What was the demographic (population) impact of the Famine on Canada in 1847?
Demography (population) The demographic impact is impossible to measure. While approximately 100,000 Irish immigrants arrived in Canada about 20,000 died, and many of those remaining continued to the United States. To add to the difficulties of counting people, some Irish immigrants who had landed in the United States, continued on to Canada. While books often say the Famine brought the Irish to North America, far more Irish arrived before and after the Famine years. Famine migration overshadowed previous migration not because of the numbers but because of the terrible circumstances at this time. Many immigrants crossed and re-crossed the Canada and United States border in search of work in the 1850’s to the 1870’s. As railway and other large construction contracts ended, the Irish workers would often cross the border to work on a new project. In many ways, Irish immigrants were restless. The Canadian population then increased, but by how much is debatable. Irish institutions such as o
