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Imagine Canada with a population of 100 million — roughly triple its current size.

For two of the most prominent voices inside the Trudeau government's influential council of economic advisers, it's much more than a passing fancy.

It's a target.

The 14-member council was assembled by Finance Minister Bill Morneau to provide "bold" advice on how best to guide Canada's struggling economy out of its slow-growth rut.

One of their first recommendations, released last week, called for a gradual increase in permanent immigration to 450,000 people a year by 2021 — with a focus on top business talent and international students. That would be a 50-per-cent hike from the current level of about 300,000.

The council members — along with many others, including Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains — argue that opening Canada's doors to more newcomers is a crucial ingredient for expanding growth in the future.

They say it's particularly important as more and more of the country's baby boomers enter their golden years, which eats away at the workforce.

The conviction to bring in more immigrants is especially significant for at least two of the people around the advisory team's table.

Growth council chair Dominic Barton, the powerful global managing director of consulting firm McKinsey & Co., and Mark Wiseman, a senior managing director for investment management giant BlackRock Inc., are among the founders of a group dedicated to seeing the country responsibly expand its population as a way to help drive its economic potential.

The Century Initiative, a five-year-old effort by well-known Canadians, is focused on seeing the country of 36 million grow to 100 million by 2100.

Without significant policy changes on immigration, the current demographic trajectory has Canada's population on track to reach 53 million people by the end of the century, the group says on its website. That would place it outside the top 45 nations in population size, it says.