Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is intensifying his criticism of the federal government’s immigration policies, accusing the Liberals of prioritizing temporary foreign workers over young Canadians struggling to find work.
Speaking in Prince Edward Island, Poilievre argued that while youth unemployment has reached a 25-year high of 14.6%, the government is issuing more visas to foreign workers than originally promised. “As our young people face a quarter-century high in unemployment, Mark Carney is expected to bring in a record number of temporary foreign workers to take the jobs of Canadian youth,” he said.
According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Ottawa set a target of admitting 82,000 workers under the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program in 2025. Poilievre pointed to figures showing 105,000 visas issued in the first half of the year as proof the government had exceeded its target. But immigration officials countered that most of those visas were renewals, not new arrivals. In fact, only 33,722 represented new workers—about 42% of the annual target.
Officials added that the number of foreign workers actually dropped this year, with 119,000 arriving in the first half of 2025 compared to 245,000 in 2024. Still, combined with the International Mobility Program, Canada expects to admit around 368,000 temporary workers in 2025, before reducing the target to about 211,000 next year.
Political observers say Poilievre’s sharper tone on immigration reflects growing public unease. Conservative strategist Kate Harrison said his comments are aimed at exposing what he calls government “failures” in balancing immigration with affordability. Political scientist John Shields noted that opinion polls show Canadians increasingly believe the country is bringing in too many immigrants, especially as high housing costs fuel frustration.
Even so, Shields pointed out that Canada’s economy depends heavily on immigration, with nearly all labour force growth now tied to newcomers because of the country’s declining birthrate. “If we want to renew the labour force and grow the population, you’re going to have to maintain fairly high levels of immigration,” he explained.
Poilievre has promised reforms to the immigration system, framing the issue as part of a broader Conservative push to contrast domestic priorities like jobs, housing, affordability, and crime with what he says is a Liberal focus on international affairs. The government will release its updated immigration levels plan this fall, with a stated goal of reducing the share of temporary residents to 5% of the population, down from the current 7.1%.