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 orphanages and sports clubs appeared in the 1850’s. Catholic-Protestant clashes such as the Gavazzi Riots of 1854 in Montreal also reflected an increased Irish presence. In the Ottawa Valley, competition for jobs in the timber trade  led to serious riots involving the Irish there.

Be careful when measuring demographic impacts. As stated, 100,000 Irish immigrants landing in Canada did not increase the Canadian population by 100,000 people. . Some numbers refer to all of North America, some only to Canada or the United States. Some refer to numbers of immigrants going through Grosse Isle but not to those  landing in other parts of Canada. “Burials” are not even the same as “deaths.” In 1847, from 3,452 to 3,389 died on Grosse Isle. However, 5,424 were buried on Grosse Isle because ships were not allowed to bury their dead on the river. Some writers assume that all those buried on Grosse Isle were Irish, and died during the Famine years. Grosse Isle was a burial place before and after the Famine, and many nationalities rest there.

Many Canadian books complain about the “loss” of immigrants to the United States in 1847. However, from about 1815, the “timber-out, migrants-in” trade in Quebec City and Saint John, New Brunswick had imported more people than Canada could absorb. Immigrants were a “cargo” that the Canadian shipping companies used to make money. In other words, Canada made money from the immigrant trade and immigrants going to the United States used the Liverpool- Quebec City route because it was cheap.