Trudeau’s Immigration Crackdown Fails to Revive His Slumping Support, Poll Says

(Bloomberg) - Canadians broadly support Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's plan to drastically slash immigration targets, but the move has done little to boost his waning popularity, a new poll suggests.

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Despite three in four respondents agreeing with the immigration reduction, just over half said it has no impact on their impressions of Trudeau, according to a survey by Nanos Research Group for Bloomberg News. Some 17% stated it negatively affected their opinion of the prime minister, while 28% reported a positive impact.

Trudeau's government last month slashed the number of annual permanent-resident admissions by more than 20%, the first cut to a key immigration group in more than a decade. Combined with a plan to shrink the population of foreign students and temporary workers, the policy is a sharp reversal aimed at restoring confidence in the country's immigration system as well as Trudeau's Liberal Party.

"The research suggests that the Liberals are better aligning with the views of Canadians by dialing back the number of new people coming into Canada," said Nik Nanos, chief data scientist and founder of the polling firm. "That said, the change is most likely to have no political dividend for the Liberals because they initiated the ambitious targets that are being scaled back."

Post-pandemic influxes of newcomers, as well as subsequent worsening housing shortages, are contributing to Trudeau's declining popularity. For more than a year, his party has been trailing behind the Conservatives led by Pierre Poilievre, who says immigration shouldn't exceed growth in housing, health care and jobs. In the latest weekly Nanos poll, the Conservatives were 16 points ahead of the Liberals. The election is expected by late October next year.

The poll suggests that while there may be a consensus on slowing down rapid population gains, there's no quick fix to how Canadians perceive the government's management of immigration. Public support for high levels of immigration to Canada has already plunged to the lowest level in decades, with most people now saying there are too many newcomers.

Lisa Lalande, chief executive officer of pro-immigration lobby group Century Initiative, called Trudeau's plan a "textbook example of a political shortcut" and warned that the "short-term political fix" could have long-term consequences, including shortages of skilled labor.

"Canada's challenges require leadership grounded in a forward-thinking vision — not reactive policies driven by shifting public opinion," she said in a social media post after the government's announcement last month.

The latest Nanos survey of 1,010 people was conducted by phone and online from Nov. 4 to 6. It's considered accurate within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Trudeau’s Immigration Crackdown Fails to Revive His Slumping Support, Poll Says

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