The House met at 2:00 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Wiseman): Order, please!

Admit strangers.

MR. SPEAKER: Today we will have members' statements from the Member for the District of St. John's West, the Member for the District of Kilbride, the Member for the District of Torngat Mountains, the Member for the District of Exploits, the Member for the District of Humber Valley, and the Member of the District of Grand Falls-Windsor – Green Bay South.

AN HON. MEMBER: Not Humber Valley.

MR. SPEAKER: Humber West, I am sorry; Humber West.

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. CRUMMELL: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend congratulations to Colin Thomas and his Memorial University curling team, who represented Canada in the 2012 Karuizawa Invitational held in Japan in January. The team put forth an excellent effort at this tournament, which resulted in them winning the silver medal.

Mr. Speaker, this young team was skipped by Colin Thomas and coached by Jeff Thomas, Colin's father, who are both residents of St. John's West. The team also includes Third, Cory Schuh; Second, Chris Ford; First, Spencer Wicks; and Fifth, Stephen Ryan.

Mr. Speaker, this is a talented group of young players, each with successful curling histories of their own. For his part, Colin comes from a strong curling family and his father, Jeff, has coached him his entire life.

Colin has competed and won at the provincial, national, and international levels as a member of a number of curling teams. He was Provincial Junior Men's champion in 2008, and in 2011 won the bronze medal at the Canadian Junior Men's Curling Championships. Last season, Colin led his MUN team to the gold medal at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport curling championship. Most recently, Colin and his Newfoundland and Labrador team travelled to Napanee, Ontario last month to again represent our Province at the Canadian Junior Curling Championships.

Mr. Speaker, Colin and the members of his team will all undoubtedly have lengthy curling careers ahead of them. Certainly, they are wonderful ambassadors for the sport and for our Province.

At this time, I ask all hon. members to join me in extending congratulations to Colin Thomas and his Memorial University curling team on representing Canada and indeed, Newfoundland and Labrador, so well in winning the silver medal at the 2012 Karuizawa Invitational in Japan.

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: Mr. Speaker, I stand in this hon. House today to congratulate six young constituents of mine who were recently awarded medals at the Duke of Edinburgh Awards presentation ceremony in St. John's.

These young people were Kayla Blackwood of St. Kevin's High School, who received a bronze medal; Ashley Chafe of St. Kevin's High School also received a bronze medal; Allanah Murphy of Bishop's College had a silver medal; Justin Pippy of St. Kevin's High School received a silver medal also; Kyle Sellars of St. Kevin's High School had a silver medal; and Tara Osmond of O'Donel High School had a sectional award.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award was founded in 1956 by Prince Philip. It came to Canada in 1963. The program encourages youth ages fourteen to twenty-five to participate in new activities and pursue current interest in four different areas: community service, personal skill development, physical activity, and adventurous journey.

The six young award winners from my district volunteered, learned to cook, played sports, learned to set up a tent and go camping. They all did very well and enjoyed their experiences immensely.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. members to join me in congratulating Kayla, Ashley, Allanah, Justin, Kyle, and Tara on their achievements.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for the District of Torngat Mountains.

MR. EDMUNDS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise in this hon. House today to congratulate the table tennis team from Amos Comenius Memorial School in Hopedale, Labrador.

The team consisted of Amber Vincent, Danika Winters, Sarahlee Jararuse, Chasity Hunter, Julian Hunter, Tyler Vincent, Scott Noggasak, and Jason Winters.

The table tennis team from Hopedale won gold in the regional championships in Sheshatshiu on February 9, and then travelled on to Lethbridge, Bonavista Bay where they captured gold in female singles, female doubles, and male doubles on February 29 in the provincial championships.

Mr. Speaker, this young team from Hopedale also received a sportsmanship banner.

I want to express special thanks to their coach, Nicole Dalley, and to the chaperone and high school principal in Hopedale, Mr. Dean Coombs.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of this hon. House to join with me in congratulating the table tennis team from Amos Comenius Memorial School in Labrador on their achievements and their gold medals.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. FORSEY: Mr. Speaker, the Learning Partnership, a national charitable organization, developed the Canada's Outstanding Principals Program. Principals are nominated by their peers, school staff, or a community member and forty principals across Canada were named Outstanding Principals for 2012.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. David Hamlyn, a school principal at Leo Burke Academy in Bishop's Falls, was recognized as one of the top forty principals across Canada and one of only two chosen in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, in his response to the announcement of his recognition, Mr. Hamlyn said, "He's the one receiving the award, but many people had a part to play in this process, including Vice-Principal Ms. Rose, his secretary Alice Butler, and especially the teachers". He said, "We have great teachers at the school and the students are given every opportunity for them to learn". The school is seeing more students achieve success and achieve their potential, which is their main objective.

Mr. Speaker, the students at LBA are constantly reminded of the school's motto, Second to None, and now the school's principal is rated number one in Canada.

In February, Dave attended the School of Management at the University of Toronto and received his award at the Principals Gala on February 28.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of this House to join me in congratulating Mr. Dave Hamlyn on receiving this prestigious award.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Humber West.

MR. GRANTER: Mr. Speaker, I stand in this hon. House to congratulate, yet again, a wonderful contribution to winter life in Corner Brook and surrounding areas.

The event I speak of is the Corner Brook Winter Carnival which, for ten days this past February, celebrated its forty-first anniversary with over 100 individual group and community events and is the largest carnival east of Montreal.

I extend congratulations to Mr. Calvin Barrett, this year's chairperson, and his committee for their hard work and dedication in making this year's carnival one of the best ever. Winter Carnival in Corner Brook has been and continues to be a time for families and friends to get out and share in the carnival and community spirit.

This fun-filled community event brought people of all ages and walks of life together to celebrate winter fellowship with one another in our community. For many years the people of Corner Brook and surrounding areas have been donning their warmest winter gear and coming out to enjoy the many fun-filled events and food-tasting activities.

Each year new events have been added to maintain the fun, involvement and activity, and an impressive list of distinguished Canadians from across Canada, as well as our Province, have attended.

I would ask all hon. members of this House to congratulate the Corner Brook Winter Carnival Committee and wish the Corner Brook Winter Carnival organizers many, many more years of success.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Grand Falls-Windsor – Green Bay South.

MR. HUNTER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House to congratulate Bill Nippard and his family of Grand Falls-Windsor.

Bill and his family recently had their Christmas holidays in the Dominican Republic. They spent countless hours of hard work and dedication as volunteers through the Live Different Hero Holiday program.

All members of the family worked many hours working without tools to repair two homes. Seven-year-old Genevieve helped finish the first house by filling holes in the cinder blocks with her hands to ensure the wind and rain would not get in.

Bill Nippard donated a percentage of the funds received from the sale of his book The Teamwork Ladder to make this project possible.

The greatest gift of all was the gratitude felt by the people who received what we take for granted. Thank you to Mr. Nippard's family for taking time out of their lives to make it better for others.

I would ask all my hon. colleagues of the House to join with me in congratulating Bill Nippard and his family for reminding us what the spirit of Christmas should be, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Statements by Ministers.

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to inform this hon. House of Newfoundland and Labrador's representation at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada's International Mineral Convention and Trade Show, which continues today in Toronto.

The convention and trade show is the premier event for the world's mineral exploration industry, attracting close to 30,000 participants from over 120 countries. Newfoundland and Labrador is globally recognized as an attractive exploration destination, and our presence at the convention and trade show supports efforts to attract investment into the Province.

Mr. Speaker, I accompanied a delegation of more than thirty individuals, including officials from the Department of Natural Resources, Mining Industry NL, and exploration companies with projects based in the Province. I had the opportunity to meet with companies currently active in the Province, and many interested in exploring opportunities in Newfoundland and Labrador, and visited a multitude of exhibits that promote our Province's geology and mineral potential.

Newfoundland and Labrador's mining industry is a tremendous contributor to the provincial economy and a valuable source of employment. In 2011, mineral shipments were valued at $4.7 billion, the highest on record, with 2012 projected to surpass $5.6 billion. Interest in a wide variety of minerals – including iron ore, nickel, copper, gold, and rare earth minerals – is currently fuelling exploration programs across the Island and in Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, approximately $15 billion of mining investment is possible in our Province over the next five to ten years. Ongoing mineral exploration and investment activity in Newfoundland and Labrador will contribute to future sustainability for the industry and growth and prosperity for our Province. The future is bright for the mining sector. We are committed to long-term development of the industry, and responsible development in the best interests of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement.

I am pleased to hear, Mr. Speaker, that he did attend the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada. The PDAC is a fundamental organization in fostering growth within the mining industry, and

the dependency this Province has on that industry.

What the government likes to talk about, Mr. Speaker, is the value of export of mineral from the Province. I am not surprised to see that it will reach almost $6 billion by the end of next year. I would suggest that a lot of that export value of mineral is coming directly out of Labrador. What we constantly hear from the government is how much money they invest in Labrador but they never tell us how much comes out of Labrador. Someday, Mr. Speaker, I would like to see that figure.

What I would say to the minister and your government is there is a lot of work to be done to cater to the industrial sector and the mining industry in Labrador. There are three key areas: one, making affordable industrial power to the mining industry; two, in transportation; and three, in information technology. Today, Mr. Speaker, these are valuable pieces of infrastructure that need to occur in Labrador in order to supplement the mining industry but like every industry, there are also social impacts. I ask the government, and encourage them to turn their attention to those issues as well that are affecting women and children in particular, especially issues around affordable housing.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

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

I too thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement. There is no doubt that mineral exploration is playing a key role in our Province. I think it is obvious to everybody, especially if you live in Labrador. The investment of $15 billion that is quoted in the minister's statement is rather impressive.

The whole thing does beg the question of how the money is going to benefit the people of the Province, and especially the people of Labrador where most of the development is taking place, and I suspect it is going to continue to be most of the development in Labrador. Labrador is still – they have what is called a highway but are still waiting for a surface on that highway. Knowing what the investments are, I think they should be speeded up.

The other thing, Mr. Speaker, we have very serious social issues that need to be dealt with. What I would like to know from the minister is what this government – if this development is going to go ahead as it is going with regard to mineral exploration, then I would like to know what this government is going to do about things like the lack of affordable housing and things like labour issues where we have international corporations using scab labour in our Province. I want to know what governments plans are to deal with those issues.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DAVIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am very pleased today to rise in the House to recognize March as Fraud Prevention Awareness Month in Newfoundland and Labrador and throughout Canada.

Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, it is not unusual to hear of individuals losing considerable sums of money through what may appear to be risk free opportunities. Some of these fraud schemes are sophisticated enough to fool even a savvy investor. The effects of fraud are often long-term and can lead to the loss of an individual's life savings. These attacks on financial consumer safety have increased in recent years with a growing reliance on on-line commerce and electronic transactions. More than ever, it is important that everyone be cautious in all transactions.

Mr. Speaker, knowledge is power when it comes to being aware of fraud. This is why the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and other organizations designate this month, the month of March as fraud awareness month. It is through awareness that the people of our Province will best be able to protect themselves from these pitfalls. The Consumer and Commercial Affairs Branch of Service Newfoundland and Labrador is responsible for financial education and makes every effort to collect information on fraudulent activity, and to inform the public of these concerns in a timely manner.

Mr. Speaker, consumers should ask questions when looking at investments. Members of the public who are suspicious about a particular investment opportunity or would like to receive more information should contact their local police, the RCMP or the RNC, and us as well, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre or Service Newfoundland and Labrador's Consumer and Commercial Affairs Branch.

Working together with financial institutions, the RCMP and RNC will continue to promote fraud awareness and educate the people of Newfoundland and Labrador so that they can recognize fraud, know where to report it and stop fraud from happening to them.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. EDMUNDS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement. Mr. Speaker, fraud awareness is a month long education campaign aimed at addressing the issue of fraud and ensuring public confidence in the marketplace.

