Census sensibility
May 25th 2007
From the Economist Intelligence Unit ViewsWire
Canada’s demography is changing fast
Canada’s demographic make-up is in the throes of profound changes that could have significant long-term political and economic implications. Initial results of the 2006 census, published by Statistics Canada (the national statistical agency) in mid-March, show that immigration now contributes the bulk of Canada’s population growth. The data also underline the westward shift of Canada’s economic and political centre of gravity, and show a continuing shift from rural to urban areas, especially to the suburbs around Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
According to the census, Canada’s total population stood at 31.6m in mid-2006, up by 5.4% since the previous census in 2001, representing the highest growth rate among major industrial countries. Immigration accounted for 66% of the increase, compared with 58% in the previous census period (1996 to 2001).
The bulk of the increase over the past five years took place in just two provinces, Alberta and Ontario. Oil-rich Alberta’s population grew by almost 11% between 2001 and 2006. By contrast, Newfoundland and Labrador’s population shrank by 1.5%, continuing a trend since the east coast fishery went into decline in the late 1980s. Sizeable numbers of Newfoundlanders have migrated to Alberta to seek work in the oil and gas industry.
According to the census, almost one-half of all Canadians now live around just three cities—Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. The area around Toronto and Hamilton along the western shore of Lake Ontario accounts for about one-quarter of the population, or 8.1m people. The five fastest-growing cities between 2001 and 2006 were Barrie, an hour’s drive north of Toronto; Calgary, the centre of Alberta’s oil and gas industry; Oshawa, east of Toronto; Edmonton, the capital of Alberta; and Kelowna, a popular retirement spot in the interior of British Columbia.
Ethnic vote counts
The growing proportion of immigrants in the population has significant political implications. The ruling Conservatives have mounted a concerted drive to break the Liberals’ long hold on the ethnic vote. The Tories have sought to win favour by halving the immigration landing fee, setting up a national agency to facilitate the recognition of foreign educational qualifications and allocating an extra C$300m (US$260m) for immigrant settlement assistance. The Harper government has also expanded funding for ethnic events and community centres.
Although tensions between immigrant communities and mainstream Canadian society are generally low compared to the US and some European countries, signs of friction have surfaced more often. The success of the ADQ, with its campaign against concessions to religious minorities, in the Quebec election was a sign that many Quebeckers see the integration of immigrants into mainstream culture as insufficient.
http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=9245259&fsrc=RSS