Michael Taube: Poilievre's right — Canada needs a hard cap on immigration
Article content
Poilievre suggested a new immigration policy for the Conservatives in June. 'We want severe limits on population growth to reverse the damage the Liberals did to our system,' he said at a press conference last month. 'The population has been growing out of control, our border has been left wide open. This has caused the free flow of drugs, illegal migration, human trafficking and much worse.'
Article content
Article content
Global News asked him to elaborate on his remarks at a press conference in Ottawa this week. 'In order to fix the problem,' he replied, 'we've got to put very hard caps on immigration levels. We need more people leaving than coming for the next couple of years … so our country can actually catch up.'
Article content
Article content
In addition, Poilievre pointed out that, 'We've had population growth of roughly a million a year under the Liberals, while we barely build 200,000 homes. Our job market is stalled and yet we are adding more people to the workforce. Our young people are facing generational highs in unemployment because … multinational corporations are giving jobs to low-wage temporary foreign workers.'
Article content
He's right. Conservatives recognize the importance of immigration on everything from promoting diversity to achieving economic success, but they also recognize that Canada simply can't handle the financial burden that the annual influx of immigration has caused over the past decade of Liberal rule.
Article content
Article content
It wasn't always this way. Statistics Canada's 2016 paper, ' 150 years of immigration in Canada,' noted that the number of landed immigrants since the 1990s had 'remained relatively high, with an average of approximately 235,000 new immigrants per year.' The highest tally ever recorded to that point was in 1913, when 'more than 400,000 immigrants arrived in the country.'
Article content
Article content
Canada experienced a steady level of population growth through immigration for more than a century. Until Justin Trudeau was elected prime minister, that is.
Article content
Trudeau's early years actually didn't witness a significant spike in immigration. A total of 296,350 immigrants arrived on our shores in 2016, while the number decreased slightly to 286,480 in 2017. Nothing out of the ordinary, all things considered.
Article content
But in 2016, the federal government's advisory council on economic growth suggested that immigration targets could be increased by 150,000 annually over the next five years. It specifically recommended Ottawa take a 'gradual approach to scaling annual immigration to the recommended 450,000 level over the next 5 years.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
16 minutes ago
- CTV News
ARTM awards $146M contract to UK company to replace OPUS system
A screenshot of a video of Masabi's Justride digital fare system being used by the Regional Transportation District (RTD) in Denver, CO. The Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) has announced it will use the same platform. (Source: The Montreal regional transit authority has awarded a $146-million contract to a U.K. company to modernize the ticketing system across the metropolis. The Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) announced that London-based Masabi has been asked to develop the digital ticketing transformation project. The company is behind the cloud-based Software-as-a-Service platform Justride, already used by more than 200 transit agencies around the world, including in Los Angeles, Calgary, New York, and Valencia, Spain. Masabi is partnering with WSP, a global engineering and professional services firm, to integrate the fare system in the Greater Montreal area after winning the bid. More than five other companies put forward bids for the project. It will require updating more than 12,000 pieces of equipment in five territories and involving partners like the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), the Réseau de transport de Longueuil (RTL), the Société de transport de Laval (STL) and the exo commuter train network. Masabi says 'riders will be able to tap to travel using contactless bank cards, mobile wallets, smartcards, and more' with Justride, which will replace the OPUS card system that has been in place for 20 years. The plastic OPUS cards, however, will be compatible with Justride and can still be used to validate fares. The ARTM says the project is within its $146-million budget, which includes contingency funds to mitigate any unforeseen hiccups, and is expected to launch sometime in 2026. The agency adds that the approach allows for the new ticketing system to evolve and add new features without needing a complete replacement of the system. Android testing comes first, iOS in 2026 The multimillion-dollar project is part of the ARTM's ongoing Concerto project, a major transformation of the ticketing system used by public transit agencies across the region. 'The cost of the Concerto project compares very favourably with similar initiatives worldwide,' the ARTM said in a news release on Wednesday. 'This is due in particular to the reuse of existing equipment, limiting infrastructure costs; a rigorous negotiation approach, which reduced costs by $95 million between the two calls for tenders; and the choice of a more flexible, scalable, and cost-effective cloud-based solution.' 'Concerto is much more than a tech project: it's a profound transformation of the public transit customer experience,' said ARTM executive director Benoit Gendron in the release. 'Let's be clear: the project is well-managed, with solid governance, rigorous monitoring, and testing before each deployment. We deeply believe in Concerto because it reflects our commitment to even more efficient and attractive public transit.' In May, the ARTM announced that it would be testing the ability to validate transit fares on users' smartphones during the summer. This involves a small sample of users, who are part of the 'alpha' version of the test phase, allowing passengers to load their transit tickets or fares directly onto their smartphones and then scan them over a reader using near-field communication (NFC) technology when passing through the turnstiles. Only users of Android smartphones will be able to participate in the testing in 2025. Testing of the function is being done in waves as the number increases over time, with a batch of 600 users now underway, followed by 1,000, then 2,000, and a large beta phase with 10,000 users by the fall. People with iPhones will have to wait a bit longer. Testing with iOS devices will only take place in 2026. Teams will collect feedback on the tests and make the necessary adjustments. As of April 2024, transit users have been able to load fares onto their OPUS cards, also via NFC, by using the Chrono mobile app for iOS and Android devices.
