Toxicity Scores & Embeddings

There are many problems with anti-immigrant rhetoric and one of them is the classification who is and who isn't an immigrant and the question of when does a person stop becoming an immigrant and become a Canadian? A significant portion of people living in Canada are first/second/third generation Canadians and so, how do we classify these people, are they immigrants or are they not? And what of their parents/grandparents who immigrated, are they? It's very important to note that without their ancestor parents, all these first/second/third gen Canadians will not be here and they are now 'Canadians' today because we had pro-immigration laws. Also, the idea of accessing services is by itself, very problematic. I spent the first 4 years of my life here paying high tuition fees as well as tax that are used to subsidize fellow Canadians' tuition fees yet I'm not able to access any government services. Following graduation, I worked as a worker on visa where my tax was no less than an average Canadian yet government services were very much inaccessible to me. It was only after I became permanent resident, that somehow everything suddenly became available to me. I have been tax paying 6-7 years before I became a PR here yet all those years, I wasn't able to access a single thing yet somehow, after I became PR, I'm eligible for everything? The tax argument doesn't make sense at all. I will be eligible to apply for citizenship in like a year and does that mean now I am one of you, Canadians?

Instead of relying on immigration, Canada should focus on innovation — create robots, invest in R&D, and encourage its own population to have more children. Solving the labour shortage domestically is a long-term solution. Bringing in large numbers of people from 3rd world countries won’t fix the real issues — it may even harm the system over time. Speaking as an Indian, I can say that many of our people don’t adapt to the host country’s culture or values; instead, they often bring the same mindset that created problems back home. Look at India — poor infrastructure, declining quality of life, and a government more focused on propaganda than progress. Importing that mentality, even among the so-called “educated,” won’t benefit Canada. Core values and a willingness to evolve matter far more than degrees. Your govt should also stop permit or spending public money on building temples, mosques, or any religious structures. Why do we even need them? Faith is a personal matter — keep your beliefs and celebrations at home. Things starts with these things only.

Well, I'm gonna give you Canada Immigration an advice on how to catch these people and all those in other countries who has the same situation. These people are doing jobs like delivery like Uber, Skip, Doordash, etc., BUT...they are not using their legal name to apply for that instead they are using another person's account to do that job, whose account is legal and had been in the job for so many years. The connection between those people is not relevant to any gang or organizations but they operate like one, the advantage is both parties earn money while in their eyes is "legal". This is normal settings in my country(3rd world country), you have several taxis and you need to hire drivers to operate, its up to you if you're gonna hire legit drivers or not, the only difference is that the undocumented driver is cheaper. And how do I know these things, I work in a fastfood chain in Waterloo, you need to identify which order the driver will pickup and the delivery driver need to verify the order by the order number through the app but sometimes you can see the Account's photo is different from the delivery driver, so yeah, that's the gist of it. I have no idea why modern countries like Canada and America are so "dumb" or lack of critical thinking when it comes to crimes like this, but I guess people and politicians are the same all over the world. And now, they are bringing more people without checking their background, if there's any criminal record or such, oh yeah, speaking of that, how do you verify those records from another country if those records can be produced with 3rd party company in which an employee from a government institution is behind it to make it more look like it is legit.

Here's the root of most of the problems, its gov. policy, you take in a million new people a year, give them everything and your dollar ends up losing value, so even though your working hard, you cannot get ahead in this country. So you end up going into a debt that you can't pay off and the problems increase. Taxes go up value of the dollar keeps going down, so in the end its a no win situation for most of the general population and its the same when you retire, you get an income that's not enough even to pay for rent in the city you were brought up in. This is a very serious problem and gov. does not seem to do anything about it, food banks are overwhelmed along with medical staff, food prices and rents have gone out of sight as far as prices are concerned. We have a national debt that never gets paid and a gov. that spends more money than it takes in in taxes. And a dollar thats going to H in a handbasket. Too much crime, too much violence, too many traffic jams and too much drug use. I have written to this liberal gov. and told them how to fix these problems but they don't listen, their agenda is with the WEF, you will have nothing and you will be happy, right, no. Canada is now a bankrupt country and going to a third world status, I guess you get what you vote for and I did not vote for this gov. to ruin the country. Hey note that this is just the start, its going to get a whole lot worse down the road as we all suffer another great depression, then things really get bad.

