Opposition wants more details of P.E.I. government's economic recovery plan

Members of the Official Opposition want to know when the P.E.I. government will provide details of its COVID-19 economic recovery plan.

Green MLA Lynne Lund pressed Premier Dennis King for details during question periodTuesday.

In May, the government formed the Council for Recovery and Growth. The council began with 28 Islanders from various backgrounds and organizations who were tasked with creating a plan for recovery and growth potential for the province over the next one, two, five and 10 years. Now the team has grown to over 40 Islanders who hadmet about 30times by mid-October.

Lund said she wantsto look beyond the pandemic, and asked the premier for details about what the province's economic recovery plan could look like and when that information will be shared.

She said the province needs a cohesive plan to move forward.

"We need the province to define where it is we're trying to get to in our economic recovery," Lund said.

"I think it's shocking that at this point we don't yet have one cohesive plan. We have multitudes of submissions that have come forward but no evidence of what we actually intend to do with it."

Thousands of submissions received

King said the council has received thousands of submissions from people across the province, providing recommendations for how policy should be made moving forward.

Lund said she wants to know which areas of economic recovery the government will act upon first.

"We have asked so many groups and organizations for feedback and it's excellent feedback but a lot of it's competing," said Lund.

King said he knows there are competing needs and it's important that a recovery plan address them all.

"I think I have been trying to lead by example.I don't have all the answers. You don't have all the answers. Collectively as a province I think we do have all the answers," King said.

"It would be naive to look at the makeup of this legislature, all three parties, and suggest there is just one way forward."

Council working to summarize recommendations

The government has put millions of dollars into COVID-relief programming since the start of the pandemic, including $40million toward an emergency contingency fund to support Island workers and over $50 million in financial support for Island industries like tourism.

King did not say when the council will present its plan. Hesaid the council has divided into five different groups, each one focusing on a different part of P.E.I.'s economy, and work is being done to summarize the recommendations Islanders have submitted.

"What we've found as the groups have reported back, that there is a great desire in this province to see a basic income, a living wage," King said.

He said there are also recommendations for government to prioritize creatingreliable access to internet across the Island and expanding innovations into green technologies.

"Now the greatest respect we can pay all of those who contributed is to start to put the actions to the words," King said.

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