CONCLUSION

Mr. Speaker, let me conclude by saying how proud I was on February 14 of this year when Premier Williams brought home the Atlantic Accord 2005. It was a privilege for me to sign the document on behalf of the government and people of Newfoundland and Labrador. What made me proud was not the money. It was the fact that we had achieved what the naysayers said was beyond our grasp. They said it would never happen, and they were wrong. And there is one reason, and one reason alone, why they were wrong, and that is because our Premier stood by his principles, with the people of our province standing steadfastly beside him, and we refused to back down.

Newfoundland and Labrador has had more than its fair share of naysayers; and when you are steeped in pessimism for so long, it is sometimes easy to lose perspective and hope. When communities decline and young families move away, it is all too easy to give in to the fear that decline is our destiny.

But our government believes our destiny is what we make it. Our future is in no one’s hands but our own. And with the same deep-rooted pride and unshakable confidence that won us a fair deal on offshore revenues, we are taking charge of our future and beginning to shape our destiny to our own design.

With this year’s budget plan, we have laid the foundation for the kind of investment and growth that will give businesses and families the opportunity to survive here and thrive here for generations to come. We have improved our fiscal situation, invested wisely and are on a path toward balanced budgets. Everything we are doing this year builds on the important gains we made last year and puts us on course for a future of self-reliance and opportunity for all. Every strategic investment we make in sectors and regions throughout Newfoundland and Labrador will open up new avenues of opportunity for those who are ready to rise to the challenge.

And we will ensure that our people are ready and motivated to seize the opportunities before us. By investing in our culture as never before, we will nurture in our people, young and old alike, the pride, hope and self-confidence that will never give up on our dream. With renewed faith in ourselves and new tools for success in our hands, we will tackle new challenges and create new opportunities that will usher in a brighter future for our province. And we will do so together, united and indivisible in our goal to build a future of pride, promise and prosperity for Newfoundland and Labrador.