Over and over again, the provincial Liberals sacrificed Newfoundland and Labrador’s best interests to support the Trudeau Liberals - whose national support has dropped to 33 per cent.
Premier Dwight Ball has repeatedly refused to stand up to the Trudeau Liberals, saying he preferred quiet diplomacy, but his relationship has delivered one disappointment after another and leaving our province to wonder why.
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Federal fisheries minister refuses to reverse decision on surf clam licence
When Trudeau was high in the polls, the Ball Liberals were their loudest cheerleaders, barely able to think of enough good things to say about him.
The Trudeau Liberals have delivered, with no protest from the province, the following public policy decisions:
• Surf clam quota reduction, and unilateral reduction in quota that affects hundreds of full-time Newfoundland and Labrador jobs.
• A $400 million Fisheries Investment Fund removed based on lobby from other Atlantic Canadian Liberal Premiers, no protest from our Liberal Government.
• The Ocean Frontier Institute headquarters and our hard-earned place at the top of ocean technology sent to Nova Scotia on Premier Ball and his Liberal government’s watch.
• Our hard-won right under the 1985 Atlantic Accord to lead offshore environmental assessments to ensure continued timely development of our offshore not addressed.
• $18 Billion in Equalization funding that the current Ball Government refused to demand or even have reconsidered by the Federal Government. To protect services and avoid tax hikes when oil revenues declined.
The premier refused to demand a renegotiation of the equalization formula for three years prior to 2019 while he made decisions which crushed our people and economy with tax increases, saying it “is what it is.”
The Ball Liberals are refusing to stand up against the Trudeau small-business tax and the Trudeau carbon tax that will crush Newfoundland and Labrador even harder.
We need MP’s in Ottawa representing Newfoundland and Labrador, not MP’s in Newfoundland and Labrador representing Ottawa.
And a government in this province that puts Newfoundland and Labrador first.
Keith Hutchings
PC MHA Ferryland
Opposition Finance Critic
