December 2, 2022
I wrote to the Minister asking if he considered the impact of his bumped-up immigration targets on the Canadian housing market (where there is a severe shortage) and on Canadian healthcare (which is bursting at the seams).
Although it is desirable to have more immigrants to grow our economy, can we provide housing and healthcare to them when Canadians are experiencing a housing shortage, and millions are without a family doctor?
I received an automatic acknowledgment, promising a response in six weeks if my questions are worthy of a response:
“Thank you for your email addressed to the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship. Please note that all comments and questions are taken seriously, and although Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) cannot provide a personalized response to every message, we will review and consider all comments received.”
“…the service standard for a response to correspondence addressed to the Minister is six weeks if it is determined that a reply is warranted. “
A couple of weeks later, I received a form-letter providing officious government bumph but no response to my questions.
“The Government of Canada is committed to an immigration system that contributes to economic growth, supports diversity, and helps build vibrant, dynamic and inclusive communities. The 2023-2025 Immigration Levels Plan, tabled in Parliament on November 1, 2022, projects continued growth in permanent resident admissions with targets of 465,000 in 2023; 485,000 in 2024; and 500,000 in 2025.”
“The Levels Plan sets out a path for responsible increases in immigration targets to support economic growth and address labour market shortages. Over half of all planned admissions are dedicated to the economic class.”
“In 2022, Canada is on track to welcome 431,645 new permanent residents, and the 2023-2025 Levels Plan builds on this momentum. Increasing immigration will help cement Canada’s place among the world’s top destinations for talent, while reuniting family members with their loved ones and fulfilling Canada’s humanitarian commitments, including on Afghanistan resettlement”.
“For further information, I invite you to read the 2022 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration.”
Ok. There is no mention of the availability of housing for immigrants, or the ability of our current healthcare system to provide healthcare to immigrants.
But wait, I thought there may be more information in the 2202 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration. So I read the entire report and found the only remotely relevant text under “settlement and integration services”:
“IRCC supports the successful integration of immigrants to Canada through a suite of settlement and integration services. In 2021–22, IRCC funded more than 550 service provider organizations and provided settlement services to more than 428,000 clients. Services include pre-arrival and post-arrival orientation and information services, needs and assets assessment and referrals, language training, employment-related services including mentorship and apprenticeship programming, and services that help newcomers connect and contribute to their communities.”
Again, nothing on housing and healthcare for immigrants.
Canada’s population of 38 million occupies 16 million housing units, with an average occupancy of 2.3 people per household. Applying this number to the 500,000 immigrants to be welcomed annually in a few years, we would need over 200,000 housing units annually, just for immigrants. But that is the number of units that Canada builds in a typical year. Even if we assume immigrant families double up, the housing shortage would get worse, resulting in even more unaffordable housing prices than we have today. Has the Minister not thought about the availability of housing for immigrants at affordable prices?
What about healthcare? Canada has 2.7 physicians per 1,000 population (in 2021) compared to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average of 3.5 (2017 or the nearest year). We do not compare well to OECD countries relative to the number of doctors per 1,000 population.
Applying the ratio of 2.7 physicians per 1,000 population, the half a million immigrants the Minister wants to bring to Canada each year would require 1,350 additional physicians. Would Canadian healthcare deteriorate further due to increased immigration? Would the 2.7 ratio be reduced?
Half a million immigrants annually would require thousands of housing units and doctors if they wanted to live the life that Canadians are used to. The Minister has not responded to my questions on how he would house the immigrants given the already shortage of, and high price of, housing in Canada. And he has not responded how our already overburdened healthcare system would grapple with an annual inflow of half a million of immigrants. Were these subjects an oversight by the Minister? Are we muddling ahead without an analysis of the consequences of our actions?
andrasthehun.ca 