October 23, 1997
(Executive Council)

The following statement was issued today by Beaton Tulk, Government House Leader:

I feel it is necessary to clarify for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, certain discrepancies which may exist in public reports regarding the opening of the House of Assembly. The Government of this Province would like to assure Newfoundlanders and Labradorians that the House of Assembly will be open for the length of time required for the Opposition to do its job of holding the Government accountable.

In fact, this past spring sitting, and the sitting last fall were busy, productive sessions. In the spring the House sat for 28 days, and in the fall, 24 days. In fact, whenever there was a need to open the House we have done so in a timely fashion.

A large number of items were addressed during these sessions, resulting in the passage of 49 bills and amendments in 1996 and a further 15 bills and amendments thus far in 1997. This is a performance on par with other sessions. As with past practice, it has been the traditional pattern to open the House of Assembly in November. In 1996, 1994, 1993 and 1992, the Fall sitting began in November.

I would also like to remind the public that many important issues are also addressed outside the sittings of the House of Assembly. This has been a busy year all around Newfoundland and Labrador. The Cabot 500 Celebrations have given us the opportunity to turn our province into an important tourist destination. I feel we have succeeded. At the same time our growing offshore oil and gas industry is taking off, with first oil just weeks away. We have dealt with issues of Voisey's Bay delays, Aboriginal Land Claims, and of course, the vital issue of education reform, for which the House was re-opened. As well, the ministers are all working hard on a daily basis to make the revitalization of rural Newfoundland and Labrador a priority.

So with all of these issues in the forefront, government is working toward compiling a full agenda for the fall sitting of the legislature and we will be making both the agenda and the date of the opening of the House public within the next week. I want to assure the Opposition and the people they will be given the time expected in any democratic environment to examine all the issues and ask the relevant questions.

Contact: Mr. Tulk's office, (709) 729-4729.