The Impact of Immigration to Canada

The Impact of Immigration to Canada
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The Impact of Immigration to Canada
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Table of Contents Introduction. 3 Methods and Data. 3 Descriptive Profile. 4 Canada’s Ageing Population. 4 Declining Fertility. 5 Low Mortality Rate. 6 Demographic Analysis and Discussion. 8 Impact of Ageing Population. 8 Immigration as a Solution. 9 Immigration and Housing Problems. 11 Solutions to Issues. 12 Conclusion. 13 References. 14 List of Figures Figure 1: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) – Canada, Source: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.IN?locations=CA 6 Figure 2: Canada: Life expectancy at birth from 2010 to 2020, source: /statistics/263716/life-expectancy-in-canada/ 7 Figure 3: Participation rates among age groups from 1976 and 2016, Source https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-006-x/2017001/article/14826-eng.html 9 Figure 4: Number of emigrants from Canada from 2002 to 2022, Source /statistics/443066/number-of-emigrants-from-canada/ 10 The Impact of Immigration to Canada
Introduction
The Impact of Immigration to Canada
Introduction
Hundreds of individuals worldwide leave their homes and travel to other countries. While some look for better opportunities abroad, others are fleeing hunger, famine, and persecution. The issue of immigration has caused a lot of polarization in the world. On the one hand, some consider immigrants a burden to the host country (Koczan, Peri, Pinat & Rozhkov, 2021). They see the immigrant as increasing competition to the existing few job opportunities. Hence, they believe that countries should not accept immigrants. On the contrary, some advocate the need for countries to welcome immigrants. They advocate that accepting immigrants is a win for the receiving country. Canada has built a reputation as welcoming immigrants and allowing multiculturalism to thrive (Kaushik & Drolet, 2018). Immigrants account for one-fifth of Canada’s population, which makes the nation one of the highest ratios among industrialized Western countries. While Canada is open to immigrants, this has also created challenges for the country’s housing system. This paper will highlight the positive and negative impacts of immigration to Canada and how it affects the housing system. A solution to the problem will be provided to aid in mitigating the negative effects of immigration on the housing system and policy recommendations that can aid Canada in managing immigration.
Methods and Data
The materials for this study were obtained from academic databases and online articles from official sources. The search criteria in the academic databases entailed peer-reviewed articles not older than ten years. Materials that were older than ten years were excluded from the search. The peer-reviewed journals were searched on EBSCO Information Services and ProQuest. The search terms on the online databases included a combination of “immigration,” “immigrant,” “lawful permanent alien,” “unauthorized immigrant,” “nonimmigrant,” “refugees,” “housing challenges,” “population growth,” and “labor laws.” The search for official sources occurred in Statistics Canada, CDC, and Statista. The keywords were used to obtain statistical data. They included “immigration rate,” “number of immigrants,” “immigrant age,” “number of study permit holders,” “unemployment rate of immigrants,” “housing units,” and “Population growth rate.”
EBSCO Information Services and ProQuest databases yielded a total of 73 results. The titles of the articles were examined while the abstracts were read. Articles that did not focus on Canada were excluded. Moreover, articles older than ten years were also excluded. This yielded a total of 23 articles. Further screening of the 23 articles was done. A review was done to assess the scientific quality of the articles. An appraisal of the rigor of the research design and methods of the articles was done. Quality scores were ascribed to each article to facilitate an examination of possible biases and maximize validity. In the end, eight articles met the search criteria. Regarding Statistics Canada, the search concentrated on data from 2012. This was instrumental in getting the recent trends in Canada regarding immigration.
Descriptive Profile
Canada’s Ageing Population
Canada is the second largest country in the world. However, despite its vast territory, it has a relatively small population. As of 2011, the population was under 34 million people. Since then, the population has increased to 38.25 million in 2021. The country experienced a slowed population growth in the second half of the 20th century. At the same time, there has been a substantial increase in life expectancy over the same period. In 2010, 14.1% of Canada’s population was 65 years and above. However, this number has increase to 19% in 2022. Statistics focus that the trend will continue, reaching 22.5% of the entire population in 2030. For individuals aged 85 years and above, the population grew by 19% between 2011 and 2016 (Statistics Canada, 2022c). From 2016 to 2021, the number of individuals aged 85 and older grew by 12%. The 2021 Census demonstrated that Canada had more than 861,000 individuals, which accounted for 2.3% of the population (Statistics Canada, 2022c). Overall, the increase in the number of older adults results from two major demographic changes: fertility and mortality rate. These changes have been instrumental in accelerating the country’s aging population.
