Author: Robert Roach
State of the West 2003: Western Canadian Demographic and Economic Trends presents a nuanced portrait of the four western provinces and the people that live there. Since its last edition of State of the West two years ago, Canada West Foundation says there has been a deepening of demographic and economic trends in Western Canada.
Key findings include:
The West is projected to grow by 2 to 3 million people by 2025, with virtually all the growth occurring in BC and Alberta.
Over 1.6 million westerners were born in foreign countries; BC has the highest percentage in this respect (26.1%) and Saskatchewan has the lowest (5.0%).
Within the West, British Columbia and Alberta were net recipients of interprovincial migrants between 1972 and 2002 while Saskatchewan and Manitoba lost a combined total of 339,422 people.
The proportion of the population over 65 years of age is the highest it has ever been and will rise rapidly when the baby boomers start to reach 65 after 2010.
Within the West, there is great variation in the percentage of the population who are visible minorities, with BC leading the region at 21.6% and Saskatchewan last at 2.9%.
Canada is one of the most urbanized countries in the world and its western provinces are no exception, with just under 80% of the West’s population living in urban areas.
The increase in foreign trade has boosted economic growth and standards of living by allowing the western provinces to expand the markets for their goods well beyond what is possible within the country or a less open global system.
“Despite the many demographic and economic differences that exist within the West, there is a great deal of similarity on an attitudinal level. Westerners do not all think alike, but they tend to think like westerners nonetheless”, says Robert Roach, Senior Policy Analyst.
State of the West 2003 is part of the Canada West Foundation’s Building the New West (BNW) Project, a multi-year research and public consultation initiative focused on the strategic positioning of western Canada within the global economy.