A drop in oil prices and the Coronavirus dominated Question Period in the House of Assembly today.
The first portion of Question Period was dedicated solely to the major drop in oil prices and governments plan going forward.
Crosbie: five years to get spending under control and you failed. This what you call a plan?
Osborne: there were unknowns in plan to return to surplus like $3B to fund Muskrat Falls. This is a global crisis. @VOCMNEWS #nlpoli
— Ben Murphy (@VOCMBen) March 9, 2020
PC Leader Ches Crosbie pressed Finance Minister Tom Osborne for a plan, that saw some chirping back and forth about the financial mess the Liberals walked into, and their lack of ability to get spending under control.
Osborne says the drop in oil prices is very concerning and they are continuing to monitor the situation. He is supposed to meet with the opposition on the matter this evening.
Tony Wakeham brought up governments six-month interim supply bill and asked Osborne to reduce it to three-months. Osborne says they’ll only do that if the Opposition promises not to vote down the budget and force people back to the polls.
As for the Coronavirus, the focus was on international school trips. The opposition says there are parental concerns and they want the trips officially cancelled so families can get their money back.
Education Minister Brian Warr says the school district is working with health officials, they are aware of the concerns and there are ongoing discussions.
