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For the first time in 25 years, nearly 60% of Canadians say too many immigrants are accepted into Canada, the highest since 1998 (Environics Institute 2024). How can we understand such reversal of pro-immigration opinion among Canadians? In this interdisciplinary open plenary, we address this timely question by inviting two well-known scholars. Dr. Keith Banting will discuss whether the shift in attitudes is primarily about immigration levels, or whether it represents the beginnings of a deeper polarization and backlash against immigration and multiculturalism of the sort found in many contemporary democracies. Dr. Irene Bloemraad then directs attention to Canadians’ views on the rights of migrants. Drawing on her survey experiments, she discusses the degree to which legal status and race affect how Canadians view the abuse of police powers (a civil or negative rights situation) and the situation of someone going hungry (a social or positive rights situation). The session concludes with remarks by the discussant, Dr.Aryan Karimi, and questions from the audience.
Thank you to our co-sponsors, the Canadian Population Society (CPS) and the Canadian Political Science Association (CPSA).
This session is made possible with the financial support of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences.