Rural Canada

Matters
1 Rural Canada Matters

Rural Canada Matters

Canada’s rural communities matter to the health and prosperity of Canada. But rural
Canadians face numerous challenges: high levels of unemployment, doctor and nursing
shortages, a lack of reliable internet and cell phone service and in some areas no basic mail
service.
The Liberal Party of Canada is addressing these issues as part of our ‘Rural Canada Matters’
initiative, by putting forth commitments to help ease the burden on rural Canadians and
bridging the gap between urban and rural Canada.

Invest in the rural economy

To support economic development and
the creation of high-quality jobs in rural
communities, a Liberal government
will invest to strengthen Canada’s
economy with a focus on building
Canada as a world leader in clean energy
and resources. Specifically, a Liberal
government will:
Quadruple renewable energy
production in Canada, including
wind, solar and biomass energy
produced largely from rural
Canada;
Introduce better access to credit
to help Canada’s forestry sector
invest in new equipment and
create jobs; and
Introduce Canada’s First National
Food Policy and support better
incomes for Canadian farmers.

More doctors and nurses in rural communities

20% of Canadians live in rural areas, while only 10% of doctors practice in rural
communities.
A Liberal government will work with the provinces and territories to attract up to 1,500 more
doctors and nurses a year to underserved rural communities by forgiving the federal portion

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 Rural Canada Matters 2

of any student loans incurred up to $5,000 per year, for a maximum of $20,000 over four
years, for doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners choosing to practice in a designated
underserved rural community.
As Quebec does not participate in the Canada Student Loans program, Quebec would be
allocated its equitable share of the $30 million Liberal rural healthcare initiative – $7.2 million
per year – based on Quebec’s share of Canada’s population.
In partnership with the province of Quebec, funding would flow through Canada Economic
Development for the Quebec Regions (DEC), who would work hand-in-hand with regional
agencies, municipalities and social and business groups to direct the incentive to attract family
doctors to their region. Together with the province and local leaders, the incentive will support
Quebec’s goal of making its Plans régionaux d’effectifs médicaux (PREM) a reality.
A Liberal government would also work in partnership with provinces and territories to explore
other ways to strengthen rural health services, including:
Support for rural-focused medical and nursing education;
Encouraging young Canadians in rural communities to go to medical school or study
nursing;
Introducing programs to find employment for the spouses of new doctors and nurses;
Boosting rural medicine extension programs; and
Improving internet access for rural health practitioners.

100% high-speed internet connectivity and increased mobile phone

coverage
Canada’s economy is increasingly linked through the internet. As jobs, education, and
communication become more dependent on the internet, Canadians without internet
access or internet skills will be left behind.

In 2006, Canada’s
Telecommunications Review
Panel recommended the federal
government achieve 100% high-
speed internet connectivity
by 2010. This goal was not
achieved under the Conservative
government.

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3 Rural Canada Matters

According to the CRTC, in 2010 close to 700,000 Canadian households – or 16% of all rural
Canadians – could not access high-speed internet.
The Conservative government has not provided the leadership or resources necessary to
achieve this objective, which is crucial for the sustained economic development of Canada’s
rural regions.
A future Liberal government will commit to achieving the goal of 100% high-speed internet
connectivity within three years of being elected, and expand mobile phone coverage for
rural and remote Canada.
Using proceeds from the upcoming spectrum auction slated for 2011, a Liberal government
will invest $500 million in achieving connectivity of at least 1.5 MB/sec for all Canadian
communities within three years of being elected.
With an interim target of 1.5 MB/sec, we would establish a universal availability target
comparable with other industrialized nations. A Liberal government would also seek to set a
more ambitious goal for 2017, Canada’s 150th anniversary.

Rural Canadian Postal Service Charter

Rural post offices are hubs of activity for rural residents, but since 2006, the Conservative
government has presided over the closure of 42 rural post offices, and the cancellation
of 55,000 rural roadside mailboxes from service. Some rural residents now must travel several
kilometres to get their mail – something that is difficult for seniors and those with disabilities.
A Liberal government would end the five years of neglecting the needs rural communities and
introduce into legislation a Rural Canadian Postal Service Charter that will restore rural
mail service and prevent any further deterioration of rural mail service.

The Charter would have three objectives:

Protect universal service – Canada Post will maintain postal service everywhere in
Canada;
Restore and maintain rural mail service – By placing a moratorium on the closure of
rural post offices and restoring box-to-box, rural and roadside mail service; and
Improve community consultation – Canada Post must communicate with all affected
customer/communities six months before any change in service.

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 Rural Canada Matters 4

Tax credit for volunteer firefighters

Volunteer firefighters provide an emergency public service in rural communities that is
a fulltime, paid job in urban settings.
Over 90% of Canada’s 3,492 fire departments are volunteer fire departments. There
are approximately 84,000 volunteer firefighters in Canada.
A Liberal government would introduce a new refundable $3,000 tax credit for
Canada’s volunteer fire fighters for the emergency public service they provide to their
communities.
Volunteer firefighters incur travel and other training costs in performing their service.
This credit would go to defraying some of these costs.

First National Food Policy

A Liberal government will put in place Canada’s first ever National Food Policy. Developed
in conjunction with Canadian food producers, this policy will help Canadian farmers get more
of their product onto the tables of Canadian families.
A future Liberal government will implement a National Food Policy beginning with five core
areas for action:
Sustainable farm incomes, with a Clean Slate Commitment to build practical,
bankable farm programs in partnership with farmers and restore AgriFlex to offer
regionally flexible programs that help meet the costs of production;
Safe Food, by implementing all of the Weatherill report recommendations and
investing $50 million in improving food inspections and ensuring imported foods meet
our tough domestic standards;
Healthy living, including an $80-million Buy Local Fund to promote farmers markets
and home-grown foods, a $40-million Healthy Start program to help 250,000 low-
income children access healthy foods, introducing progressive health labeling and
tough standards on trans fats, and launching a Healthy Choices program to help
Canadians make informed eating decisions;
Environmental farmland stewardship, by strengthening Environmental Farm Plans,
improving fertilizer and pesticide management, and rewarding farmers for their role in
clean energy production and protecting wildlife habitat; and
International leadership, to promote Canadian food internationally and expand
Canada’s share of high-value export markets while also fostering food security in Africa
and the world’s poorest nations.

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