Canada's population passes 34 million

Canada's population now exceeds 34 million, with British Columbia showing the strongest growth rate of all provinces, according to Statistics Canada.

Of special interest is that Quebec, while growing, is still growing more slowly than the Rest of Canada -- that will have significant long term implications for Confederation.

Population increases by province:

Newfoundland and Labrador rose by 0.02 per cent to 510,900.
Prince Edward Island grew by 0.23 per cent to 141,600.
Nova Scotia posted a 0.03 per cent drop to 940,500.
New Brunswick's population expanded by 0.08 per cent to 751,300.
Quebec's population grew by 0.20 per cent to 7,886,100.
Ontario's population rose by 0.25 per cent to 13,167,900.
Manitoba's population grew by 0.30 per cent to 1,232,700.
Saskatchewan posted a 0.36 per cent gain to 1,041,700.
Alberta's population climbed 0.35 per cent to 3,724,800.
British Columbia's population grew by 0.37 per cent to just over 4,510,900.

All three territories posted population growth above the national average: Nunavut 1.05 per cent to 32,900, the Northwest Territories 0.57 per cent to 43,529 and Yukon 0.75 per cent to 34.246.