Following is the text of an address given today by Beaton Tulk, Minister of Development and Rural Renewal, at the St. John's Board of Trade's Business Outlook 2000:

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today and for your interest in the economic development of our province. I particularly wish to thank the St. John�s Board of Trade and congratulate them for organizing Business Outlook 2000. Once again, the board is providing an important forum to review current economic trends and future directions for Newfoundland and Labrador.

As we enter the 21st century, we enjoy the benefit of economic momentum that we have not experienced in some time.

This comes on the heels of unprecedented challenges thrust our way over the past decade. The most significant of these, unquestionably, was the collapse of the groundfishery and the resulting moratorium in 1992. This event alone had a profound economic and social impact on the entire province. It forced us to reconsider our future as never before.

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians had always looked to the sea, and more specifically cod, as the foundation of their being. On July 2, 1992 many of us heard the toll of funeral bells.

But we are a resilient and a creative people. We confronted the challenges head on with a renewed sense of determination, and we are now harvesting the benefits, both in a diversified fishery and a more diversified economy.

Today, we are leading the country in economic growth, job creation and new investment in our economy. Outmigration is slowing significantly. Exports are expanding rapidly. Our fiscal house has been put in order. The economy is being successfully transformed and is much more diversified than it was even five years ago.

For those who mistake our positive optimistic attitude as boasting, we do acknowledge that significant challenges remain. We still have an unacceptably high unemployment rate. We need to continue to address the outmigration situation, especially among our youth. We need to ensure that all regions of this province share in the recovery of our economy. We also need to ensure that all our people have an opportunity to participate productively in the economy - that they have meaningful jobs and the ability to provide for themselves and their families, especially their children.

This is why the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador embarked on a process this past fall to renew the province�s economic agenda - more commonly referred to as the jobs and growth agenda.

The goal of this process is to build on the momentum we are currently enjoying - to renew the jobs and growth strategy we adopted in 1996 that has contributed to much of the growth we are seeing today - and to re-energize our efforts to ensure the momentum is not lost.

It is critical that the province keep pace with and adapt to the ever changing global economy. We must look ahead to capture new opportunities that are emerging. We must ensure our long term economic development strategy remains sound, effective and clearly focused at all times. Above all else, we must never stand still.

I would like to take today�s opportunity to provide an overview of where we are in the renewal of the jobs and growth agenda. I also want to outline some of the main themes or messages we have heard thus far through the consultation process.

First, let me say that the Cabinet Committee struck to lead this process has been very busy since this initiative was launched on September 27.

Our first action was to organize a series of public consultation sessions around the province and a set of 10 round table sectoral forums covering most major areas of the economy. The strength of any plan or strategy that addresses a major area of public policy such as the economy is the degree to which it reflects the views of the people of the province and has the support of the public. That is why we have placed so much emphasis on consultation in this process.

This approach was not misguided. The public response has been both tremendous and exhilarating. We initially scheduled 13 public consultation sessions which were to be concluded by the third week in November. The response was so great that we had to add an additional 10 sessions. The final one will be held in Hopedale in early February. By the time we are finished, we will have received close to 300 formal presentations, most of which have included full written briefs.

The 10 sectoral forums finished up just last week and were equally successful in the interest they garnered from key stakeholders.

We have heard from a very diverse range of groups through this process -- 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.

I think I can safely say, on behalf of my Cabinet and government colleagues who took part in this process, that we have been enormously impressed with the thought that people and organizations put into their presentations - and the Board of Trade brief was certainly no exception in this regard.

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

Many briefs and reports are still finding their way to us. Obviously, we have a lot of work to do in digesting what we have heard, analyzing it, and synthesizing it into a renewed economic policy statement for the province.

Notwithstanding this, a number of major themes or messages have come out of the consultation process that are appropriate to share with you today. This should not be interpreted as a complete inventory of what we heard, but does represent some of the main recurring points that may be of particular interest to this audience.

It is clear that a major shift in attitude about our economy has taken place throughout the province, as well as growing confidence in our ability to achieve success.

While many economic challenges continue to confront us, almost every presenter put forward constructive views and suggestions on how to overcome them and identified ways of seizing the many opportunities available to us. There is no question that our collective mind set and attitude have shifted dramatically.

A "can do" philosophy and approach permeated every public consultation session, even in those communities facing the most difficult of economic circumstances. The significance of this, especially in rural areas, should not be under-estimated.

The message to government is that we need to tap into this major shift in attitude, nurture it, spread it, and capitalize on it in substantive terms to shape our future.

Related to this growing confidence about our future is the creative energy our people possess in identifying new economic opportunities throughout the province. We heard countless new ideas and innovative approaches to strengthening and diversifying our economy.

This included ideas and approaches for traditional sectors, such as the fishery; for maturing sectors such as tourism and manufacturing; and for in emerging new sectors such as IT, cultural industries, environmental industries, biotechnology and aquaculture, to mention just a few.

It also included the social economy, where the volunteer community based sector can productively partner with the private sector to create new jobs for our people.

It was also repeatedly stressed that a balance needs to be struck between larger scale developments and the need to foster the growth of small enterprises in all areas of the province. The small business sector was identified as a major economic opportunity whose potential has yet to be fully tapped in the province.

The challenge for government will be to ensure that a conducive business climate is maintained to take effective and timely advantage of the multitude of new opportunities identified.

