Yeah, the entire anomaly in population growth is due to an increase in temporary residents that the government allowed in a panicked attempt to alleviate a labor shortage. Relating that to housing starts (which are more of a long-term thing) and comparing to other eras doesn't make a whole lot of sense unless you think nothing will be done to scale back the number of temporary residents.
If you exclude the growth in temporary residents (which can and should be reversed), Canada's population has grown by about 3.8% in the last 3 years, which is 1.25% a year. That's a totally sustainable number and about 2.5 people per housing start.
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