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Rural Dialogue
Lennoxville, Québec
DISCLAIMER
Meeting Particulars
Lennoxville, Québec
July 29, 1998
5:30p.m.
Questions
1. A) Rural residents are concerned about the future of their communities.
What are the key strengths of your community as you look to the future?
1. B) What are the biggest challenges that you, your family and your community face as you look to the future?
2.A) What is preventing you and your community from overcoming these challenges? What is holding you back?
2. B) What needs to be done?
3. What organizations, levels of government or others should be involved in working to overcoming these challenges?
4. What role do you see specifically for the federal government in working with you to overcome these challenges?
5. How can federal programs and services better support your community's needs (e.g., are there changes needed in the design, delivery, awareness or accessibility)?
6. What is the best way for the Federal Government to continue to hear the views of rural people on an ongoing basis (e.g., meetings, surveys, polls, newsletters, advisory groups, the Internet, etc.)?
Findings
1. Rural residents are concerned about the future of their communities.
1. A)What are the key strengths of your community as you look to the future?
Cultural mix, several language groups - strength in diversity
High education level in area
Proximity to urban area
Retirement Centre, hospital, churches, service groups
Environnementally friendly life
Paper mills - available jobs
Cheap real estate compared to rest of Canada
Lower cost of living compared to other provinces
Good quality land
Agriculture and tourism
English access to world wide information
Economic stability in agriculture
Great place to raise children
4-H leadership programs
Volunteers
1.b) What are the biggest challenges that you, your family
and your community face as you look to the future?
Personal challenge for those who have made large investments in Quebec
School system, friends are moving out of the province
Uncertainty of future of agricultural policies - quota - supply management
Need more access to information - compared to the US
Lack of education/technology
- Sense of abandonment by Federal government amongst English speaking
citizens
- Anglo isolation from anglo expatriots - friends leaving for the rest of
Canada
- Absence of rural extension assistance
- Need to standardize education in all provinces and get everyone to agree
on one thing
- Lack of standardization, provincial regulations penalize doctors who come
to Quebec and Ontario
- Isolated communities, lack of networking
- Difficulty with possible separation of Quebec, a lot of uncertainty
- Gun laws designed for city residents, not country farmers
- Viability of career in agriculture
- Too much bureaucracy for small businesses, environmental red tape
- Lack of employment for young people - need to maintain youth in the area
who can provide continuity to the family support needs
- Poverty of the working class
- Need to maintain medical facilities in both official languages
- Communication gap between computer literate and non-literate
- Lack of access to government in english
- Excessive taxation
- Good cultural activities and nursing care
- Strengths are not all present in every community
- Traditions and institutions are breaking down due to the aging population
and the lack of youth to replace them
- Government downsizing
- Lack of cooperation between organizations
- Discrimination against bilingual anglophones
- No inter-governmental coordination (Provincial and Federal)
2. What is preventing you and your community from
overcoming these challenges?
a) What is holding you back?
- Lack of personal contact with banking people - huge banks
- Road system, services are so far
- Encourage tourism but realize at the same time that farmers spend
their money in the community, tourists don't
- There is not enough stable employment because of the instability
of the government
- Need to understand government(s)
- Early retirees are taking jobs from youth
- Transportation - lack of public transport and good roads
- Lack of critical resident mass to support services and professionals
b) What needs to be done?
Federal desk in every post office
Work ethics is lacking, union protection is out of control
More research and development investment
Better access to accurate information
Community centres and activity systems for youth have to increase
feeling of self worth
Federal Government should take action on Canadian Unity
Reduce taxes - create fair and just taxes
Encourage the establishment of new industries: sawmills, planning
plants, cheese factories, meat plants
More flexible programs, better adaptation to rural community
Better policies on public transport
Promote bilingual skills
Better services from federal offices and employees, ex.: UIC
officers
3. What organizations should be involved in overcoming
the challenges?
Community
Municipal
Provincial
Federal
4. What role do you see specifically for the federal
government in working with you to overcome these
challenges?
Positive and supportive, need special focus
Stabilization, need to be more informed
Adjustment, Quebec is part of Canada and the federal government
should guarantee that Quebec citizens remain Canadian
Consult, dialogue, legislate standards in health and education
Continued support of minority language groups
Available to all people regardless of socio-economic status
Enforce the Charter of Rights, so that the law allows parents to send
their children to schools of their choice
Should have a federal system of education -every area of Canada
teaches a different point of view
Better tax exemptions for yearly salaries under $20,000.
Upgrading for all people, not just welfare and UIC clients
Lower interest on bank loans for people earning under $50,000.
Use groups and association as federal agents to deliver services
Innovative solutions, more flexibility in overcoming jurisdictional
difficulties (i.e. training)
5. How can federal programs and services better support
your community's needs (e.g., are there changes
needed in the design, delivery, awareness or
accessibility)?
Balance view point, cultural, language
Better access to real people, less voice mail!!!
Less bureaucracy - better communication between government bodies,
subsequently, better communication with citizens after a consensus has
been reached
Selection process of members of agricultural, rural community
dwellers to be allowed on specific committees of the federal
government
Grants be made available to all people, not only UIC and welfare
recipients
Better listings of government bodies so that we can understand what
each branch is responsible for - too many acronyms - don't know what
they mean!
A strong federal presence - feel of abandonment by the rest of Canada
and the federal government
Awareness of rural needs - need to become closer to the community
Use single window - one-stop-shop approach
More leadership programs
6. What is the best way for the Federal Government to
continue to hear the views of rural people on an
ongoing basis (e.g., meetings, surveys, polls,
newsletters, advisory groups, the Internet, etc.)?
Post office - mail
semi-annual meeting
Dialogue workshops like this one
Work with existing groups, e.g. QFA, Quebec School Board
Association
Begin by listening to us - meet with us when we ask to be met with.
Stop ignoring us - meet with the common people - stop ignoring your
electorate
Choose better time - not July
Use existing institution (i.e. schools)
Create advisory group, provide community consultations
Focus on theme for consultation - education, economic development -
to stimulate interest
Strong rural community is foundation for all society
Do not close post offices
Federal government needs to have positive and very evident presence
in Quebec to counter separation
Respect rural dwellers and don't try to coerce them to be "urbanites"
The Prime Minister of Canada must stand up and defend the Ministers
in Quebec. We are Canadian and wish to remain Canadian. We have
said no twice to separation. The Prime Minister must finally defend
and listen to us. We said no, we should not have to say it over and
over again.
DISCLAIMER
All Rural Dialogue session reports on this Canadian Rural Partnership (CRP) web site are included for information purposes only. The views expressed in the Rural Dialogue session reports have not been edited and are those of one or many rural Canadians who attended the Rural Dialogue sessions.
The views expressed in the Rural Dialogue session reports do not necessarily represent the views of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada or any other department or agency of the Government of Canada. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada does not make any warranties, expressed or implied, as to the content and/or use of the Rural Dialogue session reports.
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