NEWS RELEASE
                                                                                       Office of the Official Opposition
September 16, 2008
For Immediate Release

Premier should start focusing on health and education, not ABC campaign

Opposition Leader Yvonne Jones is calling on the Premier to change his focus from the “Anything But Conservative” campaign back to provincial issues such as the crisis in our health care system and the policy changes needed to ensure healthy air quality in the province’s schools.

Earlier today, the Canada Health Consumer Index was released placing Newfoundland and Labrador last among the ten provinces in health care delivery. Meanwhile, two schools were forced to close due to air quality problems, a situation that continues to occur every school year without any government action to ensure province-wide air quality inspections to verify the schools are safe learning environments.

“The Premier has made his point with the ABC campaign, but the time has come to return focus to the important everyday issues facing Newfoundlanders and Labradorians,” said Ms. Jones. “Everyone in the province, except the Minister of Health, recognizes that there is a health care crisis. The Canada Health Consumer Index confirmed that fact today. The people of the province know the Harper Government is not to be trusted, but we cannot be sidetracked from other important issues for the next several weeks. The provincial government’s attention and focus must be returned to the job here at home.

“It is obvious that the Ministers of Health and Education have enough issues to address in their own departments and they should re-focus their attention. If they put more time in addressing health and education issues, maybe we wouldn’t be facing a health crisis and closed schools less than two weeks after they re-opened.”

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Media Contact: 
Darrell Mercer
Director of Communications
Office of the Official Opposition
Tel: (709) 729-6151 or (709) 687-0477