(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had a come-to-Jesus moment on Thursday, signaling a major shift against immigration and suggesting he wants to make Canada great again.
Trudeau announced plans to slash drastically the number of foreign workers admitted into Canada, demanding businesses hire Canadian nationals.
“We’re going to have fewer temporary foreign workers in Canada,” Trudeau wrote Wednesday on X. “We’re bringing in stricter rules for companies to prove why they can’t hire Canadian workers first.”
In a tweet on Thursday, he added, “We’re going to significantly reduce the number of immigrants coming to Canada for the next two years. This is temporary — to pause our population growth and let our economy catch up.”
Immigration is central to the story of Canada. Our decision to temporarily reduce the number of immigrants is a pragmatic one that addresses the needs of our economy right now. pic.twitter.com/MmNvfqcHBy
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) October 24, 2024
Canadian Minister of Immigration Marc Miller detailed the new policy, claiming that the government aims to limit population growth between 2025 and 2027.
Canada will accept no more than 395,000 permanent residents in 2025, with the number dropping to 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027.
Miller added that temporary population reductions are expected to reach 445,000 in 2025 and 445,662 by 2026.
“These reductions are the result of a series of changes implemented over the past year, including a cap on international students and tightened eligibility requirements for temporary foreign workers,” Miller wrote on X.
Today, we announced the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels plan. Immigration is essential to our country’s economic success and growth. In response to the evolving needs of our country this plan will pause population growth in the short term to achieve well-managed, sustainable growth. pic.twitter.com/fiWZZnJfyF
— Marc Miller ᐅᑭᒫᐃᐧᐅᓃᐸᐄᐧᐤᐃᔨᐣ (@MarcMillerVM) October 24, 2024
The announcement contradicts Trudeau’s years-long support for increased immigration as evidenced on his X page.
In November 2023, he partnered with the Biden-Harris administration to “help refugees and migrants” access basic necessities. He boasted of the partnership and also shared a photo of himself with Biden.
News from Washington: We’re working with partners from across the Western Hemisphere to support entrepreneurs from marginalized communities, promote nature-based solutions, improve climate resilience, help refugees and migrants access basic necessities, and more. pic.twitter.com/eEXgFrsc9w
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) November 3, 2023
In 2017, Trudeau seemed to rebuke then-President Donald Trump’s travel ban, tweeting, “To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength. #WelcomeToCanada.”
In 2014, a year before becoming prime minister, Trudeau insisted that Canada “must focus on nation building and recommit to bringing permanent immigrants here with a path to citizenship.”
To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 28, 2017