Somali refugee girls stand by the fence surrounding their hut at Dadaab refugee camp, which currently hosts over 230,000 inhabitants, in northern Kenya in December 2017. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Refugee claimants helped fuel unprecedented migration to Canada last summer, leading to the largest increase in the country’s population from July through September in 47 years, Statistics Canada says.

The population grew by 183,715 — to 37.2 million — from July 1 to Oct. 1, StatCan said in a data release Thursday, adding this was “driven largely” by international migration.

More migrants coming to Canada is a positive thing, the release suggests.

Another set of data in the same document shows a steady decline in the net growth of Canada’s natural population through birth, as the ranks of post-world-war baby boomers begin to thin out.

“Natural increase in the third quarter has been on a downward trend since the third quarter of 2012,” the agency said. “In the coming years, natural increase is expected to continue decreasing as a result of population aging, which should lead to an increase in the number of deaths.”

Canada’s population growth for the three-month period last summer was the largest increase since the time frame was first covered by the current demographic account system in 1971, Statistics Canada said.

“This growth was largely driven by international migration,” the release said. “In the third quarter, an unprecedented international migratory increase was observed.”

It set the total migration increase during that period at 146,531.

The total takes into account 82,316 new immigrants admitted to Canada on a permanent basis, plus the “arrival of a large number of non-permanent residents” totaling 79,417. The number includes holders of work and study permits, and, “to a lesser extent, an increase in the number of refugee claimants.”

Net emigration of 15,202 is subtracted from the total of new immigrants admitted on a permanent basis, and the total of non-permanent residents, to get the net migratory increase for the period.

Among the flood of refugees who’ve crossed into Canada from the U.S. since February 2017, 5,023 entered from July to September.

The data from Citizenship and Immigration Canada show the intake of border refugees dropped by more than a thousand in July to September, from a total of 6,183 in April to June.

The total of 34,854 irregular border-crossers the department has recorded since February 2017 has provided Andrew Scheer and his Conservative party with what they consider campaign ammunition for a federal election in 2019.

In a question-period duel with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last Wednesday, Scheer made it clear this element of his election platform is ready to launch.

During an exchange with Trudeau that took up most of the 45-minute grilling period, Scheer called the two-year border influx a “crisis,” and cited the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s forecast that it will cost $1 billion to shelter and otherwise support the migrants.

Trudeau argued that the government is maintaining Canada’s “fair and compassionate” immigration system, while protecting the integrity of the country’s border and the security of its citizens.