Premier defends trip to Dubai: 'My time, my dime,' says Furey

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey says the cost of a recent trip to Dubai, where he had meetings on clean energy and the recruitment of health professionals, will come out of his own pocket.

Furey travelled to Dubai prior to attending the World Hydrogen Summit in Rotterdam, Netherlands. A government press release issued May 10 said Furey was participating in meetings about green energy and the recruitment of health care professionals during the trip and attending a convocation ceremony Saturday at the Canadian University of Dubai, where he would be receiving an honorary doctorate.

"Given the fact that part of that trip was personal, Mr. Speaker, that will be my time, my dime. So for me, there's no cost to government with respect to that trip to Dubai," Furey told the House on Tuesday.

Speaking with reporters after question period, Furey said the trip from Rotterdam back to Newfoundland and Labrador will be covered by the province because it was done for government business.

Furey said he was already in Europe with his wife on a personal trip before the summit and then went to Dubai on his own expense.

"That portion of the trip, even though I did some official government business, that portion will be covered by me because arguably there was a personal benefit," he said.

PC Opposition leader Tony Wakeham said Furey should limit his travel costs, adding the money would be better spent on helping the people of the province deal with issues at home.

He told reporters the premier's office has spent $500,000 on travel since 2020, according to figures the party obtained from the province's accounts.

Furey argued he has a responsibility to travel and showcase the opportunities that companies in other parts of the world have in Newfoundland and Labrador.

"It's my job as the premier of Newfoundland and Labrador to sell Newfoundland and Labrador to the rest of the world, and I make no apologies for that," he said.

Speaking to the House of Assembly on Monday, Deputy Premier Siobhan Coady said the province's work to recruit nurses in Dubai has paid off. There are 64 nurses recruited from Dubai in various stages of applying to work in the province, she said, along with a pharmacist and an X-ray technician.

Furey also said the province has been in talks with Masdar, a state-owned renewable energy company in the United Arab Emirates, about the prospects of renewable energy in western Newfoundland. He said the company plans to make a visit to the province as part of an upcoming trip to Canada.

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