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Premier and Conservative Leader Danny Williams said he'd like the population of Newfoundland and Labrador to double, but he wouldn't set a date to achieve that goal.
Williams made the statement at a campaign stop this morning in St. John's before taking the rest of the day to prepare for tonight's leaders debate.
Williams visited a child-care centre and announced a mix of new and previously announced measures that he hopes will reverse the provincial trend of outmigration.
The Conservatives plan to make adoption easier and faster in the province and provide 30 per cent more child-care spaces, which will include space for children with disabilities and increased subsidies for low-income child care. He also wants to hire more child-care workers.
Williams defended his recent announcement of providing $1,000 to parents of each newborn child by saying the bonus is part of the government's overall plan to increase population and won't in itself encourage people to have babies.
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- reprinted from the Telegram