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CDNPOLI NEWS

OP-ED

Time to complete the national dream of one Canadian economy

By JACQUIE LAROCQUE & KEN POLK

Lisa Raitt, Scott Brison and Frank McKenna sit in their Bay Street investment banker offices, and they have rural Canada on their minds. We’d say “finally,” but these three grew up in those communities. To many, though, especially those living in urban centres, we are entering a new era. Lisa, Scott and Frank know that to build and do big things, and to get to “one Canadian economy,” it will be rural communities — their way of life, their people and their riches — that transform a slogan into a reality for every single Canadian.

If we were to bet, the former bankers inside the government know this too.

The rural economy and the way of life that drives it must not only thrive but also be central to every decision Ottawa makes. From business taxes collected because of entrepreneurs, to health care. From procurement of digital services to moving Canadian goods from point A to B in volumes that the world needs and that we have, and doing so on time (or better). From agile regulations that get things done and reward risk-taking rather than hindering it to physical and human infrastructure that supports exports. It all starts in rural Canada.

Canada Day 2025 comes in the wake of the passage of the Building Canada Act in the Canadian Parliament. It hammers in a plank of the Liberals’ Canada Strong platform, which was premised during the campaign on the paramount need to build Canadian economic resilience at a time when our economic and security relationships are fracturing under varying and disruptive pressures.

If it works as Prime Minister Mark Carney is betting it will (and over 70 per cent of Canadians are hoping it will, according to a recent Angus Reid poll), this should help set better rules so the government can invest wisely. It will encourage businesses to put in more money too, helping build important roads, railways and trade routes that grow our economy and connect the country and us to the world.

What rural Canadians — and by extension all of us — are looking for as these projects move ahead is evidence, at long last, that federal government, in its full institutional strength, truly understands the as yet unrealized potential rural Canada holds. It’s essential that the Prime Minister and the government, from top to bottom, treat rural Canadians as vital partners in building one Canadian economy.

To achieve one Canadian economy, Liberals must think beyond where they elect MPs

Rural Canadians are the unsung heroes of Canada’s extraordinary success story. Rural Canada already accounts for 30 per cent of our national output. Additionally, we depend on exports from rural Canada to fuel our growth — Canada’s natural resource exports were valued at $422 billion in 2022, comprising 58 per cent of the value of Canada's total merchandise exports.

Everything from the critical minerals that will power electric vehicles and clean energy and cell phones; to the sheer open spaces needed to accommodate the spine of our national wireless digital networks to solar and wind energy; from the potash that helps the world grow more food, including what our Canadian farmers export globally, the lumber that will build the homes we need to end the housing crisis, to the oil, gas and electricity that will drive high powered new AI data centres — all of this comes from rural Canada. Let’s not forget the agricultural and financial and other cooperatives that are the heart of their communities, or the tech companies that power virtual healthcare and more in remote areas. They also start in rural Canada.

This has been all too easily forgotten over time as Canada has rapidly urbanized, and governments, especially Liberal ones, have increasingly won elections based on urban and suburban votes with an implicit urban/suburban lens on budgetary and policy making.

As we move into this next phase of Canadian nation-building, the Liberals must not only transform our economy, they must also widen their focus beyond where they get MPs elected. It will require that an explicit rural lens be applied to all cabinet and departmental decisions. That means proactively benchmarking all government decision-making against how they meet rural needs, address rural challenges and create rural opportunity.

It means ending our economic overdependence on the U.S. by working with provinces and territories to grow our economy without compromising the goals of sustainability and Indigenous reconciliation. It means a serious effort to reduce the red tape, overzealous regulation, interminable licensing and other hurdles that repeatedly get in the way. And it will mean fortifying, hardening and even future-proofing our supply chains and human and physical export infrastructure. The tone set by the Prime Minister and the Premiers, like Doug Ford, tells us we can and we will.

