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Reid questions excessive expenditures for Premiers Conference November 23, 2006
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Opposition Leader Gerry Reid today questioned Premier Danny Williams regarding his lavish spending of taxpayers dollars on gifts and entertainment at the Council of the Federation meetings that took place earlier this summer. While some sponsorship money was raised for this conference, the taxpayers of Newfoundland and Labrador ended up paying $500,000 to host the visiting premiers. Some of the expenditures by the Newfoundland and Labrador taxpayer included $8,000 for seal skin coats for Ralph Klein and his wife; $105,000 worth of gifts to the premiers and their guests, including $35,000 worth of sweaters; $132,000 to entertain the 13 premiers with music and comedy, including a one-hour performance by one band that cost $75,000; $100,000 on sight-seeing tours that provided beverages of various sorts to the premiers and their guests; and $32,000 on items such as floral design. AIt is time that the premier begin evaluating his spending priorities,@ said Mr. Reid. AHe must start to realize that this is not his money, it is the taxpayers of the province. The premier just pumped $15 million into a fibre-optic deal to subsidize his friends and business associates, and now we learn that hundreds of thousands of dollars were lavishly spent to wine and dine the premiers. Are these prudent expenditures when we have hospital pharmacists who are amongst the lowest paid in the country, outmigration occurring at an alarming rate, seniors struggling to deal with high cost of heating fuel and schools full of mould? There are so many needs in this province, yet the premier spends our precious taxpayer dollars so freely. AIn response to our questions today, the premier boasted that his conference outdid the one hosted by Alberta last year. Is this a game to the premier? There are so many initiatives in this province that could have availed of this $500,000. Yet, the premier chooses to compete with the richest province in Canada as to who can spend the most on a premier=s conference. As a matter of fact, Alberta spent $500,000 less for their conference last year. AWhen the premier spends his own money, that is his own business. When he uses taxpayers money to heap gifts on his friends and associates it is everyone=s business. It is not good enough that the premier believes he should go unchallenged when such questionable spending is taking place, while so many needs go unmet.@ |
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