Immigration bolsters Canada’s population

Canada’s population was at 34.2 million as of Oct. 1, according to Statistics Canada. The agency said the increase–the largest in 40 years–was driven mainly by immigration.

Immigration bolsters Canada’s population

For the third quarter of 2010, 65 percent or 84,200 people of the 129,300 who were added to Canada’s head count were migrants. The new arrivals did not just stay in key urban centers such as Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, but also spread out into the provinces and territories. Tiny Prince Edward Island welcomed 1,200 new migrants during the quarter, Quebec opened its door to 16,800 arrivals and Manitoba allowed into the province 4,700 new Canadians. The only exception was Alberta. Some 60 percent of its growth for the quarter was because of births by established residents.

For the last quarter of 2010, Canada is expected to welcome from 240,000 to 265,000 immigrants.
To help the provinces cope with the surge of arrivals, Ottawa grants subsidies based on 2005 immigration levels. Ontario, a traditional immigrant destination, gets an average of $3,400 per migrant to help the newcomers resettle in their new home. Other provinces, except Quebec, receive about $2,900 per head.
Because of the new patterns of immigration, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said Ottawa would redistribute federal funding accordingly. The surge in immigrant arrivals had caused federal settlement funds to triple from less than $200 million in 2005-06 to $651 million in 2010-11. However, by next year, Ottawa will reduce the amount to $598 million.

The $43 million cut may drastically affect settlement services offered by agencies such as the Eritrean Canadian Community Center, South Asian Women’s Center, Ethiopian Association, Afghan Association of Ontario and Bloor Information and Life Skills Center, which are facing budget shortfalls of 70 percent or higher.

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