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May 14, 2015                HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS                Vol. XLVII No. 15


 

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

 

MR. SPEAKER (Verge): Order, please!

 

Admit strangers.

 

I am pleased to welcome to the public gallery today several members of the Radhoc Youth Leadership, members: Jennifer Crowe, Ryan Murphy and Sean Kennedy.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

Statements by Members

 

MR. SPEAKER: Today we will hear members' statements from members representing the Districts of Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair, Kilbride, Bay of Islands, St. George's – Stephenville East, Cape St. Francis, and Port de Grave.

 

The hon. the Member for Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair.

 

MS DEMPSTER: Thank you.

 

Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today during National Nursing Week to recognize the nurses who provide extraordinary service to the residents of Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair.

 

The theme, Nurses: With you every step of the way, emphasizes how important nurses are in our lives – at every age, in all health situations, for all Canadians. 

 

Throughout the district, we have a health care centre in Forteau and six community clinics along the coast.  Isolated communities, some that are often only accessible by helicopter, snowmobile, or boat – but, Mr. Speaker, it is all part of being a health provider on the Labrador Coast. 

 

In many cases, nurses work in the absence of a physician during all hours of the day and are expected to deal with all medical situations, including emergencies, medivacs, births, and deaths. 

 

Nurses in these coastal communities are our neighbours, family, and active members of our communities.  They are indeed with us every step of the way, and are committed to making our communities healthier places to live. 

 

On behalf of the people of Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair, I want to thank those nurses and let them know that we genuinely appreciate their tireless efforts and applaud them for the valuable service they provide. 

 

Thank you. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Kilbride. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. DINN: I stand in this hon. House today to recognize an outstanding individual from the District of Kilbride. 

 

Len Mooney was born and raised in Kilbride and comes from a family of ten children.  His father died at the age of forty-nine.  Len attended school in Kilbride, and then moved on to St. John's to attend high school and university.  After graduation, he entered the insurance business and helped many individuals and families. 

 

When finding out his daughter was legally blind, he helped form the Newfoundland and Labrador Visually Impaired Children's Association where he served as President for seven years. 

 

Through the years, Len has been active at his church as a ward representative and has been a member of school PTAs.  In 1984, he received the Donald S. MacNaughton Award presented by Prudential Insurance to an agent who has done exceptional volunteer work. 

 

In 1988, Len joined the St. John's Lions Club and since then has served in many positions, receiving many distinctions. 

 

On April 19, 2014, he was elected District Governor of District N4 at the Annual Lions Club Convention held in Gander. 

 

I ask all hon. members to join me in commending Len Mooney for his many years of dedicated volunteer work. 

 

Thank you. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Bay of Islands. 

 

MR. JOYCE: Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to recognize Olivia Perry, a Level I student at St. James All-Grade School in Lark Harbour.

 

In April, Olivia won the national poetry reading championship at the Poetry in Voice competition held in Montreal.  This competition involves choosing a poem from an online anthology, reciting and discussing it in front of your classmates, and then presenting it before the entire school.  Olivia had to submit a video to the national competition on her reading three poems selected from the anthology.

 

Approximately 40,000 students from 400 schools across Canada participated with thirty-nine students from the online entries selected for the final competition.  Eighteen students competed in the English stream, while the other twenty-one competed in the French and bilingual categories.

 

Olivia was the only finalist from Newfoundland and Labrador, and this was her second year in a row to attend the competition.  For her great accomplishment, Olivia received a $5,000 cash prize for first place, and her school library will receive $1,000 to purchase new material.

 

I ask all members to join me in extending congratulations to Olivia on her accomplishments and wish her every success in her future endeavours.

 

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. George's – Stephenville East.

 

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

Today I rise to congratulate eighty-eight members of the Stephenville High School Concert Band, which recently won the Gold World Strides Heritage Performance Award and an Adjudicator Award at a major competition in New York City.

 

The band was one of thirty-six performing groups – including choirs, orchestras, and concert bands – who competed and performed at Riverside Church, one of the largest churches in the United States.

 

While in New York, the group also had an opportunity to visit Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, the Ground Zero Memorial, Radio City Music Hall, and Broadway.  They also took in a playoff hockey game, a soccer game, as well as the Blue Man Group.

 

This is the second time a band from Stephenville has visited New York under direction of teacher Howard Larade – the last time was in 2011.  The band members were not intimidated by New York and were well behaved on the trip.

 

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to congratulate the members of the Stephenville High School Concert Band on their accomplishments, and also recognize those who helped make this trip such a success.

 

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Cape St. Francis.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. K. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

I rise in this hon. House today to recognize the newest Lions Club in the Province.  The Torbay Lions Club had their first charter night on May 2, 2015.

 

Mr. Speaker, there are twenty-five members led by President, Lion Nancy Codner.  The club is looking forward to begin community service and are hoping to attract new members in the future.  They are determined to do their best to help individuals and families in the area.  They are now members of the largest international service organization.  There are 1.4 million Lions with 46,000 clubs, in 202 countries around the world.

 

Mr. Speaker, the Pouch Cove Lions Club sponsored the Torbay club and their first charter night was held in Pouch Cove with Lions Roland LeGrow and Herb Hudson as Guiding Lions.  The Torbay Lions Club will be in good hands under the guidance of one of the most active Lions Club in the Province.

 

I ask all hon. members to join with me in congratulating our twenty-five new Lions and thank them for stepping up to help their fellow citizens.

 

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Port de Grave.

 

MR. LITTLEJOHN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

I rise today in this House to recognize the Town of Upper Island Cove on the occasion of their fiftieth anniversary of incorporation on May 9.  The town, Mr. Speaker, dates back to the late 1600s when according to the Berry Census of 1675 the population was fourteen.  Today, it is a bustling town of over 1,800, known for its dedicated volunteers.

 

The evening was highlighted by the presence of their Honours.  His Honour, Lieutenant Governor Frank Fagan, spoke of his roots to the community and commended those who have served the town since its incorporation in 1965.  He paid tribute to the many volunteers who give their time and effort to enhance the services and attributes of this scenic town.

 

Mayor George Adams spoke of the advances the town has made particularly, with physical infrastructure, noting the town is nearly 100 per cent water and sewer serviced.  He noted the absence of the first mayor, Mr. Will Greeley, who was a leader in having the town seek incorporation.  Mayor Adams was proud to announce the town will be debt free later this year.

 

I ask all hon. members to join me in congratulating the Walled City on fifty years of incorporation.

 

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Statements by Ministers.

 

Statements by Ministers

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. S. COLLINS: Mr. Speaker, I rise today in this hon. House to celebrate how collaboration and research is supporting and encouraging youth volunteers throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

 

On April 22, representatives from the Office of Public Engagement, Radhoc Youth Leadership, and Memorial University's Department of Political Science, the Community Sector Council, and Memorial's School of Social Work joined forces through an interactive workshop to discuss ways to foster youth involvement.

 

Mr. Speaker, volunteers have long been an integral part in Newfoundland and Labrador, but we need new volunteers and fresh perspectives to help ensure our communities remain strong and welcoming places to live.  The more connected that someone feels to a community, the more likely they are to stay, work, and raise a family.  For rural communities, this is what contributes to their long-term sustainability and viability.

 

Through the workshop, which was inspired by a collaborative initiative underway in the Gander – New-Wes-Valley region called Uniting Community Leaders, forty-five young people from diverse backgrounds spoke about ways to strengthen rural communities in this way.  They are also exploring research collected by Radhoc Youth Leadership members Jennifer Crowe, Ryan Murphy, and Sean Kennedy – who are joining us today in the gallery.

 

Mr. Speaker, working together, the Radhoc team reached into the community to gather information and unique experiences from more than 180 youth over the past few months.

 

It is also worth noting that one of the founding members of Radhoc is working with us in the Youth Engagement Division of the Office of Public Engagement, where she is focused on building strong partnerships with youth organizations.  As we speak, the office is also preparing for tonight's URock Volunteer Awards at the Glacier in Mount Pearl, where we will celebrate the incredible volunteer efforts of young people.  I invite everyone to join us in person, or through the webcast at urockvolunteerawards.ca.

 

Mr. Speaker, with their skills, enthusiasm, and ingenuity, youth are helping Newfoundland and Labrador move forward at a critical point in our history.  By providing them with forums to connect and explore ways in which they can contribute, we will help to ensure they have the supports needed to remain true leaders in their communities.

 

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Order, please!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. Barbe.

 

MR. J. BENNETT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

I thank the minister for an advance copy.  Mr. Speaker, Radhoc is a social justice youth leadership program based in Newfoundland and Labrador.  One of its biggest projects is the annual youth leadership conference.  I have had the privilege of attending two of the last three conferences, along with members of certain other parties.

 

The conference is an exciting and inspiring leadership development experience for high school students in Newfoundland and Labrador.  Through this conference, Radhoc aims to educate high school students on social global issues in the hope they will be able to return to their schools with the motivation and skills necessary to make their own positive change in the world.

 

Radhoc's approach is arranged according to five principles: innovative, interactive, independence building, inspiring, and impact making.

 

Mr. Speaker, Radhoc started in 2007 when seven Memorial University global social justice groups got together and used the acronym, Radhoc, which stood for Rights and Development High School Outreach Conference, but has since abandoned the acronym to simply say Radhoc.

 

Radhoc does wonderful work in our Province to bring high school students into the volunteering mode and to give them an opportunity, in some cases, to visit St. John's and experience Memorial University. 

 

Mr. Speaker, I think today belongs to Radhoc. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's East. 

 

MR. MURPHY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. 

 

I too thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement here today.  Mr. Speaker, I hope this workshop provides opportunities for youth to speak out about what they and their communities need to thrive in the future. 

 

Congratulations to the organizers and to the Radhoc team that gathered the viewpoints of so many youth across the Province.  More importantly, Mr. Speaker, it is important to honour youth volunteers with events such as the URock Volunteer Awards.  So we commend them on that initiative. 

 

Mr. Speaker, government also has to keep in mind that it is also important to take concrete steps to keep young adults in their communities and in the Province with accessible education, good jobs, and good services. 

 

We wish all the best to the Radhoc volunteers and to the award winners tonight in advance. 

 

Thank you very much.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Further statements by ministers? 

 

The hon. the Acting Minister of Education. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. DALLEY: Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to recognize fourteen students from across the Province who have received the Safe and Caring Schools Graduating Student Awards. 

 

The Safe and Caring Schools Graduating Student Awards program was established in 2006 and recognizes youth who have taken a leadership role in their schools.  Each student will receive a $500 post-secondary tuition voucher for their efforts. 

 

This year's recipients are Amber Whiteway and Julia Catherine Barry of Menihek High School; Hannah Hepditch of Corner Brook High School; Selina Morris of St. Mary's All Grade; Aimee Rideout of Gros Morne Academy; Mackenzie Susan Dawe of Jane Collins Academy; Julie Goudie of Indian River High; Ashely Mackeigan of Exploits Valley High; Randi Burke of Marystown Central High School; Ashley Drover of Tricentia Academy; Marshall Miles of John Burke High School; Caitlin Pike of Ascension Collegiate; Leah Denise Walsh of St. Catherine's Academy; and Lucas Walters of Clarenville High School. 

 

This award program goes hand-in-hand with the Safe and Caring Schools Special Project Awards, which earlier this year saw forty schools receive $500 each in recognition of their individual efforts to establish safe and caring learning environments.  A total of $27,000 is allocated annually for both initiatives. 

 

Mr. Speaker, ensuring the students of Newfoundland and Labrador have a positive, safe and caring school environment in which to learn is a key priority for this government.  The Safe Caring Schools Policy helps to establish and maintain a positive school climate which is essential for our students. 

 

I ask all hon. members of this House to join me in congratulating and thanking these students for making a positive difference in the lives of their fellow students and their communities.  I commend all of these students for helping us carry out this very important initiative. 

 

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. Barbe. 

 

MR. J. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for the advanced copy of his statement. 

 

In the case of these fourteen students, just as a pebble is dropped into a pool of water and a wave emanates washing on shore everywhere, when people do good deeds and in particular when they follow along with Safe and Caring Schools concept and when they treat other students accordingly, the goodwill that is generated from these fourteen young people and all of their schools, and all of the people who have yet to be recognized, this is the way that it seems most appropriate and most effective to be able to generate Safe and Caring Schools.

 

We cannot legislate something, we cannot impose, we cannot force people to behave in a certain manner but when we encourage and when we motivate and when we reward, these are the results that we see.  The Opposition is quite grateful that this award is working very well, and I would like to point out one of these students, Aimee Rideout, is from the St. Barbe district. 

 

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Signal Hill – Quidi Vidi.

 

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

 

I, too, thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement.  I applaud the fourteen students receiving the Safe and Caring Schools awards.  I hope they have a great post-secondary experience and I am sure their skills in fostering safe, inclusive learning environments will carry over to those settings. 

 

The Safe and Caring Schools Special Project Awards are also an important, if somewhat modest, incentive for schools.  I encourage the minister and this government to follow the lead of the students in schools and provide the necessary resources to ensure that schools can respond to students' need for safety and inclusion.

 

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

The hon. the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. JACKMAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

I rise today in this hon. House to recognize Sunday, May 17, as International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. 

 

The theme of this year's campaign is Stand with LGBT Youth, and it calls on all of us to support young people as they advocate for visibility, respect, and equality for persons of all genders and sexual orientations.

 

Mr. Speaker, this day is dedicated to raising awareness of homophobia and transphobia, and campaigning against it by celebrating gender and sexual diversity.

 

Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, vulnerable populations, including gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are subjected to acts of violence in schools, workplaces and communities, and experience higher rates of violent victimization than heterosexual individuals. 

 

The first step toward preventing these types of violence is to educate our residents on the importance of diversity in all sectors of our society.  Women, children and youth, Aboriginal persons, older persons, persons with disabilities, LGBT individuals, persons of varying race or ethnicity and persons of differing economic status have the right to live free of the fear of violence or abuse.

 

Mr. Speaker, as part of the Violence Prevention Initiative, our Regional Coordinating Committees Against Violence are planning and participating in events throughout the Province to recognize International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.  For example, the Bay St. George Coalition to End Violence is joining with Western Pride to hold a flag-raising and proclamation signing in Stephenville.  In addition, Burin Peninsula Voice Against Violence is working with the local high school to create information displays, and distribute pride flags to students.

 

Also, on Sunday May 24, Planned Parenthood – Newfoundland and Labrador Sexual Health Centre will hold a breakfast to recognize the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, and I encourage everyone to find out more about this event.

 

Mr. Speaker, I invite all of my colleagues to join me in recognizing International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, and in acknowledging the hard work that Planned Parenthood and our Regional Coordinating Committees Against Violence do on a daily basis.  The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador remains fully committed to working to prevent all forms of violence so that residents of Newfoundland and Labrador can live in violence-free communities.

 

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. George's – Stephenville East.

 

MR. REID: I thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement.  I am happy to join with my colleagues in recognizing the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia in this hon. House.  Such observations bring the challenges and triumphs of the LGBTQ community to front of mind. 

 

LGBTQ persons have faced and continue to face considerable persecution here and abroad.  The LGBTQ community continues and there are achievements to celebrate.  That we recognize the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia in this hon. House is testament to a society that is increasingly embracing diversity. 

 

I commend the community organizations throughout this Province, including the group in Stephenville, that are recognizing May 17 and promoting non-violence throughout the year.

 

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.

 

MS ROGERS: Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement.  I am so proud to stand in this House to recognize International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.  Wow, have we come a long way. 

 

In my own lifetime, people were rounded up and imprisoned for being gay.  People were lobotomized, thrown in asylums, thrown out of jobs, thrown out of their families.  Today, many of us can proudly say: I am here.

 

LGBTQ folks are everywhere: teaching, healing, winning Olympic medals, standing in Legislatures.  We are mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and on a whole gender spectrum.

 

There is still much work to do, and I honour those who do it with passion and compassion.  Bravo, Planned Parenthood and the Regional Coordinating Committees Against Violence.

 

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. HUTCHINGS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to highlight a significant announcement that my colleague, the hon. Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, and I recently participated in – the official opening of the new Corner Brook water treatment plant.

 

Through an investment of approximately $50 million from the federal, provincial, and municipal governments into the water treatment plant and associated infrastructure, quality drinking water will be provided to the residents of the City of Corner Brook and adjacent communities of Massey Drive and Mount Moriah.

 

The new Corner Brook water treatment plant was made possible under the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund, and I am pleased to say the provincial government contributed $12 million to bring this project to fruition.

 

The new water treatment plant is designed to meet the Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines, has an above ground storage reservoir system located adjacent to the plant, and a reservoir sized to meet the needs of fire and emergency services.  The plant is designed to produce a maximum flow rate of 30 million litres per day.

 

Mr. Speaker, the City of Corner Brook working in partnership with our officials procured this infrastructure through a design-build process.  This process enabled the city to evaluate proposals not only on the basis of up-front capital cost, but on life-cycle cost as well.  As a result of the process, the cost of completing the plant was reduced by approximately $15 million when compared to the traditional design-bid-build approach that was initially explored.  It is important we continue to explore innovative approaches such as this to ensure we are maximizing the value of our investments.

 

Mr. Speaker, as a government we have been making progress in addressing infrastructure needs through our municipal capital works program, with key priority areas including improving drinking water and waste water systems.

 

In fact, between 2008 and 2014, we have approved in excess of $800 million in provincial funding for municipal infrastructure projects, resulting in new and improved infrastructure in communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.  Approximately $184 million of this funding has been invested in water projects.

 

Mr. Speaker, in recognition of the need for continued investment in municipal infrastructure and building on a three-year $200 million municipal infrastructure program announced in 2014, as announced in this year's Budget our government is committed to another $175 million investment in new projects for the period 2017-2018 to 2019-2020.  This is in addition to provincial funding that will be provided over the coming years to leverage federal funding under the new Building Canada Fund.

 

These significant investments and levels of funding are enabling our communities to secure, develop, and improve infrastructure to support long-term growth and sustainability.

 

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.

 

MR. JOYCE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

I thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement.  People on this side also would like to commend the city council of Corner Brook, government, the federal government, and Gerry Byrne for his support on this to ensure there is safe drinking water, Mr. Speaker.

 

This safe drinking water, Mr. Speaker, is important to everybody.  I noticed down through some of the notes the minister made, this will bring this water up to the Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines which is a good initiative for all the residents of Corner Brook.  Mount Moriah and Massey Drive also uses this water supply. 

 

I noticed the minister mentioned the design build – talking about the design build. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MR. JOYCE: There is one difference with this design build as to what the Premier is asking for the long-term care facility.  There are city workers in this design build.  The City of Corner Brook sets the rates, not like the Premier is saying, that the business will set the rates and they will supply their level of service.  That is the difference with this design build and what you are asking about the long-term care. 

 

You talked about, Minister, all the money you spent.  Why are there still over 200 boil-order advisories in the Province?  What we are doing with the money, we had to find a different way, Mr. Speaker, because it is just not working with all the money. 

 

Mr. Speaker, when I look down here and we talk about the money they are going to spend in 2017-2018 –

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MR. JOYCE: It is just like Stephen Harper –

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

I remind the member his time has expired.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's East.

 

MR. MURPHY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

I thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement here today as well.  Mr. Speaker, we know that Corner Brook has had a lot of issues with giardia.  We know that these problems have been ranging now in the years.  While this is a good announcement, we cannot forget about other municipalities with a huge ask for funding directly attributed to water. 

 

According to MNL, almost $6 billion is needed over the next ten years to meet operational requirements and upkeep of present infrastructure.  Mr. Speaker, a lot of this ask is to deal with water issues that are quite problematic in the Province today.  While government may be making some progress, they have to remember that clean water is everybody's right and should remain priority number one for any government that sits in this Legislature.

 

Thank you very much.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

Oral Questions.

 

Oral Questions

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

 

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

In the first nine months of fiscal year 2014-2015, government increased the amount of untendered work by 55 per cent over the same period a year earlier. 

 

I ask the Premier: Why have you allowed this increase of untendered work in our Province?

