OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney's government is keeping permanent immigration targets at 380,000 annually under its new immigration levels plan, prompting Conservatives to accuse the Liberals of putting corporate interests ahead of Canadian workers and housing affordability.The plan, released alongside Thursday's federal budget, also sets a target of 370,000 new temporary resident arrivals annually between 2027 and 2029, maintaining the government's previous commitment to reduce immigration from the record levels seen earlier this decade.Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner said Carney had missed an opportunity to change course."Today, Mark Carney had a chance to change course. Instead, he tabled immigration intake numbers that continue to benefit wealthy corporate interests, at the expense of Canadian and newcomer workers alike," Rempel Garner said in a statement Thursday."Canadians were told to expect a sustainable plan. But based on today's numbers, what Mr. Carney meant by 'sustainable' is sustainable for corporate profit models, not for workers or Canada's social infrastructure."Rempel Garner argued that the government was maintaining an immigration system that allows businesses to rely on temporary foreign labour rather than train and hire Canadians."It continues the Liberal practice of giving low-wage employers an endless supply of temporary workers tied to a single job, which drives down wages and takes entry-level jobs from young Canadians," she said..She also accused post-secondary institutions of depending on international student tuition while failing to address the housing pressures facing students.The Conservative MP took particular issue with provisions she said could allow immigration admissions to exceed the government's headline targets."Today's plan once again puts 200,000 permanent residents outside the headline target. That brings the real total potentially to 580,000, not 380,000," she said.The additional figure refers to immigration pathways identified by the Conservatives as falling outside the regular annual admissions target. It does not mean 580,000 permanent residents have been admitted or that all additional admissions would necessarily occur in one year.Rempel Garner also questioned the government's temporary resident figures, arguing that the number of permits issued can be substantially higher than the annual target for new arrivals."In 2026, the government planned for 385,000 new temporary residents and issued more than 950,000 permits," she said..The figures measure different things, however. Immigration targets for new temporary residents are not directly comparable to the total number of permits issued or renewed, which can include people already living in Canada.Rempel Garner further criticized the government's ability to track temporary residents whose immigration documents have expired.She cited revisions to Statistics Canada's population estimates that added approximately 300,000 people to previous counts, including roughly 240,000 non-permanent residents.The Conservative MP also pointed to an Auditor General finding concerning international students whose permits expired in 2024."The Auditor General found the government could confirm that only about 16,000 of the 39,500 students whose permits expired in 2024 actually left," she said.She argued that Ottawa should match expired permits with confirmed departures and publish more complete information about the number of temporary residents remaining in Canada..Rempel Garner also raised concerns about housing shortages, health care capacity and unemployment, arguing that immigration targets should be determined in consultation with provincial governments."Bring the numbers down, so Canadians get first crack at Canadian jobs, housing starts can catch up, rents can come down, and hospitals aren't asked to do the impossible," she said.The Conservatives are also calling for stronger immigration enforcement, improved security screening and greater transparency over potential migration arrangements with the European Union.Public opinion has shifted toward lower immigration levels in recent years.A Nanos Research survey commissioned by CTV News, conducted between October 31 and November 2, found that 52.3% of respondents wanted Canada to admit fewer immigrants and temporary residents in 2027.Another 33.5% supported maintaining current levels, while 8.4% wanted admissions increased.Carney has previously defended reductions to immigration targets as necessary to restore a more sustainable pace of population growth.The Liberals' new plan maintains the permanent resident target of 380,000 annually through 2029 while holding new temporary resident arrivals at 370,000 per year."None of this is the fault of the newcomers who came here to build a better life. They've been failed by Liberal mass immigration just as much as Canadians have," Rempel Garner said."Canadians and newcomers are not units of production. They're people. Conservatives will keep fighting for an immigration system that works for them, not for Mark Carney's corporate friends."
