At the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC) we champion immigration that mutually benefits newcomers and Canada. Effective immigration streams are critical to addressing Canada’s economic and labour challenges, supporting both immigrant integration and national prosperity. But the deteriorating Canada-US relationship casts a long shadow over our current approach to immigration and economic growth. Canada is failing to deliver for newcomers, and for its future prosperity. As Canada faces US tariffs, business and policy leaders need to embrace immigrant talent to help tackle these challenges.
Throughout 2024, as housing, infrastructure and construction labour shortages made headlines daily, Canada admitted only 35 permanent residents (PRs) through its Federal Skilled Trades program. This program encompasses workers categorized as technical trades and transportation; general trades; natural resources and related production; and processing, manufacturing, and utilities. Over the same period, roughly 23,000 temporary foreign workers (TFWs) in the same categories were admitted under the temporary foreign worker program. This uneven distribution of tradespeople across temporary and permanent immigration streams suggests that Canada is not taking the long view on its current challenges.
Throughout 2024, as housing, infrastructure and construction labour shortages made headlines daily, Canada admitted only 35 permanent residents (PRs) through its Federal Skilled Trades program.
Business leaders also need to step up to better integrate newcomers already in Canada into the labour force. Although Canada’s immigration policies claim to work towards addressing talent shortages in critical sectors, the 2024 Talent to Win report from the ICC and Deloitte demonstrates that immigrant talent remains “vastly underutilized”. Labour shortages “reduced Canada’s GDP potential by $54 billion in 2022.” Several key factors contribute to the underuse of immigrant talent, including poor onboarding, training, and mentoring; DEI gaps; difficulty translating experience and skills; and administration and regulatory compliance.
RBC indicates that Canada is short 64,000 workers in construction alone, and by 2033, roughly 800,000 workers will retire from the manufacturing, utilities, business, finance and administration, and trades and transportation industries. Demand for labour in these sectors is only going to increase. No matter how you slice the 2024 immigrant admissions data, Canada appears to be falling well short of its current and future needs.
The first months of 2025 have brought additional challenges. Confronting President Trump’s tariff threats and economic aggression demands an increase in Canadian domestic production. Labour shortages in these critical sectors – or the inability to better integrate the talent that’s already here – will threaten our ability to do so.
The natural resource and energy sectors are especially vulnerable to the tariffs. Industry leaders in Canada’s resource sector are assessing the potential impact of the tariffs and exploring options to reduce their reliance on the United States. Business leaders are discussing the possibility of building more mines and pipelines to increase resource production in Canada and shipping it outside the US. In Quebec, there are plans for a significant expansion to Hydro-Québec, including thousands of new wind turbines, 5,000 km of transmission lines, and multi-billion-dollar yearly investments. All these expansion initiatives will require major injections of labour. The Hydro-Québec project alone is estimated to require 55,000 workers by 2033, and “it’s not clear where that staff will come from.”
The ICC recognizes the immense and often unharnessed potential of newcomers to help solve this problem. Immigrants already contribute to filling critical labour shortages in other sectors. Canada’s healthcare sector is poised to see over 400,000 workers retire in the next 10 years, with existing recruitment challenges making it difficult to fill those roles. Highly skilled immigrants are helping to address this shortage: in 2021, immigrants accounted for 1 in 4 healthcare workers in Canada – and the proportion has likely increased over time. In certain areas, like dental technology, immigrants make up more than 60% of workers. Just as immigrants have filled essential positions in the healthcare system, so too can they support increased domestic production to shield Canada from the threat of American tariffs. But only if Canadians will let them. Immigrants remain overqualified and underemployed, unable to contribute effectively to the Canadian economy. This is especially true for immigrants with degrees in trades, who “face higher overqualification risks than those with STEM qualifications.”
This is the perfect moment for Canadian business and policy leaders to address the factors preventing immigrants from contributing their full potential and to ensure our immigration policies are prioritizing labour market integration as a key outcome.
Immigration is a strategic tool that can be used to address urgent labour shortages in industries poised to see increased demand. By making better use of skilled immigrants already here and welcoming new talent equipped to strengthen domestic production capacity, business and policy leaders could transform this economic challenge into an opportunity for sustainable growth while reducing Canada’s dependency on our increasingly unpredictable neighbour to the South.
