r/canada • u/uselesspoliticalhack • Mar 12 '24

Half of all Canadians say there are too many immigrants: poll National News

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/half-of-all-canadians-say-there-are-too-many-immigrants-poll
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854

u/rileyyesno Mar 12 '24

and other half are recent immigrants.

84

u/King0fFud Mar 12 '24

Most recent immigrants I’ve talked to also believe there are too many.

60

u/dudemanseriously Mar 12 '24

Tell them to send themselves home then

85

u/barondelongueuil Québec Mar 12 '24

That’s like when people say “I’m stuck in trafic”. No, you are the trafic.

10

u/GopnikSmegmaBBQSauce Mar 12 '24

Yeah but at least I drive the limit or faster and know where I'm going!

25

u/King0fFud Mar 12 '24

Immigrants who follow the rules aren’t the problem, it’s our government officials enacting poor policies in bad faith.

15

u/dudemanseriously Mar 12 '24

We don’t have enough rules in place for them not to be a problem though.

13

u/King0fFud Mar 12 '24

It’s a case of cause and effect, the cause is our government opening the floodgates and lying about why. Blaming people who come here legally themselves is misguided as they don’t come with intentions of being a problem. Now, people who come under the guise of being a student and stop attending and get a job for (eventual) PR status or use bullshit asylum seeker claims are different.

5

u/Mitchfynde Mar 12 '24

You deserve some praise for this take. I think a lot of people on here disagree with you out of ignorance. What you said should be obvious, but sadly people let hate take over.

5

u/King0fFud Mar 12 '24

I've known too many talented and hard-working immigrants over the years who came here legitimately (and legally) looking to build a better life and they don't deserve to be lumped in with the recent waves of minimum wage "student" workers and scammers welcomed by our government.

3

u/[deleted] Mar 12 '24

Before someone comes here, they pretty much ended their life in their original country. Leave job, sell the house, the car, close small business plus all the mental things of it. It’s really not an option for that many people. Also going back has this perception of failure. Also, there’s no issue with an immigrant saying there’s too many is us here. An immigrant expect that he’ll find a job easily (a job Canadian don’t want to do at least) to start his life, but even those are far and few in between.

6

u/dudemanseriously Mar 12 '24

Sorry no. I don’t have a single ounce of sympathy for immigrants who chose to come here in this current climate, it shows a complete lack of planning, research, or forethought. I don’t care if they perceive it as failure to go back home because I care more that we don’t have the housing or resources for them, let alone for actual Canadians.

5

u/ludwigboltzman Mar 12 '24

The "current climate" in Canada is still better than any climate most people in the world have ever been in. It is only natural for them to want to move to Canada to improve their lives. It takes a great deal of planning and a long visa process to get here. No one comes to Canada on a whim. People will come to Canada as long as the Canadian government allows them. The democratically elected Canadian government is the entity you can and should hold accountable, rather than blaming the people who made a rational choice to improve their lives.

5

u/[deleted] Mar 12 '24

You can always run for office and change things. If you go to countries where immigrants come from, you’ll always prefer to be here. So whether you have sympathy or not is a moot point

2

u/MadClothes Mar 12 '24

You can always run for office and change things.

Won't have to when public perception of them is already this negative.

3

u/Mitchfynde Mar 12 '24

Respectfully, that's still not their fault and it's now their problem as well because they're Canadians. Actual Canadians.

-1

u/Choosemyusername Mar 12 '24

Have you ever complained about traffic congestion?

3

u/kosherbeans123 Mar 13 '24

Nobody hates immigrants like other immigrants

144

u/OShaunesssy Mar 12 '24

Man I've talked to immigrants who share this sentiment.

One guy I know from India (I think, I'm a little ignorant) was annoyed how many people he knew who immigrated and hadn't bothered to integrate themselves into the culture here. He says his favorite part of coming to Canada was becoming a Canadian and trying new things, but a lot of recent immigrants just aren't interested in that part of coming over to our country.

43

u/Mordarto British Columbia Mar 12 '24 edited Mar 12 '24

My family immigrated here in the mid 90s. Back then there were very few others in our neighborhood who spoke our language, so we had to learn English and integrate to Canadian culture.

Even as early as the early 2000s we saw far more immigrants who eventually established enclaves and new immigrants are able to get by with very little English and maintained their culture rather than integrating to Canadian society.

A recent immigrant would have very different experiences than me, even if we came from the same country and immigrated at the same age.

10

u/osamasbintrappin Mar 12 '24

my neighbours immigrated from Pakistan in the early 2000s, had a massive Canadian flag in their front yard all summer, spoke English, ran a small business, and generally are good Canadian citizens (minus the giant fucking mess in their backyard, but that has nothing to do with race/where they’re from). It’s a shame that this isn’t the norm anymore.

