Speech from the Throne 2009
Delivered at the Opening of
the Second Session of the Forty-Sixth
General Assembly of the
Province of Newfoundland and Labrador
on Wednesday, March 25, 2009
by His Honour
The Honourable John C. Crosbie,PC, OC, ONL, QC
Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador
Tragedy at Sea
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Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, and our friends around the world,
are embracing the families and dear friends of the sixteen men and
the woman who perished in the terrible crash at sea of the helicopter
that was carrying workers to our offshore oil fields. Taken from us
too suddenly and too soon, these seventeen fine individuals leave
behind brokenhearted children, grieving partners and parents, best
friends, closely-knit communities and a province that will be
forever marked by their loss. Amid the heartbreak, our spirits were
lifted as we learned that one young man, a gifted mariner named
Robert Decker, was pulled to safety from the frigid waters and
returned to the warm embrace of his loved ones. But as our hopes
for the others fell with the gathering darkness, so did our tears.
How many times have we as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians cast our
grief-stricken gaze across the ocean that has claimed those we
dearly love? How many fishermen and other mariners across the
centuries have lost their lives in these waters while providing for
those they love? The Ocean Ranger tragedy 27 years ago and so many
other tragedies remain fresh in our memories and remind us of the
perils our people face to provide for their families. In the weeks
ahead, we will cooperate with those who are working to determine how
this happened and how to make these noble occupations safer.
Honouring Captain Bob Bartlett
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Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:
It is timely this year that we are honouring a mariner who endured
many tragedies of his own but persevered despite them all. Captain
Bob Bartlett of Brigus, one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s finest
mariners, shared a series of expeditions to the Arctic with polar
explorer Robert E. Peary and learned to navigate a vessel along the
ice pack ever closer to the North Pole. In the historic expedition
a century ago, he reached a latitude farther north than anyone had
ever navigated before, and close enough that Peary and his Inuit
companions were able to complete the trip to the Pole by sledge.
The feat earned Bartlett the rare Hubbard Medal of the National
Geographic Society, reserved for history’s most elite explorers.
Five years later, commanding one of his many scientific missions to
the Arctic, Bartlett endured the loss of his vessel, the Karluk,
in the polar ice. Heroically, Bartlett and an Inuit companion,
Kataktovik, trekked across the ice to Siberia, journeying 700 miles
south to reach a port where Bartlett secured a ship and set in
motion an operation to rescue the remaining survivors. Such is the
calibre of the people Newfoundland and Labrador has long produced.
We ought to hold Bob Bartlett up before our children as a reflection
of their own innermost potential to face great challenges boldly and
brilliantly.
Staying the Course
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Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly: We as a province were called upon to face great challenges boldly
and brilliantly in 2003 when an unsustainable fiscal situation held
us in its ever-tightening grip. Determined to navigate a course
from this crisis to calmer waters, My Government in its first term
set in motion a plan to get the province’s fiscal situation under
control while at the same time beginning to grow our economy more
effectively in ways that would generate lasting employment, open up
new opportunities for diversification and lead us progressively to
self-reliance. My First Minister fought for and achieved
significant new benefits from offshore oil development, and the
province under My Government’s leadership has for the first time
taken important equity stakes in new offshore projects. Last fall,
we received news that proved the course My Government has taken is
the right one. For the first time since Confederation, Newfoundland
and Labrador has achieved “have” status. We will not qualify
for equalization payments in the coming year and in years to come.
This unprecedented achievement is the culmination of everything My
Government and our people have been doing since 2003 to master our
own destiny. For Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, this is a moment
to take pride, not merely in what we have done, but more importantly
in who we are. We are determined to stand strong as leaders in this
federation, proud of our achievements and confident in our future.
Let the naysayers be warned: we will not be stopped short of
success.
Events
far beyond our shores have brought about a global economic storm the
like of which the world has not seen for many decades. While world
leaders worry about the right course to take, we in this province
have already demonstrated the right approach that leads from decline
to growth. We have charted a course for others to follow.
World leaders can take it from this province that optimizing the
value of public spending is a strategy that works. Reducing our
public debt over time to raise our credit rating and lower our
interest rates is a strategy that works. Investing in
infrastructure to lay the foundation for future investment is a
strategy that works. Cutting taxes for employers and consumers and
funding pension plans is a strategy that works. Investing in
personal self-reliance by combating poverty is a strategy that
works. Investing in people by improving access to quality education
is a strategy that works. Standing strong on principle and securing
agreements that truly benefit the people of our province is a
strategy that works. These things My Government has done, and
because they were done early and done well, our province is better
positioned than most to weather the storm and emerge from it
stronger.
