During the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada’s population growth decreased twice due to the increasing numbers of Covid-19-related deaths.
According to Statistics Canada’s Population Estimates report released on September 29, 2021, immigration drove almost three-quarters of Canada’s population growth during the past year despite all pandemic-related border restrictions and travel bans.
The statistical analysis shows that during the last year the Canadian population grew by only about 208,900, twice less compared to the previous year.
Immigration also fell by 56.8 percent (around 156,500) but was enough to keep Canada’s population growth.
#Statistics, #population_growth, #Pandemic, #COVID_19
October 4, 2021
Canada received the first direct Air Canada flight from India after the Government lifted the travel ban on direct flights from India that were in place from April 22, 2021.
According to Mark Galardo, Air Canada’s senior vice president of network planning and revenue management, ‘people are eager to reunite with family and friends since the air company is the leading carrier between the two countries offering flights from Toronto and Vancouver to Delhi and Mumbai since 2015.
The travel restrictions impacted Indian international students and foreign workers as they had to travel to Canada via a third country.
#Covid_19, #Travel_restrictions, #India, #Travel_ban
October 1, 2021
Employers have been facing labour shortages for the previous 18 months since the COVID-19 epidemic began.
Wednesday's study adds to the evidence, with over 60% of Canadian businesses reporting that widespread labour shortages are restricting their development.
The study, released by the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), is based on two polls: one that polled 1,251 Canadian businesses in May 2021 and another of 3,000 Canadian workers conducted in June 2021.
According to the BDC's chief economist, COVID-19 certainly disrupted the Canadian labour market by temporarily shutting off immigration and prompting some employees to quit rather than risk catching the virus on the job.
#COVID_19, #labour_shortage
https://financialpost.com/news/economy/canada-worker-shortage-problem
October 1, 2021
Within two years, the Federal government will implement a facial recognition system for all 25 million Canadian passport holders.
This was reported by Blacklock's Reporter. The government would build a huge database with the faces of millions of Canadians.
In a notice titled Facial Recognition Solution, the IRCC said that “the department must have facial recognition system support capabilities in place no later than October 2023.”
The cost of the program was not detailed. Canadian citizens who apply for passports will automatically consent to have their personal photos stored in a federal database:
“Applicants consent to their photos being used to confirm identity through the passport program’s facial recognition system.”
The program is rationalized on the basis of preventing identity fraud, despite little proof that identity fraud is an issue.
#information_security, #privacy, #passports, #Citizenship, #facial_recognition
https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/opc-actions-and-decisions/research/explore-privacy-research/2013/fr_201303
October 1, 2021