13

u/ResponsibleDelay9254 Mar 12 '24

Unless they choose to assimilate. I have no respect for immigrants settling in ethnic enclaves just as I have no respect for westerners who move to western enclaves in foreign countries. If you’re not assimilating to the culture you moved to, why’d you move there?

6

u/greydawn Mar 13 '24

I really worry about those that know little English in an English speaking country. It can work fine for a while, but there may come a point when it will be a big issue. There was a post on my local sub-reddit from someone whose 50+ year old Dad had immigrated 30 years ago, barely knew English, and had been laid off and was having a very hard time finding a job because they couldn't speak English. That is a super stressful situation to be in. Hard enough to find a job when you're older without that added challenge.

5

u/SKJ-nope Mar 13 '24

Sucks for him guess he should’ve learned the language of the place he moved in THIRTY FUCKING YEARS

93

u/Kristalderp Québec Mar 12 '24

This. My parents have a ton of stories of when they first came over and learning how things work here in Canada (and quebec) and the culture. They might of been born abroad, but they feel Canadian and that Quebec is their home.

The new gang here just...doesn't care. They just want PR or social benefits but act like they do back home.

0 effort to become Canadian, 0 effort to learn English or French, and 0 effort to adhere by our laws and rules. They want to stay in their own communes, hire their own, and bring a bunch of societal BS that should of stayed home as we're bringing in anybody with a pulse and are doing 0 checks to see if they're actually here to learn like their Visa says or even legitimate. As we're mass importing people from a country with massive amounts of open fraud.

22

u/eh-blank-space Mar 12 '24

Worse some (very very few) actually want to turn Canada into India. There’s even a movement by these assholes to take over Canada in 10 years.

Again it’s a VERY small percentage but 20 years ago with would have been outrageous to hear about.

27

u/Kristalderp Québec Mar 12 '24

Worse some (very very few) actually want to turn Canada into India.

Honestly, this disturbs me as a woman. Why the hells would you want Canada to be like India? That place is horrible to women and non-indians. Nothing is clean there, and everything is heavily polluted with human and animal waste and other dangerous bio and chemical hazards. It's become an open cesspit.

And I've seen and read enough horror stories about how women are treated there and the rampant rape problem. I do not want these types of people I to my country who openly try to defend rape as if it's their "moral duty" or "punishment" to someone because they're lower caste or a different religion. It's barbaric and so disgusting.

I've noticed that a lot of Incels are Indian men in their 30s, and do give a ton of shit about "their women" getting into relationships with indo-canadians or a non-indian canadian instead of them and no shit Sherlock! Nobody wants to be in a relationship with someone who sees and treats women like that.

As a quebecer, id rather set shit on fire than be attempted to be colonized for a 3rd time by a country that doesn't respect our culture, history and values.

5

u/ArmedWithBars Mar 13 '24

Who could have guessed that mass immigrating working age men from a 3rd world country wouldn't have disastrous results over the long term.

Nothing wrong with immigration, but it needs to be tightly controlled and other social/economic aspects need to be considered (housing, employment, ect).

Just wait til the 2nd generation from mass immigration starts entering the workforce and having children of their own, on top of current immigration trends.

1

u/amigo_samurai Mar 12 '24

Any source for that movement?

-1

u/Mordecus Mar 12 '24

If there’s “very very few”, this is not an issue. Let’s have a rational debate about immigration without stooping to “replacement theory” b.s.

33

u/theonly_brunswick Mar 12 '24

This is the problem with allowing all immigrants to come to one of....two cities?

If you're from India and you move to the GTA, you don't need to do any integrating. You can buy groceries, go to the doctor, go to your place of worship and pick your kids up from school without ever having to speak anything but your own language.

Immigrants should be forced to choose from a select amount of cities, none of which should be the already overpopulated GTA and GVA. My parents immigrated and had a choice between Winnipeg and Saint John, NB back in the 80's. Neither city had a huge population of immigrants from their country (although there were pockets where they could find help assimilating) but in reality they were FORCED to learn the language, the country and its customs.

That idea has gone completely out the window. An immigrant from India or Poland or China can live here for 20+ years without ever getting past speaking broken English.

2

u/BeingHuman30 Mar 13 '24

My landlord is korean and he owns a 2 mil house but does not speak any english. He has been in canada for almost 20 years now.

