British Columbia's population growth softened in the first three months of 2011, a period that included the conclusion of the BC Liberal leadership race and Premier Christy Clark's first months in office.

The provincial population grew by 0.2 percent between Jan. 1 and April 1, according to Statistics Canada figures released today. That matched the national growth rate for Canada, but is slower growth than the province has had in several years.

"It was the slowest increase for a first quarter since 2005," said a StatsCan newsletter. "The province had a net inflow from international migration of just over 7,000, the lowest level for a first quarter since 1998. In addition, British Columbia had net outflows of interprovincial migration close to zero, the smallest since the second quarter of 2003."

Clark has frequently claimed that B.C.'s population shrank in the 1990s when the New Democratic Party formed the government, even though the provincial population grew over that decade. She made the claim at her campaign launch in Dec., 2010, as well as during question period in the legislature, where on May 31 she referred to "going backward to the decade that we saw in the 1990s when 50,000 people fled the province."

Clark won the leadership of the Liberal party on Feb. 26 and was sworn in as premier on March 14.

In the first three month's of the year, Alberta's population grew more than any other province's, increasing by 15,500 people or 0.4 percent.

Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.