Canadians will have to wait until budget day to learn the federal government’s new immigration targets, after Immigration Minister Lena Diab confirmed the plan’s release has been postponed.The annual Immigration Levels Plan, normally tabled by Oct. 31, will now come with the budget on Nov. 4 — the first such plan since Prime Minister Mark Carney declared the immigration system “isn’t working.”“Canada’s immigration and asylum systems reflect our values,” Diab told the Commons immigration committee. “They are fair, compassionate and grounded in the rule of law. However, the world is changing.”Diab said shifting global migration trends are driving “unprecedented movement of people,” and Canada must adapt “responsibly to uphold trust, maintain order, and keep our system fair, efficient, and sustainable.”.Conservative MP Brad Redekopp questioned the delay, noting Parliament has historically received the figures before November. Diab replied that the new plan would be included in the upcoming federal budget.The last Immigration Levels Plan proposed reducing permanent resident admissions from 471,550 to 395,000 this year. Those numbers did not include foreign students or temporary workers. A government briefing note earlier this year estimated Canada’s non-permanent resident population at more than 3 million..Carney, during an April debate, acknowledged the need for an immigration cap, saying the system had “gone off the rails” after years of high intake. “Our population has gone up at about 3% per year because of immigration,” he said. “That’s why we need to have a cap for a certain period of time.”Carney added that limits would remain in place “for a couple of years” to allow provinces and cities to expand housing and infrastructure. “We have to be human, but we have to be realistic,” he said. “Canada cannot accept everyone.”
