It is wise of Canada to scale back the number of new refugees it plans to resettle if that helps stabilize the housing market and prevents backlash against newcomers, the head of the UN refugee agency said during a visit to Ottawa this week.
Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of cabinet Monday in Ottawa where the Liberal government pledged $50.4 million to the agency
His visit comes a little more than a week after the federal government announced plans to cut overall immigration levels by 20 per cent for 2025 — a cut that includes refugees and protected persons.
The government cited pressures on available housing as one of the reasons for the new policy.
Grandi says Canada remains a global leader in resettlement, but says that pro-refugee sentiment is fragile in an economic or housing crisis and it would be "really negative" to see it destroyed.
"Without good housing, integration is difficult or threatens social cohesion between residents in Canada who are impacted by the housing crisis and people coming and competing for housing," he said in an interview Monday.
"I think in these situations, it is wise to put things in order, to stabilize, to consolidate, because otherwise you have high numbers coming, — which is great in a global context — but could create problems, could create backlash locally."
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When economic or housing crises strike, integrating refugees has to be handled with extreme care, he said.
The newly set targets would see the projected number of refugees granted permanent resident status in Canada reduced by 14,400 in 2025 compared to the plan set out last year.
The reduction is even steeper for protected people in Canada and their dependants abroad, which is expected to drop by 31 per cent compared to the government's previous plan.
The move has drawn condemnation from migrant groups, including the Canadian Council for Refugees, who called the new plan dangerous and a betrayal.
“It is not an exaggeration to say that the action taken today will rob children of their futures and destroy families. People will lose their lives,“ the council's president, Diana Gallego, said in a statement when the Liberals revealed their new plan.
Canada played a major role in resettling Syrian, Ukrainian and Afghan refugees over the last several years, though the programs for each varied.
The targets put forward will allow Canada to honour all of its existing commitments related to refugees, said Immigration Minister Marc Miller, but now the government must take stock.
“If we want to continue to be an opening, welcoming country, there has to be some reasonable parameters around the different envelopes in which we welcome people. Otherwise, they all come under threat,“ he said in an interview.
Grandi said he hopes the targets can be increased again once the country has the necessary resources and housing to integrate newcomers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
