Last updated May 27, 2013

    One of the three Maritime provinces, and included as one of the four Atlantic provinces, of Canada, bounded on the north by the Province Quebec and Chaleur Bay, on the east by the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and Northumberland Strait, on the south east by Nova Scotia, on the south by the Bay of Fundy, and on the west by the state of Maine. The province is joined to Nova Scotia by the narrow Isthmus of Chignecto. New Brunswick entered the Canadian Confederation on July 1, 1867, as one of the four original provinces. The province has traditionally had an economy based on the exploitation of its natural resources. In the early 1990's forestry and mineral industries remained important, but services and manufacturing were the dominant sectors. The province is named for the British royal family of Brunswick-Lüneburg (the house of Hannover). New Brunswick is called the Loyalist Province.

Communications
In the early 1990's New Brunswick was served by a comprehensive communications system, which included 12 commercial AM radio stations, 7 commercial FM radio stations, and 4 commercial television stations. The first radio station in the Atlantic provinces, CFNB, began broadcasting in Fredericton in 1923. In the early 1990's the province had four English-language daily newspapers and one French-language daily; their combined daily circulation was 148,100. New Brunswick's first newspaper, the Royal Saint John Gazette and Nova Scotia Intelligencer, began publication in 1783. Today the leading papers are the Daily Gleaner, of Fredericton; the Telegraph-Journal, of Saint John; the Times-Transcript, of Moncton; and L'Acadie Nouvelle, of Caraquet.

Economy
Like much of Canada and especially like the other Atlantic provinces, New Brunswick has had, since its earliest settlement, an economy that is closely tied to its natural resources. Forestry products (including manufactured items) have been New Brunswick's economic mainstay throughout its history. Both fishing and agriculture have declined in significance. Since the discovery of extensive base metal ore deposits in the 1950's, mineral production has increased dramatically. With the growth of service industries and specialized manufacturing, the province has a wider employment base than ever before.

Agriculture and Aquaculture The food production and processing industries of New Brunswick are important components of the provincial economy, supporting the employment of 17,000 people, mostly in rural communities. Combined food and beverage shipments were valued at $2 billion in 2005.
The agriculture sector is diverse, combining 3,034 farms with 100 processing plants to produce $1.13 billion worth of agri-food and beverage products in 2005 . With a 265 percent processing rate, New Brunswick enjoys one of the highest levels of value-added processing in Canada . Potatoes, dairy products, eggs and poultry account for more than 60 per cent of New Brunswick 's total farm income of $427 million in 2005.
A thriving salmon aquaculture industry in the Bay of Fundy combined with growing expertise in the culture of molluscs, sturgeon and other aquatic species ensures New Brunswick 's position as the aquaculture leader in Atlantic Canada. Worth approximately $1 million annually in the early 1980s, the provincial salmon industry now boasts annual sales in excess o f $270 million in processed and unprocessed products.
New Brunswick also has a well-established shellfish industry, producing mussels and oysters on the eastern coast. Over the past two decades, aquaculture has become a significant contributor and vital component of the provincial economy, especially in coastal communities where it supports more than 5 ,000 direct and indirect jobs.
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Agriculture and Aquaculture

Forestry New Brunswick is blessed with an immense tapestry of natural beauty providing wildlife habitat, picturesque landscapes and limitless recreational opportunities.
About 85 per cent of New Brunswick's land base, or 6.1 million hectares, is productive forest, providing wildlife habitat, beautiful landscape, an incredible range of recreational opportunities, and high-quality water and air.
The forestry industry is also a crucial part of the provincial economy, directly employing about 17,000 people and indirectly employing an additional 6,000. With a total labour income of $1.1 billion annually, the forestry sector directly contributes $1.7 billion to the New Brunswick economy. The industry harvested more than 4.8 million cubic metres of wood (both softwood and hardwood) from Crown lands in 2004, with almost $57 million was paid in royalties for wood cut on Crown lands.
The province is considered a North American leader in forest management. The Government of New Brunswick recognizes the importance of preserving a sample of the province's natural ecosystems and protecting a sample of the biological diversity of native plants, animals, waterways, forests, and wetlands. In 2003, more than 146,400 hectares of land and water were placed in 30 protected natural areas to ensure the protection of the animals, plants, forests, lakes, rivers and streams that make up our provincial ecosystem.
Government programs that strive to balance the expectations of industry with those who enjoy the abundant forests of our province include the Forest Habitat Program, the Protected Natural Areas program, as well as game and fisheries management programs of the Department of Natural Resources, and the Drinking Water Protection program of the Department of Environment.
Related Links:
New Brunswick Forests - Natural Resources
Drinking Water Protection - Environment

