Anti-immigrant feelings challenge Canada's welcoming image

Immigrants being blamed for country's worsening housing crisis, high cost of living

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A growing perception in Canada that immigration is to blame for some of the country's economic woes is fuelling a xenophobic backlash evidenced by a surge in hate crimes against visible minorities, advocates and community members say.

Long a nation that took pride in welcoming newcomers, Canada is facing a reckoning over a sharp rise in the number of "temporary residents" such as international students and workers in recent years.

Polls show a growing slice of the public believes Canada has too many immigrants, and many blame them for a worsening housing crisis and surge in living costs.

That appears to have contributed to a slump in popularity of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberal government. A national election is due no later than October 2025 but may come sooner after the New Democratic Party this week withdrew its automatic support for the government.

Hate crimes reported by the police more than doubled from 2019 to 2023, according to Statistics Canada's latest data, with 44.5 per cent of incidents in 2023 motivated by race or ethnicity. Hate crimes can include anything from homicide and assault to mischief and public incitement of hatred.

The apparent growth in anti-immigrant sentiment runs counter to a longstanding consensus in Canada that the country welcomes newcomers on humanitarian and economic grounds.

But concern over a shortage of housing and affordability appears to have weakened that consensus and given fresh life to years-old anti-immigrant tropes, said Mr Peter Smith, a researcher with the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, an advocacy organisation.