Trudeau’s Immigration Crackdown Fails to Revive His Falling Support, Poll Says

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(Bloomberg) — Canadians broadly support Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s plan to drastically reduce immigration targets, but the move has done little to boost his declining popularity, a new poll suggests.

Despite three out of four respondents who agree with reducing immigration, more than half say it has had no effect on their views of Trudeau, according to a survey by Nanos Research Group for Bloomberg News. Another 17% said it had a negative impact on their opinion of the prime minister, while 28% reported a positive impact.

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The Trudeau government last month cut annual permanent resident immigration by more than 20%, the first for a large immigrant group in more than a decade. Combined with a plan to reduce the number of foreign students and part-time workers, the policy is a sharp reform aimed at restoring confidence in the country’s immigration system and the Trudeau Liberal Party.

“The survey suggests that the Liberals are better in tune with the views of Canadians by dialing up the number of young people coming to Canada,” said Nik Nanos, senior data scientist and co-founder of the polling firm. “That said, this change may not be politically beneficial for the Liberals because they have set ambitious goals that are being reversed.”

The post-pandemic influx of newcomers, and the subsequent worsening housing shortage, contributed to Trudeau’s declining popularity. For more than a year, his party has trailed the Conservatives led by Pierre Poilievre, who say immigration must not outpace growth in housing, health care and jobs. In the latest Nanos weekly poll, the Conservatives were 16 points ahead of the Liberals. This election is expected in late October next year.

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The survey suggests that while there may be consensus on reducing immigration immediately, there is no quick fix for how Canadians view the government’s handling of immigration. Public support for higher levels of immigration to Canada has already fallen to its lowest level in decades, with a majority saying there are too many immigrants.

Lisa Lalande, chief executive of the pro-immigrant group Century Initiative, called Trudeau’s plan a “textbook example of political shortcuts” and warned that “short-term political fixes” could have long-term consequences, including a shortage of skilled workers. .

“Canada’s challenges require leadership based on forward-looking vision – not reactive policies driven by changing public opinion,” he said on social media after the government’s announcement last month.

The latest Nanos survey of 1,010 people was conducted by phone and online from Nov. 4 to 6. It is considered accurate within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

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