Development and Technology Minister Richard Brown is organizing the meeting. “We all face the same labour market issues in the Atlantic Region,” said Minister Brown. “We are all dealing with declining populations, a shortage of workers, skill shortages and workers heading West for bigger pay cheques. I think it will be beneficial to get together to talk about meeting these challenges.”

“This is also a good opportunity for us to develop strategies to keep our workers in the region, attract new workers and retrain mature workers who aren’t ready to leave the workforce,” he said.

Brown says that by working together, provinces in the Atlantic Region can share ideas and initiatives to ensure Atlantic businesses have access to a skilled workforce.

“These are crucial economic issues for businesses in Atlantic Canada,” said Brown. “They affect our ability to produce goods and maintain competitiveness in the marketplace. We need to make sure business has a steady supply of skilled workers.”

“I am confident that we will benefit from working together on these issues,” said the Minister.

Attending the day-long session will be Nova Scotia Education Minister Karen Casey; Dr. Ed Docherty, New Brunswick Minister responsible for Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour; and Newfoundland Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment, Shawn Skinner.