Canada Daily

Why Canada’s Start-up Visa Program Flopped

Plus: New owners at Montrusco Bolton

The Carney government’s two new economic immigration initiatives are part of an effort to reinvent Canada’s economy in the face of US tariffs after years of low productivity growth.Photographer: Cole Burston/Bloomberg

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Ari Altstedter

January 8, 2026 at 10:15 PM UTC

Welcome back to Canada Daily, the newsletter on business, economics and politics from Vancouver to Montreal and beyond. If this was forwarded to you, sign up here.

Prime Minister Mark Carney promised to reform Canada’s immigration system after a surge of new arrivals between 2022 and 2024. His latest move on the file came in December, when his government abruptly scrapped a special entry stream for startup founders, planning to replace it with a new one this year.