News Release

MONCTON (GNB) – A second Economic Opportunities Summit on economic inclusion was held in Moncton on Monday.

“As your government, we are working hard to lift people out of poverty by investing in education and training,” said Premier Brian Gallant. “This will help individuals and families get out of poverty while strengthening our workforce and, ultimately, our economy.”

Promoting economic inclusion and reducing poverty are components of the New Brunswick Family Plan framework document. The plan emphasizes that each person in the province has a role to play in fostering economic growth and social inclusion and creating opportunities for socio-economic development and poverty reduction.

Summit participants included representatives from the New Brunswick Health Council, Living SJ and Réseau d’Inclusion Communautaire.

“The Economic Inclusion Opportunity Summit was an excellent opportunity to focus on our economy and poverty reduction,” said Donna Gates, executive director of Living SJ. “We discussed changes in policies and programs that can help an individual living in poverty enter the workforce and better meet the needs of employers.”

Discussions focused on actions implemented over the past year, including the establishment of an advisory committee exploring the concept of a one-stop shop to inform people about government and non-profit programs related to economic and social inclusion.

Participants also discussed opportunities for further collaboration among stakeholders to promote social inclusion.

The event was a followup to a series of Economic Opportunities Summits held around the province over the past two years to identify new prospects for job creation and economic growth.