Columnist Lorne Gunter says Prime Minister Mark Carney has not brought immigration numbers down in the way the government describes. He points to a Statistics Canada revision that replaced a reported population drop with growth. The RBC paper that wants steadier targets is in a smarter immigration strategy.
The revision
Carney has said the government slowed the population surge of the previous years. Gunter cites Statistics Canada figures released in September 2026. An earlier report of a decline of 102,000 was revised to an increase of 280,000 in 2025. That is the gap his column is about. The ministers’ version of the next plan is in the June meeting on sustainable immigration.
The targets he says are still ahead of the data
The levels plan limits permanent-resident admissions to 380,000 a year for 2026–2028 and aims to put non-permanent residents under 5 percent of the population by the end of 2027. Gunter’s argument is that the backlog and the demand for workers make those cuts harder to deliver than the announcement suggests. The overview of the same caps is in narrower access and persistent demand.
What the critics list
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner has called the approach too small to ease housing and health care. The pressures named in the column are:
- Housing costs in the large cities.
- Waits for primary and emergency care.
- Transit and municipal utilities.
- Jobs that do not match the people being admitted.
- Per-capita GDP if the population grows faster than output.
What Carney has said since
Carney has talked about a “controlled increase” rather than a cut to zero. Gunter’s point is that the public will judge the revision, not the phrase. A rise of 280,000 in 2025 is not the decline that was first reported.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the permanent-resident target?
380,000 a year for 2026–2028.
What changed in the 2025 population figure?
A reported decline of 102,000 was revised, in Statistics Canada data released in September 2026, to growth of 280,000.
What is the non-permanent target?
Under 5 percent of the population by the end of 2027.
