Wednesday, March 13, 1968

employment within the region at sufficiently high levels of output in income to make remaining in the region an attractive proposition.” This, of course, is a self- evident thing. The report goes on to suggest that there may be too much unco- ordinated planning. It suggests that ARDA. the Agricultural Rural Development Act. and FRED. Fund for Regional Economic Development, the Atlantic Develop- ment Board, the Voluntary Economic Planning Board of Nova Scotia and the North- east New Brunswick Rural Development Plan are all working at cross purposes. The report states in this regard. “It appears evident that while there can and indeed shnuld he a plan for development of the region or of any Province within the region, there cannot be two or more regional or provincial plans which are in any degree mutually exclusive. The Atlantic Development Board is assigned a task. among others, of preparing, in consultation with the Economic Council of Canada. an over-all co- ordinated plan for the promotion of economic growth of the Atlantic region”. The report goes on to state that. “The Atlantic Development Board has not. at this time, formulated any development objectives of any development strategy that we are aware of. We would, therefore, not be surprised to find a conflict between many or two or more organizations.” And further it says. “the general obiective of the Northeast New Brunswick Rural Development Agreement”. which is one similar to the one that the Economic Improvement Corporation is going to negotiate here. “The general objective of the Northeast New Brunswick Rural Development Agreement is to increase the level of income and standard of living of the people presently in the area. For implementation of this program the emphasis is on education and other policies which will improve the quality of the population and the labor force”. Well. we do not have a similar educational problem in this Province. As I’ve already told you the Island’s per capita number of university students is well above the national average and as recently as ten years ago it was nearly twice the national average. What we need here. of course, is emphasis on the creation of new employment oppor~ tunities. Finally, the report questions the operation of all of these plans which are supposed to help economic development in the Maritimes when it says, “There are several basic questions which arise in respect to A.D.B. What are the basic objec- tives of the Federal Government policies for the Atlantic region? Is the program developed by the Board the one most likely to achieve these objectives? If so, have the proper priorities been assigned to the various projects in this program? We have argued consistently over the last three or four years for the designation of the whole Atlantic Region as a developing area and for the establishment of a few, well situated centres for concentrated industrialization.

The Manpower Training and Mobility Program of the Department of Manpower and Immigration also requires careful consideration. The primary objective of this program is the facilitating and efficient adjustment between demand and supply of labour on a Canada-wide basis. It may have rather interesting implications for the Maritime Provinces. For example, if the achievement of a more rapid rate in econo- mic growth in the Atlantic region requires a more rapid rise in the population labour form, is the Manpower program consistent with such achievement? The Economic COuncil of Canada, in its third annual review, has called for a co-ordinated and con- sistent policy in program approach in the interests of regional development in Can- ada. We wholeheartedly support this call as it applies to the Maritime Provinces. We, however. go further and urge the establishment of development objectives for the Atlantic Provinces toward which all policies and programs, both Federal and Pro- vincial can be directed, and against which all existing policies and programs can be examined.”

Well, I have quoted that last to the distress of the member from First Prince. Hon. Robert E. Campbell: What are you quoting from?

J. Cyril Sinnott: The Atlantic Provinces Economic Council Report. But he may well ask what does this all add up to. The report is a general one, for all of the Atlantic. Provinces and only one or two of the general principles can be applicable to P.E.I. Several of these are obvious and are supported by statistics. First, that we are. going downhill economically at a fast rate; Second, that our better educated and better trained people are leaving this Province at the rate of about 1,000 per year; Third. that there is need to create more employment opportunities in order to de« crease the disparity between incomes here and in Central Canada; Fourth, that. many of the plans now operating are operating at cross purposes Without a co-ordmative overall objective.

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