Let us all resolve to fulfill our national dream

Canada has arrived at one of those rare historical watersheds where there is broad political consensus on how to meet our continental and global economic challenges. There is tentative hope in rural Canada that the Carney government is adopting the driving aspiration that has been dear to the hearts of rural Canadians since Confederation. For them, “one Canadian economy” has always been the dream. For generations, they have understood that there can only be one Canadian economy, not separate rural and urban ones. And for sure, across generations, they’ve helped shape outcomes meant to serve all Canadians. They will judge the Prime Minister by the extent to which he delivers a “Canada Strong” that is, at heart, “Rural Strong,” not as a slogan, but as an imperative.

This Canada Day, these Bay Street bankers know that two critical constituents are watching: those “back home” living in rural Canada, and the world. They need to see evidence that we’re really serious about achieving our full national economic promise, and that as a country, we can do anything if we would just get out of our own way.

But they won't wait long.

Jacqueline (Jacquie) LaRocque is founder and CEO of public affairs firm Compass Rose Group in Ottawa and has worked in public service, politics and business. Born and raised in Espanola, Ont., in a francophone minority setting, she witnessed firsthand how government policies ripple through small towns. Ken Polk is a public affairs counsellor at Compass Rose Group who has spent decades in service of Canadians in policy, regulatory and government.

This op-ed was first published by Means & Ways.

Cobb: Local economies key to Canada’s post-global trade future

Canada must focus on building resilient local economies instead of relying on global trade and large corporations, says Zita Cobb, founder and CEO of Shorefast and the Fogo Island Inn.

“We need to create the enabling conditions for communities to be in the economy. What we're missing more than anything is the collaborative musculature to work together,” Cobb said on episode 3 of How Do We Not Go Broke, a podcast hosted by Canadian author Stephen Marche.

“You need to do it from the ground up. That's the key.”

Cobb, a former tech executive who returned home to Newfoundland after working in the U.S., founded the Shorefast foundation to help rebuild the economy of Fogo Island after the collapse of the inshore fishery. The goal, she said, was to “connect economics to place” — making local knowledge, traditions, and identity central to development.

“What is the economy for exactly?” she asked. “I think it’s for the people. We're embodied creatures. We're social creatures. We're meaning-seeking creatures. All those things are satisfied in a place. And without place, we won't be able to hold on to intergenerational knowledge.”

Her model, known as asset-based community development (ABCD), flips traditional economic planning. Instead of focusing on what’s missing, it starts by identifying what communities already have: skills, history, relationships and natural resources.

On Fogo Island, that meant investing in traditional crafts, hospitality and small businesses. A renewed focus on woodworking and textiles gave rise to furniture makers and design shops. Even an ice cream business emerged, built around the island’s 26 varieties of edible berries.

She believes the model can work in communities across the country — but only if it’s locally driven. One barrier, she said, is that many Canadians “don’t know each other well enough” to work together effectively.

Despite Canada’s vast resources, Cobb noted that just 500 of the country’s 4,434 incorporated communities have access to commercial banking. That lack of financial infrastructure, she said, means “you can’t get a loan for small business if you’re outside of the top 500 cities in Canada.”

She also flagged regional air access as a critical but overlooked issue. Without it, rural trade and tourism falter.

Cobb pointed to the Faroe Islands’ public investments — including building undersea tunnels and launching a national airline — as a model for government-led development.

“Trade follows tourism,” she said. “The government has a role to play in this; communities have a role to play in this.”

Marche linked Cobb’s ideas to a broader rethinking of trade. “There’s a sense that sovereignty is intimately tied up with trade,” he said, noting that Canadians are beginning to reject American products.

John Shell, chair of Social Capital Partners, echoed the urgency, calling for a “third pole” of middle-power nations like Canada, Japan, and Germany to build independent supply chains.

Cobb’s message: local resilience isn’t just nice to have — it’s essential.

“As a child, I was told to figure out how this money thing works, because otherwise it’s going to eat everything we love,” she said.

Gallant: Space sector is one solution for Arctic sovereignty

The Canadian space sector has immense economic potential, and in addition, offers a potential solution to the challenges of maintaining Arctic sovereignty and could also help the country meet its NATO spending targets, says Brian Gallant, CEO of Space Canada.

