As they discussed the notions of vision and strategy, participants were quick to point out the preponderant place of the seasonal economy in PEI According to those at the dialogue, tourism, agriculture, the fisheries and other seasonal activities create a very unstable labour market, with volatile peaks and valleys. This seasonal economy, they added, operates almost in parallel with the "full-time" economy. This, according to participants, has a number of important implications. For example:

• Participants noted that peaks in seasonal activity create such labour demands that workers often have to be brought in from outside the province. Yet, they added, many Islanders remain unemployed or under-employed - some perhaps because they do not have the required skills to take these jobs; others because they simply cannot or do not want to work in low-paying, part-time or seasonal positions that ultimately do little to improve their quality of life.
• Others cited the practical challenges faced by those who wish to move from seasonal to full-time work: new skills requirement, childcare and transportation implications, impact on lifestyle and family, etc.

From an economic perspective, participants advocated for a shift towards the knowledge economy, in order to reduce the province's dependence on seasonal economic activity. They also argued that issues such as the province's large underground ("under the table") economy and the lack of investment in R&D or capital ultimately affected the province's economic performance.

From a labour market development perspective, dialogue contributors felt that labour mobility issues should be examined more closely in order to reduce barriers to access to the PEI labour market. They also felt that training and employment strategies had to be more closely coordinated to address some of the challenges faced by groups such as youth, older workers, and immigrants (see Section 2).

As mentioned earlier, participants saw economic and labour market development as a responsibility shared by all stakeholders. While the various levels of government, employers, and unions were seen as the obvious players in this area, participants also felt that other groups could and should contribute to economic development. Participants felt that there needed to be a "unified front," with business, labour, and communities working together to influence government. For this to be effective, however, attendees indicated that stakeholders would need a forum to identify common needs and shared objectives.

The province's newly established sector councils were cited as a key opportunity to for increased collaboration and communication. Participants expressed the hope that they would bring together a broad array of players, including labour, social groups, and HRSDC; that they would enable grass-roots, sector-driven issue identification and solutions; and that they would help break sectoral silos.