The Opposition tourism critic is concerned about opinions expressed by the tourism minister prior to being elected and appointed to the role.
Andrea Barbour, who had a significant presence on social media before political life, suddenly wiped her social media feeds last week.
Some of Barbour’s previous posts have garnered negative response from the public.
Gander MHA Bettina Ford told VOCM Open Line with Paddy Daly, that while she has no issue with posts made for entertainment purposes, her concern is the critical tone Barbour took in a now-deleted TikTok video, but shared on other social media platforms, in which she questioned government’s approach to tourism.
Ford says while the comments were made before Barbour was elected to government, they’re still concerning. “Talking about investment in tourism from the government of Newfoundland and Labrador, and just comments around ‘I don’t think they got it straight’ and questioning around Newfoundland traditions, and it being ‘washed out’ and that when she grew up, it was only Newfoundlanders and Labradorians here.”
Ford questions what that now means in terms of influencing government policy and investment, and whether the minister supports immigration.
“If that was her perspective then, what does that say about her role now as the Minister of Tourism?…and will that perspective impact the investment that the PC government is going to make in tourism?”
Steve Outhouse (via LinkedIn)
Premier’s Office defends minister
Spokesperson in the Premier’s Office and member of the new government’s transition team, Steve Outhouse says the post in question was made in 2020 when Barbour was a Zumba instructor “and it talked about a certain type of Zumba she was looking to get started or things like that. The Opposition’s going to do what the Opposition’s going to do,” says Outhouse. “They have just recently lost an election that many people thought they were supposed to win, so, they’re licking their wounds a little bit and they’re desperate to find a way to get back into the headlines.”
He defended Barbour as “a very inclusive person she’s going to 100 per cent stand up for Newfoundland and Labrador’s culture and tourism industry, and I think all industry stakeholders who get a chance to work with her are going to see that shine through.”
