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PC PARTY BLUEPRINT - 3/10
Strong Communities
Rural and regional economic development will remain among our government's highest priorities. The key elements for building strong, sustainable rural and regional economies are strong policies promoting infrastructure, natural resource development, value-added production, diversification, education, innovation, investment, entrepreneurial initiative, business success, family growth and a reliable social support network. In short, everything we do is geared to promoting the growth, prosperity and sustainability of our rural and regional economies. We have made tremendous strides in each of these areas, and we have started to see results. Together, in cooperation with municipalities, community leaders, investors, business leaders and our province's workers, we will continue to build on the gains we have already made in order to provide the bright future that Newfoundland and Labrador's resource-rich and idea-rich regions and communities are capable of sustaining.
We are especially proud of the exceptionally strong investments we have made in infrastructure to promote economic growth. We understand that it is through solid infrastructure - highways and roads, ferries, seaports and airports, water and sewer, waste management systems, broadband networks, schools, health care centres and so forth - that we are able to attract investment and promote growth in our rural communities. The infrastructure deficit our government inherited was massive - too massive to correct all at once - but we set forth developing a long-term strategy to get the work done. In the meantime, we immediately and significantly increased the funding for infrastructure repair and construction throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, and we have much progress to report. The provincial roads program has grown substantially to enable numerous projects throughout the province to proceed, creating jobs, safer driving conditions, confidence among investors, public optimism about the future and tangible evidence of our government's commitment to rural Newfoundland and Labrador. Much remains to be done and we will remain focused on spurring growth in ways that will attract new investment, new expansion and new jobs in communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.
We believe our success as a province is tied intrinsically to the success of the businesses that operate in our province, because these are the enterprises that elicit value from our resources and provide jobs for our people. We are determined to ensure that our government fully understands and responds to the concerns of businesses in all sectors and regions throughout Newfoundland and Labrador and serves, through its operations and programs, to advance business growth and success. We believe achieving a strong economy for today and tomorrow requires establishing sound industry structures, a highly skilled workforce, a culture of innovation, effective regulatory systems and a reputation for determination and success. Building on our strengths, we will utilize our well-developed sector profiles to identify opportunities to introduce new investments that will further increase business in our province and complement the efforts of local entrepreneurs, attracting new investment that strengthens our business clusters and benefits companies, workers, communities and our economy overall.
A Progressive Conservative government in its second term will:
- follow through on the recommendations of the Skills Task Force [link], in particular the establishment of an Industry Coordinating Committee, to ensure Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are prepared and ready with the information and skills they need to fulfil skilled-labour requirements on large and small industrial ventures in the years ahead
- increase apprenticeship opportunities to facilitate the entry of Newfoundland and Labrador graduates into specialized trades
- continue to implement our Infrastructure Strategy to lay a strong foundation for rural and regional economic growth and stimulate job growth
- continue to implement our Island and Labrador transportation strategies to interconnect municipalities and regions
- continue to allocate at least $60 million a year for road improvements
- through our Rural Secretariat and its partners throughout the province, follow through on the Comprehensive Regional Diversification Strategy and the wide range of other initiatives targeting opportunity development in sectors and regions throughout Newfoundland and Labrador
- work cooperatively with regional and zonal economic development boards on the development and implementation of economic diversification strategies to give each region a broadly-based foundation for commercial growth
- complete an inventory of locally manufactured products and materials to determine the availability of local resources that might be used in future construction projects
- review the province's municipal financing and debt management policies in consultation with Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador
- improve our province's drinking water policies for our communities
- continue to implement a province-wide solid waste management strategy in consultation with municipalities
- maintain the commitment that there will be no forced amalgamation of municipalities but continue to work with municipalities on initiatives to share services regionally
- continue to work cooperatively and effectively with the representatives of Aboriginal groups in Newfoundland and Labrador: the Nunatsiavut Government, the Innu Nation, the Miawpukek First Nation, the Federation of Newfoundland Indians, and the Labrador Métis Nation
