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NLIS 5
October 2, 2006
(Innovation, Trade and Rural Development)
 

Visiting Irish delegation to discuss Social Partnership Model

This week, the Strategic Partnership Initiative (SPI) and Memorial University of Newfoundland are co-sponsoring a visit of three individuals who played significant roles in Ireland�s economic turnaround. During a series of public and private events, the Irish delegation will meet with Provincial Government, business and labour leaders to lend their experience and advice on how social partnership - a consensus-building dialogue between government, business and labour - can be an instrumental part of Newfoundland and Labrador�s economic development. The visitors will also join a public round-table to engage the community in similar discussion.

"Over the past several years, the Strategic Partnership Initiative has made significant strides in bringing labour, business and government to the same table to discuss issues affecting all of our interests, such as improving provincial competitiveness," said Trevor Taylor, Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development, the lead department for the Strategic Partnership Initiative. "The Irish delegation will demonstrate the many tangible, positive outcomes that resulted from their partnership. Their input will be valuable to us, as we move forward on issues where consensus and collaboration are necessary."

The delegation will consist of:

Paddy Teahon, retired Secretary General of the Taoiseach's [Prime Minister's] Department from 1993-2000 and Chairman of Ireland's National Economic and Social Council during those years;

David Begg, General Secretary, Irish Congress of Trade Unions;

Brian Geoheghan, former Director of Economic Affairs, Irish Business and Employers Federation (IBEC).

Memorial University Coracle Fellow Wally Kirwan, formerly of the Department of the Taoiseach and now vice-chair of the Ireland Newfoundland Partnership, has been instrumental in arranging the delegation�s visit.

According to Dr. Steve Wolinetz, professor of political science at Memorial University and co-coordinator of the event, the Irish visitors had a hand in agreements that fostered Ireland�s economic growth.

"In the 1980s, Ireland faced serious socio-economic problems, including high levels of debt, unemployment and emigration. These are similar to the challenges we face in Newfoundland and Labrador," explained Dr. Wolinetz. "The Irish government gave their partners a seat at the decision-making table as a way of breaking out of adversarial roles. Rapid economic growth resulted, while social justice issues remained on the agenda."

"This visit by the Irish delegation presents a great opportunity for the participants of the Strategic Partnership Initiative to learn firsthand the challenges and benefits associated with social partnership in Ireland," said Reg Anstey, President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour. "It also demonstrates the willingness and commitment of labour, business and Government in Newfoundland and Labrador to explore new mechanisms of cooperation and collaboration to address some of the key challenges facing our economy."

Denis Mahoney, Chair of the Newfoundland and Labrador Business Caucus, said the visit will be a valuable experience. "We�ve all heard about the success that the Irish had in transforming their economy throughout the �80s and �90s. These individuals were instrumental in making it happen. It will be interesting to hear exactly how their partnership played a key role in what happened."

The visit will culminate in a public roundtable event: Building Consensus to Build Competitiveness: Lessons from Ireland on Thursday, October 5 from 2:15-5:00 p.m. in Salon F, Holiday Inn, St. John�s. Sponsored by Memorial, the roundtable is open to anyone interested in learning about the strategic partnership model. Following discussion on the Irish experience, those in attendance will form break-out groups to discuss how to get government, business and labour working together to foster economic growth in Newfoundland and Labrador. More information is available through the Faculty of Arts web site (www.arts.mun.ca/arts) or call (709) 737-8254.

Minister Taylor said this visit is just one of a series of events which is building on our close relationship with Ireland. "Our government has fostered strong ties with Ireland. They have faced many of the same challenges as us, and we plan to learn from their efforts in order to secure our future growth."

Media contact:

Lynn Evans, Communications, Innovation, Trade and Rural Development, (709) 729-4570, 690-6290, lynnevans@gov.nl.ca

Leslie Vryenhoek, Communications Coordinator for Arts, Memorial University, (709) 737-8292, lesliev@mun.ca

BACKGROUNDERS

Biographical information on Irish delegation

David Begg is General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, as well as Director of the Central Bank and a member of the National Economic and Social Council (NESC). He is also a Governor of the Irish Times Trust, a body which oversees the publication and independency of The Irish Times newspaper.

Paddy Teahon was Secretary General of the Taoiseach�s [Prime Minister�s] Department from 1993 to 2000 and also Chairman of Ireland�s National Economic and Social Council in those years. He played a key role in Ireland�s Social Partnership Process, in the further development of Dublin�s International Financial Services Sector and in the Northern Ireland Peace Process, where he was a key negotiator of the Good Friday Agreement and follow-up agreements on its implementation. Mr. Teahon is now a director of: Treasury Holdings-one of Ireland�s major property development companies; Merrill Lynch Ireland and Vodafone Ireland. He is also chairman of the Irish Universities Association and president of the Irish Wind Energy Association.

Brian Geoghegan, a leading Irish business figure, is the former director of Economic Affairs at the Irish Business and Employers Confederation and has represented business with policy makers both in Ireland and internationally. He played a key role in the negotiation of successive National Partnership agreements between the government and the social partners, and was one of the architects of policy changes that were critical to Ireland�s economic transformation.

Walter (Wally) Kirwan is a former Irish civil servant who served as the assistant secretary-general in the Department of the Taoiseach, responsible for the Northern Ireland Division. He is also honorary vice-chair of the Ireland Newfoundland Partnership, the public/private entity established by the Government of Ireland to co-ordinate cooperation. Last year, Memorial University named Mr. Kirwan a Fellow in the Coracle Irish-Newfoundland Fellowship program, part of Memorial's commitment to strengthening links and promoting exchanges between Ireland and the province.