At the ICC, we know that future Canadians are Canada’s future. But Canadian employers and policy makers need to find ways to source and integrate talent that continues to sit on the sidelines – at significant cost to our global competitiveness and our future prosperity. In addition to making better use of immigrant talent already in the country, Canada’s immigration policies should be better tailored to encourage and accept the skilled tradespeople needed to work in critical industries. As the economic impacts of Trump’s policies begin to hit Canadian consumers, the need for domestic production and diversification away from the US will only intensify. This is the perfect moment for Canadian business and policy leaders to address the factors preventing immigrants from contributing their full potential and to ensure our immigration policies are prioritizing labour market integration as a key outcome. The country’s housing, infrastructure, healthcare and productivity challenges cannot be solved until we do.
Keywords: immigration, skilled trades, Canadian labour market, temporary foreign workers, domestic production, labour shortages, economic growth, U.S.-Canada relations, tariffs, Canadian economy, newcomers, Canadian workforce, natural resources
By Adiba Hasan
Based on the most recent data available from October 2024, Permanent Residence (PR) admissions have reached 85% of the 2024 immigration target. In contrast, PR admissions by October 2023 had reached 87% of the annual year’s target.
The graph below compares the number of new citizens between January and October across four different years (2020 – 2024). Overall, citizenship numbers in 2021 were low due to processing delays following the Covid-19 pandemic, but the numbers started to rise again and stabilize in late 2021. Between 2021 and 2022, citizenship numbers experienced a notable jump, an impressive 130% increase, indicating a turning point after significant pandemic-related disruptions.
As pandemic impacts started to fade and application backlogs decreased, the percentage change in the number of new citizens also became smaller with only a 0.88% increase between 2022-2023. Since then, there has been a slight increase of 3.64% between 2023-2024.
Table 1: % Change in Citizenship Acqusition
Citizenship Year
% Change
2023 – 2024
3.64
2022 – 2023
0.88
2021 – 2022
130.92
2020 – 2021
23.59
2019 – 2020
-55.69
Immigration Levels Plan Changes
In October 2024, the Government of Canada released the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan, marking a significant shift in the country’s immigration strategy. The plan outlines a significant reduction in permanent resident admissions, with targets set at 395,000 for 2025, followed by further declines to 380,000 in 2026, and 365,000 in 2027.
The graph below illustrates sharp reductions in economic migration (-23%), raising concerns about labour shortages in industries like healthcare and technology. Family reunification (-25%) and refugee admissions (-23%) also face cuts, drawing criticism from advocates about undermining Canada’s values and global commitments.
Share your thoughts
The changes in admissions targets, particularly the reductions in all immigration streams, raise important questions about the values that shape our immigration policies. While the government cites infrastructure and service capacity as reasons for the reductions, the decision has prompted debate about its potential social and economic repercussions.
Should Canada introduce citizenship target levels to ensure that PR holders are supported and incentivized to obtain Canadian citizenship?
How much should public opinion influence the government’s immigration levels and policies?
Stay connected with the ICC Immigration Dashboard for ongoing updates and insights. Please share your thoughts and perspectives, and join us in an important discussion on the future of immigration in Canada
Sign uphere for more updates from Ideas & Insightsat ICC. You can learn more about the ICC here.
Since its inception, Canoo has unlocked Canada for over 789,000 newcomers, providing free admission to museums, galleries, festivals, concerts, and other experiences across the country. For this quarterly Canoo Insights Report, we’re looking at Canoo member growth and engagement in summer 2024.
789K+
newcomers have participated
Canoo Memberships Continue to Increase
Since we published our last Canoo Insights Report in September 2024, Canoo membership has continued to increase. The following graph shows overall Canoo member numbers (adults and accompanying children) and monthly member growth from September to December 2024.
Canoo Member Growth September 1 – November 30, 2024
Canoo Member Growth: 2023 vs. 2024 Peak Season
This edition of the Canoo Insights Report focuses on the summer of 2024, which was the peak season for member activity this year. Let’s start by looking at the growth in Canoo membership (adults + accompanying children) in summer 2023 versus summer 2024.
Compared to the same months in 2023, May 2024 saw a 27% increase in sign-ups, June had a 14% increase, and there was a slight decrease of (-)0.2% in July. With the school year approaching and schedules becoming busier at the end of summer, August and September experienced a dip in Canoo sign-ups. The trend suggests that sign-ups among Canoo members typically align with children’s summer vacation periods.