Hey! Im a sikh that was born in canada, with my parents, grand father, great grand father also being in this beutiful country. I wanted to start of by saying a couple of things. My home was in brampton for a long time and I have personally seen the safety gone down, my family used to come back from trips with our garage open and everything would be completely fine. The long term sikhs and indians came and actually contributing positively and that can be seen with how good canada was pre 2020. Immigration too an extent was good, but mass immigration was never a good idea. In 2018-2019 the old time punjabi community was heavily against so many students coming in, so much so people that were indian had "no students" signs when renting their basements. It's sad to see people that came here running things so badly and ruining the effort and contributions made by many(I even face the consqeunces of things I have never done). Remeber don't be afraid to call out people for their bullshit, but also dont bash innocent people. Now many ppl came to canada and have done good like sikhs having the highest donors of blood, plasma, and platelets. We also giveway a lot in charity and food. A good news is Canada is cracking down on these bad people and quickly, and many good people who came are returning back home. I have seen a lot of videos online, but please remember algorithms and pushed media make things seem worse than they actually are. My message is I'm sorry for how these people are acting, my recent trip to Canada(brampton) I saw better quality service and more white folk too. Stay safe and god bless!

This story tells you so much though . This city seems to be an example of how canadas integration policy isn’t working . Look what everyone said -> they couldn’t find jobs , none of the Canadians accepted foreign work experience so they created thier own jobs . B4 asking why aren’t you integrating has Canada asked the tough questions to themselves why do they make it hard for ppl to find jobs in the first place ? In India community is a strong feature no matter where you are they will create an environment that replicates home to ensure their roots stay strong and it’s also for support, loneliness and many things . Now ppl from India don’t just come to Canada due to job crisis back home they come bcz they want to escape the 1.4 billion population and suffocation that comes with it . The negative thing about Indians is they don’t know what’s right n wrong . It’s a thin line bcz that common sense isn’t taught in India . In India your in a race if you snooze you loose so those bad habits of trying to beat the competition comes with a world of bad manners and bad civic sense . Which now unfortunately due to cities like these won’t go away . They’ll stay the same bcz Brampton is that home away from home comfort pillow tat screams LETS NOT CHANGE .

It's wild how many people were afraid to elaborate on why things have gotten worse.

I’ve lived in Canada for 30 years, but I became unemployed in 2021. This is the first time I’ve been out of work for more than a year and a half. I’ve applied online for over 20 jobs, but unfortunately I haven’t received any responses. This has never happened to me before. When I first came to Canada, it felt very safe—you could even leave your door unlocked at night. Things have changed a lot since then. Nowadays, there are many new immigrants and refugees, which has also changed the job market. I’ve noticed that many companies prefer hiring workers with student visas, because the government subsidizes part of their wages. That makes it more cost-effective for companies compared to hiring Canadian workers. I heard this directly from my former manager. As a result, some of my old colleagues now only get one or two days of work per week, while companies continue bringing in new employees.

