Insights on Western Canada: A Socio-economic Report, Key Findings

Western Canada currently enjoys a high quality of life, but is it sustainable? Conference Board researchers examine this question from all angles. The result is Insights on Western Canada: A Socio-economic Report, an in-depth look at the social and economic performance of the four western provinces and the challenges they face in the next two decades.

Document Highlights

Insights on Western Canada compares the social and economic performance of the four western provinces with the performance of the rest of Canada, parts of the United States, Australia, and Finland. To examine the various economic and non-economic factors that play a role in determining the quality of life in Western Canada, the Conference Board used the benchmarking method employed so successfully in Performance and Potential, its flagship publication.

This in-depth look at Western Canada includes the following:

• an estimation of potential output;
• a sectoral analysis of 10 key industries;
• a study of innovation performance;
• an investigation into the issue of deruralization; and
• an overview of issues and circumstances applying to the Aboriginal population.

Over the past 20 years, Western Canada’s economy has grown at a rate very close to its potential. What Insights on Western Canada reveals is that some areas will have to improve if the region hopes to reach its full potential, and that industries will have to make adjustments to manage the economic challenges that lie ahead.

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