"There is absolutely no reason why the House of Assembly should close at this time," said Mr. Parsons. "There are currently a dozen pieces of legislation on the order paper that need to be debated, including the budget, and we have yet to see anything with respect to the promised automobile insurance reforms. I cannot understand government’s reasoning for taking this break when there is so much to accomplish in such a short period of time.

"I offered the Government House Leader the opportunity to bring forward some housekeeping legislation to ensure a light legislative agenda over the next few days. This would have provided a working break for government, while still ensuring the business of the province was conducted. This offer was rejected without any justification. It is obvious that this government is feeling the negative public pressure resulting from their decisions and are now looking for an opportunity to avoid the scrutiny of the House of Assembly."

Mr. Parsons also stated that government has already given notice that the normal hours of the House will be extended past 10:00pm on Monday to ensure that work can be completed.

"If government has to extend the hours of the House to make up for lost time, why would they close the House in the first place. This makes absolutely no sense! There is no logic to this process, it only demonstrates that this government cannot handle public pressure and need to hide away from the people of the province to regain their composure. With so many important issues facing the province, now is not the right time to close the House of Assembly."