ABSTRACT
In 2004, the newly elected Progressive Conservative provincial government in Newfoundland and Labrador proposed a new approach to governance for promoting economic self-reliance in the province (Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, 2004). The proposal recognized that offshore petroleum developments were no longer able to deliver sufficient revenues to meet provincial needs. The new approach would be to emphasize education for the emerging knowledge economy. In his Speech from the Throne, Premier Danny Williams stated,
My Government believes, as do economic leaders and innovators, that the time has come for Newfoundland and Labrador to set its sights on other opportunities in the knowledge economy. The fuel of the new economy is knowledge … My Government will make world-class education among its highest priorities.
(Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, 2004, para. 17)