Immigration and the Canadian Economy from Champlain to the Present: A Long‑Run Synthesis

Views: 198 Canada is not merely a country that receives immigrants. It is a political economy constructed through immigration. From the founding of Québec by Samuel de Champlain in 1608 to contemporary adjustments in admission targets, population inflows have functioned as an explicit instrument of economic design. Immigration has enlarged markets, populated frontiers, supplied labor to factories and resource projects, and diversified the nation’s human capital base. At moments of expansion, policymakers have turned to immigration as an accelerant. During downturns, they have restricted it, sometimes exacerbating contractions. Yet the benefits have not been evenly distributed. Settlement-driven growth depended on land transfers …

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