Canada’s population is set to hit 40 million on Friday, and Statistics Canada says the trend in growth has a lot to do with immigration.
The number comes from the agency’s Population Clock, which models population growth in real-time based on several factors, including recent trends for births, deaths and migration data.
And according to that clock, Canada will hit the 40-million mark just before 3 p.m. Eastern on June 16.
“This is an exciting milestone for Canada,” said chief statistician Anil Arora in a statement. “It is a strong signal that Canada remains a dynamic and welcoming country.”
Statistics Canada reports that the country’s population has been growing at a “record-setting pace,” with 1,050,110 additional people arriving in 2022 – the first time in history the agency says the population grew by more than one million people in a single year. It’s also the highest annual population growth rate on record since 1957, when the baby boom after the Second World War contributed to very high rates.
This trend of growth comes “in large part” from permanent and temporary migration, the agency says, and if current trends continue the population could reach 50 million in just 20 years.
Usha George, a professor at the Toronto Metropolitan Centre for Immigration and Settlement at Toronto Metropolitan University, said one of the benefits of this growth is on Canada’s economy.
“It is not the bodies we are bringing in, these are bodies that fill in the empty spaces in the labour market,” she said. “They bring very-high level of skills.”
Canada’s population growth isn’t just confined to one or two provinces either, with almost every province and territory recording an increase except for the Northwest Territories.
The number of Indigenous people in the country is growing as well, increasing by 9.4 per cent from 2016 to 2021 compared to 5.3 per cent for the non-Indigenous population over the same period.
But Canada’s population boom is not without its growing pains. The increase in the number of people living in the country can put additional pressure on housing shortages, while some newcomers report issues with underemployment.
Earlier this year, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. warned that the housing crisis being faced with Canadians feeling priced out of home ownership is resulting in many competing for a limited supply of rental homes. The corporation also noted that with an already low rental supply, competition was already getting hotter amid strong immigration levels.
In addition to a lack of housing availability, issues of skills mismatch are also creating blockades for new Canadians on the hunt for work. As people from other countries come to Canada, some have reported having issues finding a job in part due to barriers requiring immigrants to have work experience in the country in order to work in the fields they are trained in.
George said efforts need to be made by politicians and professional boards behind various professions to not “reduce the standard” but to look at what is excessive and adjust it.
“We need to have a look at them and solve them. Otherwise not being able to get into their professions is a major drawback that we have,” she said.
While some provinces, such as Ontario, have introduced legislation to remove such requirements, some still may face difficulty in working in the country – potentially discouraging them from staying.