Liberal Leader Kevin Vickers (Staff photo)
The Liberal Party is looking to make big population gains if elected to government next month.
At a campaign event Saturday morning, leader Kevin Vickers told a crowd his party would look to add 10,000 residents every year from now until 2030, for a total of 100,000 new residents.
Vickers told reporters the province’s population is directly tied to its economic fortune.
“Population growth is essential, and it’s only by working collaboratively with industry and our federal counterparts that we will achieve our goals,” the party leader said.
In a press release, the Liberal party said it would work with federal leaders to increase caps on immigration to the province.
“Increasing the amount of people working and living in our province will also increase the amount of people visiting our local businesses and increase tax revenue that supports our education and health systems,” Vickers said.
The Liberal’s platform includes planning to renew the Atlantic Immigration pilot program to help fill 2,000 currently unfilled farm jobs in the province.
Saturday’s campaign stop included a message for New Brunswickers that have made their home elsewhere over the past few years:
“Now is the time to come home. Now is the time to bring our families back to New Brunswick,” Vickers said. “We have to be imaginative and innovative in this regard.”
