Some in the business community have questioned why the provincial government has not cut expenses while employees in the private sector have suffered job losses and wage reductions.
Finance Minister Tom Osborne says there is good reason for that.
Osborne says many of the federal government packages offered to employees affected by the downturn caused by the pandemic don’t apply to the public sector.
He says the provinces and federal government agreed that the best way to support the public sector was to keep them employed.
The economy was under enough stress, Osborne indicates, and keeping public sector workers on the payroll was one way to support the economy through a rough patch.
St. John’s Board of Trade Pleased with Measures Announced
Meanwhile, the St. John’s Board of Trade is applauding provincial government measures to ease the burden on local businesses.
Yesterday, Osborne announced the deferral of a number of business fees amounting to approximately $6-million. The minister consulted with the business community once again following the announcement.
The chair of the St. John’s Board of Trade, Andrew Wadden, is urging the provincial government to continue working with the business community to open up the economy as safely and quickly as possible.