Rural Canada: A national barometre and strategic economic imperative
Degelis, Que. / UNSPLASH PHOTO
Every weekday, millions of Canadians start their day with familiar routines—preparing kids for school, commuting to work, and, yes, grappling with economic uncertainty. In many ways, the trade war has become a conversation around the table.
If more Canadians understood rural Canada’s critical role in creating solutions to economic uncertainty, they would insist that their political leaders spend more time legislating for its wellbeing. Because rural communities are a barometer of Canada’s future prosperity.
The Rural Prosperity Group has called for a rural lens to be applied to every decision Ottawa makes. I agree, and suspect most Canadian families would too if they understood how rural success affects their lives and well-being. As the group put it, “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.”
Yet with almost 80% of Canadians living in urban areas, the concerns of those in rural areas often fall by the wayside. That’s even as rural communities contribute disproportionately to Canada’s GDP, relative to their population share, according to Statistics Canada. As calls grow louder to create ‘One Canadian Economy,’ the country needs to step up its efforts to address the challenges of our less populated areas.
Rural roots, national strength
Urban and rural communities share many challenges—inflation, affordable housing, access to services, and people experiencing homelessness. But in rural areas, these problems often become more acute due to structural limitations. Labour shortages, inadequate transportation infrastructure, and poor broadband access are persistent impediments to growth in smaller communities.
Consider agriculture: some producers are increasingly adopting robotics to cope with labour shortages, yet without reliable broadband, many cannot fully harness these technological advances. Such connectivity gaps magnify inequities—not only between cities and rural towns, but more starkly in some First Nations communities. These disparities restrict Canada’s full economic potential. They should concern every Canadian, regardless of where we live.
Since the pandemic, food security has emerged as a top priority for Canadians. But how will we achieve it? Rural Canada has the solutions. Our future prosperity depends on primary sectors—agriculture, fisheries, mining, forestry, and energy—all of which operate largely outside urban centres. Canada is endowed with an abundance of arable land, fresh water, diverse sources of energy, as well as expertise in how to harness these resources. This gives us a strong advantage in a shifting global market.
Rural leaders must obtain visibility at federal, provincial and territorial levels. But political realities present barriers—their asks often gain less traction than policies which target urban voters. To strategically overcome these circumstances, rural and urban stakeholders must build lasting partnerships.
Earlier this year, the Coalition for a Better Future emphasized the importance of closing the urban-rural divide: “rural communities hold the key to Canada’s resilience and long-term stability, but their success depends on decisive action.” We all have a role to play, and actors in all sectors must amplify these calls to ensure rural priorities remain firmly on the national radar.
Governments may be tempted to offer piecemeal solutions. But to truly realize our country’s full economic potential, we need national coordination—a commitment across all levels of government to deliver a rural development plan with measurable goals and transparent reporting. This approach must address the systemic barriers holding back rural contributions, including outdated support programs and regulatory burdens that deter investment.
This may seem ambitious, but recent progress on dismantling interprovincial trade barriers signals a strong shift. With global conditions changing, Canada has a timely opportunity to rethink its approach to trade and deliver more inclusive, regionally balanced economic development.
The stakes are high. Seizing this moment requires vision—one that looks beyond electoral maps and embraces rural Canada as a cornerstone of our future economic prosperity.
