CANADIAN IMMIGRATION NEWS

Canada's population growth sets new records

Monday, 12 January 2009

According to Statistics Canada, the population of Canada grew more in the past three months than it has in any third quarter since 1990. The agency said growth across the country was due mostly to immigration. Between July 1 and Oct. 1, 2008, 71,300 people entered Canada due in most part to the efforts of individual provinces in stepping up their efforts to attract people internationally.

Every province and territory saw rising numbers as the population hit 33,441,300, up 129,900 since July.

Most of the growth was recorded in Western Canada, with Alberta continuing to report the highest numbers. New Canadians and people who moved to Alberta from other provinces numbered 25,640 in the third quarter of 2008, likely due to the continuing job opportunities offered in that province, Statistics Canada said.

"Usually, people go where there are jobs, so that explains the strong tendency toward Alberta," said Hubert Denis, senior analyst for Statistics Canada.

Prince Edward Island, for instance, has registered a drastic increase since it began participating in the Provincial Nominee Program, which makes it easier for people from other nations to come to Canada. In the third quarter alone, P.E.I. set records in immigration, welcoming 611 people. Its previous high was 420.

All across Canada, similar programs have boosted immigration numbers significantly.

Manitoba, the first province to introduce the program, saw spikes in immigration almost immediately.

In 2001, the province attracted an average of 1,148 new Canadians every quarter; in 2005 it was 2,024 and the last quarter saw 2,588 people moving in from abroad.

As a result Statistics Canada has noticed that these provincial nominee programs are having a major affect of immigration patterns - newcomers are starting to be lured away from what many call "MTV" - Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

"Immigrants used to head mainly to Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia, and they're still going there, but they're also spreading out across the country in unprecedented numbers," said Denis.

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