Canada’s Population

On an Average Day ... Where Immigrants Settle

Immigration: A 400-Year Tradition Internal Migration
Canada’s Immigration History Dependency Loads and What They Mean
How to Become an Immigrant for You

How is Canada’s population changing, and why does this

demography matter to your future?
birth rate
death rate
natural increase rate
Understanding Canada’s Population Growth
net migration rate For more than 150 years, Canada’s population has grown steadily and, for
population most of that time, quite rapidly. In the past, most of the growth came from
growth rate the simple fact that more people were born each year than died. Family sizes
doubling time were large, and ever-improving health conditions meant that more children
push factor survived into adulthood so they could have their own children. It was not
pull factor until the 20th century started that migration to Canada became a consistent
refugee factor in our population growth. On the graph, look at what has happened
dependency load to the increase due to more births than deaths since the period 1951 to 1961.
Note that projections for the future suggest that this trend will continue.
When you see a significant trend like this, two questions should come to
your mind: Why is it happening? What is the impact of the change?

Canada’s Population Growth Rate, 1851-2061

35 More.people. came fo-
i There were [ Canada thanfof Canac. B Population growth rate due to
u - more births 1 Newfoundiand
migration into and out of Canada
25 | than deaths. joined Canada. g I Population growth rate due to number
of births minus number of deaths
Population growth rate (%)

20

‘total growth
N

| More people left Canada than moved here. Observed _Projected

1851 1861 1871 1881 1891 1901 1911 1921 1931 1941 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011 2021 2031 2041 2051
to to to D to to o to t t o to b to b t o w0 t to to
1861 1871 1881 1891 1901 1911 1921 1931 1941 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011 2021 2031 2041 2051 2061
Source: Statistics Canaca.
THINKING CRITICALLY

EESED What has happened to the rate of population growth in recent years? How have the
L 212 components of this growth changed? What are some of the benefits of having a higher population?
What are some of the drawbacks?
On an Average Day ...
According to Statistics Canada, on an average day between July 1, 2011, and
June 30, 2012, ...
* 1042 babies were born in Canada and 689 people died. This caused
Canada’s population to increase by 353.
* 710 people moved to Canada as immigrants and 140 moved out of immigrant aperson who moves to
Canada as emigrants. This caused Canada’s population to increase G b
by 570. emigrant a person who leaves one
¢ Asaresult, there were 923 (353 + 570) more people living in Canada M i
at the end of the day than there were 24 hours earlier.
This is your introduction to the fascinating and important study
of human populations that is called demography. Some knowledge of demography the study of
demography will help you better understand the population challenges frmeglpepstaipe
facing Canada and other countries.

Use Rates, Not Numbers

You just learned that 1042 children were born in Canada on a typical day in
2011-2012. We can compare this to the number of births in Japan (2822 per
day) and in the West African country of Togo (297 per day). Or can we?
Making comparisons of numbers can be somewhat pointless since the popu-
lations of these countries are so different. In 2014, Canada had 35.5 million
people, while Japan had 127.4 million and Togo had only 6.2 million.
If you think about it, what matters most is not the number of births, but
the relationship between the number of births and the size of the population.
A simple measurement called the birth rate shows this relationship. A coun- birth rate the number of births in a
try’s birth rate is calculated by dividing the number of births by the population ~ PePulation peryear per 1000 people
number and then multiplying the result by 1000. For example, Canada’s
birth rate in 2014 was (386 000 + 35 540 000) x 1000 = 10.9 (Table 10-1). In
general, if you use rates rather than numbers, you will find it much easier
to compare populations in different places or at different periods in history.

Table 10-1 Birth rates for Canada, Japan, and Togo, 2014

Sources: Statistics Canada; Central Inteligence Agency, The World Factbook

A similar measure, the death rate, gives the number of deaths per year death rate the numberof deaths in
for every 1000 people. In 2014, the death rate in Canada was 7.2 per 1000, apoplistionper yorper U0 otk
while Japan’s was 9.3 per 1000 and Togo’s was 7.4 per 1000.

CHAPTER 10 CANADA'S POPULATION


natural increase rate the birth
rate minus the death rate
We can combine the birth rate and death rate into a very useful
measurement called the natural increase rate. The natural increase rate
is the difference between the birth rate and the death rate. Canada’s
natural increase rate in 2014 was 3.7 per 1000 (birth rate — death rate =
10.9/1000 - 7.2/1000 = 3.7/1000). This equals 0.4 percent. In contrast, Togo’s
natural increase rate was 28 per 1000 (2.8 percent) and Japan's rate was
-1.0 per 1000 (0.1 percent). What does a negative rate mean?

What About Immigration?

immigration rate the number of
immigrants moving to a country per
year per 1000 people
emigration rate the number of
emigrants moving from a country
per year per 1000 people
net migration rate the immigra-
tion rate minus the emigration rate
population growth rate the
natural increase rate plus the net
migration rate
Gather and Organize
Some Canadian communities
attract many immigrants while
others do not.What evidence
can you gather that would tell
You in which category your
community is?
In most countries, natural increase is the main reason for population increases
(or decreases). Japan and Togo are good examples. However, this is not the
case in Canada. Here, immigration is more important than natural increase.
Remember that Canada’s population increased on a typical day by 570 because
of migration and only 353 because of natural increase.
The immigration and emigration rates are calculated in the same way as
birth and death rates. The immigration rate measures the number of immi-
grants per 1000 people in the whole population. The emigration rate measures
the number of emigrants per 1000 people. Canada’s immigration rate in 2014
was 7.5 per 1000. Canada’s emigration rate was 1.5 per 1000. If we combine the
immigration and emigration rates, we get the net migration rate. Canada’s rate
in 2014 was 6 per 1000 (7.5/1000 — 1.5/1000 = 6/1000) or 0.6 percent.
There is only one more rate to know: the population growth rate. This
combines natural increase and net migration. Canada’s population growth
rate in 2014 was 10 per 1000 (4/1000 +6/1000 = 10/1000) or 1.0 percent.
Your reaction to all these demographic calculations may well be,
“Who cares?” The answer is, you should. The rate at which a country’s
population grows (or declines) has an enormous influence on people’s lives.
If the population is growing very rapidly, there may be serious problems
providing enough housing, education, health care, and jobs for everyone.
On the other hand, if the population is declining, there may be shortages
of workers, and businesses must learn to deal with a shrinking market.

1. In 2012, China had 16 350 000 births and
9 660 000 deaths. The population was
1 353 821 000. Calculate the birth rate,
death rate, and natural increase rate (to
one decimal point).
2. Compare the current size of the two compo-
nents of Canada’s population growth rate.
Is this situation a result of a low natural
increase rate or a high net migration rate?
3. Why do you think some countries have a
negative population growth rate? Could
Canada find itself in this situation? How?
4. What are the advantages and disadvantages
for a country to have
a) a high population growth rate?
b) alow population growth rate?
¢) anegative population growth rate?

l‘lfi‘ CHANGING POPULATIONS P