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Canadian flag restored to provincial government buildings Danny Williams, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, announced that the Canadian flag will be raised in front of all provincial government buildings today. The flags will be restored after being removed on December 23, 2004 as a statement to the federal government on the province's displeasure with talks on offshore revenue sharing. "The decision to remove the flag was made after thoughtful consideration, as a clear statement to the federal government that their treatment of Newfoundland and Labrador was simply no longer acceptable," said Premier Williams. "The issue of offshore revenues is the singular most important issue in this province, and we have gone through six months of discussions with the federal government with one result. They are not living up to their commitment. "History has proven that the only way to get the attention of the federal government in Newfoundland and Labrador is to get the attention of Canadians. This is exactly what we achieved when we removed the flags," added the premier. "Not everyone may have agreed with our decision, but we were able to focus the attention of the country on our issue." The premier also said he is concerned about the federal government using the flag as a negotiating tool. The premier wrote to the Prime Minister more than a week ago outlining his concerns with the latest federal government offer. Premier Williams also requested a meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss how to successfully implement the commitment Prime Minister Martin made on June 5, 2004. "I've written the Prime Minister and I have yet to hear back from him," said the premier. "I am disappointed, however, I cannot say that I am surprised as I have three previous letters outstanding with no response. It appears that the Prime Minister is not in any rush to write back to address our province's issues and, to me, this is a very clear signal that Prime Minister Martin indeed does not intend to fulfill his commitment to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador." Premier Williams said the province has made a strong statement to the country; however, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are proud Canadians and will now restore the Canadian flag to the flagpoles of provincial government buildings. "Our statement with the lowering of the flag was directed to the federal government; however, the statement has been made and now we will be raising the flag as proud Canadians," said Premier Williams. "We will still, however, continue to fight the federal government for what is rightfully ours and we will continue to push Prime Minister Martin to fulfill his promise to this province. It is now up to the Prime Minister to decide how important his commitments are to Canadians, and how valuable is his word. Only time will tell." Media contact: Elizabeth Matthews, Office of the Premier, (709) 729-3960 or (709) 690-5500 2005 01 10 12:10 p.m. |
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