Canadian Immigration and Evidence Based Policy Making

The recent Canadian immigration reform points to three magic target numbers: 1 – 5 – 10 

• 1% annual new immigrants’ intake
• 5% the percentage of temporary work or study permit holders in the total population
• 10% of Francophone immigrants admitted outside Quebec in 2028

But how did the government come up with these numbers? Are they based on scientific evidence or are they more driven by perceived public opinion pressure to stabilize immigration? And what do these targets mean for Canada’s socio-economic and demographic future?

This seminar brings together several renowned experts discussing these three numbers:

• Dan Hiebert (Professor Emeritus at UBC and Scholar of Excellence, Global Migration Institute, TMU) will provide a deep dive into Canada’s demographics and how the 1% target fits into those;
• Michael Haan (Professor, Department of Sociology, Western University) will discuss the impact of (im)migration on Canada’s regional demographics;
• Rupa Banerjee (Professor, TRSM and Global Migration Institute, TMU) will offer reflections on the impact of the drastic immigration levels’ reductions on Canada’s labour market and economic growth potential;
• Kimberly Jean Pharuns (Director, Observatoire de l’Immigration Francophone, Université’ de l’Ontario Français) will consider what the 10% target means for the demographics of Francophone communities outside Quebec.