DISCUSSION PAPER - Policies to support sustainable, inclusive, and digital economic

1 The federal government has signalled interest in strengthening its approach to Canada’s rural economies through the creation of the Minister of Rural Economic Development portfolio and its Economic Development Strategy for Rural Canada in 2019,1 as well as through commitments in the 2021 Liberal election platform. [...] Rural Canada accounts for nearly one-third of Canada’s GDP, is home to millions of Canadians and the majority of Indigenous people, powers Canada’s goods producing sectors, and, in many ways, is on the front lines of climate change.8 Adopting a place-based approach can highlight and re- conceptualize the distinct strengths of rural communities, helping policymakers to harness these resources in in. [...] The new framework on rural well-being launched in 2020 by the OECD16 offers a helpful categorization of different types of rural areas to capture some of the diversity of rural experience: > Rural inside metropolitan areas: These rural areas are an integral part of the commuting zone of the urban centre and their development is fully integrated within a functional urban area.17 > Rural close to ci. [...] In more than 1,800 rural and remote communities in Canada — most of which with populations of 10,000 or less — an average of 30% of the local workforce is employed in the natural resources sector.22 Businesses in rural Canada weathered the impact of COVID-19 better than urban counterparts in a few important areas; more rural businesses remained operational during the pandemic and rural businesses. [...] Now, the federal government has shown renewed interest in strengthening Canada’s rural economies through the creation of the Minister of Rural Economic Development portfolio and the Economic Development Strategy for Rural Canada in 2019.47 The strategy embraces a “whole of community approach for rural economic development” and outlines investments meant to strengthen places, people, and enable par.