Focusing on Canada Investment Immigration information, according to Statistics Canada, the country's population exceeded 35 million last year, a slight increase of 1.2%, with foreign immigration remaining the primary source of population growth. Comparing regions across the country, Alberta and Nunavut saw the largest population increases. Since the 1993-1994 fiscal year, foreign immigration has been the main driver of Canada's population growth. From July 1, 2012, to July 1, 2013, two-thirds of the national population growth was attributable to foreign immigrants.
Although the current population growth rate is acceptable, Canada still needs a significant increase in population to meet labor market demands and build a robust economy. “Canada's fertility rate has fluctuated for many years between 1.5 and 1.7 children per woman, lower than the 2.1 figure seen in the early 1970s.”
Statistics Canada stated that the population increase in Alberta was mainly due to a record number of international immigrants, as well as a large influx of workers from other provinces. On the other hand, population growth in the Atlantic provinces was lower last year, with the population of Nova Scotia even declining by 0.5%.