Some reflections on

Newfoundland and Labrador

Probus, Tower Hotel, Waterford

22 January 2013

• John Maher

• Department of Accounting & Economics

• Centre for Newfoundland and Labrador Studies

Objectives

• Investigate

• Illuminate

• Illustrate

• Instigate

• Invigorate

Canada

Newfoundland & Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador

What is in a name?

New found land (NL)

V

Newfoundland (IRL)

NL Provincial Flag

Alternative Newfoundland Flag (some minor popular status!)

Geography

NL & Canada

• One of 10 Provinces in Canada.

• Joined Canada in 1949

• Newfoundland 111k Sq Km

• Labrador 294k Sq Km

• Total 405k Sq Km

• Ireland 84k Sq km

Ethnicity

• English 40%

• Irish 20%

• Scottish 6%

• French 5.5%

• First Nations 3.2%

20th Century Newfoundland

• 1855 – 1933 Responsible Government

• 1914-18 Newfoundland regiment in WW1

• 1934-49 Commissioners

• 1949 to date : Confederation – Provincial Government within a Federal setting

• House of Assembly - 48 MHAs

• 7 MPs elected to Ottawa (out of 312)

• Have v Have not classification and impact

Historical Background

Newfoundland Today

• 98% speak English

• 40% of the population live in the St John’s metropolitan area

• More than 50% live on the Avalon peninsula

• St John’s has an executive mayor

• St John’s council ( as are other municipal authorities) is non party in its composition.

Population 2012

• Total NL 512,659

• Total Canada 34, 880,491

• Increased Urbanisation

• Higher median age ( early 40s)

• A steady pattern of outmigration

• Projected labour shortages in the province

Principal Industry by employment as a % of the total of 230k

• Health Care & Social Assistance 15.9%

• Trade 15.2%

• Mining 10.4%

• Construction 8.6%

• Public Administration 8.1%

• Natural resources 6.3%

• Accom & food 5.9%

• Education 4.3%

(Statistics Canada)

Key Economic Indicators 2012 v 2011

• Real Economic growth +0.1% +3% (ΔGDP)

• Consumer Spending +6.0% +1.3%

• Capital Spending 24.2% +25.8%

• Employment +1.9% +2.7%

• Unemployment rate 12.5% 12.7%

• Inflation 2.4% 3.4%

Provincial Govt NL

$560,000,000

$450,000,000

$80,000,000

453,000

276

110

10

Education

• Integrated Education since late 1990s.

• Provincial Responsibility.

• Compulsory up to 12th grade ( leaving certificate)

• Primary and secondary schools on one site in rural areas.

• Mostly co-educational

• Declining school attendances in rural areas.

Engagement with Newfoundland

• Irish Government & the Provincial Government

• Ireland Newfoundland Partnership & Ireland Business Partnership

• Cities of Waterford & St John’s

• Trade Missions

• Ireland Newfoundland Festival

• The March Hare

• WIT & MUN

• Association of Canadian Studies in Ireland

MUN

• Memorial University of Newfoundland

• Students : 19,000 students

• Staff & Faculty : 4,000

• Total Expenditure Can$551m

• Some disciplines : Engineering, Science, Medicine, Nursing, Business, Marine, Arts, Education, Applied Sciences

• MOUs : Business, Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, Institutional.

Ross Houlihan INP Travel Bursary recipient

Current Links

• Christine Casey BBS taking the MBA programme in MUN

• Peggy Cody taking the DBA at WIT

• Ongoing traffic at undergraduate level 2-4 students in either direction annually

• European Trade Winds project (project involving 3 Canadian & 3 European higher Education Institutes - Dr Ray Griffin)

JMaher, CNLS- WIT, March 2004

Building the Network

CNLS

Trade

Associations

Artists

Art Groups

Church

Groups

Cultural

Groups

Government

Central Provincial Local Educational

Institutions

Community

Groups

State

Agencies

Individual

Academics

Media

Individual

Businesses Professional

Bodies

Sporting

Bodies

Technical

Bodies

Ambassador Loyola Hearn

Craig Dobbin Scholarship

• Public Private Initiative

• Primary sponsor Mr Pat O’Callaghan

• About Can$230k in the Fund.

• Return pays the scholarship

• Mostly Newfoundland private money plus NL government plus €30k Irish Government

• Alternate years : WIT graduate to MUN and MUN graduate to WIT

First WIT Recipient

• Christine Casey BBS

• Ursuline Convent Waterford

• Accounting stream

• Taking MBA program in the faculty of Business Administration

• MUN Team member for John Moulson Case Competition in Montreal

Near to Heaven by Sea

2012 Economic Conference in Wexford

Colonial Building

Confederation Building

The Rooms

Summary

• Nearest place to us in North America

• Some cultural similarities

• Different landscape and scale

• Different orientation and economy

• Distance a challenge

• Potential for Services, Experience, and Technology transfer.

• Value what is shared and what is complementary.

To conclude.....

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW1HQ8dQN60