Time management (II)

MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, the Premier was in Ottawa this week for meetings. While he was there, we certainly hope he visited suite 1604 on Metcalf Street, also known as the empty office of the Province’s Ottawa representative as the empty space is costing the taxpayers of this Province almost $100,000 a year in rental expenses.

I ask the Premier: The position of the Ottawa representative has been vacant since January; is there any necessity to be throwing tax dollars away for the position that has proven to be totally ineffective?

PREMIER WILLIAMS: Mr. Speaker, during that trip I really did not have time to put my feet up and have a cup of coffee in the office, to be quite honest with you. From the time we landed, from the time we left we were very, very busy. We went through an extremely successful group of meetings.

I met with Minister Strahl with regard to Aboriginal issues and actually dealt with the Innu issue and the lands claim agreement and facilitated an upcoming meeting between the Innu Nation and the federal government. That will take place hopefully within the next couple of months.

Then left there and went to the House of Commons where we were very well-received, favourably received, by all parties in the House of Commons which is very nice. Then proceeded to an in-depth meeting with the Prime Minister and discussed a broad range of issues commencing with the fisheries, and the Lower Churchill, and Coast Guard and rescue and a host of issues.

Because of his time frames, we then moved on to another meeting and moved to the meeting with the Minister for ACOA, Keith Ashfield, and discussed funding for the Province with regard to the Atlantic Gateway, the Northern Gateway and a lot of other issues. Then I met with the minister responsible for the Province, Peter MacKay, and started with discussions on Labrador, 5 Wing Goose, Search and Rescue, and, again, another host of issues. I then finished up with a very, very fruitful meeting with the Minister of Finance with regard to the acquisition of the 8.5 interest in Hibernia.

So, no, I did not have time to stop at the Ottawa office.