Jonathan Rowe
Terra Nova—The Peninsulas, Newfoundland and Labrador · Conservative · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, summer is just around the corner, and there is no better place to be than on the Rock. Whether people want to go to Swift Current to see a world-class car collection, to Bonavista to see the icebergs, to the Burin Peninsula to hear the great stories of the famous pirates or to Lumsden to experience the best beaches north of C…”
“Mr. Speaker, I do not think Saint Pierre and Miquelon was even mentioned in that answer. I do not think that answer is very good for the next generation or very comforting to the next generation. Critical minerals, for example, are critical to the country's development and future.”
“Mr. Speaker, I read a news article yesterday that said there are asylum seekers and claimants from Saint Pierre and Miquelon entering Canada through my part of the island. Are people coming from France, a G7 ally, really seeking asylum in Canada? Are these even legitimate asylum claims?”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of the residents of Carmanville and surrounding communities. The petition is based on a concern for the lack of RCMP presence within those communities.”
“Mr. Speaker, Port aux Basques and Argentia ferries are critical to Newfoundland's economy. They supply our food, medication and everything else. However, the union's agreement ended in December. The unions have been fighting for a deal ever since.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am going to let that minister in on a little secret. These ferries are a federal Crown corporation. Canada has just entered into a recession. Tourism businesses across this country are still having to pay off COVID debt. More small businesses in this country are closing than opening. Insolvencies are higher since 2000.”
The complete record
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“They are always talking about the importance of working together to build Canada strong, so this is their chance and opportunity to show Newfoundland and Labrador that we are moving forward. It is our fish, it is our waters and it is our way of life. I would like to take a minute to clarify something. Over the summer, I had many constituents tell me they wanted to fish seven days a week. After conversations with industry leaders and locals throughout the riding and province, many of them suggested a system with quotas. Discussions started about what a possible quota would look like. Many conversations led to the number of 40 fish, or about 80 fillets, which sounded like a reasonable number to start the conversation. For a family of three, that is 120 fish, 240 fillets and more than two meals a week. In August, we created a petition.”
“It would apply the same rules to all of Atlantic Canada so that we can catch five fish every day of the week during the season, like the rest of Atlantic Canada. It would encourage the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, commonly known as DFO, to have better enforcement and stricter penalties to eliminate the few bad apples that ruin the bunch. It would tie a season to spawning dates, avoiding arbitrary regulations. It would require DFO to post any new rule changes online at least two months in advance. It would also encourage DFO to organize a monitoring system to better understand how, when and where fish are being caught. Newfoundland and Labrador was built on the cod fishery, and the Liberals need to recognize that and vote for this bill.”
“moved that Bill C-237, An Act to amend the Fisheries Act (Atlantic groundfish fisheries) , be read the second time and referred to a committee. Bill C-237. Second reading He said: Mr. Speaker, the collapse of our cod fishery was over 30 years ago. Stocks are up and even commercial fishing has begun, yet my family and I cannot go out and fish on a Thursday afternoon. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are fed up and unfed. Other parts of Atlantic Canada can fish seven days a week, yet we are restricted to only weekends. That is why I am here today with Bill C-237 , the recreational food fishery equality bill. This bill does not have a 40-fish limit, but it would do five crucial things.”
“Mr. Speaker, A 19-year-old from Atlantic Canada has said that food insecurity is not good and that finding a job is even harder. Youth unemployment is skyrocketing, at nearly 15%, and the Prime Minister told Canadians that they needed to make more sacrifices; however, they have already sacrificed enough. Young people are having to sacrifice working in their hometown; they have to go away for work. This means that our kids will be sacrificing dinners with grandma. When will the Liberals get over their overspending and get spending under control so Canadians can have an affordable life and not get stuck with the bill?”
“Mr. Speaker, food bank usage has doubled in the past six years, now with over two million users per month. One in five of those people is actually employed. Even more alarming is that one in four food bank users is from a two-parent household. Young people in this country are doing everything right, and they still cannot live because of Liberal inflation. Instead of asking young Canadians to make more sacrifices, why can the Liberal government not sacrifice its ego and stop its inflationary budgets?”
