Saskatchewan is now in its 16th year of steady population growth. That comes after 25 years of the trend line going the other way as the number of people calling Saskatchewan home steadily declined for two-and-a-half decades.
That exodus was a major factor in changing the political landscape of the province. Any place where more people were leaving than coming had some things to fix.
Population growth has become a big item on the political and economic agenda of the province as a result. Whether this manifests itself in a shortage of health care workers, which has prompted temporary closures of small-town emergency rooms, loss of airline service or the need for critical mass to attract big names concerts, one thing is clear.
Without more people, we will lose our relevance and clout.
So, when word came earlier this week that the feds agreed to give the province more authority over the immigrant nominee program and allow for greater numbers of immigrants, it was another step in the journey strengthen Saskatchewan’s national stature.