This is why I desperately wish there was an actual Libertarian party to vote for in elections! There is a party, but they have not gotten enough signatures to be able to run yet, I don't even know if there is an office or representative in Ontario right now! I wish! Their policies (on paper) seem great, and geared more towards a 'Canada first'/'Canadians First' approach. They touch on a lot of topics and there seem to be a lot of things they want to change! But a government is still a government, they will be motivated by money regardless of any good intentions they may have. So if and when things change, WE NEED TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE! We as the citizens have the power to change things for the better! It's just unfortunate that I see so many people getting pushed down or ignored or hated because they are speaking their mind. Remember, Canada dosen't have laws like the US, our freedoms aren't as protected nor do we have the same freedoms they do (like owning and protecting your own property, or self defense!) We as people need to start being honest and expressing things instead of being terrified of the backlash (of which there will be in these times). The only way we can make progress is by deciding to get out of our comfort zones and standing for what is right! For the freedoms and protections we deserve! To make a future worth living for us and our children! It will not be easy, but when is change ever easy? I hope that one day I won't be terrified of the thought of bringing a life into this world and country. I hope I can be stable enough to be able to give my future children a decent life. But right now? I would never want to have children, things are too unstable and I don't want to bring a child into this country and force them to live a terrible life they never asked for! I desperately want to be able to keep hoping for a better future, a better country, and people who can enjoy their lives instead of constantly worrying and stressing about everything. I hope some can consider looking into the Libertarian party as well! They may be small right now, but they seem to be wanting to right the wrongs that have occured.

As a Canada who speaks both French and English and who follows politics quite closely, I have to say that the headline and some of the reporting here is quite misleading. A reduction in immigration has broad support across Canada. I wouldn't say that notion is dividing the country in any significant way. You do have certain industry groups that disagree, but among the population these reductions have broad support. This is a historic change in public opinion in Canada, but it has been driven by the unprecedented increase in immigration under the last term of the Trudeau government. To put this in context, non-permanent residents in Canada numbered around 1.5 million on Q3 2023, but by Q3 2025, that number sat a just over 3 million. The previous government increased immigration targets by 3 or 4 times over what they had been for years, which caused a number of economic issues. Essentially, the volume was simply too high for the economy and society to support. This was unfair to both Canadians and new comers, many of which could not find employment or afford a decent place to live. The changes being suggested are largely bringing Canada back to what the targets were for over a decade before, though a bit lower to account for the sudden surge. Canada remains one of the most pro-immigration countries in the world. However, and this is where I think DW's reporting is misleading, there is a distinction to be made between policies at the federal level and policies at the provincial level. Immigration, per our constitution, is a federal matter, however, Quebec in particular is distinct from other provinces. I don't mean only culturally and linguistically, but also in the powers that have been devolved to it by the federal government. On the question of immigration, Quebec has more powers and more ability to set its immigration targets and programs than any of the other 9 provinces. The particular program discussed here, the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ), is a particular immigration stream that only existed in Quebec. So what is happening with that program cannot be labeled as a whole-of-Canada thing. Where the changes to the PEQ are controversial, unlike the general changes at the federal level, is that people who immigrated under that specific program were promised certain things. There was a multi-year time line to Permanent Residency and then Citizenship. Many of those people have been in Quebec for 5-8 years already. However, the changes made to the program were done in such a way where people who many years into the program, had gotten an education, started a career, had children, ect. are now being told they can't continue and must leave Canada. There are even stories of people who married Canadians, now have children, and the one parent who was under this program now faces the possibility of having to leave Canada and be separated from their family. All through no fault of their own. That is what many people see as unfair, and I agree, however limiting future applications under the program, to bring in less people, that is not controversial. Canada has no responsibility to bring in people who are not already in Canada, but Canada does have some responsibility towards people who uprooted their lives to move to Canada and built new lives here based on promises and representations made to them by the Canadian and Quebecois governments. We should no simply kick those people out of the country.

