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Anna Thistle, MHA for Grand Falls-Buchans district and
Opposition Critic for Finance and Treasury Board, says the confirmation from
Standard and Poorer’s bond rating agency that the province’s credit rating
being stable is evidence the Conservative government is taking the wrong
approach to managing the province’s finances.
"This announcement confirms that we are not downing in debt as Minister
Sullivan and Premier Williams have tried to tell people over the past seven
months," said Thistle. "Their continued attempts to pull the wool over the
eyes of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador has once again been proven
to be nothing more than political posturing.
"This all began with the commissioning of the Price
Waterhouse Coopers report and the Premier’s speech on January 5th.
Government used the financial position as an excuse to play hardball with
the unions and the public during negotiations. We now see this approach was
completely wrong and we are not on the verge of bankruptcy as the Premier
and Finance Minister would like us to believe."
The Liberal MHA is concerned that the province will be
in for a difficult year if the recent retail sales figures are any
indication. "The Premier’s hard-line approach with the unions and dismal
financial outlooks have caused people to stop spending money. In March,
Newfoundland and Labrador was the only province in Canada that did not see
an increase in retail sales figures."
"As I have continuously stated, the finances of the
province are not as bad as the Premier will allow people to believe. It is
time the government gave up trying to scare people and start building the
economy for the future." |