Minister tours CFS St. John�s

Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Tom Lush toured the facilities at Canadian Forces Station (CFS) St. John�s today.

The minister met with the new station Commander Garrett Reddy and senior officials, and received a briefing on the future plans for the facility.

The minister stated, "Based on the briefing I received today, I am confident about the future of CFS St. John�s, given they have a positive restructuring plan, which will result in a consolidation of operations and will see the construction of new facilities and possible expansion taking place."

"The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador continues to promote and encourage the development and expansion of the military presence in Newfoundland and Labrador. We also continue to encourage the Department of National Defense to take full advantage of the strengths and the opportunities this province has to offer in terms of military training."

As an example, Mr. Lush pointed to the Marine Institute�s involvement with the training of 177 members of the Marine Navel Engineering Squadron.

The minister said, "Training opportunities are critical to the future of the military and the Marine Institute Navel Engineering Squadron is one example of a successful training program. That program has doubled in size since 2000, through the partnership between the military and the Marine Institute."

Media contact: Tom Hann, Communications, (709) 729-1341

2003 09 12                                      3:45 p.m.