Alberta’s government is sponsoring the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy to host Canada’s Productivity Summit on Oct. 16 and 17 at the BMO Centre in Calgary. The two-day summit will bring together academia, business leaders, policymakers, leading commentators and influential voices with a range of insights and viewpoints to shine a light on Canada’s productivity challenge and shape solutions.
While Alberta has the highest level of productivity in Canada, steps need to be taken to ensure that productivity continues to increase. On a national level, Canada’s productivity level has fallen behind similar nations and is continuing to fall, putting a strain on investment, wages and affordability.
“This is about collaborating on the challenges our economy faces. Higher productivity means better jobs, bigger paycheques, more opportunities and increased affordability. But, Canada’s productivity growth has lagged our closest competitors. This summit will gather some of the best minds out there to better define this problem and propose solutions.”
Successfully raising productivity growth in Canada means more affordable goods and services, higher wages, better employment opportunities, improved living standards and reliable public services, the issues Canadians care about the most. Simply put, raising productivity growth is extremely important to Canadians’ overall well-being. Delaying action risks undermining Canadians’ living standards, place at the forefront of innovation, and capacity to provide vital public services and infrastructure.
“How to improve Canadian productivity has been a challenge for decades, but we are clearly falling even further behind. This is a critical issue for our country, and our economic and social prosperity. Action is needed. The School of Public Policy is taking the lead in hosting this summit, with the Government of Alberta, to develop and encourage plans for action for improvement in the whole country. To be clear, this is an all-of-Canada challenge. We are bringing together experts and leaders to discuss – and then recommend -- real, tangible and practical options for decision-makers – government, business and others, including ideas on how different sectors and regions can collaborate.”
“As Canada’s entrepreneurial university, we understand that skilled talent and innovative research are critical drivers of strong productivity and economic growth. We are excited to host and contribute to dialogue among practitioners, researchers and policy makers that advances solutions to Canada’s productivity challenges.”
In addition to attracting experts from across Canada, participation from all Canadians is also encouraged. The summit will take place in Calgary and will also be livestreamed. All Canadians are encouraged to participate.
Quick facts
- Productivity refers to how efficiently and effectively a country's economy is producing goods and services with the resources it has available. This measure is a key determinant of a nation's economic growth, competitiveness and overall standard of living.
- Higher productivity means people can produce and earn more by working the same hours or can maintain their income while working less and improving their work-life balance.
- Canada’s productivity has been falling behind that of its peer jurisdictions since the 1970s.
- Though Alberta tends to be highly productive in most sectors relative to the rest of Canada, between 2000 and 2021, Alberta’s productivity growth has lagged behind the Canadian average, reducing our province’s productivity advantage over others.