The new leader of the Liberal party, and thus the new premier, will be elected next week, and that person’s plan will be key to how the province manages its debt in the coming years.

That’s the contention of Jaclyn Sullivan of the NL Employers Council.

Last week, it was announced that the provincial debt has grown to $2.1-billion.

Sullivan says we need to look to the new premier for a vision and a plan that will carry us forward and into a more stable fiscal situation.

She says government programs are being constrained to protect the status quo and that a restructuring needs to happen for us to move ahead.

Sullivan believes it’s unrealistic to expect a “sweeping bailout” from Ottawa, noting if that were to happen it would come with conditions- which isn’t what they want.

She says we need home-grown solutions to our problems, and the new premier’s plan will be an important part of that. .