Canoo Member Growth: Summer 2023 vs. Summer 2024
New Canoo Members by Country of Origin: Summer 2023 vs. Summer 2024
For this and the following section of the Canoo Insights Report, we focus on the peak summer months: June, July, and August.
The most common countries of origin among new Canoo members shifted from summer 2023 to summer 2024. India, China, and the Philippines maintained the top three spots during both periods, but the overall composition of the top two countries changed. In summer 2023, India and China made up 38% and 8% of new Canoo memberships, respectively. In summer 2024, India increased to 40% of new Canoo memberships, with China falling to 7% of new memberships.
There were also some significant changes in the lower spots. Bangladesh and Vietnam fell off the 2024 list, replaced by Hong Kong and Algeria. France also moved up three spots.
The following chart captures the top 10 countries of origin for summer 2023 and summer 2024, respectively, and displays how many people from those countries joined Canoo during each period.
Top Countries of Origin of New Canoo Members: Summer 2023 vs. Summer 2024
Hidden Gem Venues
This summer, Canoo highlighted four “hidden gem” venues across the country. These venues offer compelling exhibits and family-friendly activities, without the crowds of more popular attractions. The following charts show admission at these hidden gem venues, as well as how often Canoo members visited with children.
Aga Khan Museum (Toronto, ON)
Canoo summer admissions to the Aga Khan peaked in August, and the majority of Canoo members did not bring children with them on their visits. But did you know the museum offers a variety of family programming?
Museum of Vancouver (Vancouver, BC)
Canoo admissions to the Museum of Vancouver were substantially higher in August than in the other summer months. It’s no wonder late summer is a popular time to visit here — it’s the best time to check out MOV’s Living Exhibition.
The Hangar Flight Museum (Calgary, AB)
The Hangar Flight Museum was a popular choice for families this summer, with 56% of Canoo visitors bringing children. No surprise there! Families and aviation enthusiasts alike can spend the day among the museum’s massive collection of historic aircraft.
Art Gallery of Alberta (Edmonton, AB)
If the wacky exterior of this art gallery doesn’t draw you in, its captivating exhibits certainly will. This gallery saw peak summer admissions in August, with July a close second.
More Hidden Gems
Want to explore more lesser-known Canoo venues? Check out the following spots:
As Canoo continues to improve and expand, our quarterly reports strive to offer inspiring stories of Canoo members and highlight the essential collaborations that make these experiences possible.
Stay up-to-date with the latest news from the ICC by subscribing here and following Ideas & Insights.
New ICC-Deloitte Report and Playbook highlight winning ways for business leaders
NEWS RELEASE
October 8, 2024 – Companies across Canada are less competitive than they could be, and short-changing shareholders by leaving exceptional immigrant talent on the bench.
A new Employer Playbook for recruiting and retaining newcomers to Canada shows Canadian companies several ways they can boost their financial scores with the help of immigrants already in Canada and keen to get in the game. The Playbook is built on the results of a new report, “Talent to win”, which draws from an extensive series of confidential roundtables with employers, government and civil society leaders from across Canada, conducted by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC) in partnership with Deloitte.
“Imagine if the manager of the Toronto Raptors or Calgary Flames didn’t pick star players because they weren’t Canadian trained? They would be giving rival teams a significant competitive advantage.” said Daniel Bernhard, CEO of the ICC. “If you’re down two goals late in the game, successful coaches get their best players on the ice, no matter where in the world they learned how to play.”
According to a seasoned investor and executive interviewed for the new report, Canada’s business leaders “don’t grasp how so much of the world is beating us.”
About the Playbook for Canadian Business Leaders
The Playbook includes real examples from companies who have seen their bottom lines increase after capitalizing on the underutilized and overlooked immigrant talent pool.
An Eastern Canadian construction firm got around English language requirements and gained an edge on competitors by putting together crews that all spoke the same foreign language (one crew spoke Ukrainian, another spoke Hindi). They proved to be safer and more productive than average crews, thanks to their ability to work and communicate in the language they speak most naturally and their optimism for being given a chance to contribute more significantly.
A Western Canadian natural resources company changed a hiring policy that previously required heavy equipment operators to have winter driving experience and found that immigrants who were new to snow drove more carefully and had fewer accidents.
