Canada ‘absolutely’ can’t build more houses without more immigrants, minister says
Global News
Canada aims to welcome 451,000 new immigrants in 2024. By 2025, the number is expected to go up to 500,000. Miller said he was not considering slashing these targets.
Canada’s housing crisis “absolutely cannot” be solved without the aid of new immigrants who bring their skills here, Immigration Minister Marc Miller told reporters on Friday.
“The federal government is making housing more affordable and bringing in the skilled workers required to build more homes,” Miller said in Montreal.
“Without those skilled workers coming from outside Canada, we absolutely cannot build the homes and meet the demand that exists currently today.”
Miller was asked by reporters if he was considering slashing Canada’s immigration targets, which are currently at historic highs, in response to a recent Bank of Canada report that new immigrants are adding to housing demand.
The minister said he was not.
“People coming to this country are resourceful. When they bring capital, they are able to acquire houses,” he said.
“If people are asking us to slash, what does that mean? Does that mean slashing the skilled workers that we need to actually build those houses? Slash family reunification, which can be devastating for the mental health and well-being of the families that are already here?”
Canada aims to welcome 451,000 new immigrants in 2024.