Skilled immigrants are needed to increase Canada’s home supply as a wave of retirements closes in on the nation’s construction industry, the federal housing minister says.

Speaking with Global News in a year-end interview, Ahmed Hussen provided yet another reason why Ottawa decided to boost its immigration targets earlier this year.

“We know there is over a million jobs in Canada that remain unfilled, so we need immigrants, skilled immigrants, to come in and help us fill those unfilled jobs and help us grow our economy,” he said. “In addition to that, the irony is we actually need more people, skilled immigrants, to also help us in the building trades and the construction sector of our economy.”

“We need those workers to actually come in and help us build the housing that Canadians need.”

By 2025, the federal government wants to see 500,000 people arrive in Canada per year, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser revealed on Nov. 1. Ottawa’s new plan envisions a flood of immigrants that will see 465,000 people arrive in 2023, rising to 500,000 in 2025, with a heavy emphasis on admitting people based on work skills or experience.

A poll conducted shortly afterwards suggested the vast majority of Canadians were worried about how the Liberal government’s plan to increase immigration levels will affect housing and government services. Seventy-five per cent of respondents agreed they were very or somewhat concerned the plan would result in excessive demand for housing, as well as health and social services.

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