Rural development in Canada is discussed in terms of finding a rural development strategy in this report. The prerequisites for a rural development strategy are enumerated; these prerequisites include (1) the development of an agency at the Federal level with the responsibility for defining national strategy, (2) the formulation and implementation of development strategies at the provincial level by provincial governments, and (3) the provision of channels through which sufficient flows of relevant information and research can pass between the government and those involved in the planning process. Possible criticisms (i.e., that the strategies are too general or are not sufficiently realistic) are examined. Other topics discussed in this report are rural development in the context of national development, the role of public participation in such a strategy, and the immediate situation. Also discussed are factors which will likely affect the future of rural Canada, for example, technological advances will increase the potential productivity per unit of labor, accelerate the process of urbanization, and enable the movement of large volumes of information considerable distances almost instantaneously. New migration trends are also expected. A listing of members of the Canadian Council on Rural Development and studies made by the Council are included in the appendices. (NQ)