A newly published poll commissioned by the Canadian government has found that Canadians have mixed views on increasing immigration.
While 41 per cent of Canadians said the intake of skilled immigrants should be kept the same, 34 per cent said it should be increased. Another 23 per cent felt it should be decreased.
Support for an increased intake of skilled immigrants rose with education and income, and was higher among urban dwellers.
The poll questioned Canadians on a number of subjects including immigration, terrorism and economic priorities.
On terrorism, 34 per cent of respondents felt that it was more likely to increase than decrease over the next six months. Only 7 per cent thought it would decrease. However, a majority (57 per cent) thought it would stay the same.
Some of those polled actually felt there was link between increasing immigration levels and higher terrorist threats. When those who thought the threat of terrorism would increase were asked why they felt that way, 37 per cent of them said it was because terrorism was increasing globally and Canada was no exception. The next most common reason was the “increase in immigration and refugees” and the “lack of screening” (18 per cent).
Regarding economic priorities, when asked what the government’s main priority in infrastructure spending should be, 60 per cent of respondents said “infrastructure that is associated with more traditional projects, such as public transit, etc.” as opposed to “infrastructure that is associated with the ‘new economy,’ such as technology infrastructure.” Just 26 per cent selected the latter option.
Article published 11th January 2017