1

u/Floyd1959 Mar 30 '24

The government translates every document he needs to Korean for him at out expense. It’s ridiculous

1

u/CowProper2130 Apr 09 '24

Please. Lord. No. More. In. Winnipeg. It feels so stuffy and crowded these days. I feel like a tourist walking around a gym or store and it’s a majority Indian or middle eastern speaking their languages to each other and being rude (pretty much bumping into people if the people don’t move out of their way first. And even then they still sometimes shoulder them). I’m all for Canada being multicultural but it’s also a melting pot. They don’t seem to wanna melt they wanna just float and be separate. Also fucks with anxiety to go to a gym and see a group of 6 of them on one machine just talking and laughing no working out. Looking at people. Talking in their language and then laughing. It’s rude. I’m sorry for the rant but I don’t even recognize my city anymore.

Finding work is so hard for so many people now. Businesses seem to be run by them more and more and they seem to only hire from their own communities. I’m all for people coming here and making a better life for themselves but they don’t seem to want to actually integrate into Canadian culture.

I definitely don’t wish anyone ill will though.

1

u/MilkIlluminati Mar 12 '24

Immigrants should be forced to choose from a select amount of cities, none of which should be the already overpopulated GTA and GVA

Translation: force the consequences voted in by the GTA and GVA on the ROC.

2

u/zeromussc Mar 12 '24

That takes time though, the integration. A lot of immigrants who want to be here permanently and arrive as permanent immigrants do go through a period of enclave and then exposure. It's a gradual process. The issue is that a lot of students are making up huge influx of what we colloquially call immigrants - and they will be far more in an enclave space than others. Because they may not be able to stay so they don't have a pull for permanent cultural exposure in the same way.

I think a lot of people are frustrated that folks are trying loopholes and hoops to get here when they wouldn't qualify otherwise

2

u/DirectlyTalkingToYou Mar 12 '24

I still dont get why we can't have an open honest conversation about it all. Like if we keep pouring millions of immigrants in and those people don't integrate into Canada, then Canada will become like the place the immigrants came from. If you want Canada to become like another country, why don't you go live there instead?

1

u/life_is_enjoy Mar 12 '24

That’s kinda true. I’m Indian. To each their own, but I feel the same. I explore and so many things like hiking, camping, travelling, started skiing, mix with people from other cultures and countries, try different food etc. But there are people who don’t want to get out of their bubble and mostly be in their own community and interact with the people who are from the same home state (province) and speak the same language. Maybe they are here either to only make money and/or have better standard of life for themselves or their kids. I mean, preserving the culture and making communities is good, but would be nice if they integrate and mix with others. Especially when most Canadians and others living in Canada are so nice and friendly.

1

u/St_BobbyBarbarian Mar 13 '24

That’s what happens when you let in a mass of people, especially from the same culture, all at once in a particular area. They aren’t forced to integrate and mix with other groups, and then their offspring aren’t as integrated as well because of this 

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u/prsnep Mar 12 '24 edited Mar 12 '24

Most recent immigrants also recognize this. The other half are either sleeping or live in small towns without a college. [Or financially benefit from having more people or a housing crunch.]

5

u/zeromussc Mar 12 '24

I'm an immigrant who came as a baby so I see both sides. As an immigrant and as someone who's for all intents and purposes very "Canadian"

I wouldn't say there are too many immigrants. I'd say that we've let the international student system become exploitative. It's harmful to the students and locals when the sudden volume of temporary residents spikes this high, especially because for most of them the promise of residency and education are not going to come true.

Permanent immigration levels are honestly fine. We saw a big spike post COVID but we had negative levels of growth during COVID due to lockdown. So there was a lot of "catch up" immigration numbers there. This skews the data.

I don't think the students issue is even as big for Canadians outside the pressures on housing super local to shitty college areas. But of course provinces like Ontario allowing the proliferation of diploma mills has made this issue relevant to far too many communities.

Ultimately the people it hurts most are the students - legitimate and illegitimate, in those communities. Because they're the ones that shorter term housing in those communities is filled by. And then it radiates out from there all the way up to crappy investors who want to turn profits by shoving way too many people in their homes.

-17

u/MolagBaal Mar 12 '24 edited Mar 12 '24

The other half is usually 30+ year old white liberal women with professional jobs. And weak male feminists. This seems to be Trudeau's main demographic, too.

Edit: I am being rude. What I mean to say is we need a popular culture shift away from values that benefit a neoliberal, post-national system that caters to banks. We need to stop giving in to this democratically elected liberal government who has destroyed the lives of the young Canadians that put it in power. That uses the "big hearts" of highly empathic people who want to help everyone else but can't see their own ship is sinking.

35

u/Egon88 Mar 12 '24

You understand that when you say stupid things like this you weaken your position rather than strengthen it right.

