Opposition Leader misleads the public regarding Voisey�s Bay

Mines and Energy Minister Lloyd Matthews said comments by the Leader of the Opposition concerning future job figures at the proposed underground mine site at Voisey�s Bay are misleading and incorrect. During question period in the House of Assembly on December 12, the Leader of the Opposition stated that there was no commitment by Inco in the Voisey�s Bay binding legal agreements to create 800 underground mining jobs, a commitment that was made in the Statement of Principles.

"The Leader of the Opposition is deliberately misleading the public regarding job creation at the proposed underground mine operation at Voisey�s Bay," said Mr. Matthews. "The Leader of the Opposition should know that individual sections and provisions in a document of this nature cannot be read in isolation of each other, and all sections must be read in the context of the entire document."

"The Leader of the Opposition should know, after thoroughly reviewing the agreement, that Section 4.5 of the Voisey Bay binding legal agreements, commits Inco to employing 800 people at its proposed underground mining operations at a cost of $750 million. Any statements by the Opposition implying that there is a discrepancy between the number of jobs referenced in the Statement of Principles and those in the binding legal agreements are unfounded and untrue.

"We debated the Statement of Principles in the House of Assembly in June. At that time, the Opposition could not produce a list of loopholes that they were convinced existed in the agreement. After having two months to review the legal binding agreements, it is still obvious that they have not discovered any loopholes.

"Voisey�s Bay is a very important development for the people of the province. Voisey�s Bay is about creating job opportunities and economic development. We have made all of the documents available to the public for their analysis and 70 per cent of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians support the Voisey�s Bay deal. It is now time for the Opposition to admit that this government achieved a very good deal, and I call upon them to join the vast majority of our citizens in support of this excellent project."

Media contact: Darrell Mercer, Communications, (709)729-5777

2002 12 13                                         3:25 p.m.