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. CRUMMELL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

Mr. Speaker, there is a reality to the situation here.  The reality is exactly this: exceptions are part of the act.  Exceptions are part of every bit of legislation around public tendering in this country.  So that is why you understand why these things happen.

 

Mr. Speaker, there are 1,470 exceptions that were filed last year.  They are available.  They are posted here in the House every thirty days.  When there is a pressing emergency, that is when we go out there and get the work done; that is when it is done.  If we are purchasing textbooks for schools, and there is only one textbook.  That is the one you have to go get.

 

When you talk about sole providers, that is where the public tendering act comes into play.  It is there for a reason, Mr. Speaker.

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

 

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

I noticed the minister talked a lot about textbooks, but what he did not talk about were gym memberships by NLC at $11,000 for four months.  He kind of missed that one as a sole source.  Maybe we will get that explanation later.

 

The Government Purchasing Agency is responsible for government's oversight, the procurement of goods and services.  On March 5, 2012, that is over three years ago, government tabled a bill to deal with procurement in government.  The contents of that bill were never released and it died on the Order Paper.

 

I ask the Premier: Why isn't having good, proper, procurement legislation and ensuring that money is spent properly a priority for this government?

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

PREMIER DAVIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

It certainly is a priority for us as a government.  We made great progress on improving on plans and polices and legislation.  We continue to bring new legislation to the House of Assembly here, which helps to improve on how we do business on a day-to-day basis. 

 

Procurement, as well, is a piece of legislation that, as the member opposite said, was on the Order Paper at one point in time.  We are still doing work on that, and we will be bringing that to the House of Assembly.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

 

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

It is in the mandate letter.  It was over three years ago to put a proper procurement process in place for this Province, one that was committed by this government.

 

Over a year ago, in April 2014, the minister said this: We are working diligently to come up with legislation that would make sure taxpayers' dollars are being used more wisely in public procurement.  In Estimates Committee just a few days ago, he confirmed that the legislation will not be introduced in this session of the House of Assembly.  That is three years.  The Premier says they are working on it.  Three years later, it is still not done.

 

I ask the Premier: Why are you delaying this legislation if you know it would save taxpayers' money?

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. CRUMMELL: Mr. Speaker, there has been a significant amount of work done on this legislation.  It is very complicated. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MR. CRUMMELL: We are finalizing it, Mr. Speaker.  There is new information that is becoming available.  We are trying to understand the RFP processes that are being used in other provinces and other jurisdictions, that are becoming more prevalent day in and day out in government's business right across Canada, so we want to have the most effective legislation possible.  This legislation will stand for years, Mr. Speaker.

 

The legislation we have in place right now is very effective, Mr. Speaker.  It is very good legislation.  We are following that legislation and when we are ready, we will bring this forward. 

 

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

 

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. 

 

Three years ago they were ready with something, so what happened to that piece of legislation called Bill 1 over three years ago?  Why was that withdrawn from the Order Paper? 

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. CRUMMELL: Again, Mr. Speaker, it is a very complicated piece of legislation.  We have to make sure that we do this right.  We have looked at that initial document that we were prepared to bring forward, the initial legislation.  We pulled it back because we found that it was not as good as it should be. 

 

Mr. Speaker, we do recognize in this House that we bring amendments forward to change legislation that has been on the books in the past.  The best legislation possible is legislation that does not require amendments and lasts a long time; but, again, we want to make sure we do the work and we do it right.  We are still gathering information in finalizing that document. 

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MR. CRUMMELL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

 

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. 

 

Certainly 2012 was a watershed year for this government when it comes to good legislation because just a few months after that it was Bill 29. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. BALL: This government, in the 2003 Blue Book, committed to a new procurement process.  That is twelve years ago.  They committed to it again in 2007, in the 2007 Blue Book, and again in the 2011 Blue Book – Bill 1, over three years ago now. 

 

I ask the Premier: Why have you failed to act in twelve years?  Don't you think that twelve years is long enough to make the changes required to ensure taxpayer money has been better and more wisely spent – twelve years I say, Mr. Speaker? 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

PREMIER DAVIS: Mr. Speaker, he is asking me why I have not done it for twelve years.  The first thing I remind him is that I have not been here for twelve years, but I can tell you the length of time that I have been here –

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

I ask members for their co-operation. 

 

The hon. the Premier.

 

PREMIER DAVIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

As I was going to say but –

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

The hon. the Premier.

 

PREMIER DAVIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted by members opposite, Mr. Speaker, this is something that I personally myself have had my eye on for some time.  I can tell you there has been a considerable amount of work done on it and if you look across jurisdictions across the country, different provinces have found different ways.  Some have made numerous changes to the legislation and processes, Mr. Speaker.  It is a field that is evolving regularly and evolving very quickly, and we want to make sure that we get the best legislation.

 

We look and review as to what other jurisdictions are doing, what works for them and what does not work for them, and I can tell you there is a broad array existing across Canada on procurement.  We have a piece of legislation right now that is working for us.  We want to work and we are committed to work towards providing the best legislation –

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

PREMIER DAVIS: – possible and the best processes that are going to get us best value.  Until we land on what we feel is the best legislation we can bring forward, we will not bring it forward, Mr. Speaker, but we are continuing to do the work and we will continue to do so. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

 

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

Well, it is interesting to see how the Premier is trying to distance himself from the mistakes, yet he wants to take credit for some of the other announcements that past governments have made. 

 

Speaking about past Premiers, for three years we have been calling – I have been calling – for any revenue realized from the sale of surplus Muskrat power to be used to offset the high power rates in our Province.  There has been conflicting comments from various Premiers, and we have had 3.5 or so in the last year.

 

I ask the Premier: Will you do the right thing and commit to using the money from surplus power to offset high power rates in our Province? 

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

PREMIER DAVIS: Mr. Speaker, Premier Marshall was quite clear in his position – and I share in his position on this in that he said we will use some of that revenue to offset those costs.  I believe that is the right thing to do as well. 

 

When we get to the point in time and the point of the day where we know exactly what those revenues are, we know exactly what the costs are of those days, we will finalize those decisions or the government of the day I am sure will.  I agree with what the member opposite is leading on in that we have to take steps to ensure we keep rates as best and lowest as possible for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador and that means returning those revenues back.  In that regard, Mr. Speaker, I certainly support that belief.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

 

MR. EDMUNDS: Mr. Speaker, fourteen cases of tuberculosis since October in the Inuit community of Nain is causing some concern.  TB is a serious disease and can easily be spread through the air from person to person.

 

I ask the minister: What extra resources have you provided to the community of Nain to control further spread of tuberculosis? 

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, as a matter of fact just before the House sitting, I sat with some officials from Health.  It is a very serious situation, no doubt. 

 

Mr. Speaker, Labrador-Grenfell Health is working very closely with the Nunatsiavut Government.  We will provide what services as we see fit and as they see fit, and that is needed in Nain at the present time.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

 

MR. EDMUNDS: Mr. Speaker, the increase in the number of cases of TB in Nain is part of a national trend that is showing an increase in TB cases across Canada.  For example, Calgary has seen an increase of 42 per cent in active infections since 2010. 

 

I ask the minister: Given this disturbing trend, what steps are being taken to prevent the spread of TB to other communities in Labrador?

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, what I would like to point out to the member is that the agencies, the groups, Nunatsiavut Government, and Labrador-Grenfell Health are all working jointly to address the situation.  I am certain that together they will come up with a plan to looking to contain it and find a resolution to it.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Humber East.

 

MR. FLYNN: Mr. Speaker, there are deficiencies in the newly renovated Corner Brook Intermediate school and rumours abound on the West Coast.

 

I ask the minister: Will he inform the school council, parents, and indeed this House of these deficiencies?

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. BRAZIL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

I do want to note to the House here that our contractors are on site.  There were some issues around the fire suppression system.  We had looked at it.  We brought in an outside consultant to ensure that the adhesive process had been put on properly. 

 

When we determined that it was not to our liking, we went back to the contractor and asked them to reassure us that it was going to be brought up to par.  The contractors are on site.  We are confident it will be completed and the school would open this fall, Mr. Speaker.

 

Thank you.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Humber East.

 

MR. FLYNN: Mr. Speaker, when the contract for the renovated Corner Brook Intermediate school was awarded in March of 2013, parents were assured – assured – that the school would be ready for September 2014.  Since then, we have seen delay after delay in the opening dates.  So now the minister is saying that in 2015 the school will open.

 

Are you assuring, with certainty, that the school will be ready for opening on September 8, 2015?

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. BRAZIL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. 

 

I want to note that because of the oversight by my staff and the contractors consulting onsite, we have determined that there were things there that we were not pleased with.  We wanted to ensure that the safety and the quality of that school were second to none, Mr. Speaker. 

 

That is what we ensured here, Mr. Speaker.  We are working very closely with the contractor and the subcontractors.  We have a consultant onsite, and our staff travel there on a weekly basis to assess the situation.  We are confident we will have that school open for this fall, Mr. Speaker. 

 

Thank you. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's South. 

 

MR. OSBORNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. 

 

Government announced an education incentive program in 2006 to provide Newfoundland and Labrador Housing tenants with a monthly stipend of $50 for each student attending school in Grade 7 and higher, including post-secondary education. 

 

In 2013, Newfoundland and Labrador Housing said high school graduation rates were not improving for tenants despite the program.  They said just 50 per cent of tenants were graduating high school.  Provincially, the rate is 95 per cent.  Another two years have passed, and still no improvements. 

 

I ask the minister: Will you confirm that this program has not been effective in improving high school graduation rates for Newfoundland and Labrador Housing tenants? 

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister Responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador Housing. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, it is a follow-up question to Estimates the other night.  As officials from Newfoundland and Labrador Housing pointed out to them at that particular point, Mr. Speaker, it is a program that they are continuously monitoring.  They are putting every effort toward improving the graduation of students in Newfoundland and Labrador Housing, and they will continue to do that, Mr. Speaker. 

 

I am certainly not ready, as a minister, and Newfoundland and Labrador Housing are not ready to give up on the program.  It requires monitoring, which they are doing, and we will look forward to better success down the road. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's South. 

 

MR. OSBORNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. 

 

Nobody is asking the minister to give up on the program, but ten years of monitoring a program with no improvements should mean that you will have another look and find improvements.  You have known for some time that this program is not working.  You have had ten years to improve the program.  You have had ten years to improve the graduation rates of Newfoundland and Labrador Housing students, there has been no improvement. 

 

Why hasn't high school graduation rates for Newfoundland and Labrador Housing tenants been a priority for government? 

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister Responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador Housing. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, this program is similar to other programs.  This is about supporting the people who live in Newfoundland and Labrador Housing.  It is about supporting those people who find challenges on a day-to-day basis.  We are not ready to give up on this program, and I hope he is not suggesting the same thing.  We will continue to monitor, seek ways to improve, and then hopefully improve upon graduation rates.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Conception Bay South.

 

MR. HILLIER: Mr. Speaker, recently, government voted against our call for an independent seniors' advocate.  The minister responsible for seniors said he believes that seniors have access to enough groups and individuals.

 

I ask the minister: Given that we have a Child and Youth Advocate, why can't we offer the same protection to the seniors of this Province?

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, I will repeat what I said to the hon. member in questions that he has offered of this nature before.  We feel that seniors have a variety of avenues through which they can address issues that they have a concern.  They have the 50 Plus clubs that are out there.  We have an advisory –

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MR. JACKMAN: We have an advisory council to the minister, Mr. Speaker.  The seniors have avenues.  The resource centre for seniors that distributes and disseminates information all across the Province, these people are another avenue.  I reiterate that we have the avenues whereby seniors can have their issues addressed.

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Conception Bay South.

 

MR. HILLIER: Mr. Speaker, I am not sure if I want to put the concerns of seniors solely on the backs of a group of volunteers.

 

Recently, the Member for Exploits dismissed the seniors advocate as a greater cost to the government.  At the very same time, government was repealing Bill 29 – a mistake that cost taxpayers over a million dollars.

 

I ask the minister: What is an independent voice for seniors' worth to your government?

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.

 

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, I have yet to see anything from the members opposite that indicates what their plan forward is for the seniors.  I would ask –

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MR. JACKMAN: I would ask anyone, Mr. Speaker, to take a look at all of the programs that we provide to seniors.  I will say that our record on supporting seniors is better than any that has ever been in this Province.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

The hon. the Member for Conception Bay South.

 

MR. HILLIER: Mr. Speaker, as you are aware, we brought forward a private member's resolution several weeks ago indicating that we will appoint a seniors advocate.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MR. HILLIER: I ask the minister: Will your government do the same? 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.

 

MR. JACKMAN: We spoke to your private member's motion a few weeks ago and we still take the stand that there are avenues through which seniors can address their issues. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair.

 

MS DEMPSTER: Mr. Speaker, government just released its Job Vacancy Report.  Their key sources were Jobs NL, Career Beacon, and local newspapers.  Government's conservative cousins in Ottawa were ridiculed last year for relying on online job posting sites to inform labour market development.  Job vacancy data released by the feds turned out to be out of sync with other sources. 

 

I ask the minister: Why would you repeat Harper's mistake and irresponsibly release unreliable job vacancy data? 

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, I have said here, the Job Vacancy Report reports on and gives businesses the opportunity to plan, gives individuals the opportunity to plan. 

 

Mr. Speaker, within the next few weeks the labour market report will be coming out and I ask her to keep an eye because our Population Growth Strategy is coming within the next short while.  It is a plan that will take us out many years.  I have not seen anything from the members opposite yet, Mr. Speaker.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair.

 

MS DEMPSTER: Considering the office was created in 2012, I will be excited to see that, Mr. Speaker, coming soon.

 

Government says the report is a comprehensive information resource that clearly identifies job opportunity trends.  Based on their key sources, the top job ad requiring a diploma or trade is cook.  Electricians, plumbers, pipefitters do not even make the top ten because government is too tired and apathetic to actually develop a comprehensive job vacancy report.

 

I ask the minister: How is this report supposed to help people make informed choices about career paths when the data is incomplete? 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, we hear from the people that we consult with that these are the types of reports they are asking for, so that a Job Vacancy Report is called upon throughout once a year.  The Labour Market Outlook is presented on an annual basis; therefore, indicating what skills are required across the broader community and also looks at the job prospects across the larger community, Mr. Speaker.  It is called planning.  We have not heard anything from the other side to that effect.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. George's – Stephenville East.

 

MR. REID: Mr. Speaker, last week I asked the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills about the future of the Marine Institute's search centre on the West Coast.  The minister demonstrated he did not have a handle on his department, mistaking the centre for the College of the North Atlantic. 

 

Now that he has had an opportunity to be briefed on this issue, I ask the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills: Will the Safety and Emergency Response Training Centre be negatively impacted by the budget cuts to Memorial University this year?

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, I said to him then, yes, that is a slip of the tongue.  I had hoped that he would not think that is all judging – as I said to him in my response, we continuously review programs that are offered across Memorial, across the Marine Institute, and across the College of the North Atlantic.  We are always looking for ways to find improvements and we will continue to look at this particular site. 

 

If there are efficiencies that can be found, we will do so.  If there are ways that programs can be improved upon, we will do so.  We will continue to examine so that we have the best program offering in the Province, Mr. Speaker.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. George's – Stephenville East.

 

MR. REID: Mr. Speaker, rather than just waiting for proposals to come forward, the minister should be taking some initiative rather than waiting for things to happen.

 

I ask the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills: Will he take the initiative and work with Memorial University to explore possibilities for a partnership that can help this centre expand rather than see it contract?  Will he do that? 

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, would he call reviewing and looking at ways to improving, waiting?  Not in my book that is not.  That is not waiting, that is being proactive. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Trinity – Bay de Verde.

 

MR. CROCKER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

A recent ATIPP request shows that as of March 31, 227 of the government's Business Development Corporation's accounts were more than ninety days past due.

 

I ask the minister: How many accounts do you have on the books and what efforts does your department make to ensure timely collections of the outstanding debts?

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

We have a very thorough process of dealing with business loans.  There is regular contact between our economic development officers, the Business Investment Corporation, and clients.  Regular contact is followed with them to make sure that repayment is on track.  On occasions where that does not occur, then alternate arrangements are explored to find ways to collect the money.

 

The member is right; there is any number of loans outstanding on any given time.  I tabled a document last week where we indicated just shy of 2,000 loans had been written off by government; 97 per cent of those were from the Liberal Administration where there was recklessness and money lent throughout this Province with no due diligence, no scrutiny, and no oversight whatsoever.

 

We are trying to fix the ills of past governments.  We are doing due diligence.  We are monitoring the public money in a very safe manner.

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Signal Hill – Quidi Vidi.

 

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

 

Mr. Speaker, last year government contracted Power Advisory LLC –

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MS MICHAEL:  – to examine the operation management and regulation of the current electricity system to ensure reliability and security, as well as a smooth transition into an interconnected system.

 

I ask the Premier: When can we expect to see the report most recently promised in the Speech from the Throne?

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. DALLEY: Mr. Speaker, as part of the process, as we advance our electrical system in this Province to move from an isolated system to an interconnected system, there is a great deal of work that has to be done around that.

 

What we did is we contracted a company, Power Advisory, to do some work around governance, legislation, regulation, reliability, as well as other issues that are going to impact as we switch and get connected with North America. 

 

That work is ongoing.  It is being done in three phases.  It will be one report.  The member opposite will have the report when it is completed.  We will certainly make it public.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Signal Hill – Quidi Vidi.

 

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

Supposedly, this $280,000 review complements rather than duplicates reviews completed by the PUB, Nalcor, and Newfoundland Power.

 

I ask the Premier: What does he expect from Power Advisory that he has not already seen in those reports?

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. DALLEY: Mr. Speaker, her supposedly suggestion is a bit concerning, but the reality is we have a very complex system.  It is expensive to operate.  We have aging assets.  We have to make decisions.  We have not only to make decisions today, but our government has a vision where we are going to build on the future for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians for many, many years to come – decades.  Muskrat Falls is obviously a key platform or plank towards that development.

 

Within that, there are all kinds of reviews being done.  The PUB are doing some.  Liberty is doing some.  Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, Newfoundland Power, and we are also having work done by Power Advisory.  We are doing our best to ensure that it does not duplicate the work of the PUB.

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Signal Hill – Quidi Vidi.

 

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

 

So I ask: Why is this government waiting for this one report when there are so many other reports before taking tangible actions?

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. DALLEY: Tangible actions, Mr. Speaker – we have made a decision to sanction Muskrat Falls and build Muskrat Falls, which she do not support, which she do not understand, and she wants to say for us to take tangible action.  We are taking action for the future of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.  We are protecting ratepayers, Mr. Speaker.  We are building a revenue stream, and we are building an opportunity to be able to export power and build economic opportunities in this Province.  That is the action we are taking, Mr. Speaker.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

The hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.

 

MS ROGERS: Mr. Speaker, the provincial housing crisis is not abating, especially for seniors, single people on low income, and people with complex needs.  At Estimates, we learned Newfoundland and Labrador Housing is considering selling assets, including housing units and land. 

 

I ask the minister: Will he instruct Newfoundland and Labrador Housing to freeze the sale of all assets until a thorough consultation has been done with municipalities, community advisory boards, and community groups to explore potential use of these assets to help with the housing problems in their areas? 

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. Minister Responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador Housing. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, we have completed an OrgCode Report.  After much consultation with the larger community, a committee was put in place and have submitted their report back to me.  I received it about a week or so ago.  We will now go through that, Mr. Speaker, and that will establish our plan forward around housing and homelessness and supportive housing. 

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.

 

MS ROGERS: Mr. Speaker, a slum landlord moved Doug out of his boarding house room without notice and against his will, saying he was doing repairs.  Doug's room is paid for by taxpayers' money, but his landlord is not accountable to the Residential Tenancy Act. 

 

I ask the minister: Will boarding and rooming house landlords now be subjected to the new act, when we see it? 

