Quebecers are moving out of their province at a soaring rate, attracted by booming economies in Alberta and Ontario, a new study shows.

The study finds that 9,751 more people moved away from Quebec than moved into the province in the first nine months of 2006.

In the entire year of 2005, Quebec only had a net loss of 4,670 people.

The study was prepared by the Association for Canadian Studies, a Montreal think-tank.

Executive director Jack Jedwab said Monday that the findings were unexpected.

"I was surprised, but not pleasantly," he told CBC News online.

The Association for Canadian Studies analyzed migration reports prepared by Statistics Canada to arrive at its conclusions. Only migration to other provinces was considered, not migration to other countries.

Jedwab thought Quebec was better at keeping its residents and attracting new ones. In 2003, Quebec actually gained 218 more residents than it lost.

"I thought the trend in Quebec was turning around," he said. "But instead things have soured. The trend is negative."

He said Quebec hasn't seen these kinds of negative numbers since the late 1990s.

The reason people are leaving is not because Quebec has a poor economy, Jedwab said.

In fact, Quebec's economy is strong. The problem is the economies of Alberta and Ontario, the two most popular destinations for migrating Quebecers, are stronger, Jedwab said.

Jedwab said the only good news for Quebec's population is that the birthrate appears to be on the rise, as is the number of years Quebecers are living.