Canada’s population growth has slowed to near zero per cent growth, creeping up by only 2,767 people in the slowest quarterly growth rate since the end of the Second World War.
The culprit? COVID-19, said Statistics Canada, who in its latest tally of the country’s population said population growth has "essentially stopped," estimating there were 38,008,005 people from coast to coast to coast as of Oct. 1, 2020.
Two territories and six provinces registered population declines for the first time since 1951 — early signs of what the Brookings Institute predicted will be a “large, lasting baby bust” as economic loss and uncertainty veer prospective parents away from the expensive prospect of having children.
British Columbia posted the largest declines of the third quarter, down 1,861 people between July and October. That’s despite posting the highest net population gain (4,742 more people) from inter-provincial migration.
Across the country, inter-provincial migration sunk 21% in the third quarter compared to the same period in 2019.
Unlike the previous quarter where COVID-19 led to 8,495 deaths, deaths due to virus had a small impact on population decline from July to September, sinking to 706 out of a total 69,114.
The biggest population declines came from fallout due to international travel restrictions meant to curb the transmission of the coronavirus.
“As the majority of population growth in Canada typically comes from international migration, this has had a profound impact on the country's population growth in 2020,” wrote Statistics Canada in its Dec. 17 update, noting quarterly growth slowed to a level not seen since at least Jan. 1, 1946.
International migration led to 27,143 fewer people moving to Canada compared to the previous quarter. And despite welcoming 40,069 immigrants in the third quarter, the country reported a net loss of 66,000 non-permanent residents.
Because of all the travel restrictions, Canada’s growth over the summer and fall period came entirely from what Statistics Canada calls “natural increase,” or the difference between births (99,024) and deaths (69,114). That works out to a gain of 29,910 people.
The snapshot of Canada’s population is just that, and the window of data does not consider the second wave of the coronavirus, which in recent weeks has led to a rising death toll even as travel restrictions remain in place.