Expecting Better from Ottawa
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Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:
In times of economic turmoil, Canadians expect their
Federal Government to govern with integrity and chart a responsible
course forward to better times for not just some, but all
Canadians. Buried in the 2009 federal budget is a deep cut in
funding to one province and one alone: ours. The cut will cost
us more than a billion dollars the province ought to be receiving
from offshore revenues from an agreement negotiated by a Progressive
Conservative Government a quarter century ago. Only a year after changing the equalization program
to give it stability, they have changed it again to punish
Newfoundland and Labrador. At a time when the people of our
province are celebrating our status as net fiscal contributors to
the federation, it is truly appalling that the current Government of
this federation has chosen to betray us and oppress us with policies
devised to drive us back into decline just because we have exercised
our democratic rights - to vote as we wish.
Captaining Our Own Ship top
Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:
Canada and its provinces and territories have built a proud
reputation over the years for international cooperation,
participation and partnership. In science and technology,
humanitarianism and peacekeeping, environmental stewardship and
trade, Canada and its provinces and territories have long been
leaders. As we move forward to forge new and stronger relationships
for the century to come, it is essential that the concerns and
aspirations of all members of the federation be taken into account.
Unfortunately, Newfoundland and Labrador is not convinced that the
current Federal administration, having ignored our best interests
when developing domestic policy, will do any better in
representing our best interests when developing foreign policy.
If the current Federal Government is not prepared to represent the
best interests of provinces like ours, then we as a province will
protect our best interests ourselves. To lower tariff barriers to
our exports while safeguarding our fish stocks and securing markets
for our seal products, we will speak up on our own behalf on the
international stage and work to effect progressive agreements
that take our best interests fully into account.
My Government will allow nothing to prevent us from charting a clear
course to the high latitudes of self-reliance. At Long Harbour, we
achieved a new and stronger agreement with Vale Inco on the scale
and pace of processing, and work is moving full steam ahead. In the
offshore sector, we achieved new equity stakes in Hebron and White
Rose, and work is moving full steam ahead. Planning to develop our
Lower Churchill green energy resource is moving full steam ahead.
In no other region of the western world is optimism greater
than it is right here in Newfoundland and Labrador, and this
optimism fuels our confidence that we can meet any challenge.
Weathering Every Storm top
Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly: With our confidence
secure, we are not swayed off course when storms arise. In Grand Falls-Windsor
and the central region, the historic pulp and paper mill and its associated
operations have been shut down after over a century of operation that has
prospered the operators greatly. This is a major blow, but nothing will weaken
our resolve to weather this storm and come out the other side stronger.
My First Minister stated clearly in December that we cannot as a Government
allow a company that no longer operates in this province to maintain ownership
of our resources. We will not give away our timber and water resources to a
company that does not continue to honour its historic commitments on industrial
development related to our timber resources. My Government therefore in December
introduced legislation to return these natural resources to their rightful owners,
the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
My Government will not abandon those whose labour has prospered our province so
greatly. My Government is committed to working in partnership with all affected
communities, with our sights clearly focused on new opportunities for long-term
stability and prosperity. Solutions take time, but our track record in Stephenville
demonstrates that our approach works.
With many who once found employment in other provinces now returning home, My Government
recognizes that families in many regions need help now to weather the storm. Just weeks
ago, it was quick off the mark in announcing a record provincial investment in
infrastructure projects that will create jobs in every region. Through highways and
bridges, ferries and wharves, hospitals and schools, care homes and campuses, public
buildings and public parks, we are making unprecedented investments in infrastructure
projects that will get people working and money flowing. This year’s infrastructure
program is the largest in our province’s history, with levels of spending fifty percent
higher than what was spent last year. By committing about $800 million this year and
more than $4 billion over the next several years for health care, education, housing,
justice, municipal and transportation infrastructure, My Government is leading the
charge and reassuring Newfoundlanders and Labradorians by its actions that we will not
retreat from our forward march to self-reliance.