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister Responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador Housing.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, I have prided myself on responding to individual situations.  If she has one, I would ask her to bring it forward. 

 

I will tell you, Mr. Speaker, that what I have dealt with through Newfoundland and Labrador Housing and the people who work there, they are committed.  They are committed to finding the best accommodations for people and working with the clients that they serve. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

The time for Question Period has expired. 

 

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

 

The hon. the Member for Trinity – Bay de Verde. 

 

MR. CROCKER: Mr. Speaker, during Question Period the Minister of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development referred to past Administrations or past Liberal Administrations doing 97 per cent of the loans that have been written off by government in the previous ten years.  Mr. Speaker, I would encourage the minister to go back and redo those numbers.  These loans date back to 1969, before I was –

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

Is the member standing on a point of order?

 

MR. CROCKER: Yes, Mr. Speaker.

 

MR. SPEAKER: The member, to continue.

 

MR. CROCKER: I would encourage the minister to go back and look at these numbers, Mr. Speaker.  These numbers date back to 1969, before this member was even born.

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MR. CROCKER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

MR. SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

 

Tabling of Documents.

 

Notices of Motion.

 

Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

 

Petitions.

 

Petitions

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for The Straits – White Bay North.

 

MR. MITCHELMORE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland and Labrador humbly sheweth:

 

WHEREAS Route 434, Conche Road, is 17.6 kilometres of unpaved road; and

 

WHEREAS the current road conditions are deplorable; and

 

WHEREAS the Canadian Automobile Association ranked Route 434 the seventh worst road in Atlantic Canada; and

 

WHEREAS it is government's obligation to provide basic infrastructure to all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians; and

 

WHEREAS an improved paved road would enhance local business, fish processing operations, and tourism, which is vital to the health of the communities affected;

 

We, the undersigned, petition the House of Assembly to urge the government to allocate funds in the provincial roads program to pave Route 434.

 

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

 

Mr. Speaker, this is signed by residents of Roddickton, Conche, St. Anthony, Bide Arm, and Englee – all constituents of mine.  I point out that the provincial roads program in the Budget has over $68 million or $60 million, as the Minister of Transportation has been touting in the House this week.

 

The petition itself points out that the CAA ranked this the seventh worst road – and that is true – but this year on the ten worst roads in Atlantic Canada, Route 434 ranked sixth.  It ranked sixth this year.  It has been getting lots of media attention when it comes to the CBC and NTV, and other outlets have been talking about it and local newspapers.

 

Anybody who has travelled Route 434 will know, that you really do need to take gravel roads out of provincial inventory, especially one to a town that is vibrant, that has an economy with a regional fish plant that employs dozens of people.  Hundreds of commercial trucks, thousands of tourists come to Conche to see the tapestry – the only of its kind in all of North America.  The French history, the archeological excavations that are taking place.  When it comes to icebergs and whale watching – cruise ships come to Conche.  Conche is a vibrant town with lots of benefits to the local economy, but it is being hindered from future economic development because this government has made investments in the road, but failed to deliver the blacktop that is required to further enhance the economy on the Northern Peninsula East. 

 

I will continue presenting petitions on behalf of my constituents, the residents of Conche, and the region that want to see this development move forward.

 

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's East.

 

MR. MURPHY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents humbly sheweth:

 

WHEREAS in 2011 the provincial government announced that it would lift the 8 per cent provincial portion of the HST off residential heat and light by introducing the Residential Energy Rebate; and

 

WHEREAS heat is a necessity of life and a health concern, particularly for seniors; and

 

WHEREAS the provincial government has projected oil prices to increase in the next five years;

 

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge government to stop taxing home energy and to reverse its decision to abolish the Residential Energy Rebate.

 

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

 

Mr. Speaker, this petition comes from signatories from Grand Falls-Windsor, from Badger, from St. John's, and a little community called Silverdale.  This is of grave concern to the people of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.  We have a lot of people here who are seniors, a lot of people who are on fixed and middle incomes, lower incomes as well. 

 

Mr. Speaker, this directly takes away disposable income right out of their pockets.  Whereas before they were getting a rebate right away every month whenever they were getting their electricity bills, now they are not going to be seeing that. 

 

I can remember back in 2000-2001 at the time when the petition was presented in the House of Assembly here, what kind of winter it was.  At the time the heating oil, for example, was about sixty cents a litre, and we were looking at electricity costs that were well down below what they are now.  It was back then that 55,000 people signed that petition.  Over six days in the malls, about three weeks altogether when it came to the petitions that we had signed out and the ones that came back, about 55,000 names.

 

Government at that particular time said that they could not do it; however, the two Opposition parties at the time, the New Democratic Party and the Progressive Conservatives, both addressed it and said that they would remove it.  Mr. Speaker, it was a considerable consumer victory back in 2011 when we saw this happen.  The New Democrats had proposed it, had pushed it all this particular time, and we had a small victory in the Budget.  It was a great victory for consumers.  It put money back in people's pockets and at the same time gave them relief from higher prices.

 

Mr. Speaker, government is projecting again that prices are going to increase.  With the price of oil, we know that refined commodity prices are going to go up along with it.  Put money back into people's pockets.  Do not tax a necessity of life.  They do not tax food.  They should not be taxing people's heat and light. 

 

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Trinity – Bay de Verde.

 

MR. CROCKER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned humbly sheweth:

 

WHEREAS many communities in the District of Trinity – Bay de Verde do not have cellphone coverage; and

 

WHEREAS residents of the district require cellphone coverage to ensure their safety and communication abilities; and

 

WHEREAS cellphone coverage on many parts of the highway in the district is poor or non-existent;

 

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to work with the appropriate agencies to provide adequate cellphone coverage throughout the entire region of Trinity – Bay de Verde.

 

As in duty, your petitioners will ever pray.

 

Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to stand this afternoon and present this petition on behalf of my constituents in the District of Trinity – Bay de Verde.  It is time that the government realize there is a role for government in cellphone coverage in this Province.

 

The last time this government mentioned cellphone coverage, I think it was the 2011 Blue Book.  They seem to mention a lot of issues around Blue Book time, but it is in a Blue Book and it never really moves past the Blue Book stage. 

 

Mr. Speaker, in the District of Trinity – Bay de Verde, we have four community-based ambulance services.  I meet regularly with the organization because these community-based ambulance services are run by volunteers.  We have one on the North Shore.  We have another one in Old Perlican, one in Winterton, and one in Heart's Delight-Islington. 

 

There is a common theme when I talk to the people involved in these ambulance services.  It is the fact that in their daily routines or daily jobs as ambulance attendants and emergency service providers, they lack the ability to communicate.

 

Quite often if there is not a paramedic on an ambulance when it leaves one of the communities in Trinity – Bay de Verde, it has to be intercepted.  So this ambulance is intercepted typically somewhere on Route 74 or Route 70 by an ambulance with a paramedic from the Carbonear General Hospital.  There is no timing this intercept.  Cellphone coverage is not there.  They just met up.  They just come together and they have to do the patient transfer without proper communication abilities, Mr. Speaker.

 

There is some irony in communications or tele-communications in the District of Trinity – Bay de Verde.  In 1867, we landed a transatlantic cable in Heart's Content.  It will be 150 years next year.  Today, in Trinity – Bay de Verde, we do not even have basic cellphone coverage. 

 

Thank you the opportunity to enter this petition this afternoon.  I will have another one next week on cellphone coverage for sure.

 

Thank you.

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair.

 

MS DEMPSTER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned humbly sheweth:

 

WHEREAS most communities in the District of Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair do not have adequate broadband service; and

 

WHEREAS residents, businesses, students, nurses and teachers rely heavily on the Internet to complete an increasing number of everyday tasks online; and

 

WHEREAS there are a number of world-class tourism sites in the region including Battle Harbour Historic Site and Mealy Mountains National Park;

 

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to work with appropriate agencies to provide adequate broadband service to communities along the Labrador Coast. 

 

As in duty bound, your petitioners, will ever pray.

 

Mr. Speaker, I continue every week, every chance I get to stand and keep the issue of broadband or the lack thereof, the service of broadband in my district front and center to this government.

 

In the Labrador Straits we have made progress, Mr. Speaker, where we have increased speed and there has been some new infrastructure recently put into some communities, but down in South East the service continues to be absolutely, almost unworkable. 

 

Mr. Speaker, unless you are trying to send and receive a basic email, everything else is inadequate.  I understand the service provider has a new proposal that they have submitted to government.  So I am urging government to lobby the feds to access whatever monies they can from the feds on the broadband, Mr. Speaker, to work with the service provider to bring the cluster of communities in South East, St. Lewis, Mary's Harbour, Charlottetown, Port Hope Simpson. 

 

I am not talking about the small unconnected communities.  Those residents have already gone out and they are getting their Internet services through a satellite dish.  That cluster of communities is getting a very poor service right now.  There are people who are losing business because they are only able to get online and check bookings at hotels and things like that at 2:00 and 3:00 a.m.  Businesses are buying their own – Interac cannot even run unless they have extra supports there that they are paying for themselves. 

 

I will continue to stand in this technological age – everything that we are doing, for everything we require the Internet, we require technology, yet we are very, very crippled in South East Labrador.

 

Thank you. 

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Signal Hill – Quidi Vidi.

 

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

 

To the House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents humbly sheweth: 

 

WHEREAS privatized nursing homes lower operating costs by paying lower wages, de-unionizing, laying people off and cutting staff in these facilities; and

 

WHEREAS studies have established that for-profit nursing homes are associated with lower quality of services and poorer resident health outcomes, including an increased risk of hospitalization; and

 

WHEREAS Auditors General of the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Ontario have reported that P3s cost taxpayers more;

 

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge government to immediately stop the privatization of long-term care. 

 

As in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray. 

 

Mr. Speaker, in duty bound I stand here and present this petition on behalf of the petitioners signing what I have in my hand.  Petitioners from all over the Avalon Peninsula, from the South Coast of the Island, Bonavista Bay, Placentia Bay, communities throughout the Island who are concerned that government is moving in a direction that is not going to help the people of this Province but is going to harm the people of the Province.  Putting public monies into profit-making companies to take care of the long-term care patients in our Province.  Most of them seniors, some of them people who are chronically ill, some of them with disabilities they have lived with all their lives but requiring long-term care. 

 

Mr. Speaker, this government seems to constantly be moving into a direction that others are moving away from.  There are many studies in this country that link for-profit nursing homes with lower quality services and poorer resident health outcomes, as the petition says.

 

One of those examples is in Alberta, Mr. Speaker, where long-term care shifted from public and non-profit agency delivery to care by for-profit businesses.  A 2013 study by the Parkland Institute found that staffing levels in for-profit facilities fell short of what is needed to ensure reasonable quality of care and were significantly worse than the public facilities. 

 

This is repeated everywhere, Mr. Speaker.  People go into these homes and they see how understaffed they are.  They see how patients are not being taken care of.  The for-profit facilities that were studied in Alberta were understaffed by ninety minutes of care per resident, per day.  An hour-and-a-half of care missing every day in for-profit facilities.  That puts both the seniors who are in the facilities at risk, as well as the workers. 

 

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

The hon. the Member for St. Barbe. 

 

MR. J. BENNETT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. 

 

A petition to the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned humbly sheweth:

 

WHEREAS the communities of New Ferolle, Shoal Cove West, and Reefs Harbour have always relied on the fishery as a means to earn a sustainable income; and

 

WHEREAS the main employer for these three communities has been a fish seafood processing plant located in New Ferolle; and

 

WHEREAS this plant was seized by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador as a result of mortgage arrears; and

 

WHEREAS the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador then permitted an outside operator to operate the plant when that operator became insolvent and closed; and

 

WHEREAS the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador then sold the plant to another operator for the sum of $1 and who has not operated the plant and has stripped most, if not all of the equipment from the plant instead of operating it;

 

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to find a local operator for this plant so that people can go back to work.

 

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

 

Mr. Speaker, out on the Ferolle Point, there are not many work opportunities outside of the fishery.  There is a pretty good fishery in the area, a number of small boat fishers.  There is a wharf which was up to a very good standard up to a few years ago, and then when it fell into disuse, the wharf is gradually falling away into the water.  All the blacktop is starting to fall into the water because of the – underneath the shoring rotting away.  There is no reason to repair it because there is no industry there. 

 

However, there are a total of four buildings in addition to the wharf.  There is a very substantial cold storage which operates, there is another large shed which is used as a buyer's shed, there is an office building which is quite suitable to be able to accommodate a substantial size of a business, and there is a fish plant. 

 

Mr. Speaker, the fish plant is and was the very heart of that operation and the government ripped the heart out.  The government ripped the heart out with seizing the plant for mortgage arrears.  Now, they did not actually get any money.  It is one of the loans they ended up writing off.  So then they turned it over to an operator, and then another operator sold it off for $1 and literally walked away from it. 

 

The most recent operator stripped the plant, took all the equipment out of it, and lugged it off to another location.  There were no proper safeguards for the people.  To sell off the heart of a fish processing operation for $1, Mr. Speaker, to an outside buyer from hundreds and hundreds of kilometres away and let that buyer then devastate this community, it is absolutely (inaudible).

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

I remind the member his time has expired.

 

MR. J. BENNETT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

MR. SPEAKER: Orders of the Day.

 

Orders of the Day

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.

 

MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

At this time I would like to call –

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

The hon. the Government House Leader.

 

MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

At this time I would like to call Order 3, third reading of a bill, An Act To Provide The Public With Access To Information And Protection Of Privacy, Bill 1.

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.

 

MR. JOYCE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

I am just going to stand for a few minutes on this bill because I just want to explain to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador what is happening here today.  This was originally Bill 29.  This was the Bill 29 that they brought in, this was the great legislation they brought in here in this House of Assembly that we got vilified over, that we were just doing it because the Opposition were too lazy to do our own work.  That is why there was no big need – Bill 29 – to scrap it.

 

I go back to Hansard.  I love Hansard – I know the Minister of Finance does not like Hansard, but I love Hansard, Mr. Speaker, because I can go back almost three years ago now when this was brought in.  What happened then?  They went around Canada – this government went around Canada.  They took the most draconian measure in every bill in Canada concerning privacy, they put it in this bill, they made it even more draconian, and then they brought it in here and introduced it as Bill 29.

 

The part about this – and I just go back and will just give an example under this Bill 29.  I put a Freedom of Information in about the hospital.  I cannot remember exactly the information –

 

AN HON. MEMBER: Which hospital, Eddie?

 

MR. JOYCE: The hospital in Corner Brook, the new one, since 2007.

 

There was a little discussion on it, Mr. Speaker.  What I got back, and I even brought it to – he was the minister at the time; it was Tom Marshall.  What I got back at the time was pieces of information that were totally black – totally black.  The part that made me so amused with this here, and realized how we had to have this changed, was the part that was totally black was a CBC report that you could go online and get.  You could go online, click on CBC, you could see the interview on CBC; but because the minister used it in a Cabinet deliberation, the public CBC document, which you could go online and get, was completely blacked out under Bill 29 because Cabinet used it for a Cabinet decision.

 

MR. HILLIER: How much of that was there?

 

MR. JOYCE: How much of that – I remember I put in another request, Mr. Speaker.  I got back fifty-three pages.  Do you know how I knew it was fifty-three pages?  Because I counted them.  They even had the number of the pages in there blacked out.  This is what this government brought in.

 

The sad part is they really, really feel that the people of this Province thinks they are doing everybody a great favour by bringing in Bill 1 – doing everybody a great favour.  We are bringing this forward because we want to be leading in this in Canada.  We want to be the bunch that is going to lead in the freedom of information across Canada, Mr. Speaker.  That is what they are trying to spin on the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

 

Mr. Speaker, I am going to speak about the hospital in Corner Brook under this Bill 29.  I hear the Premier standing up here talking about this bill.  Do you know that I had to stand on a point of privilege in this House?  I could not get the information under the Freedom of Information.

 

We were in Estimates and the minister was the Minister of Transportation and Works and I asked for the Stantec report.  It was going on sixty days now, probably ninety days, I cannot remember but it was well beyond the time limit.  I said to the minister at the time, I stood up in this House and I said: You promised a report in the Estimates.  The minister, who is the Premier of the day, stood up and said: How do you know that?  Hansard is not even transcribed yet.  How do you know that?  How do I know that I can believe you?

 

Mr. Speaker, I went downstairs and I got an audiotape of it.  I got it transcribed.  I stood up on a point of privilege and guess what?  A few days later, I got it.

 

If people want me to stand here and pat this government on the back because they are bringing in Bill 1, when the people out in Western Newfoundland, in Corner Brook, the Bay of Islands, all the Humber Region, all through Western, and Labrador, are trying to find out what is going to be in their hospital.  Guess what?  One of the people hiding the information here was the Premier of the Province that I could not bring out to the people of Western Newfoundland.

 

I am supposed to stand up today and clap and all this government says is oh, look, at the great things we are doing.  That is the kind of things – the other part of all of this is, just look at the cost.  I know some members opposite are saying tell us some costs, tell us a few million dollars you would save.  What wouldn't you do?  Bill 29.

 

Mr. Speaker, I am not saying this because the man is here now.  It was about 5:00 in the morning, Bill 29, five or six days later, when they finally brought in this bill.  The Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Speaker, we were out in the caucus room.  The first thing he did was send out a press release: We are going to rescind Bill 29.  That was the first thing he did and the first order of government that we were going to put in as the Opposition was rescind Bill 29.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. JOYCE: Mr. Speaker, I can tell you, there are times in this Legislature that you stand tall.  There are times that you are proud that you stood up and you fought the battle.  This Bill 29, behind our Leader of the Opposition, I tell you we stood tall.  There were six of us here.  We started the filibuster.  When we were in here, when we started this filibuster, we stood in this House and we made a commitment.  We are not going to give up this fight.  We are going to take this fight – there were six of us.

 

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador we said we will fight this.  We broke up in shift, twelve hours on for three and twelve hours off for the other three.  We did not stand and just criticize.  We put in amendments.  We stood in this House and we said here is what we would do.  Here is how we would change this bill.  Here is how we would make it more accessible but keep – keep – people's privacy intact.  That is what we did as the Official Opposition. 

 

Mr. Speaker, we did that day after day after day after day.  At the time it was the longest filibuster in Newfoundland and Labrador's history.  We were proud, six of us, to stand over here.  We were proud to stand as a group.  We were proud to say that we were standing up for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador because when you allow a minister of this Crown to send out information that is blacked out that you can get publicly on any CBC Radio, Mr. Speaker, what is next? 

 

I can go back on numerous occasions where I asked for information and I could not get it.  Mr. Speaker, do you know the telltale thing in this?  Mr.  Speaker, I know you were part of it.  Do you know the telltale thing of all this Bill 29?  When this government seen the resolve of the Opposition, the resolve of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, seen how many people in this Province thought that this here was so draconian that they could not stand for it, guess what?  To muzzle the Opposition, to muzzle the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, I would say to muzzle all the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, they brought in closure.  They are bringing in a bill that is going to be open and accountable, that is going to bring in new information, and they brought in closure. 

 

Mr. Speaker, here is an opportunity for any member across, opposite in government who did not vote for this, stand up now.  Here is your opportunity.  Mr. Speaker, I can see they are putting their heads down in shame, and I do not blame them because if I had to do that, I would put my head down in shame also. 

 

I can tell you one thing, Mr. Speaker, do not stand up here today and expect people like me, and this Opposition that I am so proud of, don't expect me to go up and give you a clap and be all this praise because you brought in this Bill 1.  What a great government we have.  What a great government.  Look at what we are doing.  We are the leaders across Canada and this was nothing but shame.  This government was shamed into bringing in Bill 1 because of Bill 29.

 

Let me talk about the $1.3 million, Mr. Speaker, just as a little example.  How much does it cost, is the increase going to be for the students from rural Newfoundland going to Memorial this year?  Just over a million dollars.  They always ask, where would you find the money? 

