Speaking Notes for Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment
Topsail Chamber of Commerce
(2004)

•  Good Evening. I would like to begin by thanking the Chamber of Commerce for extending an invitation for me to speak with you here this evening.
•  I would also like to take this time to wish all of you a very Happy New Year. A New Year brings a fresh perspective on our lives both personally and as a community.
•  It’s also a time to look back at the major accomplishments of 2004 and it’s a time to look ahead to potential events, challenges and successes that may occur in 2005.
•  As the MHA for Topsail, Minister of Human Resources and Employment, and member of the government, I’d want to take this opportunity to review some of the major highlights of the past year and to look forward to 2003.
•  I think that 2004 has been one of the biggest years that I’ve seen since joining the government and it has turned out to be quite a remarkable year on many levels:
•  The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador reached many milestones.
•  My department, the Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment, broke new ground in programs and policy;
•  And of course our district also saw another year of impressive growth in a number of areas. I would like to take a few moments and highlight some of the major happenings of 2004 that have had a significant and positive impact on the lives of the people of our province and will also set the stage for future growth and opportunities in 2005.
•  As a government, our overall goal is to put in place effective policy initiatives to improve social and economic conditions for the people of our province. By this yardstick, I think that we have had a very successful year.
•  In 2004, government passed some important pieces of legislation through the House of Assembly which reflect the financial, social and economic agenda of government. Bills such as the Student Financial Assistance Act; the Adoption Act; the Mining and Mineral Rights Tax Act; and the Automobile Insurance Act demonstrate that this government will continue to draft, introduce and enact legislation, programs and policies that support the needs of all the people living in the province.
•  In 2004 Newfoundland and Labrador joined other jurisdictions across Canada in appointing a child advocate. This province is proud to recognize in a meaningful way the importance of children and youth in our province and their need for special protection and attention. The Office of the Child and Youth Advocate is independent of government and will report directly to the House of Assembly. The newly appointed advocate, retired Judge Lloyd Wicks, will focus on public programs and services that have an impact on children and youth under 19 and will review enquiries and complaints concerning individual children.
•  Our province has had another banner year in employment and economic growth. While the overall numbers for 2004 are still not finalized, overall employment increased by 1.4 per cent through the first eleven months of 2004, in line with the provincial economic forecast. This is growth above last year’s record high of 211,300 jobs.
• We expect that employment in 2005 will average about 214,000, or about 2,700 jobs higher than 2004. In the meantime, the month of November 2004 saw at a labour market participation rate of 57.8%. This is the highest rate that has ever been measured for the month of November in Newfoundland and Labrador. Combined with a labour force increase of 1.7 per cent year-over-year, this indicates that confidence levels are high as we move into the new year.
• As we move further into 2005, we remain optimistic about the prospects for employment growth, particularly in construction, offshore oil, and customer contact centres. These industries, combined with the general services sector, should drive employment growth for the balance of 2004.
• 2004 saw first oil at the Terra Nova field. This announcement marked the province's second producing oil field since the Hibernia field began production in 1997.
• In March, Husky Energy and Petro-Canada announced their intention to move forward with the development of the $2.35 billion White Rose project. When fully operational, it will be the province’s third oil field!
• But by far the biggest news in economic development for the province in 2004 was the Voisey’s Bay Nickel Project which was debated and ratified in the House of Assembly in special session. This project will provide real and tangible benefits to all people of the province by injecting some $11 billion dollars into the province’s Gross Domestic Product and provide hundreds of jobs to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
• This is a perfect example of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians receiving the benefits that we deserve from our resources because they are our resources - they belong to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. All non-renewable mineral resources belong to the people of the province.
• I should mention that the government of Newfoundland and Labrador has been collecting a tax on royalties at the same rate since 1975 when the Moores administration heeded the advice of the 1974 Royal Commission on Mineral Revenues. In fact, all mineral projects discovered or developed since that time have had their associated royalties taxed under this regime.
• Do other provinces do this? Of course they do in one way or another depending on the details of their regime.
• In 2004 we took the extra step of improving the Mining and Mineral Rights Tax Act to provide more incentives for explorationists than ever before. Under the new amendments, there would be no tax on a royalty recipient who receives up to $100,000 per year, and there would be only a partial tax on royalty income up to $200,000. 
• I believe the Voisey’s Bay nickel is project will be long considered one of the high points of this government’s record and will stand as a testament to this government’s resolve and tenacity to negotiate the best possible deal for our people.