Learning from Health Care Mistakes and Moving Forward
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Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:
No area of public responsibility is more essential to our people or
more important to My Government than health care. My Government
greatly appreciates the efforts of Judge Margaret Cameron and her
team to get to the bottom of the failures of hormone receptor
testing for patients with breast cancer. My Government, and
surely the previous Governments, are profoundly sorry that those
failures happened in the first place; but happen they did, and we
have learned from those mistakes and are prepared to move forward in
light of the recommendations that we have been given. These
recommendations complement the findings of the Task Force on Adverse
Health Events that My Government also commissioned. My Government
is committed to raising to a much higher standard the quality of the
laboratory work that is central to effective diagnosis and treatment
of our province’s patients. Shortcomings and failures in diagnosis
and treatment have been identified nationwide, so with these
recommendations before us, we now have the opportunity to lead the
country in setting higher standards. My Government is sincerely
grateful to the patients, the families and the health care workers
who participated in the Cameron inquiry and assures them that their
legacy will be a health care system in this province that is
stronger than it has ever been before.
Judge Cameron’s report encourages us to be vigilant in all areas of
health care. Her message is not lost on My Government, which will
be looking at the bigger picture of health care delivery to identify
other areas where improvements are needed. My Government welcomes
the new chief executive officer of Eastern Health, Vickie Kaminski,
and looks forward to working closely with her, and with others
throughout the health care system, to implement Judge Cameron’s
recommendations and to improve the delivery of health care in our
province. My Government is particularly cognizant of the need to
ensure we retain and recruit the health care professionals we
require. Our health care system cannot function without doctors,
nurses and other professionals. My Government is ready to do
more, within our means, to make Newfoundland and Labrador even more
attractive to health care professionals.
My Government is also continuing to implement the
recommendations of the Turner inquiry report, from which important
lessons were learned. In addition this year, My Government will
create a new Department with responsibility for Child, Youth and
Family Services. These services are currently within a Division
of the Department of Health and Community Services. This move will
be made in recognition of the priority My Government gives to Child,
Youth and Family Services and to strengthen and
enhance the profile of these services.
Preparing Our People for Self-reliance top
Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:
The vulnerability of children to the consequences of poverty is one
of the key reasons My Government has made poverty reduction a top
priority. Local and national anti-poverty groups continue to
champion My Government’s Poverty Reduction Strategy as a
model for the country. My Ministers thank the many Newfoundlanders
and Labradorians and groups whose feedback will shape the next phase
of our strategy and help us build a society in which all citizens,
regardless of the conditions they are from or the challenges they
face, can participate fully in the many social and economic benefits
of our growing self-reliance.
Through major investments in education, we will continue to
prepare our people to make the most of every opportunity that awaits
them. This year, My Government will turn its attention to
developing a strategic plan for early childhood learning, to give
our children the kind of advantage that is enjoyed by kids in the
world’s most progressive jurisdictions. My Government has already
made huge investments in educational excellence, raising annual
education funding beyond a billion dollars for the first time in our
history. At the K-12 level, My Government has progressively capped
class sizes, introduced new programs, provided free textbooks,
expanded labs and learning resources, and given students in remote
areas access to programs never before available in their
communities.
At the post-secondary level, My Government has frozen tuition
fees at national lows throughout its mandate and led the country in
student aid reform while maintaining funding for facilities and
programs. Every action is grounded in the conviction that our
success tomorrow depends on the investments we make in education
today. That student focus will continue this year. In recognition
of his many years of service to Memorial University, My Government
sincerely thanks Dr. Eddy Campbell, Memorial’s acting President and
Vice-Chancellor, and we wish him well in his new position. My
Government looks forward to the recruitment of a new President for
Memorial University, and My Government will continue to respect the
autonomy of Memorial University. With the White Paper on Public
Post-secondary Education and the Skills Task Force report to guide
us, Newfoundland and Labrador is ready to seize the opportunities of
the new economy.
Our province will need more workers as it continues to grow. Our
progress depends on our ability to retain the skilled workers we
educate and recruit the skilled workers we require. Last year, we
set to work on a Youth Retention and Attraction Strategy. We
asked young people what we needed to do to help curb youth
out-migration. This year, we will show them we have listened by
implementing an innovative strategy to position Newfoundland and
Labrador as a province of choice for young people who want to work
and prosper, raise a family, lead a community and leave a legacy
they can be proud of.
This spring, we will also be launching the International Registry
and its associated website. This registry will provide a direct
means for workers from across Canada and the world to connect to
employment prospects in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Growing Our Economy for Self-reliance
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Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:
The future we are working to build is not limited by the constraints
of the past. An increasingly diversified and mature economy is
taking shape in all regions of our province. Activity is not
confined to a single area or industry but spans traditional
resource-driven industries and knowledge-based industry sectors.
