Wakeham defends Barbour over rubber-boot keychain purchase, pledges cost-of-living relief

“I don’t believe that she has a patent on the use of rubber boots,” Premier Tony Wakeham said Wednesday, Oct. 14, at his State of the Province address to the St. John’s Board of Trade.

He was defending Environment Minister Andrea Barbour’s decision to spend public money on yellow rubber-boot keychains for students who travelled with her to France.

The keychains featured Barbour’s signature yellow boots alongside the province’s floral emblem, the pitcher plant.

CBC News reported that the Culture Department spent $1,350 on 150 keychains through a sole-source contract.

Wakeham said Barbour wanted to give the students a token of appreciation and insisted the purchase followed government procurement protocol.

Asked whether it would be appropriate for taxpayers to fund replicas of his own antique pickup truck to give to constituents, Wakeham replied that he drives the truck “all the time” and “everywhere,” rather than only on special occasions.

He described Barbour as “one of the most passionate Newfoundlanders and Labradorians” he knows, and defended the business that supplied the keychains, saying it was being developed by three young people learning about entrepreneurship.

“She followed protocol, and she didn’t benefit from it at all,” Wakeham said.

Asked whether Barbour owed the public more direct answers about the purchase, he replied: “I think we’ve addressed that issue, and I’ve addressed it.”

Wakeham said the government expects to announce cost-of-living relief in the coming weeks, acknowledging that high gas and fuel prices are putting significant pressure on households.

“We’re looking forward to providing some relief to the people in Newfoundland and Labrador,” he said.

Asked whether the measures would focus on fuel prices, Wakeham did not commit to a specific approach.

“The Minister of Finance likes to talk about many levers, and I think we’ll pull a few of them,” he said.

Wakeham said his government would examine the pros and cons of rent-control legislation but made no commitment to introducing it.

The question came as tenants displaced from 91 Brazil St. in downtown St. John’s face uncertainty over where they will live.

“It’s sad when you see a situation where people have to be evicted from their accommodations because of the conditions of the building,” Wakeham said.

He added that Newfoundland and Labrador Housing was working on solutions for the displaced tenants.

On rent control, Wakeham acknowledged the rising cost of living and said the government would continue to support people through existing assistance programs.

“That’s something that we’ll look at and discuss and look at the pros and cons of what that would look like,” he said.

Wakeham reaffirmed his government’s commitment to a third urgent care centre in Conception Bay South, despite staffing challenges at the Mount Pearl center, which has yet to open.

He said CBS is a growing community and another center could help ease pressure on health services in St. John’s.

“It will take some of the flow away from the centre city,” he said.

Wakeham acknowledged, however, that building facilities alone would not resolve the province’s health-care challenges.

Recruitment and retention remain essential, he said, adding that the government has met with unions and will continue discussions.

Wakeham said his government intends to reach an agreement with the Innu Nation over Churchill Falls after being asked whether the province could move ahead without their agreement.

In his address, Wakeham called the deal a “win, win, win” and said he hoped the Innu would be involved.

“I think what we’ll do is we will sit down with the Innu and come to an agreement,” he said.

Wakeham acknowledged that he had not personally spoken with Innu representatives recently, but said government negotiating teams and Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro had continued to engage with them.

Asked why he had not reached out personally, he said he had met with Innu Nation Grand Chief Jodie Ashini “many” times.

He recalled discussing Ashini’s access to provincial archaeology records, saying, “I said she could have access to all that information.”

Wakeham said he would meet with Innu leadership again “at the appropriate time,” but did not give a date.

In his State of the Province address, Wakeham presented offshore oil and gas and the Churchill Falls agreement as key opportunities to create jobs and generate revenue.

He argued that the province could not rely on spending cuts alone to improve its finances.

“You don’t cut your way to prosperity. You grow your way,” he said.

The address marked one year since the Progressive Conservatives took office.

Wakeham said he had received a report on Members of the House of Assembly’s pay but had not yet read it.

The report will go to the Management Commission for consideration.

“Once I go through a report and read through it all, it’s always a challenge, of course, when you’re asked to bring something back to the House of Assembly, to vote on your own increases,” said Wakeham.

He said he wanted to consider the report’s recommendations before taking a position. He also pointed to the need to attract more candidates with different backgrounds to the legislature.

“How do we attract the different types of candidates? That’s what’s important to me.”

AnnMarie Boudreau, CEO of the St. John’s Board of Trade, said turning the province’s potential into economic growth will require careful planning, a stronger workforce and government co-operation.

Many of the projects being considered are in rural and remote areas, she said, so it’s important to prepare communities for the demands on infrastructure and services.

“We can’t just be working to advance the opportunity for the project without thinking about the impact that it’s going to have on the community,” she said.

Boudreau also said the province needs to advocate for immigration levels that reflect its workforce needs and do more to attract international students.

She said Newfoundland and Labrador is not reaching even its current allocation of international students, despite the number permitted to come to Canada having been reduced.

“If we want the workforce of tomorrow, if we want to be able to deliver on all of the project opportunities that are facing us right now, we need people to do that,” she said.

Boudreau said businesses are ready to pursue opportunities but need government co-operation to move projects forward.

Newfoundland and Labrador is competing internationally for investment, she said, and unnecessary barriers or delays could affect whether projects proceed in the province.

“Making sure that we have the conditions that we are a province that is open for business, that we are supportive of making things happen, that’ll be the difference between a Newfoundland and Labrador project being selected globally or not,” she said.

The Board of Trade has been advocating for red tape reduction and is working with the provincial government on the issue.

Boudreau said there had been delays but hoped to see progress in the coming weeks.