This is a census year in Canada.

The census is a critically important public policy and business tool. It provides trending data to better understand the shifts in population and demographics across the country. It helps businesses understand changing market conditions and identify opportunities for growth. It provides governments the information needed to improve public policy and programs.

The last census was a wakeup call in Atlantic Canada indicating a further erosion in the region’s percentage of the Canadian population. At that time, the growth rates for most of the region were anemic. While the country as a whole grew its population by about one per cent on an annual basis, Prince Edward Island led population growth within Atlantic Canada, growing its population by 1.9 per cent over the previous five years. The population in New Brunswick actually declined by half a per cent.

As I have previously indicated, the Island’s population growth has driven economic growth in the province, outperforming the rest of the region for much of the last decade in terms of economic growth. It underscores how important population growth is to economic prosperity.

The results in P.E.I. lay bare the myth that the region cannot grow its population without jobs available to support that growth. It illustrates that population growth on its own creates economic opportunity and jobs. Indeed, P.E.I. has enjoyed the most job growth in the region over the past five years.

The challenge for Atlantic Canada is that population growth has been and continues to be very unevenly distributed, with more growth concentrated in six urban communities (Halifax, Charlottetown, Fredericton, Moncton, Saint John and St. John’s). These cities represent 55 per cent of the region’s GDP and 47 per cent of its population, and attract 80 per cent of immigrants coming to the region.