Carney Says Ottawa Will Not ‘Budge’ From Immigration Plan Following Alberta Referendum Vote

Prime Minister Mark Carney takes questions from journalists as he arrives for a meeting of the federal cabinet on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Oct. 20, 2026. The Canadian Press/Justin Tang

Carney said he had been in discussions with the premiers about “getting immigration first and foremost to the right levels.” He also said Ottawa had retaken “control” of the immigration system by reducing the numbers of international students, temporary foreign workers and asylum seekers.

The federal government’s current immigration targets call for 385,000 new temporary resident arrivals under worker and international student programs in 2026, and 370,000 in each of 2027 and 2028. Ottawa is also targeting 380,000 permanent resident admissions annually over the same period.

In Alberta’s Oct. 19 referendum, a majority of voters supported giving the province “increased control over immigration for the purposes of decreasing immigration to more sustainable levels.” A majority also supported restricting eligibility for provincially funded programs to Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and individuals with an Alberta-approved immigration status, according to unofficial results from Elections Alberta.

Carney said the federal government needed to retain control over immigration while discussing “how the economic class, particularly of immigrants, can be most effectively distributed across the economy of the country and across different sectors of the economy.”

“It’s a question of making those judgments in a way that works for Canadians, works for Canada, and is sustainable,” he said.

On Oct. 16, Immigration Minister Lena Diab announced changes to Express Entry, the federal system used to select skilled foreign workers for permanent residence. Taking effect Nov. 3, the changes will introduce additional points for eligible Canadian work experience or qualifying job offers in “high-wage” occupations.

The government will also remove the requirement for employers to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) for qualifying job offers used to earn the new points. An LMIA assesses the potential impact of hiring a foreign worker, and requires employers to show that they have attempted to instead recruit Canadian citizens or permanent residents.