Canadian government reported an increase in the country’s population by over a million people for the very first time ever.
According to statistics, the population grew from 38,516.138 to 39,566.248. A 2.7% annual population growth rate was also recorded, which was the highest level since 1957.
The growth was influenced by government initiatives to draw immigrants to the nation to help with the labour deficit. As its population ages, the nation also depends on immigration.
The increase in immigrants, both long-term and short-term, however, may “also represent extra issues for some regions of the country concerning housing, transportation and infrastructure, and service delivery to the people,” according to Statistics Canada.
According to the news release, roughly 96% of the population rise was the result of “international migration.”
After coming to power in 2015, Justin Trudeau, the prime minister, has worked to increase immigration to Canada. By 2025, the government hopes to have welcomed half a million immigrants annually.
The Canadian government has also been welcoming refugees from wars like the one in Ukraine, the humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan, and the earthquakes that will hit Turkey and Syria in 2023.
A program that offers to temporarily relocate Ukrainians and their families was extended until July, the government announced. Of the over one million applications received thus far, more than 600,000 have been granted, and more than 130,000 people have entered Canada as a result of the campaign. The post-World War II baby boom and the influx of refugees during the Hungarian Revolution contributed to Canada’s previous largest population growth, which occurred in 1957.
According to a news release from the government, the country received 437,000 new immigrants in 2022, while the number of temporary residents rose by 607,782. This resulted in a “record-breaking year for the computation of immigration applications.”
According to Statistics Canada, Canada’s population growth places it first among the 38 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development members for population growth in 2022, making it the fastest-growing G7 nation.
The government said Canada’s population would double in 26 years if it kept a 2.7% annual growth rate.
