Welcoming Growth: Why Strategic Immigration is Essential for Atlantic Canada

In this op-ed, the CEO of the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce shares the challenges that Atlantic Canada will face if we slow down immigration.
It feels like I have been sent back to 2015, a time when I had to explain that immigration was a good thing! Unfortunately, here we go again. Influences from the outside have stoked the protectionism fire at a time when Atlantic Canada stands at a demographic crossroads. With one of the oldest populations in the country and declining birth rates, our region faces an urgent challenge: how to sustain our businesses and secure our economic future. The answer, in large part, lies in welcoming more immigrants—not replacing Atlantic Canadians, but as partners in building a vibrant, prosperous future together.
Let’s be clear—this is not about taking jobs from locals.
In fact, if every working-age person in Atlantic Canada were fully employed, we would most likely still face labour shortages in specific sectors. Healthcare, agriculture, hospitality, and tech are currently searching to fill positions. These shortages hinder business growth, stall infrastructure development, and delay essential services. Immigration is not a nice to do —it’s a necessity for Atlantic Canada. And as for our aging infrastructure (transportation, housing, healthcare etc.), let’s not blame immigration for that, we saw this coming decades ago!
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