A Regina economist says Saskatchewan will have a bright future if it revisits nuclear power, develops energy processing and opens the doors to new immigrants.
Graham Parsons laid the groundwork for stimulating discussion about how to increase Saskatchewan’s population in a speech that kicked off a two-day conference called Innovation Saskatchewan: Double the Population.
“Saskatchewan was a first mover at the beginning of this century and it looks as though we could do it again,” said Parsons, president of the Organization for Western Economic Co-operation, at the conference at the University of Saskatchewan.
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Between 1901 and 1911, immigrants poured into Saskatchewan, increasing its citizens to half a million from 91,000.
One hundred years later, opportunities abound in farming, agricultural processing and new energy sources, he said. For example, huge stores of uranium in the province could be processed here and nuclear power plants could generate electricity for sale to the United States and Alberta.
Parsons touted an expected exodus of meat packing plants from Florida in the coming decade as an opportunity for Saskatchewan.
There is also potential in the organics and special crops industry and in attracting researchers from around the world to the university’s new Synchrotron.
He suggested moving away from crown corporation control of natural resources and called for improvements in water resources and roads, in addition to changes in land ownership rules.
“If we stand still, others will come in and take it from you,” he said of natural and human resources.
A non-political framework with long-term growth goals must be in place that go beyond election cycles.
Staying in a holding pattern could jeopardize the current population, he said, painting a picture of one taxpayer supporting as many as 17 people within 20 years at current population rates.
“Immigration has to become a priority for us again,” he said. “Immigrants come here to succeed, not to fail.”
Urban populations are increasing at the same rate as the rural decline and Parsons said Saskatchewan has fewer people per municipality than anywhere in Canada.
Pat Lorje, a Saskatoon MLA recently appointed legislative secretary for immigration, conceded there is some opposition in Saskatchewan to immigration and large increases in population.
She cautioned that the number of immigrants and the availability of jobs must go hand in hand, alongside changes in public policies, attitudes and programs.
“Many of the hard questions have to be posed by others, other than politicians,” she said.
Like Lorje, Joe Garcea, of the U of S political studies department, said increased immigration must be calibrated with the economic and social capabilities of the province. Otherwise it could lead to social problems.
Garcea said improvements must be made in employment and career resources.
“There are a lot of janitors at this university with professional degrees,” he said, citing difficulties foreign-born citizens face in having their education recognized.
Garcea said not enough attention has been paid to immigration. Saskatchewan needs 4,000 to 12,000 additional people to make up for those leaving the province every year. But the reasons behind that exodus need to be addressed before considering more international immigration, he said.
“We need to think not just immigration policy but a population policy,” he said.
“We all need to move ahead in this province or we will all be moving out together from this province,” Garcea said.
Canada takes in one million immigrants – the size of Saskatchewan’s population – every four to five years. Most of those newcomers head to the major urban centres. In order to lure some to Saskatchewan, Garcea suggested better immigration policies and resources.
He cited the well-developed immigration policies and infrastructure of Quebec and called for a more welcoming attitude, hiring practices that include a percentage of new immigrants, recruitment strategies and an improved nomination process for businesses sponsoring new immigrants.
He suggested working with Manitoba to lure immigrants to the Prairies and away from major metropolises through incentive programs.
Currently, only one of two immigrants who comes to Saskatchewan stays, Garcea said.
Most immigration into Saskatchewan comes from the United States and Europe.
The Saskatchewan Agrivision Corp., which co-hosted the conference with the U of S, has created a double-the-population committee that is expected to present proposals by Christmas.
Agrivision president Red Williams said the time is ripe to capitalize on a change in attitude in the province.
“If we go at it the way we have been going at it, it’s a brick wall,” he said. “We have to be aggressive.”
