Now 20% autonomous!

Back during the fixed election campaign, Our Dear Premier riffed off his second-favourite theme, "How Icelandic We Are", pronouncing:

We don’t have enough scientific information of our own. We always depend on the federal scientific information, and what they have, and how much they want to give us to go look. I think as a province, and I’ve said it time and time again, that we need to be putting money into science, and we are going to do that. I’d love to see us also get our own vessel. I was in Iceland about six or eight months ago, and they have their own vessels up there, they go through their own research, and they make their decisions based on those findings. So if we could get our own research done, and tie the scientists to the fishermen, and the fishermen got the bulk of the knowledge, then I think we are going to be in an informed position to make informed decisions. I don’t like relying on other information or for me to make decisions, I like to get my own information and then make a decision on that basis, so that’s what I’m hoping to do.

A couple of days later, Our Dear Premier outlined his fisheries platform. And y'know, when he starts something with "Quite frankly", you know he means business:

Quite frankly, I am not satisfied to depend only on the science provided to us by the federal government. We need the people of this province to have our own research and scientific data and fish harvesting must be a part of it.

...

We are putting our money where our mouth is - unlike the federal government - because we believe in the fishery in this province.

Proud, strong, determined. Moral autonomy. Go it alone. One nation. Masters of our own house.

And so today we learn, "Provincial Government (What? Not "Williams Government"?) Moving Forward With Coastal and Ocean Management". And what's this, now?

The project involved western and southern regions of Newfoundland and Labrador was completed throughout 2007 and is the result of a collaborative effort between the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Government of Canada. Both governments shared in the $51,000 cost of the project, with the Federal Government contributing $41,000 and the Provincial Government contributing $10,000.

That's right: NewfoundlandLabrador — now 20% autonomous! Well, until Phase II kicks in anyway:

The Provincial Government is moving forward with the second issues scan and will fund all costs associated with the $75,000 project.