Quebec sees population rise but Montreal loses ground

Montreal has not kept pace with Canadian population growth rates,according to new census data released Tuesday by Statistics Canada.

The city's population increased by 2.3 per cent between 2001 and 2006, half the national average of 5.4 per cent.

In 2001, Montreal's overall population was 1,583,590; five years later, 1,620,693 people lived in Quebec's largest city.

Quebec's overall population enjoyed a healthier growth rate, with 308,652 more people reported living in the province in 2006,up 4.3 per cent from the previous census.

The province's growth spurt is three times higher than the last census period, and the second highest population surge in the province since the post-war baby boom in the mid-1960s.

The demographic shift is attributable mostly to immigration and migration from other provinces, and not Quebec's higher birth rate, Statistics Canada said. The birth rate has been slowly increasing in recent years with a spike in 2006, when 82,500 children were born.

The mini baby boom happened too late in the census period to make any significant difference to Quebec's demographic snapshot, according to Laurent Martel, an analyst at Statistics Canada.

Quebec had more than 7.5 million residents on May 16, 2006, about 23.9 per cent of Canada's total population— a slight drop from 2001, when Quebec was home to 24.1 per cent of Canadians. In 1966, 28.9 per cent of Canadians lived in Quebec.

The census data suggests Alberta has the highest growth rate of all provinces, mostly due to emigration from other provinces.

Statistics Canada will publish more demographic information in months to come with breakdowns on age, sex, marital status, language, ethnic origin, education and income.

Other Montreal data released Tuesday: