New information has come to light as experts say Canada is'closing the doors' as socioeconomic issues upend decades-long consensus on immigration as a positive for the nation. Toronto, Canada – When Diana Gallego listened to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney ’ s widely touted speech at the World Economic Forum at the start of this year, she couldn ’ t help but feel a disconnect. The story is expected to develop further.

Context and History

A broader look at the circumstances reveals why this development is being watched so closely.

But for Gallego, co-executive director of FCJ Refugee Centre, an organisation that supports refugees and asylum seekers in Canada ’ s largest city, the prime minister ’ s statements rang hollow amid his government ’ s hardening approach to immigration.

“ We saw the [ prime] minister going to Davos [ with] this beautiful discourse, saying we should not copy our neighbours … But internally, the policies are telling us another story, ” Gallego told Al Jazeera.

Further developments have shed additional light on the matter. “ Canada is closing the doors now. ” Gallego is among more than a dozen experts – from lawyers to professors, rights advocates and previous government representatives – who told Al Jazeera that Canada is at a “ troubling ” crossroads in its policies towards migrants and refugees.

Reactions and Responses

The depth of the response underscores how closely this situation is being watched.

A settler-colonial state, Canada has encouraged successive waves of immigration throughout its history, from largely European settlement in the early to mid-1900s to specialised programmes that brought refugees and high- and low-skilled workers to Canadian shores.

What has become increasingly clear is that but over the past few years, Canada has seen one of the most dramatic shifts in how the public views immigration – and the government has tapped into increasingly negative sentiment to cut programmes and pass new, restrictive laws.

Compounding the significance of these events, the policy changes began under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose Liberal Party government had dramatically increased temporary immigration in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic to fill labour market gaps.

Policy Implications

The ripple effects of what has occurred are expected to reach well beyond the initial story.

Public attitudes quickly hardened, and a 2024 poll ( PDF) found a majority of Canadians saying for the first time in decades that there was “ too much immigration ”.

In a related development, under pressure as angry discourse soared, the Trudeau government promised in 2024 to get immigration back to “ sustainable ” levels, and the cuts began, such as most notably to international student visas.

Alongside the primary story, “ The reality is that not everyone who wants to come to Canada will be able to – just like not everyone who wants to stay in Canada will be able to, ” Marc Miller, Canada ’ s past immigration minister, said in September that year.

At the same time, “ I don ’ t think you can blame the housing crisis in Canada on immigration, but there ’ s no doubt that the radically expanded numbers under Justin Trudeau ’ s regime had a political effect, ” Allan Rock, a former Canadian justice minister and Liberal lawmaker, told Al Jazeera.

Further developments have shed additional light on the matter. the Conservatives, also, have echoed US President Donald Trump in advocating for changes to “ birthright citizenship ”, claiming that the “ outdated rule ” that grants citizenship to anyone born in Canada “ presents yet another strain on our immigration syst

The Road Ahead

This story will continue to develop. Observers, policymakers, and citizens will all be watching what happens next in a situation that has already proven to be significant in multiple respects.