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Reid questions decision to give provincial park reservation system contract to Quebec call centre May 16, 2007
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Opposition Leader Gerry Reid today questioned government's decision to give
a contract for the provincial park reservation system to a call centre in
Montreal. Reid raised the issue during Question Period in the House of
Assembly.
"Government recently began advertising a telephone reservation system for our provincial parks," said Mr. Reid. "We decided to call the number for the reservation system and were surprised to learn that the calls were being answered in Montreal. I question why a call centre in Quebec is handling provincial park reservations for our province? I am certain that the level of knowledge these people have of the geography of Newfoundland and Labrador is quite limited. It also raises questions as to this government's so-called commitment to creating jobs here at home and stemming outmigration. "In his response today, the premier suggested that no local company was interested in bidding the contract. I don't know if government sees the irony in this announcement, but the Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development has a program that subsidizes the wages of call centre workers in this province, yet we are sending local work to Quebec. The premier even stood in the House of Assembly yesterday talking about recruiting new public sector workers. This is certainly a service that could be offered by the public sector. If no local call centre could be identified, why didn't government include a dozen workers in the so-called public service recruitment drive that the premier touted yesterday? "The premier doesn't mind breaking the public tendering act when rewarding his friends with fibre-optic contracts, however, he is unwilling to look after the interests of the average workers of Newfoundland and Labrador. I am certain the Government of Quebec is not looking to use call centres in this province for information regarding their provincial park system. I encourage the premier to do the right thing, re-consider this decision and bring these jobs back home to our province where they belong." |
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