As reported by the CBC this past week:
Canada’s population dropped last year, marking the first time the country has seen an annual net decline in residents since Confederation.
According to the latest quarterly estimate from Statistics Canada, the population of citizens, landed immigrants and non-permanent residents in Canada stood at 41,472,081 on Jan. 1, 2026 — a decrease of 0.2 per cent, or just over 102,000, from Jan. 1, 2025.
StatsCan said that even though the population increased by just over 77,000 people in the first six months of last year, it wasn’t enough to outweigh the decline of almost 180,000 in the second half of 2025.
This preliminary estimate said a reduction in the number of non-permanent residents was the “leading factor in slowing population growth.”
The falling numbers are the result of the policies of the last two Liberal governments to limit the number of permanent and temporary residents. I don’t know whether there will be any long-term effects from this. One immediate effect already being felt is on the housing market and colleges. Foreign students were really pumping up the demand for housing and keeping colleges afloat (as those students pay far more in tuition fees). Just from my own experience, I think it’s also true that new Canadians, temporary or otherwise, were doing a lot of jobs that native Canadians just won’t do. So I think certain industries are also going to be hard hit.
Anyway, it’s an interesting development and seems a meaningful milestone. One I didn’t think I’d ever see. I’m interested if the numbers get adjusted going forward and if the trend continues. For all the talk about getting tough on immigration, I think having people coming here is a net plus. Which means when they don’t come it turns into a net minus.
Alex Good 
I hadn’t realised Canada had an immigrant ‘problem’, or is it a refugee thing?
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I don’t think it was a problem so much as immigrants always catch the blame when things aren’t going well. They were blamed for the increase in housing prices, for one thing, which had some validity but a housing crash hasn’t been good for anyone. Things had got out of hand with the colleges too, as they were basically in the foreign student/immigration business, not the higher education business. But cutting the number of foreign students has caused a lot of problems there as well.
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Do native Canadian students have to pay to go to university?
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Yep. But tuitions were frozen for a while. Just recently they were allowed to raise them. Foreign students pay (or paid) a LOT more.
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I think it’s the same here.
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Take all the immigrants and their children and you guys are going to be majority “immigrant” in less than 20 years. I remember you commenting that Canada will continue “in one form or another” and I’m sure you’re right. But that’s what I consider an awfully low bar. I agree that people coming in *should* be a net plus — but only when it doesn’t overwhelm your native population. But I guess it’s already too late for that.
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I think it’s inevitable that there will be more immigration into low-growth countries, or countries with populations in decline. I can’t say whether this will end up being a good thing or not. Apparently around mid-century or so the global population is supposed to go into reverse and this is going to have a bunch of knock-on effects.
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I’m pretty sure it will be a bad thing. Diversity only means something if we’re talking about cultural diversity, and that is what is being lost as everyone mixes in what is becoming the global melting pot.
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Yeah I’m thinking more in terms of economic effects. Culturally things have been moving toward a monoculture for a while now. The Internet just picked up the pace.
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Do your part to Make Canada Great Again!
Make babies 😉
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👶👶👶
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