By Fabian Dawson, New Canadian Media, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Canada’s plan to open its doors to hundreds of thousands of immigrants will be a “trainwreck” if the Trudeau Liberal government does not come up with a comprehensive housing solution for the newcomers who are needed to fill jobs in the country, experts say.
Housing affordability and availability are the key issues of concern for Canadians, who are generally in favour of immigration, said pollster Nik Nanos. The results of his organization’s latest survey shows over half of Canadians polled believe an increase in immigrants as permanent residents will have a positive or somewhat positive impact on the economy.
What do the people of Canada think? The oil rich provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan want to build more pipelines to carry diluted bitumen from the oil sands. The Liberal government of British Columbia dreams of developing a “trillion dollar” LNG opportunity. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appears to be appeasing them, in return for provincial support for a national plan to curb Canada’s C02 emissions. The goal is to reduce our emissions to 30% below the 2005 level by 2030, but the concessions inherit in Trudeau’s collaborative approach could subvert any attempt to tackle climate change. A new poll finds Canadians expect Federal action against emissions.
