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Judy Foote, Opposition critic for the Department of Innovation, Trade and
Rural Development and MHA for the District of Grand Bank, asked a series of
questions in the House of Assembly this week about what government is doing
to promote economic growth in rural areas of this province. "It must be
obvious to everyone in this province that the current government has no plan
and they are not taking any action to bring about economic development in
the rural areas of our province," said Ms. Foote. "They are in the second
year of their mandate and there is still no sign of a plan to help
revitalize rural Newfoundland and Labrador. They got elected on a promise to
revitalize the rural areas of our province, but all we have seen are
cutbacks and neglect. People who live outside the overpass are being left to
fend for themselves as evidenced by the government’s refusal to use it’s
authority under the FPI Act and ensure a future for those who work at the
fishplants in Fortune and Harbour Breton."
The Liberal MHA asked the Minister questions directly related to funding
for Regional Economic Development Boards (REDBs) which were put in place to
decentralize economic development in this province. In the House of Assembly
on Thursday, Ms. Foote asked the Minister to update whether government has
any plans to cutback funding or reduce the number of boards. The Minister
would not give a commitment to maintaining the current number of REDBs,
however, she did reveal that a ministerial committee had been put in place
to look at the mandate and structure of these boards.
"This government has instituted hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts
this year, but the only announcement to come out of the department with
respect to any kind of regional economic development was $1.2 million over
three years. Less than half a million of that money actually went for
projects in rural Newfoundland and Labrador. Given the situation that exists
in many communities around this province, government should have the plan it
boasted about during the election in place by now and be working with
community leaders throughout our province to implement it. Unfortunately, we
have learned that plan doesn’t exist and given the Minister’s answers to
questions I raised in the House of Assembly yesterday, it is obvious it will
be a while before there is any such plan for rural Newfoundland and
Labrador," said Foote. |