Alberta’s Growth Continues Amid Immigration Restrictions

New data from Statistics Canada indicates that Alberta’s population growth remains steady, even as the federal government tightens immigration rules.

According to the report, approximately 5,057,077 people resided in Alberta as of April 1 – a 0.2 per cent increase from the last quarter.

This may not sound like a significant rise, but during the same period, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec each experienced a decrease of 0.2 per cent in their populations.

“The only large province breaking the trend on that one is Alberta, which has not experienced a single drop, a single quarter of population decline,” said Stéfane Marion, chief economist with the National Bank of Canada.

Alberta’s population has been expanding rapidly for years; however, an analyst from Statistics Canada mentioned that growth is beginning to stabilize. (Statistics Canada)

Canada’s overall population also saw a decline of 0.1 per cent to an estimated 41,417,056 individuals.

Fewer immigrants relocating to Alberta

While Alberta’s population keeps growing, there are fewer newcomers moving to the province.

Statistics Canada reported that the number of immigrants who settled in Alberta during the first quarter of 2026 (11,139) decreased by 18.2 per cent.

Additionally, the count of non-permanent residents in Alberta – which includes anyone who isn’t a Canadian citizen or permanent resident – fell by 3.7 per cent compared to the previous quarter.

So what’s fueling this growth?

Stacey Hallman, an analyst at Statistics Canada’s Centre for Demography noted that interprovincial migration is compensating for these losses. She stated that Alberta continues to lead Canada in interprovincial migration.

“More people are moving to Alberta than are moving from Alberta to other provinces and territories in Canada,” she said.

This trend has persisted for several years – since around when former premier Jason Kenney launched his “Alberta is Calling” campaign.

Stéfane Marion serves as chief economist with the National Bank of Canada. (Colin Hall/CBC)<P< Marion pointed out it contrasts sharply with other major provinces in Canada.<P< “All the other provinces – think about Ontario, think about B. C. – they’re still seeing inflows of permanent immigrants on a year-over-year basis. But the outflows of foreign students and temporary workers is greater than the inflow of permanent residents,” Marion explained.<P< “In Alberta’s case, it’s neutral. So that makes the overall population grow.”<P< Hallman added that while Alberta’s growth remains positive after record levels seen recently,<P< “It seems like the trends and growth are kind of returning to what we saw before the pandemic.”

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