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Province expresses displeasure at further loss of federal presence Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Tom Marshall called on the federal government today to reverse its decision to close the Public Service Commission (PSC) office in St. John�s and address the disproportionate location of federal offices throughout Canada. Minister Marshall has written to Liza Frulla, Minister of Canadian Heritage and minister responsible for the PSC, and expressed grave concern about the closure and downsizing of federal offices and related employment in Newfoundland and Labrador. �There is a very unacceptable trend happening in this province with regard to the continuing cuts in federal jobs,� said Minister Marshall. �Tuesday�s announcement is the latest in a list of recent closures and proposed closures that includes the weather office in Gander, the proposed closure of the Atlantic Cool Climate Crop Research Centre and the proposed removal of DFO�s Toxic Chemical Program from the province.� During the period from 1992 to 2003, federal government employment in the province decreased by 37 per cent (from 13,239 to 8,322) nearly twice the national average of 19 per cent. The minister says that the latest decision to close a federal office in Newfoundland and Labrador is further indication that the federal government does not appreciate the fact that this is largely an island province, with limited access to the mainland. Re-locating staff to Halifax puts Newfoundlanders and Labradorians at a distinct disadvantage in accessing PSC services in comparison with the rest of Atlantic Canada, whose residents can more easily and cost-effectively travel to Halifax to speak in person or take part in a job interview. �Newfoundland and Labrador has been treated unfairly in the placement of federal offices throughout the country,� added the minister. �We are the only province that does not have a true federal regional office. There are regional headquarters located in Newfoundland and Labrador, but only in those instances where federal regions are defined as a single province as is the case with Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada.� The minister said that this is not just an economic issue, as the practice of removing jobs and offices from Newfoundland and Labrador leaves the impression that this province is not valued by the federal government. In addition to this, the provincial perspective is lost when it is filtered through a regional office outside the province. �Federal jobs and services are as important to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador as they are to the people of any other province,� said Minister Marshall. �I am calling upon the federal government to seriously reconsider this closure and address the disproportion of federal government offices throughout Canada, specifically as it relates to Newfoundland and Labrador.� Media contact: Billy Hickey, Communications, (709) 729-6985, 691-6390 2005 07 29 2:55 p.m. |
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