Nanos Poll: Majority of Canadians support influx of Temporary Foreign Workers
According to a , a significant majority of Canadians recognize the importance of temporary foreign workers (TFWs) to the country's economy.
of 1,006 people, conducted online and over the phone between December 27 and 29 last year, revealed that over 80% of Canadians 鈥渇eel that temporary foreign workers are important to the country鈥檚 economy.鈥
Note: The results of this poll, conducted by Nanos for the Globe and Mail, were released on January 9, 2023.
This revelation comes around the same time as another growing numbers opposed to increased immigration.
Growing general opposition against immigration across Canada
In contrast with the results of this most recent poll, the Nanos Research poll from September 2023 revealed that expressed a desire for Canada to welcome fewer immigrants than the figure targeted by the federal government.
Up from 34% in March last year, 53% of survey respondents in September indicated that 鈥渢hey want to see Canada accept fewer immigrants than the federal plan.鈥 This desire also extended specifically to Canada鈥檚 international student population, as the same September poll revealed that 鈥55% of Canadians want Canada to accept fewer international students than the 900,000 expected by the government.鈥
Temporary resident population growth in Canada
In light of a declining level of national support for immigration, it is worth understanding where much of Canada鈥檚 recent immigration growth has come from.
According to (StatsCan) in December, Canada鈥檚 population grew by more than 430,000 during the third quarter of 2023. This increase, which according to StatsCan estimates was driven largely by immigration, 鈥渁bout 313,000 non-permanent residents [who mostly] came to Canada on work or study permits.鈥
Canadians support TFWs coming to Canada for specific employment
Despite a growing sentiment against increased immigration, the indicates that Canadians 鈥渁re more supportive of migrants coming to do specific jobs.鈥
According to , 鈥渨hen it comes to people coming to Canada for a purpose, such as temporary foreign workers, there鈥檚 pretty good levels of support and acceptance.鈥
On one hand, general support for welcoming more 鈥渢emporary foreign workers for jobs鈥 was expressed by 57% of Canadians who took part in the Nanos poll in December. According to polling details, this support is highest in Canada鈥檚 Atlantic provinces among people older than 55. The poll also notes that 49% of respondents in the Prairie provinces indicated support for an increase.
In addition, 35% of Canadians said they oppose allowing more temporary foreign workers to come to Canada for jobs. Among all provinces and territories across Canada, Nanos found that this opposition was strongest in Ontario, the Prairies and British Columbia.
However, the January Nanos poll also found that 79% of Canadians 鈥渟upport employers bringing temporary foreign workers into Canada to help fill jobs they can鈥檛 find Canadians to do.鈥 This type of support for TFWs was found to be strongest in Atlantic Canada as well as Quebec and weakest in Ontario and Canada鈥檚 prairie provinces.
Government response to the shifting sentiment around immigration in Canada
Acknowledging that there is a 鈥渃orrelation between [Canada鈥檚] influx of international students and temporary workers and the [national] housing shortage in Canada鈥 according to a recent , Immigration Minister Marc Miller said he plans to 鈥渞ein in鈥 the number of temporary foreign workers coming to Canada.
This was also mentioned in a , where Miller was also quoted as saying that the federal government may need to look into 鈥渞eally controlling the volume鈥 of temporary residents coming to Canada.
To accomplish this, according to , Miller has suggested that reforms may be coming to both Canada鈥檚 鈥淧ost-Graduate Work Permit [PGWP] system for international students 鈥 as well as the temporary foreign workers program.鈥
According to Miller, as quoted again in the same Globe and Mail story, 鈥渂oth [the PGWP and the TFW program] represent increased volume that we鈥檝e seen jump astronomically in the last few years, even when you net out the period during COVID-19.鈥
It鈥檚 something that has created some unanticipated effects and something we need to rein in. I鈥檓 prepared to do it.鈥
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