- press the Government of Canada to follow through on supporting the maintenance and upgrading of all portions of the national highway system in Newfoundland and Labrador, including the Trans-Labrador Highway
- complete the remaining 155 kilometres of the Trans-Labrador Highway Phase III
- continue to press the Government of Canada to designate the Gulf ferry service, which is constitutionally guaranteed under Term 32(1) of the Terms of Union, as an essential service
- carry forward with the implementation of the vessel replacement strategy
- maintain provincial ferry rates at a level equivalent to highway travel costs
- continue to lobby the federal government for a "built in Canada" national shipbuilding strategy, particularly focusing on the need to strengthen federal policies encouraging the local building and refitting of vessels such as frigates and submarines and the provision of export credit funding for the buyers of Canadian-made vessels
- continue to work strategically on all fronts to secure a significant role for Newfoundland and Labrador ports in national marine trade and transportation policy
- continue to work cooperatively with the Canadian North Atlantic Marine Partnership (CANMAP) bidding team, which includes Marystown's Peter Kiewit and Sons, in a concerted effort to win the federal Joint Support Ship (JSS) contract for the Burin Peninsula
- explore the possibilities of further developing international aviation linkages
- continue to benefit from the input of the Business Advisory Board, established in May 2005 to provide expert advice about economic trends and conditions and about the future possibilities for our economy, including innovative initiatives and opportunities
- annually review our business tax environment to ensure Newfoundland and Labrador remains competitive
- continue to implement and monitor the Red Tape Reduction Initiative [link], which has already reduced the province's regulatory burden by about 10%, in order to decrease the regulatory burden by more than 25%
- continue to ensure our province's regulatory regime is efficient, flexible and transparent while maintaining high regulatory standards on a go-forward basis
- maintain support for the Strategic Partnership Initiative, which provides the means for improving communications and identifying opportunities for collaboration among business, labour and government on critical issues related to the competitiveness of the province, the importance of the post-secondary system for the future social and economic development of the province, and for building stronger institutional links to innovation and economic development
- implement the new Export Development Strategy, which will include a suite of services including counseling on effective export development approaches, commercial export strategy development, and the identification of new opportunities
- in association with the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Technology Industries (NATI), establish a process to provide guidance to enable Newfoundland and Labrador enterprises to become successful internet-based e-shopping vendors and marketers
- implement the Provincial Investment Attraction Strategy to promote further business attraction, growth and diversification
- consult with the province's industry associations and chambers of commerce to fully explore business development and investment attraction interests
- investigate emerging new niche markets that match our unique skills, products and services, and position Newfoundland and Labrador businesses at the forefront of new opportunities
- continue to promote supplier development so local firms have greater opportunities, both on their own and in cooperative networks, to participate in supply development opportunities in the public and private sectors, both locally and abroad
- continue to work to secure national defence shipbuilding, aerospace and fabrication contracts for Newfoundland and Labrador operations with an added emphasis on maintaining and enhancing our companies' technology and the infrastructure required to be competitive in world markets, and facilitating the transfer of technology from established global leaders to our local companies
- establish, in partnership with industry associations, an International Registry of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, a voluntary registry which includes a statement of their qualifications, applicable to those living inside as well as those living and working outside the province; and this registry will help to identify and recruit Newfoundland and Labrador residents and match them with job opportunities in the province
- promote entrepreneurship by providing information, education and support for young people interested in starting their own businesses
- maintain support for the Ireland Business Partnerships, as expanded and refocused in 2005 with a mandate to identify, foster and promote trade and partnership opportunities in business, education and culture with the Republic of Ireland
- pursue the development of a Memorandum of Understanding linking Iceland and Newfoundland and Labrador more closely for our mutual economic benefit
- maintain support for the New England Trade and Investment Initiative, which uses an innovative business-to-business approach to trade development, enabling the trade team to work one-on-one with Newfoundland and Labrador companies over an extended period to ensure their market entry strategy for New England is a success
- continue to promote trade opportunities through trade missions and communications linking Newfoundland and Labrador enterprises and institutions with others around the world
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