This Year
Country
Creating Wealth in Saskatchewan
by Dr. Graham F. Parsons
Biography
Throughout most of the 20th century, Saskatchewan was known as "Next Year Country" where the prospect for wealth creation and growth was often deferred to future years.
This Year Country examines the basis for wealth creation in Saskatchewan in the 21st century.
Written by Dr. Graham Parsons, former Chief Economist with the Province of Saskatchewan, former Chief Economist with the Canada West Foundation, and Saskatchewan resident for 27 years, This Year Country explores some of the reasons and presents some solutions for what for many has been the unfulfilled dream of Saskatchewan's economic potential.
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2229 Ave. C. N.
Saskatoon, SK
S7L 5Z2
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info at prairiecentre.com
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In 1967 my wife and I immigrated to Canada like many before us in a small cabin below the water line of a Canadian Pacific ocean liner, the Empress of England. We landed in Quebec City, went to Expo in Montreal, and then over the years, moved west from Toronto, to Winnipeg and finally Saskatchewan.
I arrived in Saskatoon in 1974 thinking that I might stay in the province for eighteen months and then move on. I stayed a little longer. By the fall of 2001 I had lived in Saskatchewan for twenty-seven years. They have been good years in which my wife and I raised and educated three healthy, bright children. We all grew to call the province home. I have been proud of this province that I made my home and love its people and its fragile beauty.
Yet as time has passed I have become increasingly frustrated at Saskatchewan's inability to realize its economic potential. Its agricultural, commodity and energy resources are massive by any standard, its people smart, often leading companies across Canada and around the world. The province has good universities and cities that compare with the best.
In spite of all of these advantages, the children of Saskatchewan people too often have to leave to realize their destinies. The best and the brightest move to jobs in Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto and other cities in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Opportunities to work at home are insufficient to meet the needs, skills, or perhaps most importantly, the aspirations of Saskatchewan young people. In the twelve months up to July 1st, 2001, early in the new millennium, ten thousand people left.
This time last year my daughter was married in Calgary where she then lived and worked. She had attended the University of Saskatchewan and completed a degree in geophysical engineering. She married another University of Saskatchewan graduate who also worked and lived in Calgary. Most of the guests at the wedding were University of Saskatchewan graduates now living and working in Calgary. Little wonder that the Christmas parties for some University of Saskatchewan departments are actually held in Calgary since there are now more graduates in Alberta than Saskatchewan. Saskatoon professors travel to Calgary to attend the events.
At the wedding it became apparent to me just how expensive this continuing exodus of the bright, educated, and trained of the province is to Saskatchewan's economic development and its future prospects. At a narrow financial level, the lost incomes, investment and foregone taxes can be added up. In the case of my daughter's wedding the foregone income from the Saskatchewan graduates attending would have exceeded $200 million. However, at a more fundamental level the loss is larger, since a whole generation of leaders moves away. At a personal level for the thousands of Saskatchewan parents, grandparents and families who rarely see their children or their brothers and sisters, the loss is incalculable.
This problem of people leaving the province is not new, but shows little sign of improving. This book examines some of the roots of the problem and why it is time to change the course of events and the priority Saskatchewan places on its economy and wealth creation.
I am an economist who has worked on different aspects of the development of our province, western Canada and some other countries abroad for the past quarter century. I have lived in both Saskatoon and Regina. Much is understood today about wealth creation and what is required for economic growth.
I believe that in the 21st century Saskatchewan has the opportunity to be so much more than it has been able to achieve to date. The province can support more people and offer the opportunity for our children to work at home. However, this will not happen if we continue the practices of the past.
This short tract explores some of the reasons and presents some solutions for what for many has been the unfulfilled dream of Saskatchewan's economic potential. I am confident the next generation of bright Saskatchewan people will be able to achieve far more than their parents.
Graham F. Parsons
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada