Saskatchewan's immigration numbers are falling, causing some to be concerned about the province's future economic growth.New data from Statistics Canada (StatsCan) showed fewer newcomers arrived in Saskatchewan between April and June 2024 than last year. The province welcomed 7,720 immigrants in the second quarter of 2024, down 20% from 9,681 in 2023.According to Patrick Charbonneau, a StatsCan demographer, this decline is part of a larger trend across Canada."We're seeing the start of a slowdown of the population growth," Charbonneau told CBC News. "If we compare the situation in the second quarter of 2023, we were seeing all-time records. And now we are seeing the situation that is slowly starting to come back to what it was before."Charbonneau said the main reason for the drop is that fewer non-permanent residents are coming to Canada. These include people who come to work, study, or seek asylum.Ali Abukar, CEO of the Open Door Society in Saskatoon, warns that this trend could hurt Saskatchewan's economy if it continues."When your overall population numbers are lower, 1.24 million, that 20% decrease for the quarter might not look too huge, but the consequences might have on our economy, and overall might be bigger than that," Abukar told CBC News.The Open Door Society has helped newcomers settle in Saskatoon since 1980.As of July 2024, Saskatchewan's population is 1,239,865. While the province gained people through international immigration and births, it lost 1,542 people who moved to other provinces. Charbonneau noted that 80% of those losses were to Alberta.The federal government will announce its immigration targets for the next few years on November 1. Abukar expects these numbers to be lower than before."For the first time, the immigration minister also is going to include the number of temporary residents," said Abukar."In the past, there was no cap, there was no specific number of temporary residents like international students and work permits. But now that is going to be included in the next year." Abukar is worried about what these changes might mean for Saskatchewan.Abukar added that fewer people entering the workforce and more people leaving the province could create problems."We're trying to manage immigration levels and the impact that it might have on our infrastructure," said Abukar."But on the other side of the same coin, we need to be very careful in terms of looking at how that might impact the economy."
