From the Labrador/Nunatsiavut region through Nunavik to Nunavut and beyond, Canada�s north truly is a place of unsurpassed beauty, inspiring traditions and culture, and unlimited potential.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, we are enjoying economic growth the like of which the province has never seen before. We are now a have province in our great federation, with our financial position improving dramatically over the last several years. Our approach to debt reduction and strategic investments to drive our economy has earned us the highest credit rating we have ever had in our history, with economists referring to our approach to fiscal management as the model for the country. Of course, Labrador has been a significant part of creating that success.

I had the opportunity this past August to travel to a place most Canadians likely have never seen. In the northern reaches of Labrador, in the spectacular new Torngat Mountains National Park, there is a fjord at the foothills of those mountains known as Saglek Bay, and near the mouth of that fjord, you will find Rose Island. Photos would not do the site justice. You simply have to be there to experience the magnificence for yourself. What brought me to Rose Island was a ceremony to lay to rest human remains that had been removed in the 1970s for academic research.

Just down the coast from Saglek Bay are the now abandoned, former Inuit communities of Hebron and Nutak. In separate incidents in 1956 and 1959, the residents of Hebron and Nutak were relocated south by the government of the day. Tragically, the people of those communities were not consulted when the decisions were made. It is indicative of the fundamental shift that has occurred in our lifetime that we now realize that the notion of Aboriginal people of the north being subjected to decisions in which they have no say is simply unacceptable.

Our administration has been determined to take a new approach to decision-making in the north, an approach based on consultation and cooperation. We were absolutely delighted in December of 2005 to see the Inuit of Labrador realize their dream of self-governance. The establishment of the Government of Nunatsiavut followed soon after the ratification by the Inuit of their land claims agreement and the official signing of this agreement by the Inuit, the Government of Canada and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was a moment of reawakening of community pride, self-confidence and optimism for the future, and it is already bearing fruit throughout the region.

Self-governance is a dream that is also soon to be realized by the Innu Nation of Labrador in Sheshatshiu and Natuashish. I had the privilege of being in Natuashish on the 18th of November to participate in the signing ceremony for the New Dawn Agreement, which includes three elements: the Upper Churchill Redress Agreement, the land claims agreement-in-principle, and the Lower Churchill Impacts and Benefits Agreement. I was joined by Canada�s Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and President of the Queen�s Privy Council for Canada, the Honourable Peter Penashue, a Labrador Innu who is in fact the first Innu in Canadian history to hold a post in the federal Cabinet. This agreement, ratified by and benefiting Labrador�s Innu, is an important piece of our development of the tremendous clean, green hydropower resources of the mighty Lower Churchill.

Labrador�s Churchill River offers three major sites for hydropower development. The first, known as Churchill Falls or the Upper Churchill, was developed four decades ago. The other two sites - Muskrat Falls and Gull Island - make up the Lower Churchill, the greatest untapped hydropower resource in North America. Just over a year ago, our government announced our plans to develop Muskrat Falls, which had been identified as a key component of the comprehensive Energy Plan we announced in 2007. This plan, the first-ever of its kind in our province's history, sets the stage for undertakings that will unfold over the course of the next three decades as Newfoundland and Labrador takes its place in this great country as an energy super warehouse. A key objective of this strategy is to shift from reliance on costly nonrenewable fuels for electricity generation to reliance on cleaner renewable energy such as hydropower.

Development of our green energy resources will enable us to achieve three goals. It will allow us to shut down the costly and environmentally unfriendly oil-burning facilities we now use and would otherwise have to upgrade at exorbitant costs in order to meet our power demands. It will allow us to export excess power to other jurisdictions in North America so they, too, can reduce their reliance on imported fossil fuels and achieve greenhouse gas reduction targets. And it will allow us to attract new employers to regions such as Labrador where they can sustain industries and opportunities for local families for generations to come.

While oil developments will remain a key component of our economy for many years to come with substantial revenues for our province, renewable energy is the fuel of the future, and it is within reach. This is the time to sow the seeds for growth and sustainability by developing our province�s rich store of renewable energy resources.