About the Report: Talent to win – Employers’ perspectives on immigrant underemployment and the immense upside of solving it
“Talent to win” is a unique collaboration between the ICC and Deloitte, which brought together over 40 leaders from business, government, and civil society to understand the causes of immigrant underemployment and surface creative workarounds that leading employers have enacted to put this immensely underused talent pool to work.
Beyond the reality of systemic discrimination, the roundtable discussions revealed that employers face several challenges, including: lack of ambition in business culture, inadequate onboarding and mentoring practices, blind spots in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) frameworks that don’t take country of origin into account, and a lack of support to navigate Canada’s complex immigration system – especially for small and medium-sized businesses.
Since 2005, ICC’s programs have worked to give every newcomer to Canada the chance to become fully involved in our history, our culture, and our politics. More than 750,000 newcomers have participated in ICC’s Canoo program to discover all that Canada has to offer. The generous support from our donors and partners has enabled this impact.
About Deloitte
Deloitte provides audit and assurance, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, tax, and related services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. Deloitte serves four out of five Fortune Global 500® companies through a globally connected network of member firms in more than 150 countries and territories bringing world-class capabilities, insights, and service to address clients’ most complex business challenges.
The latest operational data from IRCC are now available in the ICC Immigration Dashboard, showing that permanent residence (PR) admissions have reached 63% of Canada’s 2024 target. During the same period in 2023 (January to July), PR admissions had already reached 65%, signalling a slightly slower admission rate in 2024.
In July 2024, 47,770 PRs were admitted, marking a 6.9% increase month-over-month, and a 17% increase year-over-year. In 2024, July had the highest number of PR admissions. Despite reaching this peak in July, overall PR admissions from January to July 2024 have seen a slight decrease of 0.16% (or 485 fewer admissions) compared to the same period in 2023.
Changing Dynamics Across Source Countries
The following chart compares Permanent Resident (PR) admissions from January to July 2024 with the same period in 2023, focusing on source countries with significant percentage increases.
There was a sharp rise in PR admissions from Ukraine, with a staggering 114.7% increase, likely due to the ongoing geopolitical conflict driving more individuals to seek permanent residence in Canada.
Countries with a large francophone population, such as Cameroon (+100.55%), Algeria (+63.79%), and Morocco (+23.88%), have shown increases in Permanent Resident (PR) admissions between January and July 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. This corresponds to the goal of increasing the Francophone community to support French-speaking communities across the country.
In addition to the notable upticks in PR admissions, it’s important to highlight the significant rise in admissions from the Philippines.
With a 23.14% increase, the Philippines remains one of Canada’s key source countries for new immigrants, seeing a growth from 16,765 in 2023 to 20,645in 2024.
PR Admissions by Source Country, % Increase
The ICC Immigration Dashboard data from January to July 2024 also reveal significant declines in permanent residence (PR) admissions from other source countries, when compared to the same period in 2023.
Source countries that saw significant declines are Iraq (-25.95%), Jamaica (-22.92%), and Brazil (-22.38%). The United States and the United Kingdom also saw substantial drops of 22.12% and 22.01%, respectively. Countries like Congo, DRC (-20.71%) and South Korea (-18.12%) also experienced double-digit decreases. Traditionally high-immigration source countries like China (-11.33%) and India (-9.65%) witnessed smaller but notable reductions, signalling the changing immigration dynamics, possibly linked to Canada’s evolving immigration policies.
This overall downward trend in PR admissions may reflect tighter immigration policies, global economic shifts, or other external factors affecting migration patterns.
PR Admissions by Source Country, % Decrease
What are your thoughts?
The narrative around immigration in Canada has become increasingly tumultuous and has been accompanied by more restrictive policy interventions — particularly for temporary residents. The government is obliged to release its annual immigration levels plan by November 1st each year, and given the current political climate in Canada, there is considerable anticipation — and anxiety — about the details of the forthcoming levels plan for 2025-2027. The data clearly shows ongoing changes in levels across source countries, including China and India, which have typically represented a significant proportion of Canada’s PR admissions overall. Could the decrease in levels from these countries be the thin edge of the wedge?
How might current debates about immigration affect the desirability of Canada as a destination for immigrants?
How might Canada’s political climate affect immigration levels from source countries like India and China in the future?
We invite you to continue following the ICC Immigration Dashboard for more updates and insights. Share your thoughts and perspectives, and together, let’s engage in a meaningful conversation about the future of immigration in Canada.
