December 8, 1999
(Works, Services and Transportation)

The following statement was issued today by Rick Woodford, Minister of Works Services and Transportation. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

I wish to present the Honourable Members of the House of Assembly with an update on the status of the Gulf ferry service.

However, we have not received a response from either Minister Collenette or Marine Atlantic on the results of our consultations. It is time the people of Newfoundland and Labrador heard what kind of Gulf ferry service we will have next year. It is time the tourism and motor coach industries had a full schedule for year 2000 so they could make necessary business decisions. It is time the trucking industry knew the level of capacity and sailing hours so they, too, can make business decisions. It is time potential tourists from across Canada, New England, and elsewhere knew what vessels were operating so they could make reservations to visit our province and enjoy the Vikings! 1000 celebrations. It is time that the Ministry of Transport, the board of directors of Marine Atlantic, and the senior management of the corporation provided a response to the 24 recommendations outlined in our September "On Deck and Below" report. It is time, that Newfoundland and Labrador had a fully adequate and appropriate ferry service across the Gulf.

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians want to know the status of the review of the "On Deck and Below" recommendations. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians want to know about the types of new vessels being considered for the Gulf service and we want to know how far along a new vessel is in the approval process.

It has been over eight weeks since the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador presented a series of 24 recommendations for improvements to the Gulf ferry service to the Minister of Transport and to Member of Parliament George Baker.

It has been over a month since independent traffic studies conducted by both the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and Marine Atlantic confirmed a serious capacity deficiency on the Gulf ferry service. Travellers, truckers, and tourists continue to be subjected to the existing inadequacies of the Gulf ferry service.

We've been working in consultation with Mr. George Baker, our federal Cabinet representative, and other Members of Parliament and have their cooperation and support on this matter. They are as anxious as we are to see Newfoundland and Labrador provided a ferry service that will adequately meet our needs. They have assured me they will continue to work on behalf of the province until a satisfactory conclusion has been reached.

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador requests that the federal Minister of Transport immediately announce the details of the new ferry vessel for the Gulf and that he immediately respond to the recommendations put forth by the province in "On Deck and Below." We urge Minister Collenette to take all necessary actions to provide a ferry service which meets year 2000 standards in the provision of service to the province.

1999 12 08 2:15 p.m.