Daniel Bernhard, CEO of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, is urging Canada to rethink its approach to attracting global expertise after the federal government reduced immigration targets over the next three years. With permanent resident admissions set to fall to 395,000 in 2025, 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027, Bernhard warns in an article for the Globe and Mail that the country risks shutting out the very people needed to address critical challenges in health care, housing, infrastructure and innovation.
On This Page You Will Find
- Why Daniel Bernhard believes Canada needs more skilled immigrants
- How immigration caps could affect housing, health care and infrastructure
- The role of global talent in improving Canada’s public services
- International models Canada could adopt with the right recruits
- A new perspective on immigration as a development tool
Canada’s Contradictory Immigration Strategy
Bernhard believes that Canada is sending mixed messages about its openness to global talent. While government policy acknowledges the need to attract the best and brightest, it does so with the caveat of maintaining “sustainable” immigration levels. This contradiction, he argues, reflects a broader discomfort with bringing in too much talent, even when it’s urgently needed.
He sees targeted proposals like the Canada Discovery Visa – which would allow 1,000 top scientists and engineers to live and work in Canada – as steps in the right direction. However, he questions why the policy should stop there. He argues that skilled individuals from all sectors and regions should be actively recruited, not just Americans or those in scientific fields.
Fixing Health Care with Global Experience
Canada’s health system, Bernhard says, is an example of where international knowledge could make a measurable impact. The country spends roughly 20 per cent more per person on health care than Japan, yet Japanese citizens live two years longer on average. Several other countries, including Iceland, Israel and Spain, achieve better outcomes at significantly lower cost.
He suggests that Canada should be recruiting not just doctors and nurses, but also the hospital administrators and policy-makers who manage these more effective systems. While Ontario’s recent move to allow American health-care professionals to practise upon arrival is welcome, Bernhard says it should go much further. There are more than 20,000 internationally trained nurses already in Ontario who are not allowed to work, many of them sidelined by outdated or unnecessary rules.
Skilled Immigrants Are the Key to Housing Goals
As Canada faces a worsening housing shortage, Bernhard stresses that the real issue may not be too many immigrants but too few. He notes that the country will lack about 85,000 construction workers in the coming decade, as over 130,000 residential builders retire by 2033. Despite this, Canada now selects 75 per cent fewer immigrants with construction skills than it did in the 1980s.
He points to Sweden as a model, where 90 per cent of housing is factory-built, making it faster and more affordable. Rather than simply inviting Swedish companies to set up shop in Canada, Bernhard suggests recruiting the Swedish builders and engineers directly. This way, knowledge, intellectual property and profits stay within Canada.
Learning from Global Transit Builders
Canada’s transport infrastructure has long suffered from high costs and slow timelines. Bernhard cites University of Toronto research that shows countries such as Italy, Turkey and South Korea complete transit projects for a fraction of what Canada pays – sometimes at just one-tenth the cost per kilometre.
He argues that Canada should be actively recruiting the civil servants and planners who delivered those successful systems abroad. These individuals, he believes, have solved the exact kinds of problems that Canada continues to struggle with and could bring valuable experience to major domestic projects.
Changing the Narrative on Immigration
At the heart of Bernhard’s argument is a call to shift the national mindset. He believes Canada is stuck in an outdated view of immigration as an act of charity – a chance for newcomers to build better lives through Canadian generosity. But in today’s world, he says, immigration is a key economic driver, just as important as education and innovation.
By focusing too much on arbitrary numerical caps, Bernhard believes Canada is missing an opportunity to bring in experienced professionals who have already solved the very problems the country now faces. From civil engineers to policy analysts, from housing experts to health system reformers, he wants these people recruited not as a favour to them, but as a strategic investment in Canada’s future.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are Canada’s immigration targets falling between 2025 and 2027?
The government says lower numbers will help reduce pressure on housing, health care and infrastructure. But critics worry the cuts will limit access to essential skills and talent.
What labour shortages does Canada currently face?
Canada is short of construction workers, health-care professionals, and infrastructure planners. These shortages are expected to grow sharply in the next 10 years.
Does Daniel Bernhard believe in unlimited immigration?
No. He supports managed immigration but believes current caps are too rigid. He argues Canada should focus on recruiting the people it genuinely needs, in sufficient numbers.
What changes could make Canada more attractive to skilled immigrants?
Streamlined credential recognition, targeted recruitment programs, and recognition of global experience could help draw top talent from around the world.
How does Bernhard want immigration to be viewed in Canada?
He wants immigration to be seen not as an act of charity, but as a strategic tool to build Canada’s economy, improve services, and solve major national challenges.
