The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is in the process
of preparing a strategic plan for the development and delivery of
the Province’s social programs and services. The Social Plan
process will focus on such areas as health care, education,
justice, municipal services, housing and social services.
Once developed, this Plan will help to ensure that Government
meets the needs of all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians in the
future. It will set out the Province’s priorities, decide
how we can best provide programs and services and how we can
afford them, and determine how we should share the responsibility
for delivering them.
It will help us find new and creative approaches to program
delivery, so that we can do more with the money we have.
Together with the Province’s Strategic Economic Plan, the
Strategic Social Plan will help make Newfoundland and Labrador a
better place to live and to raise families.
Government has already been at work on the Strategic Social
Plan, by reviewing its present programs and services, and looking
at the various changes and trends occurring in our society.
The next step in the development of the Strategic Social Plan
is to hear from the people of Newfoundland and Labrador through a
public consulation process.
Good social policy is everyone’s responsibility and the plan
will affect everyone who lives in this Province. Government needs
to know your views and understand your priorities if the plan is
going to work.
All Newfoundlandanders and Labradorians are invited to take
part in the public consultation process, and to share the benefit
of their experience, advice and ideas. This will ensure that the
Strategic Social Plan is the right one for the Province and that
it has the support of both the Government and the people.
The consultations will not be conducted by Government, but by the
Social Policy Advisory Committee (SPAC). Participants will have
the opportunity to make presentations, take part in discussions,
or participate through other means. The Province-wide
consultation process developed by the SPAC will take place during
the Fall of 1996.
The views and advice of the people who participate in the
consultations will be incorporated into a report to be presented
to Government. The third phase of the process will be the
development and release of the completed Provincial Strategic
Social Plan by Government in early 1997.
The Social Policy Advisory Committee (SPAC) which will be
conducting the consultations is an independent Committee
appointed by Government. It is chaired by Penelope Rowe, the
Executive Director of the Community Services Council. The
Committee represents many different groups from all areas of the
Province.
Throughout the summer, the Committee will be working to plan and
prepare for the consultations. It will also be developing a short
paper which can be used during the consultation process to help
focus discussions. This will be available during the summer for
anyone who wants to take part.
The Committee will also release a consultation timetable and
other details about the process, well in advance of the public
sessions.
To provide Newfoundlanders and Labradorians with more
information about our social and economic situation and to
describe some of the issues that have to be considered in the
Plan, Government has prepared The Strategic Social Plan
Consultation Paper.
This 75-page document provides background information about the
changes that have been occurring, the challenges we face, and the
services that Government provides. It also raises some of the
many issues and perspectives that will need to be discussed
during the consultations.
Although the formal consultations will not take place until the
Fall, this document is being made available now to ensure that
everyone has a good opportunity to consider the many issues
raised and to prepare to take part in the consultations.
We need a strategic social plan because we are living in a
time of tremendous change and challenge.
The population of Newfoundland and Labrador is decreasing and
getting older. Society has become more complex and impersonal.
New diseases like AIDS threaten our health and our peace of mind.
Several of our traditional industries have disappeared or changed
dramatically. An increasing number of people are having to rely
on income support to get by. There have been alarming increases
in some crime rates. Many children are threatened with violence
and lack the environment they need to develop properly. People
with disabilities require and deserve a better opportunity to be
part of society. In the workplace, many women still face
discrimination. The changing world economy has meant new
pressures on our education system.
Demands on many of our human services are increasing with these
changes. In the future, other needs will be identified as the
structure of our society continues to change.
However, we may have to meet these needs with fewer financial
resources. In the years ahead, we will probably continue to
receive less support from outside sources, and our own resources
will continue to be strained.
But simply cutting services is not the answer.
Social and economic well-being are very closely linked and depend
on each other. To allow our economy to grow, we must maintain
essential human services - such as health care and education -
and provide the other supports we need to ensure that we are
ready and able to compete in the global economy.
How we deal with change and meet the challenges will determine
how well we do in the future. We can simply try to cope with
change when it happens, or else we can choose to plan for it
rationally and realistically.
The Strategic Social Plan will be our blueprint for reform and
for the future.
Developing such a plan will require us to
To meet the challenges that lie ahead, we will have to strengthen social policy and social development by
The Plan will have to focus on the people who need and use the
services. Strong partnerships among governments, communities,
voluntary organizations, business, families and individuals will
be essential. And, we will have to find ways of spending smarter.
The consultation process that is about to begin will allow us to
make these important decisions together, and to set down our plan
in a clear and logical form as a strategy for Government and a
guide for us all.
For further information about participating in the
consultations, to receive copies of Government’s
consultation paper and SPAC’s documents, to be added to
SPAC’s mailing list, or to make suggestions about the
consultation process, please contact
The Social Policy Advisory Committee
PO Box 8700
St. John’s, Newfoundland
A1B 4J6
Telephone 709-729-2646
Toll free 1-800-814-5611
Fax 709-738-2469
E-MAIL sspac@porthole.entnet.nf.ca
WWW /ssp.htm
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