According to Statistics Canada, the next 47 years will see an immense increase in population in the country. The agency projected that in a medium growth situation, Canada could have a population of around 57 million people owing to the influx in immigration in the past years.
Canada saw a major flood in immigration in the five years between 2016 and 2021. The surge saw the country’s population growth rise twice faster, unlike the rest of the G7 countries. However the surge was a little slow in 2020 owing to the breakout of the pandemic, but the first quarter of 2022 witnessed an immense rebound in immigration that saw the country a record high number of immigrants within the first four months of the year since 1990.
Immigration Levels Plan to Maintain the Country’s Population
In a quest to maintain a sustainable population level, Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan targets 450,000 new residents annually by 2024. It is the highest projected number the country has ever recorded.
Canada’s main source of economy is heavily dependent on immigration. However, the largest population of working Canadians are on the verge of retirement, and the next nine years will see around nine million Canadians retire.
The Maritimes, Quebec, and BC to Witness Population Growth
The increasing number of immigrants would make some provinces in Canada witness an eventual population growth. The following provinces will likely benefit from population growth over the next several years in a low-growth scenario: Maritime Provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and British Colombia. However, Newfoundland and Labrador will keep witnessing a decreasing population in all scenarios.
Canada’s Labor Shortage
Statistics Canada as well indicated a current historic labor shortage in the country. The unemployment rate in the country stands at 4.9%, with over a million available job vacancies. Most Canadians would love to see more vigor in Immigration Levels Plan to combat the effects of the labor shortage in Canada. On the other hand, some Canadians believe that the situation needs to be tempered with the shortage of affordable housing and infrastructure.
