According to Statistics Canada, the country’s population reached a record high of 40.77 million in 2023, primarily as a result of temporary immigration. In 2023, the nation’s population increased by 1.27 million, or 3.2% over the previous year, to reach its highest level of growth since 1957.
The lack of available housing has caused prices to soar and affordability to plummet, undermining Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s popularity. This shortage has been attributed to the immigration wave. Economists and the Bank of Canada have noted that the country’s productivity levels and gross domestic product per capita figures from the previous quarter have decreased due to population growth.
“In 2023, the vast majority (97.6%) of Canada’s population growth came from international migration (both permanent and temporary immigration) and the remaining portion (2.4%) came from natural increase,” Statscan said in a statement.
“This was the second straight year that temporary immigration drove population growth and the third year in a row with a net increase of NPRs (non-permanent residents),” it said.
According to the IMF’s 2021 report, nearly a quarter of Canada’s population was non-native born residents in 2021. This indicates that the country has heavily relied on immigration to boost its labor force and economic growth. Among the G7 countries, that is the highest level.
However, Trudeau’s Liberal government has been attempting to fend off pressure in recent months by enacting laws that will limit the annual number of foreign students and non-permanent residents who are allowed to enter Canada.
It is estimated that 2,661,784 non-permanent residents were living in Canada on January 1, 2024, Statscan data showed. Among them, 2,332,886 were permit holders and their family members living with them, and 328,898 were asylum claimants with or without work or study permits
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