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Tomorrow, voters will register their verdict on Canada's federal parties and determine the course of the next four years.

Who will win the contest is less important than what the new government is prepared to do. New Brunswickers are trying to move this province forward, and will work with any prime minister who is committed to doing do.

These are the issues of greatest importance - the areas where federal-provincial partnership is absolutely required, in order to strengthen N.B. and the nation.

*Economic development. Financial forecasts have pegged New Brunswick's growth in the next two years as third-highest in the nation. Keeping this growth on track will be of national importance, as the U.S. recession takes a toll.

The new PM can help by getting behind the energy hub. Partner on expanding trades education and training. Enact the recommendations of the Benefits Blueprint to ease the strain of rapid growth. Offset the risks to private investors hoping to build a second AECL nuclear reactor. The national payoff will be a more capable work force, new revenues and the revitalization of Canada's nuclear power industry.

New Brunswickers also want improved access to capital. Banks are not lending to viable businesses in this region, and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency can be part of the solution. Run ACOA as a lending institution that makes decisions based on commercial credit standards. It will spur new growth and put an end to bad investments.

The third element in economic development must be research and development funding. New Brunswick is changing its tax structure to create a more conducive business environment. The federal government must strengthen its commitment to R&D in the region. Together, these policy changes will encourage new business clusters in medical and technological research and software development - foundations of a high-value, knowledge-based economy.

*Public infrastructure. The growth that will put this province at the forefront of the national economy is also placing enormous demands on cities to provide new infrastructure. To meet the challenge, councils will need more than the eight cents on every tax dollar that they've been getting from Ottawa and Fredericton. The next federal government must provide a structural solution - a source of predictable revenues that will facilitate sustainable growth.

Another issue that requires immediate attention is transportation. Canada still has an opportunity to expand ocean-going trade with Europe and Asia through the creation of an Atlantic gateway. The federal government must create an Atlantic Gateway Council, empowered to bring port authorities together to draft a common strategy. And it must weigh the national value of related initiatives, such as the proposal for an east-west superhighway to bring east coast ports closer to markets in Quebec and Ontario.

*Public services. Health care is New Brunswickers' greatest area of concern after the economy. If the federal government begins distributing health care funding on a per-capita basis, the disproportionate cost of treating an elderly population will bankrupt this province.

Federal funding must be fair and equitable; it must also contribute to national stability. Per capita funding fails the test, and must not be applied to health care.

In health and immigration, the next prime minister must find a funding formula that is fair and capable of addressing regional differences. New Brunswickers are looking for a partnership that reflects the effort this province is putting into sustainable population growth and the unique challenge of serving two linguistic communities.

*The environment. New Brunswickers do not see economic growth and a healthy society as mutually exclusive goals. As we stated at the beginning of this election campaign, "The debate is not 'competitiveness or the environment,' but 'competitiveness and the environment.'"

New Brunswickers want the federal government to adopt a policy approach that helps domestic industries compete in a changing global market while protecting the environment. No economy can be self-sufficient unless growth is also sustainable.

During the election campaign, Premier Shawn Graham asked all federal party leaders to support New Brunswick's self-sufficiency agenda. But to accept this province's policy proposals, the federal government needs to understand where New Brunswickers are coming from.

New Brunswickers have the same aspirations as other Canadians: economic prosperity, healthy communities, security. And this province is taking unprecedented steps to achieve its goals in a single generation.

To succeed, it will need a committed federal partner.