Mr. Speaker, recently Canadians have been treated to the spectacle of two Atlantic Liberal premiers opposing federal Liberal policies they once supported when they were members of the government.
When he was a member of this House, the premier of Nova Scotia supported the HST. Now that he sees that the HST does not work, he comes to Ottawa with hat in hand asking the finance minister to reduce the HST premiums.
When he was federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans the premier of Newfoundland allowed the department's policy to destroy the livelihood of Newfoundland fishers. Now that he sees how wrong he was, the premier wants the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans to go to Newfoundland to re-examine the early cutoff of the Atlantic groundfish strategy that would devastate fishers in his province.
Given this double flip flop, Canadians now wonder if the present Minister of Fisheries and Oceans or the Minister of Finance ever became the premier of a province whether they would oppose their own policies because they do not work.