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Speaking Notes for
Minister of Industry, Trade and Rural Development Beaton Tulk
to the 
RuralEXPO 2001 Opening Plenary Session

Gander Arts and Culture Centre
11:00 am, October 26, 2001


  • I want to join with the Premier in welcoming each and every one of you to the wonderful town of Gander, Crossroads of the World, and gateway to the beautiful Road to the Isles. I am pleased to have this opportunity to host this wonderful event -- our first ever province-wide celebration and showcase of rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

  • As you have already heard, one of our reasons for being here is to celebrate our successes. We do indeed have success stories that are worth telling. And we are telling them! And not just here at this event.

  • We are telling them through ACTION -- Through the business deals that are being struck every day in the halls and boardrooms of our companies -- Through the quality products and services that are being exported to every continent of the world -- Through the new jobs that are being created in our communities. And we are telling them through community leadership within our Regional Economic Development Boards and at many other tables around this province every single day.

  • The evidence of our success is here before us. It can be seen on the floor of the rural exposition just next door to this auditorium. It will be heard at the many sessions and discussions organized as part of this forum, including the Youth Round Table. And it will be publicly acknowledged tonight at the first annual Newfoundland and Labrador Community Economic Development Awards.

  • They are your stories, and they are your successes. RuralEXPO 2001 is your event. It is about celebrating the strengths, accomplishments and opportunities that exist in rural Newfoundland and Labrador today.

  • And it is about people, especially our youth, and the tremendous source of leadership, initiative, innovation and entrepreneurial drive that abounds in rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

  • Any way you look at it, our overall economic performance in the province has been solid. Our economy is strengthening. Communities are working together to realize the opportunities before them. And our people are benefiting.

  • That doesn�t mean that we still don�t have a way to go...because we do. What it does say, however, is that the path we have chosen is working.

  • Earlier, the Premier referred to the Renewal Strategy for Jobs and Growth. I would like to share with you a few success stories that illustrate what we are talking about, and what we are doing on the ground.

  • Businesses like Beothuk Fish Processors, here in central Newfoundland, who have not only survived the restructuring of the fishery, but have thrived by turning to new species, new products and new markets.

  • Businesses like Patterson Woodworking in Upper Amhurst Cove, who are taking the forestry industry in new directions by utilizing native Newfoundland wood and turning it into unique pieces of furniture that are in demand around North America.

  • Businesses like the vegetable producers of Lethbridge, who are reorganizing as a cooperative to meet a multi-million dollar business opportunity presented by major grocery chains in the province.

  • Businesses like Hermitage-based boat manufacturer SeaCraft Limited, who are capitalizing on new technology to supply shipbuilders in Asia with fibreglass moulds and a unique modular hull production system that is cutting production time significantly.

  • And businesses like Edwards and Associates in Marystown, who are making a mark in the IT industry by providing geographical information systems to municipalities across North America.

  • And there are many more companies all around rural Newfoundland and Labrador who are doing similarly amazing things. In fact, of the more than 17,000 businesses in the province, there are more than 8,500 located outside the Avalon Peninsula. Here in this province, small businesses have created more than 80 per cent of all new jobs since the 1980s. That is a critical point to remember for rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

  • This all reinforces the obvious point that economic development happens within communities. This is where businesses operate and where people are employed. Businesses start with a competitive advantage and an entrepreneur. And businesses grow with a supportive community.

  • Stronger communities and stronger regions will lead to a stronger province. This is one of the central building blocks of our Jobs and Growth strategy. It is also equally true that effective development cannot occur with either a top-down or a bottom-up approach. Efforts that are centrally driven or fragmented and uncoordinated do not produce the desired results. Similarly, efforts at the community level that do not link to overall provincial priorities do not work.

  • The most effective means to bring community and provincial priorities together is to focus on regional development strategies.

  • Our Regional Economic Development Boards are helping make that happen. The REDB process has resulted in each region having its own focussed long-term economic development plan, which is based on the unique strengths and opportunities in each region. Tomorrow at the Regional Strengths and Strategies Session you will hear all about these plans...and more importantly, about the results they are delivering.

  • And let me tell you, some of those results are impressive. I think you will agree after that session that we really have created a solid long-term foundation for a strong rural Newfoundland and Labrador through the REDBs and all their partners at the community level.

  • The Labrador Straits is a prime example of the strides a zonal board can make when all players work together in a productive manner for the common good. The Straits area depended almost exclusively on the cod fishery -- that is until 1992 when the groundfish moratorium was introduced. The impact was devastating for the people and communities. Without the cod fishery, there was no alternative source of employment.

  • But look at it now. There�s been a complete turnaround. As a result of the strategic work of the zonal board and other groups and individuals, their fishery has been rebuilt. It�s a new fishery, a diversified fishery. And with ongoing construction of the Coastal Labrador Highway, great strides have also been made in the area�s tourism industry.

  • And progress has been made on other fronts as well -- in small-scale manufacturing, in IT, and in agrifoods.

  • Today we see a vibrant, diversified economy, a strong small business sector, motivated entrepreneurs, and a people with empowering self-confidence -- they�re ready to take on the world!

  • The turnaround in the Straits has been remarkable. My hat is off to the people from L�Anse au Clair to Red Bay, and the Labrador Straits Development Corporation for working together to rebuild the economy of their area.

  • And this level of determination, innovation and leadership is being demonstrated right across this province.

  • Consider this. Without pulling together and focussing our efforts in a planned and coordinated manner, regional initiatives such as the Exploits Manufacturing Initiative in Central Newfoundland, the tourism snowmobile initiative in Labrador and on the Island, and the Colony of Avalon archeological tourism initiative in the Southern Avalon would not likely have been conceived at all.

  • How did these groups do it? In a nutshell, through a heck of a lot of hard work, and by building on the community resources and local business strengths they already had. There is no doubt about it... ... volunteers like yourselves are playing a tremendous part in the revitalization of our economy.

  • The Jobs and Growth Agenda sets forth a framework to ensure that all regions share in our economic progress and that the overall economy develops more on a regional basis. As we move forward, government will ensure the tools are available for communities to take greater control of and shape their own futures.

  • But I suggest to you two of the most important tools are already within your grasp. They are the tools of confidence and attitude...the tools that have always equipped us to rise to any challenge. As I said earlier today at the official opening of RuralEXPO, a positive attitude is not just a state of mind. It is a tool for economic development in its own right.

  • In conclusion, I would like to leave you with this message:
    Newfoundland and Labrador is realizing its future...and we are doing it right here, right now. Yes, significant challenges remain, particularly in some rural areas, but there is no question that our collective efforts are yielding real results.

  • Confidence in the economy, in ourselves, and in the business community has never been higher. I only have to look out over this audience or tour the floor of the exposition to see visible signs of that.

  • We have a story to tell and we are telling it...right here, right now.
  • It is a story about our people...people who are succeeding because they are determined, they are hard-working, they are innovative, they are strong, and they have confidence in themselves and in our province.

  • It is a story about you, the people here in this room. It is about you, the entrepreneur. It is about you, the community leader. It is about you, the economic development volunteer whose time and devotion could never be measured in dollars and cents. And it is about you, our youth, who have success stories of your own to tell.

  • Collectively, you have all helped put Newfoundland and Labrador on the road to economic recovery. You have helped move all of the province�s key economic indicators in the right direction -- UP!

  • I very much look forward to joining you for the remainder of this event, as you share with others your successes and future plans.

  • Thank you and have a wonderful forum!

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