Government poll finds nearly half of Canadians think 'too many immigrants' are coming

A survey commissioned by the federal government late last year suggests nearly half of Canadians believe the country is admitting too many immigrants.

The survey found 47 per cent of respondents believe "too many" immigrants are coming to Canada, while 38 per cent say "about the right amount" are coming.

Those results shifted when respondents were asked about the federal government's plan to admit 380,000 permanent residents this year, equal to about one per cent of the total population.

When asked about that number, just 39 per cent of respondents said it's too high, while 43 per cent said it was an appropriate level.

The random telephone survey was conducted of 2,500 people by Phoenix Strategic Perspective in November and early December, and is considered accurate within about two percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

The poll report was delivered to the government in February but was only recently added to the government's publicly available public opinion research portal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1, 2026. 

By David Baxter | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.