Ernest Hilaire says SLP govt is determined to clean up the mess left behind by former govt

Deputy Prime Minister of St Lucia Ernest Hilaire stated that the St Lucia Labour Party-led government is determined to clean up the mess left behind by their predecessors. He said the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Philip J Pierre is working on setting new directions to put the people first.

Listing down the weekly achievements of the government, he said the parliament passed a historic and transformational bill to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of cannabis. He said it was long overdue, and the SLP government will further move forward to deal with issues of cultivation and commercialization.

Ernest Hilaire said that Wednesday was his first engagement with the regional and international travel and leisure media, where he joined other tourism officials to present the latest developments in the sector. He also visited Castries South constituency on the same day.

"I always feel most energized in my constituency. Just driving around and seeing familiar faces makes me feel grounded. It is the best feeling." stated Ernest Hilaire.

Discussing further, the Deputy Prime Minister said he carried out the first budget meeting with officials of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. He said a more monumental effort is needed to pull St Lucia from the cliff edge of economic disaster.

Hilaire said he also spoke to World Bank officials via video-conferencing and discussed a very exciting tourism project which has been ongoing for about three years. He said the government is making some changes to the project and bringing it back on track.