To “stand on our own,” Canada should pursue Prime Minister Mark Carney’s commitment to hit the NATO defense spending target of two per cent of the national GDP, Gallant said last week on former Conservative cabinet minister Lisa Raitt’s podcast, The Raitt Stuff. Space Canada, which represents more than 90 “space innovators” including companies and academic institutions, can “help immensely” by improving Arctic protection, in which space-based capabilities would be “pivotal.”

Exploration is a big part of what gives the space sector its cache, but there are many other exciting, commercially viable aspects, including earth observation, which aids in the protection of our oceans and coastlines, and helps first responders deal with natural disasters, Gallant said. It’s also about protecting the Arctic, and about space mining eventually, “which will be a huge economic driver.”

Gallant says the lessons learned delivering health care in space can be applied to taking care of people in remote regions not only in Canada but around the world. The space sector can also help develop telecommunications solutions for remote areas and Indigenous communities.

Supply management ‘off the table’ in Canada-U.S. trade negotiations: Champagne

In the ever-evolving arena of global trade, few issues have sparked as much domestic debate — or international friction — as Canada’s supply management system. Once again at the centre of policy discussions and trade negotiations, supply management is being described not merely as an economic mechanism but as a symbol of national resilience. Former trade minister Ed Fast, reflecting on its enduring role in the Globe and Mail, likens it to a “Gordian Knot” — complex, often misjudged and politically charged. But, as Fast cautions, Canada’s response must not be to hastily sever the knot under pressure. Instead, he argues, we must grasp its deeper strategic value in a world where “free markets” are too often anything but fair.

The system ensures stable incomes for farmers and consistent prices for consumers by regulating food staples such as dairy, chicken, turkey and eggs. According to a recent report from RBC, these managed sectors contribute more than $30-billion to Canada’s GDP, and support 339,000 full-time jobs from the farm, to processing to distributing; and nearly 15,000 farms.

“At its core, the system provides a stable price that fairly compensates farmers for producing high-quality food. The system’s advocates say it boosts food security, supports domestic producers, and ensures consistency of quality and supply for consumers,” the RBC report, Supply Management Explained, says.

To protect domestic production, Canadian processors implement tariff rate quotas (TRQ) to limit imports within their supply-managed industries. Until 2017, foreign access to the TRQ was limited to commitments under the World Trade Organization. However, recent trade negotiations, such as CPTPP, CUSMA, and CETA, have gradually opened the door to greater foreign market access.

While these concessions aim to ease diplomatic tensions, they have created new friction by eroding domestic market shares. For instance, though concessions with the CPTPP were intended to provide an estimated 3.25% access to Canada’s dairy market, imports now represent roughly 4% of Canada’s dairy market. To offset lost profits, the federal government paid farmers and processors $4.8 billion.

Protecting farmers, preserving trade leverage

As Fast argues, supply management is one of the few economic tools Canada can leverage in an increasingly volatile trade environment. Following the re-election of U.S. President Donald Trump, and the return of his “America First, everyone else last” policy, it’s even more important now than ever.

According to Fast, Ottawa’s passage of Bill C-202, which prohibits the government from offering increased TRQ access in future trade negotiations, reflects Canada’s commitment to supply chain management — a “protective stance” which could present an opportunity.

“Dismantling supply management in this moment of geopolitical uncertainty and rising economic nationalism would miss a unique opportunity: the chance to leverage a persistent bilateral irritant to Canada’s advantage,” wrote Fast.

Should Canada remove TRQ on U.S. imports, the domestic market would likely flooded with heavily subsidized U.S. imports, leaving Canadian farmers struggling to compete. Instead, Fast argues supply management should be incorporated into wider strategic negotiations of a “grander bargain” with the U.S., encompassing agriculture, culture, and telecoms, and advancing new national priorities.

Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne has said Canada’s supply management system will not be part of ongoing trade negotiations with the U.S. “This is off the table,” Champagne told Bloomberg News.

Canadian innovation

Supply management can also offer pathways to Canadian innovation, with the example of dairy producer Agropur offering a “road map,” according to CEO Émile Cordeau. The company successfully modernized and expanded its operations by growing its business in Canada’s protected market, before expanding to competitive and open markets in the U.S.

