How do Canadians feel about immigrants?

Canadians' attitudes toward immigrants are complex and multifaceted, and have undergone significant changes in recent years. Canada has historically been considered one of the most tolerant and open countries in the world toward immigration, with a long tradition of multiculturalism and integration of newcomers. However, contemporary realities show that public opinion is becoming increasingly ambiguous, reflecting both long-standing support for immigration and growing concerns about its impact on Canadian society.

Historical foundations of Canadian tolerance

Canada has officially adhered to a policy of multiculturalism for more than fifty years, which was proclaimed in 1971 by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. This policy rejected traditional expectations of assimilation for newcomers, instead creating a space for minorities to preserve and celebrate aspects of their traditional cultures and customs while participating in the mainstream life of the country.

Research shows that Canadians have traditionally demonstrated high levels of tolerance compared to other developed countries. According to an OECD report, 84% of Canadians report the highest level of community tolerance toward minority groups — ethnic minorities, immigrants, and gays and lesbians — in the OECD, while the OECD average is 61%. This shows that Canada truly deserves its reputation as a tolerant and open country.

Canadian multiculturalism has become deeply rooted in the national identity, especially in English-speaking Canada. Almost all Canadians consider multiculturalism to be very important or somewhat important to Canadian national identity. Support for multiculturalism reflects a culture of acceptance of diversity, which undoubtedly contributes to the sense of acceptance reported by immigrants.

Changes in public opinion: from consensus to division

However, recent years have brought dramatic changes in Canadians' attitudes toward immigration. Research shows that, for the first time in a quarter of a century, a clear majority of Canadians say there is too much immigration in the country. According to Focus Canada research, nearly six in ten (58%) Canadians now believe that the country is accepting too many immigrants, reflecting an increase of 14 percentage points since 2023.

This is the fastest change over a two-year period since Focus Canada began asking this question in 1977, and reflects the largest share of Canadians saying there is too much immigration since 1998. The data shows that public opinion on the level of immigration currently allowed into the country has effectively flipped from acceptable (if not valuable) to problematic.

According to another survey conducted by Abacus Data, 53% of Canadians now believe that immigration is making the country worse, marking a significant increase of 10 points since November 2023 and 17 points since July 2023. This indicates a rapid deterioration in the Canadian public's perception of immigration.

Factors influencing the change in attitude

Economic and housing concerns

The main reason for the change in Canadians' attitudes toward immigration is economic concerns, particularly related to housing and labor market tensions. Research shows that 69% of Canadians believe that immigration has contributed to pressure on the housing market, and 64% believe that it creates strain on social programs such as health care and education.

Concerns about the pressure immigration is putting on housing prices have risen significantly over the past year and a half, climbing from 34% in March 2022 to 45% in March 2023 and 56% in November 2023. Similarly, concerns about pressure on public services have risen from 51% in March 2023 to 59% in November 2023.

Many Canadians identify shortcomings in the current immigration system. 56% say there is not enough housing and infrastructure to accommodate the influx of new residents, while 49% believe immigration is putting pressure on public services such as education and health care. Older Canadians (aged 60 and older) are significantly more likely to express these concerns, with 64% saying there is not enough housing and 60% indicating that public services are overburdened.

Management of the immigration system

A growing proportion of Canadians express doubts about how the government manages the immigration system. The most notable change from a year ago is the increase in the share of those who believe that there is too much immigration because it is poorly managed by the government. This suggests that the problem is not only the number of immigrants, but also the perception of the government's competence in managing the process.

Regional differences

Agreement that immigration levels are too high has grown across the country, with the most significant changes in the Prairie provinces. Quebec follows the general trend but at a slower pace and is increasingly becoming the region of Canada that expresses relatively less concern about immigration levels.

According to a government study by IRCC, between March and November 2023, concerns about immigration levels to large cities and smaller centres increased. A majority in Toronto and Vancouver say that too many immigrants are coming to their cities.

