OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre accused Prime Minister Mark Carney of putting corporate interests ahead of Canadian workers Friday, arguing the Liberals' new immigration plan would make it harder for young people to find jobs and afford housing.Speaking at Bethel Outreach Community Services in Brampton, Ont., Poilievre criticized the immigration targets released alongside Thursday's federal budget, claiming the government was understating how many people could receive permanent residency."The headline was that he stabilized numbers that permanent residents would be 380,000. The reality is that he's allowing another 200,000 on top of that," Poilievre said.He claimed other immigration measures could bring the total to 650,000 permanent residents, surpassing levels recorded under former prime minister Justin Trudeau.The government's immigration levels plan sets a target of 380,000 permanent resident admissions annually from 2027 to 2029, alongside 370,000 new temporary resident arrivals each year.Ottawa has also proposed transitioning up to 200,000 temporary residents already in Canada to permanent residency by the end of 2027. The additional measure is separate from the regular admissions targets, although it does not necessarily represent 200,000 additional admissions in a single year."We love immigration for people in numbers that we can absorb, where there are jobs, healthcare and housing, but not when the numbers exceed our capacity to absorb people," Poilievre said."It is not fair to immigrants, it is not fair to people already here.".Poilievre linked the government's immigration policies to unemployment, pointing to recent job losses and arguing that businesses were being allowed to rely on foreign labour while Canadians struggled to find work."Our young people, youth unemployment is near record highs. Our youth are desperate. They can't find homes. They can't find jobs," he said when questioned by a reporter."And now, Mark Carney wants to bring in more temporary foreign workers to make it even harder."Asked specifically about the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, Poilievre reiterated his proposal to eliminate the program in areas where unemployment exceeds 5.5%."We should get rid of the temporary foreign worker program outside of communities with less than 5.5% unemployment," he said."Canadian jobs should go to Canadians first."The Conservative leader accused corporate lobbyists of pressuring Ottawa to maintain access to low-wage foreign workers, arguing that the practice benefits employers while limiting opportunities for young Canadians."Conservatives would get rid of that program in places with above 5.5% unemployment so that our youth and Canadian people come first for Canadian jobs," he said..Poilievre also criticized the Liberals' broader economic policies, including the $62.3-billion deficit projected for 2026–27 and the government's plans for additional spending.He made the remarks at a Brampton food bank, where he said demand had increased by 39% over the past year."We've gone beyond a food crisis to a food emergency," Poilievre said.The Conservative leader argued that immigration, housing costs and unemployment could not be addressed separately, calling for lower immigration levels, reduced government spending and measures to encourage home construction."Canadians cannot find jobs, homes, and health care, and yet the Prime Minister is increasing to record levels this category of immigration," he said.
