Stopping the bleeding.

Statscan began releasing the data compiled in the 2006 Census today.

The article that announced the release of the first data noted that the population "remained virtually the same in New Brunswick".

But that doesn't begin to tell the story. The real story is the change between 1996-2001 and between 2001 and 2006.


In the 2001 census, we recorded a(nother) drop in our population. This time, there is the slightest increase.

A Statscan statistician interviewed on CBC radio's The Shift this evening said the increase is being attributed directly to "our improved ability to attract and retain immigrants".

Immigration isn't a panacea. It has to be part of a multi-pronged strategy that includes family-friendly policies that encourage an increase in the birthrate, repatriation of the large population that's headed west for better opportunities, and giving our youth a reason to stay here and not join that exodus.

But it's a key piece of the puzzle.

And maybe it's really working. Maybe we're starting to turn things around, or at least stopping the bleeding.

When I saw this chart today, I thought about all those settlement officers I know who work long hours for lousy pay, all the volunteers who serve on their boards of directors and make policy and who design programming and show up to carry it out. They are making a difference.

ronnie

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