Foreword from the Chair -
Cabinet Committee on Jobs and Growth

On September 27, 1999 the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador issued an invitation to all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to participate in a process for taking the province’s economic agenda to its next level.

An ad-hoc Committee of Cabinet, the Ministerial Committee on Jobs and Growth, was created to lead this process, which I have the pleasure of chairing. My Cabinet colleagues are:

The Honourable Beaton Tulk
The Honourable Sandra Kelly Chair
The Honourable Julie Bettney The Honourable Roger Grimes The Honourable Ernest McLean
The Honourable Paul Dicks

The Honourable Beaton Tulk
Chair
Cabinet Committee on
Jobs and Growth

Since this initiative was launched last September, we have held 23 public consultation sessions throughout the province. We also convened a series of 10 round-table sectoral forums to explore with key stakeholders the unique challenges and opportunities in the major sectors of our economy. The response to these consultations was tremendous. We heard from a diverse range of individuals and groups - economic and social development organizations at the community, regional and provincial levels; the business community; youth representatives; organized labour; municipalities; educators; and a host of concerned individuals – to name just a few.

In all, over 300 individuals and organizations made formal presentations or submission to the Cabinet Committee, and a similar number participated in the sectoral forums. The Cabinet Committee was enormously impressed with the thought and care that people and organizations put into the process.

At this time, we are presenting to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador an interim report outlining the major themes and key messages that emerged from the consultations and some initial priorities that government intends to pursue in advancing the economic agenda. A more complete report on the results of the consultations and the direction government intends to adopt in its renewal strategy for jobs and growth will be forthcoming in the months ahead.

It is clear that the people of this province have taken the consultation process seriously and want to make a real contribution in shaping their economic future. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are a people who care and are a people who want to make a difference. On behalf of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, and my colleagues on the Cabinet Committee on Jobs and Growth, I wish to express our gratitude and appreciation to all who participated.
 

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