B.C.’s Migration Loss Deepens NDP Troubles

Commentary
By: Grady Munro and Tegan Hill

British Columbia has long been one of the most desirable provinces in Canada to live and work, and has attracted hundreds of thousands of Canadian residents from other provinces over the past three decades. But in recent years, thousands have left the province for elsewhere in Canada, and signs suggest this exodus may only continue.

According to a new study published by the Fraser Institute, from 1995/96 to 2024/25 (the latest year of available data), B.C. attracted 214,883 Canadians (on net) into the province—meaning more Canadian residents moved to B.C. than left B.C. for another province.

In absolute terms and relative to the population, this was the second-highest net “in migration” of any province behind Alberta. And while B.C. attracted people of all ages, nearly half (104,780) were younger working-age (between 18 to 44 years old).

But despite these longer-term trends, data from recent years suggest that things are changing.

Following a sustained 10-year wave of net migration of Canadians into the province from 2013/14 to 2022/23, migration plummeted and in 2023/24 and 2024/25 (the last year of available data) B.C. lost more residents than it was able to attract. For perspective, in 2021/22, 26,069 people (on net) moved to B.C. from elsewhere in Canada. Yet just two years later the province lost 4,127 people (on net) in 2023/24 and 2,392 people (on net) in 2024/25.

While it remains to be seen whether this trend will continue, the province has not seen such a sharp drop-off in migration from the rest of Canada since the mid-1990s when B.C. was mired in economic stagnation.

Although many factors influence B.C.’s attractiveness, the Eby government’s disastrous policy agenda has likely played a key role. And the signs suggest B.C. will only become less attractive in the years to come.

Since taking power in 2022, the Eby government has spent at unprecedented levels and ran some of the largest budget deficits in the province’s history—putting B.C. on track to be one of the most indebted provinces in Canada. British Columbians ultimately must finance this debt, and this may mean higher taxes in the future.

Perhaps it’s unsurprising, then, that during this debt binge the Eby government has maintained personal income tax hikes implemented by its predecessor in 2018 and 2020, and just recently enacted a slew of new tax hikes in its 2026 budget—from increasing the bottom income tax rate to expanding the provincial sales tax. Research suggests that high taxes make it harder to attract and retain new people, particularly high-skilled and often highly-mobile individuals such as doctors, entrepreneurs and businessowners.

To make matters worse, recent developments (some of which are tied directly to David Eby’s actions as attorney general in 2019) have thrown private property rights into disarray in the province. The uncertainty created by this situation will likely further deter many people from moving to (or staying in) B.C.

With all the problems that have surfaced during the Eby government’s tenure—the majority of which are self-inflicted—it’s no wonder British Columbians are leaving the province in droves. Put simply, B.C. may no longer be the top destination it was in the past.

Where Canadians Moved

A Fraser Institute study of interprovincial migration from 1995/96 to 2024/25 shows a country being reshaped by internal population shifts, with Alberta and British Columbia gaining residents while several provinces steadily lost people to the rest of Canada.

Newfoundland and Labrador
The province lost 58,319 people on a net basis over three decades, equal to 10.6 per cent of its 2025 population. Its youth drain was the most severe in the country, with a net loss of 40,480 people aged 18 to 24, equal to 97.3 per cent of its 2025 population in that age group.

Prince Edward Island
P.E.I. posted a small net gain of 4,335 people, equal to 2.4 per cent of its 2025 population. But the province still lost young people, with a net outflow of 3,800 residents aged 18 to 24, equal to 20.6 per cent of that age group.

Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia gained 23,299 people on a net basis, equal to 2.1 per cent of its 2025 population. The province attracted more people than it lost from eight of the nine other provinces, with Alberta the only province drawing more Nova Scotians than it sent back.

New Brunswick
New Brunswick recorded a modest net loss of 5,862 people, equal to 0.7 per cent of its 2025 population. The province gained people from Newfoundland and Labrador, P.E.I., Ontario and Manitoba, but lost more to Nova Scotia, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.

Quebec
Quebec had the largest absolute net loss in the country, with 255,988 more people leaving for other provinces than arriving. It failed to post a single year of net interprovincial in-migration over the full 30-year period. Its biggest population exchange was with Ontario.

Ontario
Ontario lost 168,166 people on a net basis. Its migration pattern moved in waves, but the most recent stretch has been negative, with the province recording heavy net out-migration from 2020/21 through 2024/25. Its largest losses were to Alberta and British Columbia.

Manitoba
Manitoba lost 155,919 people on a net basis, equal to 10.3 per cent of its 2025 population. It also recorded net out-migration in every year covered by the study, putting it among the provinces with the most persistent losses.

Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan lost 123,603 people on a net basis, equal to 9.8 per cent of its 2025 population. It was hit especially hard among younger and working-age residents, including a net loss of 26,146 people aged 18 to 24 and 47,589 people aged 25 to 44.

Alberta
Alberta was Canada’s clear interprovincial migration winner. It gained 538,824 people on a net basis, equal to 10.7 per cent of its 2025 population. It attracted net migrants from every other province and was the strongest destination for young adults, gaining 192,329 people aged 18 to 24.

British Columbia
British Columbia gained 214,883 people on a net basis, equal to 3.8 per cent of its 2025 population. It was one of only two provinces, along with Alberta, to post gains across all age groups. But the report shows a recent shift, with B.C. recording net out-migration in both 2023/24 and 2024/25.