Coast Guard Celebration “hypocritical” charges Liberal Fisheries Critic

Liberal Fisheries Critic and MHA for the District of St. Barbe, Jim Bennett,  is urging the Premier to use the occasion of the 50^th Anniversary celebration of the Coast Guard to register the province’s strong objections to the closure of the Marine Search and Rescue Centre.

Bennett has learned that there is a planned celebration of the Canadian Coast Guard’s milestone scheduled for Thursday, January 26^th at the Coast Guard’s Southside Base.  Federal minister Peter Penashue is expected to attend the function.

“It is hypocritical of the Government of Canada and, in particular, the Minister to be coming to our province to celebrate this anniversary,” said Bennett. “How can they celebrate when the safety of our fishermen and our offshore workers is so compromised by their decision to close this centre?  Further, we are not pleased with all the planned job cuts coming to the Department of Fisheries.

“I call upon Premier Dunderdale and her government to let the federal minister and the Government of Canada know we will not stand for this hypocrisy when we are genuinely concerned about the safety of our people by their callous budgetary cuts. It is an opportune time for the Premier to stand up for the people of this province.”

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Media Contact: 

Peter Miles| Director of Communications
Office of the Official Opposition
(709) 729-6151     petermiles@gov.nl.ca