• evranch@lemmy.ca
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    10 months ago

    The problem is not even the numbers but the rapid rate increase, which is why I advocate against completely open borders. With open borders, you can’t make plans, maybe millions will come next year, maybe nobody?

    Those regulations and funds have to be in place before we can welcome a large number of people.

    For many years Canada had a low population and low growth rate. Most Canadians had been taught the same thing, “the world is overpopulated, Canada is not, be responsible and don’t have too many kids” and so we were a replacement rate society. Infrastructure was maintained, not built. A trickle of immigration helped keep our population growing at a sustainable rate.

    Then we see a sudden shift in federal policy to taking 1 million immigrants per year on a population of 30 million. That’s a 3% growth rate which is the highest in the G8.

    Now we have cities and provinces screaming “don’t send immigrants here we are full” because nothing else has grown at 3%. Our GDP per citizen is dropping as we haven’t created jobs at the same rate, so the tax base hasn’t grown, and infrastructure takes decades to plan and implement due to excess red tape.

    Also you have to consider unforseen issues like 1 working age immigrant then bringing their entire extended family who are not working age. Our population was already aging, but we are importing more retirees than we are workers, resulting in a net loss when it comes to social service funding. Healthcare was already strained and is now near the breaking point in many regions.