If you are interested in following us, please sign up here for more updates from Ideas & Insightsat ICC. You can learn more about the ICC here.
Since its inception, Canoo has unlocked Canada for over 750,000 newcomers, providing free admission to museums, galleries, festivals, concerts, and other experiences across the country. For this quarterly Canoo Insights Report, we’re taking a look at our members and venues in Ottawa to better understand Canoo’s presence in our nation’s capital.
752K+
newcomers have participated
Canoo Memberships Continue to Increase
Since we published our last Canoo Insights Report in June, Canoo membership continued to increase. The following graph shows overall Canoo member growth (adults + children) and monthly member growth from June to August 2024.
Correction note December 3, 2024: The following graph was previously mislabeled as “New Adult Canoo Members” and “Total Adult Canoo Members”. The labels have been updated to reflect that the graph shows both adult members and the children associated with them.
Canoo Member Growth June – August, 2024
Ottawa Canoo Members
Ottawa, Canada’s capital, is a vibrant city with diverse activities for locals and visitors alike. The following graph demonstrates adult Canoo member growth in Ottawa in 2024 so far (January 1 – August 31). The bar chart displays increases in adult Canoo memberships in Ottawa per month in 2024. The line graph displays total adult Canoo members in Ottawa. Canoo membership has grown steadily in Ottawa, reaching nearly 40,000 adult Canoo members by the end of July 2024.
Canoo Member Growth in Ottawa
Ottawa Canoo Member Demographics
The following graph shows the top ten countries of origin among Ottawa-based Canoo members. The second graph shows the top ten countries of origin among all Canoo members nation-wide. There are several countries that appear on the Ottawa top ten but not on the national top ten: Morocco, Algeria, Lebanon, and Syria. Morocco, Algeria, and Lebanon all have significant French-speaking populations; these immigrants may be drawn to the bilingualism of Ottawa.
Top Countries of Origin of Ottawa-Based Canoo Members
Top Countries of Origin of Canoo Members Overall
Most Popular Ottawa Venues
Ottawa has a wealth of museums and galleries that showcase history, art, and culture from Canada and around the world. Check out the graph below to see some of the most popular Canoo venues in the Ottawa region, based on the number of admissions from January to July 2024.
Ottawa Canoo Venues by Admissions
Out-of-Province Canoo Admissions in Ottawa
In an earlier Canoo Insights Report, we shared how Canoo members use the app to travel across Canada. And as you can see from the graph above, Ottawa has plenty of exciting venues to keep visitors entertained. It’s no wonder so many Canoo members are travelling to this great city! The following graphs show how many Canoo members from each province (outside of Ontario) visited Canoo venues from January to July 2024. The graphs are split into visits from Canoo members located in the east, central, and west regions.
Canoo Visitors from Eastern Canada
Canoo Visitors from Central Canada
Canoo Visitors from Western Canada
Canoo into Ottawa
Want to learn more about Canoo members and venues in Ottawa? Check out the following blogs for more information:
As Canoo continues to improve and expand, our quarterly reports strive to offer inspiring stories of Canoo members and highlight the essential collaborations that make these experiences possible.
Stay up-to-date with the latest news from the ICC by subscribing here and following Ideas & Insights.
By Adiba Hasan
At the midyear point, the ICC Immigration Dashboard reveals that permanent residence (PR) admissions have reached 53% of the 2024 immigration target. In June 2024, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) admitted 44,540 PRs, reflecting a 5% decrease from May 2024 but a 5% increase compared to June 2023.
Unlike the Immigration Levels Plan, which outlines specific targets for permanent resident (PR) admissions, IRCC does not establish targets for citizenship admissions. This lack of defined citizenship targets creates barriers to tracking and understanding naturalization trends, making it difficult to gauge how many PRs become citizens annually. However, IRCC monitors monthly citizenship approvals, which are reflected in the ICC Immigration Dashboard.
The chart below compares monthly citizenship admissions between January and June 2024 and the same period in 2023. In the first half of 2023, IRCC welcomed 177,920 new citizens. Comparatively, during the same months in 2024, 206,854 individuals were granted Canadian citizenship – 16% more than the number of citizens admitted in 2023.
In 2024, citizenship admissions reached 54% of the total citizenship admissions recorded for the entirety of 2023. This highlights a growing trend in citizenship uptake among eligible permanent residents.
