"I am talking to employees in the department and people who are trying to get service all over the province and they tell me the entire system is a mess," said Sweeney. "Waiting times for almost every service in the division are unacceptable. It is my understanding that service levels are declining and incidences of stress leave and sick leave are having a negative impact on the level and quality of service delivery to the public.

"The only solution to this problem is for the government to admit they cut too deeply last Spring during the budgetary process and reinstate some positions at MRD. As a former minister of this department, I told the government during the budget debate that this division was already understaffed and my concerns were dismissed. Delays at medical records, driver examination services and vehicle registrations are all evidence that my concerns were valid.

"Minister Whalen has failed to address the issues being raised so far by members of the public and media. In fact, she has taken a completely hands-off approach, blaming the problems on staff who are off on sick leave and long-term disability. It is time for the minister to take some responsibility for the problems and realize that increased incidences of sick leave are caused by employees being overworked on a continual basis."

The Liberal MHA is very concerned with recent reports that government is bullying employees in an attempt to intimidate them into not speaking with anyone outside the department about this crisis situation that has developed due to their budget cuts. "I have spoken with employees who have confirmed they are no longer permitted to speak with the public about service issues. Until the minister realizes that covering up the problems will not help the situation, I fear the crisis at MRD will continue to get worse."