NSNDP

September 12th, 2019

McNeil should release P3 deal info

Halifax -- The NDP Caucus is calling on the Liberal government to release more information about the planned P3 deal for the twinning of Highway 104.

“Yesterday’s Public Accounts meeting ran into road blocks at every turn and got no real answers to the question of why a public-private-partnership would be the best option for Nova Scotians,” said NDP Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal spokesperson Susan Leblanc. “With a P3, our infrastructure is in the hands of private companies who are making a profit off of our need for safer roads.”

At yesterday’s meeting of the Public Accounts Committee, the Deputy Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal suggested that federal funding for the project was tied to the plan to use a private-public-partnership. The government provided no evidence that a request for federal funding for a traditional public build was ever submitted.

“We have a government who’ve already made the decision that P3s are a good idea and won’t listen to research that shows this won’t be a good deal for the people of Nova Scotia,” said NDP Leader Gary Burrill. “The purpose of building public infrastructure is not to enrich the bottom lines of corporations.”

The McNeil Liberals are also signing P3 deals for the QEII hospital redevelopment and two health centres in Cape Breton.