Background

20% of Canadians (approximately six million people) live in rural and remote areas. Rural Canadians significantly contribute to the country's wealth and prosperity through their participation in Canada's primary resource-based sectors (including fishing, forestry, mining and agriculture), the tourism industry and small business enterprises.

The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of rural Canada and has strengthened its commitment to rural Canadians through the Canadian Rural Partnership and the Federal Framework for Action in Rural Canada.

Part of this commitment is the Rural Lens, a way of viewing issues through the eyes of rural Canadians. The Rural Lens raises awareness of rural and remote issues across federal government organizations by asking them to assess the effect of new policies, programs and services on Canadians living in rural and remote areas. The Lens also highlights rural and remote implications for consideration by the Federal Cabinet when assessing the impacts of new federal initiatives.

The Rural Lens is ensuring that new federal initiatives support the social and economic well‑being of rural and remote communities and strengthen the capacity of communities to meet local challenges. Additionally, the Rural Lens highlights other rural concerns including maintaining safe communities and promoting the value of rural Canada as a place to live, work and raise a family.

Priority Areas for Rural Canada

Rural Canadians have identified the following as areas for focused attention:

• Access to federal government programs and services;


• Access to financial resources for rural business and community development;


• More targeted opportunities, programs and services for rural and Aboriginal youth;


• Rural community capacity building, leadership and skills development;


• Infrastructure for community development;


• Skills and technology to participate in the knowledge-based economy;


• Economic diversification in rural Canada through more targeted assistance;


• Access to health care at reasonable cost;


• Access to education at reasonable cost;


• Strategic partnerships to facilitate rural community development; and


• Promotion of Rural Canada as a place to live, work and raise a family.

Considerations

Questions for program/policy developers and decision makers:

• How is this initiative relevant to rural and remote Canada?


• Is the impact specific to a selected rural or remote environment or region?


• Have the most likely positive and negative effects on rural Canadians been identified and, where relevant, addressed?


• Is the initiative designed to respond to the priorities identified by rural Canadians?


• Have rural Canadians been consulted during the development or modification of the initiative?


• How is the benefit to rural Canadians maximized? (e.g. cooperation with other partners, development of local solutions for local challenges, flexibility for decision making)

Delivery

Issues to consider for delivering initiatives:

• Identify the factors that affect the delivery of the program, policy or service (e.g. geographic distances, limited access to government offices and to the Internet).


• Determine the appropriate delivery vehicles, which accommodate rural and remote considerations.


• Partner with organizations (e.g. other federal departments/agencies and/or other levels of government, private sector, non-governmental organizations) to maximize benefits.


• Consider using community-based organizations to deliver the program or service to meet unique local challenges.


• Address concerns regarding roles and responsibilities of differing government levels.

Communications

Issues to consider for communicating initiatives:

• Test communications products and messages with both rural and urban Canadians.


• Identify the communication vehicles appropriate for rural Canada (e.g. community local newspapers, radio, posters at government offices, local TV).


• Advertise new programs and services through the 1 800 O-Canada toll-free line, the Canada site Canada site (www.canada.gc.ca) and the Rural Web Site (www.rural.gc.ca).


• Include key messages that address the concerns of Canadians living in rural and remote communities.


• Refer to the Canadian Rural Partnership, the Federal Framework for Action in Rural Canada and the Government of Canada's commitment to rural and remote Canada where appropriate.

Measuring and Evaluating Rural Impacts

• Determine how the initiative will be assessed for rural implications during its design, development and implementation.


• Determine how the initiative will improve the quality of life for rural Canadians (e.g. health, education, economic and community benefits).


• Identify the phases (e.g. pilot, post-implementation evaluation) where rural considerations will be reviewed to determine if changes are needed to accommodate rural needs.


• Include rural considerations during periodic reviews of the initiative.


• Modify new initiatives to accommodate rural issues, where appropriate.

For more information or to publish your success stories on applying the Rural Lens, contact:

Rural Secretariat
Tower 7, 6th Floor
1341 Baseline Road
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0C5
Tel: (613) 759-7112
Fax: (613) 759-7105
E-mail: RuralLens@agr.gc.ca
Internet: www.rural.gc.ca