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Yesterday in the House of Assembly, Opposition Critic for Government
Services and Lands and MHA for Carbonnear-Harbour Grace George Sweeney,
questioned Minister Dianne Whelan on the safety of highways, as many of the
public head out to their cabins for the May 24th weekend. The
line of questioning is provided here.
MR. SWEENEY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
May 24 is the highest volume traffic weekend in this Province. People are
packing up their vehicles and heading out to the country for the first long
weekend of the season. It is unfortunate these motorists have to face a
highway that will be filled with vehicles that are unchecked and possibly
unsafe.
During Estimates last night, even the minister’’s own caucus members were
quick to voice their concerns that government has unnecessarily cut weigh
scales and staff. Did the minister do any research, I ask her, or analysis,
before she made this decision? Is she cutting for the sake of cutting, and
endangering public safety without a proper analysis being done? Does she
agree with the Members for Terra Nova, St. John’’s North, Stephenville, and
Port au Port, who think she is making the wrong decisions, Minister?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Government Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, we have our weigh scales still in operation
in this Province checking our commercial - we have fifteen highway
enforcement officers on the road, checking the vehicles.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: A supplementary, the hon. the Member for
Carbonear-Harbour Grace.
MR. SWEENEY: Minister, I can only assume you do not agree with your
members from those districts.
Mr. Speaker, this busy weekend we will have compromised public safety,
pay more for ferries and park fees, and people will be forced to dig deeper
in their pockets to pay higher gas prices. While all this happens, the
minister bungles her way along, firing the Petroleum Pricing Commissioner,
and then only to admit under questioning last night that there really would
not be any savings. She plans to hire a new director to oversee the
Commission, contrary to her earlier comments that there would be savings.
Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister: Why has she needlessly put the gas
regulation process in chaos when we need it the most?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Government Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, the gas pricing regulations are coming under
the PUB. That is an agency that is independent; it has the expertise and the
experience to regulate the gas prices.
Thank you.
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