Reflections from the Atlantic Economic Panel CEO Roundtable

I appreciated the opportunity to participate in the Atlantic Economic Panel – CEO Roundtable, alongside fellow business leaders and Panel members.

There was a lot of honesty in the room in terms of the real issues facing our region and how we can continue to grow it. Atlantic Canada can secure a great and prosperous future if we start implementing changes now.


In both the public discussion and the more candid private conversations with CEOs and the Panel, I shared a few perspectives by building a national and International brand for Atlantic Canada while keeping our jobs and roots here:

1. Addressing the productivity gap is essential. We need to provide better access to automation and export readiness.

2. We need to support rural Atlantic Canada with infrastructure to be more competitive nationally and globally. Atlantic Canada is far more rural than the rest of the country: roughly 40% of the population here lives in rural communities, more than double the national rate.

3. We have a retention problem. We don’t have an attraction problem. While our population grew significantly (thanks to immigration!), so many amazing talent leaves Atlantic Canada when not recognized and supported.

4. Our region is good at starting businesses, and we must face the real challenge of helping them grow here. Overall, we need more entrepreneurs here for the long-term prosperity of AC.

5. Ambition should be seen as service to the region.

6. Advocating for One Atlantic Canada. We are much stronger when we advocate for the region together. No single province has the scale to compete globally on its own but together we do.

Grateful for the dialogue and the openness in the discussion. The opportunity ahead is real, and so is the responsibility to get it right.