UN refugee chief says reducing refugee targets is 'wise' if it prevents backlash

It is "wise" of Canada to scale back the number of refugees it plans to resettle if that helps stabilize the housing market and prevents backlash against newcomers, the head of the UN refugee agency said during a visit to Ottawa this week.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of cabinet Monday in Ottawa, where the Liberal government pledged $50.4 million to the agency.

His visit comes a little more than a week after the federal government announced plans to cut overall immigration levels by 20 per cent for 2025 — a cut that includes refugees and protected persons.

The government cited pressures on available housing as one of the reasons for the new policy.

Grandi said Canada remains a global leader in resettlement but pro-refugee sentiment is fragile in an economic or housing crisis and it would be "really negative" to see it destroyed.

"Without good housing, integration is difficult or threatens social cohesion between residents in Canada who are impacted by the housing crisis and people coming and competing for housing," he said Monday.

"I think in these situations, it is wise to put things in order, to stabilize, to consolidate, because otherwise you have high numbers coming — which is great in a global context — but could create problems, could create backlash locally."

When economic or housing crises strike, integrating refugees has to be handled with extreme care, he said.

The new targets would see the projected number of refugees granted permanent resident status in Canada reduced by 14,400 in 2025 compared to the plan set out last year.

The reduction is even steeper for protected people in Canada and their dependants abroad — a cut of 31 per cent, compared to the government's previous plan.

The move has drawn condemnation from migrant groups, including the Canadian Council for Refugees, who called the new plan dangerous and a betrayal.

"It is not an exaggeration to say that the action taken today will rob children of their futures and destroy families. People will lose their lives," the council's president, Diana Gallego, said in a media statement when the Liberals revealed their new plan.

Canada played a major role in resettling Syrian, Ukrainian and Afghan refugees over the last several years, though the programs for each varied.

The targets put forward will allow Canada to honour all of its existing commitments related to refugees, said Immigration Minister Marc Miller, adding now the government must take stock.