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Canada appears to be relatively unaffected by the rise of anti-immigrant populist movements seen elsewhere around the world. Numerous studies show that the vast majority of Canadian citizens see immigration and the country’s growing ethnocultural diversity as an asset. In order to explain this optimism, which stands in stark contrast to other Western democracies, the academic literature needs to acknowledge the unique features of the situation in Canada, which include the structure of the country’s immigration system, and its geographic position.