Atlantic growth
Central Nova MP discusses Atlantic Growth Strategy
MP discusses focus on economic opportunities for area.
As someone who once had to leave Nova Scotia to find a job, Central Nova MP Sean Fraser wants to make sure opportunities exist in his riding so that people don’t have to go elsewhere for work.
“Helping to create economic opportunities is at the top of my list,” he told those gathered at the Pictou County Chamber of Commerce business breakfast on Tuesday to hear him speak about the Atlantic Growth Strategy.
Before becoming an MP, Fraser worked as a lawyer in Alberta because he couldn’t find employment in his home province. This is one of the reasons the initiative aimed at driving economic growth in the region is important to him.
Announced last summer, the Atlantic Growth Strategy involves the federal government working with the four Atlantic provinces to stimulate the region’s economy, support
the middle class and address regional challenges through implementing actions in five areas: skilled workforce and immigration, innovation, clean growth and climate change, trade and investment, and infrastructure.
“Virtually every investment ties back to one of these pillars.”
Fraser said immigration is
essential to the future of Nova Scotia’s economic success because of an aging and declining population. The Atlantic Growth Strategy’s intent is to remedy this through an immigration pilot project that involves bringing at least 6,000 new immigrants and their families to the Atlantic provinces.
“What’s unique about this program is it’s driven by employers,” he said.
“What we’re trying to do is create a program that allow employers to have needs met but also provides a pathway to citizenship for those people that are seeking to become residents of Canada.”
The idea is that if companies can’t find employees they need from the local workforce, and they need to recruit internationally, that immigrants would be able to come in as permanent residents on an accelerated basis, which also hopes to solve the problem of retention while developing and building a sustainable workforce.
“Beyond immigration, there’s a lot more we can be doing to help business to grow locally. Innovation is a key piece to this strategy as well.”
He said this refers to using new technologies or new ways to help businesses grow, such as working with natural resources industries to find new ways to increase production or add value to products, and also working with universities and community colleges in the province. One example is the $15.2 million expansion of the Pictou campus of the Nova Scotia Community College, with funding from the federal and provincial governments.
Fraser said the new facility will allow for the education of skilled tradespeople in the region for at least a generation, responding to the needs of the local community.
“These are the kinds of infrastructure investments that we can make that will set the stage for future economic growth. If we wanted just to create jobs and put people to work we could have them dig a hole somewhere, but that’s not the kind of investment that’s going to lead to the growth that we all want to see in our region.”
The Atlantic Growth Strategy is also investing in infrastructure, working to expand business activities between Atlantic Canada and international markets, and stimulating growth through creating jobs in a lowcarbon economy.