"I know there is certainly a need for such a program and in fact it is something which the Liberal Caucus has discussed and publicly called on government to implement (Opposition News release, September 29, 2004). We have heard of many examples of where people, especially those in rural areas of the province, have not been able to secure employment and who find themselves in desperate situations," said Butler.

The Liberal MHA says that, despite the need being greater this year than in past years because of the devastating impact which the policies of the Conservative government has had on the economy of this province, the amount of funding has not been increased in proportion to the need that exists. "Despite this funding that has been announced today, there will still be a lot of people left without the employment they need to qualify for Employment Insurance benefits. The impacts of the cuts being implemented by this government are hurting the whole province but they are being felt most in rural areas. Did government think they can close HRE offices, school board offices, health care facilities and countless other services in rural areas and it would not have an impact on the economy?"

The Liberal Critic says it is necessary for government to put in place proper monitoring and administration mechanisms for this program. "Given the growing amount of evidence that the premier and this government in general is willing to override the proper procedures to achieve some kind of political advantage, I think we need to make sure this program is administered in a very transparent manner and that the people who need this funding get it without politics being involved. I would like the minister to tell the public what safeguards have been put in place to prevent any such tampering by the premier or his ministers."

Butler said the concept of the "Community Enhancement Program" may be the direction we should be heading with this kind of funding. "There is a lot of benefit in taking a long term approach to planning and building infrastructure. So far this government has only presented policies that have a negative impact on the economy and it seems to be taking them a long while to get their act together on promoting economic growth in rural areas."