Immigration fuels Canada's largest population growth of over 1 million

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BBC News reports that Canada's population for the first time grew by more than a million people last year, the Canadiam government has said.

The country's population increased from 38,516,138 to 39,566,248 people, Statistics Canada said.  It also marked Canada's highest annual population growth rate - 2.7% - since 1957.  The increase was in part fueled by government efforts to recruit migrants to the country to ease labor shortages.  The country also depends on migration to support an aging population.

Statistics Canada said the surge in the number of permanent and temporary immigrants could "also represent additional challenges for some regions of the country related to housing, infrastructure and transportation, and service delivery to the population."

The Statistics Canada press release stated in part that

"The increase seen in international migration is related to efforts by the Government of Canada to ease labour shortages in key sectors of the economy. High job vacancies and labour shortages are occurring in a context where population aging has accelerated in Canada and the unemployment rate remains near record low. A rise in the number of permanent and temporary immigrants could also represent additional challenges for some regions of the country related to housing, infrastructure and transportation, and service delivery to the population.

Temporary immigration is the leading contributor to Canada's growth."

KJH

 

 

International migration accounted for nearly 96% of the population growth, according to the news release.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made efforts to attract more immigrants to the country since gaining power in 2015. Last year, the government announced a plan to welcome half a million immigrants a year by 2025.

The Canadian government has also been accepting people affected by conflicts like the Ukraine war, the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and the 2023 earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.