Liberals 'kicking a tough decision down the road,' opposition claims

Newfoundland and Labrador's opposition parties were not impressed by the Liberals'fiscal update Tuesday, saying that extending the budget consultation process to March 2017 is simply a delay tactic.

• Liberals to tackle Newfoundland and Labrador's fiscal plight

NDP LeaderEarleMcCurdysaidthe Liberals needed to step up and take charge of the province's economy.

"At some point,they're going to have to govern," he said.

"Really what it is now is just a kind of 'What do you think,folks?' What's going to come back is a very divergent set of ideas dependent on whose ox is being gored."

The new Liberal government announced its Government Renewal InitiativeTuesday, which outlined how it would develop a long-term plan for Newfoundland and Labrador's economy in the 2017 budget.

This process included extensive public consultations from now until March 2017.

Opposition Leader Paul Davis dismissed the plan outright.

"The Liberals told Newfoundlanders andLabradoriansthey were ready to govern, and it is shocking to hear they are not,"Davis in a statement.

"The province cannot afford to wait until 2017 to develop a long-range plan when the province is facing challenges right now which require action immediately."

'Nothing new' seen in consultations

Tory finance critic Keith Hutchings said that the announcement was "nothing new," as governments have always conducted budget consultation processes in the winter.

Hutchings said the Liberals were just stalling difficult choices.

"Making a budget in government, it's nothing like in opposition," he said.

"You have to make tough choices, you have to tell people in groups you can't do things for them, others you can," he said.

"As far as I'm concerned what we're doing now is kicking a tough decision down the road."

The Liberal initiative has a mandate to look for new revenue sources, eliminate waste and assess the role of government in providing public services.