Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Apples and Oranges... or sour grapes...

What's shameful here is Mr. Rodd using the Irving’s to take a pot shot at Government... it's no wonder the Island NDP's haven't a snow ball’s chance in hell of ever getting a seat here under Mr. Rodd's leadership with this type of corporate bashing... the Irving’s aren't getting the money here as it's being used to train their 800 strong workforce or otherwise send them home... I'm thinking that keeping people working has a great social and mental value to it but more important the training may position the Company to be stronger when the economy picks up... the result might be more work which provides more jobs and more taxes back to Government and one way or the other taxpayers will get this money back... the Irving’s have proven over and over again their commitment to invest and provide jobs to Islanders... they've done it in many industries including farming something which Mr. Rodd couldn't do and probably why he has this chip on his shoulders about the Irving’s and is now using petty politics like this to get back at them... yes there are many issues in health and I believe Mr. Currie is seriously dealing with them in the best manner he can but the cancer funding issue is a health care matter and shouldn't be compared to a business matter... you can't compare these two issues like apples and oranges but you could look at them as sour grapes on Mr. Rodd's part....
Choosing Irving over cancer patients shameful: NDP
Monday, November 30, 2009
CBC News
The P.E.I. government has its priorities all wrong in providing funding to train employees of Cavendish Farms rather than pay for a cancer drug, says NDP Leader James Rodd.
P.E.I. is the only province in the country that does not pay for the cancer drug Avastin, and Health Minister Doug Currie said last week he doesn't know when the province might find the estimated $600,000 a year it might take to fund the drug.
But Rodd told CBC News on Monday that the government didn't have any trouble finding $630,000 to help Irving-owned Cavendish Farms. The company is going through periodic shutdowns due to a weak market, and the province has agreed to pay its workers for training during those shutdowns.
"Where is the compassion here? Tommy Douglas, the father of medicare, he would have known where to put the money: in the hands of those that need it," said Rodd.
"I ask Islanders, if they had the choice to put $600,000 into the hands of people who are suffering from colorectal cancer and give them some hope, or give it to a multinational corporation, I think they would know the right thing to do."
The government money will go directly to about 800 employees who will be laid off during the week-long shutdowns.
The province estimates about 15 Islanders a year would qualify for treatment with Avastin.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The real issue is that the Government has opened the door to every company that may have to lay off staff to come looking for "training" money.
Government cannot justify singling out Cavendish Farms because they are big.