Due to the high cost of living and rental shortages, emigration numbers in Canada are rising at a rapid pace.
“The rate of immigrants leaving Canada hit a two-decade high in 2019, according to a recent report from the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC), an immigration advocacy group. While the numbers went down during pandemic lockdowns, Statistics Canada data shows it is once again rising,” Reuters reported.
Emigration currently stands in the country at about 0.09% of the population.
“For a nation built on immigrants, a rising trend of people leaving Canada risks undermining one of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau government’s signature policies, which granted permanent residency to a record 2.5 million people in just eight years,” the outlet continued.
“I never realized that living in a Western country, you can only afford renting a room in the basement,” one immigrant said. She declined to give her real name because she fled Hong Kong after participating in the 2019 protests triggered by a now-abandoned extradition bill. “I almost use every single penny,” she continued, while in Hong Kong she was able to save about a third of her monthly salary.