 

Here is just one example, Mr. Speaker, just one.  I think the Member for St. Barbe was the critic at the time, and I think it was in Labrador.  I think it was Nain.  Eight to ten students went on this geology little outing and they put a freedom of information in just to say, okay, what curriculum would you be doing for the outdoors?  Just something simple, just so we have a little idea so we could pass it around the Province.  What did they do in Nain?  Guess what?  Eight students went and got it back, everything was blacked out.  They were out looking at different little walks and all that.  It was actually blacked out.  That is how shameful this was.  That is how shameful it is, Mr. Speaker. 

 

When you go to Bill 29 and you look at the Budget and other things, you say: oh, boy, it wasn't us.  We did not know the oil was going to fall.  We did not know.  We did not know Bill 29 was going to be so draconian either.  They will not listen anymore.  They are out of control, Mr. Speaker. 

 

Mr. Speaker, when I look back, and the government at the time – I will not go through Hansard.  I can get Hansard up here and I can go all day about what the members opposite said on that.  I can see how much we were vilified.  I can see how much they said the people of Newfoundland and Labrador really did not want this. 

 

Mr. Speaker, I remember in the hospital in Corner Brook – and I will go back to that because the people know I speak about that and I am very passionate about it.  The reason why I speak about it is because – and I look at the radiation unit in Corner Brook.  I was very passionate about it.  The Leader of the Opposition was very passionate about it. 

 

We spoke to people all across Canada, the people who had experience in Australia, people who had experience all over on radiation.  We, on several occasions, put in a freedom of information to try to get information about radiation.  Something that is going to protect lives in Newfoundland and Labrador, and we were denied. 

 

This is not about not getting us information, Mr. Speaker.  This is not about giving us information.  This is about things that are going to save people's lives.  This is about something that was so passionate for the people in Western Newfoundland who have to leave their homes in Port aux Basques, people all up the Northern Peninsula, all over Corner Brook – leave their homes, come in here, set up in here, and in here for months living in hospital.

 

AN HON. MEMBER: Paid for by taxpayers' money.

 

MR. JOYCE: Paid by taxpayers' money, Mr. Speaker.  All this here and we were trying to get information to support our cause and it was denied.  It was denied under Bill 29.  The government members wonder why we fought so hard on this.  Can you imagine that when you have people out in Western Newfoundland who call you and say, I have to travel to St. John's again –

 

AN HON. MEMBER: They said they did a poll on it.

 

MR. JOYCE: They said there was information that there was a poll being done.  There was never any such thing done, Mr. Speaker.  We asked for the information about it.  I remember when we were looking for the PET scanner in Corner Brook, we asked for information about why it could not be done, the isotopes could not be, or the 'radiotopes' I think.

 

AN HON. MEMBER: Isotopes.

 

MR. JOYCE: Isotopes could not be transferred.  They actually could not be taken from one spot to the other spot because it was too dangerous.  They could not travel across the roads in Newfoundland because it is too dangerous. 

 

Myself and the Leader of the Opposition – the University of Saskatchewan I think it was.  We went and got information from the director and we brought it over then to Tom Marshall.  We got information that isotopes were being taken from Hamilton, Ontario to the University of Saskatchewan – 2,500 kilometres. 

 

We brought it over to the minister and we said boy, information we cannot get any – information that you are getting is absolutely false.  He said to myself and the Leader of the Oppositions, boys, the information I am getting is not this.  He said do it.  He went back and asked the minister at the time and they had a little frank discussion on the other side of the House, Mr. Speaker, because we not only gave them the information, we gave them the person to call. 

 

The information on the radiation, this is something dear to my heart, Mr. Speaker.  This is why I have to stand and put this on record.  When we were looking at a radiation unit in Corner Brook – and the Leader of the Opposition, we spoke to doctors in BC, we talked to them in Sudbury, talked to them in Ontario, Nova Scotia, PEI, all over the Province, all over Canada, some people had international experience.  We tried to get information on it, we were denied. 

 

We were saying, how did you come up with this conclusion?  Mr. Speaker, do you know what we had to do?  The Leader of the Opposition is sitting there now.  Do you know what we had to do?  Do you know what produced this $500,000 radiation study for Newfoundland and Labrador which showed that the people of Newfoundland and Labrador should have radiation, and there should be one in Corner Brook?  Do you know what we had to do, myself and the Leader of the Opposition?  We walked over to the Premier at the time, Tom Marshall, and we said: Premier, do us a favour, call this guy in Sydney, Nova Scotia, to say that single bunkers can be used.  They used it for years and now they are up to two bunkers. 

 

To give Tom Marshall credit, the Premier at the time, do you know what he did?  He phoned this man and he said, I am the Premier of the Province, I need to know this.  He confirmed what we had been saying – the information we could not get.  Mr. Speaker, to Tom Marshall's credit, and the Leader of the Opposition, I have to give credit to him also because I was after him too, give him credit too, because we did the research.  I said we have to go over and share this, and he said you are right. 

 

Tom Marshall called this man in Nova Scotia, and a few days later we had a $500,000 radiation study for Newfoundland and Labrador which showed that there was going to be radiation –  

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. JOYCE: Mr. Speaker, all the information government had, they used to put out on this spin, that you cannot do it.  I can go through all of it that I have here.  All the denials and all the information.  You could not do radiation because it is unsafe.  You could not have isotopes going back and forth through 'radiotopes.'  There are not enough people to use the service; you do not have enough specialists out there.  I can go through the whole list that I tried to get the reasons for under Bill 29, that I could not get off the government. 

 

I know the Member for Humber West is sitting over there, Mr. Speaker.  I shared the information with him also.  The information that he said he had from government, I used to walk over because this was so important.  This was so important to the people of Western Newfoundland and Labrador, all people of the Province – and I will explain why after, because I could not get any information from government.

 

I used to go over to the Member for Humber West and I used to say – I cannot say his name – I used to say, Member, here is the information, please discuss it.  Look, here is what we are getting, and I used to share it.  I used to share it with Tom Marshall, Mr. Speaker.  The Leader of the Opposition was with me when we did it.  The information that this government was having as to why there should not be radiation at the hospital in Corner Brook and a PET scanner, they would not share, and we could not get under Bill 29.

 

So I am supposed to stand up here today under this Bill 1 and say, government, you are doing a good job, after what they put the people of Western Newfoundland and Labrador through?  Am I supposed to do that today, Mr. Speaker?

 

Let me tell you why I am still more proud.  If you go through that radiation study, one of the reasons why we should have one in Corner Brook, just think – the Leader of the Opposition, when we met with the doctors here in St. John's about it at the Murphy Centre, take a guess why they said we should have one there.  We could not get any information from government.  Do you know why, Mr. Speaker?  What if there is a flood down there?  What if there is a flood?  They need a contingency; they never had one.  For years they never had a contingency plan for emergency radiation in this Province.

 

MR. BALL: The action committee in Corner Brook.

 

MR. JOYCE: The action committee in Corner Brook is another group that tried to get information, Mr. Speaker.  They tried.  The action committee, I can name who started it: Israel Hann, Gerald Parsons – a lot more: Wayne Rose, Barry Wheeler – a few more.  They took the cause up also because they could not get any information.  They could not.

 

As I put in a Freedom of Information or say here is where I am trying to get a report through, I used to go back and show it to them.  I used to go to the Premier.  I used to go to the Member for Humber West and show it to him and say: Look, can we get something here?  This is bigger than me.  This is bigger than all of us.  This is bigger than anybody in this House of Assembly.

 

I hear the House Leader: It is irrelevant.  When you cannot get information for cancer treatment in Corner Brook, it is relevant.  It shows the difference now of how we fought to make sure that we can get the information.  When you talk about someone like Israel Hann and Gerald Parsons who were trying to get information from this government under the old Bill 29 and could not get, is it relevant?  I suppose it is relevant.

 

If you want me to go up here now and start bringing in some of the Freedom of Information requests that I had – it would be no good, Mr. Speaker.  All I would hold up is a piece of paper with marker – nothing but black.  So it would be no good, but the denials that were made. 

 

Mr. Speaker, I am going to sit down now because I just wanted to make sure that it is on the record that I am glad Bill 1 is put in here, but I just want to let this government know some of the hardships they put people through in Western Newfoundland, some of the delays they put them through, the lack of information that was supplied to the people of Western Newfoundland, supplied to the action committee, supplied to the Opposition, all because of this Bill 29. 

 

Mr. Speaker, I know there is going to be no one over there speak up today and say no, boys, we made a mistake.  I understand that.  I have no problem with that whatsoever. 

 

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible). 

 

MR. JOYCE: No, Mr. Speaker, I know they will not, but I can tell you one thing this was a good learning experience for me.  This was a great learning experience for me.  People who knew me back home, and the people here, when you are passionate about something, do not give up. 

 

When it comes to this hospital – and you need a hospital for the people, Mr. Speaker, so they do not have to travel in here, do not have to travel into St. John's.  Although the people in St. John's, when they got here, they were very good, the staff was good, their centre was great, and they were treated with the best care possible, Mr. Speaker –

 

MS DEMPSTER: Geography (inaudible).

 

MR. JOYCE: The geography – it is all about geography, Mr. Speaker, being home and being able to have loved ones around.  That is what it is all about: having loved ones around. 

 

Mr. Speaker, I will sit down.  I will take my seat on this here now.  I am just glad – and, of course, I thank the Committee, Clyde Wells and his Committee for doing this.  I thank Clyde Wells and his Committee for bringing in this legislation.  I think it was Tom Marshall – Tom Marshall brought it in when he was Premier and said he was going to review Bill 29. 

 

Mr. Speaker, I have another little thing – it was when Tom Marshall was Premier and on Bill 29, I had a few discussions with him.  I put in the Freedom of Information and I went over to the Premier and I said here is what I got back.  My God, Eddie, he said – that is what Tom Marshall told me, Mr. Speaker, personally.  Tom Marshall, the Premier of this Province, he said: Eddie, this is not what this is supposed to be.

 

Mr. Speaker, not very often I like giving people credit on the government, only when they do good things.  When they do good things, I give credit.  Not very often I do that because there is not a lot of good things in the last couple of years going on with this government, but I have to give Tom Marshall credit because when you walk up and give Tom Marshall, the Premier of this Province, information that is contrary to what the Department Health has given to him, contrary to the decision that he was making around Cabinet, and when that man phoned the person over in Nova Scotia, he came to me and he said: Eddie, I was not getting the right information.  That is what the Premier of the Province said to me.  Do you know what I said to him?  I said: Premier, it does not matter.  Let's get it right.  That was when he started the radiation unit. 

 

When he brought in this Bill 29, the information that he was probably given – but myself and the Leader of the Opposition were going over giving him the information that we were getting from government on something so close and dear to his heart also, he said: Eddie, this is not what we were planning on doing.  This is not what we agreed to do.  So I am going to see what I can do. 

 

Mr. Speaker, I have to give him credit.  When he asked for that review by Clyde Wells, he knew that this was going to be taken and tossed out the door.  He knew that.  I have to give Tom Marshall credit for doing that.

 

AN HON. MEMBER: He wrote the new legislation.

 

MR. JOYCE: He wrote the legislation.  I just want to say: Tom Marshall, you are not here today but because of the work that myself, you, and the Leader of the Opposition did together, the information that we were supplying to you, brought about this change here today, this change that we are bringing in Bill 1, scrapping Bill 29.

 

I challenge anybody on the opposite side, as I always do, stand up, anything I said here today, disprove it with any information because I can go up and get every bit of information that I have from all the clinics that I was dealing with across Canada – across Canada – I can get it and I can show the difference in the Freedom of Information that I got.

 

There are a lot of staff that was in our office – I should not mention any names, but there were some staff in our office that helped us with this cancer stuff.  I am not allowed to mention no names, but Joy Buckle was a proud lady –

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. JOYCE: – I cannot mention any names, but she was a proud lady when Tom Marshall announced that he was going to do a radiation unit and a radiation unit was going to be put in Corner Brook because that lady stood with us.  She saw what was coming back from the government.  She stood with us and she said: They are wrong.  We have to show this.  We started by phoning a cancer doctor out on Vancouver Island and we asked him: Is this information correct?  He said: No. 

 

This is where it started.  It started in Corner Brook with two doctors and I brought information to them.  Information that I got under Bill 29, I brought it out.  It was very little.  I said: What do you think?  There were two doctors in Corner Brook, in particular.  I have to give them credit.  They know who they are.  I spoke to them.  They know who they are.  They said, call this guy. 

 

I called this doctor on Vancouver Island, this oncologist, Mr. Speaker.  He said, Eddie, it is absolutely wrong – absolutely wrong.  Then he put us onto another doctor up in Sudbury.  Joy Buckle – I know I am not supposed to mention her name; we keep staff out of it.  It is staff, so it is not a Member of the House of Assembly.  She got us in contact with all these that proved the information we are getting from this government – that we are supposed to be working together on all this cancer treatment for the people of Western Newfoundland. 

 

I am a proud man, Mr. Speaker.  Not because this is coming in today, but because we fought this Bill 29, that it would not be implemented.  When it was, we proved how bad it was for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.  When we proved it to Tom Marshall, he said it has to change.  So Tom Marshall, I do not know if you are listening today or not, but for you to initiate this review by Clyde Wells, it was a good move. 

 

It is too bad you had to vote for Bill 29 in the first place, but after you saw how bad it was – because of the information we were giving you.  I say to Tom Marshall, it was a good move.  It is good for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.  It is good for all of us who want information.  It is good for all of us.  I know and I can attest personally, Mr. Speaker, the hard work that we had to do just to get information to try to make this a better place.

 

I know the Member for Humber West is there because we gave him the information too.  The stuff that we could not get back, Mr. Speaker, I used to go over and say, look, what is going on with this?  Ah boy that is right.  I said, no, it is not. 

 

Mr. Speaker, I want to give all the Opposition here credit.  I can tell you why.  We fought tooth and nail to stop Bill 29.  It was ran through.  We fought Bill 29.  It did not work, but then we had to go around Bill 29 and all the information that we could not get from the government to prove them wrong. 

 

Do you know what I am proud of?  I am proud, myself and the Leader of the Opposition in this caucus – every bit of information we got from all the cancer units that we discussed with doctors around Canada, we walked behind that curtain where you are sitting, and we gave it to the government.  I am proud of that.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. JOYCE: I am proud of it because when we could not get – when the minister stands up and says, oh, the isotopes, they cannot be transferred, you cannot transport them.  When you walk over, Mr. Speaker, and you give it to the Member for Humber West and the Member for Humber East and say, look, here is the email, here it is right here, and they stand up and say, boys, that is not what we have been told.  I said go check.  They come back and say, you are right, it can be done.  I said we have been telling you that. 

 

Mr. Speaker, when we stood up about the single bunker units up in Sudbury, when you have satellite units, what did we do?  We walked behind that screen and called the Member for Humber West and the Member for Humber East and said come over here, and we gave it to them.  The information that your government is putting out is absolutely false. 

 

I am proud of that, Mr. Speaker.  I am proud of the information that we had to fight for behind Bill 29, because Bill 29 kept the big walls up, the big black walls.  We wanted to fight for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.  We wanted to do the right thing for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador and we got the information and we shared the information. 

 

Today, when that hospital is built –

 

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

 

MR. JOYCE: That is another issue, but when that hospital is built, because it took me a long while to even get any of the reports, and the action committee and the people of Corner Brook, when that hospital is built, I am proud that there is going to be a radiation unit there.  I am proud there is going to be a PET scanner in that new hospital.  The proudest day will be the first patient who goes through that hospital.  A proud day is when they do not have to travel to St. John's to face this crisis without their families.  That is what I am going to be proud of, Mr. Speaker. 

 

Bill 29, delayed that process.  It delayed it.  For me to have to stand up today and say to the government, you are doing great guys, bring in this Bill 1 – knowing what the people in Corner Brook wanted, knowing how much pain they have to go through.  How hard it is, first of all, to be diagnosed, and then having to leave your family.  Then the financial cost of it.  Knowing that we were denied the information, I am supposed to stand up now and say, oh, what a great bunch.

 

It is a good day for Bill 1, but for two and a half years it was a sad day for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.  The people we fought for on this side for radiation and the hospital in Corner Brook, it was a sad two and a half years. 

 

Mr. Speaker, I am a firm believer that no one in Newfoundland and Labrador should have to fight with their government to get information they deserve and need to protect themselves and their health.  That is not what governments are for.  It is definitely not what governments are for.  Governments are supposed to be there to help people.  Governments are supposed to go out – and I understand politics, but when you hide this critical information from the people of Western Newfoundland and Corner Brook, and all the people of Province, it is a sad day.  When Bill 29 was brought in it was a sad day.

 

Bill 1, today I am proud it is going to get third reading, but I have to say, Mr. Speaker, it is hard for me to forgive the government for the hardships they put the people of Western Newfoundland and Labrador through and all the other ones who are going to use this service out in Corner Brook for cancer and the hospital.  It is hard for me to stand up now and pat the government on the back because I could tell you, if you had as many cases of people who came to me who have to travel to St. John's for cancer treatment and saying: I wish we had it out here.  I would not have to leave my loved ones.  I can assure you it is pretty hard.

 

Mr. Speaker, I will take my seat.  I want to thank the Opposition for standing up.  I thank Tom Marshall for finally understanding.  We all make mistakes.  We are all human.  Every one of us in this House of Assembly makes mistakes.  It is too bad Tom Marshall is not here today, because I would have said: I am glad you brought it in because it is better for Newfoundland and Labrador.

 

Mr. Speaker, the good thing about it, I am proud, as a member of this Opposition, who gave him the information to show that what we were getting from government was incorrect and we had to supply him with correct information.  He said to me personally: Eddie, that is not what I am being told.  I said, well, here is what I am getting.  It is the same thing you have been told, but here are the facts. 

 

When he made that call to Nova Scotia, I said to the action committee, there will be a study done.  We will have radiation.  Mr. Speaker, when the report came out, there is going to be radiation in Corner Brook.  It is a proud day for me, personally.  It is a proud day for the Opposition.

 

I thank the Leader of the Opposition for keeping up the flight, for not letting the government keep on hiding, putting out this false information about the hospital in Corner Brook and the radiation.  I thank Tom Marshall for finally stepping up to the plate and saying, we need changes.  I thank Clyde Wells and his committee because Newfoundland and Labrador today will be a better place than it was yesterday without this Bill 1.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER (Littlejohn): The hon. the Member for Signal Hill – Quidi Vidi.

 

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

 

I am really happy to have another opportunity in this third reading to speak to Bill 1.  Third readings are important, I think, because we get time in between the second and the third reading, very often, a good period of time to have a second look at the piece of legislation that we are passing and to see if there is anything in it that we missed during second reading and Committee that we would like to revisit and speak to.

 

Obviously, I am very happy that we have this piece of legislation and we, of course, will be supporting it, as we have said already in the debates around Bill 1.  Supporting it because it is undoing the damage that was done by Bill 29, the very serious damage that was done by that bill.

 

Damage that was recognized not just by us here in the Opposition part of this Assembly, but by people throughout our Province and people in organizations throughout our country, and even by people outside of our country.  This government eventually came to be shamed by what they did through Bill 29.  It took them a while.  It took them a long while.  I guess we have to be glad that we came into an election period because maybe we would not have gotten the commission put in place.  Maybe we would not have gotten to be where we are today, finally, with a bill that is undoing the damage that was Bill 29. 

 

This Bill 1, Mr. Speaker, puts in some new things which are really powerful but also undoes some things that were unbelievable.  One of the things that it has undone, or it has brought back, this bill is renewing the power of Information and Privacy Commissioner, something which is really important.  Because what Bill 29 did through two sections in that bill, section 43(1)(a) and section 52(2), it took away the powers of the Commissioner to determine what was an official Cabinet record and put that power into the hands of the Clerk of the Executive Council, which was really unbelievable.

 

I mean, at that time we – and not only we, but organizations throughout Canada and elsewhere – said that what Bill 29 did was basically put the fox in charge of the hen house; that phrase was used by many people at that time. 

