NLIS 11
October 4, 2002
(Executive Council)

 

Minister to meet with federal Minister of Defence

On Monday, October 7, Tom Lush, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, will meet with the Minister of National Defence, John McCallum, in Ottawa to discuss a number of issues important to the province.

"My goals for this meeting are to engage in an active discussion of future options for stronger provincial involvement in supporting the operation of military training in the province, particularly as it relates to CFB Goose Bay and the NATO Flight Training Program and to discuss with Minister McCallum, a greater Canadian military presence in the province." said Minister Lush.

The minister noted that the province makes a significant contribution in the provision of land, and other assistance, to aid in maintaining a strong low level flying program at Goose Bay.

With the current MOU governing the program expiring in a few years, the province is anxious to collaborate closely with the Department of National Defence, and to engage other relevant stakeholders, to ensure that the new MOU addresses the challenges currently facing the base. This type of approach offers the best opportunity to provide a strong and vital program which will provide maximum benefit for the community, province and country.

With respect to a greater military presence in the province, Minister Lush noted Newfoundland and Labrador�s strategic location on the east coast of the country and the high proportion of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians in the military. The province makes up two per cent of the Canadian population but provincial residents comprise almost 10 per cent of Canada�s armed forces.

The military contributes significantly to the economy of the province and plays an important role in the social and economic success of communities that have a base in their area. In 1999, for example, the base at Goose Bay provided 1,728 person years of employment in the province, of which 1,350 were generated in Labrador, and contributed $90 million to the provincial GDP.

During the visit to Ottawa, Minister Lush will also meet with: Secretary of State for the Atlantic Canadian Opportunities Agency, Gerry Byrne; Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and the Status of Women, Jean Augustine; and the German Ambassador to Canada, Christian Pauls.

Media contact: Janice Lockyer, Communications, (709) 729-1341

2002 10 04                                        5:00 p.m.


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