Protection racket

Minister Skinner says in a press release issued shocking late on Tuesday afternoon:

"For 100 years Abitibi-Consolidated had access to land, timbre [sic] and water rights in our province, along with a highly-skilled and dedicated workforce," said Minister Skinner. "Our government acted quickly to ensure the natural resources of our province were protected before this company abandoned its obligations to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador."

Perhaps some time on Wednesday, an enterprising reporter will ask him: "protected those resources from what, Mr. Minister?"

Perhaps an even more enterprising one will ask him, "but, sir, if those resource rights were, as your government has contented, contingent on the operation of the mill... wouldn't they have reverted to you anyway? So why did you have to expropriate in the first place?"

Now, if only enterprising reporters had been around between November 2003 and November 2007.