Strategy could be legacy builder
An effective population strategy is essential in a province like P.E.I. The Cradle of Confederation effectively suffers from a double whammy - not only is our population small, but the average age is on the upswing. As baby boomers retire and pass on, it will take more and more effort just to maintain the status quo, let alone increase.
Several governments of both political stripes have made considerable effort over the last two decades in attracting immigrants to the province. While there have been some setbacks, those efforts have definitely born fruit. Prince Edward Island today is a much more multicultural society than it was even 20 years ago. According to the population strategy released this week by the Wade MacLauchlan government, P.E.I. is tied with Alberta for the honour of the highest immigration rate in the country – 13.6 per thousand, well above the national average of 8.9 per thousand. Yet, the 2016 census showed the Island was essentially treading water when it came to population growth. The reasons why are largely two fold. There were 1,306 Islanders born in period between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016, but 1,321 Islanders died during the same period. During that same period, 3,604 residents left the province to relocate to other parts of the country while 2,875 people came here.
The populatation strategy focuses on three major themes - recruiting new immigrants, retaining both immigrants and native Islanders to stay here, and trying to convince Islanders who have gone to other parts of the country to come home.
The document is long on glossy pictures and success stories all under the banner of the “mighty Island.” Over the years, governments have given the province so many nicknames it is hard to keep up. Right now, we are also “Canada’s Food Island” and in the past we have been the “Green province” the “Gentle Island” just to name two.
The “action plan” - government documents (again no matter what the political stripe of the party in power) always contain an “action plan” (usually short on specifics and long on motherhood statements) - contains little that could be considered a surprise.
It certainly does set a rather ambitious goal, namely adding 10,000 more people to the population by 2022 and another 10,000 by 2032. Another target of the plan is to increase the population in rural areas. Rural P.E.I. has seen a steady decline in population, especially over the last decade - a trend that is happening not only across the country, but around the world. The impacts can be seen every day - the trend towards larger electoral districts in rural areas and teacher cutbacks in rural areas being two of the most recent examples. Right now, 72 per cent of Islanders now live within a 20-minute drive of Charlottetown.
If the premier can deliver on these ambitious goals, he will create a lasting legacy that will reap rewards for generations of Islanders to come. It is truly the type of long-range planning governments looking only to the next election have too often ignored.