One of the slides shows that demographic growth in Canada is currently about 1%. That is the highest rate of demographic growth among G7 countries.
It should be noted that this national growth masks major regional differences. In recent years, the highest rate of demographic growth has been in the Prairie provinces. That is a first. The three Prairie provinces together have the highest demographic growth rate. The Atlantic provinces, on the other hand, have the lowest demographic growth, except for Prince Edward Island.
This figure shows the breakdown of demographic growth by three major factors. There is no natural increase in Atlantic Canada, since the death rate is now higher than the birth rate. The international migratory increase, that is, the net difference between immigrants and emigrants, is positive in all regions of the country, but in the Atlantic provinces, it is not enough to offset losses due to interprovincial migration or migration among the various provinces and territories. In Alberta, conversely, the natural increase, the international migratory increase, and the interprovincial migratory increase are all very strong, meaning that Alberta has strong demographic growth.
Another slide shows that the retention of recent immigrants is another challenge for Atlantic Canada. Just over 50% of the immigrants to Canada between 2000 and 2008 were still living in the Atlantic province where they had originally settled a few years later. In Ontario, 90% of the immigrants who had settled there were still living there a few years later. A higher proportion of recent immigrants to Atlantic Canada seem to leave for other regions of Canada than is the case elsewhere.
We also have a map providing a more detailed breakdown of the demographic profile of Atlantic Canada. Some parts of Atlantic Canada have relatively high demographic growth. Those are of course primarily urban areas such as Halifax, Moncton, St. John's and Charlottetown. On the whole, however, the population of Atlantic Canada is decreasing or showing negative growth.
The next slide illustrates certain patterns in domestic, interprovincial and interregional migration. It provides a breakdown of rural regions versus urban regions of Atlantic Canada. It clearly shows significant migratory losses in Atlantic Canada among young adults aged 18 to 28 years. Many of these young adults living in rural parts of Atlantic Canada leave for other parts of Canada or other parts of their province.
You might say that this is nothing new and that it has been a pattern for a long time. That is true, but the slides for the rural regions of the Prairies do not show such high levels of migration among young adults as we see in Atlantic Canada. There are specific demographic issues in Atlantic Canada as regards the retention of young adults from their early twenties to the age of about 28.
In conclusion, current demographic trends clearly point to growing differences among the various regions of Canada. This is essentially due to the fact that immigration is now the main factor in demographic growth; it is not natural increase any more.
We must recognize that Canada's regions are increasingly diverse demographically. These differences can be seen in demographic growth, demographic aging, and ethnocultural diversity, since immigrants to Canada settle in very specific regions, such as large cities.
In view of these demographic trends, one can expect the population's needs for public services, social programs, and infrastructure to vary increasingly from region to region of Canada.
In Atlantic Canada, for example, there might be greater challenges than elsewhere relating to the labour force and care and services for seniors, who will account for a larger share of the population than elsewhere.
Thank you for your attention.