“Mr. Speaker, whether we talk about the farmers struggling with the canola trade, the steel companies facing tariffs or the auto workers losing 3,000 jobs to the U.S.A., it seems as though all the Liberals are doing is helping Trump build a wall on trade barriers. They never mentioned the trade barriers on our sealing industry in Newfoundland and Labrador. The seal overpopulation in Atlantic Canada is killing our ecosystem. According to the DFO, a sustainable harvest is around 250,000, yet only 30,000 are being killed each year. Here are the facts: Each seal eats 11 pounds per day. Collectively, they eat 9.7 billion pounds per year. The entire Atlantic fishery lands less than 2.5 billion pounds. We need to restore balance to our ecosystem. We need to feed Canadians.”
“Young people are saying they have to sacrifice having children because of the Liberal government's overspending. Why does my generation have to make sacrifices so Liberal governments can continue to release deficit budgets with massive overspending, leaving my generation with the bill?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister told a room full of students that they are going to have to make sacrifices. This is the kind of silver spoon attitude young people are sick of. The only reason this country is in this mess is because the Liberal government shut down our industries and spent more than it could afford. It robbed us. It spent all its money and then borrowed billions of dollars, expecting my generation to pay for it. The Liberals’ overspending has driven inflation to the point where we cannot afford the same quality of life our parents had. We cannot afford a home. We cannot afford an education. We cannot even afford groceries, which are up 4%. In a CBC article in Newfoundland this morning a MUN student said that he used to spend $400 per month for groceries and now has to pay $700.”
“Mr. Speaker, my apologies. My colleague mentioned Donald Trump's tariffs, which is affecting our country right now, but it should not affect our ability to build our own country and export our stuff everywhere else. I am not sure why we do not have pipelines going from Alberta to the east coast, so that if we are going to continue this refinery the way it is, we can at least get Canadian oil and gas in our province and not from other countries. My colleague from the other side mentioned Churchill Falls. I am really looking forward to seeing what the proposal is for that, and hopefully we will see a transmission line that goes all the way to Labrador.”
“Mr. Speaker, there was a lot there, and I thank the parliamentary secretary for that. I thank him for his commitment to Newfoundland and Labrador. What I am surprised about, and perhaps I misunderstood, is that the plan for this refinery going forward is continued government subsidies rather than just trying to find a business plan, investments that make sense and investments that actually bring in more investment from other countries and develop our own. You talked about Donald Trump's investment—”
“lt has only been open a little over a year, and they are already announcing that they are on shaky ground, so shaky that they just had to accept another $25 million from the provincial government just to keep the doors open. When will the Liberal government abolish its green fantasy and actually support oil and gas investments in this country that make sense? Or will it at least get our of the way and steal our common-sense policies to put Canada back on track?”
“While the Prime Minister was flying around Europe to try to find a good deal, I wonder if he forgot which country he was finding a good deal for. He blames Trump for continuously losing car manufacturing plants to the United States; I wonder what his excuse is for losing refining jobs to France. I just cannot wrap my head around how somehow a group of Liberals thought it would be a good idea to spend $100 million to take a refinery that produced 130,000 barrels a day to fuel our province's demands and reduce it to a mere 14,000 barrels a day of only biodiesel that could not even service our gas stations. How on earth could any business produce 10% of the throughput and maintain the same number of workers and the same amount of GDP contribution? How could they not see that this refinery conversion would be on a road to disaster?”
“Now we have to ship fuel in from all around the world and everyone is paying the price, literally. Newfoundlanders are paying five cents per litre to accommodate the added cost of storage and shipping from these other countries. The Liberal government refused to build pipelines to bring Alberta oil to the east coast, so instead we are shipping it in from France. We are not even getting Canadian oil. We are not getting Newfoundland oil. We are getting oil refined in France. On June 6, a Liberal colleague from Newfoundland proudly announced that the North Atlantic Refining company was expanding. I thought that was exciting. I rejoiced until I found out that it was expanding into France, not Newfoundland, not Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, today I rise to talk about the oil and gas industry in Newfoundland and Labrador with regard to our production and specifically our refining. Newfoundland and Labrador had an oil refinery meeting our province's consumption demands since 1976. There is no doubt it had its ups and downs, but over the years it employed thousands of people including myself, my father, my mother and many friends and family throughout the community. At one point, it was 5% of our province's GDP. There were no royalties from the throughput, but simply income tax revenues and other spinoffs. The refinery used to produce 100% of our island's diesel, propane, jet fuel and gasoline. Then the Liberal government wasted $89 million of federal tax dollars while the province wasted another $17 million on a conversion that converted only to biodiesel fuel.”
