Podcast: Brian Gallant On Immigration, Northern N.B. And True Reconciliation
In his first in-depth interview since leaving the premier’s office in 2018, Brian Gallant chats with David Campbell on the latest episode of Huddle “Insight” about how to grow an economy that has been pretty flat for the past 15 years.
They talk through strategies to grow the population, focus on development in the northern region that continues to fall behind the urban regions in the south, and achieve true reconciliation with Indigenous communities.
Now the CEO of the Canadian Centre for the Purpose of the Corporation, Gallant also talks about the successes and shortcomings of his own time in office and answers Campbell’s questions about whether he’d like to return to politics sometime in the future.
This is the final interview in a four-part series of episodes on each of the provincial economies in the region.
In part one, Mills and Campbell spoke with Wade MacLauchlan, former premier of Prince Edward Island, which has led the way in both population growth and GDP growth in the region for the last decade.
In part two, Cathy Bennett, the former Finance Minister in Newfoundland and Labrador, joins Mills and Campbell to talk about economic recovery in a province with a debt load of $47-billion, an aging and declining population, and an over-reliance on the oil and gas industry.
In part three, Scott Brison, a former federal Liberal cabinet minister and current Chair of the Economic Growth Council, chats with Campbell about how best to grow the economy within Nova Scotia, with a particular focus on growth opportunities beyond Halifax where most of the population and economic growth is happening in the province.
Listen to Campbell’s interview with Gallant in the player above or on your favourite podcast platform. Search for “Huddle Insights” on platforms like Apple and Spotify, and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode. You can also listen to past conversations there or here.
The “Insights” podcast combines the experiences of an economist, David Campbell, and a social scientist, Don Mills, to explore the challenges and opportunities facing Atlantic Canada, to promote data-driven decision-making among policymakers, and to encourage a wider dialogue and debate leading to greater prosperity for the region.
“Insights” is part of a Huddle podcast network that also features Home Office, hosted by Huddle editor Mark Leger.