BUILDING OUR FUTURE TOGETHER
Mr. Speaker, this budget lays before the people of the Province both our record of past achievement and our vision for the future. It is a record of commitments made and commitments kept. It is a vison
for the future articulated publicly in comprehensive long term
plans, developed in broad consultation with all stakeholders.
We have the Strategic Social Plan that is receiving national and
international attention for its innovative approach to integrating
social and economic development. We have redesigned income support
programs to focus on making the transition to employment, reducing
social assistance case loads to their lowest level in over a decade,
while increasing our support through new programs and initiatives
for those most in need.
We have the Renewal Strategy for Jobs and Growth that is
enhancing a business climate already enjoying sustained high
economic growth. We are now producing jobs at a rate where each year
a greater number of people are employed in this Province than at any
previous time in our history.
This government has implemented educational reform, reinvesting
savings to increase spending per student year after year. Our
initiatives have ensured the best pupil-teacher ratio in the
country. We are the only province lowering university tuition, and
we provide greater financial support per student to our university
than any other. We are the most active in reducing post secondary
student debt and are continuing to take more practical steps than
anyone else to do something about this national issue.
Last Fall, we launched our strategic health plan, Healthier
Together, which sets out new directions for the health and community
services system for the next five years. This Spring a new Health
Charter will be released outlining the commitments people of the
Province can rely on for service delivery. Our per capita spending
on health continues to exceed the Canadian average for the fifth
consecutive year.
This government has had the largest annual programs of school,
hospital and road construction and upgrading since Confederation.
And, Mr. Speaker, we have done all this while maintaining the
best record of sound, prudent fiscal management since Confederation,
by any measure. We have faced many fiscal challenges and have always
delivered a responsible fiscal plan. And our fiscal plans have
always delivered a creditworthy fiscal performance.
This year is no different. We now have a fiscal plan in place for
an affordable deficit that not only maintains all social programs
and public services, it enhances them selectively, responding as we
have done each year to public priorities. We have set achievable
targets to bring the deficit down responsibly to a balanced budget
position over the term of our next mandate. Rather than resorting to
unnecessary program cuts, we are confident this can be done by
relying on revenue growth generated by our strongly performing
economy, one that leads the nation.
We are a government whose hallmark is establishing goals, setting
agendas and meeting its commitments. We are a government who will
keep the commitments it makes to all the people of the Province,
including its employees and their families. We are a government with
commitments to balance economic development with social development.
We are a government that reflects the values of the people of this
Province. We are a government that will build on its record. We are
a government that will work with the people of the Province to build
together the new Newfoundland and Labrador.
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