"Premier Williams and Minister Sullivan made it quite clear on Monday that their agenda is one of cutbacks and service reductions," said Ms. Thistle. "I am certain that they will hear representation against this course of action. If this process was legitimate, rather than an expensive public relations exercise, the premier and minister would have listened to the presentations before telling the people the direction they were going.

"How can we trust a government in which one or two people make the decisions for the province? Sources tell us that Mr. Williams did not even consult his caucus or members of his cabinet before delivering his speech on Monday night. If this premier and minister are not willing to consult their government colleagues, how can we expect them to listen to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador?

"While I strongly feel that public consultations are an important part of democracy, I don’t feel that they should be held if government is not serious about listening to the messages and recommendations of the people. I would suggest that many of the decisions on service reductions and cutbacks have already been made, and this exercise will be skewed to justify their decisions."