New Brunswick

A

Population Patterns

According to the 2001 national census, New Brunswick had a population of 729,498, an increase of less than one percent over the 1991 figure of 723,900. The population density is 11 persons per sq km (27 per sq mi). In 2001 the population of New Brunswick was 50 percent urban, mostly concentrated in small cities, towns, and villages. About one-third were in cities with populations that exceeded 25,000.

Prior to European settlement, New Brunswick was inhabited by three Algonquian tribes of the Abenaki confederation, the Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, and Passamaquoddy. French settlers arrived in the 17th and 18th centuries and founded villages along the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the lower Saint John Valley. During the American Revolution (1775-1783), people from New England who supported the British settled in the Saint John Valley and other areas. The 19th century brought many British and Irish immigrants. A small but significant number of Europeans immigrated to New Brunswick in the decades after World War II (1939-1945).

Today, the great majority of residents of New Brunswick were born in the province. According to the 2001 census the largest single group of people identify themselves as Canadian. Other major groups include people claiming French, English, Irish, and Scottish ancestry, in that order. In addition, significant numbers of people identified their ethnic origins as German, Acadian, aboriginal, and Dutch.

There are two official languages in New Brunswick: English and French. English only is spoken by 57 percent of New Brunswick’s inhabitants, while 9 percent of the people speak only French, and 34 percent are bilingual. Among the regions of Canada, New Brunswick is second only to Québec in its percentage of bilingual speakers.

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B

Principal Cities

New Brunswick does not have a single dominant urban center but features instead three major cities, each with its own distinct history and character. Saint John, with a 2001 population of 69,661 and a metropolitan-area population of 126,700 (2005 estimate), is the largest city in the province, as well as its chief commercial and manufacturing center and port. Moncton, the second largest city, dominates the southeast of the province, with 61,046 people in 2001. A major railway center, Moncton developed as a key distribution point for the Maritimes; in recent years it has succeeded in attracting high-technology and service industries. Fredericton, with 47,560 inhabitants, is the provincial capital and third largest city. Since the end of World War II, Fredericton has benefited from the expansion of government services and higher education, which are important sources of local employment.

Other large cities are Bathurst, a seaport and industrial center, with 12,924 inhabitants; Edmundston, on the Saint John River, with 17,373 inhabitants; and Campbellton, on the Restigouche River, with 7,798 inhabitants. Both Edmundston and Campbellton are pulp-milling and lumbering centers.

C

Religion

Slightly more than half the people of New Brunswick are Roman Catholic. Protestant denominations, including the United Church of Canada and the Baptist and Anglican churches, also have significant memberships in the province.

D

Social Issues

New Brunswick is among Canada’s least prosperous provinces, with family incomes remaining consistently below the national average. Only Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia record lower family incomes. Economic hardship is related to the seasonal nature of employment in a resource-dependent economy and the prominence of part-time employment in many sectors, such as tourism. This contributes to New Brunswick’s relatively high unemployment rate.

During the late 20th century, the province’s economic disparities were addressed through economic development programs, most of which had limited success, and by the provision of expanded social services to vulnerable populations. Social justice groups in the province have directed particular attention to the incidence of poverty among children and the elderly, and to the high rates of unemployment and underemployment among young people, women, and aboriginal peoples.

V

Education and Cultural Life

The provincial department of education administers elementary and secondary education. The cost of public education is one of the largest single items in the provincial budget, accounting for about 20 percent of total expenditures. School attendance is compulsory from the age of 5 until the age of 18 or the completion of high school. The school system is organized into 12 Anglophone (English-speaking) and 6 Francophone (French-speaking) districts. An elected council composed of parents or their representatives advises each district.

New Brunswick has four universities, all of which are financially supported by the province and administered, along with the universities of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, by a regional commission of the Maritime provinces. The University of New Brunswick at Fredericton and Saint John is the oldest and largest in the province. Founded in 1785, the university has well-established programs in forestry, engineering, the sciences, education, and other fields. The French-language University of Moncton has campuses at Moncton, Edmundston, and Shippagan. It has played a major role in improving educational opportunities for the Francophone population and promoting the visibility of Acadian culture. There are also two smaller universities: Saint Thomas University, in Fredericton, which is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church but is associated with the University of New Brunswick; and Mount Allison University, in Sackville, which is affiliated with the United Church of Canada.

A community college system, sponsored by the province’s continuing education program, offers specialized training in a wide variety of subjects, including many in support of the province’s information and communications industries.

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