Inmigration to Canada from 1980 to 2013.
We can see a corresponding increase in immigration from Argentina during the 1998 – 2002 great depression. We can also observe a similar spike around 1985 to 1993. In fact, Argentina had suffered a great depression from 1974 – 1990, just before the onset of 1998 – 2002 great depression.
Brazil suffered the Samba Effect where the Brazilian real (currency) dropped nearly 35% in 1999. There was a fear of a South American financial crisis as many South American countries were heavily dependent on industrial exports from Brazil. The Brazilian government subsequently adopted an austerity program, and the economy slowly recovered over the years, culminating in a surge in 2010. The immigration data reflect these events.
The number of immigrants from Haiti spiked up from 2010 as Canada stepped up its efforts to accept refugees from Haiti.
Number of Immigrants = 5567 * Year + -10926195.
Using the equation of line of best fit, we can estimate the number of immigrants in 2015.
Number of Immigrants = 5567 * 2015 + -10926195 = 291,310
When compared to the actuals from Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s (CIC) 2016 Annual Report, we see that Canada accepted 271,845 immigrants in 2015. Our estimated value of 291,310 is within 7% of the actual number, which is pretty good considering our original data came from United Nations (and might differ slightly from CIC data).
The immigration took a dip around 1993 – 1997. Further analysis into the topic revealed that in 1993 Canada introcuded Bill C-86 which introduced revisions to the refugee determination system, mostly restrictive. Further amendments to the Immigration Regulations cancelled the sponsorship required for “assisted relatives” and reduced the points awarded to them, making it more difficult for family members (other than nuclear family) to immigrate to Canada. These restrictive measures had a direct impact on the immigration numbers for the next several years.