Rural Canada is experiencing a quiet crisis that has been developing over the past few decades.

Urbanization, international trade, immigration, environmental stress and past political agendas have taken their toll on rural communities. We have seen a rise in hardship and anxiety as livelihoods disappear and traditional support networks weaken.

While Canada’s rural population continues to decline – falling below 20 percent in 2006 for the first time in history – we continue to see natural resources, energy, agricultural products and raw materials extracted from rural areas make up 50 percent of Canadian exports.

The industries and citizens of rural Canada need their voice to be heard at the federal level, and I believe that members of Parliament can assist with that quest. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities has produced an excellent report entitled, Wake-Up Call: The National Vision and Voice We Need for Rural Canada – The Federal Role in Rural Stability. I met with FCM officials and municipal representatives in Ottawa to discuss rural problems at length.

An effective strategy for rural sustainability must incorporate all three levels of government, industry and community groups. A long-term plan that provides a horizontal, collaborative and well-resourced commitment to building and sustaining rural Canada needs to be developed and implemented.

Where people live can have a significant impact on their health, education, and financial situation. Factors like travel distance, population density and community relationships make important contributions to the well-being of rural residents. These factors can affect life expectancy, injury levels, quality of food and access to essential services. Government policies too often give short shrift to the specific concerns of those living outside urban centres.

Consider for a moment the unintentional but avoidable disenfranchisement of more than one million rural voters in the last federal election. An Elections Canada amendment that required voters to produce proof of identity and residential address before casting a ballot failed to take into account that many rural citizens have post office boxes as addresses.

We need to ensure rural concerns have a strong voice in Ottawa and that government policy is passed through the filter of rural requirements. As urban centres continue to grow, rural communities risk being neglected in various areas of policy-making.

Rural industries drive corporate profits, pay billions of dollars in taxes and create spin-off jobs and new growth in the urban regions of Canada. Rural Canada is an important and proud part of our nation, and we must take care to promote our best interests and join the rest of the country as it moves forward.

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The audio version of Garry's July 6, 2009 op-ed column can be heard by clicking here