Minister ousted over power deal won't return

The MLA for Saint John-Fundy says he's disappointed he won't be returning to his old job as minister of tourism.

Stuart Jamieson says he was recently approached by government house leader Greg Byrne about returning to the Liberal fold now that the NB Power deal is dead.

Jamieson was forced to resign as minister of Tourism and Parks last month after he suggested the deal with Hydro-Québec be put to a referendum.

'I just felt that you know, you can't just bring me back part way, you either welcome me back fully, or not.' —Stuart Jamieson, Saint John-Fundy MLA

He told Byrne he would only come back to caucus if he was given his cabinet job back.

"I just felt that you know, you can't just bring me back part way, you either welcome me back fully, or not," Jamieson said.

"And I was offering to come back, I thought that was as generous as anyone could be under the circumstances and it's unfortunate that the government turned that down."

Jamieson said he's proud of what he accomplished with the Tourism and Parks portfolio.

But he still has plenty of work to do, attending to the concerns of his constituents, he said.

Jamieson, who was first elected as a Liberal MLA in 1987, is one of the longest-serving members of the legislature.

Last week Premier Shawn Graham announced the collapse of the controversial $3.2 billion deal that initiated a caucus revolt and sparked several protests. The proposed deal to sell NB Power's generation assets to Hydro-Québec fell apart over Quebec's concerns about unanticipated costs, he said.

Hydro-Québec had asked for changes to the agreement that would have unacceptably taken away some of the value and increased some of the risks for New Brunswickers, Graham said.