"Forestry is a very important resource for the people of western Newfoundland," said Mr. Joyce. "By merging this department with the bigger Department of Mines and Energy, I fear that forestry issues will lose priority to the bigger files. It also scares me that government decided to eliminate the Deputy Minister’s position that was established in Corner Brook four years ago. With the importance that our region places on forestry decisions, it was a natural fit to have this senior official based in western Newfoundland. It is ironic that Corner Brook just celebrated its second anniversary as the forest capital of Canada and has now lost its most senior forestry position. Is this the kind of recognition the Williams government will bestow on such prestigious honours?

"Over 80 per cent of forestry activities in the province take place west of Grand Falls-Windsor. I have personally spoken to members of the PC caucus who have expressed their disappointment that the Minister responsible for forestry activities is not from the west coast. Now, with this most recent decision, we are also lacking a Deputy Minister who is based in this region.

"This decision once again reinforces that this government is only concerned about dollars and cents and has no regard for the impact their decisions will have on the services provided to our people. If this government was serious about creating new economic development opportunities, why would they eliminate a position that was key to the agenda of forestry sector development? They obviously have no understanding of the importance the forest industry plays in the west coast economy.

"Instead of eliminating senior positions in Corner Brook which closely affect rural Newfoundland and Labrador, this government should be doing more to establish senior positions in the various regions. If we truly want to grow our economy, decision makers must realize that St. John’s is not the only region affected by their actions."