OTTAWA - Members of Nova Scotia's Progressive Conservative caucus met today with their federal Nova Scotia colleagues and ACOA Minister Keith Ashfield to discuss the issue surrounding the ferry service between Southwest Nova and the United States.

“I think we need to be clear. Our goal here was not to try and force the federal government to bail out Darrell Dexter for turning his back on Southwest Nova,” said Argyle MLA Chris d’Entremont. “This was a contract broken by the NDP, and the reality is that the NDP sunk the ferry without understanding the impact that decision would have throughout the province.”

d’Entremont believes that discussions with his federal counterparts were encouraging and certainly addressed the long-term plan for the region. More importantly, he came out of the meeting with a better sense of the complexity of the issue.

“We are very pleased to confirm that the local Industrial Commission has been mandated by the regional municipalities to work with the federal government to develop solutions for the 2011 season and beyond,” said d’Entremont. "This is very important to the sustainability of Southwest Nova."

The discussions today also focused on the immediate pressures and concerns in the community, something acting PC leader Cecil Clarke says is a top priority for residents in Southwest Nova.

“Short-term regional ideas and alternatives were discussed to address growing concerns facing the community,” said Clarke.

The PC caucus was pleased to learn that the federal government had been working with municipalities to provide half of the subsidy to support the ferry service.

According to d’Entremont, it proves that the federal government is serious about the issue, unlike Darrell Dexter who essentially closed the door on any opportunity to play a part in protecting the economy.

Last week, Darrell Dexter defiantly announced that his government would not support a ferry service linking Southwest Nova and the United States.

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