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Tim Houston: Nova Scotia has immense economic potential. Here's how we can unlock it

From defence to energy to a highly-skilled workforce, Nova Scotia has everything it needs to unleash its economy. But we can't afford to wait any longer

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In 2014, a columnist at the Halifax Chronicle Herald noted the following: “A Montreal shipyard produced a 9,000 tonne merchant ship, from start to finish, in 58 days in the middle of the Second World War. Today, we could not organize public hearings in 58 days.”

Tim Houston: Nova Scotia has immense economic potential. Here's how we can unlock it Back to video

Twelve years later, has anything improved in our country?

The honest answer is: not enough. But it’s coming. It has to.

In Nova Scotia, we feel the urgency. Our economy ranks near the bottom in North America based on GDP per capita. We do not belong in the basement, and it is not where we are going to stay.

We have faced real economic setbacks. The loss of major industries had lasting impacts on jobs, wages and growth and, for too long, we struggled to recover. While other regions moved quickly to develop their resources and build new industries, we often found ourselves delayed by debate and uncertainty.

Nova Scotia had bans on entire industries, including uranium exploration and hydraulic fracturing for natural gas. These bans sent a message to companies that Nova Scotia was not a place that they could do business.

As a result, resource development stayed out West and many Nova Scotians moved out to find work, either full-time or to raise their families on a two-week rotation.

By lifting these bans and modernizing approvals, we are showing industry that they can be........

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