OTTAWA – The number of seniors in Canada is booming.

Statistics Canada has just released the latest data from the 2011 census, and it shows Canada now has a record-high number of people aged 65 and older.

According to the census, seniors make up 14.8 per cent of the total population, and that number will just continue to grow.

The baby boom generation has reached retirement age and in 20 years, the projections show nearly one in every four Canadians will be 65 and up.

The Atlantic provinces and British Columbia have the oldest populations in the country while the other Western provinces have the youngest.

The problem is that this all points to a labour crunch over the next couple of decades.

Statistics Canada director-general Jane Badets said for the first time ever, this country is seeing more people in the age group that leaves the workforce, than the age group that enters it.

“Those people that were born between 1945 and 1964 — they’re ready to retire. Once they start exiting the labour market, you’re going to see the population aging increase and accelerate in Canada,” Badets said.

The demographic changes have already led to governments making new plans for things like old age security and health care.

While the population is aging, one surprising fact is that we’re also having more children.

The number of children aged four and under has increased 11 per cent since 2006, which is the highest rate of growth for that age group in the last 50 years ago.

At the moment, it’s too early to tell if this is just a baby blip, or the beginning of a new boom.