This month gives private and public organizations involved in the fight against fraud an opportunity to raise public awareness. According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, Mr. Speaker, from January 1 to December 31, 2011, Canadians reported over 47,000 complaints and lost over $62 million due to frauds perpetrated through identity theft and mass marketing fraud. Mr. Speaker, this is a very sobering statistic and one which should make us all more diligent when it comes to protecting ourselves. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, it is more often than not that it is our vulnerable seniors who are at risk to be targeted by those who would commit such crimes. They are usually the ones who can ill afford to lose money, for many are living well below the poverty line.

Mr. Speaker, we would encourage anyone, whether they are seniors or not, who has any qualms or queries about any e-mails or phone calls that do not sound or seem appropriate, to not respond, and to contact the police and report their experience.

Mr. Speaker, many victims do not report fraud related activity because they are ashamed and embarrassed. The RCMP encourage people to report any fraud related activity as it assists them in gaining intelligence and allows them to investigate these matters effectively.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. MURPHY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I would like to thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement.

It is important to know that sometimes fraud is also tied into the abuse of seniors, and we need to make sure that government is going to make the proper investments into seniors organizations to help add another barrier or an additional protection to seniors in that particular demographic. Knowledge is power, and we need to utilize every means to protect our society from such abuses, and seniors organizations are one such means.

We also have to make sure the message is the same, though, for all demographics, Mr. Speaker, that if in doubt, we need to check it out.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Oral Questions.

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BALL: Mr. Speaker, as Leader of the Opposition, and given the magnitude and the impact of the Muskrat Falls project, as well as the history of our Province, I would be remiss if I did not ask the Premier to allow a full debate and a free vote in this House.

I ask the Premier, will she allow a full debate on Muskrat Falls in this House and a free vote by all MHAs?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I am glad to be back here in the House of Assembly and to have the opportunity to debate this important project that is important for all of the people in Newfoundland and Labrador. Mr. Speaker, we have ample opportunity here over the next several months to discuss Muskrat Falls in detail, during Question Period, during the Reply to the Speech from the Throne, during the Budget Debate, Mr. Speaker, and every Wednesday we have private members' bills. In all of those different areas they will be given lots of opportunity, lots of information. We will have the PUB report, Mr. Speaker, and by the time we close this session, there will have been a comprehensive debate on the merits of Muskrat Falls.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The vote is important. I think it would be nice for all of us to know where each and every one of us stood in history.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Natural Resources stated in this House that the energy experts concluded that using LNG, or a natural gas pipeline from the Grand Banks as a potential source of energy is not feasible.

I ask the Premier: Will you table these important studies here in the House of Assembly?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have met with different consultants in this area, most notably Wood MacKenzie out of New York and PIRA out of New York. We have discussed the issue of the pricing of natural gas and the effect of shale gas on markets and electricity markets.

This past weekend, Mr. Speaker, I met with a company called Ziff Energy out of Calgary. I met with them in Toronto. We outlined to them the proposals that had been put forward by various critics of the project and the conclusion reached, Mr. Speaker, by all of these consultants, experts, not self-professed experts, Mr. Speaker, the conclusion reached is the importation of natural gas is not economically feasible, nor is the building of a pipeline from the Grand Banks.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It seems that there has been a lot of discussion and a lot of talk on this subject, so it should not be hard to find the official documents. All we ask is for those to be tabled in the House.

Mr. Speaker, Nalcor has stated that the Province will provide billions of dollars in equity to the Muskrat Falls project. They have admitted that the 75 to 25 debt ratio is not ‘financeable'. Mr. Speaker, cash flow planning is essential in a project of this size.

I ask the Premier: Will you table the five-year cash flow projections from Nalcor so that people of this Province can better understand where the equity is coming from?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As I said yesterday, one of the things that our government has set out to do since 2003 is maximize the benefits for the people of our Province; that includes being equity stakeholders in our offshore and it also includes, Mr. Speaker, the insuring that we get maximum benefits from the Lower Churchill Project. There will be, over the next five years, Mr. Speaker, an equity investment of the Province of approximately $2 billion. There will be $3 billion which Nalcor will borrow from the markets, and contrary to what the Leader of the Opposition seems to think, Mr. Speaker, the banks are looking upon this very favourably, as are the industry out there, and we do not foresee any difficulty in obtaining money. Also, with the federal loan guarantee, that will reduce cost.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: Last week, the CEO of Nalcor stated that it would be around a 57 to a 43 per cent ratio. That was his Debt Service Ratio. What we are asking for, of course, is just to see the cash flow projection. It should be easy to prove.

Mr. Speaker, the PUB hearings have revealed that the price of electricity to customers will be determined by a power purchase agreement between Nalcor and Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro. I ask the Premier: Will you table the complete text of these power purchase agreements?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

All of the information which is referred to by the member opposite is on file with the PUB. These are based on Decision Gate 2 numbers, so they will be updated as we move towards Decision Gate 3.

One of the most important things for people to realize, Mr. Speaker, contrary to what was put forward by the members opposite for more than a year, is that Muskrat Falls will result in lower electricity rates for the people of this Province than a refurbished Holyrood.

I come back to my basic questions, Mr. Speaker, that I asked time and time again: Do you accept, as MHI does, that we need the power, and if so, what are we going to do about it? Muskrat Falls is the lowest-cost option, Mr. Speaker. It will stabilize, then reduce electricity rates for the single mothers, for the seniors, for all of us in this Province, Mr. Speaker. That is why Muskrat Falls is a good deal.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

If the minister believes that, he should table the information in the House of Assembly, I say to him. Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, the Minister Responsible for Labrador Affairs stated during a Q and A session at the Combined Councils of Labrador that 40 per cent of the power from Muskrat Falls is earmarked for Labrador.

I ask the minister today to tell me: What firm agreements do you have in place for Muskrat Falls power for Labrador, and if indeed this statement is even accurate?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister Responsible for Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Yes, Mr. Speaker.

I was quite surprised yesterday when the member opposite said the first time she had heard that the 40 per cent power would be available for Labrador was when the minister of Labrador Affairs stated that. We have been clear on day one, Mr. Speaker, 40 per cent of the power will come to the Island, 20 per cent will go to the deal with Emera, and 40 per cent will be available for further use in this Province.

We will sell that electricity on the spot markets until such time as it is available or needed for industrial developments. I met with all these companies, Mr. Speaker. I say to the member opposite, we are willing to sign deals today. The mining companies have to step up and be ready to sign those deals. They are still in feasibility studies; they are not there, we are.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The minister needs to consult with Mr. Martin, because he is the one out there saying that all this excess power will be sold in the spot market. Your government said it in the last spring session, Mr. Speaker, and sold in the Eastern seaboard of the United States, I say to the minister.

My question to the minister is this. It is okay to make a statement that 40 per cent of that power will be available for Labrador and for the mining industry. I ask you, minister: How do you plan on getting it there? There have been no transmission lines that have been registered for EIS to run additional capacity into Lake Melville, into Western Labrador, into the North or South Coast of Labrador or any of these particular mining operations.

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: The first thing, Mr. Speaker, I would say to the member opposite, she has to find out what spot markets are. They are essentially that, spot markets. We sell the power on a daily basis; we can bring that power back at any time.

Mr. Speaker, what we are doing here, the Muskrat Falls, the $5 billion capital cost we currently have set out includes the building of a transmission line from Muskrat Falls to Churchill Falls. When we firm up contracts with the mining companies who are coming to us, then we will look at building the transmission line from Muskrat Falls to Labrador West.

Mr. Speaker, the Labrador Island transmission line is a transmission line that will commence in Muskrat Falls and move forward. When these companies – and we are in discussion with them all. I have met with IOC; I have met with Alderon Resources; I met with Labrador Iron Mines the other day; I have met with Tata Steel; I have met with Labrador Iron Sands; I have met with Vale Inco, Mr. Speaker. We are meeting with them all. We are talking to them.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I will tell the minister that we are talking to them as well, and what we are discovering is that none of these companies has an industrial price for power from your government. None of them has a contract from your government for the delivery of power, and in fact, Mr. Speaker, some of them are looking across the border in Quebec today to try and find power to run their mining operations in Labrador.

I say to the minister: Are you and your government prepared, Mr. Speaker, to terminate the agreement that you have with Emera Energy and leave that power in Labrador for Labrador communities and the mining industry?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Mr. Speaker, I say to the member opposite, why should anyone believe anything she has to say. This is the same member who for a year stood up in this House fear-mongering in the public, saying that power rates were going to double. Well, I have put the numbers out there. I have said to her, Mr. Speaker, prove me wrong. I have not heard back from her. I have not heard any of these companies say they are looking for power in Quebec, Mr. Speaker.

We are in discussions, Mr. Speaker; we are in discussions with these companies. At such time when they are ready to come forward and sign contracts, we will be there. We are in the process of developing industrial rates, and I can tell you, it will be a good deal for them. It will be a good deal for us. It will be a good deal for all.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. EDMUNDS: I thank you, Mr. Speaker. The recent death of young fourteen-year-old Burton Winters of Makkovik has raised many concerns and questions related to search-and-rescue protocol. The family and friends of Burton Winters believe that much more could have been done to prevent this tragedy. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs Secretariat: Are you prepared to support a full investigation into the Burton Winters tragedy, examining the actions of both the federal and provincial Search and Rescue agencies, including their co-ordination and their communications?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the whole Province has been gripped by this terrible tragedy and this loss of life far too soon. Again, on behalf of the people of the Province, I extend my deepest condolences to the members of his family.

Mr. Speaker, immediately, we undertook a review of our own protocols, and that process is ongoing. We will continue to look for ways to improve services in Search and Rescue in our Province. Mr. Speaker, we engaged with the federal government immediately. I asked the federal government to review their protocols. They have undertaken that.

Mr. Speaker, we have an important resolution before the House here today, and we intend to support that resolution, asking the federal government to strengthen their Search and Rescue abilities and facilities here in this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. EDMUNDS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Government of Canada has announced the closure of the Maritime Search and Rescue Sub-centre located in St. John's, thereby negatively impacting efficient and timely co-ordination of Search and Rescue services in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Premier this time: Will you support the establishment of an all-party committee of this House to make representation to the Government of Canada to rescind their decision to close the Maritime Search and Rescue Sub-centre in St. John's?

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, this government has made its position very clear to the federal government and to the people of the Province. We do not support the downgrading of any activities or any consolidation of activities of Search and Rescue outside of this Province. We have been marked in all of our lives, in all of our communities, with terrible tragedies, in our fishery sector, in the offshore, and in aviation, Mr. Speaker, and we understand how important that is to the people of this Province.

We have relayed that in the most vigorous way to the Prime Minister and to his ministers. We continue to advance our position on a regular basis, Mr. Speaker, and I encourage members of the Opposition and the Third Party to do the same. I would ask them to call upon their MPs from their political stripe to do the same, and talk to the federal government instead of the open lines here in Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. A. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, government just announced that their policy on skin removal surgery will not change; therefore, people like Mr. Carter from Bishop's Falls will be denied the skin removal surgery once again. Governments own briefing notes show that the policy for medically necessary was developed in the 1990s and you do not even have a policy for medically necessary as it relates to excess skin removal.

I ask the Minister of Health: Why did you not develop a policy on medical necessity as it relates to loose skin caused by massive weight loss given it is over twenty years later?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, policy is policy, medical necessity is medical necessity. That has not changed. When it comes to making a decision around whether or not removal of excess skin is to be performed in this Province, we rely on the expert advice of the surgeons. The surgeons make the decision as to whether or not that procedure will happen in this Province or not. That has been the policy, that continues to be the policy and that has to be the policy.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. A. PARSONS: I would say that the minister does have the authority, Mr. Speaker, to change policy. Government currently funds bariatric surgery, a surgery that removes about 80 per cent of your stomach. A natural consequence of that surgery is excess skin.