Bill C-71: Shaping the Future of Canadian Citizenship
Bill C-71 proposes a significant amendment to the Citizenship Act by repealing the “first-generation limit” on citizenship by descent. This limit, introduced in 2009, restricts citizenship transmission to only the first generation born abroad to Canadian parents. The repeal could enable thousands of individuals, previously ineligible due to this rule, to claim Canadian citizenship.
By removing this restriction, Bill C-71 could lead to a notable increase in citizenship applications and approvals in the coming years, contributing to the overall trend of rising citizenship numbers observed in 2024.
However, the potential influx of new citizens could strain already stretched resources for processing applications, leading to longer wait times and backlogs. Additionally, it could complicate the management of social services and benefits, as newly recognized citizens may have different needs and expectations from those who have lived in Canada long-term.
What are your thoughts?
How might the repeal of the first-generation limit under Bill C-71 influence Canada’s long-term population and demographic landscape?
What strategies should the government implement to manage the potential surge in citizenship applications effectively?
Stay informed about the latest immigration trends with the ICC’s immigration dashboard. Are you interested in following us? Please sign up here for more updates from Ideas & Insights at ICC. You can learn more about the ICC here.
Continuing its focus on understanding the causes and potential responses to the decline in citizenship uptake, today the Institute for Canadian Citizenship is publishing an in-depth analysis by expert researcher Andrew Griffith of demographic and socioeconomic data from Census 2016 and 2021 of naturalized and non-naturalized immigrants.
1. Citizenship is declining across all major demographic variables
Citizenship rates have declined across all major source countries, education levels, and provinces of residence. Notably, citizenship uptake is lowest among university-educated immigrants, who represent a growing proportion of recent immigrants. Despite higher immigration levels, Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta experienced the largest declines in naturalization.
2. Family class immigrants have the lowest naturalization rates, refugees the highest
Immigrants who arrive under the family category have the lowest naturalization rates in both census periods, but also experienced the largest decline – 17 percent – between the two periods. Naturalization is higher for economic class and refugee immigrants, but these categories also experienced declines of 10 percent and 5 percent respectively across the two periods analyzed.
3. Naturalized citizens generally have higher incomes than non-citizens, non-citizen women lag behind in most labour force measures
Among immigrants with a bachelors degree, median after-tax income of non-citizens is only 43 percent of the median after-tax incomes of citizens across all census periods. The gap in unemployment levels between non-citizen and citizen women increased from less than 1 percent in Census 2016 to 2.3 percent in Census 2021 – a 155 percent increase.
4. Government can act to reverse the trend
Government should expand funding to programs that educate, encourage and prepare immigrants for citizenship, and also adopt a meaningful performance target focused on the naturalization rates of recent immigrants – those who arrived within 5-9 years. It should avoid diminishing the value of citizenship by making it a more visible and celebrated part of the immigration journey.
Since its inception, Canoo has unlocked Canada for over 660,000 newcomers, providing free admission to museums, galleries, festivals, concerts, and other experiences across the country. In this quarterly Canoo Insights Report, we are delighted to share some highlights and accomplishments from the past year.
667K+
newcomers have participated
Canoo Memberships Continue to Increase
In the past few years, the Canoo network has expanded significantly. Canoo now offers members access to over 350 partners, with thousands of experiences available on the app.
With the expansion of the program, Canoo membership experienced dramatic growth. In our Canoo Insights Report: Part 4, published in July 2023, we predicted that 80,030 new members would join Canoo in 2023. We surpassed that number by 68%, with more than 134,000 new members joining Canoo in 2023. In 2024, we expect to receive more than 225,000 new members. This incredible growth demonstrates the appeal of the Canoo program and its vast partner network to newcomers.
Sign-ups per Month
May 2023-May 2024
The following graph demonstrates the number of Canoo sign-ups per month over the past year. Canoo sign-ups typically peak during school holidays, such as July (summer break) and December (winter break). This year, the sign-ups in May 2024 surpassed last year’s May sign-ups and are nearly as high as the peak July 2023 sign-ups.
Peak Month
Number of Sign-ups (Adult + Child)
July 2023
35,245
December 2023
21,917
May 2024
29,754
Year-over-year Change in Canoo Membership
When comparing Canoo sign-ups from the same period one year apart, we can see that the peaks in sign-ups remain similar, but the number of Canoo sign-ups drastically increased from 2022/2023 to 2023/2024. The biggest increases were in the summer months; July 2023 saw a 55% increase in sign-ups compared to July 2022.