 

What has happened now with Bill 1 is that the sections that were in Bill 29 that took the power away from the Commissioner and put it into the hands of the Clerk, those sections have been removed.  We will be reverting to what was originally the act and that will now allow the Commissioner to determine what a Cabinet document is.  So if somebody is refused a Cabinet document from a department, that person can make a complaint to the Commissioner and the Commissioner will determine whether or not the document that has been refused is in actual fact an official Cabinet document.

 

This is extremely important and of course we have a much healthier definition and determination of what is an official Cabinet document.  It is not every single piece of paper under the sun that might have the word “Cabinet” on it that is a Cabinet document because that is the way it was. 

 

Bill 29 that we took hours and hours and hours of debate about in this House that we stayed overnight to fight, was something that shamed us.  It was something that shamed us.  I am happy that we can get stature back, not for the government but for all of us as a Province.  We were all made to look like fools by this government with Bill 29.  Stepping backwards is not where one wants to go, it is moving forward.

 

One of the most important things that this bill is doing is now reinstating some powers of the Commissioner that were taken away, so that you do not have to have ordinary citizens now going into a court to try to get access to information.  They can go to the person they should have been able to go to and used to be able to go to before Bill 29, go to the Commissioner and the Commissioner will make the determination.  That is the role of the Commissioner.  That is why putting a Commissioner in place is treated so seriously in the bill.  The people who together make a decision on the Commissioner – it is very high level. 

 

The office of the Commissioner “shall be filled by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council on a resolution of the House of Assembly.  (3) Before an appointment is made, the Speaker shall establish a selection committee comprising (a) the Clerk of the Executive Council or his or her deputy; (b) the Clerk of the House of Assembly or, where the Clerk is unavailable, the Clerk Assistant of the House of Assembly; (c) the Chief Judge of the Provincial Court or another judge of that court designed by the Chief Judge; and (d) the President of Memorial University or a vice-president of Memorial University designated by the President.”

 

These are people whom we place a lot of trust in the roles that they play in our Province.  These are the people who come together to seriously choose the person who is the Privacy Commissioner in our Province.  So the person who is being put in that position now will be respected for the position that he or she is in.  They will be given enough years in their role to be able to be effective.  They will know now that they have faith and trust in them from the government, whether it is the party that is in power, or the Opposition.  The people of the Province are saying we have faith in you.

 

The person who is put in that position has to be somebody, and will be somebody, and is somebody in the present whom we know deserves that faith and trust because they – he or she – is being chosen because of their track record, because of their background, because of having proven throughout their professional life that they can be trusted with this serious job.  Now, we are recognizing that we trust them by putting back in their hands the powers that had been there and had been taken away.

 

So that is one reason why it is so important that we pass this new bill and that we undo the damage of Bill 29.  It is for that reason we spent hours in this House of Assembly debating.  It is for that reason we spent hours talking to people outside of the House as well.  That is why people came here at 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 o'clock in the morning, and whether they were here in the House of Assembly or watching on television, people were watching around the Province and around the country what was happening here in Newfoundland and Labrador.

 

Now, Mr. Speaker, there is one thing in the act that is good – many things, actually, but one that I want to mention today.  It has an implication in it that I want to speak to.  The part that I want to talk about is section 112 in Bill 1.  Section 112 in Bill 1 is very, very good.  It says, “(1) A minister shall consult with the commissioner on a proposed Bill that could have implications for access to information or protection of privacy, as soon as possible before, and not later than, the date on which notice to introduce the Bill in the House of Assembly is given.  (2) The commissioner shall advise the minister as to whether the proposed Bill has implications for access to information or protection of privacy.  (3) The commissioner may comment publicly on a draft Bill any time after that draft Bill has been made public.”

 

This is an extremely important piece in this bill.  Note, that it says a minister shall consult with the Commissioner, and the Commissioner shall advise the minister.  So this is not something that they may do it, they may choose to do it – they have to do it according to this legislation when it is brought into play.

 

So let's take an example, Mr. Speaker.  We have a bill on the floor of this House now, Bill 2 –

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER (Littlejohn): Order, please!

 

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker; I appreciate that. 

 

Bill 2 has pieces in it that have to do with what this talks about, pieces that have implications for access to information and for protection of privacy.  If Bill 2 were in place under this new legislation, the minister would have to go to the Commissioner and say here is our draft bill, please read this from your perspective as the Commissioner for access to information and privacy protection.  That is your job as minister and you have to read this bill for us. 

 

What I am concerned about is how soon is this piece of legislation going to be proclaimed?  We will vote on it today, and I think we are all know we are going to be voting for it because it is something that those of us in Opposition were fighting for all during the filibuster that we went through.  So we know we are going to be voting for it but when is it going to be proclaimed? 

 

I am urging the government to make sure that this piece of legislation is proclaimed immediately.  I think in the press release they said it could be proclaimed as late as June 1.  I am saying to the government this is such an important piece of legislation that it needs to happen as soon as we pass it here in this House.  This needs to be proclaimed.  We do not want to see any delay in that proclamation.  We have already been three years almost of people under a piece of legislation that really kept them from accessing the truth, kept them from being able to access information about things that affected their lives. 

 

The average person who goes after information inside of government is doing it very seriously because there is something that has happened that has affected that person's life, the life of their family, whatever.  They have already been almost three years under a draconian piece of legislation that has really kept them from being to access easily the information that they have the right to have. 

 

We should want this piece of legislation to be put in place immediately.  I understand that there are going to be things that have to be put in place to make sure that this piece of legislation can operate well.  I am well aware of the fact there will have to be more resources inside of the Commissioner's office.  We have to make sure that the wheels are in motion so that the minute the new legislation is in place and people make their first complaints under the new legislation that all the timelines will be able to be met because we now have much better timelines in this new piece of legislation, timelines that will go into effect the minute a person makes a complaint, the clock starts.  The clock starts with regard to how soon they can get the information back. 

 

I understand that things have to be put in place and I know that that is already started.  I know that from the moment that the government and I am sure the Commissioner's office knew that the new legislation was coming, they have started the process of having things in place but I really implore them to be as expedient as possible in making that happen –

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker; I appreciate that. 

 

That it is important that it happen as soon as possible so that as soon as possible we make sure people have justice, make sure that they have accessibility to the information that is their right.

 

I bring this up now because I really am urging the government to make sure things happen quickly.  I obviously understand that we do not want it proclaimed before the system can make sure that it can handle the new legislation.  I am aware of that, but we do not want more legislation going through that may be covered by this clause 112.

 

We do not want more information going through that should be vetted by the Commissioner, and that is what I am concerned about: legislation that has implications with regard to access to information or protection of privacy and that will be passed without the Commissioner seeing that legislation and vetting that legislation because that is basically what 112 is talking about.  “The commissioner shall advise the minister as to whether the proposed Bill has implications for access to information or protection of privacy.”  The implication of that is that the minister will make sure that the language in it satisfies what the Commissioner points out.

 

I urge the government to move as quickly as possible, to make sure all the wheels are in motion so that this can be proclaimed as quickly as possible so that we do not have more legislation that has implications for the future, passing without being covered by this cause 112. 

 

I guess I would hope that the minister is going to stand and speak to this point.  What if a piece of legislation gets passed in this House between now and June 1, if that is when this comes into place?  What if legislation gets passed and after it is passed and after the new legislation is in place, the Commissioner looks at the legislation and says that is not compliant with the new act?  Will the Commissioner be able to do anything retroactively?  Will the Commissioner be able to say two weeks ago a piece of legislation was passed that is not compliant with rules around access to information and protection of privacy?  Will the Commissioner be able to take a look at something that has been passed before? 

 

I would like to think that any piece of legislation that is in place now, once this bill becomes passed and becomes law and we now have our new act, that older pieces of legislation will have to be looked at in the light of the new legislation.  I would hope that is going to be the case. 

 

I invite the Minister of Justice to speak to that – I take it, it is the Minister Responsible for the Office of Public Engagement whom I guess will have to speak to it, that is minister who responsible for this, but I do know the Department of Justice has to look at all the pieces of legislation that happen in this House of Assembly. 

 

I am hoping that I am right in thinking that a piece of legislation that is already in place when this bill becomes enacted and when it is proclaimed, that other pieces of legislation will now be looked at in a new way in terms of how they connect with this new bill. 

 

These were the two major points I wanted to make, Mr. Speaker.  There is no doubt that we are doing the right thing by passing this piece of legislation.  Government had put such a tight lid on access to information in this Province that it really was embarrassing.  Now, because of that tight lid that has been on for almost three years, I do know or I expect and I am sure they do too, that there is going to be a real surge of requests that are going to come in for all the people who have been trying to get information and cannot get it because of the act as it currently exists, thanks to Bill 29, that those people are once again going to be looking for the information that was restricted before. 

 

Government, under this new legislation, will not have the power to restrict information.  Departments will no longer have the power to restrict information.  It will be the Commissioner who will make a judgement if a piece of information should be released or not. 

 

I feel confident, Mr. Speaker, with this new legislation that we are going to have a new freedom in our Province with regard to access to information.  I feel confident about that. 

 

I do not think government should be congratulating itself too much because they came to recognize they had made a serious error.  I am happy they recognize it.  I am happy the former Premier put the commission in place.  I am happy the commission did such a wonderful amount of work. 

 

As I said during second reading, it was a costly error they made.  The report that has brought us to this bill today has cost the people of the Province a million dollars which it did not have to cost.  I will not go through all the things the million dollars could have gone towards, Mr. Speaker. 

 

We would not be talking about maybe cuts to tuition at Memorial University.  There are things that we would not have to be talking about here in this House.  I am afraid there are other things like that this government has done too that has cost money to this Province, to the people of the Province. 

 

We are where we are, and we are undoing a wrong that was done.  I will be very happy to vote for this.

 

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for The Straits – White Bay North.

 

MR. MITCHELMORE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity to speak in third reading to Bill 1. 

 

Bill 1 really is an about-face by this government.  This government has been failing to provide an open, accountable, and transparent government to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. 

 

I am so proud to follow my colleague, the Member for Bay of Islands in his speech earlier.  He certainly highlighted that when he talked about the hospital.  He has been a real advocate when it comes to cancer care, when it comes to radiation, and when it comes to the hospital in Corner Brook. 

 

There was a real lack of government providing information.  All kinds of barriers put up by the current Bill 29, the access to information.  Keeping information from the people of the Province, from the taxpayers who are paying for that information is wrong.  That is why we are talking about it here.  It is about the importance of sharing information. 

 

The Member for Bay of Islands highlighted that as the Official Opposition did research, made the case, and shared it with the former Premier of the Province.  What do you get?  You get better results.  You get action that is going to serve the people of the West Coast of this Province quite well. 

 

I am proud of the Member for Bay of Islands and the Leader of the Official Opposition for doing that –

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. MITCHELMORE: – and for also saying they would repeal Bill 29 from the most secretive government in this Province and in the country.

 

When I spoke to Bill 1 in second reading for an hour, I talked about how the former Liberal Administration, when they put forward the bill and the Official Opposition at the time brought forward amendments.  They were accepted and modified, a number of them, by the Liberal Administration of the day.  This government did not listen to the Opposition here today, no.  What do we get?  We get another bill being presented by an independent panel, a committee set up, led by Clyde Wells, that drafted this legislation we are debating here today. 

 

How did we get here?  What did government have to hide?  The Town of St. Anthony had to take government to court over the air ambulance case, access to information that was denied.

 

MR. SPEAKER: I am going to ask the hon. member to connect the dots on this one, please.

 

MR. MITCHELMORE: Right.

 

When you look at public library board minutes being kept away, access to information kept away from people of the Province.

 

So I say I am very happy when I am looking at Bill 1 right now, and looking at it being brought forward, something that the Official Opposition has been asking for the repeal of Bill 29.

 

We have seen, and I want to see, I really want to see the passage of this bill and I want to see it given Royal Assent so that we can live and abide by the new Bill 1 –

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. MITCHELMORE: – and have a more open, accountable, and transparent government, because this government talks the talk but it doesn't often walk the walk.

 

We saw more than a year ago, where the minister who is responsible for the Office of Public Engagement get up with the former Premier, act like Steve Jobs, and say: We are going to have this open government initiative.  We are going to have open road map, open data; but very little movement, very little action has happened.  Where other jurisdictions have legislated, they have mandated, that information would become available from all government department and Crown agencies.  We are not seeing that for this government right now. 

 

I hope this about-face in Bill 1 will lead to that and we will see real action when it comes to open government and that initiative, because the Budget right now says 2020-2021.  I hope the people of this Province are not going to be waiting another five years for action from this government.

 

We are going to hold them accountable.  We are going to make sure there is more information.  The Official Opposition will release more information than any other government.

 

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion that Bill 1 now be read the third time?

 

All those in favour, 'aye.'

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

 

MR. SPEAKER: All those against, 'nay.'

 

Carried.

 

CLERK: A bill, An Act To Provide The Public With Access To Information And Protection Of Privacy.  (Bill 1)

 

MR. SPEAKER: This bill is now read a third time and it is ordered that the bill do pass, and its title be as on the Order Paper.

 

On motion, a bill, “An Act To Provide The Public With Access To Information And Protection Of Privacy,” read a third time, ordered passed and its title be as on the Order Paper.  (Bill 1)

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.

 

MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

At this time I would like to call from the Order Paper, Motion 1, that this House approves in general the budgetary policy of the government, the Budget Speech.

 

MR. SPEAKER: It is moved that the House move to Motion 1, that this House approves in general the budgetary policy of the government, the Budget Speech.

 

The hon. the Member for Fortune Bay – Cape La Hune.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MS PERRY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

The Minister of Fisheries is there to the side of me, Mr. Speaker, and he is just as elated as what I am here today, because it is a great day for the Coast of Bays Region with the announcement of $8.15 million for an expansion of the aquaculture industry.  In particular, we are going to see the volume of production increasing from 14,000 metric tons to 18,000 metric tons with today's news.

 

Mr. Speaker, that is good for us for many reasons.  Most importantly, of course, is the employment that it creates.  It is private sector employment created through partnership with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.  Our government strongly supports the aquaculture industry and the impact it has in rural Newfoundland and Labrador.  So, I am very proud to be the member today. 

 

I am proud to say that in the very near future we are hoping the facility in Harbour Breton will be back up and running.  It has been a challenging time since the fall of 2013 when the plant went idle in Harbour Breton.  So, in the next few months we are very much looking forward to the renovations that are going to take place and to see the plant back up and running and people back to work. 

 

At the same time, Mr. Speaker, we are ensuring the facility in St. Alban's, which employs a number of people in its processing facility, will continue to remain vibrant and active into the long term as well.  So, it is a win-win for my entire region, and certainly for the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador as a whole.

 

I would like to thank the hon. Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, and indeed the entire Progressive Conservative Government of Newfoundland and Labrador for today's fabulous announcement.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MS PERRY: It is certainly great news for each and every one of us, Mr. Speaker.

 

I was so excited when I stood up I forgot to say – which I like to do when I speak to the Budget – a thank you to the constituents of Fortune Bay – Cape La Hune for the support they have entrusted in me to be their member.  Those who know me, know me very well, and know that I am certainly a very strong advocate and fighter on their behalf.  I do not give in or give up until we see success for the Coast of Bays region.  I know all of my colleagues, Mr. Speaker, work hard in that regard as well, especially here on this side of the House. 

 

There is another thank you I would like to give.  There is another bouquet I would like to throw out here today, Mr. Speaker, in my Budget Speech.  That goes to the Minister of Transportation and Works who has also provided a significant investment in my region which is going to help ensure that our employment is maintained and that our residents have a great highway to drive over.

 

Last year, it was announced that $10 million was being invested for thirty kilometres on the Bay d'Espoir Highway between Hermitage and Harbour Breton, and for another nine kilometres, Mr. Speaker, on Route 360, sort of in the middle of the Bay d'Espoir Highway.  That piece of work in the middle of the highway was fully completed last year.  The thirty kilometres towards Harbour Breton is pretty much done and the last step now is going to be laying the asphalt.  That will happen in short order once the asphalt plants are back up and running in the Province.  We are hoping to see that commence really soon. 

 

The piping is all done and culverts are all done.  It was a great day.  There certainly was a lot more done than the 20 per cent that the member opposite from St. John's South, I think, tried to inaccurately portray in the House.  I am so proud to stand here and say that it was not true.  The work is done and the asphalt will be laid, Mr. Speaker, in the very near future.  I am certainly one very, very proud MHA. 

 

I look forward, Mr. Speaker, to continuing to work with the Minister of Transportation and Works as we advance the rest of the roads in the region.  I have to thank him, in particular, for his very speedy response to an incident we had arise not too long ago where we had a washout during all those heavy rains.  I must say, he was very expedient and responsive to myself, the constituents, and the mayors involved.  He got that work done in short order.  We are all so very thankful.  So again my thanks to another fabulous minister, as they all are, here on this side of the House.  I am looking forward to more great things that are going to happen in the upcoming months. 

 

Mr. Speaker, I would like to talk a little bit today about some of the things that our government has achieved and our plan for moving forward.  My comment I would like to make on our plan – and it has been clearly outlined in this year's Budget – is that it is action oriented.  It is not rhetoric and glossy words; it is not excerpts from training books.  We, as a government, are optimistic about the future.  We know where we are going and we have a road map to get us there. 

 

Mr. Speaker, if you look this year in the Budget documents there was a really interesting document attached, and it is called Budget 2015 Highlights.  Anyone who is interested in economic development, economic performance, and fiscal performance indicators need only look to page 3 to see the type of difference that Progressive Conservative governance and leadership has had in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador over the last ten years. 

 

Admittedly, we are facing a challenge, as is the rest of Canada, as is the rest of North America, as is the rest of the globe with the downturn in oil.  It is not a problem that is unique to Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker.  I would venture to say that with the leadership, the experience, and the vision of our team, we are going to certainly be one of the leaders once again in coming out of the recession and coming out of these challenges earlier than most.  It is because of the leadership we have set, the targets we have set, the vision we have, and our focused efforts on innovation, on growing the economy, and on ensuring that the well-being of all of our people is our first and foremost priority. 

 

If you look to page 3 of the Highlights document you can clearly see that over a period from 1991 to 2020, it is the Progressive Conservative governance model that highly outperformed the Liberal-type governance model.  I do encourage everyone to refer to the Highlights document and see page 3. 

 

We have outperformed the Liberals.  Our plan for the future will outperform the Liberals, and most importantly, we do have a plan.  Not one that we are going to leave until the writ drops, no.  Our plan is out there for people to have time to look at it, to learn about it, to understand it, and to decide if it is something they like.  We are not going to try and hoodwink the public, Mr. Speaker, by keeping everything a secret until the last two or three weeks of the election.  We are very straightforward and very upfront with the electorate.  People know what we stand for long before the writ drops.

 

We are an open government, Mr. Speaker, more open than any other government.  I remind members opposite and the public it was this government that opened the books of the House of Assembly.  It was this government that welcomed the Auditor General back in.  It was this government that has led the way in openness, transparency, and honesty – absolutely.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER (Cross): Order, please!

 

MS PERRY: I am riling up some of the members opposite here today, Mr. Speaker. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MS PERRY: I want to talk a little bit about our new Premier as well.  Premier Davis has been in his role not for a long time, but I have to tell you – and as someone else alluded to when they got up and did their speech – I initially was a supporter of another candidate.  I am so very impressed with the performance of our Premier, absolutely outstanding.

 

I have been here in the House for seven years; I have never enjoyed my job more than I do today.  I have always enjoyed working for the people and the constituents, and have enjoyed it thoroughly.  Our new Premier is so inclusive, so engaging, so sincere, and so genuine.  We are a very energetic group, we are a revived group, Mr. Speaker, and we are looking forward to the responsible approach that he is taking in leading the way to a continued better future.  We have introduced a better future since we have been in government in 2003 and we are going to continue making this Province a better place to live.

 

I would like to speak a little bit, as well, about the HST, and elaborate or explain something for our viewers because I am not sure that we are getting the message out on this as well as we could be.  I had someone come to my office who was concerned, it was a low-income earner.  They were concerned about the impact this 2 per cent raise would have. 

