We all have seen the news, spoke to our friends and coworkers, and some of us have even gone over in detail what the budget means to Newfoundland. The short summary, no matter what group the conversation is had in, is that Newfoundland is in fiscal turmoil. Levy’s and taxes have been added or raised in almost every arena of a Newfoundlanders day to day life and the prospects for the future seem dismal in comparison to the outlook only a few short years ago. So what will we do as Newfoundlanders? The refrain so often repeated lately is “We will leave!” To those people a true Newfoundlander should have only one reply, “Good riddance!”

Now, lets be clear. People have to move for work, family and a barrage of reasons that are all justifiable and may be a direct result of this budget. No fault or blame should be heaped upon them. However, this is the tale for very few of the people involved in the chorus of emigration. The truth for most of these people chanting the necessity of moving to a supposedly more prosperous locale is that they aren’t ever moving. Or in some cases they moved several years ago, during the boom, for their own set of reasons. So why do they propose leaving a province that often, by their own admission,they love?They propose it because they are hurt, angry and like a jilted lover feel helpless in controlling the situation – so they resort to half-hearted threats, “Well you are treating me like this? I am going to leave!”

However, since when has the attitude of quitting been a solution to a love one being hurt? If your mom gets sick, has a financial problem or is having difficulty for another reason in their life do you think you will fix her by leaving? Same question can be applied to your spouse, kids, cousins etc. No Newfoundlander, if approached by a friend who was suffering horribly, would ever say to them, “Sorry I don’t want to deal with this I am going to leave now”. The likelihood of departure decreases more as we propose the same situation but with a close relative. Isn’t this the situation in Newfoundland?

Lets be honest, the majority of people who are forced into poverty by this budget can’t afford to move anyways. They can’t pay for tickets, moving expenses, etc. Thats why increased costs of several thousand per year sinks them – because they don’t have any disposable cash! With that said, the ones who do have the capacity to move also have the capacity to stay. Will it cost them extra to live here? Probably. Thats what it means to be a part of a community. Sometimes it costs more. Several thousand per year is alot of money and no one means to minimize it. Rather, this increase in cost should be a rally cry to all the great people of Newfoundland – We need to start fixing this province NOW! Before things get worse.

Often since the budget people have asked, “Why should we pay for past mistakes of the government?” Well, because if we don’t our mistakes will be a burden on our kids and theirs. We can purpose plans that push the problem into the future as many would claim has been done to us but this afflicting the same problem upon them that has been thrust on us. We need to step up now while we can. You would like to leave? Thats fine. Keep in mind that you are now burdening all your friends and relatives with your share of fiscal mistakes you enjoyed. Thats not to say that the blunders of the past directly benefited most Newfoundlanders – it certainly didn’t. However, for a person to state they are going to leave means they must have been here previously. Thus the responsibility to fix it is on your shoulders as well. If you say, “I might head home for Christmas” then you my friend are a Newfoundlander – and you need to be home now!

Are the government useless? Maybe. Is the budget a smart document for future prosperity? Most likely not. The one thing that is a certainty is that the situation can’t improve if the cream of the crop get up and leave. Does you family live here? Were you educated here? Do you tell stories about a river you always trouted in or how much fun you used to have at the cabin? If the answer is yes you owe this province physically and you owe the people. How do you think those great memories were created? How do you think you had the family and upbringing you did? It was built on the shoulders of our ancestors who suffered their own tribulations. This is not the time for people to leave – its the time for the LEADERS, INNOVATORS and HARD WORKING NEWFOUNDLANDERS to STEP UP! Help your sister if she doesn’t have the money to make it through. Go out into your street and pick up garbage. Volunteer your time to an organization. Money is not what this province is built on so its can’t be repaired with money. It needs to be repaired with the time and effort of the citizenry. Mad at the government? Run in an election. Stop facebooking about how everything sucks and start actively making it better. Thoughts become things.

We pride ourselves on a history of being tough and surviving a relentless course of setbacks. There’s no doubt the land is harsh and survival is not always easy. But if we are going to pride ourselves on being a strong community of tough people then we have to actually be that. Toughness is not talking about the hard times when you never experienced them or when they have passed. Toughness is about smiling and helping when the pressure is on. If you haven’t contributed in the past thats fine – we were doing good then. Now we need your help. In previous entries on this blog it has been pointed out that our humor and demeanor comes from a history of surviving tragedy with humor and humility. Its a badge worn proudly. Guess what? We now have to earn the badge practice time is over!

#IAMNEWFOUNDLAND: Defining The Self Image of the Modern Newfoundlander is a weekly blog, with a new article every Wednesday, that focuses on the modern Newfoundland experience and how we interpret it into the greater tapestry of our Self Image as a people and a culture. Visit our blog on our website (www.iamnewfoundland.com), Facebook or Twitter (@IAmNewfoundland)

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