Premier Andrew Furey is calling on the federal government to reverse the Marine Atlantic rate increase, and says the entire cost-recovery system for the vital link needs to be overhauled.

Furey says the increase in the fuel surcharge from 13 to 17 per cent is punitive to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the tourists who come here.

He raised the matter with federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra last week.

Furey questioned the fairness of the increase on Your VOCM Mornings with Ben Murphy given the fact that the toll rate on the Confederation Bridge linking PEI with New Brunswick has been frozen.

He indicated he’s not sure how the federal government reconciles the freezing of toll rates on the Confederation Bridge with fuel surcharge increases on Marine Atlantic, a service that is enshrined in the Terms of Union. Furey wants the surcharge increase reversed, and “everything needs to be examined” because “the cost recovery system is not working.”