A new report from the Fraser Institute finds that the number of Quebecers who left for other provinces between 1971 and 2015 was almost 600,000 higher than the number of Canadians who came to Quebec during that period.

This marks the highest out-migration total across the country.

Furthermore, Quebec is the only province in Canada to have suffered a net loss in interprovincial migration every year during that time.

Based on the statistics, Quebec’s economic strategy has not been successful, according to Yanick Labrie, a senior fellow who co-authored the report.

“(Canadians) just don’t want to come to Quebec and the province’s model is not being replicated in other jurisdictions,” Labrie said, according to CTV News. “It’s definitely not a success story.”

Despite the trend, however, Quebec’s population grew from 6.1 million to 8.3 million over 34 years.

The biggest one-year net loss occurred between July 1, 1977, and June 30, 1978. This was in the wake of the Parti Quebecois election victory in November 1976, when 46,429 more people left than migrated to the province.

So, why is Quebec lacking in appeal?

Labrie points to the province’s high tax burden, public debt, and abundance of red tape, which makes Quebec a less attractive option to start a business or a sustainable career.

Quebec has a tax rate of eight per cent for small businesses. This is almost double the second-highest rate of 4.5 per cent in Ontario and Prince Edward Island. On the other side of the country, the rate is three percent in Alberta and just 2.5 per cent in BC. Furthermore, Quebec has sky-high income tax rates – some of the highest in North America. For the first $42,000 earned, Quebec taxes at 16 per cent. In Ontario, this rate is 5.05 per cent.

Of concern is that it’s mostly young people who are leaving the province. More than two-thirds who left Quebec between 1971 and 2015 were aged 20-44.

So how did Quebec still manage to gain over two million residents in the last three decades? According to the report, the province’s influx of foreign immigrants is enough to compensate for interprovincial migration.

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