Budget surplus won't sweeten MD offer: N.L.

Newfoundland and Labrador's government has rejected an offer from the province's doctors to give up the right to strike in exchange for binding arbitration.

Provincial medical association president Dr. Pat O'Shea said doctors should be deemed an essential service, like firefighters and police.

Finance Minister Tom Marshall said that's not going to happen. Marshall, who announced Tuesday that Newfoundland and Labrador is on track to post a small budget surplus this year instead of a substantial deficit, ruled out using the windfall to sweeten government's offer to physicians.

"People have to realize that it's our role as a government, we've been elected by the people to govern," said Marshall.

"Not slough off decision making to others. We're accountable. I'll stand in the house and I'll be criticized and blasted by the opposition over this and I'll have to account to the people of the province for it, but I'd rather do that and be responsible and be accountable rather than hand it to some other person who's responsible and accountable to no one."

The province's more than 1,000 doctors are voting on the government's contract offer. The medical association expects to have all their ballots back by Dec. 13.

The physicians' last four-year agreement expired more than a year ago and they andthe province have been trying to negotiate a new four-year contract for almost two years.

A two-week strike by doctors in 2002 was resolved with binding arbitration. That time the arbitrators gave physicians millions more in total funding than the government was offering.