Newfoundland  &  Labrador  is  NOT  an  Island  Presented  to:  The  Newfoundland  and  Labrador  

Employers’  Council                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Presented  by:  Danny  Mills                                                                                  

Date:  Oct  28,  2013  

 

           

 

Newfoundland  and  Labrador  is  NOT  an  island…  Although  this  assertion  may  not  hold  up  in  a  geography  

class,  it  is  a  statement  that  generations  of  Newfoundlanders  and  Labradoreans  have  known  to  be  fact.    

As  the  residents  of  this  province  have  always  been  aware,  the  waters  that  surround  us  are  not  a  force  of  

isolation,  but  a  medium  of  connection  –  a  highway  that  links  our  culture,  our  commerce,  and  our  people  

to  the  rest  of  the  globe.    In  today’s  global  society,  it  is  important  that  Newfoundlanders  and  

Labradoreans  maintain  the  outward-­‐looking  perspective  bestowed  on  them  by  hundreds  of  years  of  sea  

travel  in  order  to  take  advantage  of  the  array  of  opportunities  that  face  them.    

 

As  technology  has  progressed,  it  has  dissolved  boundaries  created  by  distances  and  physical  barriers.    

This  trend  has  been  exploited  by  thousands  of  Newfoundlanders  and  Labradoreans  as  an  avenue  of  

interaction  with  the  rest  of  the  world.  Today,  technologies,  such  as  the  Internet  and  air  travel,  have  

allowed  Newfoundlanders  and  Labradoreans  to  interact  with  people  and  organizations  that  would  have  

been  unreachable  in  the  past.  Even  small  local  companies  now  have  the  capacity  to  outsource  business  

processes  to  China  or  sell  their  products  to  consumers  in  Australia.    One  such  company  is  the  

Newfoundland-­‐based  high-­‐tech  company,  Verafin.    Modern  technology  has  enabled  Verafin  to  market  

its  products  (fraud  detection  and  anti-­‐money  laundering  computer  software)  to  a  variety  of  

international  customers  and  flourish  in  a  profitable  niche  market.  This  increased  access  to  international  

economies  is  particularly  important  to  the  province  today  as  growing  resource  based  industries,  such  as  

energy  and  mining  strive  to  attract  capital  and  resources  and  market  their  products  in  a  competitive  

industry.    This  increased  connection  to  the  global  economy  allows  flow  in  both  directions,  however,  and,  

technology  has  also  facilitated  a  rush  of  people,  capital,  and  ideas  in  to  the  province’s  growing  economy.  

Each  of  Newfoundland  and  Labrador’s  industries  has  enjoyed  this  connection  in  a  different,  but  

important,  way.    

 

As  the  off-­‐shore  oil  industry  has  descended  on  Newfoundland  and  Labrador,  this  province  has  seen  both  

a  marked  increase  in  prosperity,  as  well  as  a  heightened  awareness  of  marketplaces  and  cultures  

beyond  our  borders.    In  2013,  The  Conference  Board  of  Canada  named  St.  John’s  as  the  fastest  growing  

municipal  economy  in  Canada  and  this  growth  has  endowed  the  city  with  an  increasingly  metropolitan  

consciousness.    This  connection  and  global  consciousness  has  allowed  Newfoundlanders  and  

Labradoreans  to  develop  a  taste  for  sushi  and  curry  while  an  assortment  of  ‘CFAs’  develop  an  

attachment  to  accordion  music  and  scruncheons.      

 

However,  the  streets  of  St.  John’s  and  the  oil  executives  that  stride  over  them  do  not  have  exclusive  

access  to  the  ‘outside’  world.    Aside  from  off-­‐shore  oil,  this  province  boasts  a  host  of  natural  resources  

that  are  marketable  to  the  international  economy,  including  fishery  products,  energy  (not  including  oil),  

forestry  products,  and  minerals.    Although  the  province’s  cod  fishery  is  no  longer  active,  other  species  of  

fish,  such  as  crab  and  shrimp,  provide  local  fishermen  with  the  opportunity  to  engage  in  trade  with  

countries,  such  as  Denmark,  China,  and  the  USA.    This  form  of  international  trade  follows  on  the  heels  of  

hundreds  of  years  of  fisheries  export  that  has  created  economic  and  cultural  ties  between  our  province  

and  a  variety  of  locations.    

