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FOREWORD

This Report is about rural Canada and rural Canadians. It is our Committee's blueprint for the revitalization of rural economies in Canada. In it we provide a number of recommendations. We let the federal government know what can be done, how to do it, and how to best impact rural development in Canada.

In this Report, the Committee lays out a plan that will help level the playing field for rural Canadians by increasing economic activity, improving job opportunities, and providing better access to a full range of services in the rural areas of our country. But the Report is more than the sum of its recommendations. It is also an affirmation that rural Canada and rural Canadians are important to the future of our nation.

Rural Canadians have a separate economy, and values and traditions that differ somewhat from their urban counterparts. The promotion of a viable rural Canada requires a shared vision, one that takes into account the uniqueness of these areas. The federal government's macroeconomic policies may be as valid in rural Canada as they are in urban Canada, but the application of those policies must take into account the unique challenges faced by rural Canadians, challenges that include distance from markets, low population densities, and an abundance of natural resources. The federal government's challenge is to make rural Canada a full partner in Canadian society.

``Think Rural'' is a call for policy-makers, both public and private, to consider rural realities.

Committee Members from all parties worked very hard to develop this Report. I thank them for their commitment. Their good humour, creative ideas, and vision for rural Canada have contributed substantially to this Report.

I would also like to thank the Clerk of our Committee, Roger Préfontaine, who kept us on track, our Researchers, Peter Berg and Jean-Luc Bourdages, who kept the discussion in context and explored the ideas coming forth, and all of the others who worked so hard in support of this project.

Finally I would like to thank all our witnesses and particularly the people of rural Canada who took the time to share their ideas and suggestions with us so that together we would be able to address the challenges facing rural Canada today.

On behalf of my colleagues, I challenge people both within government and the private sector to ``Think Rural".

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