When it comes to the future of immigration to Canada, it’s no longer a question of “why immigration” but “how much,” says federal Immigration Minister, Ahmed Hussen.

“That’s where the debate is now,” he told his audience at the 2018 Canadian Immigration Summit in Ottawa.

“Without immigration, our ability to grow our economy would become an impossibility,” Hussen said, referencing a recent report by the Conference Board of Canada.

The report makes the case that an immigration rate of one per cent of Canada’s population by the year 2030 would help offset the challenges caused by an aging population and contribute one-third of Canada’s projected average annual real GDP growth rate of 1.9 per cent that year.