Panel to propose raising immigration inflows by 50 per cent

McCallum balks at scale of proposed immigration increase

Canada a top-four country for skilled migrants A panel of economic advisers will urge the federal Liberals to increase the number of immigrants to Canada by some 50 per cent, according to sources who talked to the Globe and Mail. Canada has been taking in roughly 250,000 to 300,000 immigrants annually in recent years, but the panel advising Finance Minister Bill Morneau will urge him to increase that number to 450,000 annually, the newspaper reported.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau. An economic panel advising Morneau is expected to recommend to him raising immigration levels to 450,000 a year. (Photo: Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld) The 14-member panel, chaired by Dominic Barton of the firm McKinsey and Co., is to deliver a set of recommendations to Morneau on Thursday. The federal Liberals have recently suggested increasing immigration levels and opening the doors further to foreign students and investment. But, when asked about it, Immigration Minister John McCallum seemed to balk at the large number that the panel will propose, saying it may be too ambitious. He says to meet the target suggested by the Advisory Council on Economic Growth would be a costly endeavour and might not find support across the country.