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 reversing the falling fertility rate, investing in economic development around "mega-regions", and increasing immigration.[2]

The Century Initiative was co-founded by Mark Wiseman and Dominic Barton.[4][5] The Initiative is supported by former Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney[6] 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][7]

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.[8][9] The Century Initiative has been written about by columnists including Andrew Coyne,[10] Terence Corcoran,[11] and Doug Saunders, who subsequently authored the book Maximum Canada: Why 35 Million Canadians Are Not Enough.[12]