Political divide on immigration

Opinions on immigration are most sharply divided along federal political party lines. Supporters of the Conservative Party are most likely to agree that there is too much immigration (now 80%). But there has also been an equivalent increase in these sentiments among those who would vote for the Liberal Party (45%) or the NDP (36%).

Research shows that 70% of Conservative Party supporters report negative perceptions of immigration, compared to only 27% of Liberal supporters and 37% of NDP supporters. Age also plays a key role: 57% of Canadians aged 45-59 tend to have more negative views compared to 47% of those aged 18-39.

Attitudes toward different types of immigrants

Despite growing concerns about immigration levels, Canadians continue to support certain types of immigration more than others. As in 2023, the public most widely believes that the government should give high priority to immigrants with specialized skills that are in high demand (73%) and people with good education and skills who are moving to Canada permanently (64%).

Fewer people give this priority to refugees fleeing conflict or persecution in their own countries (47%) and to reuniting family members of current citizens (33%). Canadians are least likely to say that the government should give priority to low-skilled workers hired on a short-term basis to fill unfilled jobs (28%) and international students attending Canadian colleges and universities (27%).

Discrimination and racism: worrying trends

Despite Canada's traditionally tolerant attitude, studies show a worrying rise in discrimination and racism. In 2024, 45% of racialized Canadians aged 15 and older reported experiencing racism and discrimination in the previous five years. Eight in ten (81%) victims reported experiencing discrimination more than once in the past five years.

The most common form of discrimination was unfair treatment: 29% of racialized Canadians said that at least once in the past five years they had been treated with less courtesy and respect than others, been treated with suspicion, been mistreated when receiving services, and people acted as if they were afraid of them.

People of South Asian origin are a particularly vulnerable group. Between 2019 and 2022, hate crimes against South Asians increased by 143%, and a quarter of South Asian Canadians reported experiencing discrimination or harassment in 2022 alone.

Anti-Muslim sentiment

Anti-Muslim sentiment has also spread beyond Quebec; data from 2014 showed that 20% of Muslims experienced discrimination during that year. The contradiction between broad public support for multiculturalism and significant Islamophobia is difficult to explain. Muslims have become the least liked religious minority in the country, and Islam is internationally framed as an illiberal, intolerant, and sometimes violent religion.

Positive aspects of integration and support

Despite growing concerns, many aspects of Canadian attitudes toward immigrants remain positive. Research shows that employed immigrants in the sample of this study considered Canadian organizations to be highly inclusive and tolerant of diversity. They valued their colleagues' openness to individual and cultural differences and felt that immigrants were treated as equals regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, country of origin, and language ability.

Support systems and integration

Canada continues to invest significant resources in immigrant integration programs. In 2025, the government announced an investment of over $3.2 billion over three years to more than 520 organizations outside Quebec to improve the integration of newcomers, including integration into the labor market and reducing labor shortages.

Settlement services are essential for filling vacancies in high-demand sectors such as healthcare and skilled trades. Through increased economic integration, newcomers can quickly apply their skills, fill critical labor gaps, and boost productivity.

Success stories

Across Canada, there are numerous success stories of immigrants that demonstrate the positive impact of integration programs and community support. For example, the Western Kootenay Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot has helped over 1,200 newcomers apply for permanent residence in Canada, and over 250 employers in Western Kootenay have used the pilot program to retain existing workers or hire skilled foreign workers.

Organizations such as World Skills, through the Ottawa Job Match Network, play a key role in providing employment opportunities to immigrants. Participants reported receiving useful advice and assistance and felt that the program played a key role in providing them with employment opportunities.

Jobs and professional integration

Research shows that successful integration in the workplace is critical to the overall success of immigrants in Canada. Canadian employers are increasingly proactive in serving as integration spaces to promote inclusiveness and reduce cultural biases. Despite these efforts, subtle forms of discrimination still exist, such as prejudice against individuals with ethnically sounding names and advantages of cultural capital aligned with existing norms.