Fisheries With a fishing fleet of about 2,700 v essels and annual landings worth nearly $205 million in 2005, the commercial fishing industry makes a significant economic contribution to the New Brunswick economy. The commitment of more than 7,000 fishermen and 8,000 plant workers to delivering quality products makes New Brunswick a leader in the commercial and processing fisheries sectors. New Brunswick is the fourth largest exporter of fish and seafood products in Canada with a value of $832 million, exporting nearly 100,000 tonnes of fish and seafood in 2005.
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Fisheries

Mining New Brunswick is blessed with a variety of rich mineral deposits. Mineral exploration and mining play a significant role in the provincial economy. During the last three years, the value of mineral production has varied from $772 million to $ 652 million . The industry directly employed over 3,150 people. The minerals and commodities contributing to this wealth include metals (antimony, bismuth, cadmium, copper, gold, lead, silver and zinc); non metals (marl, peat moss, potash, silica, salt and sulphur); fuels (oil, natural gas and coal); and structural materials (lime, sand and gravel, stone).
Our large reserves of lead, zinc and copper are found in the northern part of the province around Bathurst . Potash and salt deposits are centred in the southern region, primarily around Sussex . Although peat harvesting takes place primarily on the Acadian Peninsula , the resource can be found in a broad diagonal zone that stretches from the south to the northeast of the province.
Exploration expenditures in New Brunswick for 2005 were expected to reach $10.5 million for metallic minerals and $3.5 million for potash. This represents a significant increase over the $8 million spent on mineral exploration in 2004. The number of mineral claims in good standing rose to just over 19,000 in 2005, up 1,100 from the previous year.
About $25 million was spent exploring for oil and natural gas in New Brunswick in 2005. Sufficient natural gas reserves have now been discovered in the Sussex area (McCully Field) to supply markets in New Brunswick and New England . An application was before the Public Utilities Board in 2006 to construct gathering lines, a gas plant and a 50-kilometre pipeline to connect the McCully field with the Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline which connects Atlantic Canada to the New England market.
Related Link:
Natural Resources - Minerals

Manufacturing New Brunswick is blessed with a variety of rich mineral deposits. Mineral exploration and mining play a significant role in the provincial economy. During the last three years, the value of mineral production has varied from $772 million to $ 652 million . The industry directly employed over 3,150 people. The minerals and commodities contributing to this wealth include metals (antimony, bismuth, cadmium, copper, gold, lead, silver and zinc); non metals (marl, peat moss, potash, silica, salt and sulphur); fuels (oil, natural gas and coal); and structural materials (lime, sand and gravel, stone).
Our large reserves of lead, zinc and copper are found in the northern part of the province around Bathurst . P otash and salt deposits are centred in the southern region, primarily around Sussex . Although peat harvesting takes place primarily on the Acadian Peninsula , the resource can be found in a broad diagonal zone that stretches from the south to the northeast of the province.
Exploration expenditures in New Brunswick for 2005 were expected to reach $10.5 million for metallic minerals and $3.5 million for potash. This represents a significant increase over the $8 million spent on mineral exploration in 2004. The number of mineral claims in good standing rose to just over 19,000 in 2005, up 1,100 from the previous year.
About $25 million was spent exploring for oil and natural gas in New Brunswick in 2005. Sufficient natural gas reserves have now been discovered in the Sussex area (McCully Field) to supply markets in New Brunswick and New England . An application was before the Public Utilities Board in 2006 to construct gathering lines, a gas plant and a 50-kilometre pipeline to connect the McCully field with the Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline which connects Atlantic Canada to the New England market.
Related Links:
Natural Resources - Minerals

Knowledge New Brunswick is currently one of the most Internet-connected jurisdictions in the world, with broadband access in 100 per cent of its schools and institutions and more than 90 per cent of homes and businesses.
The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector is now the second-largest sector in the province with more than 700 innovative new economy companies employing over 30,000 people and generating revenues of over $2.1 billion annually.
The industry encompasses all companies and organizations whose primary products and services are knowledge intensive. In New Brunswick , the key sub-sectors are customer relationship management, e-learning and game technology, e-business solutions, information and communications technologies and engineering solutions.
New Brunswick is a leader in e-learning development and implementation. More than two million people around the world have taken online courses and advanced training offered by New Brunswick 's public and private e-learning providers. The National Research Council of Canada's Institute for Information Technology e-Business, at the Fredericton campus of the University of New Brunswick , is home to over 100 staff and researchers.

