The Official Opposition raised several concerns facing the people of Newfoundland and Labrador this week in the House of Assembly, including conflicting statements from Premier Wakeham about his MCP-paid political staffer, a lack of transparency surrounding the benefits agreement for Bay du Nord, the government ignoring advice from the public service, the need for tax relief, concerns raised by child care operators and early childhood educators, and health care.
Opposition MHAs pressed the government for answers on why a political staff position is being paid through MCP funds, despite clear rules that political staff should be compensated under the Political Support Staff Pay Plan. Premier Wakeham has also yet to deny that Dr. Des Whalen is providing political advice on far more than just health care, even though documents prove that to be the case.
The Opposition also raised concerns about the government’s continued failure to address the rising cost of living for families. Our Liberal government introduced a reduction of the provincial gas tax in 2022. The Conservatives’ so-called “tax cut” is simply a continuation of the Liberal gas tax reduction. The Official Opposition also urged the Conservative government to further decrease the gas tax in light of the latest price increases, but the government refused to do so.
The Opposition also continued to call for transparency from the government on the Bay du Nord agreement, which failed to deliver the work the Conservatives promised. The Premier should release details of the deal, and explain why the arrangement has been kept secret from the public and the House of Assembly despite the Minister of Energy’s previous contradicting statements.
The Conservatives promised pensions and benefits for Early Childhood Educators during the election. Now they say they are “looking at it” as part of a four-year plan. ECEs in our province say this cannot wait and are calling on the government to deliver on its promise. Furthermore, the Minister of Education will not commit to fixing his problematic new child care policies or increasing funding to create more child care spaces.
Furthermore, the Conservative Energy Minister finally admitted that he believes their election victory means that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians rejected the Churchill Falls MOU, and that they have no intention of securing the hundreds of billions of dollars on the table that could benefit Newfoundlanders and Labradorians for generations to come. Instead, they would rather play partisan politics with our province’s future, and pay a premium for a pre-determined panel report.
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