Feds warned of tipping point in public support for immigration levels
OTTAWA — The federal government has been warned to take a cautious approach to publicly debating immigration over fears of reaching a “tipping point” that could undermine public support for welcoming immigrants.
Internal data prepared by the Immigration Department for a committee of deputy ministers suggests a majority of Canadians supports current immigration levels, but this support drops when they are informed of how many immigrants actually arrive every year.
“Public support (often aided by a diversity of prominent stakeholders) in indispensable,” the department told the co-ordinating committee of deputy ministers during a meeting in April 2017 to discuss immigrant outcomes.
“But there could be a tipping point that, once reached, undermines the history of relative Canadian consensus.”