Some interesting data flowed from Business Development Bank of Canada late last week, which shows that Atlantic Canadians are less entrepreneurial than most other parts of Canada, but we’re generally running with the herd.

The problem is, we need entrepreneurship more than other parts of the country, so we should be near the top.

In a report titled ``Canadian Entrepreneurship Status 2010’’, the federal business generation agency said that 8.8% of Atlantic Canadians intend to start a business. That’s about half of the 17% in Alberta and BC, but within striking distance of the roughly 11% in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. And it’s ahead of the 6.9% in Quebec.

We do less well in terms of people who actually started businesses:  3.1% in Atlantic Canada while the rest of the country ranged between 3.5% and 6.1%.

The good news: only 5.5% of the population closed down businesses in Atlantic Canada in 2010, tied with Quebec. That was better than the range of 6.4% to 8.5% west of the Ottawa River.

BDC noted that the recession bit into the economies of Western Canada and Ontario more than other regions, and people there responded by opening businesses, or at least thinking about it. And business closures were less severe in eastern Canada because the effects of the recession were milder.

My take is that the Maritimes (which accounts for almost 80% of the Atlantic Canadian population) are still too dominated by the public sector and utilities. Government in 2007 accounted for 49% of the GDP for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and P.E.I, whereas the overall figure for Canada was 32%.

I think that’s the biggest reason RBC’s economists today said Atlantic Canada’s GDP increases will be at the ``bottom end of the growth rankings in both 2011 and 2012,’’ with Newfoundland and Labrador proving the lone bright spot. Canada’s biggest bank predicts GDP growth of 1.6% in Nova Scotia in 2012, 1.8% in New Brunswick and 1.9% in P.E.I. It predicts Canada overall will grow at a 2.5% clip.

This region needs more entrepreneurship, especially in the fastest growing segments of the economy like technology, biotech and cleantech.