Embracing the ‘new’ in Atlantic Canada
Recently, I moderated a leader’s panel discussion in St. John’s as part of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s CEO Dinner Super Series on skills and immigration in Atlantic Canada that caused me to reflect on my experiences with diversity and culture.
Growing up in Atlantic Canada in the 70’s and 80’s, I did not experience much cultural diversity. I had limited background to form opinions about other cultures, as I was young and hadn’t travelled much. Now, 30 years later, I have lived and worked in large and small cities and travelled to many countries. I love the new experiences in a new city or country because of the unique sights, sounds, food, language, customs and more. I also love coming home to the unique quality of life in Atlantic Canada. I suspect there are many here who can relate similar experiences.
Upon my return I found each of the Atlantic Provinces to be more diverse than when I left. Our universities and workforce include people from many countries who live, work or study here. It’s encouraging to see so many newcomers enriching our provinces and broadening our cultural makeup.
The transformation in Atlantic Canada has only just begun. Economic growth and individual prosperity are inextricably tied to creating new jobs, welcoming newcomers and expanding trade with other countries. These priorities are critical because our population is aging, shrinking, and technology is changing the nature of the work we do — a trend not slowing anytime soon. Simply look at how rapidly our lives and work has changed with the introduction of the Internet, mobile computing and smart phones.
The conundrum is our companies are forecasting huge shortages of qualified workers, and at the same time, people are saying they can’t find jobs. There is a troubling disconnect between available jobs and qualified people, largely because the types of work and jobs are changing, and so are the skills needed to complete this work.
To overcome this disconnect, we need to train people today for the skills of tomorrow — to fill job vacancies and attract companies who will grow and create jobs in Atlantic Canada. It also means we need to bring new people here to bridge the skills gap to fill the vacancies companies have right now. We need to welcome new people to our communities to fill jobs that are currently vacant. If we don’t, companies that can’t find people may be forced to scale back operations, close or relocate elsewhere.
Studies have shown jobs are created and economies improve as populations grow. If there are labour shortages, immigration is an effective way to quickly reduce these scarcities. Many provinces and countries are redoubling their efforts to also attract newcomers to improve their economies. Global competition has expanded beyond goods and services, we are competing to attract skilled people.
If we are to be successful in attracting getting our expatriates to return and newcomers to settle in Atlantic Canada, it’s essential we dispel the myths about immigration. We must acknowledge our culture will not be impacted negatively, our jobs will not be taken, and there will be no language or integration challenges that can ‘t be overcome. It’s time to be open to the possibility of enriching our identity and our culture. When new people choose to live here, they contribute. They buy homes, join community organizations, fill jobs or open new businesses that create jobs, and offer a myriad of personal characteristics that enrich our culture.
The Atlantic Chamber of Commerce and its member chambers are eager to be part of a solution to bring people and investment to the Atlantic provinces as part of our Four Pillars for Prosperity.
We have many advantages in terms of our quality of life and a successful track record of welcoming immigrants for more than 200 years. Ask anyone, they will tell you how special this place is and how friendly people are in Atlantic Canada. To me that makes our people our most valuable resource—it’s time to compound that resource!
Sheri Somerville is CEO of the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce, the largest accredited business organization of influence in Atlantic Canada representing 93 chabers, 25 corporate partners, and more than 16,000 businesses.