Benefitting from the stability of a closed, supply-managed market allowed it to have the flexibility to balance risk with reward. During a time of heightened volatility of the U.S. market, Agropur’s model suggests Canada’s supply management system could offer investors a mix of risk and stability when used strategically.

“We’re going to protect supply management and we’re going to make sure it remains intact,” said Cordeau.”That is key for us to be able to invest in our assets, in our innovation, in our growth road map.”

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FCC and RDAR partner to expand AI tool ‘Root’ to deliver real-time farm support across Canada

In an age where modern farming requires producers to make fast, informed decisions, a new AI-powered assistant is stepping in to fill a gap that’s quietly widened across Canada’s agricultural landscape.

Root, a free generative AI tool developed by Farm Credit Canada (FCC), is designed to offer farmers real-time support by transforming decades of research and field knowledge into actionable insights. Now, FCC is partnering with Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) to make Root even smarter—and more accessible.

“Root is more than a technology solution, it’s part of a broader effort to bring back something Canadian agriculture has lost: accessible, trusted and timely insight,” said Justine Hendricks, FCC president and CEO, in a press release.

The sentiment echoes a growing concern among Canadian farmers: as traditional, community-based advisory networks decline, many producers are left to navigate increasingly complex challenges alone.

“With the decline of local advisory networks [extension services], too many farmers and ranchers have had to rely on fragmented information or go at it alone,” Hendricks said. “By partnering with RDAR, we’re helping producers access the kind of expertise that once came from decades of community-based knowledge sharing — and we’re doing it in real time, at the pace of modern farming with trusted advisors.”

Root was launched earlier this year as a mobile-friendly, bilingual tool with voice-to-text and image recognition capabilities. Since then, it has supported more than 2,900 user conversations and analyzed nearly 400 images submitted by producers—helping with everything from identifying parts to troubleshooting equipment issues.

What sets Root apart is its ease of use. There's no login, no registration, and it doesn’t collect personal information — features that prioritize trust and simplicity for users in the field.

Through their new memorandum of understanding, RDAR and FCC plan to enhance Root’s functionality even further. RDAR will contribute key data sources and support testing to ensure the tool keeps pace with the real-world needs of Canadian producers.

“We are especially keen on incorporating RDAR materials into Root, FCC’s AI / Large Language Model Pilot and making our materials accessible to producers and ranchers,” said Dr. Mark Redmond, CEO of RDAR.

While FCC and RDAR have previously worked in parallel on agricultural innovation, this agreement formalizes their collaboration and sharpens their shared focus on bringing research to life in the hands of farmers.

“We are pleased to formalize our partnership with FCC; in the past, we have worked on initiatives concurrently, but now we will collaborate more closely,” Redmond said. “This alliance aims to foster innovative solutions for the agricultural sector.”

Root’s mission is clear: empower producers with timely, relevant information so they can make better decisions, faster, with fewer risks. And it’s resonating—91% of users say the tool has provided helpful support, FCC says..

As Hendricks explained, “By simplifying decision-making and increasing confidence on the farm, Root helps accelerate productivity, reduce trial-and-error and empower Canadian producers to adopt better practices with less risk, right from their phones.”

Looking ahead, FCC and RDAR envision even more capabilities for Root, including broader support for agrifood and agribusiness operators. But at its core, Root remains rooted in a simple yet powerful goal: bringing trustworthy agricultural advice back into the hands of those who need it most.

Remote work opportunities rebound in rural Canada, Statistics Canada reports

Remote work opportunities in rural Canada are on the rise again, following a year of decline, according to new data released by Statistics Canada. The report, based on the Canadian Survey on Business Conditions and analyzed using small area estimation methods, highlights significant growth in the potential for remote work among services-producing industries across rural labour markets from the fourth quarter of 2024 to the second quarter of 2025.

In its key finding, Statistics Canada reports “just over one-quarter (27.6 per cent) of businesses in services-producing industries in rural labour markets anticipated offering remote work arrangements for their employees."

Urban labour markets mirrored this trend, StatsCan said, with Ontario showing the strongest growth.

The report offers a detailed picture of how remote work opportunities are changing across Canada’s diverse rural and urban labour markets, pointing to a potential long-term shift in employment practices beyond metropolitan areas.

