Premier responds to Ed Byrne�s resignation

Premier Brian Tobin said he has spoken to Conservative Leader Ed Byrne and wished him well in his decision to spend more time with his family.

Speaking from Calgary where he is attending the World Petroleum Congress, Premier Tobin said: "Ed Byrne advised me over the weekend of his decision to step aside from a party leadership role at this time. I wished Ed well and told him I fully understood and respected his determination to spend more time with his young family. Politics makes a huge demand on spouses and our children at any age, particularly when our children are still so young." The premier added: "Ed Byrne was a tough competitor in the last election and he has been a determined and hard-hitting Leader of the Opposition. I haven�t always agreed with him but I have always respected the fairness and decency he brought to even our most heated exchanges in the House of Assembly."

Media contact: Heidi Bonnell, Office of the Premier, (709) 729-3564.

2000 06 12