Changing+Population

Zeeshan's Summary

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Canada's Population Explosion There was tremendous growth in Canada's population during the post-war era. In just 15 years after 1945 the number of Canadians increased by 50 percent, from about 12 million to 18 million. Two key factors accounted for this population explosion: immigration and the baby boom.

Immigration Two million people immigrated to Canada between 1945 and 1960. They had been driven from their homelands by World War II, politics, and unemployment, and came for a new life and economic opportunity. Before the war Canadian immigration policy was restrictive. It favoured applicants from Britain, from other countries in the British Commonwealth and Western Europe, and from the United States. But with the huge number of displaced people in European refugee camps, Canada changed its immigration policy in 1946.

Canada began to accept refugees, people who were left homeless as a result of war and political upheaval. Between 1947 and 1952, 186 000 refugees moved to Canada. Among them were Holocaust survivors, since Canada had reversed the discriminatory policy that had severely limited the number of Jews allowed into the country before World War II.

The second period, from 1952 to 1960, mostly includes economic migrants seeking a better life. The year 1957 was the peak immigration year for the era, boosted by 38 000 Hungarian refugees who fled from a failed anti-Communist revolution the year before. The steady drop in immigration from 1958 to 1960 reflects a slow economy that led Canada to accept fewer applicants.

Immigrants' Challenges New arrivals to Canada had a number of obstacles to overcome, including fear, loneliness, and, in many cases, language barriers. Margaret Brown, a war bride from England, describes her first experiences in the country: When I did get into Vancouver all dressed up, there was nobody to meet me, and I started to cry. I knew I was pregnant, and I thought Bob was married to someone else, or had a girlfriend and didn't want me. I was terrified. The Red Cross nurse came to me and gave me a cup of coffee. someone said, "We should phone the other station," and sure enough Bob was waiting for me there. I was supposed to come on the CPR [Canadian Pacific Railway]. Cited in Mark Kingwell and Christopher Moore, Canada: Our Century (Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 1999), p. 263

Task 1. Read Margaret Brown's comments.

a) What were her fears? b) Why do you think she felt that way? c) Where did she find assistance?

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">2. Either take on the role of a new immigrant to Canada, or recall your own experiences in coming here. Write down the problems or fears you had in coming to this country if you are a newcomer to Canada.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">The Baby Boom <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">When the war ended the baby boom began. The baby boom refers to the rapid increase in births between 1946 and 1965. Canadians were eager for the security of home and family after six years of uncertainty between 1939 and 1945. Marriage rates soared to record levels immediately after Canadian servicemen returned from overseas.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">The social and economic factors that fuelled the baby boom included the following:

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">- Most couples wed in their early twenties - almost a decade younger than today's newlyweds - and they were usually ready to start a family right away.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">- Post-war couples were young enough to have many children.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">- The Canadian economy boomed for a good part of the post-war era, making it easier for many young couples to feed and clothe an average of three children.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">The Canadian birth rate (the number of births per 1000 people) jumped sharply in the late 1940s and remained high for 20 years. In fact, between 1946 and 1965, the years of the baby boom, almost 9 million children were born in Canada.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">At the same time, the death rate (the number of deaths per 1000 people) steadily dropped because of a booming economy and better health care. This combination of rising birth rate and falling death rate caused a huge natural increase in Canada's population. (The "natural increase rate" is the excess of births over deaths in a year.)

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">This Table shows the change in population each decade from 1931 to 2001 in Canada. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Changes in Population Through Natural Increase, 10-Year Periods. When did the natural increase rate peak?

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Time Period: 1931-1941 <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Population Period Growth by Natural Increase (Births minus Deaths): 1 222 000

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Time Period: 1941-1951 <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Population Period Growth by Natural Increase (Births minus Deaths): 1 972 000

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Time Period: 1951-1961 <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Population Period Growth by Natural Increase (Births minus Deaths): 3 148 000

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Time Period: 1961-1971 <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Population Period Growth by Natural Increase (Births minus Deaths): 2 607 000

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Time Period: 1971-1981 <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Population Period Growth by Natural Increase (Births minus Deaths): 1 913 000

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Time Period: 1981-1991 <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Population Period Growth by Natural Increase (Births minus Deaths): 1 974 000

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Time Period: 1991-2001 <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Population Period Growth by Natural Increase (Births minus Deaths): 1 528 000

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Source: Population and Growth Components (1851-2001 censuses), www.statcan.ca.