The federal government has agreed to increase immigration in Atlantic Canada by 2,000 people, to fill job vacancies and alleviate outmigration. This policy would roughly double the region’s current migrant intake.
Unfortunately, there is little reason to believe that their plan will work. More immigrants will come, but will they stay? If our economies remain uncompetitive, our regulations overly burdensome, and our taxes high, these new arrivals will likely pick up and leave for Ontario, Saskatchewan, or Alberta, as thousands of Atlantic Canadians already have.
Fixing our policy-induced economic problems would make our region more attractive to more people. Then, more of our own people and our immigrants would stay here, instead of seeking jobs and opportunity elsewhere.