 

Additionally,  hydro-­‐electric  and  mining  industries  in  the  province  are  poised  to  expand  enormously  

within  the  next  generation  and  will  provide  the  province  with  opportunities  for  international  and  

domestic  export.    Important  trade  agreements  and  diplomatic  links  between  Canada  and  the  USA  (the  

world’s  largest  economy)  and  Canada  and  the  EU  (the  world’s  largest  single  market)  put  our  resource-­‐

rich  province  in  excellent  stead  to  interact  with  foreign  markets  and  compete  on  a  global  scale.    An  

example  of  this  ability  can  be  found  in  Nalcor  Energy’s  recent  decision  to  grant  the  rights  to  build  the  

Muskrat  Falls  hydroelectricity  generating  facility  to  Italian  contractor  Astaldi.    Through  access  to  a  larger  

market  from  which  to  purchase  its  contracting  service,  Nalcor  was  able  to  take  advantage  of  (what  they  

considered  to  be)  the  superior  service  offered  by  this  company.  

 

Despite  the  potential  locked  within  our  natural  resources,  the  most  significant  resource  that  this  

province  has  to  offer  is  its  human  capital.    Due  to  a  variety  of  macroeconomic  forces,  the  labour  force  of  

Newfoundland  and  Labrador  has  been  notoriously  mobile.    Following  mass  emigration  to  southern  

Ontario  and,  latterly,  northern  Alberta,  Newfoundlanders  and  Labradoreans  have  found  themselves  

spread  across  the  country,  and  even  the  world,  working  in  a  variety  of  disciplines  and  industries  away  

from  home.    In  this  manner,  strong  connections  have  been  forged  between  this  province  and  the  rest  of  

Canada,  as  ex-­‐pat  and  transient  Newfoundlanders  and  Labradoreans  interact  with  the  cultures  and  

markets  that  surround  them.      

 

Notwithstanding  this  historical  trend,  however,  favourable  economic  conditions  and  increasing  levels  of  

education  are  allowing  more  and  more  workers  to  stay  in  this  province  as  they  embark  on  their  careers.    

As  a  result,  the  Newfoundland  and  Labrador  economy  is  better  equipped  than  ever  before  to  take  

advantage  of  the  burgeoning  opportunities  presented  by  both  its  infant  and  stalwart  industries.    

 

Another  export  that  Newfoundland  and  Labrador  has  to  offer  to  the  global  economy  is  its  culture.    

Whether  it’s  through  tourism  or  cd  or  book  sales,  technological  advancements  in  transportation  and  

communication  have  allowed  Newfoundland  and  Labrador  to  market  itself  to  a  global  audience  and  take  

advantage  of  the  opportunities  afforded  by  its  unique  culture.  Today,  Newfoundland  and  Labrador’s  

connection  to  the  rest  of  the  world  allows  music  fans  in  Brazil  to  enjoy  the  songs  of  Great  Big  Sea  and  

tourists  from  Germany  to  experience  the  East  Coast  Trail.    Similarly,  families  in  Jo  Batts  Arm  can  sit  down  

to  a  supper  of  Mexican-­‐style  tacos  before  watching  an  Italian  movie.  

 

In  conclusion,  as  Newfoundland  and  Labrador  continues  to  develop,  both  economically  and  culturally,  it  

is  important  that  it  maintains  the  current  trend  of  global  awareness.    The  still-­‐juvenile  21st  century  

promises  to  be  rife  with  opportunity  and,  equipped  with  increasing  access  to  the  wider  world,  this  

province  has  every  reason  to  seize  those  opportunities  with  the  hopes  that  they  will  provide  its  

residents  with  a  better  life  for  years  to  come.    

 

 

Works  Cited:  

About  us  –  Verafin.  Retrieved  Oct  20,  2013,  from  http://verafin.com/about-­‐us  

 

St.  John’s,  NL,  fastest  growing  economy  among  15  Canadian  cities.  Retrieved  Oct  21,  2013  from  

http://www.canadianmanufacturing.com/general/st-­‐johns-­‐nl-­‐fastest-­‐growing-­‐economy-­‐among-­‐15-­‐

canadian-­‐cities-­‐113057  

 

Top  Five  World  Market  Destinations  for  Seafood  Products  Newfoundland  and  Labrador,  2012.  Retrieved  

Oct  21,  2013  from  http://www.fishaq.gov.nl.ca/stats/exports/Export_2012.pdf  

 

Fitzpatrick,  A.  Astaldi  awarded  major  Muskrat Falls  contract.  Retrieved  Oct  21,  2013  from  

http://www.thetelegram.com/News/Local/2013-­‐10-­‐10/article-­‐3423181/Astaldi-­‐awarded-­‐major-­‐

Muskrat%E2%80%88Falls-­‐contract/1  

 

North  American  Free  Trade  Agreement.  Retrieved  Oct  26,  2013  from  http://www.ustr.gov/trade-­‐

agreements/free-­‐trade-­‐agreements/north-­‐american-­‐free-­‐trade-­‐agreement-­‐nafta    

European  Commission  Trade  Policies.  Retrieved  Oct  26,  2013  from  

http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-­‐and-­‐regions/countries/canada/