 

We sat down and explained that now the HST rebate – which was in the past a $40 rebate – has increased to $300, Mr. Speaker.  They would have to spend $15,000, which is their total income, before they were actually out-of-pocket.  This person is actually going to be money in by the higher rebate.  Certainly we would all love to not be able to have to reach to taxes as one of the tools for improving government, but when you look at the tools available to us – and Minister Wiseman has explained it much more elaborately than I ever could – this is the fairest way with minimal impact on persons with low incomes in particular. 

 

We are trying to do what we can by increasing the rebate cap from $15,000 to $30,000.  That makes a lot more people eligible for the HST rebate then was previously.  By increasing the amount of the rebate from $40 to $300, it puts that 2 per cent back into their pockets, Mr. Speaker, for those who are making below $30,000.  That is as simple as it gets.  For anyone making $30,000, it puts that 2 per cent back into their pockets with the rebate in October. 

 

No one can say that our government has not been good when it comes to lowering taxes.  We have consistently lowered taxes for both the personal income tax and the business community, the private sector.  When we have fiscal capacity to do so we were quite delighted to actually eliminate the 2 per cent HST, but now we are in a place where our Province is facing some challenges like, as I said earlier, everywhere else in the world.  The fairest way to do it, we believe, was to look at the HST mechanism.

 

When we had the ability, Mr. Speaker, to give the taxes back to the people, we gave them back.  That is who we are as a government, and in the future we are going to give them back again.  That is what we are all about.  When we have the fiscal capacity to do so, the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador will first and foremost be the immediate beneficiaries again.  We are hoping that our economic condition will improve even faster than we have predicted.  We are absolutely confident that the turnaround is not too far around the corner, Mr. Speaker. 

 

When Don Mills was in town from Corporate Research Associates there a few weeks ago he explained it very clearly.  He talked about the members opposite.  Their idea is to have a higher debt and run it for a longer time.  That will have severe negative implications, Mr. Speaker, for the economy of Newfoundland and Labrador because that is when the bond agencies, like Moody's and Standard & Poor's, look at the government saying I am not so sure that is a sustainable approach you are taking there.  The credit rating drops, the amount of interest we pay on our debt increases significantly, and all of a sudden we are a whole lot worse off than we were before.  In basic, simple terms, I am trying to make it easy for them to understand; more borrowing is not a good option. 

 

The Member for Virginia Waters has even stated publicly that is something she agrees with because her position is certainly not to increase the debt load; her position is to look at cutting.  Even with the party, there is not real consistency about where the policies are going to be, Mr. Speaker. 

 

There is another thing that I would like to talk about a little bit.  Ours is a very responsible government –

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MS PERRY: – and we are a very experienced government, Mr. Speaker.  I am a Progressive Conservative and I am proud of it.  I am progressive when it comes to fiscal management and governance models, but I can be liberal minded insofar as –

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MS PERRY: – those who have a share with those who have not, so that is where it pertains to the HST. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MS PERRY: Minded I said in terms of sharing. 

 

The HST is something –

 

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

 

MS PERRY: I am fiscally, strongly very conservative, I can tell you – but the HST is something that will have minimal impact, Mr. Speaker, on the population as a whole.  Those in the higher tax brackets will bear the brunt of it as opposed to those in lower income brackets, which is something I would have thought a Liberal would be happy to support.  Sometimes I am a little bit baffled, but with some many Conservatives and New Democrats in the party, I guess it is hard to stick true to true Liberal core values as traditionally known.

 

I am going to run out of time way too fast, Mr. Speaker.  I am not even hitting on half of my topics here today.  The Member for Virginia Waters when she got up in her response to the Budget, after Minister Wiseman spoke, talked about how the Liberals are going to change the pension plan.  It is about time something be done because the Tories have not done anything about it.

 

Well, I would like to refresh the memories of people in this House and the member that we indeed have made some major steps so far with the MHA pension plan.  Premier Davis has announced pension reform as part of one of his three key pillars that we are going to see some more action and news on in the very near future, Mr. Speaker. 

 

Let me remind members opposite that it was this government who did change the pension plan.  It was following the Green report and the exposure of a lot of issues that were a problem in this House prior to 2003.  In terms of the MHA plan in particular, prior to 2007, a person who was a Member of the House of Assembly could qualify for a pension when their age plus years of service equalled sixty.  They could have been thirty-five or forty years old, but if they went into politics at twenty, their age and years of service equalled sixty at forty years old, they were drawing a pension.  They were earning their pension at a rate of 5 per cent of their annual salary.

 

In 2009, we have already taken steps.  We modified that pension act.  The change made at that time was that a person, an individual who has served in the House of Assembly, regardless of the number of years they have served as an MHA, they will not be able to draw down their pension until they turn fifty-five.  The rate of earning toward that pension plan was decreased from 5 per cent to 3.5 per cent.

 

These recommendations actually came from a Management Commission review that was conducted by the Member for Virginia Waters, so it escapes me why she did not remember that this government has actually already taken some steps.

 

We are recognized, I think, throughout North America for the impressive work that was done last year when Premier Marshall was in place, in our efforts to stabilize the public sector pension plan, Mr. Speaker.  We are going to be making more efforts in the very near future to address the MHA pension plan as it is now.  Even that will be changed again.

 

This is a government that does not talk about doing things, this is a government that actually rolls up its sleeves and actually does things.  We do not plan to plan, Mr. Speaker, we write a plan and we implement the plan, and we get going and we roll up our sleeves. 

 

Certainly this is an amendment to the Budget so I am really looking forward to the opportunity to be able to get up and speak several times, Mr. Speaker, to the Budget.  I have so many things here I would like to be able to speak about that I am not even going to come close to being able to getting the time to touch on today.  I look forward to getting up and speaking more on this Budget. 

 

I am so very proud of the vision and so very proud of where we have come, Mr. Speaker, since 2003.  A part of me is very, very worried about what would happen now if government were to change and all the effort that has happened reversed and spiraled backwards.  It goes backwards much quicker than it goes forward.  I am sure that when the time comes for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador to assess who they want to govern them, who is the most sincere and most honest, I think they are going to take a very close, hard look at the Progressive Conservatives, Mr. Speaker. 

 

I look forward to continuing to work with the people of Newfoundland and Labrador in this fine Province, and the people of Fortune Bay – Cape La Hune as we all work together, and my colleagues across the way, to make this a better Province for each and every one of us.  I look forward to 2020 and the next five years of the Progressive Conservative government.

 

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. JOYCE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

I am just going to have a few words.  I just follow the – and I do not usually like speaking after a member who stands up so well and so proud of Bill 1, Mr. Speaker.  She never had the courage to stand when it came in for third reading – did not even stand up on it.  That is how proud she is. 

 

That is how open that government is, Mr. Speaker.  They could not even stand up on Bill 1 on third reading because they were so ashamed what happened in Newfoundland and Labrador, how they deprived the people of Newfoundland and Labrador of their rights.  I know the member wants to stand up and try to toot the government's horn, Mr. Speaker, about being open and accountable.  That is why the people of Newfoundland and Labrador forced Bill 29 to be changed. 

 

Anyway, I am not getting into that today, Mr. Speaker.  I am going to speak about a few things on the Budget.  One of the things – I just had a few words on Bill 1.  I am going to speak about the hospital in Corner Brook. 

 

We are going to talk about the design build that is being touted now as the new saviour for the hospital.  I heard some of the members opposite talking about, well, there is already private partnership.  I can go around the government over there, Mr. Speaker, and I can take any member whatsoever. 

 

The Minister of Natural Resources had offices in Corner Brook and I ask him one question.  In Fortis Towers, where you had offices, I ask you one question – you can stand, I know the member is there looking, you can stand.  In your offices in Corner Brook, did you hire the staff, and did you set the rules for that building on what the legislation is going to be in there?  The member is shaking his head and saying yes, he governs that through legislation through his department.  That is the difference between the design build that this government is offering. 

 

The Premier said himself that when they have design build the owners will be able to set the rates and set the service.  Which is completely opposite from any other government department which is renting in Corner Brook right now – any, Mr. Speaker. 

 

My question to the government – I ask the people of Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Bay of Islands who are listening: How can you let a private operator walk into Corner Brook, set up a long-term care facility, be able to charge the rates, and be able to set the service?  How can you let it happen? 

 

Then they talk about, there are seniors homes.  Mr. Speaker, either the members of the government, the Premier included, do not understand the difference between a home with Level 1 and 2 or they are just trying to spin this to try to make it look good.  It is one of the two, because I know in Corner Brook there are a lot of seniors' homes. 

 

There are two in the Bay of Islands, Mr. Speaker.  If you are in a Level 1 or a Level 2 you can say, okay, I want this level of service.  I can pay for it.  I want this level of service.  No, no, I want to live over here now because it is closer to my family.  You can choose that, but, Mr. Speaker, in a Level 3 and 4 you cannot choose where you want to go.  You cannot choose.  You are at a position in life where long-term care is going to be your last stop in life.  It is sad, but it is true, Mr. Speaker. 

 

AN HON. MEMBER: It is true, yes. 

 

MR. JOYCE: It is true, that is the difference.

 

I say to the government, when you stand up and look at me and say, well, there are already seniors homes in Corner Brook that are privately owned.  That is true, Mr. Speaker.  That is absolutely true, but I can tell you long-term care facilities are when people cannot take care of themselves.  They have nowhere else to go.  They cannot go in those private homes.  Do you know why they cannot go in private homes?  It is because of government legislation, when they do an evaluation on a senior, that a level of care is needed that they have to go to the long-term care.  They have to go.

 

Mr. Speaker, when I hear the Premier and the Minister of Health stand up – and I have it in Hansard.  The Minister of Health, the Premier said it at the announcement, that they are going to set the rates and they are going to set the level of care because it is already being done in seniors' homes in Newfoundland and Labrador.  They do not understand.  They just honestly do not understand.  This is how they are going to now push the long-term care facility in Corner Brook.  It is actually shameful, Mr. Speaker, it is actually shameful. 

 

I know people in long-term care.  I was up there a few weeks ago to visit some friends.  You are going to tell me that if somebody goes to long-term care now, they are going to have someone come down from BC who is going to say, here are your rates and here is the level of care you are going to get, because that is the only way we can get through our financial bind?  That is shameful.  It is actually shameful. 

 

Now, Mr. Speaker, I look over and I see government departments in Corner Brook.  I look at the Norton Building up on Riverside Drive, a lot of government offices.  They own the building.  We rent offices.  Government rents offices, but I can tell you one thing, can you imagine if the owner of the Norton Building walked in and said: okay, boys, here is how you are going to run your departments now.  He would be ran out of town, Mr. Speaker.  The offices would move the next day.  If he walked in and said okay, we are going to set these rates now instead of having an agreement made with government.  Mr. Speaker, it is just shameful.

 

People know I have been advocating for a long-term facility and the hospital in Corner Brook for years, but when I heard this P3s and I heard the way they are going to go about it, Mr. Speaker, it is actually shameful.  It is actually shameful. 

 

This is not talking about putting a building up, brick and mortar.  If you are going to put brick and mortar up and get rid of the capital cost, that is fine, but the minute you go inside that building, Western Health has to have control.  They have to have qualified people in there.  They have to be able to set the rates, Mr. Speaker.  Sadly, what is going to happen, if the government is allowed to go and do this, if the government is not forced in, like Bill 29 – if the government is not forced into changing this, what happens if a poor senior cannot afford the rates?  They have nowhere to go.

 

If you want to go to a seniors home and you do not like the quality of service and you have the money you can move, but when you are in a long-term care facility you cannot move.  You do not have the option to move. 

 

Mr. Speaker, I can tell you right here, that if they thought they had a fight on the hospital, the people of Corner Brook and Western Newfoundland, this long-term care – thinking that they are going to walk in and let someone come in and put up a building, set the rates, and set the level of service, they do not know the people of Corner Brook.  Here is what I challenge the government.  This is a big issue for all of Western Newfoundland.  Here is a big challenge, call an election. 

 

You do not have to wait, Mr. Speaker.  Call an election before you go and sign some thirty-year agreement, and let someone from BC come down so he could walk away shaking his fingers: Okay, we could set the rates here now, we can set the rates down here.  Call an election and let the people out in Western Newfoundland decide on this.  Here is a good way.

 

Listen, I ran before and I lost.  People cannot be wrong.  So if you really feel that the government, Mr. Speaker – this is the right decision for Western Newfoundland, call an election, I say, and let the people decide what type of service they want.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. JOYCE: I guarantee you, Mr. Speaker, there will not be any election called.  I can guarantee you, they are holding on by their fingernails to power, making these types of thirty-year deals, that they can set the rates for long-term care patients is just fundamentally wrong. 

 

MR. S. COLLINS: (Inaudible).

 

MR. JOYCE: I say to the Member for Terra Nova, you go back and do some preaching, or go back to church or something, Mr. Speaker.  You do not have to go singing here about me now. 

 

MR. S. COLLINS: A point of order, Mr. Speaker.

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services on a point of order.

 

MR. S. COLLINS: Mr. Speaker, I would ask if the member would like to elaborate on go to church and go preaching.  I would like for him to elaborate on it.  Is he commenting on my religion and where I stand with my Christian faith, if he would answer? 

 

MR. SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

 

The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.

 

MR. JOYCE: You were preaching to me about the long-term care facility, Mr. Speaker, which you have nothing to talk about.  Here is the Member for Terra Nova again –

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MR. JOYCE: Here is the Member for Terra Nova again, Mr. Speaker.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MR. JOYCE: The Member for Terra Nova, Mr. Speaker, I did not want to bring this up, but he is always bringing up about Clyde Wells.  He is the chief justice.  He always brings it up.  He brought it up in the House.  He is singing it out across the House, about Clyde Wells giving me a bribe, a brown paper bag.  That is what the Member for Terra Nova –

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MR. JOYCE: Mr. Speaker, and I said, say it outside.  If you want to challenge me for anything that I went to court about, that I sued somebody and won, say it outside.  He is accusing the chief justice of this Province of giving a bribe. 

 

Here he is now again sitting down there because he was never afforded a hospital in Corner Brook, never afforded, out challenging the people, singing out across the House again.  You can hear him, Mr. Speaker.  I remember that someone showed me – some of the members that Tweet –

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MR. JOYCE: – about Elizabeth May, and he said: I feel sorry for her now.  I feel sorry for the member, because all he has to bring up about me is something about Clyde Wells, which he has not got the courage to say outside, Mr. Speaker.

 

I understand that a lot of times when people say stuff – anybody who is into religion, anybody who is religious will go and you forgive them.  So I will say to the Member for Terra Nova, I forgive you.  I forgive him, because I know he is desperate; I know he cannot run in that seat.  John Haggie, get ready for the dirt that is going to be coming – get ready.  Because when you want to stand in this House and shout across this House about the Chief Justice of Newfoundland and Labrador given a bribe, yet he will not say it.  That is what politics has come to here in this House.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MR. JOYCE: When you stand up about the hospital in Corner Brook, Mr. Speaker, that is what it comes to.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MR. JOYCE: Mr. Speaker, I can assure you, the member is still going on, but he cannot stand up and dispute what I am saying.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MR. JOYCE: You could talk about brown paper bags with Clyde Wells all you like.  It does not bother me.

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

I would prefer the member would come back to the Budget.

 

MR. JOYCE: I know, Mr. Speaker.  I ask you, Mr. Speaker, to ask him if you have something to say about Clyde Wells and brown paper bags, say it outside and say it to Clyde Wells.  He is only the Chief Justice of the Province, that is all.

 

Mr. Speaker, I am just going to talk about the hospital.  I say to the Member for Terra Nova my last thing, like he said about Elizabeth May.  I feel sorry for you; I really honestly do.  I honestly do.  So, Mr. Speaker, I will just move on from that.

 

Mr. Speaker, here we are going to talk about the hospital again.  I look at the Minister of Health out here saying how he is going to start this year.  That was in the media this year, the long-term care facility, how it is going to start again this year out in Corner Brook.  Quote: Minister says new hospital is on schedule.  Now we find out there is another delay in the hospital, in the long-term care facility.

 

Mr. Speaker, here he is: It will begin in 2015 with the long-term care – now we know it is not true.  Now we know it is not true.

 

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

 

MR. JOYCE: I know the Member for Terra Nova is still preaching to me here now about the hospital, Mr. Speaker.  He could preach to me as much as he likes, but that is what the minister said.  That is exactly what the minister said.

 

Mr. Speaker, here we are now, we are talking about here is what he said in the House of Assembly, here is what the Minister of Health said in the House of Assembly: The new hospital in Corner Brook will start in 2015, as previously committed to and promised.  It is not going to go ahead now.  It is definitely not going to go ahead now, Mr. Speaker.  It is getting pretty sad when you stand in this Legislature and at the time – the question I have to ask is: Did the minister know that this was not going to happen? 

 

Mr. Speaker, when you look back at the date, it was in November.  Was he into the design build then, Mr. Speaker?  I do not know.  I cannot answer that, but I can tell you one thing, the people out in Western Newfoundland, in Corner Brook, would love to know that.

 

Here I am again going through each part about the hospital.  I can go through dates when it was all announced and all we know is another delay.  That is all we know now is another delay across the Province, a complete delay of the hospital.  So I am supposed to stand up here now and vote for this Budget, knowing the commitments that were made by this government is not going to be followed through.  The commitments that were made to the people of Western Newfoundland and Labrador will not follow through.  Am I supposed to stand up and vote for this Budget now, Mr. Speaker?

 

I will just speak about a few things in the district itself.  You look back at some of the statements that the former Premier made with the oil prices out in Corner Brook.  I am going back two or three years.  He said oil prices are going to drop, Mr. Speaker.  They know we cannot live on oil all the time.  Mr. Speaker, guess what?  He was right.  He knew.  He was the Minister of Finance.

 

Here we hear the government now talking about oil prices, talking about we did not know.  How could we predict this?  I notice the Member for Terra Nova is not preaching to me now about the Budget, Mr. Speaker, because he knows what the Minister of Finance said.  It is in writing.  It is definitely in writing. 

 

They all talked about: tell me some things you would not do.  Absolutely, tell me some stuff.  How about the $30 million spend in Parson's Pond drilling a hole?  How about that $30 million?  I ask the people on this side or that side: What could you do with $30 million?  The seniors' advocate is one thing.  Student tuition is another thing.  That is just a couple.

 

Mr. Speaker, we all remember the big charade about having the office in Ottawa costing millions upon millions upon millions, still paying rent, people on staff, and the office door closed, having someone come down and collect the mail.  That is just a few things. 

 

Look at Muskrat Falls, Mr. Speaker, what we are going to be doing with Muskrat Falls around here.  Just look at Muskrat Falls.  We all look at the cost of Muskrat Falls and we hear the government opposite always saying to us on a regular basis: but we are going to have money from here to eternity.  We will always have money.  The point they forget to say to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador is that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are going to pay for it, so if they need more money they just jack up the electricity bills.  It is not new money. 

 

We asked today to the Premier, we turned around and asked the Premier today: Will you commit to the sale of the power to Muskrat Falls going to go to Emera in Nova Scotia or do you put it back to lower the bills here, Mr. Speaker, would you lower the bills?  There was no commitment, absolutely no commitment.  That is the difference –

 

MR. DALLEY: A point of order, Mr. Speaker.

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources, on a point of order. 

 

MR. DALLEY: You can check Hansard, Mr. Speaker, but the member is absolutely wrong on the commitment.  The Premier did stand and commit that the funding that comes out of the exports of Muskrat Falls power will be used to offset the rates, Mr. Speaker.  He is absolutely wrong. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

 

The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands. 

 

MR. JOYCE: I see the member again trying to preach to me when he knows it is not true.  What is wrong? Mr. Speaker, I ask to check to Hansard, check Hansard today.  The Premier said some –

 

MR. DALLEY: A point of order, Mr. Speaker.

 

MR. SPEAKER: The Minister of Natural Resources, on a point of order. 

