Trudeau Says Canada To Reduce Some Foreign Workers, Move Likely To Impact Indians

Trudeau said that the labour market has changed and it is time for businesses to invest in Canadian workers and youth.

File photo of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Source : X/Justin Trudeau

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday announced that the country is going to reduce the number of low-wage and temporary foreign workers, a move that is likely to impact lakhs of Indians living in the country.

Trudeau said that the labour market has changed and it is time for businesses to invest in Canadian workers and youth.

"We’re reducing the number of low-wage, temporary foreign workers in Canada. The labour market has changed. Now is the time for our businesses to invest in Canadian workers and youth," Justin Trudeau said in a post on X on Monday.

We’re reducing the number of low-wage, temporary foreign workers in Canada.

The labour market has changed. Now is the time for our businesses to invest in Canadian workers and youth.

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) August 26, 2024

The move is part of Trudeau government's effort to curb the surge in temporary immigration that increased after the Covid-19 pandemic. Canada has 25 lakh million temporary residents, as of 2024, which is up from nearly 10 lakh in 2021. The Canadian government is considering lowering the number of permanent residents that Canada accepts.

According to Ministry of External Affairs wesbite, there are around 28,75,954 Indians, including 18,59,680 Persons of Indian Origin, living in Canada. 

Canada has been reeling with severe housing crisis with reports suggesting that issues like housing and the cost of housing is overtaking other issues like jobs, economy and the environment. The country has been trying to limit international workers and students in a bid to solve the problem.

Earlier this year, Canada announced that it is imposing an immediate two-year cap on new international student visas to tackle a housing crisis and target institutional "bad actors". In March 2024, Canada's Immigration minister Marc Miller announced that the number of temporary residents will be reduced over the next three years, with the first cap to be set in September.

The country is planning to reduce the number of temporary residents to 5 per cent of the population, down from the current 6.2 per cent, according to BBC.