CTV News
16 minutes ago
- CTV News
‘Need more boots on the ground': Saskatchewan calls for more resources to fight wildfires
Volunteer firefighters from Davidson, Sask., load up their truck at the Provincial Wildfire Center in Prince Albert, Sask., Wednesday, June 4, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) says additional firefighting resources are required as the province battles 51 active wildfires. 'We need more boots on the ground,' vice president of operations for SPSA Steve Roberts said in a media briefing Friday afternoon. 'We have a lot of fire on the landscape, and our crews have been working for over six weeks now, almost non-stop.' Saskatchewan NDP Athabasca MLA Leroy Laliberte is demanding the province immediately seek federal help to fight fires. 'The Sask. Party either doesn't know how to fight these fires or doesn't care,' Laliberte said. 'Either way, the people I've been talking to for a week now aren't getting the resources and relief firefighters they need.' Roberts says they've reached out to federal counterparts and are requesting specific resources, including values protection teams and additional helicopters. He added that the province has already secured permission to use a fire camp from the Department of National Defense if needed, though current camp resources remain sufficient. According to Roberts, international reinforcements have also begun arriving, including 40 firefighters from Australia, 40 from Mexico, and crews from Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. 'Having more resources is definitely a benefit, it allows our staff to get a little bit of reprieve from the stressful, long hours in harsh conditions,' he said. On Friday, eight communities have been partially or fully evacuated, affecting about 1,700 people. The evacuated communities include Canoe Lake/Cole Bay/ Canoe Narrows, Jans Bay, La Plonge Indian Reserve, Montreal Lake Cree Nation, Northern Village of Beauval, Northern Village of Pinehouse, Patuanak/ English River First Nation and Resort Subdivision of Lac la Plonge. According to the SPSA's website, as of Friday afternoon, 11 wildfires are uncontained, including the Muskeg Fire near Beauval and the Buhl Fire at the northern edge of Prince Albert National Park. The Shoe Fire is the largest uncontained wildfire with 539,248.18 hectares burned, followed by Pisew Fire with a current size of 197,263.0 hectares, according to the SPSA. Saskatchewan has seen 378 wildfires this year which is above the five-year average of 289.
Globe and Mail
16 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
In their mid-60s and no longer enjoying their work, what's the best way for Tyrese and Miranda to retire?
In their mid-60s, Tyrese and Miranda 'are closing in on retirement,' Tyrese writes in an e-mail. Miranda is planning to stop working this fall and Tyrese is wondering if he can join her. They'd like to travel more while they are still relatively young and in good health. Both have managerial jobs, Tyrese earning $125,000 a year and Miranda $90,000. Neither has a company pension. They have three adult children, one still at home, and a $2.1-million house with a small mortgage in Toronto. They plan to extend the amortization on their mortgage to lower their monthly outlays. They're open to selling their house and downsizing at some point if necessary. Ideally, they'd like to give each of their children $100,000 for a down payment on a first home but they're not sure they can afford it. They had to tap into their tax-free savings accounts a couple of years ago when Tyrese was in between jobs. So the lion's share of their savings is in their registered retirement savings plans. Their retirement spending target is $9,000 a month after tax, or $108,000 a year, adjusted for inflation. 'When can we afford to retire?' Tyrese asks. We asked Warren MacKenzie, an independent Toronto-based financial planner, to look at the couple's situation. Mr. MacKenzie holds the chartered professional accountant designation. 'Tyrese and Miranda are no longer enjoying their work,' Mr. MacKenzie says. They want to retire as soon as possible and spend more time travelling. They also want to help their children financially now and leave them a little something in their estate. 'Based on their spending goals, they could retire immediately and never run out of money,' Mr. MacKenzie says. That assumes spending of $110,000 a year plus income tax, an inflation rate of 2 per cent and annual investment returns averaging 5 per cent. It assumes they live to age 100, at which point they'd leave an estate worth about $1-million with today's purchasing power. In 2026, their first full year of retirement, their income, adjusted for inflation, would break down as follows: Tyrese's Canada Pension Plan benefit $15,914; his Old Age Security $8,221; his RRSP/RRIF withdrawal $72,703; Miranda's CPP $16,229; her OAS $9,076; and her RRSP/RRIF withdrawal $64,167. That adds up to $186,310. Their cash outflow, adjusted for inflation, would be lifestyle spending of $112,000; mortgage principal and interest of $36,348; and income tax of $37,674, for a total of $186,022. The amount would be lower if they extend the mortgage amortization. Based on the current payments, the mortgage would be paid off in full by 2029. They saved feverishly and now have $3.5-million. Can Sharon, 62, retire with Craig, 64, next year? Tyrese and Miranda would like to give each of their children $100,000, which could be used as a down payment on their first home. But they do not have unregistered investments that they could readily sell to generate the $300,000 in cash. 