 

MR. DALLEY: He absolutely said some, Mr. Speaker, because we may not need all of it to pay for the rates because the rates are going to be kept low because of what we are doing. 

 

The member does not understand, Mr. Speaker, that the money you are paying for your electricity bill right now is going to oil companies.  It is going to come back for the benefit of the people of the Province.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

There is no point of order. 

 

The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands. 

 

MR. JOYCE: I guess, Mr. Speaker, he is trying to be like the Member for Terra Nova, preaching to me all the time about Muskrat Falls.  He was preaching to me about the hospital in Corner Brook, Mr. Speaker.  Guess what?  We got the hospital in Corner Brook.  Guess what?  We got radiation.  You keep on preaching to me. 

 

Mr. Speaker, you touch a nerve with them.  Don't you find that, Mr. Speaker?  Don't you find when you bring up and say the people of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador are going to be paying for this, you touch a nerve because it all right when you give a spin, when you stand up and say we are going to have money coming in for generations and generations and generations, but you forget it is us who are paying for it – it is us who are paying for it.  That is right, so how you can we have all this new – giving everybody this big old spiel about all the new money coming in, Mr. Speaker. 

 

You do not have to preach to me about that because I know the difference.  I voted on it.  I went through it.  I voted against it because I read the details on it.  You can say what you like; it is the people of the Province.  When you say that we are going to have money coming in, if you need more money you are going to jack up the rates.

 

MR. DALLEY: A point of order, Mr. Speaker.

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources, on a point of order.

 

MR. DALLEY: Your leader is in favour of it.  The Member for Virginia Waters is in favour of it.  Somebody over there understands Muskrat Falls, I am sure.

 

MR. SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. JOYCE: (Inaudible) I guess he must be a twin of the Member for Terra Nova.

 

Mr. Speaker, here is the deal: If you feel I am wrong, call an election.  Let the people of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador decide on a $2 billion deficit over the last two years, deficits up to 2021.  Let the people call.  If you think I am wrong, call an election. 

 

Call an election, Mr. Speaker, if you think I am wrong, if you think the people of Newfoundland and Labrador – that is what I have to say here.  Call an election and let the people decide.

 

MR. SPEAKER: I remind the member his time has expired.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

 

MR. S. COLLINS: Mr. Speaker, I need some clarification.

 

MR. SPEAKER: Are you speaking to the Budget or a point of order? 

 

MR. S. COLLINS: A point of privilege, Mr. Speaker.

 

Just a few moments ago I stood on a point of order and I think it is more of a point of privilege.  I wish for you to review the tape.  The Member for Bay of Islands, as he has continually said preaching ever since the original comment he has made, I believe it was derogatory.  It was obviously based on my religious beliefs and practices.


Then he went further to talk about the former Member for Terra Nova who actually shares those beliefs as well.  I would like for you to review the tape and see that.  I feel as though it was a derogatory term.  It was a gross reference to my religious beliefs and I take great offence to it, as do the people who share those beliefs.

 

MR. SPEAKER: Do you want to speak to the point of privilege? 

 

AN HON. MEMBER: Yes.

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burgeo – La Poile.

 

MR. A. PARSONS: Certainly I do not think there has been any point of privilege here, but I would suggest that I would like to see the tape myself as well.  I am sure the Chair will look at it, and I would reserve the right to speak to this after we get an opportunity to see what the tape actually says. 

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

At this point obviously to make an adequate ruling on this to see if there is actually a point of privilege, the Chair would review the tapes and review what actually transpired, if there is any evidence there, and make a ruling at a later date. 

 

The hon. the Member for Port de Grave.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Order, please!

 

MR. LITTLEJOHN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. 

 

After some of that, Mr. Speaker, I will try to get back to some of the points that I have heard over the last few days.  Like many members I am always privileged to stand in this House and represent the fine people of my District of Port de Grave. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. LITTLEJOHN: Mr. Speaker, I have been listening over the last week or so to various pieces of debate and I have heard various terms, “cherry-pick” and all the rest.  Maybe I am going to do a little bit of cherry picking of my own to respond to some of the comments that I have heard from members opposite.  That being said, I do have a few minutes that I would like to speak to today and a few different subjects to discuss.

 

Mr. Speaker, obviously there is a lot of debate on whether this is a bump in the road or a major catastrophe.  We believe on this side that it is a bump in the road.  We have certainly been challenged.  It is not only this Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, but there are many provinces throughout the country that have certainly been challenged through the low commodity prices.

 

I listened very intently last week or earlier this week to the Member for Labrador West.  He talked about ore prices, he talked about the economy, and the resiliency of the people of Labrador West when the member said we are used to going through a crisis, a crisis in commodity prices.  When ore is down we have had some challenges.  When ore is up, times are good and it is very good. 

Mr. Speaker, we are in one of those things.  We are in an area right now with commodity prices the way they are, oil prices the way they are, and ore prices.  Certainly it has affected our bottom line and our revenue.  It is not uncommon, no matter how much members opposite talk about it.  It is not uncommon being a natural resource market.  Our main natural resource for many years was the fishery or it is now oil.  We are a natural resource-based economy.  When you are a natural resource-based economy, you are going to have peaks and valleys in your economy. 

 

Mr. Speaker, I know one of the members got up and talked about the pension liability.  He talked about the Auditor General's report, the pension liability, and the unfunded pension liability I believe again earlier this week.  The Auditor General in his report in 2014 talked about the unfunded pension liability to the taxpayers of the Province. 

 

Mr. Speaker, he said at that time that the liability “… reflects the inherent volatility related to this unfunded liability and the risks borne by the taxpayers of the Province for the retirement benefits of public employees.”  Being a former public employee for twenty-five years, I understand the concern of the pension plan and the need to stabilize the pension plan.  This was not something new.  In reference to many governments; many governments were not prepared or did not want to tackle the issue because they really did not know how to tackle the issue, or they did not want it tackled.  The Auditor General went on to say, Mr. Speaker, that if it continued, insufficient money would be available.

 

Mr. Speaker, I remember back maybe ten, fifteen years ago it was common for people in the public service at that time to be encouraged – the pension plan is going to run out.  You are not going to have a pension.  You should put money away and do different things.  That was a trying time on all public employees.  I can only imaging the stress, the tension, and all the other things that are on our retired employees because this has been an issue for a lot of years.

 

Mr. Speaker, in March, 2015, the unfunded liability – if we did not do something about it, just from the employee future benefits – would account for 74 per cent of the provincial debt.  I think people did not realize that if we did not address the unfunded liability in our pension plans, it was still increasing our public debt.  It was one of the biggest factors in the increase in our public debt.

 

I know the Opposition goes on about the money we spent, the money we should have spent, and the money we did not spend.  Mr. Speaker, to be honest, the unfunded pension liability was one of the largest issues in terms of increasing our public debt.

 

It is through the efforts of a lot of people – the great employees in the Department of Finance, and the great leadership of the Finance Minister, the Cabinet and everybody else – that we have come to agreements with all the major unions on the unfunded liability.  Mr. Speaker, many people in this Province thought it would never be accomplished.  Many people in this Province thought it would never be accomplished, that the unions and government could come forward and agree to a plan to address the unfunded liabilities in our pension plans.

 

Mr. Speaker, that affects hundreds of thousands of people in our Province.  It affects people like myself and I would say it would affect people like the Minister of Transportation.  The hon. Member for Harbour Main would be affected and many other people who have been in the public service over the years.

 

AN HON. MEMBER: What about (Inaudible)?

 

MR. LITTLEJOHN: Yes, some hon. members on the opposite side, I would say.  Many of those people had a lot of stress because of this unfunded liability.

 

You know, Mr. Speaker, this government tackled the issue and we came to agreements.  The last one to be solved was the teachers, just recently, the NLTA.

 

Mr. Speaker, sometimes in all this debate over the Budget, it appears there has been no success stories from this government or no co-operation between the public service and our members; but I would suggest that the unfunded pension liability is probably one of the greatest success stories that this government can have in the twelve years that it has been in power. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. LITTLEJOHN: Mr. Speaker, there has been other successes in our public service.  People forget too that back in 2005-2006 we did address some of the unfunded liability; we put $2 billion into the program.  Can you imagine where we would be if we did not put $2 billion into the unfunded pension liability back then?  Where would we be right now? 

 

I suggest, Mr. Speaker, that the pension plan issue was probably the greatest single issue that any government has tackled in a long time.  Our total investment back into the unfunded liability between 2005 and now has been some $3.6 billion to help manage the debt. 

 

Now, we have hit that bump in the road that I talked about earlier and yes, over the next five years we have laid out a plan where we are going to need to borrow a little over $4 billion.  Mr. Speaker, think about where we would be if we did not put money into the unfunded liability and we did not address the pension issue in this Province.  Where would we be then?  I think people need to sit back and take some thought on that. 

 

We have had a good relationship with our public service.  They talk about the public service and the uncertainty, but we have had a good relationship.  I know many people in the public service; a lot of them are my friends and I have spent a lot of time in the public service.  Mr. Speaker, in the last nine years we have signed two deals; we have signed two separate deals.  There have been no strikes in this Province now for over ten years, and we signed deals.

 

I remember, Mr. Speaker, when we were talking about wages, and we have talked about wages here often.  Let me tell you, beginning in 2008 when we had the first deal, our lag with our Atlantic colleagues was great.  We were the lowest paid public employees in the country.  We were the lowest paid, and we have heard that many times.  All we wanted to be was comparable or acceptable or in the neighborhood of our colleagues in the rest of Atlantic Canada.  With our agreements with our unions in 2008 and 2013, we are now in that comparative range.  Are we there yet in all categories?  No, Mr. Speaker, but we are a lot better off. 

 

Mr. Speaker, we soon forget that this government gave our public employees, during that time, about a 25 per cent wage (inaudible).

 

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible). 

 

MR. LITTLEJOHN: No, I say to the hon. member, we did not give it to them out of their own pockets, but I am sure you benefitted in a small way as well, Mr. Member. 

 

Mr. Speaker, I want to go on.  We have talked about our public service and we have had some conversation in the last week about our attrition plan.  We were talking about our attrition plan and we came up with a plan and we have developed a plan that over five years we are going to decline the public service, or decrease the public service, through retirement and resignation. 

 

I have gone through layoffs more than once and I know the uncertainty.  I know the uncertainty it has created for my family and I know the uncertainty for my friends.  I was one of those public employees who got laid off and had no job.  When we talk about getting laid off and all the rest, it is not a very nice thing to have mass layoffs.  We chose not to do that this time.  We chose to decrease the public service through retirement and through resignations. 

 

What the opposite side has forgotten to say is that we are going to replace four of those five employees.  Mr. Speaker, we are going to create jobs for our young people because we have been criticized that we have not created jobs for our young people, but we are opening up opportunities for new people to come into the public service, new people with new ideas, new attitudes, new education, and that is important. 

 

I know what it was like to be a young public servant and go through layoffs.  I cannot preach that enough because unfortunately if you have not been there, you have not experienced it.  I have experienced it, Mr. Speaker.  I have experienced getting laid off. 

 

When you are ten years into your career and you have just built a house, you have bought a car, and you have started a family, that creates an awful lot of stress and uncertainty.  I believe, Mr. Speaker, our attrition plan over the next five years takes away a lot of stresses and uncertainty on our young employees in the public service. 

 

Mr. Speaker, as well, the other day I heard a little bit about – and we hear that we have done nothing to diversify the economy, or we have created no new opportunities.  Well I have sat there and one of the privileges I get as the Deputy Speaker – and I use the word “privilege” probably loosely in this category, as you can attest.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MR. LITTLEJOHN: I get to listen to both sides of the House and you hear a lot of things.  One of the things about when you are there in the chair, Mr. Speaker, I have heard members say that we have not diversified our economy.  I just want to highlight a couple of companies, one company out of Clarenville.  It is SubC Control Limited.  This company is into basically autonomous underwater vehicles.  They operate a new level of underwater imaging control.  Basically these are video robots that can go deep into the sea and explore and do all the rest.

 

You know, Mr. Speaker, SubC, a little group, two young men out of Clarenville took an idea with the support of this government, and now have their equipment and imaging equipment all over the world.  They are developing new technologies for the Arctic.  If successful, this technology will be the first ever visual recording technology with the capability of operating in deepwater and atmospheric temperatures of minus fifty degrees Celsius. 

 

Mr. Speaker, we have a lot of great young minds and a lot of great young people working with this company based out of Clarenville doing work all over the world.  All over the world this company is doing great work.  We invested in these people and there are other technological companies just like this. 

 

Mr. Speaker, I want to divert this just a little bit.  I went to a place a little while ago for the Minister of Business.  It was called the Common Ground.  I do not know if members opposite have been to the Common Ground.  I walked in the door of the Common Ground that day and there were over forty young entrepreneurs at this particular conference and they are all developing new opportunities for young Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. 

 

We are diversifying the economy, we are working with our young people, and we are creating opportunities.  Mr. Speaker, it is about seed money.  It is about planting opportunities, and we have been using some of this seed money to help some of these young companies.

 

Mr. Speaker, I want to just go a little further along here because my time is running short, but I want to talk about how we are helping the agricultural industry, particularly the farm industry, and a company, Pure Holsteins Limited.  I thought of this the other day when I was listening to the speaker, I believe it was the Member for Mount Pearl South.  I am not sure, but I thought of this company when I listening to the Member for Mount Pearl South the other day. 

 

We invested about $350,000 in a robotic milking system for Pure Holsteins Limited.  They are in Little Rapids.  By investing just about $350,000 into this company, they now use two milking robots that cows visit freely throughout the day, rather than relying on a set schedule for milking.  They freed up their labour, Mr. Speaker, to do other things. 

 

Not only are they freeing up the labour on the farm to do other things, Mr. Speaker, it also results in a higher milking frequency.  They are averaging approximately three times more milk per day and it translates into about an 18 per cent increase in milk production, which I think is good diversification.

 

MR. LANE: A point of order, Mr. Speaker.

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

The Member for Mount Pearl South on a point of order.

 

MR. LANE: A point of order, Mr. Speaker.

 

I did reference a farm, but that was the fact that someone had actually faxed somebody's personal medical records to the farm.  It was a privacy breach.

 

Thank you.

 

MR. SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

 

The hon. the Member for Port de Grave.

 

MR. LITTLEJOHN: Anyway, he was talking about no diversification.  That is fine, we will continue along here. 

 

Again, Mr. Speaker, another idea, another solution, another support that we have given to another young company, a young farmer who wants to stay in the farming industry. 

 

I am looking over at the Member for Humber East, I am looking over and I believe the farm may be in your district.  So I am sure you are familiar with it, I would say to the member, and the benefits.  I saw the news article.  He was on CBC News.  Again, it was an investment by this government to help diversify his business.

 

MR. FLYNN: A point of order, Mr. Speaker,

 

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Humber East on a point of order.

 

MR. FLYNN: I would like to point out to the member that milking cows is not a new business, but he is doing a great job there with it.

 

MR. SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

 

The hon. the Member for Port de Grave.

 

MR. LITTLEJOHN: It is a good day.  At least I got their attention, Mr. Speaker.  I am glad they are listening.  We got their attention.

 

Mr. Speaker, when members opposite get up and say that this government has done nothing to diversify the economy, there is nothing further from the truth.  These are just two examples of how this government has been helping businesses expand.  Whether it is new technology businesses or a business in the farming institute, we have been helping these companies improve the world.

 

Today, just today I know the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, and I know my colleague there next to me, the Member for Fortune Bay – Cape La Hune, talked about the fishery, and to some of the innovation and some of the work we have been doing in the aquaculture industry, and promoting the aquaculture industry, again, creating investment in jobs on the Connaigre Peninsula.  So, Mr. Speaker, to get up and say we have not created or have not diversified is not true.

 

Mr. Speaker, I know my time is running short.  I am going to get another opportunity, and I want to talk about some of the important things in my district a little later. 

 

Thank you for the opportunity today, and I look forward to speaking again on this Budget.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. George's – Stephenville East.

 

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

This is my first opportunity to speak on a Budget debate in this House of Assembly.  It is the first Budget process that I have been through since I have been here in the House, since I was elected in August of last year.  So, Mr. Speaker, it is very much a learning experience for me, and it is also a great opportunity to speak about some of the issues in my district.  So I want to take some time to focus on some of the issues of how the Budget impacts on my district.

 

Before I do that, though, I want to take a few seconds to talk about budgets in general and where we are with this Budget debate.  Passing a Budget, debating a Budget is one of the most major functions of this House of Assembly.  It is one of the things that take up most of the spring session of the House of Assembly.

 

We have a general debate on the Budget here in the House, but also people who are watching should be aware that also we have Estimates Committees where we go through the items in the Budget, the expenditures of government, item by item in these Estimates Committees.  Opposition members ask government, why is this heading up, why is it down, why is less money being spent on this item this year than last year, and those sort of things.  So, the Budget process is a very lengthy, detailed process as we go through the Estimates. 

 

Mr. Speaker, the Budget debate is also a matter of confidence in the House.  If the government cannot pass its Budget, then it does not get to carry on.  It immediately has to call an election.  If they are defeated on a Budget matter in the House of Assembly, it is automatically a confidence vote and they have to go through an election.

 

Mr. Speaker, it is unlikely that would happen in this case because the government, of course, has a majority in the House.  Unless they slip up, do not have enough members, or if some of the members defect, do not show up, then it is possible that a governing party with a majority in the House might lose a vote and it might force an election. 

 

A Budget debate is a good opportunity to have a discussion on the direction the Province is going, what priorities we should be setting, where we should be placing our resources and how it all fits together, Mr. Speaker.  A Budget debate is a great opportunity for members to say what they like and do not like about the direction the government is taking.  We have had several members talk about things they like about the Budget, things they do not like about the Budget. 

 

Today, I am going to make some comments about issues related to my district, but I am also going to make some general comments about the overall direction of this Budget as well and touch on a few broader issues. 

 

Mr. Speaker, one of the issues I want to talk about is government's decision to increase the fee for big game licences.  Our critic for Environment and Conservation, as well as our critic for Tourism, have spoken out on this issue and spoken out against the way these increases were done. 

 

The people of this Province, especially in rural areas, look to hunting as a way of subsistence in some cases.  In some cases it is sport but in some cases it is subsistence, people getting meat for the winter, meat for the year, and that is an important thing. 

 

I want to look at the impact these increases have on outfitters, Mr. Speaker, in districts like mine and other districts around the Province.  Outfitters are really small-business people.  They employ people in this Province, they are a major part of the economy in rural areas of this Province, and they really generate economic well-being by bringing in people from outside the Province to hunt here.  They employ people as guides and as cooks.  They purchase groceries, gas, and things like this in the Province, so they are significant economic generators. 

 

Mr. Speaker, the question that we have to ask is: How has government treated those small business people in this Budget?  How have they dealt with them?  One of the ways they have rewarded their contribution is they have increased their fees by 50 per cent.

 

AN HON. MEMBER: What?

 

MR. REID: A 50 per cent increase.

 

AN HON. MEMBER: Shocking.

 

MR. REID: A shocking increase in the cost of the licences that they have.  They did not consult with these people.  They did not say, well, how will this impact your business?  What impact will it have on you?  Is there a way we can bring this in that will have less impact on your business, that will not cause you, the people you employ, and the industry overall problems?  Did they ask those questions?  No, Mr. Speaker, they just brought it in arbitrarily. 

 

Mr. Speaker, when you really look at how the industry works, the outfitters, it becomes clear the damage this kind of arbitrary change without consultation brings about.  Outfitters are allocated a set number of licences every year.  They often sell these licences years in advance. 

 

Many of these small businesses have already sold these licences in advance and the government has increased the fees they are charging for these licences.  Now these small business operators have no way of recovering the money, passing it on to the consumers from outside the Province.  They have no way to do it.

 

AN HON. MEMBER: What are they going to do?

 

MR. REID: Well what they are going to have to do really – someone asked what are they going to do?  The outfitters I have talked to have told me what they are going to have to do is probably lay off people.  They are probably going to have to lay off some people.

