Canada saw the largest growth in its population last year, but it’s not due to a jump in birth rates. Some 82 percent of the growth was attributed to mass migration. Statistics Canada says more than 310,000 people entered the country in 2018, while the number of people who lived in Canada without permanent residency stood at more than 170,000. Statistics Canada says that all provinces witnessed growth, with Ontario being the most populous province.
Only 1990 reported a greater increase. However, Canada did not stop at beating merely its own records - Ottawa’s rise in population in 2018 surpassed that of all other G7 countries.
Other Western nations, such as Sweden and Germany, also experienced a massive influx of migrants. Stockholm saw a 1.4 percent increase in its population growth, while Germany, which became the main destination point for migrants during the 2015 refugee crisis, took in more than a million people. A report by Kronen Zeitung says that one quarter of Germany’s population now has a migrant background.
Why Canada?
In 2017, during the refugee crisis, Canada’s PM Justin Trudeau tweeted:
To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 28, 2017
Trudeau’s welcome resulted in unprecedented arrivals of migrants and illegal border crossings. Whether Canadians still support Trudeau’s open border policy will be known after the 21 October election. The latest polls suggest that Trudeau’s Liberal Party is neck-in-neck with the Conservatives.
According to Statistics Canada, the country’s population is also getting older. For the first time in history the number of centenarians surpassed 10,000 people, 82 percent of whom are women. Despite this increase in seniors, Ottawa is aging less than other G7 states.
