British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell, left, and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, right, react to splashing waves during a whale watching expedition in Hudson Bay just outside Churchill. Canada's premiers went to Churchill to talk to Canada's first nations leaders.John Woods/The Canadian Press
Canada's fragile economic recovery will top the agenda when the country's premiers meet in Winnipeg on Thursday.
But even before talks get underway at their two-day annual meeting, it is becoming apparent the premiers do not agree on how to best kick-start the economy.
The debate will centre on whether Canada's 13 provincial and territorial leaders should press the federal government for another stimulus package or rely on the private sector to create jobs.
Premiers in British Columbia and Alberta both say they favour the private-sector option. In an interview Thursday morning, Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach said he is not looking for another stimulus package from the federal government.
"Sooner or later we have to rely on the private sector to lead us out of the recession," he said.
British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell said the provinces and the Harper government have injected billions of dollars into infrastructure projects to help create jobs during the recession - a move that helped kick start the fledgling recovery.
"Now it's time for the private sector to step up," Mr. Campbell told reporters Thursday morning.
Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger, who is hosting this year's meeting, said in an earlier interview that he thinks governments have a role to play in funding education and training programs to help sustain the economic recovery.
"The provinces and the federal government all pulled together to mount this stimulus program," Mr. Selinger said. "All of these things have generated a lot of very good economic activity in the short run for jobs. The question now is how do we keep the momentum going."
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said the provinces and the federal government worked in concert last year to come up with a plan to stimulate the economy. He said he wants them to continue working together.
"The recovery remains somewhat tenuous," he said. "We need to understand that together and develop a common approach."
The Alberta government has an advertisement in the Winnipeg Free Press, touting that province's oil sands as "the world's second largest proven resource of oil."
The ad is a not-so-subtle reminder of the role Alberta's oil industry has played in creating jobs for Canadians in other provinces. Before the global economic recession, the sector employed many workers from Ontario as well as Atlantic Canada.
Alberta's oil and gas industry, which has a shortage of trained workers, will once again create jobs for Canadians, Mr. Stelmach said.
"We are seeing economic recovery in Alberta, but we have to be very cautious," he said.
Karen Howlett