OTTAWA — Immigration Minister Lena Diab says the new immigration levels plan is meant to maintain predictability in the system while doing the “right thing” by clearing a severely backlogged humanitarian permanent residency stream. The levels plan, published Thursday, includes targets for 380,000 permanent residents and 370,000 new temporary residents, along with a pledge to make upwards of 200,000 longtime temporary residents permanent by the end of 2027. Diab says the vast majority of those 200,000 are in Canada already — people with jobs and housing who aren’t expected to add to the strains on health care and social services. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre released a video Sunday accusing the government of introducing a plan that will bring in more people, drive down wages and increase rents. Immigration has become a fraught political topic in recent years, with polls suggesting about half the population thinks too many immigrants have come to Canada. These were Diab’s first public comments on the new immigration levels plan since it was tabled last week. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2026. David Baxter, The Canadian Press