Declining Fertility
Canada has been experiencing declining fertility. It has shifted from a nation where women used to give birth to more children and transformed to one where they bear fewer children and at an advanced age. While Canada has experienced a low fertility rate in the last 40 years, the trend has accelerated since the onset of the COVID19 pandemic (Fostik, 2021). The fertility rate reduced from 1.47 children per woman in 2019 to 1.40 children per woman in 2020 (Statistics Canada, 2022d). In the same year, the nation had the lowest number of births since 2007. While the 2021 Census demonstrated that Canada’s population grew 5.2% from 2016 to about under 37 in 2021, the growth came majorly because of immigration as opposed to fertility. At the same time, Canada ranks among the late childbearing nations. In 2020, mothers in Canada bore children at an average age of 31.3 years (Statistics Canada, 2022d). Late childbearing means that women bear fewer children compared to other countries where women bear children at relatively young ages. The 2020 COVID19 pandemic harmed the fertility rate. In 2021, about 24% of people aged 15 to 49 changed their fertility plans (Statistics Canada, 2022d). The change touched majorly on the timing of getting the children. Because of the pandemic, 14% of the individuals in Canada wanted to have children later than earlier anticipated. Only 4% of the people of childbearing age demonstrated that they wanted more children than planned (Statistics Canada, 2022d).
Low Mortality Rate
Another contributor to the aging population is a low mortality rate. The declining mortality rate has seen an increase in life expectancy. Since the 1960s, life expectancy in Canada has been increasing (Ho & Hendi, 2018). For instance, in 1960, the life expectancy was 71 years. In 1990, it shifted to 77. By 2010, it increased to 81. Life expectancy hit a record high of 82 in 2012, then maintained until 2022. Even with the COVID19 pandemic in 2020, life expectancy has remained at 82. In 2016, Canada had a mortality rate of 7.4 per 1000 people. In 2017, 2018, and 2019, the mortality rate was 7.6, 7.7, and 7.6, respectively (Statistics Canada, 2022e). In 2020, it increased to 8.1. Compared to other developed countries like the US, Canada has a lower mortality rate and a higher life expectancy. In 2020, the US had a death rate of 8.8 compared to Canada’s 8.1 (CDC, 2021; Statistics Canada, 2022e). The US had a life expectancy of 77 years in the same year, against Canada’s 82 years.
Figure 1: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) – Canada, Source: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.IN?locations=CA
Figure 2 source: /statistics/263716/life-expectancy-in-canada/
The relatively low mortality rate and higher life expectancy can be attributed to different factors. Firstly, Canada has universal health insurance. The availability of the insurance plan ensures that more people have access to high-quality services. This has also increased the number of people accessing healthcare services in the country. Secondly, Canada has higher levels of education. About 56% of the adults have completed a two-year, four-year, or vocational program (Molgat, Deschenaux & LeBlanc, 2011). With better education, people can access better job opportunities and enhance the quality of their lives. However, it is important to appreciate that the population in urban areas has a relatively lower mortality rate than rural populations. People in urban areas centers have more access to healthcare services compared to their counterparts in rural areas (Wilson, Rourke, Oandasan & Bosco, 2020). Again, people in rural areas in Canada have higher rates of obesity, smoking, and stress, risk factors for premature death. As the trend of low fertility and mortality rate continues, Canada will join the nations with a more aging population. The rate at which more women give birth to fewer children has a very low fertility rate of 1.3 or fewer children per woman. At the same time, the low mortality rate and the higher life expectancy mean that people live longer, which increases the number of people aged 65 years and above (Aburto, Villavicencio, Basellini, Kjærgaard &am...