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That's an advantage it should want to keepLast updated 1 hour ago You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.The freedom to move anywhere in the country is itself a significant reason for Canada to hang together. Photo by Postmedia filesIn the three decades following 1995, a recent Fraser Institute study notes, Alberta benefitted from a net inflow of 539,000 residents. This should give pause to Albertans thinking of voting for separation. Alberta’s dynamic growth has in part depended on having a large pool of labour. Putting up border controls could become a significant barrier to labour moving to the province.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorBritish Columbia was the second largest net recipient of movers (215,000 of them) over the past 30 years, followed by Nova Scotia (23,000) and Prince Edward Island (4,000). The biggest net losers were Quebec (256,000), Ontario (168,000), Manitoba (156,000) and Saskatchewan (124,000). Newfoundland and Labrador lost 58,000 residents on a net basis and New Brunswick 6,000.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againAlberta’s gain was even more dramatic in percentage terms. It’s 11 per cent bigger today because so many people have moved there. British Columbia is only four per cent larger, Nova Scotia and P.E.I. two per cent each. On the other side of the flows, emigrants to other parts of Canada were roughly 10 per cent of the current populations of Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, two per cent of Quebec’s and just one per cent of Ontario’s.Quebec and Manitoba lost population every year over the past 30, Alberta only during the recession year of 2009-10 and between 2015 and 2021, when commodity prices fell and the NDP hiked top provincial personal tax rates by five percentage points from 10 to 15 per cent. British Columbia gained population in most years but has lost it to other provinces over the past two, which is bad news for Premier David Eby’s government.Over the three decades, Alberta drew in 409,000 people aged 18 to 44. Only B.C. was also a net gainer of young people (105,000). All other provinces lost. A concern for the Atlantic provinces is that they gain more old people than they lose. Coupled with their loss of young people, that means their populations are aging faster, which is a problem when elderly and health benefits must be funded by taxing younger people.Alberta drew population from all provinces over the past 30 years, but mostly from Ontario (195,000), Saskatchewan (96,000) and Manitoba (73,000). For its part, Ontario attracted 168,000 Quebecers but lost 309,000 people to B.C. and Alberta. Quebec’s loss to those two provinces was 82,000.These statistics document a well-known drift westward over the past three decades. Why did it happen? Economic opportunities are the main reason people move. As resource-rich provinces boom, more jobs become available, attracting younger people, who have fewer costs moving from one jurisdiction to another.Housing prices also affect mobility. Toronto and Vancouver have been the most expensive Canadian markets, especially since 2010, and so are less likely to attract migrants unless earnings and quality of life are high enough to offset the cost. Calgary and Edmonton are less costly, which gives younger families more purchasing power over both necessities and luxuries. Atlantic housing tends to be dirt cheap but income per capita is also lower than in other parts of Canada.Fiscal benefits also attract migrants. Alberta has no sales tax and the lowest personal income tax rates in Canada, which has attracted many wealthy Canadians. Yet it also offers comparable public services and, in some cases, like education, better ones. On the other hand, despite the highest personal and corporate tax rates in Canada the Atlantic provinces don’t have especially good public services, especially in education.People also move for family reasons or retire to better climates, which gives B.C. an edge. Kevin McQuillan at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy has shown that work-from-home and hybrid arrangements are causing migration from larger to smaller cities where housing is cheaper. In some cases that involves crossing provincial boundaries. Nor should we forget that Canada has attracted many migrants from abroad who target Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, even though Canadian residents are leaving them.Moving is costly so people don’t do it unless there are significant benefits. Policies that make it more difficult to move, such as land transfer taxes and zoning restrictions, interfere with labour mobility and undermine productivity. Making the capital gain from selling a principal residence tax-free does avoid a potential barrier to labour mobility.If there is one thing that ties Canadians together, it’s inter-provincial mobility. The freedom to move anywhere in the country is itself a significant reason for Canada to hang together. 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