Kathy Dunderdale for Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2011 Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador

Achievements

These are just some of the achievements our Government has made for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians since we were elected to office in 2003:

  • Reduced taxes by more than $1.2 billion since 2007, giving our people the lowest tax rates in Atlantic Canada.
  • Reduced public debt by about a third, lowering interest payments.
  • Earned significant credit rating upgrades from the rating agencies.
  • Moved forward with an aggressive, unprecedented, multi-billion-dollar, multi-year infrastructure strategy for work on roads and highways, wharves and bridges, ferries and terminals, schools and hospitals, long-term care centres, public housing and municipal works.
  • Signed a new Atlantic Accord and secured a $2 billion up-front payment for offshore oil royalties.
  • Produced and implemented the province’s first comprehensive Energy Plan.
  • Achieved unprecedented equity stakes and lucrative royalty regimes in three offshore oil projects (White Rose Extension, Hibernia South and Hebron).
  • Achieved a Muskrat Falls term sheet agreement with Emera for the development of Muskrat Falls, Phase I of the Lower Churchill Project.
  • Developed and implemented the Northern Strategic Plan for Labrador.
  • Initialed the New Dawn agreement with the Innu Nation.
  • Produced and implemented the Climate Change Action Plan and a new Sustainable Development Act.
  • Raised education funding to more than $1 billion a year, capped class sizes in K-9, provided free textbooks in grades 9-12, eliminated school fees, improved school infrastructure, equipment and curriculum.
  • Achieved the best student aid program in Canada and among the lowest post-secondary tuition fees.
  • Invested an unprecedented $2.7 billion in health care in 2010-11 alone, for infrastructure, equipment, services, long-term care and community support, and much more.
  • Commissioned the Cameron inquiry to get to the bottom of errors in hormone receptor testing, and took swift and effective action to implement the recommendations.
  • Commissioned a task force on adverse health events and took action to implement its recommendations.
  • Produced a cancer control strategy.
  • Expanded coverage of medication costs to include tens of thousands of people.
  • Provided funding for new vaccines for children, insulin pumps for children and improved dental care programs for children.
  • Produced a healthy aging policy framework, a provincial wellness plan and a recreation and sport strategy.
  • Produced an oxycontin task force report and a provincial policy framework for mental health and addictions.
  • Commissioned hearings on long-term care and community support services.
  • Invested $482.7 million since 2006 in the Poverty Reduction Strategy, which has been celebrated by national anti-poverty leaders as the model for the country; and then produced a progress report and undertook a new round of public consultations on the next phase of poverty reduction.
  • Raised the minimum wage incrementally to $10 an hour.
  • Established a provincial Disability Office in 2009 and undertook public consultations to develop a strategy on the inclusion of persons with disabilities.
  • Developed and implemented the Violence Prevention Initiative and the Safe and Caring Schools Policy.
  • Established a new Department of Child, Youth and Family Services to focus on child protection.
  • Organized and supported Aboriginal women’s conferences.
  • Invested in fisheries renewal initiatives.
  • Achieved unprecedented growth in the aquaculture industry.
  • Secured the resources timber, water and energy resources used by AbitibiBowater, and provided transitional support for the regions in and around Stephenville and Grand Falls-Windsor.
  • Negotiated the 2009 Canada-Newfoundland Growing Forward Bilateral Agreement which provides significant funding for agricultural enterprises, and provided significant other support to grow our agriculture and agrifoods industry.
  • Introduced tough new animal protection legislation.
  • Developed and implemented an Innovation Strategy and establish the province’s Research & Development Corporation (RDC) to oversee unprecedented investments in leading-edge R&D.
  • Reduced red tape by about a quarter, launched BizPal and moved forward with a Supplier Development Initiative to support business growth.
  • Established one-stop-shipping government services centres and streamlined key government operations using advanced technology.
  • Developed and implemented the Strategic Cultural Plan.
  • Launched a new Immigration Strategy.
  • Developed the Newfoundland Labrador brand signature.
  • Worked with Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador to produce a far-reaching tourism strategy called “Uncommon Potential”, and invested unprecedented amounts in award-winning tourism marketing.
  • Decreased ferry rates, improved the ferry connection between Labrador and the Island and commissioned the construction in this province of new ferry vessels.
  • Brought the Auditor General into the House of Assembly, commissioned the Green Report and led the implementation of its recommendations to overhaul the operations of the House of Assembly.
  • Introduced the Transparency and Accountability Act, brought forward the Lobbyist Registration Act, and proclaimed and strengthened the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
  • Plus many other initiatives.
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In the following pages, many of our government’s news releases from 2003 to 2011 are grouped by theme to provide more details of our initiatives and achievements.