Tourism New Brunswick is truly a must-see destination offering a world of natural wonders, vibrant cities and towns and unique activities to explore. Here, the world's highest tides rise and fall the height of a four-storey building, twice a day, every day. That's just the beginning of the wonder waiting in New Brunswick &a place where rivers stretch from breathtaking all the way to beautiful. Where you will be fascinated by the fragile beauty of coastal dunes&or inspired by the Appalachians, some of the oldest mountains on the planet! Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall, adventure is always in season here in New Brunswick.
New Brunswick continues to be a popular vacation destination for tourists visiting the Atlantic Region throughout the year. Tourism continues to be one of the leading economic generators in the province. In 2005, the province recorded more than 1.7 million non-resident visitors, resulting in revenues of $1.2 billion. Over 33,000 jobs were generated through tourism-related activity and direct, indirect and spin-off taxes exceeded $558 million.
The United States, Ontario, Quebec and other Atlantic Canadian provinces are the leading points of origin of visitors to New Brunswick, with visitors from Europe, Asia and Australia making up a smaller percentage. The United States and Ontario each supplied 23 per cent of visitors, followed closely by Quebec at 21 per cent. The combined Nova Scotia and PEI regional market contributed 426,000 visitors and foreign visitation to New Brunswick increased by 11 per cent in 2005.
Visitors can experience the rich culture and history of New Brunswick in communities throughout the province; leave your footprints on the ocean's floor as you experience the highest tides in the world on the Bay of Fundy; swim in the warmest salt water north of Virginia along the shores of the Northumberland Strait; fish in one of our world-famous salmon rivers; experience the beauty of the pristine Appalachian range and our amazing coastal and inland scenic drives; go on amazing snowmobile adventures and so much more.
With over 2.9 million accommodation units available across New Brunswick in hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts, more than 1.5 million rooms were sold in 2005, with peak occupancy in July and August. Room sale revenues increased by two per cent to $178 million in 2005. In addition, there are a wide range of private and public campgrounds throughout the province which are rated to ensure their quality and standard of service.
From exciting Great Day Experiences to that unique Hometown feel and every Must-See-and-Do Attraction in between& there's so much to do in New Brunswick all year round!
Passport requirements - Important Notice for US Visitors U S passports are not currently necessary for land travel to New Brunswick. A valid passport is now required as of Jan. 23, 2007 for all air and sea travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda. For more information, visit Passport Canada.
Related links:
Department of Tourism and Parks site
Tourism New Brunswick

Transportation in New Brunswick is served by a network of some 20,620 km (some 12,815 mi) of roads and highways. In addition, 1097 km (682 mi) of mainline railroad tracks cross the province. Because it is on the mainland of North America, New Brunswick relies less on water transportation than do the other Atlantic provinces. Saint John, however, is a major seaport, and it is also the terminus of the two major national railroad systems. Ice free in the winter months, the port handles 90% of the province's import and export traffic. Moncton has the busiest airport; Fredericton and Saint John also have major air terminals.

Energy The New Brunswick Electric Power Corporation (NB Power) was first established by an act of the Legislative Assembly in 1920 and is the province's primary supplier of electrical energy.
With assets in excess of $4.3 billion, the NB Power Holding Corporation and its four operating companies employ approximately 2,400 regular employees and serve more than 90 per cent of the province's 360,000 customers. The utility is also interconnected with electrical utilities is Quebec , Nova Scotia , Prince Edward Island and New England .
NB Power operates one of the most diversified generation systems and interconnected transmission systems in North America .
NB Power's hydro, thermal, combustion turbine and nuclear plants (it has the only nuclear plant in the Atlantic Provinces , the Point Lepreau Generating Station) have a combined capacity of more than 4,000 megawatts. The power they generate is delivered by a transmission and distribution network of nearly 32,000 kilometres throughout the province and beyond.
Related Links:
New Brunswick Power Corporation
Department of Energy

