NEWS RELEASE

Ref: 830-783/004

Federal-Provincial-Territorial Meeting of Ministers responsible for Rural Development
Kananaskis, Alberta - April 14-15, 2003

INAUGURAL RURAL MINISTERS’ MEETING A SUCCESS:
ONGOING ACTION ON RURAL AND REMOTE COMMUNITIES

KANANASKIS, Alberta, April 15, 2003 – Federal, provincial and territorial Ministers responsible for rural development agreed to explore a collaborative approach to further advance the vitality of rural, remote and northern communities. During the two-day inaugural meeting in Kananaskis, Alberta, Ministers shared the principles and visions of their current rural policies and programs and expressed their intention to continue working closely together to share information and collaborate where appropriate. Based on the discussions they will pursue a more co-ordinated approach to rural policy, focussing on the cultural, social, environmental and economic conditions necessary for vibrant rural communities.

Ministers agreed that the well-being of rural Canada benefits the whole country. Future discussions will be directed toward the long-term sustainability and viability of communities so that they can provide an environment where people have access to economic and social opportunities to improve their quality of life and self-reliance.

Ministers agreed to continue to build upon collaborative principles for a national framework for rural policies.* These principles include: the community as the cornerstone of rural development; collaboration across and amongst governments to help achieve a vision of rural Canada and to provide clear accountability to Canadians; flexible governmental initiatives are required to address rural diversity; a multi-faceted approach will help to realize a community’s potential; developing local leadership fosters a culture of citizen engagement; and business, built on corporate and cooperative entrepreneurship, is an essential component of building strong rural communities.

A national framework on rural policy could support community capacity building; encourage community and sector initiatives to improve and renew the rural economic and social base; and enhance collaboration across and amongst governments to the benefit of rural and remote Canada.

Ministers discussed a wide variety of rural issues and are committed to starting work immediately to develop a research agenda that will generate information communities can put to use to meet their challenges including work on access to capital issues impacting rural areas, public–private partnerships and types of infrastructure investment.

The Ministers also put in place a plan for action for rural communities focused on supporting community capacity including developing tools and information and producing a federal–provincial–territorial directory of programs and services. These actions together would support more informed decisions by communities.

Ministers reiterated their commitment to assisting rural Canadians, communities and organizations to adapt and thrive.

* In the absence of the Quebec Minister responsible for Rural Affairs, his representative indicated that Quebec already has a rural policy including measures and agreements with the municipalities and would share information and best practices.

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