What do immigrants think are ‘Canadian values’? Obtained government docs reveal the answers

A section of the nearly 400 new Canadians from 65 countries, take oath of citizenship at a ceremony in Toronto, on Friday, July 19, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

OTTAWA — Immigrants are more likely than those born in Canada to identify things like respect for human rights and gender equality as “shared Canadian values,” say survey results in briefing notes prepared for Immigration Minister Lena Diab.

The survey results — part of a package assembled for the minister when she took over the portfolio last May — were obtained by The Canadian Press through an access to information request.

The Statistics Canada survey asked respondents whether they saw human rights, respect for the law, gender equality, linguistic duality, ethnic and cultural diversity and respect for Indigenous culture as shared “Canadian values.”

In each case, the percentage of immigrants surveyed who said they saw those values as distinctly Canadian was higher than the percentage of people born in Canada who said the same.

The data was pulled from Statistics Canada’s December 2022 general survey on social identity. The data was collected between August 2020 and February 2021, with a sample of more than 34,000 people that included almost 14,000 landed immigrants.

The survey suggests 67 per cent of immigrants who were aged 13 or older when they came to Canada see respect for the law as a shared Canadian value, while just 40 per cent of respondents born here agreed.

The responses from people who came to Canada aged 12 and younger were more in line with those of people born here.

Lori Wilkinson, Canada Research Chair in migration at the University of Manitoba, said she thinks that statistic is the result of a younger cohort of immigrants growing up in Canada.

“The longer (immigrants) stay here, the more they act Canadian. And I suspect that that’s an issue with attitudes as well,” she said.

“The more you’re here, you pick up the norms and values of the Canadians that you live around. So it’s not surprising they become more like Canadians.”

The survey suggests about 58 per cent of immigrants are satisfied with their lives, while just 44 per cent of Canadian-born respondents said the same.

The survey was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic — a time when many people were stuck at home due to public health measures and more likely to be out of work.

Daniel Bernhard, CEO of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, said this result matches research his organization has conducted. He said immigrants tend to be more focused on their potential for future prosperity after making personal sacrifices to come to Canada.

“There is recognition there that it is difficult to move to a new country, that the economic conditions here, you know, can be difficult for everybody. But as long as they feel that they’re making progress, they’ll be willing to stay,” he said.

Bernhard said his institute has also found immigrant attitudes tend to converge with those of Canadian-born citizens the longer they’re in Canada.

Wilkinson said she expects satisfaction rates across the entire population have declined in recent years due to the elevated cost of living.

“I think people in general, whether you’re immigrant or not, are going to be more angry the longer that affordability is not addressed, the longer homelessness and (housing) precarity are not addressed,” she said.

To conduct the survey, Statistics Canada sent invitations to 87,000 households asking them to either fill out an electronic questionnaire or take part in a 45-minute interview.

The briefing materials also say immigrants and non-permanent residents “play a crucial role in shaping Canada’s housing market.” The documents note immigrants “drive demand” in owned homes and rentals, while temporary residents “significantly drive demand” for rental apartments.

The briefing materials suggest immigrants are more likely to own semi-detached homes, row houses or apartments, while Canadian-born people predominantly own single-detached homes.

The federal government itself has linked increased housing costs to immigration — part of its reason for reducing the number of new temporary and permanent residents being admitted to Canada each year.

Bernhard said the link between immigration and housing is misunderstood.

“Housing prices in some cases have doubled in the last 10 years or more, depending on which part of the country you live in. The population, of course, hasn’t doubled. Not even close,” he said.

“The best studies I’ve seen from Statistics Canada assess that immigration is responsible for about 10 per cent of the increase in the cost of housing. So it’s not nothing, but it’s certainly not the major factor driving home prices to increase it.”

A June 2025 Statistics Canada report said immigration accounted for 11 per cent of the increase in median home prices between 2006 and 2021.

That report also said immigration accounted for 21 per cent of the median home price increase in those municipalities with more than 100,000 people that attracted 80 per cent of new immigrants.

Wilkinson said she’s “deeply angered” by the way the briefing materials talk about the effect immigration has on housing, pointing to the lack of regional detail.

According to several public opinion polls, including polling by the federal government, roughly half of Canadians believe too many immigrants have been coming to the country.

Wilkinson said planned cuts to immigration could have a negative effect on Canada’s economy as the goal of slowing population growth plays out.

“If you look at just international students, they spend every year $4 billion — that’s billion with a ‘b’ … And when you start wiping those numbers down by half, you’re looking at cuts to our GDP,” she said.

“That’s a huge cut and it’s not going to be felt evenly.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 16, 2026.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press