Education & Culture
New Brunswick has a strong cultural and educational heritage that reflects the influences of both its French-speaking and English-speaking populations. Education. In 1816 the New Brunswick colonial legislature passed a law providing for the establishment of primary schools in all counties. The province's modern public school system was established in 1871. In the early 1990's New Brunswick had 450 elementary and secondary schools with a combined annual enrollment of 141,650 students. There were few private schools. In the same period the province had 13 institutions of higher education, with about 22,450 students.
New Brunswick is home to four public universities which offer a wide variety of educational programs. The University of New Brunswick, with its main campus in Fredericton and another in Saint John, is the oldest English-language university in Canada, and is the province's largest university. St. Thomas University is a small, Roman Catholic institution in Fredericton whose central liberal arts program is complemented by professional programs in education and social work. Mount Allison University, located in the Town of Sackville, offers undergraduate programs in arts, science, commerce, fine arts and music. Université de Moncton, Canada 's largest francophone institution outside of the province of Quebec, has its main campus in the City of Moncton, with satellite campuses in the City of Edmundston and the Town of Shippagan.
New Brunswick Community College (NBCC) programs cover the education and training spectrum. The NBCC system offers everything from academic studies to mechanical engineering, from health care to construction trades to advanced technologies. In all, there are more than 100 regular training programs, plus a selection of industry-oriented, short-term training services available to New Brunswick residents and beyond. Most NBCC programs involve 40 to 80 weeks of study, with co-op programs longer in duration.
The provincially-funded public education system, Kindergarten to Grade 12, is offered through a dual system of English and French schools. Attendance at New Brunswick public schools is compulsory until the completion of high school or the age of 18. The Province's Education Act distributes authorities and responsibilities between the provincial government, as represented by the Minister of Education and District Education Councils (DECs), which are elected at the local level every four years. Generally, the minister establishes and monitors the educational and service standards and policy framework while the DECs, through their superintendents, are responsible for program implementation and operation of the schools. The governance structure also includes school-based advisory committees known as Parent School Support Committees. Members are elected at the school level and serve three-year terms. For administrative purposes, the province is divided into 14 school districts, nine Anglophone and five francophone.

Cultural Institutions
Libraries, museums, and other cultural institutions are concentrated in Fredericton and Saint John. Major museums include the Beaverbrook Art Gallery and the Provincial Archives, both at Fredericton; the New Brunswick Museum, with historical collections, at Saint John; and the Musée Acadian at the Université de Moncton. Prominent libraries include the Harriet Irving Library of the University of New Brunswick at Fredericton, and the New Brunswick Museum Library, at Saint John. Also of note is the provincial legislative library, at Fredericton. Symphony New Brunswick is based in Saint John, and Theatre New Brunswick has its headquarters at the Playhouse in Fredericton. Acadian cultural activities are coordinated by Le Centre de Promotion et de Diffusion de la Culture, at Moncton Historical Sites. Fort Beauséjour National Historic Park, east of Sackville, is the site of an 18th-century French fort. Remains of British defensive sites include the Martello Tower west of Saint John and the Saint Andrews Blockhouse, dating from the early 19th century. At Saint John are several historic structures, including houses that were built by Loyalists.

Sports & Recreation
The scenic forests and rivers of New Brunswick furnish excellent opportunities for hunting, fishing, and boating. The province's salmon streams are particularly well known. Winter sports are also popular.

Mineral Resources
The most important mineral resources are found near Bathurst. Ores here contain zinc, lead, copper, cadmium, bismuth, gold, and silver. Gypsum is found near Havelock, and small coal deposits are located near Grand Lake.

History
The French mariner Jacques Cartier visited the east coast of the region constituting present-day New Brunswick in 1534. He and other early explorers found two Indian tribes in the region, the Malecite and the Micmac. In 1604 the French explorers Samuel de Champlain and Pierre du Guast, sieur de Monts, established the first French settlement on an island at the mouth of the Saint Croix River. The settlement was abandoned the next year, but after 1631, when the French constructed Fort La Tour on the site of modern Saint John, colonists moved into the coastal area along the Bay of Fundy.

