Labrador Affairs Minister John Hickey has defended how he handled a question from a Liberal researcher. Labrador Affairs Minister John Hickey has defended how he handled a question from a Liberal researcher. (CBC)

A Newfoundland and Labrador cabinet minister is defending how he brushed off a query from a Liberal researcher.

Labrador Affairs Minister John Hickey said he acted appropriately when he fired off a terse response to Matthew Pike, a researcher for the provincial Liberal party who had written to Hickey about the future of the Canadian Forces Base at Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

"5 Wing is alive and well," Hickey wrote on his BlackBerry in response to Pike's letter. "You need to grow up. Don't email me again."

The message from Pike that triggered that response read, in full: "I hope that we will hear an update on where government is on the 5 Wing file this session. Respectfully, Matthew Pike."

Hickey's message, sent in December, was raised Tuesday in the house of assembly, where Liberal Leader Yvonne Jones asked whether it was appropriate.

Hickey defended his response in the legislature, and later told CBC News that information requests are not supposed to be made directly to him or his department.

"If you're too lazy to put in your request through the [Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act], then don't certainly harass me as a minister looking for it," he said.

There appears to be a history of conflict between Hickey and Pike. Hickey accused the researcher of altering a public petition before it was presented in the legislature.

As well, Hickey is upset that Pike has written letters to newspapers without identifying himself as a Liberal — something that some Tories have also been accused of doing.

Fast food dig

Opposition House Leader Kelvin Parsons took a dig at Hickey in later debate at the legislature.

"I think first when [Jones] said 5 Wing, he could have only thought she was thinking about Mary Brown's or something," Parsons said, referring to the popular fried-chicken franchise.

"I am sure he had no idea what she was talking about. Now it has always been said that he's only responsible for two or three files, and it is pretty obvious that he does not have much knowledge about what is going on in the 5 Wing Goose Bay file."