Canada in 2060
Aalia Khan
Let's figure out how we can take a look at our statistics today to make Canada a better place tomorrow.
Demographics
Right now, our population is in Stage 4 of the Demographic Transition model, with a natural increase rate of 1.1% (from 2000-2010).
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Canada's population will drop significantly by 2060 as the Baby Boomers pass away - we might move into Stage 5 of the Demographic Transition model, since there may be less births than deaths.
We are not having a lot of children and the Baby Boomers from post-Wold War II are beginning to retire, which means that more people are stepping out of the working age than into it.
According to Statistics Canada, it is predicted that by 2056, there will be 84 dependent people for every 100 workers, 50 of them being senior citizens (Figure 3).
Immigration
Today, our migratory increase is higher than our natural increase (Figure 4), with the majority of immigrants coming from Asia.
Canada takes in mostly economic immigrants, as well as family class immigrants and refugees (Figure 5).
In the decades to come, Canada will NEED immigrants to keep the economy alive. We will need a lot of people to fill in those jobs left behind by the Baby Boomers as they retire.
Figure 4
Figure 5
Aboriginals
According to a consensus taken in 2011, aboriginals compromise 4.3% of the aboriginal population.
First Nations: Disputes over land/treaties, many communities are isolated. (It is predicted that in Northern Ontario, the temperature will rise by 7 degrees by 2050. Many communities up North rely on the ice roads in the winter to get food/water/the bare necessities; the winters are getting shorter)
-Treaties MUST be respected
-Disputes MUST be settled
-We MUST look into the missing aboriginal women cases
So There We Have It!
Sources
1. Statistics Canada. Dependency Ratio. 2010.01.11. Web
<http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-229-x/2009001/demo/dep-eng.htm>
2. Statistics Canada. Population Growth. 2015.03.13. Web.
<http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-630-x/11-630-x2014001-eng.htm>
3. Canadian Immigrants. Statistics. Permanent Residents. 07.06.2013. Web.
<http://www.canadaimmigrants.com/immigration/statistics/permanent-residents-1987-2012/>
4. Employment and Social Development Canada. Aboriginal Population. 2015.03.13. Web
<http://www4.hrsdc.gc.ca/.3ndic.1t.4r@-eng.jsp?iid=36>
5. Employment and Social Development Canada. Population Size and Growth. 2015.03.13. Web.