In a recent mandate letter to his cabinet, Prime Minister Mark Carney reaffirmed his overarching vision for Canada’s immigration system. The letter emphasized two primary goals:
- Reducing overall immigration to sustainable levels
- Attracting top global talent to support Canada’s economy
These objectives were presented as a unified directive and ranked among the top seven priorities for the federal cabinet.
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Mandate Letters: Purpose and Context
Mandate letters are official instructions from the prime minister to cabinet ministers, outlining government priorities, policy goals, and in some cases, specific implementation strategies. Traditionally, Canadian prime ministers have issued separate mandate letters to each minister. It remains uncertain whether Carney will continue this practice.
Reducing Immigration to Sustainable Levels
Carney’s mandate underscores the need to bring immigration levels down to what he describes as “sustainable.” During the election campaign, the Liberal Party acknowledged that immigration had increased to levels deemed unsustainable under the previous Liberal government, straining housing availability and public services.
To address this, the party proposed to stabilize permanent resident admissions to under 1% of Canada’s population per year beyond 2027. With Canada’s population projected to reach 41.5 million in 2025, targets outlined in the 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan already fall below this threshold:
- 2025: 395,000 permanent residents
- 2026: 380,000 permanent residents
- 2027: 365,000 permanent residents
Attracting Top International Talent
In tandem with stabilizing immigration levels, the mandate letter also emphasizes attracting highly skilled individuals from around the world—a message that echoes campaign promises made by the Liberal Party.
A key element of this strategy involves enhancing the Global Skills Strategy (GSS)—a federal program that expedites work permits for qualified foreign professionals. The GSS offers eligible Canadian employers faster processing times, typically within two weeks.
The Liberals also pledged to:
- Support high-growth businesses and entrepreneurs in attracting top-tier talent
- Focus on recruiting skilled professionals from the United States
- Collaborate with provinces and territories to improve the recognition of foreign credentials and international work experience
These steps aim to ensure smoother and quicker integration of foreign professionals into the Canadian labour market.
Policy Continuity and Context
Carney’s proposed immigration direction builds on the foundation laid by former Immigration Minister Marc Miller, during the final phase of Justin Trudeau’s administration. In response to rising concerns over housing affordability and service capacity, the Liberal government had already begun scaling back both temporary and permanent resident admissions.
