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The Graphic Truth: Where immigrants to US & Canada come from
When it comes to immigration policies, Canada and the United States often go in opposite directions. Ottawa’s per capita total towers over Washington’s – 1.05 to 0.30 – because it strategically positions immigration as a cornerstone of its economic growth plan. In short, it bolsters the labor force.
But last week, we told you that 44% of Canadians (up from 27% last year) now think that immigration levels are too high, the biggest change in sentiment pollster Environics has seen in more than four decades. While this has prompted a new government cap on newcomers, the cap is high: 500,000 a year.
In stark contrast, US immigration policies are subject to the winds of changing administrations, and immigrants are often cast as a strain on the economy, limiting the number of jobs and resources available for Americans.
So where do most immigrants to the US and Canada come from? India tops the list for Canada, with the number of Indians who have become permanent residents in Canada tripling since 2013. India is No. 2 on the US list, beaten by more than twice as many migrants from Mexico.
We look at the top 10 countries of origin for immigrants to both countries.
President Joe Biden joined striking US auto workers in Michigan this week to lend support to the labor unions that have been on the picket line.
This move – the first time a US president has joined organized labor groups in protest – shows the importance of specific states in the upper Midwest, where unions yield clout, in paving Biden’s path to victory in next year’s presidential election. Former President Donald Trump, for his part, also addressed auto workers in Michigan this week.
But this outreach isn’t just about the Great Lakes State and its important electorate – it’s reflective of both parties’ efforts to win over white working-class voters in a matchup that’s looking increasingly close.
We take a look at union representation across select battleground states and how they’ve voted in the past four presidential elections.
Recent headlines of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, 81, struggling to speak and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 90, appearing confused in hearings have left some Americans concerned that their leaders are staying in power past their prime.
In Congress, baby boomers and the Silent Generation make up 54% of all members. The Senate’s median age, 65.3, has risen by three years since 2017, while the House’s dropped slightly from 58.4 to 57.9. In 2023, the first Gen Z representative was elected, joining the ranks of 13 others under the age of 35.
The Democratic Party skews older, with 17 House members from the Silent Generation compared to five across the aisle. This is likely because Democrats value seniority in committee leadership positions and don’t have term limits like the Republicans.
These age concerns go beyond health and mental fitness; they question whether a gerontocratic government will adequately prioritize slow-moving crises, from climate change to mounting federal debt, whose consequences aren’t immediate but will shape the future for younger generations.
The Graphic Truth: English-French bilingualism in Canada
Parlez-vous le français? Probably pas très bien if you live outside Quebec, according to census data from Statistics Canada.
The share of Canadians who can hold a conversation in both English and French has plateaued around 18% for two decades, despite strong legal protections for the French language and official encouragement of bilingualism.
The background: Political rivalries between English and French-speaking Canadians dominated the early history of the country, and fuel some radical independence movements in Quebec even today. Official adoption of bilingualism at a federal level in 1969 was meant to help heal the rift.
And in the first three decades, it met with considerable success. The share of bilingual Canadians rose from 12.2% in 1961 to 17.7% in 2001.
However, most of the growth came in Quebec, which continues to push up the national rate of bilingualism. Nearly half of Quebeckers are bilingual, compared to less than 1 in 10 Canadians from other provinces.
Statistics Canada explains that English-speaking Canada has simply outgrown the share of the country with French as their mother tongue, but also pointed out that Canadians whose mother tongue is neither French nor English —- mostly immigrants — are less likely to learn both of Canada’s official languages.
But there’s one more wrinkle: Quebeckers whose mother tongue is neither English nor French are actually more likely than the general population to speak both languages, with 50.8% able to hold a conversation in French, English and their mother tongue. Incroyable!
The Graphic Truth: Hispanic college enrollment has surged
September 15 marked the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, and as the United States enters a new era in college admissions following the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down race-based affirmative action protections this summer, many worry that the new rules could hurt the chances of aspiring students from traditionally marginalized communities.
New data from the Department of Education indicates the number of Hispanic students grew nearly 30% between 2010 and 2021, and made up over a fifth of the enrolled student body in 2021. Hispanic people as a whole were one of the fastest growing demographic groups in the U.S. at the time, accounting for more than half of the total population increase between 2010 and 2020. Here’s a look at racial makeup of undergraduate students in the U.S. over the last several years.
The Graphic Truth: Migrant populations Canada and the US
Few issues are more contentious in US politics than immigration, where policy can swing drastically from one administration to the next. Canada, for its part, has gained a reputation as one of the most hospitable countries to migrants in the developed world.
But in Canada, too, immigration has become an increasingly contentious and politicized issue, with some expressing concern that immigrants – particularly international students – are exacerbating the country's affordable housing crisis, leading to the government considering a cap on the number of student visas.
What’s more, the data shows that the number of migrants as a percent of the total population has in fact grown more in the US over the past few decades than in its northern neighbor. We take a look at how the two countries' migrant populations stack up.
Ever since satellite observations started in the late 1970s, sea ice extent levels have been falling. That is the area of the Arctic Ocean covered by ice at any given time, which is important for the regulation of ocean and air temperatures, as well as safeguarding animal habitats.
But as the climate crisis deepens and sea temperatures rise, ice extent levels have reached historic lows. Meanwhile, as more ice melts, not only does it endanger wildlife, but it also fuels rising sea levels and releases methane into the environment that contributes to some of the worst climate catastrophes seen in recent years.
We take a look at sea ice extent levels from 1980-2023.
Amid inflationary pressures over the past 18 months that have hurt consumer purchasing power, there has been renewed focus in Canada and the US on taxation rates.
The topic of taxes might not be sexy, but it is certainly political, with conservatives in both countries often blaming liberal politicians for supporting tax rates that they say are further contributing to cost-of-living pressures.
So what’s the tax rate where you live? We look at state and provincial tax rates in the most populous provinces and states in Canada and the US.