(March 25, 2022) – David Brazil, PC Official Opposition Leader, and Lloyd Parrott, PC Official Opposition Shadow Minister for Industry, Energy, and Technology, are calling on the Liberals to answer key questions about the recent troubling news that the Federal Liberals are forcing a delay on this year’s call for exploration bids.

“We have been speaking out and raising concerns about what this delay means for the offshore oil and gas industry and the reasoning as to why the Federal Liberal Minister has asked for such a delay,” said Brazil.

Brazil and Parrott together released a list of questions which Furey and O’Regan must address.

· The C-NLOPB Call for Bid process is a regular annual process. Why does the Federal Minister feel that this year is the year he needs to weigh in and defer the land sale process?

· Yesterday the Federal Minister connected the delay in the land sale to marine protected areas, but one of the areas which is up for auction is located close to areas which have been previously auctioned, so why is this now a concern?

· Another area going up for bid is on the South Coast, which to our knowledge is not a marine protected area, can this area be put up for bid immediately?

· The provincial Minister has indicated the province can move ahead unilaterally, without federal support, why doesn’t Furey action this?

“This continued pattern of delays is sending a terrible message to the international industry. A delay in land bids does not bode well for Bay du Nord, or any other existing or planned developments in our offshore,” said Parrott.

“Other countries are moving quickly to supply the world with oil and natural gas while this province and country, under anti-oil Liberal leadership, are content to let our offshore industry fade away.”

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Contacts:

David Maher

Director of Strategic Communications

(cell) 709-725-0984

DavidMaher@gov.nl.ca