Since the election of Donald Trump as President of the U.S., there have been many reports in the press about the number of refugees fleeing into Canada. While it is true that refugee flight has surged since the election, the numbers were growing during the Obama administration because the U.S. has a reputation as unsympathetic to refugees (see ref below). It might suprise most readers that Canadian refugee claims are lower this year than they were 15-20 years ago.
According to the Canada Border Services Agency, land border crossings by refugees have more than doubled over the past several years. However, the 7,023 refugee claims in 2016 were less than the 8,000 claims made each year from 1999 to 2004. (CBC report)
Because there has been relatively little media coverage, the general population paid little attention. Now that the press has turned their attention to the problem (see Note below), it appears to many of us that the election of Donald Trump is entirely responsible for the exodus into Canada. Media coverage, or the lack of it, influences our perception of reality. Psychologists refer to this as attentional bias.
Note: Most of the first six pages of results from a search of "how many illegal immigrants fled into canada in 2015" were recent.
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Other resources:
Toronto Star - Refugees coming into Quebec 2016
BBC - Refugees coming into Manitoba 2013-2016
Canada is 15th on the list of countries receiving refugees
A June 2015 Atlantic article with several dozen evocative photos of migrants around the world
2014 American Immigration Council (AIC) report on unaccompanied children from Central America
