Canada’s Productivity Blueprint

Why Canada Won’t Hit Its Immigration Reduction Target

Ottawa won’t meet its goal of reducing temporary immigration at this rate. The Institute’s Parisa Mahboubi asks why the federal government set a target it can’t meet, and tells Michael Hainsworth what needs to be done to bring more skilled labour into the economy.

Why Canada Won’t Hit Its Immigration Reduction Target

Ottawa won’t meet its goal of reducing temporary immigration at this rate. The Institute’s Parisa Mahboubi asks why the federal government set a target it can’t meet, and tells Michael Hainsworth what needs to be done to bring more skilled labour into the economy.  

The Demographic Slowdown Has Arrived

From: Parisa Mahboubi and Daniel HiebertTo: Concerned Canadians Date: August 7, 2025Re: The Demographic Slowdown Has Arrived Canada’s population growth has nearly halted – even as the illusion persists that immigration alone can resolve our demographic challenges. New data from Statistics Canada show that from January to April 2025, the population grew by just 20,107 […]

Temporary Resident Population Has Dipped Only Slightly – Despite Federal Pledges

Between Q1 2024 and Q2 2025, the composition of Canada’s temporary resident population shifted significantly. Study permit holders declined by nearly 20 percent, asylum claimants rose by over 40 percent, and work permit holders remained near record highs. As a result, the total temporary resident population fell only modestly, despite the federal government’s pledge to […]

Why Set Immigration Targets Canada Can’t Meet?

From: Parisa MahboubiTo: Immigration observers Date: July 8, 2025Re: Why Set Immigration Targets Canada Can’t Meet? The federal government announced last year that it would reduce the portion of the country’s temporary residents to 5 percent of Canada’s total population by the end of 2026. Framing it as a necessary correction to years of unsustainable […]

Why have a target for cutting temporary immigration if Canada can’t meet it?

Published in The Globe and Mail The federal government announced last year that it would reduce the portion of the country’s temporary residents to 5 per cent of Canada’s total population by the end of 2026. Framing it as a necessary correction to years of unsustainable growth in the number of such immigrants, Ottawa introduced […]

Housing Stock Per Capita Rising as Immigrations Slows

The unprecedented surge in population growth following the pandemic exacerbated Canada’s housing shortage. However, recent changes to the federal government’s immigration policy are beginning to reverse this trend. In the past two quarters, the housing stock per 1,000 persons has risen as a result of slower population growth. To continue closing the housing gap, more supply-side […]

Fast vs. Slow: How Different Immigration Rates Can Impact Canada’s Economic Challenges and Regional Disparities

Fast vs. Slow: How Different Immigration Rates Can Impact Canada’s Economic Challenges and Regional Disparities This report examines how different permanent immigration rates – and policies aimed at influencing where newcomers settle – affect Canada’s population growth, regional balance, and long-term economic challenges. It models six scenarios from 2021 to 2046 to project the impacts […]

Canada’s Future Depends on Where Immigrants Settle, Not Just How Many Are Welcomed

June 3, 2024 – Immigration alone cannot solve Canada’s regional and demographic challenges, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. Immigration must be paired with regional development; otherwise, Canada risks exacerbating the divide between fast- and slow-growth regions while placing even greater strain on already pressured large urban centres. In “Fast vs. […]

More Flexibility, Please, for Seniors’ LTD Coverage

To: Canadian insurance watchersFrom: Joe NunesDate: May 23, 2025Re: More Flexibility, Please, for Seniors’ LTD Coverage As more Canadians work past age 65 – due to longer life expectancy, the end of mandatory retirement, and the need or desire to keep working – rigid age cutoffs for long-term disability (LTD) insurance, typically set at 65, may […]

Trump has Given Us a Generational Talent Opportunity. Let’s Seize It.

To: Canadians concerned about prosperityFrom: Martin EichenbaumDate: May 5, 2025Re: Trump has Given Us a Generational Talent Opportunity. Let’s Seize It. Canadians often complain that many of our brightest stars move south. The list of distinguished expats is long and impressive: Artists, academics, entrepreneurs, managers, athletes and more. The phrase “brain drain” is familiar to all of […]

Balancing Canada’s Population Growth and Ageing Through Immigration Policy

Balancing Canada’s Population Growth and Ageing Through Immigration Policy Canada faces twin demographic pressures: an ageing population and rapid population growth driven by immigration. The report argues that immigration levels must strike a careful balance – sufficient to offset some effects of low fertility and an ageing workforce, but not so high as to outpace […]

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