Canada's population grows 5.9 percent since 2006

TORONTO (AP) -- Canada's population grew by 5.9 percent to 33.5 million over the last five years on the strength of immigration.

Statistics Canada released census data Wednesday that shows the country's immigration program accounted for about two-thirds of the increase in population over the last decade.

The report shows people are flocking to Canada's resource-rich western provinces. The population of oil-rich Alberta jumped 10.8 percent, while potash-rich Saskatchewan grew 6.7 percent.

Ontario, the center of the country's manufacturing sector, is the only province to see its growth rate drop since 2006. But with 38.4 percent of the population, Ontario remains Canada's most populous province.