November 3, 2018 – The latest figures on Canada immigration show the federal government is gradually winning its battle to get new permanent residents to spread out.
Traditionally, new Economic Class immigrants have settled in the larger provinces of Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, drawn by the big cities of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
But the latest figures show 34 per cent, or more than a third, of newcomers settled outside those three provinces in 2017. Wind back 20 years to 1997, and that figure was 10 per cent.
Traditionally, new Economic Class immigrants have settled in the larger provinces of Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, drawn by the big cities of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
But the latest figures show 34 per cent, or more than a third, of newcomers settled outside those three provinces in 2017. Wind back 20 years to 1997, and that figure was 10 per cent.
Where Canadian Economic Class Immigrants Settle
These figures show that steps taken by the federal government are working.
The major change made over this 20-year period is the development of the Provincial Nomination Programs.
Some of the smaller provinces such as Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick receive the overwhelming majority of Economic Class immigrants through their PNPs.
These new permanent residents have specific skills that help drive the economies of their province of destination.
The numbers of new permanent residentscoming in through the PNPs is only set to increase, with the latest immigration levels plan targeting 71,300 by 2021, up from 61,000 in 2019.
Alongside the PNPs, the current federal government is looking at how it can develop immigration policies to assist the spread of immigrants.
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Charting the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program Success Story
It launched the Atlantic Immigration Pilot in 2017 to bring a targeted 2,000 new permanent residents per year to the region.
The provinces of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland & Labrador, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island are benefitting from the employer-led AIP, as well as operating their own PNPs.
Following the AIP’s success, other rural areas are calling for their own version of the pilot, most notably Northern Ontario.
Canada’s smaller towns are at the sharp end of the country’s battle with an aging population and shrinking labour force.
While the latest figures show the federal government has had success in motivating immigrants to spread out, there remains work to be done.
This could mean a network of employer-led rural immigration pilots across the country.
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