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The Report of the Nova
Scotia Commission on
Building Our New Economy
February 2014
CALL TO ACTION
The Nova Scotia
Commission on Building
Our New Economy
COMMISSIONERS
Ray Ivany, Chair
President, Acadia University,
Wolfville
Irene dEntremont
President, ITG Information
Management Inc., Yarmouth
Dan Christmas
Senior Advisor, Membertou,
Cape Breton
Susanna Fuller
Marine Conservation Coordinator,
Ecology Action Centre, Halifax
John Bragg
Founder and CEO,
Oxford Group of Companies,
Oxford
STAFF
Jo Ann Fewer
Executive Director
Mark Austin
Director of Research and
Communications
Carolyn Terry
Administrator
Acknowledgments
A project of this nature, which is intended to explore several complex questions, and to
do so with a high degree of public consultation, is inherently challenging. The Nova Scotia
Commission on Building Our New Economy was created as an independent body with a
big mandate and a small staff. The volunteer commissioners therefore wish to express our
deepest gratitude to Jo Ann Fewer who served as our Executive Director; Mark Austin, our
Director of Research and Communications; and Carolyn Terry, our Administrative Assistant,
for their creativity, commitment and tireless dedication to our work. Their professional
talents contributed greatly to every aspect of this project and their cheerfulness in the face
of unrelentingand sometimes unrealistic deadlines made the process more enjoyable
for all.
The Commission toured the province in the winter/early spring and then again in the fall
of 2013 as well as reaching out to Nova Scotians through the web and various social media
platforms. We were supported in that work by the Public Engagement Support Unit of the
Office of Policy and Priorities and we want to express our gratitude to Tyler Knowlton, Chief
Strategist, and his team; Dan ORourke, Kelly Meagher and Rita Fraser. Commissioners also
want to express a special thank you to Rick Williams first, as our connecting point with the
public service during the planning and start-up of the Commission and, more recently, for
his advice and assistance in the final phases of our work.
The analytical base of our study required considerable research and, while we
commissioned several pieces of work from think-tanks and private consultants, we also relied
heavily on expertise within government departments. We want to thank the many dedicated
public servants who contributed to the work of the Commission and make special mention
of the following individuals who regularly responded to extensive requests for information
and analysis: Thomas Storring, Director of Economics and Statistics Division, Department
of Finance; Greg Landry, Director of Sector Development, and Shirley Hazen, Corporate
Strategist, both in the Department of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism; and
Jake Whalen, Corporate Strategist, Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage.
The Commission occasionally required writing, transcription and editorial support and
we were ably supported by Nancy Watson from Communications Nova Scotia and Claire
Moxon, Principal, Scribe Select. Early in our process the Commission assembled a team
of economists to provide advice on exemplary economic development practices in other
jurisdictions. We are most grateful for the advice of this group which was chaired by Fred
Morley, Vice President at Greater Halifax Partnership, and included Dr. Lars Osberg, Dr.
Brian VanBlarcom, Dr. Fred Wien, Dr. Catherine Leviten-Reid, and Dr. Phil Davison.
The Commissioners felt fortunate to have multi-party support throughout the course of
this project. The Commission was announced by then-Premier Darrell Dexter in November,
2012 but, from the initial day of the launch, the aims and objectives were also supported
by Mr. Stephen McNeil, Leader of the Liberal Party and Mr. Jamie Baillie, Leader of the
Progressive Conservative Party. As a result of the October, 2013 election, the Liberal Party
formed a majority government and we are both pleased and grateful that Premier McNeil has
continued to be a champion of the Commissions work. We sincerely hope this report will be
worthy of the support of our political leaders.
All of the Commissioners participated in this project while continuing to fulfill their
obligations to their respective businesses and organizations. We therefore want to thank
both our employers for enabling us to volunteer our time to this project as well as our
colleagues who inevitably had to take on additional responsibilities as we spent time away on
Commission deliberations or meetings.
Finally, we want to express our gratitude to the people of Nova Scotia for participating
in the work of the Commission. We heard a wide variety of ideas and perspectives on ways
to improve our economy. In virtually every instance those views were borne out of a shared
love of Nova Scotia and a desire to see a better and more prosperous future for the next
generation. As Commissioners, we could not have asked for a richer wellspring of inspiration
to pursue our work with vigour and integrity.
ONE NOVA SCOTIA
Commissioners
Foreword
The evidence gathered by our Commission over
the past year would indicate that this wise advice was
not fully understood and embraced and that the slide
did not halt. Alarms continue to be sounded; almost
every week there are additional voices in the media
and other public forums expressing serious concerns
about industry failures, slow business growth, faltering
employment levels, the loss of young people and
skilled workers to other provinces, and the shrinking
viability of many rural communities. And there have
been more reports and studies proposing new ideas
and concerted action to turn the economy around
before it is too late.
This brings to mind the image of the frog in the
pan of water heating on the stove that purportedly does
not react to the gradual increase in temperature until it
is too late to jump. As economic conditions worsen, we
all make adjustments: many people remain complacent
because they live and work in situations that are less
vulnerable than others, and many others leave the
province to find better opportunities. But too many
Major socioeconomic changes are
making Nova Scotia weaker and more
dependent. If we are to halt the slide, we
must change and quickly the way
we finance our standard of living. We are
at a crossroads. The world is changing. We
must change too or face the consequences.
The only certainty is that
the status quo is not an option.
Creating Our Own Future:
A NOVA SCOTIA ECONOMIC STRATEGY, 1991
I
n drafting this, its final report, the Commissioners
had some difficulty in finding the right voice and
tone with which to talk to Nova Scotians about the
seriousness of the challenges we now face and how we
might as a province begin to overcome them.
As we explored current economic and population
trends we became more and more alarmed. The
evidence is convincing that Nova Scotia hovers now
on the brink of an extended period of decline. Two
interdependent factors an aging and shrinking
population and very low rates of economic growth
mean that our economy today is barely able to support
our current standards of living and public services, and
will be much less so going forward unless we can reverse
current trends.
But this is not new news. In 1991 the provincial
government mandated Nova Scotia Voluntary Planning
to consult the public and advise on a new economic
strategy. In the resulting report, Creating Our Own Future
A Nova Scotia Economic Strategy, the working group
assessed the major changes impacting the province,
including globalization of trade, technological change,
environmental issues, shrinking federal fiscal transfers
and the heavy indebtedness of the provincial government.
It drew the following conclusion:
Those changes and others are making Nova Scotia
weaker and more dependent economically. If we are
to halt the slide, we must change and quickly
the way we finance our standard of living. We
are at a crossroads. The world is changing. We
must change too or face the consequences. The only
certainty is that the status quo is not an option.
The report laid out a vision for halting the slide,
calling for change leadership from business and
communities, significant improvements in export
trade, value-added production, and a commitment to
environmental sustainability.
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