In search of solutions to the current housing shortage, the Trudeau government plans to reduce the number of foreign students who can be admitted in certain provinces such as Ontario, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia targeted by Ottawa, according to a federal source familiar with the discussions.

The idea of imposing a cap on the number of foreign students accepted in the country as temporary residents is an option being seriously studied in Parliament, according to this source.

Ottawa believes it is its duty to take action, after discussions with the concerned provinces in December, which yielded nothing, according to our source.

It also clarified that some provinces refuse to tighten the noose on educational institutions that welcome too many students compared to the housing capacity in the area where they are located, but also on fake institutions that abuse the immigration system by seeking profit.

This is because these students, whether for educational institutions or the provinces hosting them, represent an important source of income, as they pay tuition fees five times higher than permanent residents or Canadian citizens.

In 2018, international students contributed approximately 21.6 billion dollars to Canada’s GDP and supported nearly 170,000 jobs for the Canadian middle class, according to government data.

Ottawa is still reviewing the numbers and has not finished all the details.

Also, according to the Ministry of Immigration, Canada is on track to welcome nearly 900,000 international students this year. In 2011, this number was just under 240,000.

This question was also raised earlier on Tuesday morning by both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the official Conservative opposition leader Pierre Poilievre.

During his visit to the Montreal Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Trudeau defended Canada’s extraordinary advantage over the rest of the world, according to him, which is welcoming people from all over the world to contribute to the growth of our country.

He defended the goal of 500,000 new arrivals annually, saying that this is the number required to achieve economic growth and fill labor shortages.

What poses a challenge, again according to the Prime Minister, are temporary residents, especially foreign students and temporary workers. He said that within these groups we will have to restore order.

Accountability of institutions and employers

Justin Trudeau said that institutions welcoming foreign students and employers who want to hire workers from outside Canada will have to do their part.

He also said that the same logic applies to temporary workers. What will you do to ensure that these people can find suitable housing? he said addressing employers. And if you strongly want [to bring workers], you will have to bear more responsibilities in this regard.

Between the housing crisis and labor shortage, Trudeau said there are two options available to Canada today: either we significantly reduce our immigration targets, which will harm economic growth, or we find a way to build many more homes faster.