When asked yesterday by the media about Minister Rideout’s comments, Premier Williams stated that he was unaware of what the minister had stated and had no further commitment on the issue.

"I find it strange that the premier of the province did not hear or was not made aware of the comments of his Transportation Minister, especially when those comments were made on a provincial newscast six hours before," said Mr. Grimes. "Did the Premier not hear the comments, or did he not want to hear the comments?"

"If all funding decisions are supposed to be made in consultation with the Minister of Finance, why did the Premier not know, nor state his commitment to move forward with Phase Three of the Trans Labrador Highway as his Transportation Minister had stated earlier in the day? Has government actually committed to this initiative?

"Minister Sullivan stated on March 31^st, during the budget debate, that there is not enough money in the Labrador Transportation Fund to complete Phase Three of the highway and still operate the ferry service on the coast of Labrador. Does Minister Sullivan still have the same concerns now that he controls the purse strings of the province?"

This is the second occasion that Premier Williams has not been aware of the actions of his Transportation Minister. The first occasion was Mr. Rideout’s decision to unilaterally state that the preferred port for the Labrador Coastal Marine Service was Lewisporte.

"There seems to be much confusion or disagreement in priorities within this government. If this valuable project is already approved, tell the people of the province once and for all. Initiatives should not be announced by ministers if the premier is unwilling to confirm or support those decisions."