SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. - Efforts by the federal government to stimulate the country's slumping economy must accelerate programs already announced and invest in projects being started by the provinces, the Atlantic premiers said Monday.
"Rather than creating some new national program that may take a year for the dollars to start flowing, there's an opportunity now to be flexible and to dovetail into our existing programs and allow that accelerated investment immediately," said New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham.
His comments came as three of the four Atlantic premiers wrapped up a one-day meeting in Summerside that focused on the state of the economy.
"Let's respond as quickly as we can," said Shawn Skinner, minister of innovation, trade and rural development for Newfoundland and Labrador.
"People need it. We need to restore confidence in our people, in our economies, and one of the best ways to do that is by governments investing in our infrastructure."
Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams was unable to attend the meeting because of a snow and wind storm that lashed the region.
The meeting was called to set priorities for a pre-budget meeting between the premiers and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, set for Jan. 16 in Ottawa.
The premiers said they're looking for much of the funding to come in the form of infrastructure to support the Atlantic Gateway concept, such as improvements to ports, highways and rail connections.
"With respect to gateway, there has been money booked in previous fiscal years, which we want to see accelerated," said Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald.
"But beyond that we want to see infrastructure programming in general sped up. That's the message we've received from the prime minister ... but now it's time to put the talk into action."
The Atlantic premiers have asked their infrastructure ministers to meet with federal counterpart John Baird in Halifax on Dec. 16 to talk about specific projects as the federal government prepares its budget.
"What we're going to do is wait for that meeting to conclude, then we're planning on sending a letter off to the prime minister with our specific requests for projects and the amount of dollars," said P.E.I. Premier Robert Ghiz.
MacDonald said the premiers are looking for investments that can start quickly, but also have long-term benefits.
"This is not just about the federal government putting money into Atlantic Canada," added Skinner. "This is about Atlantic Canadians being able to ensure that the money that's invested is beneficial to not just our region, but to the whole country."
Aside from stimulus aid for infrastructure, the premiers said they're also looking for support for traditional industries being affected by the economic downturn, such as forestry and the fishery.
Graham said he's watching to see what the federal government does to help the ailing automotive industry and expects Ottawa to give other sectors their share as well.
P.E.I. recently announced its own provincial stimulus package, a $510-million capital budget that will be spent over the next five years.
New Brunswick plans to spend $1.2 billion over two years, and will announce details for the first year when it releases a capital budget Tuesday.
While the premiers steered clear of comment on the political upheaval in Ottawa, it didn't go totally unnoticed.
Graham said despite their political differences, the Atlantic premiers are working together to make the best decisions for the people they serve, and hoped politicians in Ottawa could do the same.
"We hope there's not going to be decisions made for short-term political gain," he said.
"What's important now is that we have a concentrated effort and strategy to deal with the downturn in the Canadian economy, and that means that every region of the country needs strategies to help during these difficult economic times."