I ask the minister: Why would government cover the cost of bariatric surgery when you are not going to cover the cost of excess skin removal?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we cover surgery when surgery is medically necessary. Bariatric procedure is a surgery that has to do with the health of the individual. When a person, Mr. Speaker, is morbidly obese that person runs the risk of many different chronic diseases; in fact, generally has many chronic diseases from hypertension, to heart diseases, to diabetes and so on. The risks of living with those particular conditions, Mr. Speaker, far outweigh, far outweigh the surgery.

Mr. Speaker, we perform the surgery when we see that there is benefit to the patient. In this case, we rely always – not in this case but in all cases, we rely on medical advice, the advice from the experts in the field, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, one of the key documents relating to the Marystown plant closure is the secret implication agreement between OCI, FPI, and this government. We do not know if the agreement has flaws in it, like the infamous Abitibi expropriation document, because no one is allowed to see it.

I ask the Premier: Will she do the right thing and release this agreement to ensure transparency and to avoid further blunders by her government?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The closure to Marystown fish plant has certainly been an issue very important to all of us. I was certainly very pleased yesterday with consultation with the Member for Burin – Placentia West and the Minister of Municipal Affairs to find some last minute funding to help out a number of those workers; a number of them, Mr. Speaker, needing anywhere from twenty to thirty to forty hours to qualify for Employment Insurance. We recognize the need to support those workers.

We are also, Mr. Speaker, continuing to provide due diligence around the implementation agreement. That is why this government took the initiative to have that reviewed, not only by in-house sources by independent sources as well to ensure that all parties to that agreement have lived up to the expectations, Mr. Speaker. We are quite confident that we have a good analysis of that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

Mr. Speaker, over the past couple of days the Premier has fanned the flames of concern within the public service and among the public with her vague references to proposed spending cuts, while also saying there could be a loss of jobs through attrition. Mr. Speaker, a loss of jobs by attrition is no different than layoffs.

I ask the Premier, Mr. Speaker, to tell this House clearly: What are government's intentions with regard to potential loss of positions in the public service sector?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we are reviewing all the core mandates of departments. Within the review of those core mandates, I have asked all my ministers to ensure that all of the programs are working efficiently, meeting all of the aims, objectives, and goals that were set out when policies and programs were introduced.

Mr. Speaker, we have nearly an $8 billion budget. As part of good fiscal management, we should always be reviewing our expenditures and eliminate what the Leader of the Opposition referred to in his reply to the Speech from the Throne as waste, or duplication, or replication. That is a significant part of this exercise.

I have ring fenced certain areas where we will not be looking for the 3 per cent reduction, but will look for it everywhere else, Mr. Speaker. We hope to realize something a little less than $100 million from this exercise.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS MICHAEL: Mr. Speaker, to the people of the Province, it makes no difference if workers are not there because they have been laid off or they have been replaced through attrition, so I would like the Premier to be more specific about what attrition could mean to services for people.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, in the NDP's own platform, they were going to look for a 1 per cent reduction in expenses right across the board. They laid that out and that is the platform they stand on for the next four years. Well, Mr. Speaker, that is without any intimate knowledge whatsoever of how government works, how things operate, and what the different headings and subheadings are within departments. Armed with that knowledge internally, we are going to look to see where we can find reductions.

Mr. Speaker, the public service has grown year over year over year. Sustainability is important, Mr. Speaker. They are against projects like Muskrat Falls, which will continue to bring revenue into the Province. We have to find reductions somewhere. One way of holding that steady is through this kind of exercise and watching our workforce through attrition.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

I would just like the Premier to know: I know very well our platform and I know that attrition was not part of our plan in looking for the 1 per cent. After six years of sitting in Estimates meetings, I think anybody on this side of the House has a fairly good knowledge of how government works, Mr. Speaker.

I think we all agree that the Muskrat Falls debate is a complex one, but one question should be simple: How much will people have to pay each month for Muskrat Falls' power? Currently, the price for a kilowatt hour in my district, and a lot of parts of the Province, is 10.7 cents. Mr. Speaker, we have heard many different numbers from government on what the cost per kilowatt hour will be.

So I ask the Premier: Will she give this House a guaranteed cost per kilowatt hour for people who will be forced to buy Muskrat Falls' power?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am pleased with the opportunity to outline these numbers. Obviously the Leader of the Opposition either did not listen during the debate on VOCM or she does not understand, so I will go through it again, Mr. Speaker.

Essentially, in 2016 the average Island ratepayer, based on today's costs, will pay $216 or $217. What will happen, Mr. Speaker, in 2017 when Muskrat Falls comes on-line is it will go up to $232 a month. What will happen with Muskrat Falls between 2017 and 2030 is there will be a $14-a-month increase – without Muskrat Falls, Mr. Speaker, three times as much.

It is all in writing. I can provide it to you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS MICHAEL: Mr. Speaker, what I am asking the minister and the Premier for, so that people can clearly understand when they look on their bills – they look at the amount per hour that they are spending. Can he break it down into the amount per hour? Right now, like in my district, and it is an average in the Province, it is 10.7. Can he break that down for people? That is all I am asking.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. KENNEDY: Mr. Speaker, this government is concerned about people, the effect of electricity rates without Muskrat Falls. The cost of oil will drive Holyrood oil – Holyrood costs through the roof, Mr. Speaker.

What we are doing, we are breaking it down into what we do on a daily basis. We pay dollars, not kilowatt hours, Mr. Speaker. People want to know, how are our bills going to be affected. They are not going to double like the Opposition House Leader said, Mr. Speaker. That is absolutely, unequivocally and totally untrue.

What they are going to do, Mr. Speaker, they will go up, they will stabilize and then they will reduce. Without Muskrat Falls, Mr. Speaker, the increase will be three times as much as it will be with Muskrat Falls. That is why we have to do it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS ROGERS: Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier.

This government does not have statistics that give us a real picture of the current housing crisis that we find ourselves in. Every day people call my office with stories about the high cost of housing: seniors living in fear of the next rent increase; people who are homeless; families spending half their income on rent; young working families who cannot buy a house. Mr. Speaker, it is time for the government to take a leadership role to mitigate this housing crisis.

Mr. Speaker, when will this government create a housing division within government to deal with the critical need for affordable housing for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador as other provinces have done for their people?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HEDDERSON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I certainly appreciate the question from the hon. member across the way. I think as a government we truly understand the challenges that people have with regard to putting a roof over their heads. We have been in government for eight years now and we have made significant investments. I went through a list of those investments yesterday, again to indicate that housing is a high priority.

For the NDP to come back, and their solution to it is to add another level of bureaucracy, talking about another division and likening it to the division of wildlife, I think, which has about seventy. I would ask the member: What would you want this division to do?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS ROGERS: Mr. Speaker, by 2014, the Affordable Housing Initiative will have created approximately 1,000 rental units. In the last decade, Newfoundland and Labrador Housing has built only twenty-four new social housing units. Right now, there are 1,000 people on the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation wait-list. The private apartment vacancy rate throughout most of the Province is approximately 1 per cent. There is no affordable rental housing available in the Province, and there are not enough rent supplements to meet the need.

Mr. Speaker, will this government allocate more resources to the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation to deal with the immediate housing crisis we find ourselves in?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HEDDERSON: Mr. Speaker, we are the largest landlord in this Province. Currently, we have 5,500 units; we do have 1,700 rent supplements. So that gets us over 7,000, plus the partnerships that we have for supportive living throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. We have invested significantly in housing in Newfoundland and Labrador, and we continue. With regard to wait-lists, our wait-list right now is under 1,000; that is 200 less than it was two years ago, and the turnover rate in those wait-lists is about 90 per cent. So, we are dealing with the wait-list. We are dealing with the housing that we have and making sure that it is available to the people who need it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS ROGERS: Mr. Speaker, many low and moderate income families are suffering in the midst of our great and wonderful newfound prosperity because of the volatile housing market. They cannot afford their housing. There is a real housing crisis that needs a real housing action plan and strategy with real workable solutions.

Mr. Speaker, will the Premier direct the Social Services Standing Committee to convene and examine the housing crisis; to send for persons, papers, and records, if deemed necessary; and report to the House of Assembly with workable solutions for the housing crisis that we find ourselves in?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HEDDERSON: Mr. Speaker, we presented to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, to this House, a secure foundation document, which deals with the housing in Newfoundland and Labrador – a strategy that will bring us forward to meet the needs that are out there right now.

I see the member shaking her head over there, but again it was unbeknownst to the Leader of the NDP that we even had a strategy. So, that is as much as you know about what was going on in housing.

I again say, Mr. Speaker, that I am confident that we have in our possession the strategy we need to move forward to address what the housing needs are in our Province at this present time.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The time allocated for questions has expired.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. SPEAKER: The time allocated for Question Period has expired.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Tabling of Documents.

Notices of Motion.

Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I stand in the House today to present a petition with regard to search and rescue services, Mr. Speaker. It reads:

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

WHEREAS Labrador is a vast land mass with many isolated communities; and

WHEREAS unfortunately search and rescue assets were not adequately deployed during the search for Burton Winters; and

WHEREAS it is clear that permanent search and rescue assets are required in Labrador;

WHEREUPON your petitioners call upon all Members of the House of Assembly to urge the government to do a full investigation into the Burton Winters tragedy and search and rescue in Labrador, and lobby the federal government to establish permanent search and rescue capability at 5 Wing Goose Bay.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, my colleague today, the Member for Torngat Mountains, will bring forward a private member's motion on search and rescue that not only speaks to the need to do a full investigation and inquiry into the tragic death of Burton Winters, a fourteen-year-old Inuk boy from the Northern community of Makkovik, but also talks about search and rescue in a broader context for Newfoundland and Labrador.

I was pleased to hear the Premier's response in Question Period today when she stood and talked about lobbying the federal government on Search and Rescue and supporting the motion that we have on the floor today. I think, Mr. Speaker, that speaks to the kind of leadership we need in Newfoundland and Labrador on this issue. We need all political parties, all political leaders, all MHAs, and all elected members no matter what caucus they sit in, whether it is in this Legislature or in the federal Legislature to come together to ensure that we not only preserve but improve search and rescue services for all the people of this Province. Individually I am sure we all care, individually we have all seen tragedy within our own districts if not within our own families, and we all understand the very need to have protection and safety of our residents first.

I was pleased to hear today that the government will be supporting our motion and we certainly look forward to their debate in the House of Assembly. Last week in Goose Bay I heard the Minister of Municipal Affairs speak to the investigation or the inquiry that is ongoing through his department. He did commit at that time to table that report when it was finished on search and rescue protocols and what was happening. We would look forward to seeing that report, Mr. Speaker. On behalf of the people who signed this petition and circulated it, I am pleased to present it today to the House of Assembly.

Thank you.

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

MR. KIRBY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to present a petition on behalf of the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador. This is a petition that has been circulated throughout the Province and it pertains to the issue of the Department of Education's school bus transportation policies.

WHEREAS school district restructuring has resulted in longer bus travel times and more hazardous winter travel for rural students of all ages; and

WHEREAS due to recent school closures, children living within 1.6 kilometres of school face increased barriers of congested streets and busy intersections in the walk to school, and parents without cars are having more difficulty in getting their children to different schools on foot; and

WHEREAS only those child care centres outside a 1.6 kilometre zone and directly on bus routes are included in Kindergarten noontime routes, causing hardship for working parents; and

WHEREAS the 1.6 kilometre policy has been in place since 1975, and school bus transportation policies have not been reviewed through public consultation since 1996; and

WHEREAS parents are expressing the need for more flexible policies for student transportation and school restructuring to meet the current needs of school children;

We, the undersigned, petition the House of Assembly to urge government to conduct a review of school bus transportation policies and school restructuring to ensure safe and quality education for all school children in the Province.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

I am sure, Mr. Speaker, that all of the hon. members present here in the House will agree that our children are our most precious cargo. This review is long overdue, Mr. Speaker. In some areas of the Province we have students with longer and longer bussing times, and that becomes more and more hazardous at this time of the year.