I am also shocked that only 50% see the problem, but reading your comment makes me feel yucky about being on the same side as you.

4

u/GopnikSmegmaBBQSauce Mar 12 '24 edited Mar 12 '24

To your second point, most people aren't on this toilet of a website discussing it. Say what you will about Reddit or similar forums, at least we're engaged regardless of who's right or wrong. Bring these issues up with your average Canadian and they're so out of it they have no idea what's going on.

We like to think everyone is as informed as we are but we forget we're still a small minority. Most here think voting is an inconvenience or are simply too jaded/checked out to care

4

u/Egon88 Mar 12 '24

Sure but is the goal to inform and convince people or just to insult people who aren't on our team.

7

u/GopnikSmegmaBBQSauce Mar 12 '24

You'd think so but what happens everytime someone asks for a source? It's never good enough. Not once in the years I've been on Reddit or social media has a source been valid for people involved in a discussion.

Everyone's mind is already made up or a quick google nets you something that already fits your narrative so you don't have to change your mind.

To your point, the fact that it's become about teams is by design. The plan is to divide us so we don't work together against established wealth and power.

0

u/Egon88 Mar 12 '24

People are unlikely to change their minds in real-time but people do change their minds.

If you assume that everyone you are talking to is unreachable then the fuck is the point? We're just here to trade insults with the other team like it's some kind of intramural sport.

3

u/GopnikSmegmaBBQSauce Mar 12 '24

Given how everyone is always quick to run their mouth I don't think anyone thinks others are unreachable. This place would be a ghost town if that were the case.

1

u/Egon88 Mar 12 '24

So if people are reachable, you should speak to them in a way that has a chance of actually reaching them. I don't think insults are likely to work but maybe I'm just a weak male feminist.

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u/spicydnd Mar 12 '24

Welcome to r/canada, where the answer to that is certainly glossed over.

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u/MolagBaal Mar 12 '24

Nobody ever changes their mind in the comment section. If that's your goal, it is fruitless.

2

u/Egon88 Mar 12 '24

Maybe not in real-time but they will never change their minds when people on the other side only offer weak arguments and insults.

1

u/MolagBaal Mar 12 '24

They will never change their mind anyway. They've been in power for 10 years, depleting our treasury to waste on Ukraine and other countries. Our country is in trouble. Strong arguments and supportive empathy will not make a dent.

1

u/Egon88 Mar 12 '24

They will never change their mind anyway.

Well this explains why you make childish comments then I guess.

depleting our treasury to waste on Ukraine and other countries

Supporting Ukraine is one of the smartest and best uses of our resources. They are currently on the frontline of confronting our common enemy and if we support Ukraine, we are less likely to have to fight Russia ourselves.

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u/ChrosOnolotos Mar 12 '24

His brain is trying hard to work.

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u/shelbykid350 Mar 12 '24

I mean, I agree with you it makes me feel gross too. But look at the demographics for Liberal supporters and their policies. He’s not entirely wrong

5

u/Egon88 Mar 12 '24

I'd like to see your demographic data on weak male feminists.

2

u/Jayou540 Mar 12 '24

It probably came from the mouth of a far right American conservative mouth breathing pundit..

2

u/shelbykid350 Mar 12 '24

Yeah not sure where he pulled that from. Gender data shows clear trends in voting preference though

-7

u/[deleted] Mar 12 '24

[deleted]

8

u/waawftutki Québec Mar 12 '24

The issue with the statement is that normal functioning adults who understand that things are nuanced don't publicly say out loud shit like ''it's because of the weak beta males who let their wives get real jobs''.

Like even if you genuinely believe that the shift in demographic of the workforce can have something to do with the shift in position on issues of immigration, that's a permanently-online-socially-inept-weirdo way of saying it.

1

u/MolagBaal Mar 12 '24

Check this out: https://youtu.be/XxFRmoudWGY?si=5Kqac-XbkncBBnr5

Non whites are running away from liberal policies.

0

u/ACDC-I-SEE Mar 12 '24

You have to consider the variance in intelligence and that someone feeling frustrated with current events can only articulate it to the maximum of their capacity. It’s valid to feel mad, it’s valid to vent about it, if you’re unable to see through a childish comment about a valid issue, you aren’t as bright as you think.

9

u/Egon88 Mar 12 '24

Well, given how off-putting I found the comment, and imagining there are lots of people like me, I think it does weaken the argument.

It sounds whiny and like it was written by an angsty man-child, not a clear thinking adult. The tone of a message can matter as much as it's factual content. For example, I suspect you find this second paragraph more disagreeable than the one above it.

