Most Canadians consider temporary foreign workers vital to the country’s economic prosperity. The latest Nanos Research Poll found most Canadians perceive the significance of TFWs for the country’s economy.
This survey took place digitally and via phone, and 1,006 individuals participated in it between December 27 and 29, 2023. It further stated that more than 80 percent of Canadians believe that these TFWs are highly essential to the Canadian economy. The results of this Nanos Poll became public on January 9, 2023. The survey took place for the Globe and Mail by Nanos.
The findings coincide with a September Nanos survey that found an increasing number of respondents were against more immigration.
Surging opposition to immigration across Canada
Contradictory to the outcomes of the latest poll, the September 2023 Nanos Research Poll displayed that more than 50 percent of Canadians who participated in the survey would like fewer immigrants to arrive in Canada. This contrasts with the number of admission targets by the Canadian government.
53% of those surveyed in September expressed a desire for Canada to admit fewer immigrants than the federal plan. This shows an increase from 34% in March of the previous year. According to the same September survey, 55% of Canadians prefer Canada to accept fewer international students. This is opposed to the 900,000 projected by the government. This desire also extended especially to the country’s foreign student population.
Temporary Foreign Workers’ population growth in Canada
The Statistics Canada data reveals that in December, the Canadian population growth occurred with more than 430,000 individuals in 2023’s third quarter. This growth occurred primarily due to immigration. However, one must note that nearly 313,000 non-permanent residents arrived in Canada with study or work permits.
Most Canadians consider Temporary Foreign Workers to be vital for particular employment
The Nanos Poll indicated that Canadians are incredibly supportive of migrants who arrive in the country to work for particular jobs. Nanos Research Chairman stated that temporary foreign workers who arrive in the country to fulfill specific purposes receive good support from Canadians.
Around 57 percent of Canadians who participated in the Nanos Poll in December claimed they support temporary foreign workers for jobs. Furthermore, the poll states that this type of help is at the utmost level in the Atlantic provinces in Canada. This reflects among those who are older than 55. The same survey claimed that 49 percent of participants in the Prairie Provinces supported a rise in TWFs.
Additionally, 35 percent of Canadians stated that they were against welcoming more TFWs to arrive in Canada for jobs. According to Nanos, among all Canadian provinces or territories, the strongest opposition came from Ontario, the Prairies, and British Columbia.
However, the January Nanos Poll revealed that 79 percent of Canadians look forward to employers bringing more TFWs to help fill vacant positions. These job positions must be those that Canadians aren’t able to fill. This support emerged to be the strongest within Atlantic Canada and Quebec. On the other hand, this support happened to be the weakest in Ontario and the Prairie provinces.
Canadian government’s belief system amid the transitional sentiment for immigration
Marc Miller does understand the connection between incoming international students, temporary workers, and a lack of housing in Canada. He stated that he sought to control the number of TFWs arriving in Canada and shared his belief that the federal government must supervise the volume of TFWs coming to Canada.
According to the Globe and Mail, Miller anticipated the upcoming changes to both the Post-Graduation Work Permit and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Miller shared his concern about the drastic increase in PGWP and TFWP over the last few years. This has, in some way, led to unpredictable impacts, and this needs to be controlled.
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