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Immigration and emigration

Over the course of the century following Confederation, about half the dramatic growth in the Canadian population was a result of immigrants aspiring to find new opportunities.

Economic opportunity has been their major motivator. In the 19th century, the government stimulated immigration with incentives such as free land. Immigration was largely limited to eastern Canada until the Canadian Pacific Railway crossed the Rocky Mountains in 1885.

The greatest number of immigrants came to Canada during the decade prior to the First World War. The newcomers staked out their homesteads and ignited a building boom. Railways extended lines, governments had roads built and the new citizens established towns: the demand for labour and goods soared.

After the First World War, the Canadian government temporarily restricted immigration to help Canada's returning soldiers reintegrate into the civilian economy. Again, during the Great Depression, poor economic conditions and high unemployment led the government to suspend most immigration from Europe.

Following the Second World War, the Canadian government created an immigration policy to increase Canada's population, extract and develop resources, and increase the size of the economy. This resulted in a huge wave of immigration from Britain and continental Europe as Canada made a relatively smooth transition to a peacetime economy.

World events, such as the Hungarian Revolution and the Suez Canal Crisis, also triggered postwar immigration to Canada. In 1962, the government intensified recruitment from traditional source countries and from other areas of the world that had previously contributed few immigrants.

1907 Canada Year Book - Related tables

1. Arrivals at inland and ocean ports in Canada, 1903 to 1907
2. Receipts of patents and homestead entries, 1903 to 1907
3. Records of Chinese immigrants, 1886 to 1907

1917 Canada Year Book - Related tables

1. Destination of immigrants into Canada, by province, 1901 to 1917
2. Expenditure on immigration, by fiscal year, 1868 to 1917
3. Juvenile immigrants and applications for their services, by year, 1901 to 1917
4. Number of deportations after admission, by nationalities, 1903 to 1917
5. Number of immigrant arrivals in Canada, by fiscal year and place of origin, 1897 to 1917
6. Numbers of farm live stock, by province and by type, 1912 to 1917
7. Record of Chinese immigration, by fiscal year, 1886 to 1917
8. Record of oriental immigration, by fiscal year, 1901 to 1917
9. Rejections of immigrants upon arrival at ocean ports and deportations after admission, by principal causes, 1903 to 1917
10. Sex, occupation and destination of immigrants for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1917
11. Total areas and values of field crops in Canada, by province, 1911 to 1916

1927 Canada Year Book - Related tables

1. Canadians returned from the United States, fiscal years ended March 31, 1925 to 1927, and by months, April to December, 1937
2. Destinations of immigrants into Canada, by provinces, fiscal years 1991 to 1927
3. Expenditure on immigration, fiscal years ended 1868 to 1927
4. Number of immigrant arrivals in Canada from the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries, fiscal years ended 1897 to 1927
5. Occupations and destinations of immigrants arriving in Canada, fiscal years ended March 31, 1926 and 1927
6. Sex and conjugal condition of immigrants to Canada, by age-group, fiscal year ended March 31, 1927
7. Sex distribution of immigrants as adult males, adult females and children, fiscal years ended March 31, 1911 to 1927
8. Total immigration to Canada, by ports of arrival, fiscal years ended March 31, 1922 to 1927

