A new poll reveals a significant decline in negative attitudes toward immigration, while official figures confirm the vital role of migrant workers in the economy and society, challenging the new government’s policies aimed at reducing immigration and temporary foreign labor.
In a striking shift in public opinion, a new poll reveals that Quebecers are becoming less likely to view immigration as a problem, despite years of political rhetoric blaming immigrants for the housing crisis, pressure on public services, and economic challenges.
According to a survey conducted by EKOS for the Association for Canadian Studies, whose findings were published by the National Post on October 24, the proportion of Quebecers who believe there are “too many” immigrants has fallen to 40%, compared with approximately 58% in a March 2025 poll—a decline of 18 percentage points.
This makes Quebec the province with the second-lowest level of concern about immigration numbers in Canada, after British Columbia.
Even more significantly, 32% of Quebec respondents believe the number of immigrants is about right, while 16% believe the province needs more immigrants. In other words, 48% do not consider current immigration levels excessive, compared with 40% who do.
Across Canada, the poll recorded a similar decline, with the proportion of people who believe the country accepts too many immigrants falling from 58% in March 2025 to 45% in October 2026.
Although these comparisons are based on surveys conducted by two different polling organizations, the latest findings offer an encouraging indication that concerns about immigration may be declining. They also demonstrate that anti-immigrant rhetoric does not command a public consensus.
Immigrants Help Build Quebec—They Are Not the Cause of Its Crises
Beyond political propaganda, economic data reveals a reality that is difficult to ignore. According to official labor market figures, approximately 1.16 million immigrants were employed in Quebec in 2025, representing 24.9% of all workers, including around 252,000 temporary residents.
These figures mean that nearly one in four jobs in Quebec is held by an immigrant. Every day, these workers help keep hospitals running, care for older people, sustain agricultural and industrial production, and operate warehouses, transportation networks, restaurants, and essential services on which society as a whole depends.
Immigrants’ contributions extend well beyond work and production. They also pay taxes, stimulate local economies, enrich cultural and social life, and help build Quebec’s future.
Although the poll did not directly ask respondents how they assess these contributions, its findings open the door to a more positive understanding of public attitudes, challenging the image promoted by some political forces of a society supposedly opposed to immigration.
A Contradiction with the New Government’s Policies
These findings take on particular political significance following the Parti Québécois’s rise to power on October 21, under the leadership of Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, on a platform promising tighter immigration restrictions.
The party’s plan includes reducing the number of temporary residents to between 250,000 and 300,000 over four years, cutting permanent immigration to approximately 35,000 people annually, and tightening the conditions governing the recruitment of temporary foreign workers.
These objectives remain political proposals that have not yet been fully implemented, but they raise serious concerns about the future of thousands of migrant workers and families who have built their lives in Quebec.
This reveals an important political and social contradiction. While the new government is moving toward reducing immigration, the poll suggests that public attitudes toward immigrants may be more open than election campaigns and right-wing rhetoric would lead us to believe.
The housing crisis, the deterioration of public services, and the rising cost of living are not caused by migrant workers. From a workers’ rights perspective, blaming immigrants for these crises diverts attention from economic policies, inadequate public investment, real estate speculation, and the responsibility of governments and employers.
Workers’ Solidarity Is the Answer to Policies of Division
The poll’s findings do not mean that racism and hostility toward immigrants have disappeared. A substantial proportion of the population continues to express concerns about immigration. But the results show that these attitudes are neither fixed nor immune to change.
This creates an important opportunity for trade unions, social movements, and organizations defending migrants’ rights to strengthen solidarity among workers, regardless of their origins or immigration status.
Migrant workers and workers born in Quebec often face the same challenges, from low wages and rising rents to deteriorating working conditions and pressure on public services. Dividing them serves only employers and political forces that benefit from weakening working-class solidarity.
Immigrants are not a burden on Quebec. They are an essential part of its workforce, its social fabric, and its future.
What is needed today is not more restrictions, deportations, or work permits that leave workers vulnerable to exploitation, but equal rights for all, accessible pathways to permanent residency, protection of the right to unionize, and investment in housing and public services.
The possible decline in negative attitudes toward immigration represents an opportunity that must be built upon. The real struggle is not between local and migrant workers but between a society that seeks a dignified life for everyone and policies that exploit fear and division to avoid addressing the real crises.
Quebec is stronger, more diverse, and more prosperous because of its migrant workers. Defending their rights means defending the rights of the entire working class.
Sources: EKOS survey for the Association for Canadian Studies, as reported by the National Post on October 24, 2026; Official Quebec labour market data for 2025; Parti Québécois immigration plan.
Methodological note: The October survey included 1,222 adults across Canada and was conducted between October 9 and 15, 2026. The comparison with March 2025 draws on surveys conducted by EKOS and Léger, respectively. The difference should therefore be interpreted as a possible indication of a changing trend, rather than definitive evidence of the precise extent of that change.
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