Much of this activity is driven by small business in such sectors as
ocean technology, agriculture, life sciences, tourism, and
information and communications technologies. My Government is
working aggressively to build strong communities with healthy
economies for today and future generations through innovation and
diversification.
By providing local enterprises with the tools they need to target
new opportunities and modernize their operations, My Government is
nurturing a climate for new growth and opening new doors to
prosperity.
The massive infrastructure investments we are making this year will
not only help tide many over these tough economic times, but also
firm up the foundation for brighter days ahead. As My Government
invests strategically in municipal infrastructure, it is encouraged
by the growing awareness that communities are stronger and more
sustainable when they work as regions by sharing services and, when
they so choose, by amalgamating. My Government encourages
communities to get creative as they work together to build
sustainable regional economies, and it will work with them to
achieve those goals. Through a bold new Regional Collaboration
Pilot Project, My Government will work with regional leaders to
explore collaborative forms of governance that advance regional
sustainability. My Government will continue to work collaboratively
with Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador and local
municipalities, regional economic development boards and other rural
development agencies to develop long-term integrated sustainability
plans which will help build a stronger province.
Celebrating a New Dawn in Labrador
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Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:
In 2007, My Government unveiled an unprecedented strategic plan for
the region of our province with the greatest untapped potential.
The Northern Strategic Plan for Labrador is a groundbreaking,
far-reaching strategy to bring Labrador’s enormous potential to
fruition and benefit the people of the Big Land as never before.
The plan is now entering the third year of a five-year cycle, and a
mid-term report will soon be issued. My Government is continuing to
invest strategically in Labrador and remains committed to improving
social and economic conditions in the region in collaboration with
all Labradorians, including the Nunatsiavut Government representing
Labrador’s Inuit people.
In September, My First Minister and the Grand Chief of the Innu
Nation, Mark Nui, announced the signing of a milestone agreement,
the Tshash Petapen Agreement which translates as the New Dawn
Agreement. Negotiations will continue to execute formal
agreements. Once an Agreement-in-Principle on the Innu land claim
has been reached, the Innu Nation will present the details to the
Innu people for ratification. Truly historic in its scope, the New
Dawn Agreement marks a new beginning for the Innu of Labrador and
their relationship with the province.
As the only Atlantic province with a northern region, Newfoundland
and Labrador is ideally positioned to be Canada’s Northern
Gateway, and we are working to earn this designation. As
Captain Bob Bartlett ably demonstrated, this is an ideal staging
ground for scientific expeditions to the North as well as
environmental stewardship projects, commercial operations, marine
traffic monitoring and national defence.
Standing Tall in Ocean Technology
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Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:
The United States-based Marine Technology Reporter recently
described Newfoundland and Labrador as “standing tall as an
international epicenter of marine technology”. My Government is
determined to capitalize on opportunities to grow this sector by
releasing a new ocean technology strategy in collaboration
with the province’s industry leaders. By strengthening ties between
institutions and industry, enhancing supports for businesses,
expanding global markets and nurturing an environment ripe for
success, My Government will build on our historic strengths and
natural inclination to be world leaders in the lucrative ocean
technology sector.
Newfoundland and Labrador has been a leader in ocean
industries for hundreds of years. We have long been the guardians
of the greatest fishing resource in the world, threatened though it
remains. Still, our province’s fishing industry generates
24,000 jobs and hundreds of millions in returns year after year.
Through strong investments in our growing aquaculture industry, we
are harnessing modern technology to breathe new life into
communities with historic ties to the fishing industry.
Newfoundland and Labrador is exceptionally proud of the growth we
have seen in our aquaculture industry in recent years, and we are
determined to nurture that strength through continuing investments.
Taking a Lead Role in Research and Development
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Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:
As the world’s most successful economies invest millions to become
leaders in research and development initiatives that will
define opportunity and determine prosperity in the decades ahead,
Newfoundland and Labrador would be irresponsible to remain behind.
If we are not prepared to lead, others will step into the breach and
reap the rewards. This province will not sell out its children by
selling short their future. My Government this year will launch the
Research and Development Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador as
a Crown corporation whose purpose will be to strengthen the focus,
quantity, quality and relevance of research and development for the
economic benefit of our province. We will continue to build on our
success to date and will move aggressively to capitalize on
opportunities in ocean technology, energy and biotechnology. The
R&D Corporation will bring together stakeholders to finalize an R&D
Strategy that will position Newfoundland and Labrador’s research
institutions and innovative entrepreneurs at the fore in key
sciences and technological disciplines, both nationally and
internationally, and this will enable Newfoundland and Labrador to
lead in this lucrative sector in the decades to come.
