Immigrants are more likely than people born in Canada to identify respect for human rights, gender equality and the rule of law as core Canadian values, according to federal briefing documents prepared for Immigration Minister Lena Diab.
The findings come from a Statistics Canada survey included in briefing materials assembled when Diab assumed the immigration portfolio last spring. The documents were obtained by The Canadian Press through an access-to-information request.
The survey, based on data collected between August 2020 and February 2021, asked respondents whether values such as human rights, respect for the law, gender equality, linguistic duality, cultural diversity and respect for Indigenous culture were distinctly Canadian. In every category, immigrants were more likely than Canadian-born respondents to say yes.
For example, 67 per cent of immigrants who arrived in Canada at age 13 or older said respect for the law is a shared Canadian value, compared with 40 per cent of people born in Canada. Responses from immigrants who arrived as children were closer to those of Canadian-born respondents.
Lori Wilkinson, a professor at the University of Manitoba, said attitudes tend to converge over time as immigrants integrate. “The longer they’re here, the more they pick up the norms and values of the people around them,” she said.
The survey also found immigrants reported higher life satisfaction, with 58 per cent saying they were satisfied with their lives compared with 44 per cent of Canadian-born respondents. Researchers cautioned the survey was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period marked by widespread economic stress.
Daniel Bernhard said immigrants often focus on long-term opportunity despite short-term challenges. “As long as they feel they’re making progress, they’re willing to stay,” he said, adding that attitudes tend to align more closely with Canadian-born citizens over time.
The briefing materials also address immigration and housing, noting immigrants drive demand for both owned and rental housing. While the federal government has linked immigration levels to rising housing costs, Bernhard said the relationship is often overstated. A 2025 Statistics Canada report estimated immigration accounted for about 11 per cent of the increase in median home prices nationally between 2006 and 2021.
Wilkinson warned that reducing immigration could have economic consequences, particularly as international students and newcomers contribute significantly to local economies.
“These cuts won’t be felt evenly,” she said, adding that prolonged affordability pressures risk fuelling broader dissatisfaction across the population.