"This minister obviously has no comprehension of the Industrial Employment Benefits Agreement of the Voisey’s Bay contract," said Mr. Grimes. "If he did understand the agreement, he would recognize that VBNC must hire local people and award contracts to local companies who are qualified to do the work. It is only after government agrees with the company that work cannot be done locally that it can be awarded outside of the province. Ultimately, government has to sign off on any decisions that will see work go outside the province.

"It is obvious that this minister is being an apologist for VBNC. If any contracts are awarded outside the province, it is because government approved such a move. It is disgraceful that a government minister would sacrifice the people of the province to ensure that he saves face for voting against a beneficial deal for the province. If he is not willing to do the job and enforce the agreement, I would suggest he resign and let someone else do it.

"We are potentially missing the opportunity to secure a steel fabrication contract that could create employment and industrial benefits for the province. Instead of making excuses of why this contract may not be awarded in the province, he should be asking the company to justify why this contract cannot be completed locally. If it can be, the minister should ensure that it is completed in this province as stated in the agreement.

"Maybe this minister hasn’t had the time to sit down and understand the Voisey’s Bay file due to the hundreds of other files that are competing for his time. If he is not willing to resign, I would suggest he approach the premier and ask that the Natural Resources Department once again be separated into two departments to ensure that files like Voisey’s Bay get the attention that they deserve. We cannot continue to function in a haphazard fashion with a minister who refuses to take the time to understand major economic files in the province."