1937 Canada Year Book - Related tables

1. Births, deaths, and natural increase in Canada, by provinces and for each sex, 1935, with totals, 1931 to 1935 and averages 1936 to 1930 and 1931 to 1935
2. British juvenile immigrants, fiscal years ended 1901 to 1936
3. Canadians returned from the United States, calendar years 1924 to 1936
4. Countries of birth of immigration, calendar years 1931 to 1935
5. Deportations of immigrants after admission, by principal causes and by nationalities, fiscal years ended 1925 to 1936 with totals 1903 to 1924 and 1903 to 1936
6. Destinations of immigrants into Canada, by provinces, calendar years 1929 to 1936
7. Expenditures on immigration in the fiscal years ended June 30, 1868 to 1906 and March 31, 1907 to 1936
8. Immigrants arriving in Canada, by chief ports of arrival, calendar years 1930 to 1935
9. Languages of immigrants, ten years or older, calendar years 1931 to 1935
10. Nationalities of immigrants, calendar years 1931 to 1935
11. Numbers of immigrant arrivals in Canada from the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries, calendar years 1908 to 1936
12. Numbers of immigrant arrivals in Canada, calendar years 1852 to 1936
13. Numbers of passagers of British nationality changing their permanent residence between the United Kingdom and British North America, calendar years 1924 to 1935
14. Occupations and destinations of immigrants arriving in Canada, classified by occupation and sex, according to destination, calendar year 1935
15. Racial origins of immigrants into Canada, calendar years 1926 to 1935
16. Record of oriental immigrants, calendar years 1929 to 1935
17. Record of oriental immigrants, fiscal years ended 1901 to 1936
18. Record of revenue receipts and registration for leave of Chinese immigrants, fiscal years ended March 31, 1912 to 1936 with totals 1886 to 1900 and 1901 to 1911
19. Rejections of immigrants upon arrival at ocean ports, by principal causes and nationalities, calendar years 1930 to 1935
20. Returning Canadians and other non-immigrants entering Canada via ocean ports, by class of travel, calendar years 1934 and 1935, with totals for calendar years 1930 to 1933
21. Sex and conjugal conditions of immigrants into Canada, by age groups, calendar years 1934 and 1935
22. Sex distribution of immigrants as adult males, adult females, and children, calendar years 1929 to 1935

1947 Canada Year Book - Related tables

1. Canadians returned from the United States, 1926 to 1946
2. Deportations of immigrants, including accompanying persons, after admission, by principal causes and by nationalities, 1935 to 1946
3. Destinations of immigrants into Canada, by provinces, 1935 to 1946
4. Immigrant arrivals in Canada from the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries, 1921 to 1946
5. Immigrant arrivals in Canada, 1892 to 1946
6. Oriental immigration to Canada, 1906 to 1946
7. Presumed permanent movement of population between Canada and the United States, years ended June 30, 1935 to 1946
8. Rejections of prospective immigrants upon arrival at ocean ports, by principal causes and by nationalities, 1935 to 1946
9. Returning Canadians and other non-immigrants entering Canada from Newfoundland, 1944 to 1946
10. Sex and conjugal condition of immigrant arrivals, by age group, 1915 and 1946
11. Sex distribution of immigrants as adult males, adult females and children, 1935 to 1946

1957 Canada Year Book - Related tables

1. Birthplaces of immigrant arrivals, 1954 to 1956
2. Intended destination and occupation of immigrants admitted to Canada 1956
3. Nationalities of immigrant arrivals, 1954 to 1956
4. Origins of immigrant arrivals, 1954 to 1956
5. Sex and marital status of immigrant arrivals, by age group, 1955 and 1958

1967 Canada Year Book - Related tables

1. Birthplaces of immigrant arrivals, 1963 to 1965
2. Canadian-born persons entering the United States from Canada and elsewhere, and all persons entering the United States from Canada, years ended June 30, 1956 to 1965
3. Citizenship of immigrant arrivals, 1963 to 1965
4. Deportations, by cause and nationality, 1963 to 1965
5. Factors in the growth of population, 1951 to 1961
6. Immigrant arrivals, 1913 to 1965
7. Immigrant arrivals, by country of last permanent residence, 1963 to 1965
8. Immigrant population, by period of immigration and by province census 1961
9. Intended occupations of male and female immigrants admitted to Canada, 1964 and 1965
10. Intended province of destination of male and female immigrants admitted to Canada, 1963 to 1965
11. Marital status of immigrant arrivals, by sex and age group, 1965
12. Numerical distribution of population and percentage change from preceding census, by province, decennial census years 1901 to 1961
13. Origins of immigrant arrivals, 1963 to 1965
14. Sex distribution of immigrants as adult males, adult females and children, 1963 to 1965