Atlantic Canada stands at a crossroads. Slow population growth, political marginalization, An aging population and fiscal stress are among the most urgent issues. Faced with this reality, Atlantic Canadians must find a new way forward. Shaping an Agenda for Atlantic Canada offers the perspectives of authors from a variety of disciplines reflecting on historical and contemporary themes relevant To The future. The goal of this book is not to offer glib diagnoses or instant solutions but rather to identify considerations that would enable Atlantic Canadians to shape an agenda. Re-examining key elements of the past is an essential starting point. We must have a critical understanding of the past before we can hope to Understand The challenges of the present day. Equally important is a contemporary analysis of the nature of those challenges. Through these complementary approaches, Shaping an Agenda for Atlantic Canada seeks to assist Atlantic Canadians in designing a road map leading into the future.