By any honest measure, Canada’s immigration system is broken. Numbers are high, planning is low, and the costs are being dumped on jurisdictions that did not design the policy and cannot sustain the pressure. That reality is now visible on every crowded emergency ward, every packed classroom, and every rental listing that disappears in hours.Premier Danielle Smith’s proposal to limit access to social services for certain newcomers until they are working and paying taxes is not radical. .SINGH: Loan guarantees for private property yet another self-inflicted blow to BC's economy.It is responsible. More importantly, it is long overdue.Smith is not calling for an end to immigration. She is arguing for order, fairness, and sustainability. Her made-in-Alberta approach prioritizes economic migrants who have jobs lined up and can contribute as taxpayers before accessing provincially funded services such as healthcare, education, and child care. .That is not anti-immigrant. It is pro-worker and pro-taxpayer.Ottawa’s approach has been the opposite. The federal government has driven population growth at record speed while offloading the consequences. Alberta’s population has surged, yet housing starts, hospital capacity, and school spaces have not kept pace. The result is predictable strain. .BURTON: Canada’s debt reckoning — a moral test we are failing.Even columnists who usually defend high immigration levels admit the system is buckling under its own weight, particularly in fast-growing regions of the West.Smith has pointed to models used in other countries, including the United Kingdom, where access to certain benefits is delayed until newcomers have worked and paid into the system. That principle matters. Public services are funded by taxpayers. Asking newcomers to contribute before drawing heavily from the system is not punitive. It is common sense..Smith has been blunt about the consequences of Ottawa’s choices, warning that federal immigration levels are “overwhelming” housing, healthcare, and job markets in Alberta.This debate did not appear out of thin air. The Alberta Next Panel, which is touring the province in 2025, has heard repeated concerns from residents about growth without infrastructure. Among the ideas floated are referendums on whether access to services should depend on Alberta-approved immigration status. Critics scoff, but referendums exist precisely to measure public consent on major policy shifts..MCTEAGUE: Mortgaging Canada's energy future — the hidden costs of the Carney-Smith pipeline deal.Opponents argue the plan could violate Charter rights or deter workers. That criticism deserves scrutiny, but it also ignores context. Immigration policy already involves conditions, categories, and timelines. Temporary foreign workers, international students, and permanent residents all face different rules. Adjusting eligibility for provincially delivered services, especially during a defined waiting period, is not as unprecedented as opponents would lead you to believe.Public health advocates warn that delayed access could discourage care. That concern should be addressed carefully in policy design, not used as a blanket veto. .Emergency care is already universally provided. Preventative and elective services can be structured with safeguards while still reinforcing the principle that contribution matters.The deeper issue is fairness. Longtime residents are paying more and getting less. Young families cannot find doctors. Seniors wait months for procedures. Wages in some sectors are under pressure as labour supply is expanded faster than demand..ROBSON: Bondi’s 2019 warning should end Canada’s naivete on antisemitic extremism.When people raise these concerns, they are too often dismissed as intolerant. That dismissal is wearing thin.Smith’s position reflects a shift, but not a contradiction. Supporting immigration does not mean supporting chaos. Governments are allowed to adjust when evidence changes. .Population growth without planning is not growth. It is erosion.Smith has also directed ministers to explore legal avenues for greater provincial control over immigration selection and settlement. That push is about accountability. If Alberta is expected to deliver services, it deserves a say in who arrives and under what conditions..BORG: Calgary Jewish community comes together in candlelight after Bondi Beach terror attack.Advocacy groups claim such policies will make Alberta look unwelcoming. The opposite is true. A system that prioritizes work, contribution, and integration builds public trust. Without trust, public support for immigration collapses entirely. Canadians have seen this story before in Europe and the United States..Smith is saying what many premiers privately admit but rarely state. The federal government has lost control of immigration levels, and the consequences are landing hardest in high-growth regions. Doing nothing is not compassion. It is neglect.Immigrants helped build Alberta. They still do. .CARPAY: From equality before the law to race-based rights — how UNDRIP is reshaping Canada.But a system that welcomes newcomers while ignoring capacity is unfair to them and to everyone else. A pause on benefits until people are established in the workforce reinforces the social contract rather than breaking it.Danielle Smith’s plan does not close the door. It restores the hinges.