In urban areas of the Province, Mr. Speaker, we have other issues; because of the 1.6 kilometre policy, we have a lot of students – small children, Mr. Speaker – who have to cross streets that have become busier and busier over the years, and that gets more problematic at this time of the year when we have a lot of snow-covered sidewalks, and that is where we have sidewalks, in fact. I understand that in the Avalon West region of the Eastern School District alone, children at eleven schools have to cross four to five lanes, four to five lanes of busy traffic to get to school. Mr. Speaker, this petition –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. KIRBY: This petition is supported by many school councils across the Province, as well as the Federation of School Councils in this Province. I note for the Minister of Education, who is, well, currently the Member for Burin – Placentia West, that this petition recently received unanimous support from the Marystown Town Council. So it has been endorsed by the Marystown Town Council, Mr. Speaker.

So, thank you. I hope the government will heed this request from the petitioners.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

I stand here today to read in a petition:

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

WHEREAS hundreds of residents of the South Coast of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, including residents of the communities of Burgeo, Ramea, Grey River, and François use Route 480 on a regular basis for work, medical, educational, and social reasons;

AND WHEREAS there is no cell phone coverage on Route 480;

AND WHEREAS residents and users of Route 480 require cell phone coverage to ensure their safety and communication abilities;

AND WHEREAS the Department of Innovation, Business and Rural Development recently announced significant funding to improve broadband services in rural Newfoundland and Labrador;

AND WHEREAS the residents and users of Route 480 feel that the Department of Innovation, Business and Rural Development should also invest in cellular phone coverage for rural Newfoundland and Labrador;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your Petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House of Assembly to support the users of Route 480 in their request to obtain cellular phone coverage along Route 480.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Now, I am very honoured to stand here for the second time in two days and present a petition on behalf of my constituents; however, it is unfortunate that I need to do this for two separate areas in my district. Certainly this is a petition that includes residents of the District of Fortune Bay – Cape La Hune; the first signatures on this here are from residents of François. So, hopefully this is an issue that can be worked on by parties of all political stripes. I know this is something mentioned to me by my colleagues, the Member for Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair, and St. Barbe; I believe it might be an issue in The Straits – White Bay North.

So, again, this is an issue that is not a luxury anymore, it is a necessity. It is something that can be done quite easily and for not a huge investment. I did manage to have a conversation with the minister for this department yesterday, and I let him know that in British Columbia, they just invested $100 million in this area, yet this here, this is going to cost far, far less than that – 1 per cent of that, really, 1 to 2 per cent of that, maybe, to cover off a huge area that people have to travel over every day in order to get to regular services: medical treatment, to go to the hospital, to visit their family in respite care when they can actually get a bed.

So, again, Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to present this, and I am hoping that this is an issue that can be worked on by all members. I look forward to having another conversation with the minister on this, and I am sure it is an issue that resonates across this House and across this Province. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: I just remind the hon. member, this is Wednesday, Private Members' Day. We have two minutes before we will proceed with the private members' resolution. Petitions have been taking somewhere better than two minutes today, and I wonder if the member would want to present the petition in an abbreviated fashion today so we could proceed to private members' resolution at 3, or would you want to proceed to do it another day?

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, I will certainly clue up before 3 o'clock.

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My petition is to the House of Assembly, and I will read the prayer. It says:

WHEREAS breast cancer is the most common cancer among Newfoundland and Labrador women, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, with approximately 370 women to be diagnosed with breast cancer in Newfoundland and Labrador this year; and

WHEREAS we have one of the highest mortality rates from breast cancer and breast cancer in young women tends to be more aggressive; and

WHEREAS the benchmark for Newfoundland and Labrador's organized breast screening program is age fifty; and

WHEREAS women aged forty to forty-nine are not eligible to participate in Newfoundland and Labrador's organized breast screening program, while women aged forty to forty-nine are eligible in the Provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Northwest Territories, and Yukon; and

WHEREAS there is empirical evidence that routine mammography screening of women in their forties can reduce mortality from breast cancer by at least 24 per cent, but Newfoundland and Labrador still does not allow women in that age group to self refer into their breast screening program;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call on the House of Assembly to urge the government to allow women aged forty to forty-nine to be eligible for breast screening in Newfoundland and Labrador.

MR. SPEAKER: Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: This being Private Members' Day, I now call upon the Member for Torngat Mountains to introduce his private member's motion.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. EDMUNDS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I now put forward the motion:

WHEREAS Newfoundland and Labrador is a vast land mass with a long coastline and huge areas of open ocean, Labrador alone has an approximate area of 300,000 square kilometres and a coastline of almost 8,000 kilometres and many isolated communities, while the Island portion of our Province has nearly 10,000 kilometres of coastline and a surface area of over 110,000 kilometres; and

WHEREAS the lifestyle of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians for work and for recreation is connected to the land and the sea; and

WHEREAS we have seen many tragedies and many lives lost due to distress at sea and on land, most recently the death of fourteen-year-old Burton Winters of Makkovik, Labrador; and

WHEREAS search and rescue assets were not adequately deployed during the search for Burton Winters; and

WHEREAS ground search and rescue is a provincial responsibility and was the first point of contact in the Burton Winters tragedy; and

WHEREAS the Government of Canada has announced the closure of Maritime Search and Rescue Sub-centre in St. John's, thus impairing efficient and timely co-ordination of search and rescue services within the Province;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that this House calls upon the provincial government to consider conducting a full investigation into the Burton Winters tragedy, examining the actions of both federal and provincial agencies and their co-ordination and communications;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this House calls upon the provincial government to evaluate search and rescue infrastructure within and available to the Province in case of emergency in order to determine if there is sufficient and stable service;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this House calls upon the provincial government and our federal representatives in the House of Commons and the Senate to consider establishing a permanent search and rescue capability at 5 Wing Goose Bay;

BE IT FUTHER RESOLVED that this House calls on this House of Assembly to establish an all-party committee to make representations to the Government of Canada to rescind the motion and the closure slated for Maritime Search and Rescue Sub-centre in St. John's, Newfoundland.

MR. SPEAKER: You have heard the motion seconded by the hon. the Member for Humber Valley.

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

MR. EDMUNDS: Yes, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you.

It is with great concern that I rise in this hon. House today, a concern that arises from one of the many tragic events that has happened over the last 500 years in our Province. The tragedy surrounding Burton Winters, Mr. Speaker, has brought this Province together in a united front that has sparked an outcry for resolve as we have never seen before. It has stretched from Nain to St. John's, and from Natuashish to the Port au Port Peninsula. It is a result of this Province-wide concern, Mr. Speaker, that I table this private member's motion.

The tragedy of young Burton Winters and the legacy he has left us with has created a Province-wide mandate to have a review of search and rescue protocols and procedures. It is our responsibility, Mr. Speaker, as representatives in this hon. House to take this mandate forward. Lives will depend on what we have to say and do here today. There have been many misconceptions and much information that has arisen around the tragedy of young Burton Winters. I have heard criticisms, false information, as well as discrepancies in the chronology of this tragic event. Throughout the unfolding of events surrounding the death of young Burton, Mr. Speaker, I was there. I was there as part of the rescue team, I was there as part of the recovery team, and I was there as part of the media inquiries following this unfortunate accident.

Burton was reported missing on Sunday evening, January 29, and an all-out ground search was conducted well into the early morning hours. Mr. Speaker, I cannot say enough about the on-location search and rescue team, about the co-ordinators, and the ground search and rescue team itself. This part of the search was conducted flawlessly and the participants went beyond the call of duty in their attempts to rescue Burton and to bring him back to his family.

Our local ground search and rescue teams involved all members from within our community of Makkovik as well as some members from the neighbouring community of Postville, Mr. Speaker, who came to Makkovik to help in any way possible.

These front-line volunteers searched relentlessly, stopping just for a brief rest before regrouping and beginning areas that had yet to be searched. The call, Mr. Speaker, for air support was made late Sunday evening. It was at this point, Mr. Speaker, that the problems in protocol, procedure, and communications began to raise doubt. Whatever transpired, Mr. Speaker – in terms of organization outside of the coordination centre in Makkovik after the call was made – we had no control over.

Mr. Speaker, now we question what went wrong and the need to ensure that whatever it was, that it needs to be fixed. Mr. Speaker, there are serious questions arising from this tragedy, questions around provincial and federal search and rescue communications as well as protocols. Mr. Speaker, what has been highlighted throughout this tragedy is questions on available resources and infrastructure.

The Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre in this Province, Mr. Speaker, has proven its existence and that it is crucial to saving lives in our Province. Given the resources that we have, Mr. Speaker, the closing of this centre will come at a cost. That cost, Mr. Speaker, will be the lives of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Mr. Speaker, it is the responsibility of this government to lobby on behalf of the Northern portion of this Province, specifically Labrador, to have a search and rescue centre at 5 Wing Goose Bay. A search and rescue centre in Labrador will improve chances of survival both in Labrador and in and around the Great Northern Peninsula.

The support for increased search and rescue services that has poured in as a result of this incident, Mr. Speaker, has put pressure on the provincial government, on the federal government, urging them to act promptly on resolving these issues. Mr. Speaker, I urge every member in this hon. House to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, in closing I have to extend appreciation and thanks for support for the vigils that were held in every community in Labrador, from Nain, to L'Anse au Clair, to Forteau, and for the many that are being held and have been held on the Island portion of this Province. This tragedy, Mr. Speaker, has brought forward a support that we have never seen before. It has brought unity to a Province.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the group that worked on setting up the Burton Winters Facebook page on the Web, that at last count was somewhere in the vicinity of 36,000 members – no small feat. I urge that those who are in the House today with me – and there are extended friends and family of young Burton Winters in the gallery today, and I would like to recognize them.

Mr. Speaker, finally, a message to this hon. House that this issue is front and foremost, and I do not think that it is going away anytime soon. So, I urge every member in this House of Assembly that they put their full support behind this motion.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER (Verge): The hon. the Minister Responsible for Fire and Emergency Services.

MR. O'BRIEN: Yes, Mr. Speaker, I thank you, to this hon. House and yourself, and indeed, the people of Newfoundland and Labrador for giving me the opportunity to speak on this most important resolution.

First of all, before I go any further, I would like to take a moment to offer my sincere condolences to the family and friends of Burton Winters, along with the entire community of Makkovik. As I look around this House, I see many of us that have children of our own, and we can only imagine what it would be to lose one of those children. We have people in this House that have lost dear family members by tragedy as well, so we can only imagine if we have lost one of our own. So, this is not lost on the people of this House, nor the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. Even though I give such offerings, no way can this change anything that has happened in regard to Burton Winters. I believe it is important for those closest to Burton to understand that they have the full support of this entire House on this side of the House, and I speak for everyone on this side of the House; as well, I think I can speak for the other side of the House.

This has been a tragedy which has, as the hon. member mentioned, has united, has touched the entire Province. I think this private members' motion is very important, but I think, as well, it is very important for me to provide some context in regard to search and rescue in our Province as we go forward. I know I have a limited time, but if you can indulge me, please indulge me to let me go through it. I believe that everyone should have an understanding of how such operations work.

If an individual is missing in our Province, they are reported to the local policing authority, be it the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Both of these police forces are responsible for ground search and rescue. Even though it is co-ordinated by the Province and ultimately the responsibility of the Province, they are the first point of contact. That is where the first point of contact is because some of the misinformation the hon. member mentioned is that the first point of contact is the Province. Well, it is not, really. It is the policing forces because they take the lead in any types of ground search and rescue in this Province, as well as all the other jurisdictions across this fair nation of Canada. They take the lead.

