Canada’s population increased by more than a million people for the first time in history last year, almost entirely due to a surge in immigrants and temporary residents, Statistics Canada has reported.

The total population grew by a record 1.05 million people to 39.57 million in the 12 months to January 1st, with about 96 per cent of the rise was due to international migration.

The increase, which helped Canada retain its position as the fastest growing G7 country, translates to a population growth rate of 2.7 per cent. Sustaining such a rate would lead to the population doubling in about 26 years, the agency said.

Canada depends on immigration to drive its economy and support an aging population, and prime minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government has sharply ramped up immigration since taking power in 2015.

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Ottawa has also been running special schemes to temporarily take in people impacted by crises like the Ukraine war, instability in Afghanistan or the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

Canada last year welcomed 437,180 immigrants and the number of non-permanent residents increased by a net 607,782 people. Both figures are highest levels on record and reflect “higher immigration targets and a record-breaking year for the processing of immigration applications,” the statistics agency said.

It counts both permanent and non-permanent residents in addition to net new births in calculating population figures.

Canada has been experiencing an upward trend in total employment since September, and the statistics agency has previously said that non-permanent residents are a notable contributor to that gain.

Immigration accounts for almost 100 per cent of Canada’s labour force growth and by 2036 immigrants are projected to account for about 30 per cent of Canada’s population, up from 20.7 per cent in 2011, according to the immigration ministry.

Under a three-year plan announced in November, the Trudeau government wants to continue increasing annual immigration targets, with a goal to grant permanent residency to 465,000 people this and increasing that goal to 500,000 people by 2025. — Reuters

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