June 27, 2011 – Members attending the PSAC Atlantic Regional Convention, including members of the National Component, took part in a rally in St. John’s to save the Newfoundland and Labrador maritime rescue facility. A crowd of over two thousand rallied to show their support.
Provincial Liberal Leader Yvonne Jones said: “We rely on search and rescue every single day to save the people that we love at a time of distress, […] We’re asking Stephen Harper to not put a price on the lives of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.”
The rescue centre has been designated for closure as of June 2012.
In her speech to the crowd, Jeannie Baldwin, PSAC’s REVP for the Atlantic Region, called the Conservatives’ decision to close the centre “nothing short of reckless.” She added: “We know how ruthless, and how dangerous, and how fatal the North Atlantic can be. And Stephen Harper is playing around with lives here. He is ignoring the public will, the public good, and the public safety. Three hundred and fifty members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada are here to support the Newfoundlanders and Labradoreans who brave these dangerous waters every day. At the end of the day, they deserve to come home to their family safe and sound.”
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Many photos of the rally can be seen on the National Component’s Flickr site! |