5-Year Initiative Brings Business, Government and Academia Together to Drive Growth and Prosperity in Atlantic Canada

Halifax, NS -- APEC, together with its industry and provincial and federal government partners, launched the APEC Forum on Competitiveness. The 5-year research and policy reform initiative is designed to build a more competitive economy and set a clear path for improved prosperity for the region and individual Atlantic Canadians.
 
“For Atlantic Canada’s future prosperity, all sectors of our society must work together to address issues of competitiveness – both barriers and opportunities. Over the next five years, APEC’s Forum on Competitiveness will bring together business, government and academic leaders to examine necessary reforms and new policies that will move our region forward. It’s an exciting time to be part of this shift to a more progressive economy, and I’m pleased APEC is playing a lead role in kick starting this regional dialogue,” said Jay Forbes, President and CEO of Aliant and Chair of APEC’s Board of Directors. 

“Four key objectives - strengthening innovation capacity and commercialization outcomes, reducing barriers to inter-provincial trade, improving the investment climate, and meeting human resources challenges in the region – are driving this new APEC Forum on Competitiveness,” said APEC President Elizabeth Beale.
 
Over the coming 5-years, the APEC Forum on Competitiveness will:
• conduct new research on competitiveness and productivity in the Atlantic region, including a Survey of Foreign Firms in Atlantic Canada, scheduled for release in the Fall, 2006;
• generate and publish important new knowledge for the Atlantic region, including an Annual Report on Competitiveness Priorities;
• and host a series of events, including conferences and an annual Business Roundtable event, to encourage regional collaboration and the reduction of barriers to trade. 

”The response from business, and provincial and federal government leaders to this initiative has been very encouraging,” said Beale. “Equal financial support from all three groups, together with APEC’s own investment, will drive the Forum’s agenda forward.” The partners in the APEC Forum on Competitiveness include Industry Canada, the Nova Scotia Office of Economic Development, Business New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island Business Development, the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development, Aliant, Fortis, Emera, Scotiabank, and McCain Foods.
 
"We know from our work with business and labour on the Strategic Partnership Initiative that increasing our province's competitiveness is essential for sustained economic growth," said Intergovernmental Affairs Minister John Ottenheimer, on behalf of Trevor Taylor, acting Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development. "I congratulate APEC on undertaking this study. It will help us to create an environment that promotes competitiveness, and that, in turn, will strengthen our ability to attract investors and to create opportunities for Atlantic Canadians." 

“The genesis of this initiative was formed at our October 2004 Atlantic Economic Summit,” said Beale. “That milestone event brought together a coalition of interests from across our region, all of whom were determined to address productivity challenges and set a new course for Atlantic Canada. And those objectives now drive the APEC Forum on Competitiveness.” 

The first piece of dedicated research for the APEC Forum on Competitiveness is the Survey of Foreign Firms in Atlantic Canada, scheduled for release in the fall of 2006. More than 135 foreign firms were surveyed regarding the attractiveness of the regional business climate, factors influencing regional production and investment by those firms, and policies to help improve the overall climate for business. Preliminary results show that skilled labour shortages and poor cost competitiveness are among the biggest issues constraining further investment in our region, while improving overall productivity is one of the factors most important to the viability and future growth of these organizations.