"The resignation of Elizabeth Marshall once again demonstrates Premier Williams policy on the fly approach to government," said Mr. Joyce. "Minister Marshall confirmed today that she knew nothing about this new initiative for the VON and it was solely a decision of the Premier. She did not even know the cost. I am convinced that the only reason that Premier Williams announced this program last week was to prevent a picket line by strikers at his golf tournament in Corner Brook.

"This is a very dangerous way to make policy decisions in this province. If Premier Williams believed in a program of this type, it should have been a completely stand alone program. He should also have been up front with his plan instead of ending this strike through hidden means. If he truly wanted to have a creative solution, he should have provided increases to home care workers across the province as he promoted as Leader of the Opposition. I have yet to see any details on this new palliative care initiative and I am concerned that there is no long-term plan in place to deal with this issue. I expect the Premier, despite the internal government problems he has created, to honour his commitment and provide the VON with this new funding.

"It concerns me that the former Minister of Health is stating publicly that she knows nothing about this palliative care program. If the former minister doesn’t know any of the details, what will this mean for the development of the program. I ask the Premier to immediately release all of the details related to this program to ensure there is a constructive plan in place. If we do not receive this information, I fear we could see a similar strike affecting home care services in the not to distant future."