In the early part of the 21st century, Canada's largest urban areas, including the City of Vancouver and its satellite suburbs, continue to experience dramatic demographic, economic, and cultural changes as a consequence of immigration. Canada and British Columbia, in fact, have been shaped and defined by immigration. In recent decades, however, changes in federal immigration policies have resulted in more heterogeneous immigrant flows than ever before. These new waves of immigration have transformed the demography, as well as the social, economic, and political structures, of Canada's urban and suburban landscapes, including its diverse housing markets.