The Liberal MHA was responding to comments made by the Premier earlier this week at a symposium in Corner Brook sponsored by Memorial University entitled "Growing the Economy of Newfoundland and Labrador." While speaking at the event, the Premier said he was disappointed that there were not more speakers from outside the St. John’s area.

"This is a Premier who has excluded MHAs from rural areas of the province when he was putting together the Cabinet and now he is out there criticizing others for not having enough voices from rural areas," said Reid. "It is quite hypocritical and I tell him to practice what he preaches. The Premier is getting much too comfortable saying one thing and doing another.

"While I agree with the points he made in Corner Brook and I think government should begin to listen to the concerns and issues of rural Newfoundland and Labrador, the Premier has not yet earned the right to be the spokesperson for rural areas of this province. By running a government that has attacked rural areas for the past year, he has no credibility to bring this message forward."

The Liberal MHA, who represents the District of Twillingate and Fogo, says the negative impacts as a result of decision making by an urban dominated cabinet are already being felt in rural areas. "If you look at the cuts they have been making you will see that rural areas of this province are being hardest hit. There have been office closures, layoffs and cuts to services in rural communities all around this province and it is hurting families and the rural economy. All this is happening in the absence of a plan to move forward. This is a Premier who campaigned in the last election saying he had a plan for rural Newfoundland and Labrador and almost a year after being elected, his government continues to stumble around trying to develop a plan. It is now clear he had no plan, he deliberately misled the people of this province."