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News
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Opposition want information on crab workers program Government not dealing with crisis they caused October 6, 2005
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Roland Butler, Opposition Human Resources, Labour and Employment Critic and
MHA for the District of Port de Grave, wants government to provide an
explanation of why money allocated for a support program to assist crab
industry workers is not being spent. "In a June 28th news release, the Williams government made an announcement of $18 million for a support program to assist crab industry workers and now there are indications that only a portion of this money is being spent," said Butler. "Despite severe hardship being experienced by many people who rely on the crab industry, less than $4 million of this money has actually been spent. It is time for the Minister to explain why they are not spending the money allocated when many people involved in this industry are facing hard times and many have had to leave the province. "We should also not forget that this problem was created by an inflexible Premier who tried to impose his will on a group of independent fishery workers. The outcome of the Raw Material Sharing plan and resulting strike were disastrous. Now, after announcing a significant support program to assist the people in the crab industry, government appears to be holding back money and not spending the full amount they originally allocated." The Liberal MHA says that during the crab dispute, opposition MHAs spoke out about the negative impacts that would be felt throughout the rural economy. "It was hoped that this program would have softened the blow to rural areas as a result of the crab dispute. It is to the detriment of rural Newfoundland and Labrador that government has once again failed to live up to expectations. "The real shame is that the hardship being felt in rural areas as a result of the crab dispute could have been avoided if the Premier had taken a different approach. With a different approach, the crab industry could have been a successful revenue generator for the province this year. This whole episode is another example of how the Williams government has failed rural areas of this province." |
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