Immigration has helped Canada’s population surpass 37 million people for the first time.
According to recently released Statistics Canada data, the Canadian population reached 37,067,011 people on 1st April 2018.
The country’s population has grown more than one million people in the last two years and two months alone. This is the shortest period on record for an increase of one million.
Much of this growth can be put down to immigration.
In the first quarter of this year alone, new migrants and non-permanent residents accounted for 85 per cent of Canada’s population increase — 88,120 out of the 103,157 additions. This is all the more striking, given that Canada logged 93,944 births and a record number of deaths – 78,907 – in the first three months of 2018.
Every Canadian province and territory other than Newfoundland and Labrador posted a population increase in the first four months of 2018.
Ontario, Alberta and Nunavut each surpassed Canada’s population growth rate of 0.3 per cent. Nunavut posted a growth rate of 0.7 per cent while Ontario and Alberta each had a growth rate of 0.4 per cent.
A recent report by the Conference Board of Canada says Canada’s immigration rate will need to increase to one per cent of the population by 2030 in order to replicate its population growth rate of recent decades and ensure modest labour force and economic growth.
Article published 19th June 2018