Dumped government motion proves members are blindly fed and led

Opposition Leader and MHA for the District of Cartwright-L’Anse au Clair, Yvonne Jones, says a private members resolution presented by a government member this week, and then withdrawn, exposes that these members are bereft of independent thought and are blindly following commands of the premier.  

The Opposition Leader questioned the deputy premier today on the decision to withdraw a motion presented by Bonavista North MHA Harry Hardy and Labrador West MHA Jim Baker on the stalled Lower Churchill project and the recent Regis decision in Quebec ruling on government’s request for access to line capacity for this project.   

“Clearly, this is a motion  that was presented without thought or foresight, as government did not even have a copy of the English version of the Regis decision for House of Assembly members to use in their debate,” says Jones.   “This is yet another example where government has proven yet again that government members only speak and act when they are told to do so by the premier.”

The Opposition Leader says it must have been especially embarrassing for Ministers Kevin O’Brien and Ross Wiseman who were on Open Line touting the credibility of this motion, while at the same time the deputy premier was scrambling to make calls asking for the motion to be withdrawn. “You can almost  understand when new government members allow themselves to be led around and told what to do, but for senior and seasoned cabinet ministers to be out in public putting a spin on a motion shrouded in such secrecy and bumbling is highly questionable.”

“As an Opposition, we have no problem supporting a motion promoting the development of the Lower Churchill project, but to debate a resolution that is based on a legal decision in another language without fully understanding the rationale is not what a democracy is all about. It is even more disconcerting that Minister O’Brien stated this morning that he would support the motion even though he hadn’t read the decision.  This is another example of ministers not doing their due diligence.

“Coming on the heels of the accidental Abitibi mill expropriation, the CONA overpayments and the contamination cover-ups, this bungled motion highlights a government led by a premier who not only makes all the decisions, but also the mistakes. Maybe it’s time for his members to start asking some of their own questions of this government.”

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