• As the Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment I would be remiss if I didn’t share and review some of the major accomplishments of my department. We have taken steps in 2004 which have had and will have a significant impact on the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
• The Income Support numbers continue to show a decline in caseload and that is good news. Since January 1997, the monthly caseload has declined from a peak of 36,600 cases in January 1997 down to less than 28,000 this December past.
• More importantly, declines in the social assistance caseload have occurred in all regions of the province with the number of families with children receiving social assistance declining from a monthly average of approximately 15,000 in 1997 to 9,800 in 2002.
• The number of children living in families on social assistance has dropped from approximately 26,000 in January 1997 to 15,993 as of October 2002.
• These numbers, along with our increase in employment indicate that an overwhelming proportion are leaving income support in favour of employment.
• We have been making great strides in offering employment and career support for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. For the past few years, HRE’s Division of employment and career services have introduced a number of initiatives to help people find and maintain employment.
• Programs funded and delivered have served over 5000 clients in 2004. Programs include those for youth, persons with disabilities, and income support clients as well as offering a range of supports to the general public from wage subsidies to career guidance.
• The most exciting and progressive activity for my department in 2004 was the introduction of our new Income and Employment Support Act. The new Act replaced the outdated Social Assistance Act which had not been reviewed in its entirety since 1977.
• The revision of the Social Assistance Act was a long but very worthwhile and productive process. It was almost a year ago today that my department announced the beginning of a review process which helped guide the department as we worked to draft the new legislation. This was the first ever public consultation on this major social program.
• After almost a year of planning, consultations and review we introduced the new Income and Employment Support Act in the House of Assembly.
• As you can probably imagine - the nature and philosophy of supports and services have changed significantly since the former Social Assistance Act was drafted in 1977.
• This new legislation represents a modern and progressive attitude and a profound change in the way we develop social policy and how we view poverty.
• Since the Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment was established in 1997, we have been redesigning many of programs and services to reflect that view. We recognize that receiving a social assistance cheque is only part of the answer to improving the lives of the people we serve. Instead, where appropriate, this support can be partnered with more active interventions to help social assistance clients prepare for and re-join the employment market.
• We recognize that most people receiving social assistance want to work and we have focussed on providing the supports that help make that possible.
• These initiatives have been well received and have done a great deal in supporting people who face financial and employment challenges across our province.
• Overall, the overriding theme that was presented in the consultations, used in the drafting of the legislation, and now reflected in the Act is the commitment to empowering our clients by outlining, formally, the rights of clients as well as the responsibilities and accountability of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
• This has been an important basic principle to put in place for the benefit of present clients, for future clients and even for future administrations as they look at programs in the years to come.
• And finally, as we look back upon 2004 I would like to say how proud I am to be the MHA for the District of Topsail.
• This region, noted by StatsCan as the fastest growing in Canada, is a region full of opportunities, activities and challenges. The expansion of basic infrastructure such as roads, water, sewerage, schools and community facilities is interdependent with continued economic and population growth.
• I’m proud to say that in 2004 through the Federal/Provincial multi-year infrastructure fund we have made great strides in updating our water and sewer services to Conception Bay South/Paradise areas. We have made cost-shared investments of with $16 million in CBS and $6.4 million for the town of Paradise.
• We also saw $5.3 million for St. Thomas Villanova School which opened in 2004 and we have seen further investments in school and community projects and funding for job creation programs.
• Ultimately, over $100 million has been spent in the Conception Bay South and Paradise area since I’ve been privileged to represent the District of Topsail.
• I fully expect 2005 will see further development with more people moving into the region and more businesses establishing themselves right here. I expect that in this upcoming year we will see the groundbreaking of the Community Center Complex for Conception Bay South.
• I also expect we will see a resolution to the outstanding educational issues which confront us. I am committed to assisting in any way I can to ensure the best possible education for our children.
• I believe this region is the best part of our province to live in ... to walk the streets safely ... to raise a family ... to earn a living.
• As we look forward to 2005 I feel confident in saying the accomplishments we have made in 2002 provide the solid foundation so that we can continue to grow and prosper. As the Minister of Human Resources and Employment I am well aware of the challenges that are still present in our communities. We will continue to work together to ensure more employment opportunities and to make our children and the youth of our community a priority.
• Thank you for your time and interest. I look forward to working with all of you in 2005.