Opposition parties are not surprised by the province’s $2.1-billion deficit. The grim figures were revealed during a fiscal update last week.

Official Opposition Leader Ches Crosbie says while those who have been watching the pandemic situation unfold are not surprised by the latest numbers, the latest unemployment figures outline the real “human tragedy.”

About 10,000 people have been thrown out of work this year, according to Crosbie, while another 4,000 will be “driven” out of the province looking for work. He says that exodus will continue to impact the province.

Crosbie calls that alarming, because the province has already lost 60,000 people since the cod moratorium. He suggests unless a collaborative solution can be found with the federal government, the province could lose another 60,000 people.

More Details Needed: NDP

NDP Leader Allison Coffin says more detail is needed to better understand the province’s debt.

She says where the debt is being accrued is more important than the debt itself.

Coffin cites the money invested in education as an example. Right now, Coffin says, the province is “just spending money” as a band-aid solution with no real plan or direction.