ICYMI

Investing in the Future: DLL Financial Services joins forces with Careers in Ag

Growing up in Quebec City, Nicolas Foisy had no connection to agriculture. It was playing junior hockey in Russell, Manitoba, where Foisy met his wife, a second-generation farmer and started hat he calls his "farm journey." He was introduced to her family's organic grain and cattle operation and the rest, as they say, is history.

Today, still based in Russell, Foisy is a strong champion of promoting careers in agriculture and is a program manager within DLL's Agriculture sector. DLL, a global asset finance provider for equipment and technology, is the news sponsor of the Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada's (AMC) Careers in Ag initiative.

"Just like it did for me, agriculture offers something for everyone," says Foisy, who began his career in agriculture as a commercial lender and has worked with DLL for the last 10 years. "This partnership presents an exciting opportunity for both organizations to combine their expertise and resources to promote and support careers in the agricultural industry.

AMC's Careers in Ag initiative is designed to connect talented individuals with rewarding careers in agriculture, offering extensive resources, training programs and job placement services to support hte growth and development of agricultural professionals.

Partnering to promote Careers in Agriculture

"As a key supporter of Careers in Ag, DLL is committed to attracting the best talent to the agricultural sector," says AMC President Donna Boyd. Initiatives like this not only align with our values but also showcase the diverse and rewarding career paths available within the industry.

While DLL, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rabobank, has participated in agriculture and career fairs on its own, this is the company's first partnership to promote the importance of careers in agriculture. Foisy says collaborating with AMC is a great opportunity to bring together finance and industry expertise in a way that directly benefits young professionals.

"DLL brings a deep understanding of agricultural financing and equipment lifecycle management, while AMC brings the pulse of the manufacturing and technology side of the industry," he says. "Through our partnership with Careers in Ag, we aim to support the development of future agricultural leaders who understand both the economic and environmental responsibilities of modern farming."

With new technologies like precision farming, an increase in agri-tech start-ups and a growing demand for sustainable supply chains, Foisy says agriculture is shifting rapidly and the convergence of technology, sustainability and global food security creates a dynamic and exciting environment for new talent.

Growing for the future

"Agirculture is a field where people can truly make a difference - solving real-world problems while working with cutting-edge innovations, says Foisy. "For young people, agriculture offers both purpose and opportunity in a way few other sectors can match."

Foisy says the Careers in Ag initiative's Mobile Skills Lab, which features virtual reality technology and educational tools to engage with schools, career fairs, trade shows, and communities across Saskatchewan, is a brilliant way to bring learning directly to communities with a hands-on immersive experience.

"Our team members will have the chance to interact with students in the lab - sharing real-world perspectives on careers in finance, ag lending and equipment leasing," he says. "It's not just about telling students what's possible, but showing them, up close, what a career in ag can look like from different angles."

DLL aims to empower future generations, drive sustainable practices and build a more inclusive and future-ready agriculture industry.

"By investing in education and career development today, we're planting the seeds for a more sustainable and innovative industry tomorrow,' says Foisy.

This story was first published in AMC’s Implement Success magazine.

Mass college layoffs devastate rural Ontario as over 10,000 jobs cut, 600 programs cancelled

Rural communities across Canada are facing a deepening crisis as more than 10,000 faculty and staff have been laid off and over 600 college programs suspended or cancelled across Ontario’s 24 public colleges.

“For this to happen on this scale, this isn’t just about the immediate loss of good jobs in those communities, this is also about the future of local, rural and northern economies,” OPSEU/SEFPO president JP Hornick told The Toronto Star. The mass layoffs, described by Hornick as “one of the largest mass layoffs in Ontario’s history,” stem from a financial crisis caused by plummeting international student enrolment and what the union calls “a system that has deliberately been starved of funding.”

College Employer Council CEO Graham Lloyd pushed back, saying, “any suggestion that OPSEU has not been made aware and regularly updated... is inaccurate,” while the Ministry of Colleges and Universities insisted the province has provided “over $2 billion in new funding” in the past 14 months.

Despite this, Hornick warned of “increased hopelessness” on campuses and said communities are mobilizing to “fight back” against further closures and potential privatization.

