Atlantic Premiers Work to Unlock Region’s Potential

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(December 9, 2025) – Today, Premier Susan Holt of New Brunswick chaired a virtual meeting of the Council of Atlantic Premiers. She was joined by her colleagues Premier Tim Houston of Nova Scotia, Premier Rob Lantz of Prince Edward Island and Premier Tony Wakeham of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Atlantic Premiers agreed to invite Prime Minister Mark Carney to meet with them to advance an agenda to unlock Atlantic Canada’s potential as a leader in energy, defence, and critical minerals development.

As Premiers look to work with federal government to explore new economic opportunities, they also emphasized the need for the federal government to continue to support traditional industries that are critically important to the Atlantic Canadian economy.

Premiers are very concerned about the federal government ending the Atlantic Fisheries Fund (AFF) at the end of March 31, 2026.  They are calling on the Prime Minister to renew and enhance the AFF given their election platform commitment to increase the fund by 20 per cent. 

Since 2017, the four Atlantic provinces have contributed $126.5 million to the fund, supporting the federal contribution of $295 million.    The Atlantic contribution to the AFF is on top of the hundreds of millions of dollars the four provinces invest in this vital sector.

Premiers welcomed the recognition of a number of Atlantic proposals under the major projects initiative, including the federal recognition of the Sisson Mine in New Brunswick as well as Ottawa’s commitment to work with Nova Scotia on developing the Wind West offshore wind project. They also remain supportive of major projects proposed by Prince Edward Island to secure the Island’s energy future by modernizing its energy transmission and access to clean, affordable and reliable electricity, and Newfoundland and Labrador’s Bay du Nord offshore oil and gas project.

Premiers acknowledge that more must be done to realize the potential for further development encompassing all of Atlantic Canada.

The Atlantic region has significant potential for further energy generation, including hydroelectricity, onshore and offshore wind, oil, natural gas, solar and nuclear power. The region also contains significant untapped deposits of critical minerals that are essential for modern industry and technology.

To realize this potential, Atlantic Canada needs robust connections that link its electricity networks to one another, and to markets in other regions of Canada. With federal support the Region can ensure its critical mineral resources are developed at competitive prices for the global market which will drive further economic growth to the benefit of all Atlantic Canadians.

With the federal government’s renewed priority on strengthening Canada’s defense and protecting national sovereignty, Premiers noted that the Atlantic region is well-positioned to play a central role in achieving these objectives due to its strategic location, existing military infrastructure, and skilled workforce.

Premiers agreed to continue highlighting for the Prime Minister that Atlantic Canada is ready to contribute to these federal priorities.

Premiers discussed a range of other issues including the need for reliable cellular connectivity across the region for economic growth and for the health and safety of residents.

They also call on the Prime Minister to prioritize a settlement of the softwood lumber dispute with the United States as the most effective way to secure the future of the region’s lumber industry and the workers and communities that depend upon it.

Premiers discussed recent work by the Atlantic Domestic Homicide Review Committee and agreed on the importance of protecting women and children from all forms of domestic violence.

Premiers thanked Premier Holt for her work as chair of the Council over the past year. Premier Houston of Nova Scotia will assume the chair of the Council of Atlantic Premiers on January 1, 2026.

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To view in PDF: CAP 39-C Communique, December 9, 2025