The New Brunswick region then formed part of the French province of Acadia. Warfare between the French and British flared intermittently between 1689 and 1763. Great Britain obtained possession of mainland Acadia in 1713 under the terms of the Peace of Utrecht, the agreement ending the War of the Spanish Succession, but the French insisted that New Brunswick was not included. In 1755 the British defeated French forces at Fort Beauséjour and extended effective British rule to New Brunswick. In the same year, when the British expelled the Acadians from Nova Scotia, some 500 of the deportees settled in New Brunswick, substantially augmenting its population.

In 1762 the first British settlement in New Brunswick was established at Saint John. Many British Loyalists fled there from the American colonies during and after the American Revolution, and in 1784 New Brunswick, which had been administered as a part of Nova Scotia, became a separate colony. After the Napoleonic Wars many British immigrants came to New Brunswick, and the colony entered a period of prosperity based on fishing, shipbuilding, and lumbering.

In 1867 New Brunswick joined with Nova Scotia, Lower Canada (Quebec), and Upper Canada (Ontario) to form the Dominion of Canada under the terms of the British North America Act. Railroad building followed confederation. The Intercolonial Railway (now the Canadian National Railway), linking New Brunswick and Nova Scotia with Montreal, was completed in 1876. The Canadian Pacific Railway line from Montreal to Moncton, by way of northern Maine, was finished before the close of the century. Other local lines were built, some before confederation. Agriculture and the timber trade declined in the late 19th century. Contributory causes were the opening up of the western grain country, the industrialization of central Canada, and tariff restrictions that cut New Brunswick off from its natural trade channels to the U.S. and Europe. The long freight haul to the central Canadian markets inhibited trade in that direction.

The provincial economy slowly recovered during the 20th century. The introduction of the pulp and paper industry brought new life and a more stable character to lumbering. Agriculture gained greatly with the cultivation of potatoes for export. The fishing industry expanded, and methods of fishing were improved. New industries appeared, particularly those aimed at supplying provincial needs. The exploitation of hydroelectric resources, mining discoveries, and the general growth of Canada as a whole helped to improve economic conditions.

Liberal Premier Louis J. Robichaud (1925- ), an Acadian, took office in 1960 and established the official equality of the French and English languages. This action was in recognition of the growth in the Acadian segment to about 39 percent of the population by 1961. Robichaud also pursued, often with federal assistance, a strategy of industrialization to create the jobs necessary to bring living standards up to the national average. His Progressive Conservative party successor, Richard Bennett Hatfield (1931-), premier from 1970 to 1987, continued Robichaud's policies of development.

The failure of some enterprises, notably a government-backed automobile manufacturing plant, a waning federal enthusiasm for subsidized development, a 5-year ban on commercial salmon fishing, and a slump in the lumbering industry slowed economic progress. At the same time, construction of a new container facility made Saint John the rival to Halifax as Canada's year-round port in the east. In the 1987 election the Liberals, led by Frank McKenna (1948- ), swept all 58 seats in the legislature. McKenna was a leading opponent of the Meech Lake accord (calling for the recognition of Quebec as a "distinct society" within the Dominion); he eventually modified his stand to avoid alienating Quebec. He won another massive majority in 1991, but the new Confederation of Regions party, which was critical of both French power and social change, captured eight seats perhaps an indication of rising ethnic tensions in New Brunswick

Land & Resources
New Brunswick covers 73,440 square kilometres in roughly a rectangle shape about 242 kilometres (150 miles) from east to west and 322 kilometres (200 miles) north to south. Its northern reaches are dominated by mountains that are part of the Appalachian Range.

Physical Geography
Most of the prominent physical features of New Brunswick are aligned in a southwest to northeast direction. The Maritime Plain, a triangular region with its base along the Northumberland Strait, covers about one-third of the province. This region is flat to gently undulating and lies mostly below 152 m (500 ft) in elevation. It is underlain by sedimentary rocks and has soils built on relatively stone-free glacial deposits. The New Brunswick Highlands region extends from Chaleur Bay southwest and then along the coast of the Bay of Fundy. This region is highest in the north, where the average elevation exceeds 610 m (2000 ft); the province's highest peak, Mt. Carleton, at 820 metres (2,690 feet), is the highest. The area along the Bay of Fundy has elevations that range from about 305 to 425 m (about 1000 to 1400 ft). Much of the highland region is underlain by hard granitic rocks and has thin, stony soils. The Saint John River, often called The Rhine of North America, cuts through this region, and its narrow lowlands contain fertile soil. To the northwest lies the Chaleur Uplands, a plateau like region with an average elevation of about 305 m (about 1000 ft) and soils similar to those of the New Brunswick Highlands. A small portion of the Notre Dame Mts. is in the extreme northwest. This region has a more rugged terrain.

