The Financial Post reports in its Tuesday edition that the federal government says its new limit of issuing about 360,000 international study permits -- 215,000 less than in 2023 -- can alleviate pressures on housing, health care and other services, but some economists expect the impact to be negligible. The Post's Naimul Karim writes that such a decrease could also lead to a rise in wages next year since foreign students have been a steady source of cheap labour, according to Benjamin Tal, an economist at CIBC World Markets. He added that the decrease is not a negative effect for the economy since it would compel companies to pay more and be more productive. "Canada has a productivity issue," he said. "An endless supply of cheap labour is not good for companies." Daniel Tisch, chief executive officer of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement Jan. 26 that the caps could be "potentially damaging" to the labour market and the regional economy. Economists such as Mr. Tal believe the government will extend the curbs for more than two years. He does not, however, expect the move to resolve the affordability issue. "This is not enough," Mr. Tal said. "You also need supply. Much more supply of units."