Funding Shortfalls, Growing Anti-Immigration Sentiment Top Concerns at Meeting Between Service Sector and Calgary MP

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Leaders from several of Calgary’s immigrant service organizations met recently with Calgary Confederacy MP Corey Hogan to discuss the “immigration crisis”.

Topping their concerns: expected and substantial funding cuts to immigration services, along with growing anti-immigration sentiment across the country.

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Looming Funding Cuts

Sally Zhao, President & CEO at TIES (The Immigrant Education Society), said that funding shortfalls are causing “great concern” among those in the sector.

The federal government announced late last year that it would be reducing immigration levels over the next few years.

Zhao said those reductions should not result in funding cuts.

“The whole sector, we have been under resourced — over capacity for years,” Zhao pointed out.  

“Almost every service that we have, there’s a very long waiting list.”  

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TIES is one of the largest organizations in Alberta to offer LINC (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada) classes. It’s currently serving more than 2,000 students per day, and there are another 2,000+ waiting.

CFN (Centre for Newcomers) executives agreed that funding cannot be cut any further.

Kelly Ernst, CFN Chief Program Officer, pointed to recent numbers from Statistics Canada showing that Alberta was ranked first for net migrants in the first quarter of 2025 (17,444).  

“The entire population growth of Canada happened in Alberta, this last quarter,” Ernst said.  

“Secondary migration to Alberta is really driving population growth in Canada. It’s pretty much all newcomers.”

CFN has also seen an increasing demand for LINC and Settlement Services with more than 1000 people on the wait list.

“We’re serving way beyond our capacity at the moment.”

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Hogan, one of two Liberals elected in Alberta in the last federal election, told the group that unfortunately with huge cost pressures facing Canada, he does expect cuts.

How much those cuts will be, he said, is still unclear.

“The question then becomes what do we do in that environment,” he pointed out. “How do we make sure that we thrive?”

“It doesn’t make sense to set people up for failure and just exacerbate some of the situations that we have seen.”

Growing Anti-immigration Sentiment

Another pressing situation for the sector — anti-immigrant sentiment across the city, province, and country.

Canadians have been growing increasingly angry, blaming newcomers for everything from housing shortages to job shortages due to the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program.  

Paula Calderon, CEO of CIWA (Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association), asked Hogan what the federal government can do to alleviate that.

“What do we need to do to change that public perception and sentiment?” she asked.

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“It’s starting to feel a little less welcoming, and I think we need to push back against that,” Hogan agreed.  

“We need to make the case. To fight the fight, to make sure that people understand that immigration has made Canada better. Not just economically but also culturally and socially.”

“The fabric of this country is enriched by immigrants.”

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Solutions and Promises

While the meeting ended with no clear path forward, Hogan did say he would encourage the government to make sure “all of the facts” are clear.

“There are things that the government can do to make sure the real numbers get out there and pretty firmly make the statement, ‘This is wrong’.”

“I will certainly be an advocate on that front however I can,” he promised.

However, he also said, the message would be stronger coming from the sector – those on the front lines seeing the struggles and successes.

Something the leaders of TIES, CFN, CIWA and La Cité des Rocheuses said they’re definitely committed to doing for the benefit of not only their clients, but Canada as a whole.

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Media RSVP, Interviews & Inquiries:

Tomasia DaSilva

Media and Relationship Strategist

Email: tomasiadasilva@immigrant-education.ca

Phone: 403-291-0002

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