The federal government wants rural Canadians to tell it what to do and how to do it.
On March 30, agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief announced a “rural dialogue” to help the government figure out a rural strategy.
Lynden Johnson, head of the department’s rural secretariat which will organize the project, said the government is preparing a workbook of issues and questions to be used to focus the discussion.
Then, over the summer and autumn, workshops will be organized in some communities and rural Canadians will be encouraged to contact Ottawa with their answers and suggestions.
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Johnson said the goal is to let people know what policies and programs governments offer, to find out if they are working and to consider alternatives if they are not.
“Hopefully, at the end of this, we will see all levels of government working co-operatively with communities to provide them with the tools they need,” Johnson said from his Ottawa office.
“Policy is more than just spending money on programs,” he said. “It is regulatory instruments, it is making the best use of the resources and tools we have.”
He said issues to be discussed could range from rural infrastructure and communications to how communities can attract skilled labor and investment to develop their economies.
