BY RILEY DONOVAN
At a recent press conference, Premier David Eby declared that British Columbia’s “unprecedented population inflows” are “completely overwhelming.” Visibly frustrated, he described how the province is buckling under the weight of growth: “Our schools are full. We are unable to keep up with housing starts.”
According to Premier Eby, B.C. is adding a jaw-dropping 10,000 new residents every month. B.C.’s growth is not fuelled by interprovincial migration. In the first quarter of 2024, 14,113 people moved here from other provinces, while 16,679 people left for greener pastures elsewhere in Canada. Neither is it driven by births; in 2021, B.C.’s mortality rate exceeded its fertility rate for the first time.
Our province’s population growth is driven entirely by international migration. The federal government’s immigration policy saw Canada grow by nearly 1.3 million in 2023, accounting for 97.6 per cent of national growth.
According to documents obtained by the Canadian Press, the Trudeau government disregarded a memo written by civil servants warning that its pedal-to-the-metal immigration strategy would strain housing and health care. B.C. is now paying the price for Ottawa’s incompetence.
Almost a million British Columbians have no family doctor. A poll from the Angus Reid Institute found that one in three B.C. residents are considering leaving the province because of the cost of housing. Schools are facing skyrocketing enrolment.
Premier Eby’s diagnosis is correct. Now, what’s his treatment plan?
The only solution he has floated is for premiers to work with Ottawa to align immigration targets with provincial capacity. What steps will be taken to move this vague desire into reality?
One option would be to play hardball like Québec, which is threatening to hold a referendum on giving itself full control over immigration.
Premier Eby recently complained about a $750-million federal grant to Québec to help accommodate an influx of asylum seekers, arguing that B.C. also deserves a grant to deal with our own influx of foreign workers and students.
This fundamentally misses the point. Québec receives concessions because it exerts constant pressure on Ottawa. They aren’t ashamed to look out for number one. Rather than being outraged about Québec’s favourable treatment, B.C. should emulate their pressure tactics.
Another way to moderate population growth would be to bypass the feds entirely, and cut the number of nominees accepted under the Provincial Nominee Program, an economic immigration program which allows provinces to select permanent residents.
Prince Edward Island recently took this route, reducing immigration nominations by 25 per cent and refocusing the remaining nominations away from fast food and retail, instead favouring newcomers with skills in health care, trades and childcare. P.E.I. made this decision to slow growth on their increasingly overcrowded island. B.C. could do the same.
Complaining about runaway population growth isn’t working. It’s time for Premier Eby’s government to take concrete action to reduce growth and give our housing, health care and infrastructure some breathing room.
The writer is a local journalist and editor of Dominion Review.