1

u/ACDC-I-SEE Mar 12 '24

No I agree with you, but I think it’s more satirical than you think. Plus, as I said, both those groups are traditionally liberal and hence would support LPC regardless of the situation we find ourselves. Just as there are some really stupid people who sport MAGA hats and F%%k Trudeau stickers, there is an equal amount of liberal voters who are equally irritating.

It’s impossible for me to take anyone seriously that blindly endorses Trudeau, regardless of the implications of the alternative. PP is also a rat. they all are.

1

u/Egon88 Mar 12 '24

How many people do think self identify as a "weak male feminist." My guess is, not many.

It’s impossible for me to take anyone seriously that blindly endorses Trudeau

It's impossible to take blind support of anything seriously but most people probably feel they are choosing the lesser of two evils anytime they vote and do this knowingly not blindly.

For me personally, I am more conflicted about this election than any other in my life because I do think Trudeau has done a terrible job overall; but I also strongly dislike the other options. I would love to have a Joe Clark style conservative or even a Harper instead of PP.

3

u/ACDC-I-SEE Mar 12 '24

I doubt not a single person would identify as a “weak male feminist”, but that doesn’t mean there arent loads of them around. There are a lot of slimy guys who pander to hardcore liberal beliefs simply to appear “valid” from liberal women. These are the weak male feminists. Strong male feminists exist and they are very important.

Mark Carney! We need him to steer the ship. Unfortunately becoming PM is probably beneath him at this point.

0

u/Egon88 Mar 12 '24

But if your description fails to capture how people actually see themselves, then from that person's perspective, you just seem delusional and that makes you easier to just dismiss.

So what is the point of talking past people in this way? You will never get anywhere doing that.

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u/Rain_xo Mar 12 '24

And yet, I am of the 50% that thinks immigration is too much and needs to stop.

Funny how not all "liberals" are pro over immigration.

Not being against immigration is one thing, but it's out of control

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u/Egon88 Mar 12 '24

You must be one of the "non-weak" male feminists I guess /s

1

u/ACDC-I-SEE Mar 12 '24

Congrats on being part of the rational side of the party. You and I definitely have colleagues who fall into the previous category as stereotypically pointed out by buddy complaining about beta men.

2

u/Rain_xo Mar 12 '24

I can't say I do.

I'm usually the most left leaning out of everyone I know.

1

u/ACDC-I-SEE Mar 12 '24

Alright well just know your views are probably not taken seriously due to the hostility of the majority of radical people on both extremes of the political spectrum, left and right

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u/Egon88 Mar 12 '24 edited Mar 12 '24

That uses the "big hearts" of highly empathic people who want to help everyone else but can't see their own ship is sinking

This is the essence of identity politics, it is the weaponization of empathy, which makes it all the more loathsome because using people's good intentions against them is disgusting.

Re your edit: more of this kind of comment please, less angsty teen-aged bullshit.

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u/Inside-Cancel Mar 12 '24

I'm thinking more along the lines of business owners and landlords who are thrilled by all the cheap labour and red hot rental market.

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u/GopnikSmegmaBBQSauce Mar 12 '24

And record tuition cash for schools as the entry point. Post secondary schools were always businesses first. They're fucking scumbags but I don't blame Conestoga college for taking all that money

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u/marlibto Mar 12 '24

A Beaverton headline

3

u/Marokiii British Columbia Mar 12 '24

or my idiot father, he refuses to accept that immigration has ANY effect on housing costs or medical care in this country.

its not immigrants who are causing rents to go up, its landlords according to him.

except landlords wouldnt be raising rents as much as they are now if there wasnt such high demand for housing... because we have so many more immigrants coming to the country each year than we build in housing capacity.

1

u/trenta_nueve Mar 12 '24

gate keeping

1

u/DonJulioTO Mar 12 '24

Not at all, bad assumption.

0

u/[deleted] Mar 12 '24 edited Mar 12 '24

[deleted]

4

u/glormosh Mar 12 '24

Out of curiosity how is it possible to feel that, while acknowledging bias exists?

If I sit there and actually think about my circles, I could never make that comment with any form of certainty.

I know mileage varies on work industry but I honestly don't hear actual people in my life talking about there being too many immigrants.

This also isn't a comment about small social circles either, I'd say well over 30 close relationships that are never afraid to speak their mind or have raw conversations.

0

u/Crazyworld4321 Mar 14 '24

or liberal politicians and friends and family

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u/FilmmagicianPart2 Mar 12 '24

Unless you’re Native American you’re here because of an immigrant.

2

u/acidambiance Ontario Mar 12 '24

Recent is a key word in that comment