The Conference Board of Canada says Canadian professionals are moving to the United States in record numbers, in large part because of new rules under free trade.

In its report released Monday, the board says close to 100,000 highly skilled Canadians emigrate to the U.S. each year.

The study proves Canada's skill exodus is no longer a myth, says board vice-president Charles Barrett.

"Better job opportunities are significant," Barrett told CBC News. "And we show that they are statistically significant -- same is true of higher earnings, taxes, even the weather is important."

Barrett says there's nothing new about these attractions. What is new is that the number of Canadians going south has skyrocketed from 17,000 a year in 1989 to 98,000 in 1997.

One of the main reasons for the increase is the North American Free Trade Agreement.

"We have a fundamental change in the system that came about in the '90s as a result of NAFTA with the introduction of this temporary visa for professional workers. So you get a rather different picture."

With a temporary visa, a Canadian can work in the U.S. for up to a year. This allows workers to go south for a while to make some money.

The problem is, says Barrett, many of them may never come back.

Prime Minister Jean Chretien has rejected the idea of a brain drain. He says according to Stats Canada reports on immigration, the country is gaining brains, not losing them.

"We are importing a lot of brains and some go and live in the United States and others come and live in Canada but there is less now than there was years ago," he says.

The Conference Board insists there is a problem with losing skilled workers and some researchers in the health sector say they've even seen their colleagues going south of the border.

The Board suggests the problem should be addressed by businesses offering better salaries and the government reducing taxes.