During today’s question period in the House of Assembly, Minister Sullivan admitted that he participated in the decision to implement production quotas. This decision was taken even though Minister Sullivan has immediate family members who are involved in the crab processing sector in this province.

"Whenever an issue is discussed in cabinet that may create a potential conflict of interest for a minister, that particular minister is expected to excuse themselves from the discussion," said Mr. Grimes. "This includes a decision that would impact a minister directly, or a member of the minister’s immediate family. It was not acceptable for the minister to take part in this cabinet decision due to this potential conflict of interest.

"While in government, my colleagues excused themselves from decisions that directly affected members of their family. Rules are established which are supposed to govern ministers in determining whether their participation could be perceived as a conflict of interest. As Minister Sullivan’s family obviously has a vested interest in crab processing, he should have exercised some common sense and excused himself from the decision.

"We will be writing the Commissioner of Member’s Interests to conduct an investigation and determine whether it is acceptable for a minister to make policy decisions on issues that directly affect the economic circumstance of their family members."