The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The following is the second half of a one-on-one interview with Flin Flon MLA Gerard Jennissen, conducted by The Reminder last week. * * * Reminder: What can you tell us about the situation in Snow Lake, where residents are coping with the seemingly imminent closure of the New Britannia mine? Jennissen: Snow Lake seems to be at the edge of (a closure), although we're not 100 per cent certain. The last meeting I had a week or so ago, (it was stated that) the decision would be made in the States in the end of March. I haven't heard anything since about when the actual closure was going to take place of New Britannia. But I think the way it's unraveling is that, by the end of the year, most of the workers will be laid off. That's the feeling I have. I hope that's not true. I hope all of a sudden gold prices go up or they make a different decision Ñ that's still possible, but not very likely at this stage. Reminder: Describe the impact this would have. Jennissen: If you start losing 150 workers, which they could, then you're talking about, with their families, 300, 400 or 500 people. They leave town, house prices go down, schools have to downsize, the tax base is reduced. It's tough. Reminder: What would be done to help cushion the blow in Snow Lake? See 'NDP' P.# Con't from P.# Jennissen: We will help them as much as we can with community adjustment programs, worker adjustment programs. We've had people in there. In fact, I was there recently, talking to the mayor, the council, the mining people, seeing how we can soften the blow, look at various options, training, and so on. But it's tough. Mining towns, by their very nature, are cyclical. They go up and they come down when the ore runs out. Reminder: Snow Lake would still have one active mine, which is more than Leaf Rapids has. What is the situation like in Leaf Rapids two years after the closure of the Ruttan Mine? Jennissen: Things are tough. They're down to 500, 600 people the last I was there or heard, and they're having problems. Now we cushioned the blow there by finding $2 million for them out of the Mining Reserve Fund. That option may not be there (for Snow Lake), and part of the reason it may not be there is, there's still a mine operating. Not everything is closing, it's only something is closing. But it's certainly a blow. Reminder: Moving to another topic, it's been more than three decades since the Flin Flon Riding has had an MLA from outside of the New Democratic Party. Why do you feel your party is so successful in this region? Jennissen: I think because it is, in all honesty, a working class party. There are parties that claim to be a working class party that are there for the average Joes Ñ then look at the shenanigans they pull, look at the advertising scam of the federal Liberals, and this is how they play politics. It's corrupt. Paul Martin is a millionaire . . . Well, we've got lots of millionaires representing political parties, but I don't know if they know how the average working stiff works. Our party does. We have working class people, we have union people, we have farmers. We're definitely rooted in ordinary, working people's lives, and I think that's why we're successful. Reminder: How optimistic are you about the New Democratic Party's chances at the federal level? Jennissen: Very optimistic. For the first time in a number of years, I see what I would consider an opening to the centre-left. The Liberals, at one time, under Jean Chretien occupied that space very, very effectively. With Paul Martin, who is, despite what he says, very much to the right, fiscally to the right, will put almost all of the political parties, federally, to the right. In other words, a new Conservative Party is, in my opinion, extremely to the right, much more so than Progressive Conservatives. Polls look very good for us in Toronto and other places. I think we'll remain strong in Manitoba and in Saskatchewan. Reminder: Some New Democrats are optimistic enough to predict the party will become the Official Opposition come the next election. Will that happen? Jennissen: I would like that to happen. I can't say that it wouldn't happen, but I don't think that my party, at this stage, has a serious chance of forming the Official Opposition. I hope I'm wrong, but I would be very surprised. See 'Seats' P.# Con't from P.# It's not beyond the realm of possibility, I've seen parties being up there (in the polls) and going right down, and right down and going right up. It's possible, but I don't think so. I would personally be happy if we had 25 to 30 seats. Reminder: What would that many seats mean to your party? Jennissen: For us, it's major. It won't form the government, but in a minority government, that could give you power because now you can negotiate with the minority government. Reminder: Many people outside of your party would have Canadians believe the NDP is simply too far to the left for its own good. Jennissen: I don't think the NDP Ñ the provincial NDP is definitely not left, it's more centre than anything. Federally, I think our party is a little more to the left, but I think we need a left voice because we don't have one right now. Despite Mr. Martin's protestations to the contrary, he's very right-wing.
