Immigration and the Canadian Economy

Immigration and the Canadian Economy Immigrants make up a considerable proportion of the Canadian population. At the time of the 1991 Census, there were 4.3 million immigrants living in Canada, which is 16% of the total Canadian population. (See Graph 1, Immigrants as a Percentage of Canada's Population, 1901-1996) Over the past decades the level of immigration in Canada has increased from an average of 137 000 immigrants arriving in Canada in the 1960s to an average of about 200 000 in 1998. (See …

…technical salespersons, as well as occupations in health care. Foreign workers must be imported for outside of Canada, and immigration is the best way to import these workers. Money from outside of Canada is also being brought into the Canadian economy through investor and entrepreneur immigrants. These immigrants not only bring in new investments, but they also help to create jobs for Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada. Therefore, immigration benefits the Canadian economy.