Canada’s population grew at its fastest pace since 1990 during this year’s first quarter due to
elevated levels of immigration.
The number of people living in Canada rose by 0.3%, or 127,978, to 38.7 million residents in the
first three months of the year, according to Statistics Canada.
Most of the gains came from immigration, which continues to be the main driver of population
growth in Canada. The country added 113,699 immigrants in Q1, the biggest number since
quarterly data started being tracked in 1946.
The province of Ontario reached a milestone in this year’s first quarter with its population
surpassing 15 million people for the very first time.
The federal government in Ottawa plans to bring in more than 1.3 million immigrants over the
next three years to support Canada’s growth. Last year, Canada brought in 405,000 immigrants,
the largest annual increase ever.
