The Environics Institute — an organization that publishes public-opinion survey research — released a poll with the Ted Rogers School of Management tracking Canadians’ opinions on immigration in 2024. 58 per cent of Canadians say that there is “too much immigration” to the country, which the Institute writes is the “first time in a quarter of a century.”
Since 2022, there has been a sharp rise in the number of Canadians who are dissatisfied with current immigration numbers. The same aforementioned study revealed that the rate of dissatisfaction increased by 17 per cent between 2022 and 2023 and by 14 per cent between 2023 and 2024. Alongside this growth in anti-immigrant sentiment, hate crimes targeting the South Asian community rose by 143 per cent between 2019 and 2022 — with some experts suggesting that these trends are interconnected.
Despite the Canadian government consistently positioning itself as a leader in immigration — introducing policies to encourage high rates of immigration to the country — it seems as though Canadians are ready to have different conversations on the number of immigrants accepted each year.
How Canadians choose to go about this conversation is critical because failing to reject racist ideologies, combat South Asian hate, and uphold our nation’s commitment to diversity can have grave consequences for newcomers and racialized Canadians.
I believe that we must be able to have robust and rigorous conversations about immigration in Canada without the inclusion of far-right racist organizations and their ideologies.
Cuts to immigration and racist narratives
In October 2024, the federal government responded to the growing anti-immigrant sentiment by decreasing the number of immigrants being granted permanent residence status by 21 per cent. This came alongside other cuts to temporary resident programmes — notably a September 2024 announcement that reduced 10 per cent of the number of international student study permits approved.
Pro-immigration advocates accuse the government of using immigrants as scapegoats for ongoing economic hardship. Meanwhile, some economists share the government’s position, arguing that cuts to immigration will help alleviate pressures on the economy. They argue that these cuts will help decrease demand in the rental market, allowing for rent price reductions and potential further cuts to interest rates.
However, what I find most concerning is how far-right groups, such as the Canadian white supremacist group Diagolon, have exploited anti-South Asian racism to fuel anti-immigrant attitudes and vice versa. Peter Smith — a researcher and journalist at the Canadian Anti-Hate Network — explains that these groups are making South Asian communities the “focus of a lot of anti-immigrant narratives” and are exploiting them in hopes of gaining mainstream support.
A 2024 study by the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism revealed rising online racism toward South Asians in the past year, with many individuals online often promoting what is deemed “the great replacement theory.” This racist ‘theory’ is rooted in antisemitism and xenophobia and claims that there is an attempt by Western ‘elites’ to replace white people with people of other racial backgrounds.
These conspiracies are increasingly utilized by far-right groups in Canada to promote racism against South Asian immigrants, and this growing ideology has manifested in recent racist incidents and hate crimes. In October, a woman in Waterloo gave the middle finger to a South Asian man and told him that “Indians are taking over Canada.” In November, another racist incident occurred in Hamilton where a group of demonstrators held a sign reading “mass deportations now.” In the same month, several racist comments were made on a video on X about Indians who celebrated Diwali in downtown Toronto — one such comment reads, “None of the other immigrants [are] as bad as Indian[s].”
Navigating nuance and championing diversity
I believe that multiple truths can exist at once. We should be able to discuss how reduced immigration can circumstantially ease certain economic pressures, like rent and housing costs. At the same time, we should also be able to acknowledge the positive impacts immigration has had on our economy — notably helping the country avoid a recession.
We, however, must unequivocally reject racist conspiracy theories — like the great replacement theory — that posit different races as competing with each other, sowing the ideological seeds of racial hierarchy that have come to divide Canadians. These kinds of theories are what have and will continue to allow racism to proliferate.
I believe one key way to tackle the rising hate that the South Asian community in Canada is facing is to support projects and organizations working to promote racial equality and inclusion.
One such project enacted by the Vancouver city government introduced an online survey where South Asian-Canadians can share their experiences with racism, ultimately increasing awareness of racism in the city and fostering an inclusive community for South Asians to come together for support. Vancouver also gave a second name to a prominent street on the city’s waterfront — Komagata Maru Place — honouring the Komagata Maru, a ship carrying hundreds of South Asian people who turned away from the city in 1914, to pay homage to the historical struggles of South Asians in Canada.
A commitment to diversity
Although there may be a small minority of Canadians who choose to spread hate and racism, I think that the majority of this country believes in its promise of diversity and inclusion and is ready and willing to have nuanced conversations about immigration that reflect the shared humanity of Canadians.
I have no intention of lecturing Canadians on what they should believe to be the path forward for immigration in this country. Immigration is a sensitive and complex issue on which opinions and perspectives are heavily influenced by the lived experiences from which we approach it. Instead, I argue that no matter where you find yourself in your ideological convictions, we all have a responsibility to each other and this country to prevent both South Asian hate and other forms of racism from infiltrating our country’s social, political, and cultural fabric.
Ahmed Hawamdeh is a third-year student at Trinity College studying public policy, political science, and French. He is the Domestic Affairs Columnist for the Opinion section.
No comments to display.