There is a branch of the Belliveaus in Moncton that are known around town as a intelligent thinkers and great golfers. Their dad was a bit of a legend as well, I am told.
Bill Belliveau’s column in the T&T today was pure gold. Like sweet nectar from the vine. I feel like a fourth Belliveau. Here’s a clip:
We need to understand what it is that will make us self-sufficient.
We need to understand what we need to do to become self sufficient.
We need to know what it is that we need from the federal government and outside investors to help us on the road to self-sufficiency.
We need to hedge our demands for “equalization” with investments in self-sufficiency initiatives. We need to leverage the notion of “fiscal imbalance” between provinces and the federal government to produce more investment in economic development.
For example, capital invested in extension of the Fundy Trail could create a new and enhanced tourist attraction that would bring new eco-tourists to the province.
Investments in international air service could bring new visitors to the province.
Consolidation of inter-provincial air service in Moncton could improve service to the province and bring new investors to this region. Investment in manufacturing ventures like automobile parts (Magna as an example) could bring new jobs to the province.
Frank McKenna focused on soft (by that I mean non-physical) jobs in the communications and tech industries. He was hugely successful.
IBM, Microsoft, Boeing, Airbus, Ford, GM, Daimler- Chrysler, Volkswagen, Toyota, Honda, Michelin and tons of other world-brand manufacturers offer a different kind of potential because they produce labour intensive, knowledgebased, semi-physical jobs, much like the energy sector.
Let’s go after them.
To my knowledge, there is no economy in the world that survives solely on the basis of intellectual property and/or service jobs.
There is no reason we can’t be self-sufficient.
The only excuse we have for failure is ourselves and that’s not good enough.
Some might say this is just ‘words’ or ‘rhetoric’ or even hyperbole. But I say that the winds of change are blowin’