Conclusion

In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, this year’s budget is all about following through on a sound vision with strategic action. As the government of this province since 2003, we have assessed the challenges facing our province. We have explored the opportunities. We have secured in our sights a vision of a Newfoundland and Labrador where promise leads to prosperity, where self-confidence leads to self-reliance. We have set to work developing strategic plans – action plans – to take our vision from the drawing board to the real world, where each strategy is applied, appraised, adjusted and advanced to ensure the action produces real results. We have laid the foundations, sector by sector, region by region, strength by strength, to ensure that we are fully prepared to move forward to success on every front. We have brightened our business climate and bolstered our infrastructure. We have charted a course forward for each natural resource sector and pushed past the limits of old ways of thinking through innovative investments in new ways of achieving. We have invested in people skills; given old and young alike the tools to achieve greater personal self-reliance; promoted healthier lifestyles, improved health and community services; and strengthened public protections for our citizens. We have taken responsible action to implement our vision, and we have produced tangible results. Our fiscal situation has never been stronger. Our employment situation has never been brighter. And the work has only just begun. We are clearly on the right track to self-reliance. The evidence justifies our bold new approach. This fall, the choice before our people will be crystal clear: backward to decline, or forward to self-reliance. We will stand proudly before our people with confidence in our choices, and we will ask once again for their cooperation as we move forward to complete the job we started together. We are continuing with this year’s budget to take powerful strides forward on a great many fronts, and in the years to come, we will progress even farther toward our goal of a Newfoundland and Labrador where opportunity abounds and self-reliance is secure and sustainable. That is our vision. These are our actions. And success will be our result. We will be masters of our own house.