A claim circulating on social media, particularly shared by Students for Trump founder Ryan Fournier, falsely states that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a three-year immigration freeze. The post, which read, “BREAKING: Justin Trudeau just announced a 3-year freeze on accepting immigrants into Canada,” gained widespread attention, accumulating over 9,000 shares on X (formerly Twitter) within two weeks.
However, this statement is inaccurate. Trudeau did not declare a complete immigration freeze but instead proposed reducing the number of immigrants allowed into Canada over the coming years. This claim is a misinterpretation of a statement Trudeau made on October 24, in which he explained that the government would lower immigration levels temporarily to manage rapid population growth.
The measures, Trudeau explained, are intended to help stabilize Canada’s economy, not to halt immigration entirely. While the government has revised its immigration targets, the number of permanent residents will be reduced from an initially planned 500,000 to 395,000 in 2025 and 380,000 in 2026, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. By 2027, Canada aims to reduce the number of temporary residents to 5% of the population and target 365,000 permanent residents.
Trudeau emphasized that the policy changes were aimed at addressing abuses of the immigration system by “bad actors,” such as fake colleges and large corporations, that exploited the post-pandemic boom.
Despite the controversy surrounding his immigration stance, Trudeau has rejected calls for his resignation from members of his party, who are dissatisfied with his handling of immigration and the cost of living. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump also echoed the incorrect claim, stating, “Even Justin Trudeau wants to close Canada’s borders.”
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