Rivers & Lakes
The province's major rivers and its many smaller streams radiate outward from the interior highlands. The most important stream, the St. John River, rises in Maine and flows southeast to the Bay of Fundy. The extremely high tides of the Bay of Fundy flow upstream, causing the famous phenomenon known as the reversing falls of Saint John. Other major rivers include the Restigouche, which has headwaters in the Chaleur Uplands and empties into Chaleur Bay, and the Miramichi, which cuts across the Maritime Plain to its outlet on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Many small lakes and a few larger ones occur in the glaciated upland regions. The largest natural lake is Grand Lake, which is only 2 m (7 ft) above sea level, even though it is more than 70 km (43 mi) from the open sea. Several reservoirs have been formed behind dams on the St. John River.

Climate
The north half of New Brunswick has a distinctly continental climate, with cold winters and warm summers. The south half has a more moderate maritime climate, with milder winters and slightly cooler summers. The average annual temperature ranges from 2.8° C (37° F) in the north to 5° C (41° F) in the south. The recorded temperature has ranged from -47.2° C (-53° F) in 1955, at Sisson Dam in the northwest, to 39.4° C (102.9° F) in 1935, at Nepisiguit Falls in the northeast. The average annual precipitation ranges from 889 mm (35 in) in the north to 1143 mm (45 in) in the south. Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. Fog is common in the spring and early summer along the Bay of Fundy coast.

Government & Politics
New Brunswick has a parliamentary form of government. Executive. The lieutenant governor, the nominal head of government, is appointed, usually for five years, by the federal government. Actual power is held by the premier, who typically leads the strongest party in the legislature. The premier selects executive council (cabinet) ministers from among the members of the legislature.

The unicameral Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick consists of 58 members popularly elected for a maximum of five years, subject to earlier dissolution.

The highest court in the province, the Court of Appeal, consists of a chief justice and five other judges. The Court of Queen's Bench includes a trial division, with a total of 20 judges, and a family division, with 8 judges. All superior and district court judges in New Brunswick are appointed for life by the federal government (that is, by the governor-general in council). Minor cases are tried in provincial courts, with judges who are appointed by the provincial government.

Since 1967 counties have been replaced by the provincial government as the principal agent of local administration. Incorporated areas include 6 cities, 27 towns, and 84 villages, all of which have elective clerks and councils. National Representation. New Brunswick is represented in the Parliament of Canada by ten senators, appointed for life by the federal government, and ten elected members of the House of Commons.

In federal and provincial politics New Brunswick has, in the 20th century, been controlled for about equal periods by the Liberal and Conservative (now Progressive Conservative) parties. Although independents have occasionally been elected to Parliament from New Brunswick, third parties have traditionally had little impact on either the federal or provincial level. An exception is the Confederation of Regions party, which finished second to the Liberals and ahead of the Progressive Conservatives in the September 1991 elections.

The current provincial government is headed by Premier Shawn Graham of the Liberal Party of New Brunswick which took office on Oct. 3, 2006 . The Acting Leader of the Official Opposition is Jeannot Volpé of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick. Current standings in the legislative assembly are 29 Liberals and 26 Progressive Conservatives.

New Brunswick has 10 appointed seats in the Canadian Senate and elects 10 members of the House of Commons of Canada. Any Canadian citizen 18 years of age or older who has been a resident for six months is entitled to vote.

Population
According to 2001 Census data, New Brunswick has a total population of 729,498 .
Saint John is the largest city in the province with a population of 69,661 ; it is also the province's oldest city. Moncton is home to 61,046 people, while Fredericton , the provincial capital, has a population of 47,560 . Bathurst 's population stands at 12,924, Edmundston's at 17,373 and Campbellton's at 7,798
Miramichi, established on Jan. 1, 1995 , is comprised of several communities in the Chatham and Newcastle area and boasts a population of 18,508 . Dieppe became the eighth New Brunswick city on Jan 1, 2003 . Dieppe 's population in 2001 was 14,951 .
New Brunswick is Canada 's only official bilingual province. About 33 per cent of the population is French-speaking, based on 2001 census results.
Related Links:
Economics and Statistics
Statistics Canada

The above information comes from the Government of New Brunswick web sites.