News Release
Office of the Official Opposition

Actions of Government House Leader despicable:

Tories break agreement and force early closure of House of Assembly

Opposition House Leader Kelvin Parsons says Government House Leader Loyola Sullivan has broken his word and has forced the early closure of the House of Assembly.

Agreements had been worked out between both the Opposition and Government to keep the House of Assembly open until Thursday of this week. This agreement has now been broken as a result of the government wanting to close the House of Assembly early and avoid public scrutiny.

"I am very disappointed that government is forcing the closure of the House of Assembly to avoid public scrutiny," said Mr. Parsons. "The tactics of the premier this afternoon and the Government House Leader this evening are absolutely despicable. The House of Assembly is the people’s forum and this government is running from public scrutiny.

"It is obvious that the constant questioning over the fibre-optic deal, the Bull Arm Site Corporation, the wastage of taxpayers money on fur coats and signs, the appointment of political friends, excessive expenditures on booze and other issues is forcing government to run and hide. This is absolutely shameful and an insult to democracy in Newfoundland and Labrador.

"When the Opposition cannot trust the word of the Government House Leader, there is something fundamentally wrong. I can assure the people of the province that this type of underhanded action will not be permitted to happen in the spring session of the House of Assembly. No longer will trust be afforded to the Government House Leader when dealing with legislative proceedings."

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