Ontario Construction News staff writer
Canada’s population fell slightly in the first quarter, declining by 0.1 per cent from January 1 to April 1, according to preliminary estimates from Statistics Canada.
The population was 41,417,056 on April 1, a decrease of 55,025 people from January 1. Canada welcomed 83,149 permanent immigrants in the first three months of the year, a decline of 20.2 per cent compared to the same quarter of 2025 (104,210). The level is in line with the lower 2026 immigration target set by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
To achieve sustainable immigration that does not overly strain Canada’s housing supply the government is reducing Canada’s temporary population to less than 5 per cent of the total population by the end of 2027. Targets for new temporary resident arrivals are set at 385,000 in 2026 and 370,000 in 2027 and 2028.
Natural increase (births minus deaths) was negative (-155) in the first quarter of 2026, meaning there were more deaths than births. By comparison, the natural increase in the first quarter of 2025 was positive, at 983.
Natural increase is typically low during the winter months because there are usually fewer births and more deaths during the colder periods. Natural increase was also negative in the first quarters of 2022 and 2023. The preliminary count of non-permanent residents fell by 117,879 in the first quarter. Statistics Canada said the figure will be updated in September 2026.
It said larger-than-usual revisions to recent estimates of non-permanent residents are expected because of rapidly changing conditions and shifting international migration policies. In recent months, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has granted more permit extensions, while processing times have grown longer.