We must be aggressive in seizing the agenda and be bold enough to adopt new approaches. We can no longer be blinded by narrow institutional thinking which, in the past, suggested we could not lead the way in the global economy. We need to take charge and drive the economic engine into new territory. It is no longer acceptable for us to merely ride the economic engine of others.

Encouraging new business investment and keeping business competitive will require that we pay attention to the structure and administration of our tax regime and, in particular, our regulatory regime.

It will require us to look at new ways of enhancing access to investment capital.

It will require us to maintain sound public finances so that there is a stable overall investment climate in the province.

It will require us to invest in modern telecommunications, transportation and municipal infrastructure in all regions of the province to be competitive internationally.

It will require us to maintain an assertive yet balanced approach to receiving full and fair benefits from our resources.

It will require us to use technology more effectively.

It will require us to enhance and coordinate our R&D capabilities in the province to support emerging new opportunities.

It will require us to attract new investment into the province in a manner complementary to locally grown industry.

And not the least of which, it will require us to ensure we have more responsive, streamlined and accessible government support programs to foster growth of both the market economy and the social economy.

In virtually all public consultation sessions and all sectoral forums, the critical importance of education and the development of our most important resource - our people - but especially our youth - was emphasized as "the" number one long term economic development tool to concentrate on.

Presenter after presenter cited the strategic role played by education in the recovery and vitality of the economies of such countries as Ireland, Iceland and the Scandinavian nations.

Excellence in the Kindergarten to Grade 12 system was viewed as being extremely important to providing the basics for our children to succeed in a vibrant and increasingly knowledge based global economy. The need to develop entrepreneurship skills throughout a child�s education, starting at an early age, received particular attention. The links between education and enterprise must be emphasized in our schools. We must nurture an entrepreneurial spirit that promotes confidence, excellence and self-reliance.

Access to relevant and affordable post-secondary education, training and life-long learning opportunities was also stressed repeatedly. It was emphasized to us that people must have a means of acquiring the necessary labour market skills to participate in the constantly changing global economy. So was the need for creative approaches to equipping and helping youth make a successful transition from school to work in this province.

We also heard that a renewed approach to engaging the youth of our province in shaping the future is also needed. Youth need to take on an increasingly active role in determining the directions we adopt over the long term. We need to encourage their participation and make them full partners in the renewal process with all other major stakeholders.

Addressing these challenges will not be easy - but address them we must. The work of the Ministerial Panel on Education Delivery, which is currently underway, will be instrumental in dealing with some of these challenges. Innovation will be required throughout the education system if we are to meet these challenges.

It is clear that there is no greater investment we can make than in the education of our youth - for their own economic futures but also for the long term economic prosperity of the province as a whole.

Another major recurring theme emerging from the consultations has been the issue of collaboration and cooperation. People throughout the province told us this must be the hallmark of our approach to development in the 21^st century. And not just within an economic context. Many presenters stressed the need to link economic and social investments as a major part of any renewal strategy for jobs and growth.

The challenge for us as a people will be to forge new partnerships between government, business, labour and "community" so that we are able to reach out and successfully secure the opportunities available to us. Success will come only when everyone decides to pull together, when we put old ways and approaches aside for the greater good of the province, and adopt, as our own, a new way of working and thinking. We need to seize the agenda together, if we are to secure the future together.

The Irish have cited this approach as one of the major factors in successfully advancing the economic and social interests of its citizens. The principles of this model - appropriately modified to recognize the different environment we operate in - are worthy of consideration in Newfoundland and Labrador. I understand that this is of particular interest to the St. John�s Board of Trade and I commend the Board for having the vision to draw attention to its strategic importance in strengthening the overall economic interests of the province.

As Minister of Development and Rural Renewal, I would be remiss if I did not note that we heard a loud call for building stronger communities and stronger regions throughout the province.

The call, however, was not for government to direct the effort and provide all the resources. Instead the call was for government to help develop the required capacity and capability within communities and within regions so that they can take control of and shape their own futures. This is quite a departure from the thinking and attitude prevalent just a few short years ago.

If I might, it would be my contention that one of the results of the shutdown of the groundfish industry was first a feeling of despair; then a feeling of "we can"; and then the confidence to pursue new diversification opportunities.

This approach, of course, is consistent with the principles which gave rise to the creation of the 20 regional economic development boards in the province several years ago. It also goes to the essence of the fundamental strategy adopted in the province�s Strategic Social Plan. What is encouraging is that this concept has taken hold so soon and so deeply. This bodes well for the future.

The challenge facing government is to harness that spirit and energy in a productive manner, consistent with provincial policies and strategies, to help communities and to help regions help themselves. The regional economic development boards will continue to be the core institutional mechanism to achieve this, along with new directions to be charted in the Strategic Social Plan.

In conclusion, what has been striking to me, as Chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Jobs and Growth, is the confidence that people have about the future of our province. It is at a level I have not seen for many, many years. Many challenges lie ahead and much hard work will be required to deal with our circumstances. But deal with them we must - and we will. The foundations are in place, we have the benefit of momentum, and we have the opportunities. We need to focus, we need to work together, and we must never stand still.

I hope this provides a valuable insight into the jobs and growth renewal process to date and some of the emerging themes we have heard that may be of interest to the Board of Trade. I look forward to presenting the full results of this important initiative as it matures over the coming months.

Thank you for listening to me today and I wish you all the best in the remainder of your agenda.

2000 01 19                                              4:05 p.m.