Manitoba sees growth from interprovincial migration for 1st time since 2004
More people moved to Manitoba from other parts of Canada than left during the first quarter of 2025 — a feat the province hasn't accomplished in a quarter since 2004.
New data from Statistics Canada says the province benefited from interprovincial migration during the first three months of the year, gaining 106 more people from other provinces and territories than it lost to other jurisdictions.
During that period, 4,352 people moved to Manitoba from elsewhere in Canada, while 4,246 people moved away.
However, Manitoba's total population rose at its lowest quarterly rate since 2020, as a result of federal policies to curb immigration levels. The province had an estimated population of nearly 1.51 million as of April 1, according to Statistics Canada.
Manitoba historically loses more people to interprovincial migration than it gains, but the population still consistently grows on an annual basis, mainly through immigration from other countries.
There was a net loss of between 3,500 to 7,000 people annually for the first half of the 2010s, but that number began to grow in later years, aside from a pandemic blip that curtailed travel around the world.
It was more than two years ago, in 2022-23, when Manitoba saw a net loss of more than 9,000 people — the highest deficit in decades.
In 2024-25, the province lost 2,481 people to interprovincial migration, according to demographic estimates from the Manitoba government.
The NDP government took partial credit for Manitoba's interprovincial net gain from the first three months of 2025.
Labour and Immigration Minister Malaya Marcelino said the government has been focused on attracting skilled workers and reducing trade barriers.
Marcelino said in a news release that Manitoba is a "welcoming province," attracting people because "our economy is strong and there are opportunities to build a good life."
Last year, Premier Wab Kinew suggested his government was open to the possibility of tax credits or incentivizing economic development to counteract the province's long-term interprovincial exodus.
Kinew said the government can "move the needle" by growing the economy, creating more jobs, maintaining a low cost of living and extolling the province's draws, such as its arts scene.
Lower immigration slows growth
While Manitoba saw an increase in migrants from other Canadian jurisdictions in early 2025, the province's population increased by 0.2 per cent — its lowest quarterly rate since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic depressed population growth.
Manitoba saw a net gain of 2,749 migrants from other countries, which is down from the increase of nearly 4,200 reported in the last quarter of 2024.
The lower immigration numbers reflect the federal government's decision in 2024 to clamp down on arrivals from other countries.
Canada's population rose by 20,107 people from Jan. 1 to April 1, the smallest increase since the third quarter of 2020 and an increase so small that it amounted to 0.0 per cent growth, Statistics Canada said.
Immigration still accounted for all of the national population growth, as there were 5,628 more deaths than births in Canada.
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