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The Interprovincial Migration of Canada's Elderly: 1956–61 and 1971–76

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Herbert C. Northcott
Herbert C. Northcott
Affiliation:
University of Alberta
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Abstract

This study examines interprovincial migration patterns of elderly and nonelderly Canadians during 1956–61 and 1971–76. The focus of the paper is on the relationships between net migration patterns and changes in the concentration of elderly persons in provincial populations. The data show that elderly and nonelderly net migration patterns are very similar; that is, provinces that attract elderly also tend to attract nonelderly while provinces that lose elderly also tend to lose nonelderly. As a consequence, the impact of elderly migration on the aging of provincial populations is offset by nonelderly migration. Nevertheless, migration patterns do contribute in two ways to the relative concentration of elderly persons in provincial populations. First, elderly net in-migration after eliminating the counterbalancing effects of nonelderly in-migration does contribute modestly to population aging in 1971–76 though not in 1956–61. Second, nonelderly net out-migration contributes to the aging of a province's population in that the out-flow of younger persons increases the relative concentration of the elderly in the remaining population.

Résumé

Le présent article porte sur la structure des migrations chez les canadiens âgés et jeunes au cours des périodes 1956–1961 et 1971–1976, et plus particulièrement sur le rapport entre le résultat net des échanges d'une part, et l'effet de ces échanges sur la concentration des gens âgés au sein des populations provinciales d'autre part. Les données révèlent que les courants migratoires sont comparables dans les deux couches d'âge, autrement dit, les provinces qui attirent les personnes âgées attirent également les personnes jeunes, tandis que celles qui perdent des personnes âgées laissent également partir des personnes jeunes. Par suite, l'effet des migrations de gens âgés sur le vieillissement des populations provinciales se trouve compensé par les mouvements de populations jeunes. Ces mouvements migratoires ont cependant un effet sur la concentration des personnes âgées au sein des populations provinciales. Premièrement, le résultat net de l'immigration âgée, compte tenu de l'immigration jeune, entraine une modeste augmentation du vieillissement au cours de la période 1971–1976 (mais non pour la période 1951–1956). En second lieu, l'émmigration jeune contribue également à faire augmenter la concentration des personnes âgées parmi la population restante dans une province donnée.

Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 3 , Issue 1 , March 1984 , pp. 3 - 22
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1984

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References

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