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On July 1, 2008, Canada’s population was estimated at 33,311,400, up 125,800 from April 1, 2008. During the April-June 2008 period, Canada’s population grew by 0.38%, the strongest growth since the 2^nd quarter of 1991.

Record net international migration

The higher rate of growth for Canada’s population was notably due to a strong increase in its net international migration. During the April-June 2008 period, Canada’s net international migration rose to 91,600, the highest ever posted for a 2^nd quarter.

Immigration remains strong. In the 2^nd quarter 2008, the country welcomed 69,200 immigrants, 7,600 more than in the same period the year before.

Ontario remained the most popular province among immigrants. In the 2^nd quarter, it welcomed 46.7% of all new Canadians. However, its appeal is waning: for a sixth consecutive quarter, the province took in less than half of the country’s immigrants.

Manitoba was the province with the strongest annualized rate of immigration (10.8 per thousand). This province was in the lead in this category for the third time in the past six quarters. Three other provinces surpassed the national immigration rate (8.3 per thousand): British Columbia (10.6 per thousand) and Ontario (9.9 per thousand) and Prince Edward Island (9.3 per thousand).

Immigration reached higher quarterly levels than ever before in four jurisdictions: Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Nunavut.

The number of non-permanent residents also rose substantially. During the April to June 2008 period, this figure rose by 30,800, setting a new record for a 2^nd quarter.

Compared to the same period in the previous year, the number of non-permanent residents in the 2^nd quarter rose in every Canadian jurisdiction. Alberta posted the sharpest rise in the number of non-permanent residents (annualized rate of 8.0 per thousand).

The rise in the number of non-permanent residents reached a new high in several jurisdictions across Canada. Record hikes, all quarters combined, were observed in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Quebec, New Brunswick and British Columbia posted balances never before seen for a 2^nd quarter.

A stable natural increase

When compared to the same quarter of last year, natural increase remained relatively stable in the 2^nd quarter of 2008, shifting from 34,400 to 34,200.

With and annualized rate of 8.3 per thousand, Alberta had the highest natural increase among the provinces, more than double the Canadian level (4.1 per thousand). The other provinces whose natural increase rate surpassed the national level were Quebec, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Nunavut remained the jurisdiction with the highest natural increase in the country, at 22.2 per thousand.

The number of births in Canada is rising. From 91,578 in the April-June period of 2007, it rose to an estimated 93,071 in the 2^nd quarter of 2008. This is the largest number of births for a 2^nd quarter since 1996 (96,237).

Alberta is the province with the highest birth rate (annualized rate of 14.0 per thousand). As in the case of natural increase, the birth rates in Quebec, Manitoba and Saskatchewan were higher than the national level (11.2 per thousand). In the territories, Nunavut was in the lead, with a birth rate of 26.9 per thousand, the highest in Canada.

As expected with an aging population, the number of deaths is also on the rise. From 57,200 in the 2^nd quarter of 2007, it rose to 58,800 in the April-June period of 2008.

The annualized mortality rate in Canada for the 2^nd quarter was 7.1 per thousand. The highest provincial rate was in Prince Edward Island (9.2 per thousand), and the lowest in Alberta (5.7 per thousand). In the territories, the Northwest Territories had the lowest mortality rate (4.3 per thousand).

Population growth still higher in the west

As a result of the rise in the country’s net international migration, which manifested itself right across the country, every jurisdiction saw its population rise in the 2^nd quarter, the only exception being the Northwest Territories.

Population growth remains strongest west of Ontario. This growth was higher in every one of Canada’s four western provinces than in the country overall.

For a third consecutive quarter, Alberta posted the sharpest population growth of all provinces. The increase in Alberta’s population in the April-June 2008 period was the strongest for a 2^nd quarter since 1998, surpassing even the growth observed during the 2005/2006 boom.

Alberta’s sustained growth can be explained in a number of ways. First, its rate of natural increase was the highest among all of the provinces. During the April-June 2008 quarter, Alberta’s natural increase rose to 7,400, the highest ever for a 2^nd quarter since 1992.

This province also posted the highest rate of international migration in the country, and saw its interprovincial migration rate rebound. Although falling short of the levels observed in 2005 and 2006, Alberta’s interprovincial migration gains in the 2^nd quarter of 2008 surpassed the balance observed for the same period in the previous year.

While Alberta was losing population to its neighbours Saskatchewan and British Columbia, it still posted strong gains in its population exchanges with Quebec and Ontario.

British Columbia had its strongest population growth for a 2^nd quarter since 1996. The sharp rise in the province’s net international migration enabled it to maintain its population growth despite a decline in its interprovincial migration gains, which were lower compared to those for the same quarter of 2007.

Manitoba’s population increased faster than ever before for a 2^nd quarter. In addition to new highs in international migration, the province also posted its lowest interprovincial migration losses for a 2^nd quarter since 1983.

Saskatchewan posted its strongest demographic growth for a 2^nd quarter since 1983, namely because of record international net migration. This increase compensated for the province’s decrease in interprovincial migration gains, which were below the same period in the previous year. Nonetheless, this was a seventh consecutive quarter in which Saskatchewan came out ahead in its population exchanges with the rest of the country. Such a pattern had not been observed since 1983.

The Atlantic provinces are growing

The increase in Canada’s net international migration also manifested itself in the Atlantic provinces, which all posted population increases in the 2^nd quarter, a first since 1992.

Prince Edward Island dominated the region in terms of population growth. Its rate of growth in the April-June 2008 quarter was surpassed only by Alberta’s. The province’s growth can be attributed not only to record international migration gains for a 2^nd quarter, but also to net interprovincial migration beyond anything observed since the 4^th quarter of 1989.

Newfoundland and Labrador’s population rose for the first time since 1992 in a 2^nd quarter, namely because of positive interprovincial net migration, which had not been seen since 1991.

Nova Scotia had its strongest demographic growth since 2004 for a 2^nd quarter. This growth can be attributed to a rise in the province’s net international migration, which combined with much smaller losses from interprovincial migration than those observed in the 2^nd quarters of the past three years.

During the April-June 2008 quarter, New Brunswick ’s population growth rate was similar to what was observed last year for the same period. A rise in the province’s international migration net gains offset the increase of its interprovincial migration deficit.

At the centre

Although Ontario’s population growth in the 2^nd quarter of 2008 was higher than for that quarter in the previous year, its population nonetheless grew more slowly than that of the country as a whole, and this for a third consecutive quarter. Higher interprovincial migration net outflows, namely towards Alberta, cancelled out the increase in Ontario’s international net migration.

Quebec posted its sharpest population growth for a 2^nd quarter since 1991. This growth can be mainly attributed to a net international migration not observed since the 3^rd quarter of 1988. However, these gains were in part cancelled out by the highest interprovincial migration deficit for a 2^nd quarter since 1998. As with Ontario, a significant part of Quebec’s interprovincial migratory losses can be attributed to the province’s exchanges with Alberta.

The number of births in Quebec is still on the rise. During the April-June 2008 period, births were estimated at 22,200 in the province, a level not observed for 2^nd quarter since 1996.

Various situations in the north

For the first time since the 1^st quarter of 2007, Nunavut posted the sharpest population growth of all of the territories. Its growth continued to be driven mainly by the highest natural increase in the country.

The Yukon Territory’s population rose for a fifth consecutive quarter mainly because of its highest international migration gains for a 2^nd quarter since 1989.

For a second consecutive quarter, the Northwest Territories were the only jurisdiction in the country to post a negative population balance. The strongest interprovincial migratory losses for a 2^nd quarter since 1988 cancelled out a record international migratory balance.