So the police force, with jurisdiction, then begins the appropriate action. As the hon. member mentioned, and to my understanding, with my knowledge and even my experience with regard to ground search and rescue, with my time in the Canadian Rangers, the search that transpired in Makkovik went flawlessly. It did because it is a process of elimination. That is what you have to do in regard to ground search and rescue. You first have to eliminate the obvious and then you move yourself outward to a point that then it might be decided that you might need other assets to enable you to search further away from the particular community, in this question or whatever it may be, in such an event anywhere else in the Province.

The police force takes the lead in that with regard to commencing and co-ordinating that ground search and rescue. A part of that is the twenty-five ground search and rescue teams that we have all over the Province, not leaving out Canadian Rangers and other stakeholders we have out there who assist in times of need, times of tragedy, and times of events such as these in Newfoundland and Labrador. These ground search and rescue teams are under direction of the local police forces. You have to have a co-ordinated search. You cannot have people going everywhere and looking everywhere because then you do not eliminate everything in its path on the outward way, you do it in a circle. That is the way a search and rescue works.

This is co-ordinated by the police force because you have to have that point. They co-ordinate the search and rescue people who are in the area. They are well-trained and they are well-equipped. We have made major investment in regard to equipment and all our search and rescue teams right across Newfoundland through the Department of Justice for a number of years.

Then, on occasion, the local police force, which is again leading the search, may decide they need other assets. It does not just have to be air services. It could be other assets as well. That is the point in time that the local police constable or whatever it may be would contact the Criminal Operations division when it comes to the RCMP and the emergency management division of the RNC, if they have jurisdiction. That is the way it works. The local calls that particular unit and then they decide between themselves if such an asset that is being requested by the local is warranted. That is the way it has to work. It has to be co-ordinated in order to have success in regard to any type of response by the Province.

If the officers agree, well then that is the first point of contact to the Province in regard to Fire and Emergency Services. We are not the people who are on the ground. The people who are on the ground are the search and rescue teams, the people who know the area in Makkovik. As the hon. member said, the actual search in their part was flawless, and it absolutely was, I believe that in my heart and my soul, and that is what it should be. It has to be co-ordinated. We cannot be on the ground in each and every jurisdiction, each and every community in Newfoundland and Labrador, it cannot be done. We rely on these important resources, as we do with other resources such as fire services. We rely on them; we try to equip them as best as we possibly can.

It is also important, as a piece of information, in regard to another event that happened recently where a missing individual, that a search team actually found and had an injury associated with that particular person – well that may be a medevac response instead of a real search and rescue. You have to separate the two.

Returning to the search and rescue process, if a call for assistance to search is received by Fire and Emergency Services, we will then go to Air Services Division of the Department of Transportation and Works and we will ask for helicopter assistance of which we have on contract Universal Helicopters. I believe we have a minimum of five helicopters at our disposal at any given time and they have to be available to us in various parts of the Province to aid in such searches.

It is only in extreme cases of weather or night flights, which these helicopters are not capable, that we would not be able to provide that support. Of course it is the pilots who make the decision in regard to the flying. They are the experts. They decide if the weather conditions are warranted or not warranted. They should be; they are the people who are actually flying the aircraft.

As well, Mr. Speaker, if the request to provide support comes in bad weather or just at dusk or after darkness, well then we would, on the request of the RCMP, make a request to the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre of National Defence in Halifax to provide air support on a humanitarian basis. That is the way it happens. Then they decide if they have the available assets, if the weather is suitable, and then they will decide whether they will provide that service.

Mr. Speaker, I take my position seriously as the Minister of Municipal Affairs and the Minister of Fire and Emergency Services. We have undertaken and looked at the actions with respect to the incident in Makkovik, and from the protocol of the provincial government's point of view, we responded to the request appropriately. The process, again, as I just said, was a process of elimination and it was carried out as fast as could happen. That is concerning to me, in regard to the misinformation.

I think the hon. member mentioned that the first call for air services came on Sunday evening of January 29. My log shows that the first call to Fire and Emergency Services came to us at 8:19, to be precise, on the morning of Monday, January 30. That is when it came in. You have to understand this, because this is not – I do not want this to be perceived by anyone, the family, the people of Makkovik, the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, that this is about laying blame, but you should understand the process and understand the facts in order to really feel for the actual system and what we are trying to do.

After that call at 8:19 in the morning, Fire and Emergency Services then contacted government air services, who contacted Universal Helicopters, and Universal Helicopters indicated at that point in time that they could not fly due to weather conditions. Then, Fire and Emergency Services, on the request of the RCMP, did contact the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre at about 9:30, 9:45 in the morning, and they also indicated, within twenty minutes, that due to capacity issues and weather they could not provide an aircraft. Then, after that point, we got another call from the RCMP at 11:00 saying that a helicopter had been on the ground overnight in the area, I believe it was Postville, it was actually in the air down in Makkovik and trying to give assistance to the ground search and rescue team at about 11 o'clock. We then phoned government air services again, government air services phoned Universal asking if they could go airborne in Happy Valley-Goose Bay at that particular time, and we had an aircraft in the air twenty minutes after that fact and on the way to Makkovik. From then on, a good point to be made from an understanding point of view is that once the helicopter is airborne, it is then under the direction of the officer in charge of the search, which in this case was the RCMP officer at the time. He controls, they control, or he or she controls the search.

Mr. Speaker, as many in this Province, our government has concerns about what happened in regard to Burton Winters and how it all played out. We had concerns when we contacted the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, and our government has made this very, very clear. Specifically, we have concerns regarding the assets available, their state of readiness, and the DND involvement if a civilian aircraft is involved in a search.

Government has engaged the federal Minister of National Defence, including a letter I have written to Minister MacKay. While Minister MacKay has indicated that a review of protocols of the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre has been undertaken and we are pleased with that, I still have outstanding questions. My letter to Minister MacKay outlined the questions which have to be answered, need to be answered. I have requested clarity with respect to the availability of search and rescue assets, such as helicopters and crew throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, including the availability of helicopters from Gander on the day of the request that was made for assistance in the Makkovik search. Further, we are seeking assurances that such assets in our Province be in a state of readiness for when a request of assistance is made.

The piece that I missed – and it is popping back into my head – is in regard to possible misinformation at the first point in contact and the request for air support. That request may have gone in to one of the centres, the Criminal Operations division or the Emergency Management Division, but it did not come back to Fire and Emergency Services until early morning, 8:19, on Monday. Then we go into action. That is when that call came in. It has been logged, and I have no problem once the case is closed – because this is really an open file by the police at this point in time so I cannot table anything in the House until the case is actually closed.

In essence, we have concerns about the operational and deployment protocols which we would like answered, because there are protocols. There is a Province, and then within that search and rescue event there are certain levels of protocols in regard to the way you conduct a search. That protocol starts with the local RCMP or RNC, whatever one has jurisdiction, then Fire and Emergency Services and my department, the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and then DND in regard to the federal side. Those protocols, I want clearly within that protocol, I want them explained completely where I can rely on those protocols if such another event may happen in Newfoundland and Labrador, God forbid.

Again, while none of these questions can change what has taken place I think it is important for us to ask them and receive answers. We need to do that because our loved ones, the loved ones of Burton, need the answers, and the people of our Province, our government, we need the answers as well.

We cannot have any kind of settlement with regard to this if we do not have those answers. We cannot, I guess, ever really bring Burton back, but we need the answers, we need to make it better, and maybe sometime in the future once we have that, maybe it will make it better for all of us in Burton's name.

With particular respect to the resolution before us, there are many aspects which I agree with, but at this point in time I want to propose some amendments to the resolutions. The reason why I am doing so is because I believe –

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. O'BRIEN: By leave?

MR. SPEAKER: Does the minister have leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

MR. O'BRIEN: I am doing so because I believe they are very important. I believe that we should get it right and I believe that we should have strength within the resolution itself. I would propose that the first three WHEREASES will remain. I would propose that the next two WHEREASES would be deleted. I would propose that the next WHEREAS would stay in.

I would also like to combine, and I will table this for consideration to the Table, the next two THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED – THEREFORE IT BE RESOLVED and BE IT RESOLVED – to read: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the House, in light of the Burton Winters tragedy, calls upon the federal government to work with the provincial government in implementing any recommendations, offer a review of search and rescue operations and deployment protocols that will strengthen the provision of services to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

I would like to reword the second-last BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED to read: BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this House calls upon the federal government to consider establishing a permanent search and rescue capability at 5 Wing Goose Bay.

I would also like to reword the last BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED to read: BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this House calls on the Government of Canada to rescind the closure of Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre located in St. John's, Newfoundland.

I want to have clarity, I want to have strength, and I hope that all members in the House can support my amendments.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I am conscious of the time in regard to by leave, but as the Minister Responsible for Fire and Emergency Services, which comes under my purview and my mandate, I want the people of Makkovik, the people and the family present here in the House today, that I was involved, I guess, from a minister's position right from the get-go on Monday morning as soon as we received the first call. I wanted to make sure that we provided each and every bit of service that we possibly could.

We know that we have the helicopters, and if they are requested and if we want to keep them in the air, we will keep them in the air as long as we possibly can. As a matter of fact, we had another event out on the Bonavista Peninsula this past week and we provided air services, and we provided air service until dusk. That is what we will do each and every time: provide whatever assets that we possibly can to assist any search and rescue team in Newfoundland and Labrador in any event, any tragedy that may happen ever – ever in Newfoundland and Labrador.

I thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The resolution has been put forward by the Minister Responsible for Fire and Emergency Services. We will take a brief recess to see if the amendment is in order.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

We have considered the amendment as put forward by the Minister for Fire and Emergency Services, and we have deemed that the amendment is in order.

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have had an opportunity to review the amendment as has been put forward by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and the Minister for Fire and Emergency Services in the Province. For the public record, I want to indicate that there are only a couple of slight changes in the context of the motion that has been proposed. Most of what we have been asked for in the original motion is supported by the government in this amendment, and I thank them for that.

The one substantial change is that the Official Opposition actually called upon the government to establish an all-party committee of the House of Assembly that would lobby the federal government to rescind the decision of the closure of the Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre in St. John's. While the motion still speaks to that issue and calls on the Government of Canada to do just that, the context of an all-party committee has been omitted.

So, Mr. Speaker, we will still support the motion, as amended, and certainly welcome the support of the government. It is unfortunate that we will not move to an all-party committee, because I really do believe that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians today do not want to see political lines drawn with regard to search and rescue services in this Province. I think that ultimately they would have loved to have seen today, coming out of the House of Assembly in Newfoundland and Labrador, a united front of all political parties, of all MHAs of every stripe across Newfoundland and Labrador standing up for search and rescue in this Province and doing so, not just in a vote of the House, which we will get to later on, but in an all-party committee that would take an active movement to the House of Commons and to Parliament Hill in Ottawa on their behalf. I can guarantee you there are a lot of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians out there today, if they had the ways and means they would be on the hills of Ottawa at the capital city, Mr. Speaker, in the Parliament there making their case for search and rescue in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The other piece to the motion that changes slightly is we had originally called upon the provincial and the federal government to do the investigation and implement the recommendations. What they have said is that we call upon the federal government to work with the provincial government. I do not have a problem with that. I think federal governments should work with provincial governments and that should be the way that things operate in the real world. Unfortunately, we live in somewhat of an illusion sometimes and we do not always have that happening. As a result, we get bad decisions, poor decisions, like we have on search and rescue that affects the lives of people in this Province.

