Canada’s Maritime provinces are doing all they can to prepare for the demographic challenges and worker shortages in the coming years, and are taking the lead in preparing for the future economy. New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island’s representatives at the 2010 Atlantic Business Summit had plenty to say about their provinces’ recruitment and economic growth strategies: in particular, they hoped to spread the good word to former and potential residents about living and working on the East Coast. The speeches by the provincial representatives focused on population growth strategies, as well as the ability to recreate their economy by attracting foreign investment.

^{Hon. Victor Boudreau, Minister of Business New Brunswick - Photo credit: Graham Huber}

Victor Boudreau, Minister of Business New Brunswick, observed the need to “give our kids the right reasons to raise kids and have a successful career at home in Atlantic Canada.” He discussed the province’s creation of a Population Growth Secretariat, “which means focusing on retention, repatriation, immigration, and immigrant settlement services. And it’s working,” Boudreau noted. “Since January 2007, New Brunswick’s population has grown for 12 straight quarters, as opposed to a continuous decline in the years prior.”

A pillar of this strategy is keeping young New Brunswickers at home. “The New Brunswick government has set up a Youth Retention Fund to support various groups like Fusion Saint John, who are doing important retention work in our province,” said Boudreau. “We know how crucial it is to foster the right climate for growing family and businesses. We’re proud to offer a $20,000 tuition rebate initiative to give our students more incentive to continue their personal growth at home in New Brunswick.”

Technology and taxes are also a fundamental part of the province’s strategy. Echoing the discussions taking place throughout the 2010 Summit, he reiterated New Brunswick’s “plan to grow our knowledge economy and keep our kids at home.” Infrastructure development has been crucial in this process: “New Brunswick now has 100% affordable, reliable broadband coverage across the whole province. The ‘middle of nowhere’ no longer exists in New Brunswick.” His government is also coupling this incentive with a plan to create “the lowest corporate tax in the country by 2012. At 8%, these low taxes, coupled with the flattened personal income tax structure, will mean $380 million in annual savings for New Brunswickers and New Brunswick companies.”  

“We are really building a new New Brunswick,” said Boudreau.

^{Ian Thompson, Deputy Minister, Nova Scotia Department of Economic and Rural Development}

Ian Thompson, Nova Scotia’s Deputy Minister of Economic and Rural Development, was optimistic about what his province could offer returning and new residents, and focused his discussion on economic growth. Speaking of the trend of Atlantic Canadians moving to Alberta for work, Thompson observed that “this trend has been reversed, and that’s been visible for many quarters.”

Part of this reversal is owing to the vitality of the telehealth and aerospace industries in Nova Scotia, as well as some larger marquee projects. “Nova Scotia has been very successful in attracting to our province one of the great companies of the world,” said Thompson. “Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering has established DSME Trenton Unlimited to manufacture world class wind turbines and towers for North American markets. It’s our hope that they’re going to be hugely successful, but Nova Scotia will be well rewarded by having Korean expertise and culture in our province.”

This success in attracting new business and bringing home former residents means that Atlantic Canada has to change its mindset about what location “means.” “We need to stop thinking of ourselves as existing at the extremity of a large landmass,” argued Thompson. “Instead of thinking of ourselves that way, we need to think of ourselves as being at the corner of Main St. and Main St., between the two richest economies in the history of the world. At no time in my lifetime have Atlantic Canadians had more opportunity to learn from more people by engaging, by competing, and by adopting best practices.”

^{Jim Ferguson, Executive Director, Prince Edward Island Population Secretariat}

Jim Ferguson, Executive Director of Prince Edward Island Population Secretariat, gave a detailed outlook of PEI’s population growth strategies. Formed in 2005, “the PEI Population Secretariat has helped the province’s population increase steadily for the past five consecutive years, but like the majority of provinces in Canada, we’re facing the potential challenges and the general effects of population decline.” To that end, the Secretariat has developed a new strategy focused on “improving the settlement experience of newcomers.”

The PEI Secretariat also takes significant direction from the Island Prosperity Strategy, which, as Ferguson noted, was released in April 2008, and which outlines government’s economic direction by investing in people, innovation and infrastructure. “This strategy provides labour market direction by allocating funds which are focused on building the pool of skilled workers needed for our strategic sectors, and tapping the full potential for growth.” The Secretariat recruits internationally for these key sectors, which include “aerospace, bio-science, information technology – particularly video game development – and renewable energy.”

Returning the domestic population is also important to the Island, and it has been focusing its attention on the repatriation of islanders and Atlantic Canadians. PEI has initiated a campaign – “It’s Time to Come Home” – which to date has focused on speaking to former Islanders when they return on vacations or over Christmas.

Ferguson himself is no stranger to these recruitment and retention strategies. “I’m one of those ones who ‘comes from away,’” he joked. “I was born in Montreal, had the distinction of living in Toronto for one year of my life – the year the Leafs won the cup! – back to Montreal, then Ottawa, Kingston, Belleville, and then moved to PEI in 1987 for two years. And in 2010 I’m still there and happy to call it home.”