Decoding Justin Trudeau’s ‘Canadians First’ Move – The Last Gamble?

Justin Trudeau is a man facing many problems. Amid diplomatic tensions with India and pressure from his own MPs, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau announced to cut immigration numbers beginning 2025. The first such decision in years, Trudeau’s policy change is being viewed as an unpopular government trying to hang on to power.

Trudeau’s new announcement comes nearly a month after he vowed to limit the number of study permits for international students in Canada. He vowed to announce new rules for companies to give a reason why they would not be able to hire locals.

“We’re going to have fewer temporary foreign workers in Canada. We’re bringing in stricter rules for companies to prove why they can’t hire Canadian workers first,” he tweeted on Wednesday. The move will make it more difficult for immigrants to get a job and settle in the country.

Canada will bring in 395,000 new permanent residents in 2025, 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027, down from 485,000 in 2024, reported Reuters. The number of temporary residents, meanwhile, will decrease by about 30,000 to around 300,000 in 2025, the report added.

Meanwhile, Trudeau is facing pushback from within his own party, with several Liberal lawmakers urging him not to seek a fourth term. They have given him a deadline of October 28 to make his decision. According to reports from news agency AP, some Liberal MPs warned that Trudeau “must leave by October 28” or face unspecified consequences.

A smiling Trudeau said Liberals are “strong and united” after meeting with Liberal members of Parliament for three hours. Three Liberals said they were among a total of 20 plus lawmakers from the party to have signed a letter asking Trudeau to step down before the next election, reported AP. There are 153 Liberals in Canada’s House of Commons.

The dissent from his MPs is the latest indicator that all is not well for Justin Trudeau as his popularity has sunk to record lows. Trudeau, who is in his ninth year as the prime minister of Canada, might lead his party to a drubbing in the upcoming polls, believe his MPs due to his diminishing popularity.

A majority of opinion polls have suggested that Trudeau might lose power to opposition leader and Conservative Party’s Pierre Poilievre.