I would say to the hon. minister and to his government today that this in no way, shape, or form allows your government off the hook either. Even though we are asking the federal government to work with you as a Province, we still expect you as a provincial government to take a lead role, to continue to push this issue with the ministers in Ottawa and with the Prime Minister, to continue to speak up individually in your own districts and throughout the Province on the importance of search and rescue, and let your voices be heard just as the voices of every other Newfoundlander and Labradorian is being heard today on this particular issue. We will hold you accountable to continue to lobby to make changes with regard to this particular issue.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to make a few comments on the motion itself now and not just on the proposed amendments. First, I want to congratulate the Member for Torngat Mountains for bringing forward this motion today. I know it has been a very difficult event for him to address as an MHA. Burton Winters was not just a fourteen-year-old Inuk boy; he was a member of a community in which the Member for Torngat Mountains lived. He was a child in that community who was very well-known to him and to his family, and I know that he was a huge participant in the entire search operation and recovery operation in this particular event. I know it has not been easy for him. I travelled to Makkovik with him just a week or so ago, met with the family and met with the entire community around search and rescue services. We felt it was important to hear what this community had to say and what this family had to say in order to better represent their views in the House of Assembly and in the public arena.

Mr. Speaker, I know fully and understand fully how this particular event has impacted my colleague from Torngat Mountains. I know he will work relentlessly to improve the services for the people of Labrador and for the people of his district and for the people of his Province. He can certainly accomplish that with all of our efforts working with him, and I am pleased to see that is what is happening today.

Mr. Speaker, we live in a Province today, and it is a Province that is very much dependent upon a work environment that often provides us many challenges. We live in a Province where 90 per cent of the fishing activity in Canada is adjacent to our waters. Every single day there is a man, woman or child who puts their life in jeopardy in this Province to either work or to carry out a traditional way of life that they have been accustomed to. When they do that, they should do so knowing they have the safety and they have the authorities to be able to call upon in time of an emergency.

Mr. Speaker, we also know that in this Province we represent a huge number of fisherpeople and fishing vessels. In fact, Mr. Speaker, our fleet of less than sixty-five foot represents 70 per cent of all the calls today that go into search and rescue in this Province. I do not have to stand in my place today and remind anyone in this House of the tragic events that have occurred with fishing vessels at sea. We have seen way too many of them in the last few years. I will mention one, the sinking of the Ryan's Commander, an event as well in our history that there was no forthcoming investigation on behalf of the federal government or any kind of a tribunal to look at that issue. A lobby was instigated by the loved ones and family members of those who were onboard the Ryan's Commander. As a result of it, the Government of Canada and Transport Canada moved to do a full investigation to strengthen the regulations and to strengthen the services for people in this Province.

Where they lost their way, Mr. Speaker, is in the wake of that particular study being released, they turned around and cut the search and rescue sub-centre in St. John's, Newfoundland. That was, Mr. Speaker, a huge flaw on behalf of the federal government. When that happened at that particular time, I was part of a group, along with others, who organized a rally in this Province. We actually had the rally in St. John's for search and rescue services. The day I was going to that rally I remember saying to people - and I am sure many others had this conversation as well - this will bring tragedy to our Province. If this happens, there will be tragedy. We did not even get the ink dry on the documents in Ottawa when we had a tragedy in this Province, a tragedy that we will always ask ourselves: Was this preventable or was it not? If help had to come when help was called for, could a little boy's life have been saved? We do not know the answer to that question. We may never know the answer to that question, but what we do know is help was asked for and help did not come. That is what we do know, and that should not have happened.

It is all of our responsibilities, as leaders in this Province and elected members, to ensure that these types of events never happen again. It is not about blame and it is not about pointing the finger at anyone, but really, and I say that in all fairness, even in regard to our own minister for Newfoundland and Labrador and Member of Parliament for Labrador, Peter Penashue. It is not about blame, but it is really about finding the answers. I would even say to him, he has a responsibility as well, a responsibility as a member of the Government of Canada, to the people of this Province to find those answers and to make it better. If making it better means leaving the search and rescue centre in Newfoundland and Labrador, then that has to happen. If making it better means putting search and rescue services in 5 Wing Goose Bay, then that has to happen. Nowhere else in this Province should anyone, on the ocean or on the land, a child or an adult, ever have to call for help and no help come; never.

What is ironic about all of this, Mr. Speaker, is that Burton Winters was not unlike any other teenager that you will have ever met in this country today. He might have been travelling on a snowmobile over frozen land, he may have gotten stuck, he may have had to walk over ice floes for many miles, but the one thing he had was a cell phone in his pocket. He had a cell phone in his pocket; a cell phone that had no service to anywhere; because on the North Coast of Labrador, in the community of Makkovik, not unlike a lot of rural communities and areas in this Province, there is no cell phone service. Maybe, just maybe, if there had to have been a cell phone connection, that young boy could have called home and today would be with us, and we would not be debating this motion in this House of Assembly.

I say that, Mr. Speaker, because it has become a necessity of the twenty-first century and it cannot be overlooked in the broader context of the tragedy we have just witnessed in our Province. It has to be looked at. It is all a part of providing for the people we represent.

Mr. Speaker, in addition to being a Province that is highly dependent upon the fishery and continues to respond to tragic events in our fishing industry, unfortunately, and in addition to being a Province where 90 per cent of all the fishing activity in Canada is residing, we are also one of the highest levels of offshore oil exploration and production than anywhere else in this country. Today, we have as many as 1,000 people working offshore in Newfoundland and Labrador. We have already seen substantial tragedy unlike anything ever witnessed in this country's history happening in the offshore of Newfoundland and Labrador. That in itself should be reason enough for the powers that be in this country and in this Province to wake up and open their eyes to the realities of what we face.

We are not landlocked and we are not Prairie Provinces. We are not the land of honey and sunshine every day. We are a land that has to endure a tremendous amount of climatic factors. We are a people, Mr. Speaker, who are surrounded by water and oceans that roar up in anger at a moment's notice, and oftentimes we do not have that time to make it to safety. Oftentimes, Mr. Speaker, we do not have anywhere else to turn, only to the powers that be that we think are there – very falsely in this case – to rescue us in the time of our greatest need.

Can we do better? Of course we can do better for the people we represent. I hope that today is a turning point in this Province of Newfoundland and Labrador for every one of us to roar up just like that ocean off our shores, to roar up to the federal government and say: Enough is enough. Our people are worth more than $1 million you are going to save in a search and rescue sub centre in this Province. This is a government who just bought two panda bears in China, who is going to pay $1 million a year to put them in a zoo in Toronto and Calgary, and $150,000 each to feed them a year for the next ten years. They have the gall to walk the land of this Province and tell us that we cannot have a search and rescue sub centre because it is going to cost $1 million.

Give me a break – give me a break. Somebody, Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to the people who make the laws in this country, has to put their priorities in order. They have to put their priorities in order and they have to always look to the lives of their citizens before they look to anything else.

Mr. Speaker, I will clue up my comments this evening, but I will do so in saying once again, that we all have a responsibility, not only to the legacy and the memory of Burton Winters in understanding that this was a boy who walked ice floes, not ice – who walked over pans of ice for nineteen kilometres. If we cannot take the next steps to preserve search and rescue in this Province then, Mr. Speaker, I doubt if any of us should remain where we are. That would be the last remark that I would make today.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs.

MR. McGRATH: Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to address the House of Assembly here today. I would like to begin by offering my sincere condolences to the Burton Winters family and to his friends. I know they continue to grieve even today.

The people in Makkovik are still grieving and all of us as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are grieving over this tragedy. I, myself, have a fourteen-year-old boy who lives in Labrador and I simply cannot imagine how much pain the Burton family is going through right now.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot and we will not forget Burton's strength, his desperate fight for survival. We have prayed for the Winters family at vigils throughout Labrador and here on the Island. I, myself, joined in a vigil in Labrador West, where people were out and had a vigil in our community. It never should have happened; we have to make sure it will never happen again.

We mourn for Burton and all those whose lives have been lost in tragedy on and off our shores. Search and rescue capacity in Newfoundland and Labrador is crucially important to us because so many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians make their living through the resources of our shores as well as on the land through our vast wilderness. We are a big land, with 29,000 kilometres of coastline. At any given time, there are hundreds of personnel on board drill rigs off our coast. We have thousands of fish harvesters operating thousands of vessels operating in remote and at times hostile environments. We have seen too many tragedies here in our Province – the Ocean Ranger, Cougar Flight 491. We face tragic losses in the fishery as well. Since 1979, 193 fish harvesters have tragically lost their lives at sea. On average, this is one life every sixty days. These tragedies bring into acute focus the importance of having appropriate search and rescue capacity for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

To reiterate points made in the Speech from the Throne, Mr. Speaker, Canada has a responsibility, not only to ensure the security of our nation's coastline, but also to ensure the safety of those who travel them. Whether it is fishers in boats or rig workers, the Government of Canada has a duty to provide the resources to enable Coast Guard and search and rescue personnel to respond promptly and effectively to emergencies.

The North Coast is the most isolated region of our Labrador, with snowmobiles, boats, and planes being the only modes of transportation from one community to the next. The long winter months bring harsh weather, including storms, strong and variable winds, and very cold temperatures. Mr. Speaker, I wrote a letter to the federal Minister of National Defence, Minister MacKay, immediately following the tragic news from Makkovik, calling for the conclusion of the Chief of Defence Staff's inquiry as soon as possible.

When the Department of National Defence presented details around their involvement, our government was not satisfied. Mr. Speaker, our government asked the federal government more questions regarding the circumstances surrounding the tragedy in Makkovik. While we acknowledge that the federal government has committed to undertake a review of protocols of the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, we still have questions. We need details around the issue of availability of search and rescue assets, such as helicopters and crew throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, including the availability of helicopters from Gander on the day the request was made for the assistance in the Makkovik search.

Mr. Speaker, we are asking for assurances that such assets in our Province be in a state of readiness when a request for assistance is made. We had asked Minister MacKay for clarification regarding their statement that the Department of National Defence will not assist in search efforts if a private aircraft is engaged. We know that the Department of National Defence have aircraft that are far superior. It is critical that we receive answers to all of these questions.

Mr. Speaker, answers are necessary for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. Answers are necessary for the family and friends of Burton Winters. Mr. Speaker, each and every member of this House wants to ensure that search and rescue capacity in our Province meets the needs of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Our government has long advocated for high safety standards in our ocean industries, including search and rescue times. Our government fully accepts all recommendations made by Justice Robert Wells, Commissioner of the Offshore Helicopter Safety Inquiry.

Mr. Speaker, our government has been clear on its stance with respect to the use of 5 Wing Goose Bay. Mr. Speaker, our government has clearly voiced our very serious concerns regarding the intended closure of the marine resource sub-centre in St. John's. We strongly disagree with the federal government's claim that safety will not be comprised with this closure. We call on the federal government to rescind this decision.

Coinciding with our role as a government, through this amended resolution, we can speak with one voice as a House of Assembly and express our serious disagreement with the closure of the Maritime Search and Rescue Sub-Centre.

With respect to the resolution before us today, I certainly concur with all of the proposed amendments offered by my colleague, the Minister Responsible for Fire and Emergency Services. I think these amendments clearly strengthen the motion put forth by the Member for Torngat Mountains.

We ask the federal government to work with our government in implementing any recommendations that result from a review of search and rescue operational and deployment protocols that will strengthen the provision services to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

I, too, ask each and every member to join with us to support this strengthened private members' resolution and help ensure the best provision of search and rescue service to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank you.

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

MR. MITCHELMORE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak to this resolution. I want to thank the Member for Torngat Mountains for putting this forth. It is highly important when we look at search and rescue here in the Province. It is a vital aspect and we need to have it improved. We need to take every measure that we can to do so.

The motion made in reference to Burton Winters, a fourteen-year-old young Labrador man, a man of great promise who showed so much dedication and determination as he walked nineteen kilometres through an environment that we have come to both love and fear. The leader of our party, the Member for Signal Hill – Quidi Vidi, and I had the opportunity to attend a vigil in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, which also had about 600 people from all parts of Labrador attend. In a very touching speech, we got to hear from the mother and the family, and we had the opportunity to speak with her.