“Mr. Speaker, when the Liberal government creates deficits by spending more than it receives in taxes, it creates inflation, costing Canadians more at the grocery store, more at the gas station and more everywhere else. New inflation data confirms that Canadians are being crushed by these Liberal deficits. All three core inflation measures are alarming. In just the last year, grocery inflation is up by 4% and rent inflation is up by nearly 5%. When will the Liberals get the inflationary deficits under control to make life more affordable for Canadians instead of trying to outspend Justin Trudeau?”
“Mr. Speaker, we have an interconnected economy. We want to thank Fort McMurray for all the work it has done for Newfoundland and Labrador, and we look forward to working with Alberta to build the best country that we can for change.”
“Mr. Speaker, Newfoundland and Labrador has some of the highest unemployment rates in the country. Next to Newfoundland and Labrador, not far behind is Alberta. That is because the Liberal government has brought in emissions caps and has been choking our economy. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have been travelling back and forth to Alberta and other provinces for years. The member for Fort McMurray—Cold Lake is in agreement with that because she understands. She sees that. The economy of Newfoundland and Labrador is not just in the offshore industry but also in Alberta. When the west does better, all of Canada does better, including the east coast and Newfoundland.”
“Mr. Speaker, the member is saying that Conservatives and Liberals are trying to see who is the most pro oil and gas. Every province in Canada is happy to take oil money, but they are not all that happy to play the oil game. We cannot have oil money without playing the oil game.”
“Mr. Speaker, I will acknowledge a few things. If it is not one thing on one side of the country, it is another thing on the other. The Liberals say that we cannot sell our oil and gas because we cannot get it to market from Alberta. However, for Newfoundland, there is no excuse. We are at tidewater, yet the emissions caps keeps us choked. If it is not one thing, it is another. I am tired of excuses. Canada is tired of excuses. A Conservative government would be working together to build this country.”
“As I stated before, we cannot miss out on our opportunity to have a better tomorrow because we are fantasizing about having a perfect tomorrow. I hope this message will move the Liberal government to work with us Conservatives to repeal these emissions caps so that we can put Canada first for a change.”
“In addition to having some of the strictest environmental regulations in the world, we have the highest safety requirements to protect workers and prioritize quality of life. We have some of the most inclusive oil and gas production in the world. The Canadian energy sector does not discriminate. We hire people of all races, all genders and all sexual orientations. We ensure that our oil and gas benefits everybody in this country. Without naming names, I am not confident that all energy-producing countries have the same equality that we have here in Canada. Why do our allies, who believe in equality, believe in safety and want to see strong environmental regulations, keep buying dirty dictator oil? It is because the Liberal government refuses to repeal the emissions cap so that we can meet their supply.”
“Can our economy really take another hit when unemployment is at an all time high and people can barely afford groceries? We, as Conservatives, promised to work with the industry to double oil and gas in Newfoundland, which would have added an additional 25% to our provincial GDP. Imagine the roads that we could have paved. Imagine the doctors we could have hired, even in St. Lawrence. Instead, we have a Liberal government that wants to leave the emission caps in place, in effect leaving our roads and health care system in despair. I have worked in the oil and gas industry, and I can tell members that our oil and gas is the most socially and environmentally acceptable oil in the world.”
“If there is one country in the world that will benefit from selling energy, I propose that it be Canada. I propose it be Newfoundland. Newfoundland and Labrador's GDP relies on oil and gas more than any other province, even more than Alberta. Newfoundland has more undiscovered offshore oil and gas than we do discovered, yet companies will not invest any further in exploration because of these emission caps. The Bay du Nord project was delayed time after time because of these Liberals' failures, and if it goes ahead, it will be the last offshore project in Newfoundland due to these emissions caps. There is simply no more room. It is capped. Not only will it be the last project, but also, in 2032, the emission caps will decrease, and the current offshore industry will have to cut back on production.”
“rather than here in Canada because there is not enough room under these production caps. The Liberals claim they are trying to fight Trump and build our economy, but they are trying to do it with one arm tied behind their backs. (1650) We need to build these pipelines. We need to build a nation that is able to export to other countries so we can truly lower carbon emissions, yet as the Liberal government was going around claiming it wanted to do that, it refused to take the first step to eliminate the emission caps. Were the Liberals intentionally deceiving voters during their election campaign, or were they simply too stubborn to take the first step? The reality is that if we, as Canadians, do not supply this energy, other countries will.”