While Muskrat Falls is only phase one of the development of the Lower Churchill, it is a major project in its own right, offering substantial benefits. For Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, Muskrat Falls will mean an estimated 18,400 person-years of total direct, indirect and induced employment in the province. Peak direct employment in Newfoundland and Labrador will be approximately 2,700 people in 2013. The total income boost for labour and business in the province during the construction phase will be over $1.4 billion dollars. More than 75 per cent of the direct labour for the Muskrat Falls generation facility will be undertaken in Labrador. That�s an estimated 5,400 person-years of work in Labrador directly related to the construction phase, and when you add in the indirect and induced benefits, Muskrat Falls development will mean in excess of 7,500 person-years of employment in Labrador. The impact will be enormous.

Under the province�s benefits strategy for the project, first consideration for employment will be given to members of Labrador�s Innu Nation and then qualified residents of Labrador before those from other parts of the province. Labradorians and Labrador-based businesses will earn approximately 450 million dollars during the six-year construction phase. Additionally, construction associated with the Muskrat Falls development will bring significant benefits to Canadians outside our province. In the country generally, the project will generate more than 9,800 person-years of direct employment, 47,800 person-years of total employment and nearly three and a half billion dollars in total income for labour and business, plus some 525 million dollars in tax revenue for the Government of Canada during the construction phase.

Muskrat Falls is a region-building and nation-building project, promoting cooperation while opening a new route for clean energy trade among provinces. At the same time, it will bolster Canada�s international reputation with the significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. It is not surprising then that the federal government has committed to a loan guarantee to facilitate this project in recognition of its importance to the Atlantic region and to the country, both economically and environmentally. This is indeed an important step forward for Canada, and it is a sign that Canada�s north is on the vanguard, advancing the frontier of growth.

The Churchill River is not the only northern frontier where growth is occurring. Travel south of Saglek Bay, Hebron and Nutak along the north coast of Labrador, and you will arrive at an inlet between Nain and Natuashish called Voisey�s Bay.

Twenty years ago, the name Voisey�s Bay was known by relatively few. Today, it is synonymous with mineral wealth thanks to the discovery of copper, cobalt and one of the richest deposits of nickel to be unearthed in decades. Approximately 450 people are now employed supporting Vale�s operations at the mine and concentrator site in Labrador, of which approximately half are Aboriginal.

The company is producing tens of thousands of tonnes of nickel and copper a year plus hundreds of tonnes of precious cobalt, while at the same time continuing to delineate the size of the resource that awaits underground.

Farther south, a mineral of interest is uranium, which has uses not only in power generation and weaponry, as commonly known, but also in science and medicine. On the 14th of December, the Nunatsiavut Government announced that the Nunatsiavut Assembly voted unanimously to lift a moratorium on the working, production, mining and development of uranium on Labrador Inuit Lands. This bodes very well for development. Indeed, mining development in western Labrador is booming with unprecedented growth and opportunities in the region.

In central and western Labrador as well as on the island, a significant development in the past couple of years has been the launch of new exploration programs for rare-earth elements and rare metals. These commodities, which are essential for many of the world�s cutting-edge technologies, are supplied almost exclusively today by China, and China has significantly curtailed its production. Interest in bringing new sources to market is very high. We now have four companies reporting encouraging results on their respective projects and properties in Labrador.

Of all the minerals in Labrador, though, none is generating a greater buzz than iron. The production of iron ore is the reason Labrador City and Wabush are bustling with activity. After five decades of production, the iron ore sector in Labrador is booming with monumental expansions on the horizon. The Iron Ore Company of Canada, in operation in Labrador West since 1962, has embarked on a major expansion program. Just down the road from IOC is Wabush Mines, owned and operated by Cliffs Natural Resources Inc., which is also looking to increase production over the next four to five years. Other companies like Labrador Iron Mines, Tata Steel Minerals Canada Ltd, New Millennium Iron Corp, South African mining company Petmin, Vancouver-based Cardero Resource Corporation and so many more are in various stages of interest and investment in mining in Labrador.

Is it any wonder that Labrador is known affectionately as the Big Land! In terms of population, it may be small, representing just five per cent of our province�s people. But in terms of resources, it has been extraordinarily blessed. Standing in the way of some of the opportunities, however, are hurdles as big as the north is vast. Often, the obstacles in the north are greater in scope than those Canadians face in the south of our country. To fully achieve the promise of the north, those who believe in its future must demonstrate faith in its potential by investing to clear from the path these barriers to achievement.

