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Reid says budget surplus does not come as a surprise November 3, 2005
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Opposition Leader Gerry Reid says today’s announcement by government that
there is a budget surplus is not surprising. Reid says government has
convinced the people of the province that the fiscal situation was much
worse than reality in an effort to lower expectations, and have continuously
taken money from the pockets of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians without any
reinvestment. "Since this government was elected, they have continually painted the province’s finances in the most dire circumstance possible," said Mr. Reid. "We continuously stated that the numbers used did not reflect growth in the economy, new projects, increased royalty revenues and other sources of income. Today, as a result of new federal government money and increased offshore revenues, government proved our arguments correct. "To date, this government has done nothing to grow the economy of the province. Projects such as Voisey’s Bay and White Rose, former Liberal government initiatives, are driving the economy. This government has not initiated any projects on their own. Without these projects and new money from the federal government, it appears the fiscal accomplishments of this government would be very thin. "The people of the province experienced first hand the cutbacks and fee increases over the past two years. Almost every government fee, including driver’s licences, birth and death certificates, ferry rates and government permits increased dramatically; highways depots, Human Resources, Labour and Employment offices and courthouses were closed; hundreds of teachers and public sector workers were laid off. Government also refuses to reduce or eliminate the HST they are collecting from the high price of gasoline and home heating fuel. This balanced budget came on the backs of the people of the province. It is government’s responsibility to now start investing in services, infrastructure and the people of the province who have been neglected over the past two years. I am also encouraging government to reconsider many of the fee increases that were implemented two years ago. "While I am pleased to see a budget surplus, it is time for this government to make investments back into the people of this province, especially rural areas where many of these cuts have taken place. They lowered expectations over the past two years, it is now time to take a balanced approach and ensure that the needs of the province are addressed in a reasonable fashion."
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