Felix the Cat
09-30-2006, 02:18 PM
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=97320c5d-ebfd-4cd6-a726-1a8f4e1dfbc2&k=5915
Canada's immigration rate is rising steadily and was responsible for about two-thirds of the country's population increase over the last year, according to the latest figures from Statistics Canada.
Between July 1, 2005 and July 1, 2006 Canada took in 254,000 immigrants - 9,800 more than in the previous year and the third consecutive increase since 2001/2002. The newcomers helped to push Canada's population to an estimated 32,623,500.
Slightly more than half (52 per cent) of immigrants chose Ontario as their new home, but that was the lowest proportion in more than a decade. The appeal of Canada's most populous province has been declining since 2000, the report notes.
British Columbia is gaining as a popular destination for immigrants and took the second spot behind Ontario, surpassing Quebec for the first time five years. British Columbia received 43,900 newcomers and Quebec 42,000.
But it is Alberta that was showing the strongest population growth among the provinces and territories, almost three times higher than the national average. Alberta added 29.5 people per 1,000 in the year up to July 1, 2006, making it the province with the fastest rate of growth.
Statistics Canada says the growth is due to the province's booming economy and its highest ever level of migration from other parts of Canada.
Alberta posted a record high net interprovincial migration of 57,100 people, which accounted for 58.2 per cent of the province's population growth. Alberta's natural population growth (the difference between the numbers of births and deaths) also remained the highest among the provinces.
The allure of Alberta is affecting the demography of the rest of the country's regions, said Statistics Canada. Of the 13 provinces and territories, 10 showed a negative net interprovincial migration.
British Columbia and Nunavut were the only other regions to record interprovincial gains. Nunavut's high population growth rate - more than twice the national average - was thanks to a fertility rate that was also double the national average.
On Canada's east coast, Newfoundland and Labrador lost population for the 14th year in a row and it was the first Canadian jurisdiction to experience more deaths than births over the course of one year. Saskatchewan's population also dipped in the last year, falling for the ninth time in 10 years while next door, Manitoba's population increased mainly because of a record high 8,900 immigrants.
Overall, immigration plays a greater role in Canada's population growth than it does in the United States, says Statistics Canada. In the U.S., where fertility is higher than in Canada, immigration is responsible for only 38 per cent of population gains compared to two-thirds in Canada.
Population of Canada's provinces and territories as of July 1, 2006: Canada 32,623,490
Newfoundland and Labrador 509,677
Prince Edward Island 138,519
Nova Scotia 934,405
New Brunswick 749,168
Quebec 7,651,531
Ontario 12,686,952
Manitoba 1,177,765
Saskatchewan 985,386
Alberta 3,375,763
British Columbia 4,310,452
Yukon 31,121
Northwest Territories 41,861
Nunavut 30,782
Canada's immigration rate is rising steadily and was responsible for about two-thirds of the country's population increase over the last year, according to the latest figures from Statistics Canada.
Between July 1, 2005 and July 1, 2006 Canada took in 254,000 immigrants - 9,800 more than in the previous year and the third consecutive increase since 2001/2002. The newcomers helped to push Canada's population to an estimated 32,623,500.
Slightly more than half (52 per cent) of immigrants chose Ontario as their new home, but that was the lowest proportion in more than a decade. The appeal of Canada's most populous province has been declining since 2000, the report notes.
British Columbia is gaining as a popular destination for immigrants and took the second spot behind Ontario, surpassing Quebec for the first time five years. British Columbia received 43,900 newcomers and Quebec 42,000.
But it is Alberta that was showing the strongest population growth among the provinces and territories, almost three times higher than the national average. Alberta added 29.5 people per 1,000 in the year up to July 1, 2006, making it the province with the fastest rate of growth.
Statistics Canada says the growth is due to the province's booming economy and its highest ever level of migration from other parts of Canada.
Alberta posted a record high net interprovincial migration of 57,100 people, which accounted for 58.2 per cent of the province's population growth. Alberta's natural population growth (the difference between the numbers of births and deaths) also remained the highest among the provinces.
The allure of Alberta is affecting the demography of the rest of the country's regions, said Statistics Canada. Of the 13 provinces and territories, 10 showed a negative net interprovincial migration.
British Columbia and Nunavut were the only other regions to record interprovincial gains. Nunavut's high population growth rate - more than twice the national average - was thanks to a fertility rate that was also double the national average.
On Canada's east coast, Newfoundland and Labrador lost population for the 14th year in a row and it was the first Canadian jurisdiction to experience more deaths than births over the course of one year. Saskatchewan's population also dipped in the last year, falling for the ninth time in 10 years while next door, Manitoba's population increased mainly because of a record high 8,900 immigrants.
Overall, immigration plays a greater role in Canada's population growth than it does in the United States, says Statistics Canada. In the U.S., where fertility is higher than in Canada, immigration is responsible for only 38 per cent of population gains compared to two-thirds in Canada.
Population of Canada's provinces and territories as of July 1, 2006: Canada 32,623,490
Newfoundland and Labrador 509,677
Prince Edward Island 138,519
Nova Scotia 934,405
New Brunswick 749,168
Quebec 7,651,531
Ontario 12,686,952
Manitoba 1,177,765
Saskatchewan 985,386
Alberta 3,375,763
British Columbia 4,310,452
Yukon 31,121
Northwest Territories 41,861
Nunavut 30,782