Within hours of the November 5 federal budget landing, a post by Jason James was circulating on X, claiming Canada "imported 36.5% of its population in the last 10 years" and calling it "an atomic bomb going off in every major city.".The post offers no source for that figure and never says what it is counting: without a source and a clear definition, we cannot treat 36.5% as factual. Indeed, a simple fact check shows our population was 35.85 million on July 1, 2015, rising to about 41.55 million by April 1, 2025. That is a net increase of roughly 5.7 million people, or about 16% over the decade — not 36.5%. The frustration underneath the post is real enough, though, and the immigration plan tucked inside Budget 2026 guarantees the argument is not going away.Let's start with what actually happened. From 2021 through 2024, Canada admitted more than 400,000 permanent residents every year:.That is about 2.19 million permanent resident admissions in five years, not 2.19 million people arriving from abroad. Some already lived here as students or workers..The asylum system also came under strain. Claims rose from over 92,000 in 2022 to over 173,000 in 2024, then fell to about 114,500 in 2025. Even after that decline, almost 300,000 claims awaited decisions at the end of 2025, according to Ottawa's briefing. Filing an asylum claim is not itself illegal. Leaving claims unresolved for years is a government failure.Plus, here is a number no one can count. A government's first duty to its citizens is to protect its borders, and the lack of accountability and enforcement here is appalling by any standard. A report on Ottawa's new overstay study estimates the number of people without legal status at between 20,000 and 500,000. Those are uncertain estimates, not a verified headcount. Missing departure records do not prove everyone stayed illegally, either. The government needs reliable entry-and-exit tracking before it can claim to know the scale of the problem.Public concern is hardly imaginary. In Ottawa's August 2025 opinion research, 56% said immigration put too much pressure on housing prices and 63% said it put too much pressure on public services. Those findings describe public concern, not a measurement of immigration's economic effect. The worries are very familiar: rent, family doctors, emergency rooms, and classrooms.Now consider the November 5 announcement. The published targets remain 380,000 permanent resident admissions and 370,000 new temporary worker and student arrivals annually for 2027–2029. The temporary target does not include asylum claimants and excludes some seasonal workers. It does not count everyone entering Canada.But the headline permanent resident target is not the whole program either. Ottawa's own budget backgrounder provides additional admissions space in 2027 for up to 200,000 people already here: a workers cohort and a humanitarian cohort. Think about that: up to 200,000 additional permanent resident admissions in 2027, on top of the annual targets of 380,000 permanent resident admissions and 370,000 new temporary worker and student arrivals.That is the issue behind Pierre Poilievre's commentary. He accuses Carney of slipping a massive immigration increase into the budget and says next year's permanent resident total could break the record. His demand for a real debate is fair. The Canadian Press also reports potential for more than 600,000 permanent resident admissions next year when additional programs are included. .What does this all mean for Alberta? The latest annual report records 51,615 permanent residents destined for Alberta out of 393,770 nationally in 2025: about 13.1%. If that share continues, and all indications are that it will, Alberta would account for roughly 50,000 of the annual 380,000 headline admissions, before any additional measures. .There is a better way. In my earlier immigration proposal, I argued that governments should determine what communities can absorb before setting intake. Match admissions to jobs, housing, healthcare, and schools. Verify credentials. Use transparent points for skills and qualifications. Treat established residents fairly through a proper transition period, make private sponsorship financially meaningful, and enforce removal decisions against serious offenders, with due process.Albertans have now given that approach a political opening. On October 19, 54.9% voted for increased provincial control over immigration to bring it to sustainable levels, prioritize economic migration, and give Albertans first priority on new jobs. The official count recorded 1,127,729 yes votes. That is a mandate Smith should quickly put to work. On October 21, she said Alberta would look to Quebec and had begun discussions with Ottawa. Quebec's accord gives it responsibility for selecting economic immigrants destined for the province; federal admission authority remains. Alberta cannot acquire those powers by referendum alone. Smith must negotiate them, with a clear plan for matching immigration to Alberta's needs. We do not need any more Uber drivers. As much as I love Uber.Albertans voted for greater control. Smith should quickly turn that vote into a solid agreement, giving Alberta much more say over who comes into Alberta.Immigration built this country. Done properly, it will keep building it. But a system that cannot count who is here, cannot house who arrives, and cannot remove who abuses it is not compassion. It is mismanagement, or outright incompetence.The November 5 budget offers Canadians three-quarters of a million admissions and new arrivals a year, every year, as far as the eye can see. Canadians asked for less. Ottawa cannot restore confidence by advertising one target while adding admissions through separate programs. Publish the full numbers, explain who is already here and show how communities can cope.
