Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has decided to reverse the foreign worker program in Canada, in an effort to calm public criticism against immigration policy, according to the British newspaper "Financial Times".

As his popularity declines in opinion polls ahead of next year's scheduled elections, Trudeau announced measures to reduce the number of new arrivals; however, executives are concerned that these measures will affect the availability of cheap labor.

Simranjeet Singh, the policy director at the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, stated that further consultations are necessary to ensure that "the changes do not unintentionally harm our economy or essential services."

Trudeau said to reporters on Monday that the government "is studying various immigration pathways to ensure that Canada remains a place that positively supports immigration, while also being responsible in how we integrate immigrants and create pathways to success."

"A Surprising Shift"

The "Financial Times" described Trudeau's move as a "surprising shift" for the Prime Minister, who had previously defended Canada's openness to immigrants and welcomed refugees from war-torn countries like Syria and Ukraine.

It referred to Trudeau welcoming Syrian refugees at Toronto Pearson International Airport in 2015, gifting them winter jackets. He told them then, "You are home."

The foreign worker program helped Canada recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has recently faced increasing criticism due to rising housing costs, pressure on the healthcare system, and high youth unemployment rates.

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre focused on the high cost of living in Canada and the slowing economy during his campaign, considering them key elements of his electoral platform.

Poilievre stated last Thursday that Trudeau's government "has destroyed our immigration system," adding, "We need to achieve lower population growth."

Canada is tightening immigration measures, similar to the United Kingdom and Germany, in response to growing public concerns about the influx of foreigners.

In the United States as well, immigration has become a central issue in this year's elections, with Democratic candidate Kamala Harris facing increasing criticism due to the rising number of migrants crossing the southern border from Mexico during President Joe Biden's administration.

Immigrants in Canada

Canada has welcomed 1.63 million people since January 2018, nearly a third of whom are from India, the Philippines, or China, according to official data.

The number of immigrants in Canada exceeded 8.3 million people in 2021, representing about a quarter of the population, according to official data.

In comparison, about 14% of Britain's population, which is nearing 70 million, was born abroad in 2022, according to the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford.

David Coletto, the CEO of the polling company "Abacus Data" in Ottawa, told the newspaper that immigration was one of the reasons why opposition conservatives led the Liberal Party, led by Trudeau, by 17 points in opinion polls.

Coletto added, "Our data shows that only one in four believes the country is headed in the right direction."

The population of Canada reached 40 million last year, after increasing by more than one million people in a year, with 96% of population growth resulting from temporary and permanent immigration, according to the newspaper.

Coletto noted that a survey conducted last November showed that two-thirds of Canadians surveyed considered immigration rates "high," while 31% of them found it "very high."

The new measures announced by Trudeau lower the share of low-wage temporary foreign workers that Canadian employers can hire from 20% to 10%.

This contrasts with the 2022 policy that increased the number of such workers in the country to about 3 million people, according to the "Financial Times".

The newspaper reported that Trudeau hinted at the possibility of immigration law reforms in the fall of this year.