Bill Morneau, advisers look to boost Canada’s economic growth

OTTAWA – The chair of a team of advisers recruited by the feds to help resurrect Canada’s sagging economic growth has been exploring opportunities around trade, infrastructure, innovation and the job markets.

The council is scheduled to meet Wednesday in Toronto with Finance Minister Bill Morneau.

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The group is made up of 14 business and academic leaders and has been asked to help build a plan to get the economy out of its rut.

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Group chair Dominic Barton says the advisers have been looking at solutions such as immigration as a way to help Canada address the looming impact of an aging population on the labour force.

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The global managing director of the consulting firm McKinsey & Co. also says the group is focusing on job training aimed at helping workers adapt to the increasing amount of automation in the workplace.

He says they are also looking at ways to attract more private capital to invest in infrastructure that, in turn, will boost productivity.