New Brunswick unveils new 5-year population growth strategy

New Brunswick has released its five-year population growth strategy, with much of the focus on attracting and retaining immigrants.

The strategy has three main components, which include targeting 7,500 newcomers annually by 2024, retaining 85 per cent of newcomers in the province for at least one year within the next five years, and targeting a two per cent increase in French-speaking newcomers.

Trevor Holder, New Brunswick’s minister of post-secondary education, training and labour, says the government will not be able to achieve its goal alone.

“A lot of this is about … tearing some of the silos down so that all government agencies, all community groups are working together to try and create what I call that ‘stickiness’ that keeps people in a community,” he said.

Holder also had some tough words for municipalities when it comes to investing in population growth. He says the subject will be part of the conversation when it comes to requests for funding.

“I can’t put this any more clearly: we won’t be investing in communities where they aren’t working toward growing their population and welcoming newcomers,” he said, adding that there will not be enough people living in the province to support needed services without population growth.

The need for both communities and employers to step forward and give immigrants opportunities was also a key focus. Moncef Lakouas, president of the New Brunswick Multicultural Council, says it takes a community to raise a child, but it also takes a community to integrate and retain newcomers.

“Making sure that we do a better job in terms of getting immigrants to fill jobs and getting immigrants get to know their communities and to fall in love with their communities,” Lakouas said.

Nicole Grechi left her native Brazil a few years ago to come to study in Canada, and chose Fredericton as her new home. It’s a place she says she has fallen in love with, adding that community support is very important.

“I notice that the New Brunswickers, the people who live here, they’re always welcoming, and for that reason, that’s one of the things that made me stay the most,” she said.

The strategy also includes a five-year action plan. The action plan contains 60 items covering a wide variety of population growth issues.

Holder says about $2 million of the $8.3-million strategy will go towards the new initiatives announced on Tuesday. The plan will be revisited again in 2024.