Close X
Thursday, November 28, 2024
ADVT 
National

Canada passes 40 million population milestone amid immigration push

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 16 Jun, 2023 05:22 PM
  • Canada passes 40 million population milestone amid immigration push

OTTAWA — Canada's population has reached more than 40 million, Statistics Canada said.

The milestone comes amid a wave of new immigrants as part of Ottawa's promise to bring in 500,000 people a year by 2025.

The 40-million mark came faster than expected, Statistics Canada said, as the country added 1.1 million people in 2022, most of them permanent and temporary immigrants.

That's more than twice the federal government's plan to welcome more than 430,000 new permanent residents last year.

Last year was the first year Canada's population grew by more than a million people in a 12-month period, Statistics Canada said, with 95.9 per cent of that growth through international migration.

Canada's population passed 30 million in 1997, also amid increasing immigration levels.

By comparison, the U.S. population is around 335 million.

Statistics Canada said that if current immigration levels remain, Canada's population could hit 50 million in two decades. And by 2041, two in five Canadians could be born abroad.

Ontario is Canada's most populous province with almost 15.6 million people, while Quebec comes a distant second at 8.8 million.

Michael Donnelly, a political science professor at the University of Toronto, said immigration is imperative to Canada for a number of reasons, including the need to increase the working population.

"The people who are working today are paying for the pensions of people retired today," he said. Canada needs newcomers who will fill labour shortages, contribute to the economy and Canada's public pension program.

But a growing population also brings challenges when it comes to infrastructure and housing. Last year, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) said the country needed to build 3.5 million more homes than it is on track for in order to restore housing affordability.

"In effect we don't have enough housing for all the demand, and we need to add a lot more," said Nathanael Lauster, a sociology professor at the University of British Columbia who studies population and demographics.

Lauster said immigration can actually help alleviate the issue because "one of multiple constraints holding housing back is labour supply."

MORE National ARTICLES

Shooting in Downtown: VPD

Shooting in Downtown: VPD
Sergeant Steve Addison says one person was arrested at the scene, but investigators have yet to determine if there are more suspects. He says the shooting occurred Saturday evening inside a building near East Hastings Street and Princess Avenue.

Shooting in Downtown: VPD

Vancouver hiker found dead near Lions Bay

Vancouver hiker found dead near Lions Bay
The search for a man who went missing during a hike near Lions Bay off the Sea to Sky highway has been called off. Lions Bay emergency program coordinator Phil Folkersen says a body has been found and it is believed to be that of Michael Tu.

Vancouver hiker found dead near Lions Bay

Man charged in Maple Ridge homicide

Man charged in Maple Ridge homicide
A 31-year-old man has been charged with second degree murder in the 2022 death of Arthur Comeau of Maple Ridge. R-C-M-P say the 41-year-old was shot to death on April 28th of last year.

Man charged in Maple Ridge homicide

2 people found dead in Kelowna home

2 people found dead in Kelowna home
They say officers responded to a 9-1-1 call last night from a home on Swan Drive. The bodies of two people were found inside the home. Police say they believe the incident was isolated and that there is no threat to public safety.  

2 people found dead in Kelowna home

David Johnston quits as special rapporteur on foreign interference

David Johnston quits as special rapporteur on foreign interference
Johnston's appointment has been contentious, with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre repeatedly accusing him of being too close to Trudeau's family to provide an unbiased review of government actions.

David Johnston quits as special rapporteur on foreign interference

B.C. to require licence for asbestos abatement contractors by 2024

B.C. to require licence for asbestos abatement contractors by 2024
The Labour Ministry says workers must be licensed by Jan. 1. This comes following changes to the Workers Compensation Act last year, requiring that contractors who remove the cancer-causing material use only trained and certified workers.   

B.C. to require licence for asbestos abatement contractors by 2024