Strategic Partnership Initiative (SPI)

  • The Strategic Partnership Initiative was formed in 2002 to provide a forum for open dialogue between government, labour and business. It was modeled after several European examples which had delivered significant economic and social development benefits to their jurisdictions, most notably Ireland. It is overseen by the Strategic Partnership Committee which consists of senior government, labour and business representatives.
     
  • During the past year, significant progress has been made on this initiative. The Strategic Partnership Committee is fostering a constructive climate of consensus building and cooperation among the partners and all parties have agreed that improving provincial competitiveness is the major common priority.
     
  • Four tri-partite subcommittees have been established and begun extensive work on competitiveness issues. They are: labour market development, investment capital, taxation policy, and employment relations.
     
  • A key contributor to the success of the SPI is its capacity-building component, which allows both labour (through the Federation of Labour) and Business (through the Business Caucus - a collaboration of business groups) to each employ an individual to work full-time on Partnership initiatives and on strengthening ties among the three partners. This has proven to be one of the most important features of the SPI, and allows for continuity and progress on a continual basis in collaboration with the Strategic Partnership Secretariat within government.
     
  • The SPI also supports targeted research on issues relevant to provincial macro-economic policy.
     
  • The Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development (INTRD) supports the SPI with three staff positions.
     
  • The current Strategic Partnership Committee members are:

Government:

Douglas House, Committee Chair, Deputy Minister, Provincial Development Plan

Bill MacKenzie, Deputy Minister (Acting), INTRD

Terry Paddon, Deputy Minister, Department of Finance

Wayne Fowler, Chief Executive Officer, Labour Relations Agency (also chairs the Employment Relations Sub-Committee)

Labour:

Reg Anstey, President, Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour

Lana Payne, 1st Vice-President, Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour

Bert Blundon, Secretary-Treasurer, Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour

Business:

Denis Mahoney, Partner, McInnes Cooper and Chair, Newfoundland and Labrador Business Caucus

Ted Howell, President and CEO, Newfoundland Ocean Industries
Association (NOIA)

Marilyn Tucker, President, Newfoundland and Labrador Employers Council
 

Subcommittee Chairs:

Gil Dalton - Chair, Investment Capital Subcommittee, Senior VP, Baine Johnston Ltd.

Robert Constantine - Chair, Taxation Policy Subcommittee, Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Finance

Wayne Penney - Chair, Labour Market Development Subcommittee, Deputy Minister (Acting), Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment

Ex-Officio:

Derek Staubitzer, Director, Strategic Partnership Initiative, INTRD

Kerry Murray, Director of Policy, Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour

Gerry Heffernan, Director of Policy, Newfoundland and Labrador Business Caucus

The Coracle Fellowships and Roundtables

Memorial University of Newfoundland continues to build and reinforce Newfoundland and Labrador�s connections with Ireland. In 2005, the university initiated the Coracle Irish-Newfoundland Fellowships and Roundtables, which aim to create exchanges of expertise and intellectual enquiry between the two in all subject areas relevant to Newfoundland-Irish relations.

The Coracle fellowships and roundtables build on Memorial�s past connections with Ireland, and on the similarities our province has with that country. They also provide valuable insights because of our differences, and are intended to lead to research, artistic expression, discussion, and public policy of mutual benefit to both jurisdictions.

The Coracle initiative draws its name from the legendary sailing craft supposedly used by sixth-century monk St. Brendan the Navigator, who is reputed to have sailed from Ireland to Iceland, Greenland and perhaps as far as the island of Newfoundland in a coracle. While St. Brendan�s voyage cannot be confirmed, his legendary route was replicated in 1976 by the English adventurer Tim Severin, and his hardy craft and determination now provide a metaphor to an initiative celebrating the spirit of a province that has navigated the stormy waters of economic survival and cultural identity.

Fellows are normally academic scholars, senior civil servants or eminent practitioners (whether currently serving or recently retired) who demonstrate interest and expertise in an area relevant to the Irish-Newfoundland relationship. These can include, but are not limited to, economic or business development; history or politics; the study of society, technology, science, literature or the arts.

Participation is solicited through an open invitation process and selection of fellows is made by an expert panel. It is expected that two fellows will be named each year. The Coracle program provides funding to cover transportation and subsistence expenses, plus a modest honorarium.

Fellows serve short residencies of at least a month in the other jurisdiction, where they engage in activities that support the overall objectives of the fellowship. Fellows teach, provide guest lectures, seminars or short courses; they may interact with business and labour leaders, as well as with other interested groups or organize research by government departments or agencies. Fellowships can last up to three years.

The inaugural Coracle Irish-Newfoundland Fellowships were awarded in 2005 to Walter Kirwan, a long-time civil servant in Ireland and chair of the Ireland-Newfoundland Partnership, and to Dr. Trevor Bell in Memorial�s Department of Geography. Dr. Bell is conducting research into submerged archaeological landscapes around Ireland and Newfoundland; he is studying the techniques used by Irish researchers to map submerged landscapes, and evaluating their potential for near-shore Newfoundland, and comparing prehistoric settlement models for coastal environments in Newfoundland and Ireland.

Coracle Roundtables bring together academic scholars, senior civil servants and eminent practitioners for brief, high-level, focused discussions on topical issues of interest to both the province and to Ireland.

2006 10 02                                               11:55 a.m.


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