Canada has changed significantly in recent years, and I believe our post-COVID immigration policies have played a major role in the challenges we’re facing today. Here’s how things went off track: Many individuals who couldn’t pass the IELTS (English proficiency test) entered the country on visitor visas or through spousal sponsorships—some of which were questionable or fraudulent. During that time, the government was converting visitor visas into work permits with little to no scrutiny. Background checks and rejections were rare. Meanwhile, colleges rapidly expanded their intake capacity—understandably so, since international students pay three to four times more in tuition. At the same time, due to inflationary pressures, the government allowed international students to work 40 hours per week instead of the previous 20-hour limit. This created a new, ready-to-work labor force in just a year or two, heavily impacting the retail sector. As a result, a large portion of retail jobs shifted toward a single ethnic group, while many Canadian citizens found themselves sidelined. One key factor was flexibility. Many immigrant communities—particularly Indian—were more willing to accept irregular hours and last-minute shifts, often adopting a more compliant, “yes sir” attitude that employers found appealing. However, I’m already beginning to notice changes in the retail landscape, likely due to the government finally tightening immigration rules. Going forward, we don’t need to close our doors—but we do need smarter immigration policies, with proper checks and balances, to ensure fairness and sustainability for everyone.

I think it is important to give some scrutiny and take a thorough look at things. Some give free food but it does not mean they are contributing net to our society. In the past many local Canadians volunteered extensively in our community. That has gone away in present day. Dont let someone giving a free lunch fool you into thinking they do nothing wrong

Most Canadians are not against immigration. We just took too many immigrants in there wasn’t enough places for them to live. It wasn’t fair to them or the people living here. Things had to change. It’s not that we don’t want people coming. It’s just that we have no housing housing has to increase by millions of unitsand we were in the process of doing that right now.

You can complain about it or blame the newcomers many of which have contributed to these problems but the real solution is to force change in government policy so things can eventually start getting better

I have many Indian friends who came to Canada over the years. My friends’ families came here for a better life, to integrate into Canadian society, to adopt our values and have started successful businesses based on those shared values. Sadly things seem to have shifted in the past 10 years…

As a multi-generational, born-and-raised Canadian citizen. Recently, I have been unemployed for 1 year and 2 months, which is the longest I have ever gone without a job in my entire life. My EI has run out, and during this stressful time, I have only had 4 actual interviews with real human beings. I am also a caregiver for both of my parents, and working remotely has been my profession for the last 7 years. Remote work allows me to both care for them and bring in a full-time income. Despite having 30 years of customer service experience, I find myself being overlooked. Many companies now use AI to prescreen resumes, so if your resume isn’t ATS-friendly, it often never gets seen by a human. Even if you make it past that stage, there are endless AI-driven assessments before you even have a chance to speak with someone. And when you finally do, it’s often yet another layer of screening rather than a real interview. I know I bring value — I consistently receive compliments from customers across cultures for speaking clearly, precisely, and making their experience enjoyable. Yet I find myself competing with younger candidates who can work longer hours, or new immigrants that companies often prioritize, sometimes with government incentives. At 55, I feel like I’m being overlooked despite my proven skills and professionalism. Right now, I live with my retired parents and should be caring for them. Instead, my father is helping me pay my bills so I don’t ruin the credit I worked so hard to build. If I don’t secure a job soon, I fear I’ll lose everything else I’ve managed to hold onto. The stress is overwhelming — I cry daily, and on top of everything, I also face health issues of my own, but I have no space to focus on them because survival takes priority. Canada today feels very different from the country I grew up in. Since the pandemic, things have become harder in every way — jobs, housing, and simply living. Even if I manage to secure work, rent alone now takes up nearly 75% of what I’d earn, not even including other basic bills. It’s disheartening to feel like no matter how hard I push, I can’t get ahead.

Changes to immigration are welcome. In Quebec things are far more complicated as integration and language come into play. Most immigrants struggle to build a life in Canada due to expensive housing (renting or ownership). Canada was also accepting too many professional immigrants (engineering, business, consulting, IT, accounting) when we desperately need trades, construction workers and mechanics. The reduction in immigration and foreign students to sustainable levels is long overdue.

Good, there are too many from India and China here. Recently, I have seen some Chinese leaving from my own neighbour. This is a good thing, they come over here, don't speak English, don't work and use our resources that we have paid for all of our working lives. Our local college which used to pay for English lessons for Newcomers to Canada has now cancelled the program.