“While the Canada Energy Regulator shows that almost all of our gas goes to the U.S., we even sell it at a discount compared to the U.S. benchmarks. It is rumoured that every one dollar of crude that we send to the U.S. is exported for three dollars. Talk about a markup. It gets worse. While visiting a natural gas plant in Alberta, I found out that it is selling to a grid that can be brought down to the Americans for five cents a unit. The Americans liquefy that and sell it for over $12 U.S. a unit. Something is wrong here. That is why Conservatives believe Canadian energy should be cutting coal abroad instead of being sold off to the Americans for pennies on the dollar. We are in a trade war with a country where Trump yells, “Drill, baby, drill”. Oil companies are investing in the U.S.”
“It has always been last year and it will continue to be last year for many years into the future. That is heartbreaking. Last year, the world consumed nine billion tonnes of coal. If the world really wants to eliminate coal consumption, we need to produce an initial 41 billion barrels of oil. I think we can do it here in Canada. The reality is that we cannot miss out on an opportunity to have a better tomorrow because we are fantasizing about having a perfect tomorrow. Where should these nations turn to to source this natural oil and gas? While our allies look elsewhere, Canada keeps selling almost all of its oil and gas south of the border. Natural Resources Canada confirms that 98% of our crude goes to the U.S., nearly four billion barrels per day.”
“The Fraser Institute estimates that doubling Canadian gas production and exporting it to Asia could reduce global emissions by as much as 630 million tonnes per year, almost 90% of Canada's total amount. Let that sink in. There is also a significant carbon savings for replacing coal with traditional oil. That is why we as Conservatives are standing for it. It is a win-win. Regardless of what the Liberals fantasize about, as third world countries are rapidly developing, the global demand for energy is skyrocketing. I was once asked this question: What year did the world burn the most amount of coal? I pondered it, thought about it and figured it was probably during the late nineties or late eighties. I was shocked to learn that the answer was last year.”
“While our taxpayer dollars lose billions in royalties, we send our taxpayer dollars to Ukraine to fight that very country. It is a lose-lose. It does not even begin to make sense. Why will the Liberal government not remove the emissions caps so we can produce more for our allies and provide international security for both of us? Believe it or not, providing the world with our oil and gas would enable us to reduce carbon emissions. We do not need to choke our economy to lower global emissions. We can actually lower global emissions by producing more and getting more Canadians back to work. Natural gas produces roughly half the emissions of coal.”
“The countries affected, such as Germany, came to my province of Newfoundland looking for more oil and gas, specifically LNG, liquefied natural gas. Instead of the Liberal government working with Germany and our private investors, the government said that there was no business case and tried to sell it hydrogen instead. If the Liberal governments had not axed the LNG projects the last Conservative government started, Germany would have already been purchasing our resources rather than funding Russia and giving it more money and more influence in Europe to fund its wars, wars which our taxpayers send their money to combat. It is an oxymoron. To recap, we have emissions caps that choke our industry, allowing for more opportunities for Russia to sell its energy to fund its wars.”
“Mr. Speaker, I serve a big riding. I have knocked on thousands of doors. The consensus is clear: Newfoundlanders and Labradorians do not want these emissions caps choking our economy. These emissions caps do not just affect my riding. They affect the whole world. We have allies throughout the world who are starving for more energy. Our energy is some of the most socially inclusive oil and gas in the world, with the strictest environmental standards. We should be supplying our allies with this energy so we can build our economy, reduce emissions and provide international security. When Russia invaded Ukraine, the message was clear: Europe needed to eliminate its dependence on oil and gas from Russia.”
“It is disappointing that the struggling families, the ones that cannot afford groceries because of Liberal policies, are the ones that cannot go out on a Thursday afternoon to get a codfish when the weather is calm. Instead they have to wait until the weekend, their only weekend off, to risk their life in high winds and high waves. Not only does the bill have mechanisms that would help improve science and data, but at its foundation it would also put Newfoundland and Labrador on an even playing field with the rest of Atlantic Canada, allowing us to fish seven days a week. (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)”
“Bill C-237. Introduction and first reading moved for leave to introduce Bill C-237, An Act to amend the Fisheries Act (Atlantic groundfish fisheries) . He said: Mr. Speaker, whether I am in Trinity Bay, Bonavista Bay or any other bay in Newfoundland and Labrador, the number one topic of concern is our food fishery. The collapse of our cod fishery was over 30 years ago. Stocks are up, and even commercial fishing has begun, yet my family and I cannot go out and get a codfish on a Wednesday afternoon. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are fed up. People in other parts of Atlantic Canada can fish any day of the week, but we are restricted to weekends.”
