KLEIN: Canada is a fixer-upper, and it’s worth the effort

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Canada has always been a land of opportunity, a place where people from all over the world came to build a better life for themselves and their families. We were once a shining example of unity in diversity, a country where hard work paid off, and where everyone had a fair shot at success.

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People would speak of Canada with admiration, often joking about how Canadians left their doors unlocked because of the sense of safety and community that defined us. But today, the reality is starkly different. Our housing markets are in crisis, our health-care system is failing, and the unchecked pace of immigration is pushing us to a breaking point. It’s time for Canada to slow down immigration until we get our house in order.

We are allowing more people into our country every year than we can handle, and it’s happening for all the wrong reasons. Political leaders are more concerned with looking good on the international stage and winning votes than with the practicalities of managing our current challenges.

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How many provinces and political leaders have to declare that we have a housing crisis before we take the issue seriously? Housing affordability has deteriorated nationwide, affecting not just our biggest cities but small communities, too.

Rents are skyrocketing, home prices are out of reach for many, and vacancy rates are at historic lows. Simply put, we do not have enough housing for the people who already live here, let alone for the hundreds of thousands of newcomers arriving each year.

Why would we want to bring more people into an unstable environment where we cannot provide the most basic need: a roof over their heads? It’s not just about supply and demand; it’s about the ethical responsibility we have to provide a decent quality of life for everyone who lives here, including those who come seeking a fresh start.

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Housing is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. By failing to address the housing shortage, we are setting up newcomers for hardship and resentment from those already struggling. We must address our housing shortages with real solutions — building affordable homes, investing in social housing, and ensuring that our infrastructure can support a growing population — before we continue to invite more people into a system that is buckling under pressure.

The problems don’t end with housing. Our health-care system, once a point of national pride, is now in a state of near-collapse. Emergency rooms are overcrowded, wait times are unbearably long, and health-care professionals are overworked and burning out at unprecedented rates.

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Canadians are suffering daily because of a health-care system that is stretched far beyond its limits. So how can we, in good conscience, add more pressure to this already fragile system by dramatically increasing immigration levels? The truth is, we can’t. It’s not just unfair to the Canadians who have spent their lives paying into the system — it’s unfair to the newcomers who arrive with the expectation of quality health care, only to find a system that can barely cope.

And then there is the issue of illegal immigration. Canada has thousands of illegal immigrants today, many of whom have not undergone proper security screening. This isn’t about fostering fear or distrust — it’s about basic safety and fairness. We need to focus on those who are here legally, contributing to our country, and waiting for their chance to become full-fledged Canadians.

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Ensuring that every person who comes to Canada is properly vetted is not just about protecting our borders, it’s about maintaining the integrity of our immigration system and the safety of all who live here. It’s about doing right by those who follow the rules and ensuring that we don’t undermine public trust in the process.

Let’s fix up our house before we invite more people to move in. We owe it to those we allow to move to Canada to provide them with a better quality of life than what they left behind. If we clean up our house first, then we can confidently welcome newcomers with the assurance that we have a place for them to live, that we can provide them with medical care when they need it, that their children can access a good education, and that there are good jobs waiting for them.

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Canada was once a beacon of hope for people around the world. We were the country people dreamed of coming to because we offered not just safety, but opportunity. But today, that dream is fading because our elected officials see people as votes rather than human beings who need a stable and supportive environment to thrive.

We have allowed immigration to become a political tool, rather than a thoughtful, strategic process that considers the needs of our current population alongside our desire to welcome new Canadians. This approach has turned what should be a source of national pride into a strain on our resources and a source of frustration for many. We need to slow down and recalibrate. We need to invest in our housing, fix our health care, and secure our borders. Canada can be that beacon of hope again, but only if we take the time to fix our problems at home first.

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This isn’t about closing our doors, it’s about making sure that when we do open them, we can offer newcomers a fair shot at a good life. It’s about upholding the values that once made Canada the envy of the world: equal opportunity, safety, and community.

We can rebuild that Canada, but it requires honest conversations and tough decisions. We must demand that our politicians prioritize the well-being of all who call Canada home, now and in the future. If we get our house in order, Canada can once again be the place where people come not just to live, but to thrive.

— Kevin Klein is a former Tory cabinet minister, a former city councillor and President & CEO of Klein Group Ltd.

Have thoughts on what’s going on in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada or across the world? Send us a letter to the editor at wpgsun.letters@kleinmedia.ca

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