We have to make sure as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians that these types of tragedies do not happen again because they have happened too often. We see a real sense of community in Newfoundland and Labrador as we have had vigils in all parts of Labrador and in Newfoundland. They have been going on in my district from St. Anthony, to St. Lunaire-Griquet, Englee, Main Brook, and they will be happening in Flower's Cove. It has been very heartbreaking to see the measures that are currently in place. We really do have to move forward to ensure that the people in rural areas and urban areas, and especially in our coastal areas, that we have world-class search and rescue, whether it is by ground, whether it is by air, or whether it is by water.

I want to speak to the point: AND WHEREAS the lifestyle of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians for work and for recreation is connected to the land and sea. No truer is that in parts of my district that is so heavily reliant on fishing. If we look at the tragedies that have happened just recently, in the past recent years we have had three people go missing in the Town of St. Anthony and they were never found. In the last year, we had two people found dead in the wilderness. Despite having search teams deployed and all the protocols followed in The Straits region, there was not the necessary equipment such as thermal imaging cameras to look for this person, so they were found dead twenty-four hours later. These vital lifesaving pieces of equipment can help and may find some people living.

I want to speak a near tragedy that happened as well in the District of The Straits – White Bay North when, on February 20, a man who was leading a snowmobile team went down an embankment seven feet and had injured himself. Fortunately for him, there was a trained Canadian Ranger there and a volunteer fireperson. Because of that, they were able to follow good procedure. They had made the call. As the Minister of Fire and Emergency Services has stated, they made the call and the appropriate people got involved. The need was there for a helicopter, but because of weather and other factors there, that helicopter could not be deployed at that time. Appropriate medical services were, and they sent them into the wilderness. It was quite a distance.

When we look at what was needed and how to go through, we have very resilient people on the ground. They are trained and they are looking at other options. When that helicopter could not be deployed because of weather, they looked at using a woods road in the area to transport this person so they would not have to travel over thirty kilometres. Because of the time it would take to deploy the appropriate machinery with the Department of Transportation and Works, it was taken upon the local people to send out their response team by snowmobile and send out a rescue boggan. Because of that, they did their assessment. Still, a helicopter was needed but one could not be deployed because of weather.

With that, they had taken it upon themselves that they had to move this person. They knew there was something dislocated and they feared keeping him here longer, waiting hours on a cold floor, would potentially cause a vein to break and send him into a harmful position. So that person was transported.

Hours later, a call was returned saying that a helicopter could now be deployed by the air ambulance services, but it would take two to two-and-a-half hours. When we look at these situations, we have to say: Is that timeline acceptable?

When we look at the situation there with Burton Winters, a commercial helicopter was there to help with the search and rescue efforts hours after, but they lacked the technology to actively engage. They did not have that technology, such as these thermal imaging cameras. I have to commend the Department of Municipal Affairs, and with Justice in their announcement today, in saying that ground search and rescue will be provided with twenty-four thermal imaging cameras. I hope to see more areas of the Province, some areas where there are gaps, will receive because from St. Anthony to Rocky Harbour, in that long area, there will be no thermal imaging camera provided; Cartwright - L'Anse au Clair area will not have that; Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune; the Gander Loop and the Isles of Notre Dame. These are areas where there are snowmobilers, there are people who are engaging, and we need this vital piece of technology there. If people are lost this can save lives, it has been proven.

We have to look at, despite the fact that superior abilities about the Griffon helicopter and the Cormorant helicopter could have led to finding Burton Winters much sooner, a decision was made to rely on abilities of a commercial helicopter for two days of this search and rescue mission. That is certainly not good enough. I have to say that in the situation I was describing, the person was quite fortunate that there was cell phone coverage available and they could make the call. We have to realize that we have many areas of Newfoundland and Labrador without adequate cell coverage where we can make those calls. A parent from petitions there in the district that I do represent - and other jurisdictions are investing in cell phone coverage.

The Province of BC is investing in 1,700 kilometres on its roadways so that it could provide vital access to cell phone coverage to make a call. This will be done within five years, in the announcement. We really need cell phone coverage in all areas of Newfoundland and Labrador so that we can have expanded 911 services. This is absolutely vital. When we look at having cell coverage, if you have a cell phone and it has GPS technology in it, you can locate people, you can find them. This is something that is greatly being missed. Why aren't we investing in cell phone coverage so that we can save lives, we can put our people first? We hear it all the time; we are going to get the maximum benefit. In order to get the maximum benefit we need to put the people's safety, the people here, first.

I would really like to refer to a letter I had sent to Minister Sullivan, the Department of Health, on the incident that was raised in question because I sent –

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I would like to remind the hon. member that when referring to members, you should not refer to them by their name but rather by their department.

MR. MITCHELMORE: I apologize – by the Minister of Health and Community Services. The incident raised a question that the helicopters knew there were ongoing emergency services. They could not fly in bad weather so why weren't they on standby? In the same situation with Burton Winters, when you look at the search and rescue federally, why weren't they on standby? Why did a call have to go back for communication? When the weather was lifted they should have been immediately deployed. There are systematic and communication areas where there could be improvements made. With that, I think we all agree there are existing policies and procedures in place that do not work. This is evident from the death of Burton Winters.

I would like to say that I am going to be supporting the motion that is put before the House but I am disappointed that the all-party standing committee was removed because this is something where we can have a contribution from all people to find ways to contribute where all parties are able to work together and provide the best possible solutions for people. We need to be able to co-operate and it is disappointing to see that the government has removed this type of motion.

I would like to see where we would have more standing committees by all parties so that we can collectively collaborate, we can contribute, and we can actually make change and find the best possible improvements. In the situation that I presented about the near tragic loss, I think there does need to be some collaboration across departments to find ways as to how we can make improvements and not only just talk about them. I am looking forward to seeing this resolution passed in the House today.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for Lake Melville.

MR. RUSSELL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is a great honour and privilege to speak to this resolution here today. Since we are on the topic of search and rescue, I would like to say that Burton has once again brought us together in a sense, as he has been doing with communities all through the Province, and indeed the country.

First off, on behalf of my entire family and the District of Lake Melville, I would like to once again extend my deepest condolences to the family and the friends of Burton Winters, and acknowledge some of the families and friends who are in the gallery here today. I cannot imagine, as other people have said here today, what they are going through. I, myself, have a twelve-year-old boy and a fifteen-year-old girl. I would just like to let them know that our hearts are with them, our thoughts and our prayers are with them, and there are many people sharing in their pain right now.

Even though, Mr. Speaker, this did not happen in my home town, my district, I would just like to let the family know that the circumstances surrounding this event transcend political parties, geographic locations. This is totally evident in the outpouring of support that the family has received from not only across Labrador, the Province, and the country, but indeed, the entire world.

In Lake Melville, and all of Labrador, as was mentioned here, it is our way of life to be, as we call it, out on the land. It is this interaction with our surroundings that defines us. It has sustained our forefathers and has helped us become the strong people from the Big Land that we are. Our Province is certainly among one of the most beautiful places on this earth, and Labrador itself has some of the most pristine wilderness that can be found anywhere, but when you combine our landscape with our sometimes unforgiving climate, and then you put isolation on top of that, it can be downright ruthless.

It is a simple fact that even the most seasoned outdoorsman, let alone a young man of fourteen years of age, can easily be turned around, disoriented, and left to the mercy of the elements. This is true almost anywhere in this great Province. It should also be a simple fact that regardless of the circumstances or location, when someone is in dire need, there should be no unnecessary delay in responding to them.

I can give you another example, Mr. Speaker. My father, my uncle, my brother, and I were hunting; we are all pretty accomplished outdoorsman. Whiteout conditions came upon us and pretty soon we found ourselves fighting amongst ourselves as to which direction to go. Not to be amusing at all, but it ended up in a fight, if you will, between my father and I about this direction or that, and it got pretty heated. At the end of the day, my father was right. I was completely wrong. I was in my twenties at that time and I was completely wrong – 180 degrees in the wrong direction. So it is possible to get turned around, and you do have to be careful.

I will tell you, Mr. Speaker, that this tragedy has certainly put things into perspective for me as a father. Just about every day, my kids jump on a Ski-Doo with their buddies and they head off after school, all weekend, whatever. The further you go north, it becomes less of a recreation type of activity as it is in Lake Melville, but more a necessity, if you will.

To give an example of that, in my previous job in the Nunatsiavut Government, we would arrive at our Legislature – well, the Town of Hopedale – and we would cross that windy airstrip and hop into the back of a komatik – or a sled, for those who do not know the term. We would then go down several hills across the ice to get to the hotel. That was a normal occurrence. The same thing happened when we had to go into the Legislature for our sessions as well. It is a far different cry from here on the Island portion of the Province where I get off the plane, you walk in through the terminal, you get a rental car, you drive to the hotel, and then you drive into work as well.

In Northern Labrador, basically inside Nunatsiavut, the whole community of Makkovik is mourning. I, myself, have blood ties to the community of Makkovik. We are definitely all saddened by the pain that the whole community is feeling. It warms the heart to see how so many communities and so many people have come together. Not just the vigils, but in their own ways, whether it is phone calls, whether it is the Facebook group that the MHA for Torngat Mountains had mentioned. They have all come together to stand together, to pay tribute to the young man's memory, and to express their sorrow in their own way.

As for me and my district, when the news was spread about Burton's passing, we were simply devastated. I, myself, understand those concerns that have been expressed by the people in my district and from everywhere. I have spoken with countless residents about their questions about exactly what had happened. I, myself, and our government share those same questions and we have relayed them to the Government of Canada as was mentioned earlier.

On this matter personally, I have met and spoken at length about my personal concerns about this matter with Minister McGrath and Minister O'Brien, and I have also met with MP Penashue.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I would like to remind the member to refer to members by their district or ministers by their portfolio, please.

MR. RUSSELL: Forgive me, Mr. Speaker.

The Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, and the Minister of Municipal Affairs as well. I have also met with the MP for Labrador as well.

We have ministers at both the federal and provincial levels who are tasked with both dealing with these issues as part of their responsibility and dealing with other levels of government as the need arises, as well. One thing is clear here: increasing search and rescue capacity in Newfoundland and Labrador is, and always will be, indeed the priority for our government here.

The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Minister Responsible for Fire and Emergency Services, has moved on this issue and he will continue to press the federal government for details and determine if we can improve the system for the benefit of all who reside in the Province so that maybe people in the future who are in distress can be helped. He is also seeking assurances from Minister MacKay that assets already in place in the Province will be in that state of readiness to assist those people in need to provide the most important thing of all which would be that, to respond to that life-saving call so that this does not happen again. As there are still questions as to why this has happened, it is encouraging that Minister MacKay has initiated a review of protocols and we hope that this will prevent future tragedies from occurring and maximize the potential success of search and rescue efforts in the future.

On a personal note, Mr. Speaker, on February 23 in Goose Bay, I attended the vigil in honour of the memory of Burton Winters. I can say that I was very happy to see so many people – I believe the number was mentioned at around 600 – who came out to honour the memory of this young man. I personally would like to thank the MHA for Torngat Mountains for making the introduction between me and Burton's father. As I spoke to his father, it was just very clear to me how very small this Province is. We have the Big Land and we have the Island portion of the Province, but it was very clear to me how small this Province is.

Earlier that day I had spoken to a very dear friend of mine who was Burton Winters' uncle. We worked together in Ontario years back, we are the very best of friends and this man, the uncle of Burton Winters, was like an uncle to my own children and watched them grow up as well. He had called me and we were discussing his frustrations and how he was grieving for the loss of his nephew; it was very difficult.

I did my best to assure him that I would do what I could and work within our government in order to make some change, if necessary, in order to do whatever it takes to make sure that we can minimize the chance of this happening again.

