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Percy Barrett, Opposition Labour Critic and MHA for the District of
Bellevue, says while he agrees that the federal government must strengthen
their employment presence in this province, he finds it difficult to listen
to Finance Minister Loyola Sullivan lobbying for this increase. Barrett says
Minister Sullivan was the key architect of several hundred public sector job
cuts in this province over the past two years, many of which were in rural
areas. "Everyone in this province knows the federal job presence in
Newfoundland and Labrador is less than adequate," said Mr. Barrett. "While
we need to continue lobbying the federal government to establish more
federal government jobs in this province, I doubt very much that Minister
Sullivan is the appropriate person to do that lobbying. This is the same
minister who has cut services and jobs in the public sector all over the
province in the last two years.
"Whether it be highways depots, maintenance workers, government offices,
school teachers or courthouses, Minister Sullivan has been the architect of
massive public sector cutbacks. If the minister were truly serious about
increasing the federal presence in this province, he should begin by
re-investing in our own provincial public service as an example for the
federal government to follow.
"Without any significant investment in our provincial public service, I
fear the federal government will continue to downsize. Both levels of
government work side by side and it is essential to have a stronger presence
of federal and provincial employees throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. I
encourage the minister to do the right thing, follow his own advice,
re-invest into the provincial public sector and demand Ottawa do the same to
increase their workforce in this province."
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