WHATSAPPFormer Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney has said that Canada needs more immigrants for increasing the country’s population. According to him Canada should have a population of 100 million by 2100.
Canada is a country with a very low birth rate. Adding to it is a population which is aging really fast. This puts increased financial pressure on working-age population. This effect is assumed to become more severe in this decade as 9 million workers belonging to the baby boomer generation will reach the retirement age during this period.
Canada is overcoming this population crisis by increasing the levels of immigration. In 2019, almost 80 per cent of Canada’s population growth was attributed to immigration. Canada has set a higher immigration target for the period between 2021 and 2023 and during this period, the country will be welcoming more than 1.2 million immigrants.
Why Canada needs more immigrants?
A bigger population means higher GDP growth, as more persons will be of working age. They will contribute to the economy in many ways, including by taking part in economic activities, by spending and by paying taxes. When the tax income increases, the government can spend it on the welfare of citizens and residents. Further, when the population is younger, there will be better availability of skilled labourers, which will be beneficial for the employers.
Need to increase immigration levels
According to Century, Canada must welcome at least 500,000 immigrants per year by 2026. For the current year, the annual immigration target of Canada is 401000. For 2023, the target is 421000. Century wants Canada to increase the immigration targets further, 450,000 in 2024, and 475,000 in 2025.
Mulroney has called for bringing a white paper on population growth for making Canada’s population 100 million by the end of this century. If was after a white paper was brought about in 1966, Canada moved to points system of immigration. Earlier Canada used to depend on a tiered system of selection for immigration that gave priority to immigrants from commonwealth countries as well as the US. Canada follows the points system even today and the Express Entry system is a prime example of this.
If a white paper is brought, it will open up more debates on immigration, its merits, plans for improving immigration levels and strengthening the immigration system.
Canada needs more immigrants to achieve its goals of economic growth. If you are planning to migrate to Canada, this is the right time. To start your immigration process with CanApprove, talk to our Canada immigration expert now.
