India, Dec. 6 -- The "sharpest reversal" in public opinion of immigration to Canada in 50 years was driven, in part, by younger people turning against an increased intake of newcomers, that they blamed to a housing affordability.

This was among the conclusions of a new paper published by the Institute for Research on Public Policy's Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation. Authored by Randy Besco, an associate professor at the University of Toronto, and Natasha Goel, a scholar there, the brief on immigration was based on over 40 years of surveys conducted by the Environics Institute.

The authors noted that "in 2023-24, polls showed the sharpest reversal in public opinion since at least the late 1970s, with opposition to immigrat...