Sign-ups per month (Adult + Children)
2022/2023 vs 2023/2024
Gender Breakdown of New Canoo Members
(Signed up May 2023 – May 2024)
Overall, 78 Canoo members selected “no gender” or “non-binary”.
The gender breakdown of members who signed up in the past year reflects the Canadian population overall, with slightly more females than males.
Children Canoo through Canada
Many Canoo members join the app to take advantage of the child-friendly activities they can participate in with their whole family. Although the percentage of Canoo members with children has decreased slightly in the most recent one-year period compared to the same period in 2022/2023, nearly half of all Canoo members joined with children.
Sign-up Period
Has Children
May 2022 – May 2023
50,146 (53.5%)
May 2023 – May 2024
77,167 (49.5%)
Top 10 Countries of Origin
(Sign-ups May 2023 – May 2024)
The main countries of origin of Canoo members have shifted since we last published data in December 2022. While India, China, and the Philippines still hold the top three spots, several new countries have entered the list: Nigeria, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.
Some exciting new partners on Canoo
Canoo is adding new partners from across Canada every week. Here’s a small sample of some new partners offering experiences on Canoo:
Diefenbunker: Canada’s Cold War Museum (Ottawa, ON) showcases a critical period in Canada’s history.
Le Diamant (Quebec City, QC) is an important anchor for the public, emerging artists, and creators from all horizons
Dartmouth Heritage Museum (Dartmouth, NS) comprises two iconic houses that showcase Nova Scotia history.
If you found this report interesting, be sure to check out our previous editions of the Canoo Insights Report:
As Canoo continues to improve and expand, our quarterly reports strive to offer inspiring stories of Canoo members and highlight the essential collaborations that make these experiences possible.
Stay up-to-date with the latest news from the ICC by subscribing here and following Ideas & Insights.
By Adiba Hasan
In this monthly update, the ICC Immigration Dashboard indicates a drop in PR admissions in 2024 by 16% compared to the same period in 2023. By March 2023, PR admissions had reached 31% of the immigration target levels, with 145,495 new PRs. By comparison, in March 2024 PR admissions hit 25% of the annual immigration target, with 121,610 new PRs.
In 2023, PR admissions declined gradually in the early months of the New Year, with 50,945 admitted in January, 49,670 in February (-1,275), and 44880 in March (-4,790). PR admissions have experienced a more a dramatic decline over the same period in 2024, with 47,745 admitted in January, 39,090 in February (-8,655), and 34,785 in March (-4,305).
PR Admissions by Province
The chart below reflects the impact of the decline in PR admissions across provinces. Overall, most provinces experienced a decrease in PR admissions in 2024 compared to 2023 between January and March. However, with the exception of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Atlantic provinces experienced a slight uptick in PR admissions, with New Brunswick seeing a 35% increase in the PRs admitted compared to the same period in 2023.
The ICC immigration dashboard shows that Manitoba (-36%), Newfoundland and Labrador (-31%), British Columbia (-28%), and Saskatchewan (-24%) saw the sharpest decline in PR admissions. It is worth noting that these provinces are also facing challenges retaining immigrants.
In 2023, New Brunswick experienced record population growth with the province admitting “33,000 arrivals from other countries between July 2021 and July 2023”. The province is also experiencing significant economic growth, ending the fiscal year on March 31, 2023 with a budget surplus of $1.01 billion, which some attribute to the arrival of newcomers. As such, the city of Moncton, which houses 21% of the province’s population, has implemented an Urban Growth Strategy that serves as a directive for managing housing and employment plans for the city over the next 25 years.
According to the ICC Immigration Dashboard, New Brunswick welcomed 44,495 new permanent residents since 2018. The diagram below indicates the streams through which immigrants have been admitted, with the Provincial Nominee Program admitting the most PRs in 2022 and 2023.
What do you think?
Given that Ontario attracts the most number of immigrants, how does adjusting immigration levels on a federal level impact provinces that have a demand for immigrants?
What else can provinces outside of Ontario do to retain immigrants?
Stay informed about the latest immigration trends with the ICC’s immigration dashboard. Interested in following us? Please sign up here for more updates from Ideas & Insights at ICC. You can learn more about the ICC here.
