and Concentration
The peopling of Canada involved not only a significant inflow of foreign immigrants, but also involved internal population movement within Canada. Canadians moved from one region of Canada to another to seek employment, education, or personal fulfilment. These moves brought ever-increasing numbers of migrants from rural to urban areas. Since the 1950s migration has been dominantly inter-urban and inter-metropolitan. During the years 1951 to 1956, the proportion of urban dwellers rose by 10 per cent to encompass two-thirds of all Canadians (the previous 10 per cent increase had taken forty years to achieve). The 1966 census reflects this overall trend of urbanisation. In 1966 the most urbanised centres in Canada included Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia. The Prairies and Maritimes lagged behind these aforementioned centres.
The move to the cities resulted in an uneven dispersal of people in Canada. The movement patterns of internal migrants as opposed to external immigrants differed. Greater numbers of immigrants than internal migrants moved to the cities, and the 1951 census reveals that this trend created a surplus of immigrants in major urban centres such as Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. At the same time, the population in the other provinces decreased. This urban surplus to the three aforementioned cities resulted in a net deficit of immigrants to less settled parts of Canada, particularly in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Maritime provinces. Between 1941 and 1951, Prince Edward Island lost 5,000 inhabitants and Saskatchewan lost 150,000.
| Percentage Distribution of Canadian Population by Region | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region | 1941 | 1951 | 1961 | 1971 |
| Canada | 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 |
| Newfoundland | -- | 2.3 | 2.5 | 2.4 |
| P.E.I. | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| Nova Scotia | 5.0 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 3.7 |
| New Brunswick | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 2.9 |
| Quebec | 29.0 | 29.0 | 28.8 | 27.9 |
| Ontario | 32.9 | 32.8 | 34.2 | 35.7 |
| Manitoba | 6.3 | 5.5 | 5.1 | 4.6 |
| Saskatchewan | 7.8 | 5.9 | 5.1 | 4.3 |
| Alberta | 6.9 | 6.7 | 7.3 | 7.6 |
| British Columbia | 7.1 | 8.3 | 8.9 | 10.1 |
| Yukon and N.W.T. | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
Source: Immigration and Population Statistics. Ottawa: Manpower and Immigration, 1974.
Native-Born vs. Foreign-Born:
Census data indicate that the foreign-born and native-born have different settlement patterns. The foreign-born have a greater tendency to settle in urban areas than the native-born. In 1941 60.5 per cent of foreign-born immigrants settled in urban areas compared to 53.0 per cent of native-born inhabitants. By 1971 this gap remained as 87.8 per cent of foreign-born citizens lived in cities compared to 74.1 per cent of the native-born population.
| For Further reading: |
|---|
| Burnet, Jean R. and Howard Palmer. "Coming Canadians": An Introduction to a History of Canada’s Peoples. Canada: McClelland and Stewart, 1988. |
Regional Distinctions:
Each of Canada’s provinces has experienced different trends in immigration patterns, and has attracted diverse ethnic groups. A brief synopsis of the major trends in immigration and migration patterns for each of the major regions and/or provinces of Canada will follow.