Ottawa-Two former MPs have taken on leadership roles in the Rural Prosperity Group (RPG) formed earlier this year to make the federal government more aware of and pay attention to the importance of rural Canada to the country.

Former Manitoba Conservative MP and cabinet minister Candice Bergen will be the RPG chair and former Liberal MP and Senator Dennis Dawson will be the vice-chair.

RPG will be advocating for a strong rural lens on government, better connectivity, fairer taxation and community-building services. The group has released an open letter to the federal party leaders that highlights the inequality faced by rural communities and the important role they play in Canada’s prosperity. “As our political leaders begin to prepare campaign platforms in advance of the next election, it is imperative that they consider how their proposals will impact the rural way of life.”

RPG wants the government to begin “applying a rural lens or place-based approach to policies, regulations and legislation and developing metrics to measure success. By valuing and acknowledging rural communities, the government can craft policies that are flexible and adaptable for both urban and rural families, ensuring that rural voices remain central in the national conversation.

“The government must establish and apply a rural lens to all government policy and budgeting initiatives and ensure that programming does not inequitably benefit or negatively affect some communities at the expense of others.”

The government must invest in or use all available tools to support initiatives that expand access to essential services in rural and remote communities, including reliable healthcare services, broadband internet, trade-enabling infrastructure services and skills development programs.

RPG also wants the government to eliminate or amend taxation and regulatory policies that negatively and disproportionately impact families and employers in rural communities.

“While rural areas are home to a quarter of Canada’s population and encompass key sectors that drive the country’s economic engine, from natural resources like forestry, energy, agriculture and mining to innovative businesses in tourism, technology, health care, manufacturing and more, decision-makers often overlook these communities’ benefits.”

Rural communities account for 30 per cent of Canada’s GDP, housing 315,221 small businesses that pay more than their fair share of taxes while generating well-paying jobs and investment opportunities that stimulate economic growth nationwide.

RPG aims to deepen ties and foster dialogue with the federal government, businesses, and civil society to ensure rural perspectives inform public policymaking. It noted that it participated in the Commons finance committee’s pre-budget consultations.

For more information, go to https://ruralprosperity.ca

This news item prepared for National Newswatch