Becoming the Energy Warehouse of the North American Northeast
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Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:
The field of endeavour whose successes are surpassed by no others in
this province is the energy sector. Already, we produce nearly half
of Canada’s conventional light sweet crude. In January, we
celebrated production of our one billionth barrel of oil.
The commitment to offshore development and exploration remains
strong. The Hebron project is in the pre-Front-End Engineering and
Design Phase with a project management office to open here in the
next few months. My Government is committed to ensuring development
moves forward with a focus on safety and the environment.
All should benefit from such emerging opportunities, not just some.
The new Hebron Development Agreement is a true milestone for
Newfoundland and Labrador with an unprecedented agreement for a
Gender Equity and Diversity Plan for all phases of the project.
With quantifiable objectives and goals, this plan will include
training and recruitment programs that address access to employment
and business opportunities for women, Aboriginal people and
disadvantaged groups, including those with disabilities.
Responsibility for the implementation of this commitment will be
shared by the project operators and major contractors. The new
Energy Plan also demonstrates My Government’s commitment to ensuring
women and underrepresented groups more fully participate in the
energy sector and have full access to employment opportunities.
Vale Inco is also currently finalizing a women’s employment plan
that will ensure equitable opportunities for women under the Long
Harbour project. My Government will work collaboratively with
business, labour and all stakeholders to advance opportunities for
all who want to work in Newfoundland and Labrador.
This is a very important year for the Lower Churchill
project, which is now undergoing environmental assessment, as is the
proposal to establish a Labrador-Island Transmission Link. The
projects would generate more than 17,000 person-years of employment
over a 10-year construction period and bring incredible
opportunities for generations to follow.
We have also begun to reap the potential to generate clean energy
from the wind, with nine turbines operating at St. Lawrence
and nine installed at Fermeuse. Cumulatively, these sustainable
energy units will be able to displace over 300,000 barrels of oil at
Holyrood and 150,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions while
powering 14,000 homes resulting in significant cost savings over the
next two decades. Our new energy powerhouse Nalcor Energy this year
will also start to operate the wind-hydrogen-diesel demonstration
project at Ramea, showing Canadians how to bring alternative energy
to an isolated community. These are tremendous success stories that
My Government will showcase when it hosts the national conference of
energy and mines ministers later this year.
Renewed interest in renewable energy reflects the goals of My
Government’s comprehensive Energy Plan and Climate Change
Action Plan, which together will help us reduce emissions and
enhance sustainability. In line with this Action Plan, My
Government in January assisted in launching the Coastal Connections
Climate Change Pilot Project, through which students from
Clarenville High and Random Island Academy are gathering data to
measure the impacts of climate change on the fishery and their own
communities.
Promoting Our Uncommon Potential
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Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:
Just before we next gather for a Speech from the Throne, Canada will
host the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, and
Newfoundland and Labrador will be there, promoting ourselves to the
world. This fall, some 330 torchbearers will carry the flame across
this province and celebrate the power and sheer pleasure of sport.
Having opened the new state-of-the-art Newfoundland and Labrador
PowerPlex during the past year, My Government will continue this
year to support our athletes and promote to all of us the many
enduring benefits of sport and recreation.
My Government, in partnership with industry, has just unveiled our
collaborative tourism vision for Newfoundland and Labrador
entitled “Uncommon Potential” and set a target of doubling tourism
revenue by 2020. Our tourism product is getting better by the
year. With award-winning marketing strategies including a billboard
on the Gardiner Expressway promoting Newfoundland and Labrador
through a curtained window and television ads to rival the best, My
Government is confident we have what it takes to draw the tourists
in. This year, we invite the world to join us at Brigus and
other communities to honour the legacy of Captain Bob Bartlett.
His achievements amaze us and his attitude inspires us to fix our
sights boldly and courageously on the high latitudes of
self-reliance to which we aspire. No matter how audacious the
goal or how great the obstacles, we have all we need to accomplish
what we set out to achieve. Like Captain Bob, and in the words
of America’s new President, with hope and virtue, let us endure what
storms may come.
* * * * *
Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:
Estimates of expenditure will be laid before you in due course and you will be asked to grant supply to Her Majesty.
I invoke God’s blessing upon you as you commence this new Session.
Divine Providence guide you in your deliberation.
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