File pic of Canadian National flag. (B.C. Govenment)
Canada will seek to admit 401,000 new permanent residents next year, a target that if met would be a historic number of newcomers.
But how realistic that plan is in an era of closed borders, a massive economic downturn and reduced capacity within the federal government to handle applications remains to be seen.
Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino unveiled the government's latest immigration targets today in a report tabled to Parliament.
Between 2021 and 2023, the goal is to admit upwards of 1.2 million new permanent residents.
The plan tabled in Parliament did not break out the targets for the various immigration categories, just a low and high range.
Altogether, the target figures represent a marked increase in three-year plans unveiled last March, when the government said it was aiming for just over one million people by 2022.