“It is time for the Liberal government to get out of its own way, stop breaking its promises and use the tools it has, because it is time to get to work.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government promised nation-building projects, including building the green energy corridor. It has all the tools required, yet nothing has been built in the past six months, and the only projects announced are the ones already under way. The people of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador want to see action from the Liberal government. An energy corridor would connect Labrador to the rest of the country without other provinces taking the icing and the cake and leaving my province with the crumbs. The government will not repeal Bill C-69 and Bill C-48 , the production caps or the industrial carbon tax. It will not even commit to its own promise of building an energy corridor from sea to sea.”
“Mr. Speaker, when I was knocking on doors in Newfoundland and Labrador, it was very common for Canadians to say they were not voting because all politicians are corrupt. I heard my fellow colleague mention corruption. I wonder if she may see the bill, Bill C-5 , as perhaps leading to more corruption.”
“Mr. Speaker, recently in my riding, friends and family of Lucas Lethbridge came together in memory of his tragic death due to overdose. I, for one, have lost more friends from addiction than from any other cause. My question today comes directly from Lucas' father: Why does a fentanyl dealer selling cocaine secretly laced with fentanyl get to continue killing vulnerable Canadians in our communities rather than getting locked up for life?”
“Mr. Speaker, I have not heard directly on Bill C-5 , but throughout the campaign, when I talked to aboriginal people in our province, everyone had the same concern. They want to be consulted before things go through. They do not want the federal government to have a veto card to push anything through.”
“Mr. Speaker, I absolutely agree with my colleague. We are in a crisis right now. We are in a tariff war with multiple countries across the world. However, we may have a stockpile of unused steel, and this would be a great opportunity to put our workforce to work, whether they were to be built in B.C., Newfoundland or anywhere in Canada. It is a great opportunity, but it does not seem like the government is interested in seizing that opportunity to create work here at home.”
“Mr. Speaker, desperate times call for desperate measures. Conservatives knocked on the doors of Canadians, and we understand, with the cost of living, they are really worried if they are going to make the next rent. We understand that some projects in this country are better than no projects. We have stated over and over that these are baby steps in the right direction, but we need to repeal Bill C-69 and Bill C-48 to unleash Canada's potential, so we can improve this country and give the citizens at home a better quality of life.”
“Mr. Speaker, we have one transport company from mainland Canada to Newfoundland and Labrador for passengers. It is Marine Atlantic. We do have cargo ships and other companies as well, but we have one for passengers and tourists. That is the one I am speaking of today. There are a lot of things we can do locally, but Marine Atlantic is a national, Crown corporation, and it starts right here in the House.”
“I grew up in a Canada where an average kid from Clarenville could have endless possibilities. He could run for student council and one day be the MP, or he could start pumping gas and dream of one day owning that gas station and be an oil tycoon, just like “Old Man” Irving. Bill C-5 would kill this dream and many more just like it. Bill C-5 tells young Canadians that, if they want to build something, they have to be pals with the people at the top. It is a perfect fantasy for Canadian oligarchs. That is not the Canadian dream. It is a nightmare of privilege. It replaces merit with connection, potential with politics and small-town hope with big-city gatekeeping. We need a Canada where every company and every person has equal opportunity, and we need a smaller government to make way for bigger citizens.”
“Furthermore, if the Liberals realize that a handful of supposed nation-building projects would help our economy, why can they not understand that hundreds of these projects across our nation would put this country back on track, where it needs to be, and take care of our seniors, pave our roads and fix our health care? We would not even need Bill C-5 if the government were to repeal Bill C-69 , which blocks pipelines projects through this country, and Bill C-48 , which cripples our offshore industry. We would not need Bill C-5 if the Liberals had never implemented the production and emission caps that are choking our economy or if we had never had the last Liberal decade because we would have had one of the strongest economies in the world. We have everything in this country to succeed, except for good leadership.”
