Office of the Official Opposition
For Immediate Release

St. John's, NL (December 15, 2020) – Paul Dinn, PC Official Opposition Shadow Minister for Immigration, Skills and Labour and MHA for Topsail - Paradise, is raising concern about the future of the students currently enrolled in the greenhouse training program.

Dinn said, “These students started their education in the greenhouse training program with the promise of jobs at Canopy Growth’s White Hills facility. Now that Canopy Growth has left the province and the facility will not become operational, where will these students be employed? What prospects are there for them to utilize their education?”

Dinn also raised this issue yesterday in the House of Assembly, but did not get a satisfactory answer from Minister Parsons.

“When I raised these concerns yesterday in Question Period, Minister Parsons did not answer my question. These students are left wondering if they will get a job in the industry, will they have to leave the province, or will they be left with student debt and no way to pay it,” continued Dinn.

“There are no guarantees when it comes to employment but these students made career decisions based on this government’s narrative of the future of cannabis production in the province. Minister Parsons would have you believe nothing was lost in the Canopy operation failing and clings to repeating that no taxpayer funds were lost, but I challenge government to respond to the students who now have accumulated huge debt with no prospects in the near future,” said Dinn.

“This province needs jobs. This province needs to give our youth opportunities to stay in their province. These students took out student loans and availed of other funding for training and now join the long list of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who are worried about their future employment. Where is the Comprehensive Human Resource Plan promised by this government? They need a government that will stand up for job creation,” concluded Dinn.

Contacts:

Bradley Russell

Director of Communications and Digital Strategy

(p) 1.709.729.3668

BradleyRussell@gov.nl.ca

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