According to figures revealed by Statistics Canada, the highest immigration rates seen in four decades gave population of Canada a dramatic boost.
From July to 1 October, the Canadian population increased by 129,300 to reach the 34,238,000. The Federal Agency said it was the inflow of new Canadians during this three-month period, with 84,200 immigrants arrived in the country, that resulted in 65 percent of that growth.
Except for the a few provinces which had population growth mostly based on "natural increase" like Alberta, or even saw population decrease like Newfoundland and Labrador, almost all provinces and territories in Canada had their population increased by immigration. Some of them reached the highest quarterly immigration levels since 1971.
Statistics Canada showed that 1,200 people immigrated to Prince Edward Island, which was the highest number since 1971. This was the main reason of increase in the province's population by 0.7 percent, the highest growth rate on record.
Quebec saw its highest number of immigrants in the last four decades, with the arrival of 16,800 overseas immigrants during the three-month period. Manitoba, with 4,700 new immigrants, exceeded the previous record set in 1971.
According to the Federal Government, the contribution of immigration to population growth is expected to continue. It is estimated that there were 240,000 to 265,000 new Canadians welcomed in 2010.
Canada plans open its doors to attract more immigrants, particularly in the economic category. So far, more decisions have been made, more Canadian visas have been issued, and more immigrants have been permitted to Canada over the last year. These numbers are expected to be the same in 2011 as in 2010.