Frequent rural ER closures highlight gaps in Canada’s emergency care system

In rural Canada, hospitals are experiencing frequent and prolonged emergency room closures—many so often that they are “closed more often than they are open,” exposing a national healthcare crisis.

In an op-ed for The Globe and Mail, André Picard highlights the findings of an investigative effort by Globe journalists showing that “Canadian ERs closed their doors for at least 1.14 million hours since 2019.” Despite this staggering figure, “most provinces and territories don’t collect this crucial information in any systemic fashion,” revealing a dangerous lack of transparency and accountability.

Picard argues that the root cause is a staffing shortage, especially of nurses, and challenges the notion that all small-town hospitals should maintain ERs that function in name only: “If an ER is closed 80 per cent of the time, is it really an ER?” He calls for a bold reimagining of emergency care: strengthening primary care, creating regional urgent care centres, and deploying advanced paramedics to bridge the rural-urban gap.

“The numbers we have about ER closures tell us that the current situation is untenable. We need a better approach, no matter how politically unpalatable it may seem on the surface,” Picard writes.

In response, the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada wrote: “Canada needs to build a robust system in which physicians and teams are supported to provide high quality care that is locally and regionally accessible. We need both a Canadian rural health strategy and a rural health workforce strategy that includes doctors, nurses, paramedics and others in order to provide the high quality care in a reliable system that all Canadians – including those who live in rural and remote settings – deserve. We at SRPC are engaged in just this work and look forward to the time when we can present our findings and help to lead the way in high quality care for all Canadians that is close to home and cost-effective.”

Rural and Ready bridges the urban-rural gap with an innovative student program in Oxford County

**Savrup Saran, Conservative MP Arpan Khanna, Kayla Han and Shehryar Manzar. / RURAL AND READY PHOTO**

A growing Southwestern Ontario initiative is working to close the widening education and opportunity gap between urban and rural communities. Rural and Ready, a federally registered non-profit, was founded to address the stark disparities in secondary school experiences across Canada — a country with one of the highest urban-rural divides in workforce education among OECD nations.

Rural students often face limited access to extracurricular and leadership opportunities due to geo-demographic factors and lower local demand, leaving them at higher risk of social isolation, lower income levels and fewer post-secondary or career options. In response, Rural and Ready launched the People in Motion Case Competition, the first high school case competition in Oxford County, during the 2024–2025 academic year.

The competition, modelled after a hackathon, challenges students to tackle real-world community issues by developing strategic, practical solutions. Nearly 30 students took part in the inaugural event, gaining experience in public speaking, collaboration, communication and entrepreneurship. Participants presented their proposals to a panel of local leaders, including a deputy mayor, a student entrepreneur and a school board trustee.

Town of Ingersoll Deputy Mayor Lindsay Wilson expressed enthusiasm for the initiative, noting, “I look forward to seeing the case competition grow in the coming years, including the opportunity to adopt solutions presented as part of the program. Thanks to Rural & Ready’s leadership, Oxford now has a much-needed student engagement tool that I know the community will support in the coming years.”

Earlier in 2024, Rural and Ready representatives met with Member of Parliament Arpan Khanna, who expressed strong support for the organization’s focus on empowering local youth.

The organization has also been invited to partner with the Ontario Ministry of Education’s Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) program in the Non-Profit, Education, and Childcare stream. This collaboration will allow high school students to develop sector-specific skills before pursuing post-secondary education, training or employment.

Student submissions in the case competition have included proposals such as youth-centred financial literacy programs tailored to rural communities and community recreation initiatives designed to incentivize youth engagement.

As it looks ahead, Rural and Ready aims to expand the People in Motion program throughout Southwestern Ontario, continuing its mission to foster a growth mindset and encourage rural students to become proactive problem-solvers in their communities.

We want to hear from you

Do you have news, analysis or upcoming events related to rural Canada to share? Are you doing interesting and noteworthy things to unleash rural Canada’s potential? We’d be happy to showcase you or your organization. Please get in touch: info@ruralprosperity.ca.

Rural Roundup July 2025: Your story helps shape real change: Rural communities vital to building one Canadian economy