Projects from Statistics Canada suggest that, by 2031, one in four people in Canada will have been born elsewhere, and just half of the working-age population will belong to families that have lived in Canada for over three generations.

Data also shows that the foreign-born population is expected to grow four times faster than those who are born in Canada over the next 20 years.

According to Henry Yu, associate history professor at the University of British Columbia, a look at the new statistics gives a glimpse into Canada’s future. “This is the strongest indication yet – obviously, it's been developing for decades – that there is a new Canada."

It is now estimated that, by 2031, in greater Vancouver and greater Toronto, visible minorities will comprise 59 and 63% of the total populations, respectively. 

The biggest portion of newcomers is expected to come from Asia and Latin America. It is estimated that about one in three newcomers will have a non-Christian religion in two decades, and over three quarters will speak neither English nor French as their first language.