Since coming to office, our government has made Labrador�s needs and opportunities a provincial priority. Our Northern Strategic Plan is a strategy to improve the health and well-being of all Labradorians through expanding infrastructure, improving the delivery of programs and services, and encouraging economic prosperity. Updated regularly with the benefit of extensive public input, the plan demonstrates the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador�s commitment to social, economic and cultural development.

Among the most significant investments we needed to make was funding to continue work on the Trans-Labrador Highway, a thoroughfare connecting Labrador from west to east and beyond. In fact, the Trans-Labrador Highway is rightly considered a national priority, a natural part of the Trans-Canada Highway. I was absolutely delighted in 2005 when the highway was officially recognized as a part of the national highway system. While more work will be needed to fully upgrade this thoroughfare and while maintenance work will be a priority in perpetuity, we were able to mark a significant achievement a couple of years ago with the official opening of the very first continuous highway traversing Labrador from west to east to south � a truly historic milestone.

By the end of the current fiscal year, our government�s total spending in Labrador since 2004 will have exceeded three billion dollars� and that investment has made a significant difference in the lives of people throughout the region.

As we move forward to develop the Lower Churchill, we will at the same time be pursuing opportunities to harness renewable energy to attract new industry to Labrador�s communities�another important step toward realizing the region�s full potential.

Our province is stronger as Labrador advances. All of us are stronger as the north rises to realize its full potential, as its people surmount obstacles and achieve success along the new frontier.

At the same time, we will honor the history, tradition and lifestyle of Canada's Northern peoples. As such, our government continues to support the humane, sustainable Canadian sealing industry. The harp seal population has been abundant for decades. The resource is healthy and sustainable; and the harvest is an important element of culture, economy, and traditional life in the North. It is disappointing, reprehensible and frustrating that certain groups, under the guise of protecting animal rights, spread misinformation and propaganda about the seal harvest. Those who are informed with the facts, and I have no doubt I am in good company in that regard here today, know that the Canadian harvest is one of the world's best managed harvest of wild animals and provides important income for sealers in eastern and Northern Canada.

Just as mariners set their course by the true north star, so too must we set our course by the constants of our roots: history, tradition and culture. I am reminded of the story of Captain Bob Bartlett, a mariner from our province who 103 years ago ferried the ship the S.S. Roosevelt to within 150 miles of the North Pole, placing Commander Robert Perry within reach of his icy destination. No one had ever before sailed such a vessel north of 88 degrees, which is four degrees north of Greenland. But Captain Bartlett, managed this great feat, according to his own writings, because of the knowledge and skill of the Aboriginal people of the north, without whom he would never have been able to undertake this or any mission into the high Arctic with success.

Captain Bartlett�s gateway to the Arctic was along the coast of Labrador, from where he traveled northward by Greenland into Baffin Bay and beyond. This natural Labradorian 'gateway north' a century ago remains the natural �northern gateway� today. We as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are eager to play our part. We are eager to see the facilities of our air and sea ports used strategically as staging grounds for missions into Canada�s high Arctic.

In central Labrador, 5 Wing Goose Bay is a tremendous staging base where NATO countries have for decades been training for Arctic missions.

Then there is Polar View, a global network using satellite data for sophisticated monitoring and forecasting services in the world�s polar regions through its partnership with the European Space Agency, the European Commission and the Canadian Space Agency. Where is Polar View based? It is based at C-CORE (the centre for cold ocean research) in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Through our province�s leading-edge strategies and activity in ocean technology and innovation, we have been preparing ourselves to do more, and we are eager and ready to partner with others to demonstrate that we, together as Canadians, are ready to lead in the north.

I sincerely thank you for giving me this opportunity to celebrate Labrador�s strengths before an audience that, I believe, truly understands what the north offers to those bold enough to take up the challenge.

With the North Star as our beacon and the aurora borealis as our waving banner, let us advance ever forward to realize the opportunities spread out before us like diamonds in the snows of our northern frontier.

To paraphrase the words of Sir Winston Churchill, �there are no limits to the majestic future of Canada�s North, no limits to the potential and possibilities and no obstacles too great that the virile, aspiring, cultured and generous-hearted people of the North cannot overcome.