According to the Times & Transcript today:
The provincial government has nearly doubled its repatriation goal by attracting 550 former New Brunswickers to return to work in New Brunswick.
Once again, the government is playing on people’s lack of knowledge and counting on the media for lack of comparative research.
Using numbers posted on the New Brunswick government web site, we have had a net out-migration (more people moving out than in) for 13 straight years – that’s right, Lord and McKenna. Almost 15,000 more people moving out than moving in during that time.
So they say that they have attracted 550 former NBers to move in – what about the other 14,500 that moved out?
The T&T quotes Margaret-Ann Blaney, training and employment development minister as saying:
“We’re really pleased with the numbers on all fronts, I think they’ve very encouraging.”
If the media had any sense or any desire to provide NBers with the real picture they would have said, Thank you Madame Minister for that 550 statistics but how can you be ‘pleased’ and encouraged by 13 straight years of out-migration? How come your $10 million hasn’t led to a net in-migration of people?
As long as our government ministers continue to be ‘pleased’ and encouraged by 13 straight years of out-migration, the third worst job creation record in the country, the second worst employment rate and the third worst unemployment rate in North America, we will see nothing getting done. Period.
Click here for the province’s own table on this.