"This government has done nothing over the past 5 months to help find a solution to this strike," said Mr. Barrett. "Today, because his other Atlantic Canadian counterparts are calling for a resolution to this strike, Premier Williams says he will raise it with them at an upcoming meeting. If he was truly serious about this issue, he would have raised his concerns several months ago!

"It is not enough for the Premier to say he is concerned about the impact of this strike on the economy, the workers and their families. The people of this province expect a more constructive and active role from their premier and he should explain his lack of action. This strike has been ongoing for a long period of time and the Premier has done nothing."

The Liberal Critic says he believes the Premier set the tone for labour relations in this province earlier this spring during the public sector strike. "He gave major companies the green light to go ahead and look for concessions from their employees. With the legislation that stripped workers contracts and forced public sector employees back to work he sent a message that an anti-union government was in place. Now is the time for the Premier to finally do something constructive to help end this labour dispute instead of playing catch up with the actions of his regional counterparts."