Mentoring programs play a key role in helping immigrants understand unwritten organizational rules and policies, as well as subtle cultural norms. Immigrants have reported that they found it helpful to rely on established employees with immigrant backgrounds, as these individuals understand the challenges of socialization and can provide the most emotional and informational support.

Multiculturalism: achievements and challenges

Canadian multiculturalism has achieved significant success in terms of policy. Policies have changed the conditions for integration for immigrant communities, putting an end to ideas of assimilation and creating space for minorities to maintain and celebrate aspects of their culture and traditions while participating in mainstream Canadian life.

Furthermore, multiculturalism has been part of a broader public rethinking of national identity, helping to build a more inclusive sense of nationalism. Judged by these primary goals, the multiculturalism program has been largely successful.

However, multiculturalism has its limits. It has not eliminated racial inequality, and commitment to diversity sometimes seems fragile, most recently in the case of Muslims. Furthermore, multiculturalism has been a conflictual political success.

Comparison with international standards

Despite recent challenges, Canada continues to stand out among democratic countries for its relatively positive attitude toward immigration. In a 2019 Gallup poll of thousands of people in 145 countries, Canada ranked first as the most welcoming country in the world for migrants.

Compared to the experience of democratic countries in general, Canadian multiculturalism seems even more successful. Perhaps most importantly, the policy seems to have helped prevent the kind of anti-immigrant backlash we have seen elsewhere. Canada also stands out as a country whose policies have not been transformed by anti-immigrant backlash and authoritarian anti-system politics.

Challenges and opportunities for the future

Balancing support and concerns

Research shows that Canadians remain open to arguments that immigration is important for the economy and for enriching Canada's cultural and social diversity. Canadians are also open to the argument that certain immigration programs need reform, particularly if they contribute to housing and healthcare crises.

Despite growing concerns about immigration levels, there is a growing sense that many people who claim to be refugees are not genuine refugees (43%, up 7 points from 2023), and that too many immigrants do not embrace Canadian values (57%, up 9 points).

The role of government policy

The Canadian government has recognized the need for better management of the immigration system. In announcing new immigration level targets, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said that “Canadians want the federal government to better manage the immigration system.” Showing that Canadians have control over immigration can, in turn, prevent a potential cycle of perceived lack of control, negative attitudes toward immigrants, and poor integration of immigrants.

Combating discrimination

Canada has introduced a comprehensive Strategy for Combating Racism 2024-2028, which focuses on removing systemic barriers and the legacy of white supremacy and colonialism in federal institutions. The strategy pays particular attention to combating anti-Black racism and the unequal treatment of Black people, which is entrenched and normalized in our society.

Conclusion: a complex but encouraging landscape

Canadians' attitudes toward immigrants present a complex picture, combining long traditions of tolerance and multiculturalism with new challenges and concerns. While recent years have seen a significant rise in negative attitudes toward immigration levels, mainly driven by economic concerns and housing issues, core Canadian values of tolerance and inclusiveness remain relatively strong.

It is important to note that Canadians' growing concerns relate primarily to the levels and management of immigration, rather than to immigrants themselves. Most studies show that Canadians continue to value the economic contributions of immigrants and the cultural diversity they bring. However, rising discrimination and racism, particularly against racialized groups, are serious problems that require ongoing attention and action.

Canada's experience demonstrates that even the most tolerant societies are not immune to the challenges associated with rapid demographic change and economic pressures. However, Canada's historical commitment to multiculturalism, significant investment in integration programs, and relatively stable support for the principles of tolerance provide a solid foundation for overcoming current challenges.

The future of Canada's attitude toward immigrants will likely depend on the government's ability to effectively manage immigration flows, address key challenges such as the housing crisis and tensions in the healthcare system, and continue to invest in programs that promote the successful integration of newcomers. While the current moment presents challenges, Canada's long history as a successful multicultural state and its international reputation as a welcoming nation provide a promising foundation for overcoming current difficulties and maintaining positive attitudes toward immigrants in the long term.