Paul Martin commentary
Saskatchewan was going one way while the majority of Canada was going the other based on the latest population estimates.
StatsCanada says the country lost 15,000 residents in the first quarter of this year. Saskatchewan, on the other hand, actually gained 160 from the previous quarter and more than 1,000 compared to the same time frame a year earlier.
Ever since Canada cutback the number of immigrants it would allow into the country, population growth has gone from positive to negative. In particular, many who were here on temporary visas had to leave at the expiry of their status.
In Saskatchewan, the number of non-permanent residents moved sharply: more than 4,000 left while another 1,800 fresh applicants arrived leaving a net of 2,400 fewer residents.
And there was one other place Saskatchewan distinguished itself from other parts of the nation. It’s called the natural increase or the number of births compared to deaths. Nationally, more people died in Q1 than were born but in Saskatchewan our birth rate outpaced the loss by 440.
