I think we need to tell those stories. In Canada, there are many stories of people who came here as permanent residents or temporary permit holders for study or work and transitioned to being citizens or permanent residents. They are building our businesses and communities. We need to tell those stories in terms of both numbers and real stories people can relate to.
I'm concerned that we've been focusing on smaller problems, rather than seeing the bigger picture. We know we're an aging society. We know 40% of our medical and paramedical personnel are non-Canadian-born. We even know we are short on family doctors. There are many family doctors who cannot practise because their credentials are not recognized. We need to tell those stories.
There is an additional complication, these days: social media. People always read the newspaper they agree with and watch the TV channel they agree with. Right now, we have the algorithm proposing, to each of us, which people we agree with. This is a very important issue that risks polarizing debate.
I also want to comment on the erroneous connection between affordable housing and immigration. Housing prices started rising in 2019 and 2020, when we had the lowest immigration. Then they kept rising. There are other dynamics there. It seems to be a pure, mathematical equation—“We have so many people, and we have so many houses.” That is very simplistic, and economists tell us it's wrong.