- Anita Anand defended immigration as a source of Canadian prosperity on September 23, 2026.
- She said Canada had reduced immigration levels since 2024 to stabilize support for Canadians.
- Donald Trump linked immigration to big unemployment but provided no supporting employment figures in his post.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand defended immigration as a source of Canadian prosperity on September 23, 2026, after the U.S. president blamed the policy for unemployment. She also pointed to reductions in immigration levels since 2024, saying the government made them to “stabilize” supports for Canadians.
The comments answered a post that cast Canada's immigration policies as a cause of economic trouble. Anand's response paired a defense of immigration with the federal government's recent reductions.
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Her remarks did not endorse the accusation. Instead, she described immigration as contributing to Canada's prosperity and linked the government's intake changes to support for residents.
The exchange began with Donald Trump posting on Truth Social. His post accused Canada of admitting large numbers of people without sufficient checks.
“Canada is destroying itself by allowing millions and millions of people into the Country, essentially unchecked and unvetted.”
Trump also called the policy a “Liberal takeover that will end very badly.” He said the effects were “Already showing up in their numbers,” describing the result as “big unemployment.”
Anand tied the cuts to support for Canadians
The minister's response pointed to a shift already under way: Canada has lowered immigration levels since 2024. She said the reduction was intended to “stabilize” support for Canadians.
Federal policy discussions have linked immigration management to pressure on housing, health care and other public services. The stated challenge is to address those strains while sustaining economic growth.
That context frames Anand's answer as more than a rebuttal to a jobs claim. She defended immigration's contribution to prosperity while acknowledging that the government has changed intake levels.
The research around the exchange describes reductions over the past two years, but does not provide a new intake figure or a target. The public argument therefore turned on competing descriptions of the policy: Trump presented immigration as unchecked and tied it to unemployment, while Anand cited a reduction and defended immigration's economic contribution.
Trump's post used broad language about the number of arrivals and their screening. It also characterized the change as a political takeover. The claims were presented without supporting employment figures in the post, while Anand's response focused on the federal government's approach to immigration and public supports.
The exchange landed amid wider Canada-U.S. tensions
The comments came during a wider political and trade dispute between Canada and the United States in 2026. Canadian federal ministers and Prime Minister Mark Carney had also defended government policy choices in adjacent trade and diplomatic disputes.
Those disputes formed the backdrop, but Anand's remarks addressed immigration and prosperity. Her response emphasized the government's decision to reduce levels since 2024 rather than offering a point-by-point reply to Trump's wording.
Coverage of the post on September 23 noted that Trump offered no evidence for his unemployment claim. The exchange left the employment allegation and the government's immigration rationale at the center of the dispute.
