Now a million strong, Saskatchewan has taken a page from Alberta's book to become Canada's fastest-growing province.

According to the latest figures from Statistics Canada released on Wednesday, as of Oct. 1 Saskatchewan's population was estimated at 1,003,300, up by 6,400 from the beginning of July.

The 0.65 per cent population increase over those three months was the biggest in Canada, with much of the new growth due to people returning to Saskatchewan from neighbouring Alberta.

It was also a record quarterly gain for Saskatchewan, where growth has lagged other provinces for many years — particularly compared to Alberta.

The news was welcomed by Premier Brad Wall, who called Saskatchewan "the place to be in Canada right now."

He says the numbers may lead to a more secure future for the province.

Interprovincial migration accounted for two-thirds of the Saskatchewan increase, StatsCan said.

Saskatchewan's population has been on the way up since the fourth quarter of 2006, when it was 986,900 — the lowest estimate since July 1982.

It's not the first time Saskatchewan has had a million people, however. The province had more than a million between between 1983 and 2001.

The latest jump is the largest quarterly population increase for Saskatchewan since Statistics Canada began keeping track in 1971.

Saskatchewan has a way to go before it catches up to Manitoba, however. It has about 187,000 more people — a group about the size of Regina.

Meanwhile, Canada's overall population has now grown to 33 million, the report said.

All provinces are reporting increases in the latest figures.