St. John's. 18 March 2005
The Progressive Conservative Government of Newfoundland and Labrador today announced a revised version of the Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) developed under the Liberal administration of Clyde Wells in 1992 as the Williams administration's core economic development policy.
Innovation Trade and Rural Development minister Kathy Dunderdale released the revised Liberal platform plank in a news conference at Confederation Building.
Dunderdale's deputy minister, Doug House, was head of the Economic Recovery Commission under Wells.
The SEP has formed the basis of government economic policy since 1992 and was included, in its entirety, in the PC election platform in 2003.
-30-
I just saw the government release, linked above and chuckled all through my lunch before I wrote the little bit you see before the "-30-".
Over the weekend, I'll dig out my old SEP documents and other stuff the ERC pumped out in concert with Enterprise Newfoundland and Labrador. Some of the phrases in the Dunderdale release are almost verbatim copies of stuff written in 1992. A comparison is in order, as well as a comment on the challenges of changing attitudes toward regional economic development in the province.
Oh yeah, don't miss the emphasis in the new document on a form of regional government but it appears to be a provincial government administrative concept rather than the creation of local government around the province.
That will lead to another post or two, I am sure.