Century Initiative

The Century Initiative (French: Initiative du Siècle) is a Canadian charity that aims to increase Canada's population to 100 million by 2100.[2] This would include increasing the population of "Mega-regions", such as the Greater Toronto Area, from 8.8 to 33.5 million, the Greater Vancouver region, from 3.3 to 11.9 million, and the National Capital Region, from 1.4 to 4.8 million.[2] Century Initiative forecasts predict that without changes to Canadian immigration policy, the population of Canada will increase to only 53 million people by the end of the century.[3] The Century Initiative intends to reach its population goal by lobbying for what the Calgary Foundation describes as a massive increase in immigration.[4]

The Century Initiative was co-founded by Canadian Ambassador to China Dominic Barton,[5] who also led the Trudeau government’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth.[6] The Initiative is supported by former Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney[7] and by influential Liberal Party advisors and ministers including former Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Navdeep Bains and former Minister of Finance Bill Morneau.[3][8]

In March 2021, The Globe and Mail hosted a virtual event in partnership with the Century Initiative examining key indicators of the Century Initiative’s progress towards growing Canada’s population to 100 million by the year 2100.[9][10] The Century Initiative is supported by career columnists including Andrew Coyne,[11] Terence Corcoran,[12] and Doug Saunders, who subsequently authored the book Maximum Canada: Why 35 Million Canadians Are Not Enough.[13]