“By giving themselves the power to make or break any project in Canada with a slight stroke of a pen, it is only a matter of time before we see more shameful stories such as GC Strategies, which was given nearly 100 million taxpayer dollars in contracts to do nothing, or the green slush fund, where over six years Sustainable Development Technology Canada approved approximately 900 million taxpayer dollars in funding that was inappropriately directed to projects that violated guidelines, often given to companies that Liberal MPs or their friends owned. We must learn from the past. Those warnings cannot be ignored.”
“They created so much red tape that they now need this new bill to roll out the red carpet for their VIP-selected projects. Perhaps my colleagues will be filled with the highest level of integrity and would never plan to violate any ethical policies or choose companies that would benefit them, but I can assure the members, absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
“(1335) We want someone from the government on that side of the House to take a stand and assure us that this energy corridor will remove all provincial barriers and gatekeepers, so Newfoundland and Labrador can get our energy to market without having to give away our lunch money. We want a commitment to clarity, timelines and fair play conditions so that all provincial governments and private energy investors can prepare for this enormous opportunity. Let us get down to the core of Bill C-5 . The biggest component of the bill would allow the Liberal government to select a few projects it deems as nation-building projects. What is interesting about this is that even the Liberals now understand that their anti-building laws, anti-mining laws and anti-energy laws are too much for private industry to navigate on their own.”
“Newfoundland and Labrador is one of the largest providers of hydroelectricity in the country, with potential to have massive expansion, yet we struggle to get our power to market. Will the government use Bill C-5 to remove the interprovincial trade barriers on our green energy by ensuring that its proposed energy corridor would be connected to our province? That way, we could sell our electricity at fair market value without the extortion of other provinces. Removing these barriers would both boost our Newfoundland economy and meet national energy needs. Considering the government just hired Hydro-Québec's Michael Sabia, I and every other Newfoundlander and Labradorian have major doubts that this energy corridor would allow our Labrador electricity to market without other provinces taking the icing off the top.”
“Will these powerful paycheques retreat overseas? I understand that the Liberal government has all its consultants as busy as a Bay Street banker rewriting the rules of capitalism before breakfast, but perhaps the Transport Canada minister and her team could investigate this fiasco to determine what needs to be done for these boats to be built here in Canada. In my district alone, there are two shipyards and two fabrication sites sitting idle. Perhaps the Liberal government could work with private industry to make real investment here in Atlantic Canada to conduct minor upgrades to build these ferries, future ferries and other Canadian ships. These idle sites represent a ready-for-business infrastructure and workforce. Being an island and a landmass in the most eastern part of the country holds other connection difficulties as well.”
“Speaking of ferries, I see in the national news that the Province of British Columbia has awarded its ferry construction contracts to Chinese companies, for the ferries to be built in China, a country we are currently having a trade war with. This decision undermines Canada's industrial backbone. The Prime Minister says he is elbows up for Canada, and he brags about allegedly successful meetings with premiers across the country, yet he cannot seem to convince B.C. to build these ferries here in Canada. Talk without action means loss of jobs for our country, which may soon have a stockpile of unused steel and skyrocketing unemployment. I am curious to know how many other boatbuilding jobs will be going overseas. B.C. alone says it expects to create 18 new ferries in the next 15 years. Where will these boats be built?”
“Fifty percent of our province's cargo shipments are through private cargo companies, yet only Marine Atlantic cargo is subsidized. How can private industry compete when shipping costs are so high? If the government wants to continue its freeze on transport trucks, will this create even more demand on Marine Atlantic services, eliminating even more possible ventures for passenger opportunity and tourism opportunity? Why does the Liberal government not make up its mind and either subsidize all cargo shipping into the province or none of it? Perhaps that would shift the cargo market, resulting in fewer transport trucks on our ferries, allowing for more passengers and more tourists to boost our economy, which would reduce the interprovincial trade barriers on our tourism industry.”
“Hotel rooms and historical tours go unused because there is no ferry space available to bring travellers in. During this last campaign, when the Liberals knew they were going to lose more seats, like mine, they made a last-minute election promise to reduce the ferry rates. Now, we can all agree that passenger rates should be free, but the Liberals promised to reduce rates before Canada Day. We are only two weeks away, and the prices still have not changed. People are booking ferry rides now for July and August, but what will happen? Will they get reimbursed? People do not know what is going to happen. This uncertainty undermines planning for families and is creating uncertainty in our tourism industry. If the Liberals want to reduce trade barriers, they need to take a good look at how the island of Newfoundland does trade.”