Canada
Canada's foreign born population is at its highest level in 70 years. Its visible minority1 population has tripled since 1981, and its Aboriginal population, as a percentage, is second only to that of New Zealand (Statistics Canada, 2003). The Conference Board of Canada (2003) projected that by 2025, immigration will account for all population growth in Canada. Table 1 provides the selected demographic trends in Canada.
Table 1: Selected demographic trends in Canada
| 2001 | 2017 | |
| Immigrants | 18.5% | 21.1% – 25.6% |
| Visible minorities | 13.4% | 19% - 23% |
| Aboriginal | 3.3% | 4% |
| Non-official mother tongue | 17.2% | 20.8% - 24.8% |
Alberta
Alberta's demographic landscape has also changed. Currently, compared to other provinces and territories, Alberta is third in terms of both its foreign born and visible minority populations. Aboriginal people account for 5.5 per cent of the province's population. Tables 2 to 4 elaborate on the demographic trends in Alberta.
Table 2: Immigrant population in Alberta, 2001-2017
| 2001 | 2017 | |
| Alberta | 15.0% | 16.6% - 18.8% |
| Calgary | 21.0% | 22.1% - 26.6% |
| Edmonton | 17.9% | 17.1% - 20.2% |
| Rest of Alberta | 7.1% | 7.8% - 9.3% |
Table 3: Visible minorities in Alberta, 2001-2017
| 2001 | 2017 | |
| Alberta | 11.0% | 14.2% - 17.1% |
| Calgary | 17.5% | 22.1% - 26.4% |
| Edmonton | 14.6% | 16.8% - 19.8% |
| Rest of Alberta | 2.6% | 4.1% - 4.9% |
Table 4: Non-official language mother tongue in Alberta, 2001-2017
| 2001 | 2017 | |
| Alberta | 15.7% | 16.5% - 19.3% |
| Calgary | 18.6% | 21.5% - 25.7% |
| Edmonton | 18.2% | 17.7% - 20.5% |
| Rest of Alberta | 10.9% | 10.5% - 11.7% |
Table 5: Aboriginal population in Alberta, 2001-2017
| 2001 | 2017 | |
| Alberta | 5.5% | 6.3% |
| Reserve residence | 1.5% | 2.0% - 2.4% |
| Metropolitan residence | 1.9% | 1.8% - 2.0% |
| Rural residence | 1.0% | 1.3% - 1.1% |
Given the continuing growth of culturally diverse populations, more school-age children will enter the public school system with unique linguistic and sociocultural needs. In the last decade, major school boards have seen their numbers of students requiring English as a Second Language services grow exponentially. In fact, if properly identified and assessed, more than 15 per cent of learners in urban school jurisdictions are from an ESL background (Dawson, 1998; Dempster & Albert, 1998; McInnes, 1993; Rinehart, 1996). Figure 1 provides an example of how one major school board in Alberta, the Calgary Board of Education, has seen drastic growth in its ESL student population in the last 14 years.
Figure 1: Number of ESL students in the CBE over time
