OTTAWA, ON, Dec. 15, 2025 /CNW/ - Canada's shared success depends on the strength of its rural communities. Challenges remain, but the path forward is clear. Creating one Canadian economy and building a better future for all Canadians means turning strategy into action and supporting rural communities in practical, meaningful ways.
Today, the Honourable Buckley Belanger, Secretary of State (Rural Development), announced the launch of a public consultation that will help shape a new action plan for rural Canada. Informed by rural perspectives from coast to coast to coast, the action plan will:
- help make federal initiatives more inclusive for people and communities located in rural Canada
- support the design and implementation of initiatives for rural Canadians
- encourage engagement with rural stakeholders and partners
The consultation will be open from December 15, 2025, to February 6, 2026. It follows a series of rural roundtables with key stakeholders and partners held across Canada over the last six months, with additional roundtables planned for the new year.
The Government of Canada welcomes anyone with an interest in rural Canada to share their views. Your input will ensure the action plan reflects the realities and priorities of rural communities across Canada and supports a stronger, more resilient future for all Canadians. Make your voice heard and help shape the future of rural Canada.
Quotes
"Rural Canada feeds our country. It also powers it, builds it and connects it. With this consultation, we're asking Canadians in rural, remote and northern communities to tell us what's working, what isn't and where we need to be more flexible so that federal programs actually match rural realities. If we're serious about building one Canadian economy, then rural Canada has to be at the heart of that plan. That starts with listening." – The Honourable Buckley Belanger, Secretary of State (Rural Development)
Quick facts
- The action plan will be launched in 2026. It will be informed by the online consultation and by the ongoing series of cross-Canada roundtables with rural stakeholders and partners, focusing on the same three questions:
- How can existing federal initiatives be improved to better address the unique challenges and opportunities faced by your rural community?
- What federal, provincial, territorial or regional programs have been notably successful in promoting rural development within your region?
- What kinds of policy changes or initiatives would make the greatest difference to the long-term sustainability of your region, and how can we measure their success? What nation-building projects could contribute to this sustainability?
- In June 2019, the Government of Canada published the first-ever Rural Economic Development Strategy. A progress report was released in August 2021, and the new action plan will build from that report.
- Canada has over 4,000 diverse rural communities, which represent more than a quarter of the population and contribute over 25% of our country's gross domestic product.
Associated links
- Help shape the future of rural Canada – Moving from strategy to action
- Rural development
- Canada's Rural Economic Development Strategy: Progress Report
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Contacts: Connor Burton, Senior Communications and Issues Advisor and Press Secretary, Office of the Secretary of State (Rural Development), [email protected], 343-549-8093; Media Relations, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, [email protected]
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