—the largest source of foreign students in Canada, with approximately 427,000 Indian students currently enrolled.

Trudeau framed the cuts as necessary to address Canada’s housing crisis and cost-of-living issues. “The goal is to help stabilise population growth while housing stocks catch up, and then to consider gradually increasing immigration rates once again,” he said.

Trudeau’s Liberal government, trailing in polls ahead of the 2025 election, has faced mounting public and political pressure over immigration. Some have increasingly linked rising immigration rates to shortages of affordable housing and inflation.

Public opinion polls reflect growing scepticism toward Canada’s immigration policies, once a hallmark of its global reputation as a country that welcomes newcomers. Anti-migrant rhetoric and attacks have also been on the rise.

The immigration reductions are estimated to reduce Canada’s housing supply gap by about 670,000 units by 2027, according to the government.