Manitoba records first interprovincial migration increase in over 20 years: StatsCan
Data for the first quarter of 2025 shows 4,352 people moved from another province to Manitoba, while 4,246 left the province.
This is the first time since the first quarter of 2004 that Manitoba had a positive migration number, when the difference was plus seven.
Chuck Davidson, the president and CEO of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, said this is a positive revelation, but it's important to read into what is driving the numbers.
'My take on this would be that the last couple of months have been extremely challenging for businesses, and with everything that's been happening south of the border and that uncertainty with the tariffs and trade, what's really been happening is businesses have been in a bit of a holding pattern,' said Davidson.
He noted the uncertainty doesn't create the best timing for moving and looking for other jobs in other provinces.
Despite that, Davidson said there is an opportunity to build off of this influx, even if it is just 106 people.
'What we've heard repeatedly is that we need to do a better job in Manitoba of talking about the opportunities that exist here. We know that we have world-class companies. We know that there are opportunities for young people to have a career,' said Davidson.
As businesses sit in that holding pattern that Davidson mentioned, he did note the trade war with the U.S. could spark positives for Manitoba.
The first is that the current situation is showing people both in and outside of Manitoba that there are a variety of options available in the province.
'There's greater stability in Manitoba than there is in a lot of other jurisdictions,' he said.
Manitoba has a diverse economy that ranges from agriculture and manufacturing to critical minerals, Davidson said.
'If someone's looking for a more stable job environment, I think Manitoba can obviously be looked at as a positive from that perspective. When you take into account, as well, things like cost of living - those are things that are positive.'
The other positive - governments looking at removing interprovincial trade barriers, which is designed to create projects across Canada that have national interest, Davidson said.
'If we're looking at some larger projects, that could be instrumental in attracting workers again.'
Davidson said the most important thing is to continue to build off the momentum of the first quarter and try to turn this into a trend instead of a one-off.
'It's continuing to tell those stories. It's continuing to be vocal about what those opportunities are right here in Manitoba.'
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