As I mentioned that to the father of Burton Winters, he then turned the conversation around and told me how he knew me. He had said that years past when I was living in Ontario I had sent a video game home to Makkovik with the uncle. Basically, that video game turned out to be for Burton, so it is just an indication of how we are all interconnected as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

When I got to talking with Burton's dad, we came to an agreement on one point at the end of our conversation: It was that this is not a time to make judgements about exactly what happened as Burton got lost, or to look for someone to lay the blame upon, but it is time for us to come together as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and make sure that we work together and do whatever we can to make sure that another family does not have to experience such pain and loss.

Though there are details that are still unclear, in conclusion, about exactly what happened, one thing is crystal clear: We all have questions which we would like to have answered. I believe today that with amendments made to the private member's resolution we should get some of those answers.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I, too, would like to offer my support to this amendment to this private member's resolution today, and thank the minister for the amendment, and just to say that it is an amendment that we can support.

I want to offer my condolences to the family and the friends, indeed, the community of Makkovik, and the many young people across the Province who have joined in, either through the social media, through Facebook, primarily. I have been watching a lot of the messages that have been put on that Facebook site, and I have received a few through there myself, actually, from many of the family members of young Burton Winters.

I had the unique opportunity about a week or so ago to meet with three young people from Lab West, and they had set up a very similar site, a little different, but it was called Candles for Burton. Even though it was very similar to the Facebook page of some 35,000 members that we have right now, this page was a little different. They actually shared a lot of stories of their own experiences that they would have enjoying the outdoors and the recreational activities in Labrador. Through those three young people, I tell you it was like a learning curve for me, too, and it kind of brought back many memories in my own life just growing up.

Like the Member for Lake Melville mentioned, as you enjoy the outdoors, if it is either snowmobiling or if it is skiing, we all have memories of getting into situations where we just were not comfortable. We realized that we were just a little bit beyond where we should be. I can remember just a few short years ago, actually, as I led a group of ten people in behind the Gros Morne Park, on that particular day we actually into the middle of a snow storm and kind of lost our way. We were able to find ourselves to get out with the aid of a GPS, as one of the previous members mentioned. It is a troubling experience. I can tell you it is really unsettling to find yourself in a situation that you have no control and you are really, for all intents and purposes, lost. Our ending was certainly a fortunate one and we were able to get out safe and sound, but in this case with young Burton Winters it is not the story that we know.

It has been few years since I have been back in this House but I know when this topic came up during the response to the Speech from the Throne, you could sense in this room, and you can sense it today too, it is a surreal feeling and you can tell the level of respect, I think, all of us as MHAs, and indeed the Province as a whole, how we feel about this actual experience of this young man. I am sure that is important to the family, but we also remember some of the previous tragedies in our history.

Just a few weeks ago, as we remember the Ocean Ranger tragedy – I guess most of us can remember where we were on that day when that actually happened and the lives of many young Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who were lost then. I did have the opportunity to speak to one of the coordinators of that rescue, I guess, that was done on that morning. When the call came in, it was certainly troubling, realizing that there was not a lot that they could do, that time had passed, and there would be many lives lost in the Ocean Ranger tragedy that we all remember.

Just a few years ago – and I guess next week we will remember the Cougar Helicopter crash of 491. In that particular case there was a very good friend of mine, I must say, actually a neighbour, who went down in that crash and his family are actually still in the community. It was a young man that we played hockey together. We did a lot of things together to be quite honest with you. It was either fishing or he was just a recreational friend, I must say, but his life was lost.

On that particular day, we all know the series of the events and where the rescue response was. It was actually on a training mission in Sydney on that day. The assets, even though they were there, they just were not available. This is a situation that we just cannot let happen again, Mr. Speaker. It is one thing to say the assets are there, it is another thing to say that the assets are available. Being able to respond on events like this is what is important. These are the things that we need. We need the assurances. The people of the Province, they need to know that when that call is made there is somebody there who is in a position to answer and to respond.

As I said a few minutes ago, last week I was in Labrador and had the opportunity to attend the Combined Councils of Labrador meeting. There was quite a bit of discussion around search and rescue, and it was very obvious from the feedback of the people who were there that search and rescue was an important subject and an important topic on their mind. What was most predominant during the discussion, and disturbing for the people who were there, was the level of response we saw from DND and indeed from our own federal minister. There was no question that they had felt the response from DND was not appropriate, and even the response in our own Province, basically making a comment about how the assets, as it was referred to, or how the response actually happened. They were very disturbed. They actually felt that young Burton Winters was treated a little differently than some other emergency.

If there is anything we have to do as people in this office, we have to make sure this does not happen again. We have to make sure there is a level of response for all of us throughout the Province. It does not matter if we are in Labrador, if we are in Western Newfoundland, or if we are in Northern Newfoundland. Wherever it is, the response must be the same and those assets must be available to all of us.

Mr. Speaker, last week, as I said, as part of the Labrador trip I did go into Makkovik. It was a great opportunity for me, to be quite honest with you; it was my first time in that community. It is just a small community, for those of you who have been there. I did meet with the father and the stepmother. As you walked into their house that day, one of the things that struck me, as it sat on their refrigerator, was Burton's report card. Just to see the comments that came from the teacher about the type of individual young Burton was and how he was liked by his friends.

We then left there and we actually said: We should go visit the school. All of the people in the school actually came out to meet with us. We had a great chat. It really put a nice face to the story and really gave us a good sense of what this young man was all about. It gave us the understanding of the kind of persistence he had to be able to walk nineteen kilometres. They told us the story that as you followed the footsteps in many particular cases, he was just between eight feet and twelve feet of being able to get to shore, but because the ice had moved away from the shoreline he just was not able to make that step to get through what would have been a safer condition. This was the sense of what young Burton Winters was like.

We then left, and that evening we had a meeting in the community. We had over eighty people who came out and we conducted another vigil there that night. As his friends got in the circle and sang some music, it was a very touching moment for all of us who were there. They all gave us these little stickers that we would use on our snowmobiles or bumper stickers kind of thing and it said, walk this far. We were all challenged as people who attended that meeting that night to actually finish the walk on his behalf.

What we did tell them that night was that we felt that there was a lot of provincial support for this for their family. I think by this amendment and this resolution here today, this family will actually see that and will actually feel that. At this particular case, I think, right now, today, we will see and that family will see that our actions are louder than our words. I think that is an important message to that family.

Indeed, as the Member for Lake Melville has already mentioned, when he spoke to the family, what was important to them is that Burton's legacy would live on and this would not happen again. It was important to them that some young person from Labrador or from anywhere in this Province, in this particular case, that when the call was made there would be somebody there to answer it.

When we look back at emergency response and how it happens anywhere in our Province – is that we look back at our ambulance services, we look back at 9-1-1. I know in my own area right now we currently do not have 9-1-1. I think it is important that we consider this, because right now as most young people in schools and no matter where they are, what they know and what they connect to in emergency response is 9-1-1. That is what they know.

It is important that we have access to cell phone service. It is extremely important. Cell phone service, I know – in my own area right now in Humber Valley, we have big parts of our district that is just not covered with cell phone service. All of this is important when you look at emergency response.

I appreciate the Member for Gander as he mentioned about search and rescue and the twenty-five search and rescue units that we have in our Province. We can be proud of those individuals on a volunteer basis as they go out and they work on weekends. They put in hours and hours of training and in a lot of cases, when you think about when they are actually engaged, it is usually very extreme-type conditions. I know just last Saturday, back in my hometown in Deer Lake, the search and rescue group was called out on a mission. Without hesitation they were gone, and we had all their members who were out in some very difficult conditions looking for, obviously, the person who was lost on that day.

So it is important that we continue to support them, either through their own fundraisers – of course, standing here today, I would like to find a way that as a government we were able to get some core funding into those groups, because it is very important that they get support. They play a valuable role in what we do in our communities. So all those pieces, as they come together, it is about coordinating a search.

One of the good-news stories that I heard in Labrador, and it was in Makkovik, it was about just a few years ago, just about a year ago, when there were three individuals that were out sealing. What happened is there was an equipment failure with their boat and they actually went ashore. What happened was, and what the family told me that this was probably one of the few locations that you could actually get access to cell phone on the North Coast of Labrador, and they were actually able to get a call out. Because of the Marine Rescue Sub-Centre in St. John's, the call was coordinated and there was a response team that was initiated, and those three people were saved and taken from the cliffs of Cape Harrison.

So that was important. This tells us that when the pieces are in place, it can work. It takes organization, it takes availability of assets, and it takes a will, as we see in many of our volunteers, to accomplish this goal. So, as I join all our members here today, what is important is that we do not see this happening again, and I will leave you with one message that we said in our response to the Throne Speech just a few days ago; one message that came back with me is that the people in Makkovik, what was important to them is that we would not be imposing a Southern solution on what they see as a Northern issue. They want to be involved in the solution, and I think that is important.

So, I am pleased to stand here today in support of this resolution, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER (Wiseman): The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

MR. EDMUNDS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Just a few comments in conclusion. I certainly would like to thank every member in this House for speaking to the motion. The Member for Gander, my colleagues, the Member for Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair, Humber Valley, the Member for Lake Melville, Labrador West, and The Straits – White Bay North. I think we have a unity in this House today, Mr. Speaker, in terms of finding a solution to our search and rescue initiatives.

Mr. Speaker, I have been invited to twenty-one vigils throughout this Province, and I certainly would have liked to have gone to every one of them. I commend the government on its release today on thermal imaging equipment. Mr. Speaker, as a member of a ground search and rescue team, I have been in two communities – my next step will be to look at this equipment, to look at its range, ability to operate in weather conditions, and ability to perform in extreme conditions.

Mr. Speaker, I have been involved with the Canadian Rangers, as my hon. colleague from Gander, for ten years. I have also been a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary for the same amount of time. Mr. Speaker, I have had nearly thirty years involved in search and rescue. I am happy to say that most of the rescues I went on were rescues, but unfortunately, some of them were recoveries.

Mr. Speaker, I heard my hon. colleague for Burgeo – La Poile talk about the need for broadband services and for cell phones. I also heard the Member for Humber Valley speak about cell phones. Mr. Speaker, on the occasions that I have brought back bodies, I have images that I have to live with, that I have to deal with in my own time.

Mr. Speaker, in the incident with Burton Winters, when we were going through his personal belongings we hauled a telephone out of his pocket; it was a BlackBerry. That moved me more than any other image that I saw because the unfortunate thing up in Torngat Mountains, Mr. Speaker, is we do not have cell service.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER (Wiseman): Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the amendments?

All those in favour, ‘aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

MR. SPEAKER: Contra minded?

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion as amended?

All those in favour, ‘aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

MR. SPEAKER: Contra minded?

Division has been called.

MR. SPEAKER: Are the House leaders ready for the vote?

All those in favour, please rise.

CLERK: Mr. Ball, Ms Jones, Mr. Andrew Parsons, Mr. Joyce, Mr. Edmunds, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Kirby, Mr. Murphy, Ms Rogers, Mr. Mitchelmore, Ms Dunderdale, Mr. Kennedy, Ms Burke, Mr. King, Ms Sullivan, Mr. O'Brien, Mr. Jackman, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Hedderson, Mr. Felix Collins, Mr. Dalley, Mr. Verge, Mr. Kent, Mr. Forsey, Mr. Granter, Ms Johnson, Mr. Hutchings, Mr. Davis, Mr. McGrath, Mr. Sandy Collins, Mr. Brazil, Mr. Kevin Parsons, Mr. Little, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Osborne, Ms Perry, Mr. Dinn, Mr. Cornect, Mr. Littlejohn, Mr. Crummell, Mr. Pollard, Mr. Cross, Mr. Peach, Mr. Lane, Mr. Russell.

Mr. Speaker, the ayes, forty-five; the nays, zero.

MR. SPEAKER: The motion is carried.

Motion carried.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: This being Wednesday, according to Standing Order 9, the House stands adjourned until 1:30 p.m. tomorrow.