As the article says, we're only surging in population due to record immigration. The government has control over this... Maybe slow it down a little bit while we build the services to accommodate all these people? But nope, need to bring in more meat for the grinder to continue suppressing wages like they have been for decades. "good for the economy and labour shortage" means exactly this. Good for big business profit margins and eroding worker bargaining power when it comes to wages.
It's especially relevant now that workers have found new will to fight back since covid and inflation problems.
I’m absolutely in favour for building better social supports for new comers and people below the poverty line, but immigration is not the source of the problem. Suppressed wages are not going to change with increasing social supports or restrictions on immigration. Change will only come about with hard organized resistance against the minority who profit off the backs of the majority.
Immigrants aren't the source of the problem. But immigration is being used as a weapon against the working class is part of the problem. I have no problems with people trying to make a better life, and I think it's fantastic that we have a very diverse and multicultural society.
But instead of improving education here, we import the best and most educated people from abroad. Instead of paying people more, we will import as many foreign professionals as it takes to flood the labour supply and use the market and keep wages at the same stagnant level.
Instead of encouraging people having children, paying them enough to afford it, making them feel secure enough to start families, and funding childcare and parental leaves properly, we half ass it. And we just take young, educated families from abroad. Because it's easier and cheaper than investing in our own people.
I think immigration should be part of the growth plan, but I think it is a Band-Aid over some very serious structural problems in this country.