Canada population drop by 76,068 between July and October, reduction wey limits in immigration cause, di federal statistics agency tok.

Di decrease mainly na sake of drop in non-permanent residents, Statistics Canada tok on Wednesday, and e come afta Ottawa set one goal wey restrict temporary residents to 5% of di 41.6 million population by 2027.

Na sharp change from 2022, wen di population bin grow by more dan one million pipo for di first time, wey dey fuelled in part by efforts to recruit immigrants to ease labour shortages.

"We need to bring our immigration level to a more sustainable level," Canada finance minister, François-Philippe Champagne, tell reporters.

Champagne, wey tok from Berlin during one visit to Europe, tok say do govment goal na to "take back control ova our immigration system and find beta balance between our capacity to welcome pipo plus di number of pipo wey wan come di kontri".

Di population drop na di "sharpest decline on record since di 1940s", Bank of Montreal senior economist Robert Kavcic tok for one analysis.

"One major population adjustment dey go on, and e remain one of di biggest economic stories for Canada," e add.

Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau bin make efforts to attract more immigrants to di kontri, wey bin include one plan to welcome half a million immigrants a year by 2025.

By 2023, di vast majority of Canada population growth - about 97% - bin rise by immigration, according to federal data.

Dem say di increase in newcomers bin put pressure on di cost of housing, stress on social services and youth unemployment rates.

Trudeau last year bin announce sharp cut for di number of immigrants Canada go allow into di kontri as effort to pause population growth, e say im govment "no get di balance quite right" wen dem boost immigration post-pandemic to address labour shortages.

Prime Minister Mark Carney don continue for dat line, as Ottawa wan significantly cut targets for new temporary residents from 673,650 to 385,000 next year, and 370,000 in 2027 and 2028.

According to Statistics Canada preliminary numbers wey dem release on Wednesday, di kontri population reduce by 0.2% for di third quarter of 2025 - di first decline since di Covid pandemic for 2020.

Di reason for di reduction na drop of non-permanent residents - primarily international students plus temporary foreign workers – for di third quarter of 2025, di largest dem don see since comparable records start for 1971.

For October, more dan 2.8 million non-permanent residents bin dey for Canada, about 6.8% of di total population.

Di provinces of Ontario and British Columbia bin see di biggest drops in population. Only Alberta plus di territory of Nunavut see dia populations grow.