'The funds would have to come from working longer, cashing in some of their RRSPs, or adding to the home mortgage,' the planner says. If they raise the $300,000 by withdrawing from their RRSPs over three years, they will pay income tax sooner than if they increased the mortgage, but in the long run it would be more cost-effective than adding to the mortgage and disbursing all the funds in the short term, Mr. MacKenzie says. 'They can't avoid the tax if they take the money from their RRSPs, but by taking it out sooner, they can take advantage of the low rates of tax in the lowest income-tax brackets,' he says. 'By reducing the value of their RRSPs, they reduce the possibility of Old Age Security clawback in their later years when the minimum withdrawal increases.' Another alternative would be to downsize to a $1.5-million home, give each child $100,000 and also top up their TFSAs by $100,000, Mr. MacKenzie says. After making the gift of $300,000, they are still projected to leave an estate of about $500,000, he says. The children can open First Home Savings Accounts and contribute the maximum, earning tax-free income. The children could also get a tax deduction. Some of the gift may qualify to go into a child's RRSP or unregistered investment account. 'Managing these accounts will give the children an opportunity to learn about investing,' the planner says. They'd be making their investment mistakes with relatively small amounts, thereby avoiding the potential greater losses that often occur when an inexperienced investor starts to invest a large inheritance, the planner says. A common concern for retired people is the possibility that they will incur high health care costs in their later years. 'Tyrese and Miranda believe they have a cushion to address this possibility in their spending target,' he says. For one thing, the mortgage will be paid off. 'As people age, they travel less, eat less and spend less on clothes and entertainment,' Mr. MacKenzie says. If they needed assisted living, they would sell their house. The proceeds from the sale would be more than enough to cover the cost of a retirement home. Laid off with $2.5-million in savings, should Jake and Wanda retire permanently? Their $1.8-million in RRSP investments is about 75 per cent in stocks and 25 per cent in fixed income. This asset mix is more aggressive than is required to earn an average return of 5 per cent, the planner says. One problem is that they do not know how their investment portfolios are performing compared with the appropriate benchmark. Most professional money managers believe that it's not possible to manage money wisely without knowing how performance compares with the proper benchmark. Tyrese and Miranda need to ask their adviser for a benchmark performance report or look for an advisory firm that regularly provides this information. From an income tax point of view, the two most important tax strategies will first be to convert their RRSPs to registered retirement income funds and to split RRIF income so that they are each in the same tax bracket. Secondly, they should ensure that each year they draw sufficient income from their RRIFs to use up the low-income tax brackets. In summary, when it comes to deciding when to retire, there are two schools of thought, the planner says. Some suggest working longer to build a larger financial cushion in case something goes wrong that could result in running out of money in their old age. Others consider the hidden costs of working longer than necessary – including additional stress from employment, more income tax paid and fewer years of good health to enjoy travel and retirement. 'If it appears that retiring now will give one enough to achieve one's goals, why work longer?' In Tyrese and Miranda's case, if they retire and at some point they see that they will be unable to maintain their desired lifestyle, they could easily get back on track by cutting some of their discretionary spending, Mr. MacKenzie says. The People: Tyrese, 64, Miranda, 65, and their three children, 25, 28 and 30. The Problem: Can they afford to retire this year and still give each of their children money for a down payment? The Plan: Go ahead and retire. In their first year of retirement, when their income is low, cash in some of their RRSPs to cover the gifts. Convert RRSPs to RRIFs and begin drawing from them. Review their investments to lower risk and ensure proper reporting of investment returns. The Payoff: Freedom to travel more while they are still in good health, knowing they can always cut back their lifestyle spending later if they have to. Monthly net income: $14,500. Assets: Cash $10,000; his RRSP $261,400; her RRSP (including inheritance) $1,540,500; his TFSA $126; her TFSA $1,050; residence $2,100,000. Total: $3,913,076. Monthly outlays: Mortgage $3,000; property tax $630; water, sewer, garbage $175; home insurance $120; electricity $250; heating $220; maintenance $250; garden $40; car insurance $305; other transportation $520; groceries $1,100; clothing $400; gifts, charity $250; vacation, travel $800; other discretionary $300; dining, drinks, entertainment $1,200; personal care $100; club memberships $220; golf $200; sports, hobbies $100; subscriptions $280; health care $155; health, dental insurance $200; life insurance $200; phones, TV, internet $740. Total: $11,755. Surplus goes to saving. Liabilities: Mortgage $115,000 at 4.5 per cent. Want a free financial facelift? E-mail finfacelift@ Some details may be changed to protect the privacy of the persons profiled.
