The impact of immigration on prosperity in Canada

Springboard’s Khiran O’Neill and Noah Zon write about the link between immigration and prosperity for the Century Initiative.

In Canada, immigration is a defining feature of our economic strategy. Immigration drives 82% of Canada’s population growth, and over the next five years, will account for 100% of Canada’s net labour force growth.

Whether that is a good strategy is the focus of debate. Even among those who support immigration, some raise concerns that high levels of immigration will leave the average resident poorer. Others maintain that without considerable population growth through immigration, Canada is at risk of a stagnating
economy that trails its peers.

So what do we know about the relationship between immigration and economic prosperity?