 

AN HON. MEMBER: Cuts and cuts.

 

MR. REID: Cuts as well.  Trickle down, I guess; cuts.

 

Another thing that outfitters have told me they are going to do is they are going to have to compromise the quality of the package they offer to the consumers.  What does this do in the long term?

 

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible) for future business. 

 

MR. REID: No, it damages the whole outfitting industry and the reputation of the Province.  It has a negative impact in the long run, Mr. Speaker.

 

The government has a little bit of extra revenue from increasing these fees.  When you look at the damage that they have done to the economy of the Province to get that little bit of revenue, you have to ask, is it worth it?  Is it worth the trouble they have caused, the damage they have done to small business operators in this Province, Mr. Speaker?

 

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

 

MR. REID: Yes.  Someone mentioned the HST.  It is an extra hit to small business owners as well, Mr. Speaker.

 

That is just one example of mismanagement, Mr. Speaker.  They have increased these fees thinking that they can be passed onto consumers, but really they are doing terrible damage to an important industry in rural Newfoundland.  They are really damaging the rural economy in parts of this Province by the arbitrary way they have implemented these fees.

 

Now another item I wanted to talk about, Mr. Speaker, is the Safety and Emergency Response Training Centre in Stephenville.  Unless people have been there, it is a centre where you can go to learn about safety and firefighting in relation to aircrafts.  It is one of the few places in Canada where you can go to get training on how to fight an aircraft fire.  It is also a place where fishermen can go to get the certification they need in safety.  It is also a place where firefighters from rural communities can go to update their training and get certification in firefighting.

 

Those are some things that are being done at this centre.  They have the possibility of being a centre for excellence, Mr. Speaker, in safety and emergency response training.  There are many ways that this centre could be expanded into something that people from all across Canada would come to get training in safety and emergency response training, but it has not been happening because of the lack of vision that this government has for this centre.

 

Mr. Speaker, I have asked two sets of questions, one last week and one today about what are the impacts on the search centre in Stephenville based on the cuts that are being made to MUN.  I was very discouraged when I asked the minister: Can he give some assurance to the people who work at this centre, to the people who look to this centre for safety training?  Can he provide some assurances that the cuts to MUN will not impact negatively on this centre, Mr. Speaker? 

 

I was dismayed to find that he was not even sure where this centre fit in.  He referred to it as part of CNA.  That was not very reassuring.  I asked for some reassurances that they would not cut, but it was not very reassuring that the minister did not seem to be aware of the centre, Mr. Speaker.

 

The other questions that I have been asking the minister is: What will he do to see that this centre is not negatively impacted?  Will he seek out some potential partnerships?  What other possibilities is there that would see this centre continue and maybe even expand. 

 

Some of the partnerships I could see them entering into is – I think what the Marine Institute is doing fits very well with some of the things that CNA is teaching.  Maybe there is a co-operative relationship that can be fostered there if government were to look at it. 

 

Also, Mr. Speaker, there is a dire lack of training in volunteer fire departments all around this Province.  Part of the problem is the cost of the training and the cost of travel for volunteer firefighters to the training.  In many places in this Province, especially in places like my district, you have a volunteer fire department.  They are not funded by a municipality.  They do fundraising throughout the year and those are the only funds they have to send people to get training. 

 

The search centre in Stephenville has a mobile training unit.  So they take this training unit and they go to where the people are.  It is a much more cost-effective way of providing training.  One thing that the provincial government could do would be to assist volunteer fire departments around this Province to get training at places like the SERT Centre or one of their mobile units.  That is another partnership that could be fostered that the minister should be working on.

 

Mr. Speaker, I think the SERT Centre is a place that is very special.  They have a lot of facilities there.  It is one of the few training centres that are based at an airport.  It is just coincidental that – it is just an opportunity that is too great to squander, to have a facility like the Stephenville Airport and to have that available to do firefighter training at.  It would be a shame if government did not pursue the opportunities that are there to make the SERT Centre a centre of excellence in training for safety and emergency response.  I encourage the government to do that.

 

Mr. Speaker, another issue that I have raised in the House many times is the health care situation in places like Jeffrey's and St. George's.  Jeffrey's has not had a doctor for about a year-and-a-half now.  St. George's has not had a doctor for about half a year now.  So it is that type of absence of that type of basic care in rural Newfoundland that is creating all kinds of problems. 

 

I have had calls from people in rural Newfoundland to tell me that they have to consider moving away from these communities.  They have small children; they do not have medical care in the community.  If something happened they are worried about their children and how they would get medical care if they needed it. 

 

I have also had calls from seniors who said if we do not have a doctor here, I am going to have to move closer to a hospital where I have a doctor.  These are the type of serious problems that exist in rural areas of this Province. 

 

The current government does not seem to have a plan.  They do not seem to see how all these things link together and how all these things relate in some way or another to the economy of the Province.  Mr. Speaker –

 

AN HON. MEMBER: You called for an election six months ago and you do not have an economic plan. 

 

MR. REID: I am sorry?  I cannot hear what you are saying.

 

AN HON. MEMBER: I said, you called for the election six months ago and you do not even have an economic plan. 

 

MR. REID: Call the election and you will find out.

 

It is interesting, Mr. Speaker –

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER (Verge): Order, please!

 

MR. REID: Anyway, I am going to get back to – so those are some issues in the district that are serious problems that are causing problems in the district.  One of the things that are also very disturbing, Mr. Speaker, the people opposite talks about plans and the lack of plans.  Well, we have not seen much of a plan in the way they have executed this Budget.

 

They think they can tax this Province into prosperity.  They think they can raise fees and cut and slash their way to prosperity.  It does not work that way.  The cuts that they have made like the fee increases for the big game moose licences is just one example of the type of serious problems that they have when they make these type of indiscriminate cuts.  Just add up the numbers and say well, hopefully things will fly.

 

There does not seem to be a cohesive plan of how to expand the economy, to diversify the economy.  There does not seem to be a plan for rural Newfoundland from this government, Mr. Speaker.  So, there are a lot of issues that we have to continue to work on, and I will have another opportunity a little later on to rise again to speak on this Budget, and maybe at that time we will talk about some of the various issues and the lack of a plan that this government has and the fact that if they want to have a good debate about plans and who has the best plans –

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MR. REID: – how they can find out what the plans are by simply calling an election and then we will have a good discussion, Mr. Speaker.  Do not worry about it.

 

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. BRAZIL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

It is indeed an honour to stand again and speak to the Budget 2015-2016.  Mr. Speaker, it is my thirty-second Budget that I have followed very intently as a civil servant, and hinging on seeing what programs and services there are beneficial to the people of this Province going back to the Peckford day.  I look at this now, and I say, I have been through hard ones.  I have been through ones that were disbelief.  I have been through ones where there were all kinds of abilities to spend because there were all kinds of monies coming in.  This is the first one that I have been through – and being part of Cabinet for my first Budget I realize the importance of getting it right, and this Budget is about getting it right.  This is about a balance.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. BRAZIL: Being fiscally responsible, while at the same time understanding we have a responsibility to the people of this great Province, Mr. Speaker, offering the right programs, minimizing the impact on people while we go through this temporary downturn.  That is about good governance.  We have done that because we have found a way to include people and be open with people, and that is part of our process.

 

I know that in the House of Assembly, Mr. Speaker, the Opposition gets up, there is no doubt they are taking pots at us every time.  The sky is always falling, there is never a program that is good enough, or if we spend money in this program we are spending too much there.  There is never a balance – but what we do here, we balance.  We engage people here; we speak on this side with our colleagues.  The colleagues here are the same people who live in neighbourhoods; their kids go the same programs and services.  They have grown up in the same neighbourhoods; they know what is going on in this Province.  They have an understanding of what is out there, and that is reflected in the programs and services we offer to people here.

 

We have our objectives, the key things in life: health, safety, prosperity, Mr. Speaker.  That is reflected in all the Budgets that we have put down as a government and an Administration.  We have taken us from a place where there was despair to a place now where there is promise.  Even when there is a downturn, people still are confident that we are going to get over that hurdle and we are going to move things forward.  There is no doubt about that.

 

Our investments here are second to none.  We want to make sure that we have got a clean, even process for people here – if it is around transportation; if it is around health care; if it is around education; if it is around specialized services that people need; if it is around engaging seniors to have productive lives and have extra supports; if it is around those who have challenges in life; if it is around giving supports for those who come from disadvantaged economic times, through education, through extra supports.

 

Programs here you see – and I have been around over thirty years in government.  There is no doubt, every Administration have had their key ones that they can hang their hat on and be proud of.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MR. BRAZIL: I can tell you in the last twelve years there are many more you can hang your hat on in this Administration than there ever have been in any other previous Administration, Mr. Speaker.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. BRAZIL: I am proud to be able say, as a civil servant, I could help promote some of those, and I could help engage the politicians to see the light.  As a politician, I am glad to say on the opposite side too that I have been able to get people to engage me and tell me what it is they need, and then I could use that influence to encourage my colleagues to do the same, and that is reflected in this Budget and the previous Budgets.

 

Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt the Opposition, the glass is half empty over there.  Not only is the glass half full over here, but it is half full because the people of this Province have a future.  We are going to help sustain that future by having the proper Budget that we need and a proper balance for people here, so that if the rest of the world wants to come here and feed into what we are doing, a part of what we are doing and see the economic benefits of Newfoundland and Labrador and the great prosperity that we have, and we are going to continue to have.  That is what it is all about.

 

Mr. Speaker, this is totally about the Province as a whole.  The great things that are happening in Labrador, the great people in Labrador, and the services they have, the services they deserve, and the services that we are working to enhance, as it does here on the Island.  The great things that are happening here, the things that people want, and the things we are going to be able to provide with a proper balance and a proper planning process. 

 

Mr. Speaker, in five years the people of this Province will be at a point then where we can move beyond the next level.  We will go back to full prosperity.  In an international market, we are the leaders again.  To get to that point there has to be a balance, there has to be vision and leadership, and we have that.  We have that in our Premier.  We have that in our Cabinet.  We have that in our caucus.  Do you know what?  We have that in the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. BRAZIL: That is what is going to guide us down that road, Mr. Speaker.  There is light at the end of the road, without a doubt.  That road will be paved. 

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. BRAZIL: As you noted with the road announcements yesterday, Mr. Speaker, those roads will be paved and they will be safe for the people in this Province, because that is what we are.  We are about vision and we are about making sure everybody in this Province gets their fair share. 

 

Mr. Speaker, when there are times when people fall through the cracks –

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

I ask members for their co-operation as the Minister of Transportation and Works has been recognized to speak.

 

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

 

MR. BRAZIL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

I know the members opposite would want to listen to this.  It is very important information here, Mr. Speaker.  They are riveting over there on this. 

 

I also want to note the Member for Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair in her address of the Budget.  She got up and painted a very dark picture, particularly around Labrador and what we are doing as a government, Mr. Speaker.  It distorts the reality of what is happening in Labrador.  There are so many great things happening in Labrador. 

 

There is no doubt, the member probably in her mind figures she has to get on the soapbox and beat the drum and be passionate about it, but I can tell the member opposite, Mr. Speaker, the passion is over here too.  The Member for Lake Melville and the Member for Labrador West every day –

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MR. BRAZIL: – are champions for the people of Labrador and champions for the people of this great Province.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. BRAZIL: I see that.  I see that every day when we talk about the needs and the issues up there.

 

Mr. Speaker, the member talked about the people in Labrador are not getting a fair shake, a fair share.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  We understand and we appreciate, and it is all part of a bigger Province we have here, that we are all one. 

 

Labrador invests a lot and gives back a lot to this Province, as do other regions of this Province.  It is not us and them, it is that we are all-inclusive and that everybody in this Province deserves proper services.  If it is around roads, which we are putting hundreds of millions into Labrador to bring those roads up to standard, to bring those roads so that the transportation link is open, so that we can grow the economy even more.  So that the Island is all in one, the Island and Labrador are connected, and we are doing that.  We are doing it through our ferry services.

 

Mr. Speaker, while the member opposite criticizes the process around our ferry service for Labrador, $1.5 billion that people wanted to invest, unfortunately, the economics right now dictate that $1.5 billion would not be a prudent investment at that point.  What is prudent is to go back to the people, have a discussion about what is a viable transportation link for the people of Labrador and the Island, because it is a joint transportation link.  It is not just for one sector of this Province of ours.  It is a very important link.

 

So, the importance about that is going back and getting exactly what we can afford, what is sustainable, and what is acceptable.  That is the process I have engaged in my department.  It is the process this government has engaged in, about asking people what they want. 

 

The hon. member talked about it was an insult to people for me to go out and want to engage a dialogue, Mr. Speaker.  He said it was an insult.  My question is, how is there ever an insult when you ask people what is it you would like to have?  What is it you think can work?  Particularly when you are being honest with them up front and saying, here are the challenges we have.  Here are some of the restrictions.  You guys are probably better equipped to tell us exactly what would work in your area so we can make that work. 

 

She talked about people were outraged and insulted.  Well, Mr. Speaker, the process we went through, if they are all so insulted and outraged, I have had great dialogue with the owners of airlines up there, ferry companies, mayors, shipping companies, trucking companies, a lot of the stakeholders. 

 

Mr. Speaker, do not get me wrong.  I understand they are disappointed.  I would be too, when you figure there is a brand new vessel coming, but there were challenges around whether or not that vessel – as things have changed around ice capacity and the demand – would be the vessel they would want, and what kind of a vessel would it be.  They want something that meets their needs and can sustain the viability and the future of Labrador for the next twenty-five years.

 

That is what we have managed to do.  We have managed to go back.  I am setting up the transportation committee.  I have a great influx, I have included –

 

MR. MITCHELMORE: A point of order, Mr. Speaker.

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

The hon. the Member for The Straits – White Bay North, on a point of order.

 

MR. MITCHELMORE: Mr. Speaker, the Transportation Minister is talking about the commitment to the people of Labrador.  This government committed to two new ferries for the people of Labrador in 2016, and now they are gone back to the drawing board.  They are not living up to their commitment.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

There is no point of order.

 

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

 

MR. BRAZIL: Mr. Speaker, we still are committed to two ferries in Labrador, and two ferries are there –

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MR. BRAZIL: In a restraint Budget, Mr. Speaker, where we had to make some decisions around our fiscal realities, not one service is being cut in the ferry service in Labrador.   Not one iota of trips is being cut, the ability for freight, the passenger freight on the North Coast or the South Coast.  Not only do you add that in, we got criticized for upping fees in different areas.  There was not one cent increase for the ferry services for the people who live on islands –

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MR. BRAZIL: – or have to rely on ferries to get to their transportation links.  That is how we have invested for the people of this Province, to make sure people in Labrador also have that service. 

 

We have talked and worked with our proponents to ensure that those services will continue.  We are working out a process that will enhance it and improve it.  We are going to do that with dialogue from the people of Labrador and from the Straits, from the Island part, because again this is a connection.  It is ensuring that the people of this Province are one and the same, and on the same mindset that we all contribute, we all give.  That is how this works, Mr. Speaker. 

 

Let's talk about it.  When we get criticized for not being fair, not giving people a fair shake and being closed to our own things, and taking care of our own shop.  Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth.  When you look at what we have invested, the Labrador highway, the ferry service that will do now, and an RFP we will have out this fall that reflects what people have said they want, and will be sustainable by the taxpayers of this Province, and will guarantee economic growth for the next twenty-five years as part of that.

 

I want to get back to something I noted a month or so ago in the House when we were being criticized for not being fair and not investing properly.  When people talked about numbers, the Opposition came up with it is $20 billion, it is $25 billion, it is $30 billion in oil money.  I think they should go back to the economists and do the research. 

 

It is $18 billion in oil revenue now, and there is a reason for that.  It is because of good prudence, good negotiations, and partnerships with the oil industry to ensure that money is there so it can be invested back for the people of this Province, Mr. Speaker.  We have done that; $6 billion in infrastructure to build our hospitals, to build our roads, our ferries, our schools, all part of it, water bombers, fire trucks, fire halls.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MR. BRAZIL: Everything, Mr. Speaker, everything.  Water and sewer infrastructure, you name it, we have invested in that. 

 

Mr. Speaker, $3 billion paid down on the debt so we could get the best ranking we have ever had.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MR. BRAZIL: The best bond rating we have ever had in our history; proper investment there, Mr. Speaker, prudence, and a vision, and a plan.  That is what this is all about.  We were planning.  We are a government that plans. 

 

We knew one day there might be a fiscal downturn.  We planned by being able to reduce the debt, building on our infrastructure, having 75 per cent of our infrastructure that was left dormant now improved.  That is what we have done.  We have gone that process here. 

 

Mr. Speaker, $3 billion in tax relief for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians in their pockets.  The money stays in their pockets so they can reinvest in businesses, small-business people, the people who we see drive the economy here, Mr. Speaker; how they can do that.  It is money in their pockets.  That is what this is all about. 

 

I will just talk quickly for the last couple of minutes when we talk about a few districts that we have invested in.  Just in education, one of the key things there – I want members over there to know it.  We will start with the lowest to the highest.  These are some Opposition districts, let's just talk about: Torngat Mountains, $3.5 million just in schools, not all full education, that is just in school investments, infrastructure; Burgeo – La Poile, $4 million; the District of St. John's South, $4.1 million.

 

MR. A. PARSONS: A point of order.

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

The hon. the Member for Burgeo – La Poile standing on a point of order.

 

MR. A. PARSONS: Yes, Mr. Speaker.  I know the minister is about to refer to some documents.  I have asked on two separate occasions on the answer paper for him to provide documentation to illustrate the actual things that were done with this money.  So I am wondering if he is going to provide those documents today.  He has had two opportunities in over a month.

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

There is no point of order.

 

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

 

MR. BRAZIL: I will note to answer that by saying stay tuned for next week.  All the documentation is being done.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. BRAZIL: Mr. Speaker, the District of Mount Pearl South, $5 million.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. BRAZIL: The District of St. George's – Stephenville East, $5.7 million; the District of Humber Valley, $6.5 million; the District of St. John's North, $7.1 million; the District of Bay of Islands, $7.9 million; the District of St. John's East, $8.5 million; the District of Signal Hill – Quidi Vidi, $12.1 million; the District of Conception Bay South, $12.1 million and another $40 million coming this year over the next two Budgets; the District of St. Barbe, $16 million; the District of Virginia Waters, $18.5 million; the District of Humber East, $23.7 million; the District of The Straits – White Bay North, $24.1 million; the District of Carbonear – Harbour Grace, $25.1 million; and, the District of St. John's Centre, $25.5 million.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

MR. BRAZIL: To our good friends in Labrador, the District of Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair, $32.7 million.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. SLADE: A point of order.

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

The Member for Carbonear – Harbour Grace standing on a point of order.

 

MR. SLADE: Mr. Speaker, while the minister over there talks about the $25 million for the one in Carbonear, they still built it too small.

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

There is no point of order.

 

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

 

MR. BRAZIL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.  The lateness of this evening –

 

MR. HILLIER: A point of order, Mr. Speaker.

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

The hon. the Member for Conception Bay South standing on a point of order. 

 

MR. HILLIER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. 

 

Mr. Speaker, this document talks about $11 million –

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

There is no point of order. 

 

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

 

MR. BRAZIL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. 

 

On that note, with the lateness of this evening, Mr. Speaker, I move to adjourn debate. 

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

The motion is that debate be now adjourned. 

 

All those in favour, 'aye.'

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

 

MR. SPEAKER: All those against, 'nay.'

 

Carried. 

 

On motion, debate adjourned.

 

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

 

The hon. Deputy Government House Leader. 

 

MR. HUTCHINGS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. 

 

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Minister of Natural Resources, that the House now adjourn. 

 

MR. SPEAKER: The motion is that this House do now adjourn. 

 

All those in favour, 'aye.'

 

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

 

MR. SPEAKER: All those against, 'nay.'

 

Carried. 

 

This House now stands adjourned until Tuesday at 1:30 o'clock. 

 

On motion, the House at its rising adjourned until tomorrow, Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.