The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Kevin O’Brien, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills:

Population Growth Strategy Workshop Consultations Conclude

I rise today in this Honourable House to provide an update on the Population Growth Strategy.

Mr. Speaker, in keeping with the Provincial Government’s commitment to building a vibrant economy and sustaining Newfoundland and Labrador’s communities for the long-term, a set of community workshop consultations was conducted this past month to help inform the development of the Population Growth Strategy.

More than 170 people attended the public workshop consultation sessions throughout the province, which were carried out by our Office of Public Engagement. We also held direct stakeholder meetings and we received private e-mail and mail submissions. In total, over 300 people have provided input so far. Subjects raised included the impacts of a transient workforce, improving supports for parents and families, and the need to continue building welcoming communities for newcomers.

Feedback from participants has been positive and supportive. For example, following the workshop in Corner Brook, a student at Grenfell Campus mentioned in a tweet that the discussion was “very interesting and highly democratic.”

Mr. Speaker, though the scheduled workshop consultations have concluded, we are still encouraging online and mail submissions and taking requests for meetings as we prepare a “What We Heard” document before the strategy is released next year. Individuals can e-mail populationgrowth@gov.nl.ca. 

As we know, this is an unprecedented time for our province. More people are working than ever before, we have a growing demand for skilled labour, and our approach to delivering affordable, accessible, quality post-secondary education is being recognized across Canada and beyond.

Mr. Speaker, the Population Growth Strategy will provide a plan to build on the economic and social foundations created by this government’s first 10 years of work, and it will help make this province the home of choice for women and men around the world.

In the coming weeks and months, I look forward to providing regular updates on its development.

Thank you.

2013 11 05                                     1:55 p.m.