Canada Views Immigrants as Key to Economic Recovery Voice of America 10 Jun 2021, 08:35 GMT+10 HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA - Officials and experts plotting Canada's economic recovery from the global pandemic are looking to current and future immigrants as a big part of the solution. That conclusion is perhaps inevitable, given the oversized role that immigrants already play in the country's highly pluralistic society. Canada has one of the highest immigration rates of any country, with first-generation residents accounting for 21.9% of the population, according to the latest census in 2016. Asia is the largest source of immigrants, followed by Africa and then Europe. Canada also hosts more than half a million foreign students.