May 30,
2017
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS
Vol. XLVIII No. 23
The
House met at 1:30 p.m.
MR. SPEAKER (Osborne):
Order, please!
Admit
strangers.
Today, I
welcome to the Speaker's gallery the Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador Science
Team who are the subject of a Ministerial statement. The students are Nora
Boone, Noha Shehata – I hope I pronounced that relatively close – Nisarg Dave,
Kurtis Collins and Aaron Sarkar. Erin Baker and Yvonne Dawe, co-chairs of
Eastern NL Science Fair Council; and absent is Clara Phillips.
Welcome
to the Speaker's gallery.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
In the public gallery today
we have Madame Cyrilda Poirer, President of the Francophone Federation of
Newfoundland and Labrador and members of the Francophone and Acadian community.
They are joining us today to mark the Provincial Francophonie Day, which will be
the subject of a Ministerial Statement this afternoon.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Gail Bennett, as well, is in
our public gallery. She is the mother of one our Pages, Catherine Bennett.
Welcome.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
I would also like to point
out that it's our Government House Leader's birthday today, so Happy Birthday.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
I would like to personally
embarrass our Law Clerk today. This will be her last week serving in the
Legislature. Lorna Proudfoot, QC, has advised that she will be retiring this
October, so I ask all Members at some point today to bid her a farewell. She has
long provided Members of the Legislature with very sound advice. I admire the
advice and the counsel that she provides to myself as Speaker, and I will miss
her.
We see
Lorna daily here in the House of Assembly and we all know that she brings
extensive experience in drafting legislation and providing advice on
parliamentary matters.
The
position of Law Clerk has a long history in the British parliamentary system. As
a Table Officer of the House, the Law Clerk supports the Clerk and the Clerk
Assistant, and the presiding Officers, as required, as is accountable for
provision of legal advice on parliamentary matters and procedures to the
Speaker, Clerk, Members of the House of Assembly and the House of Assembly
Management Commission. The Law Clerk also provides legal counsel to the House of
Assembly service with legal issues that may arise.
Prior to
the report by the Hon. J. Derek Green,
Rebuilding Confidence, in 2007, for many years the duties of the Law Clerk
of the House of Assembly in Newfoundland and Labrador were provided by the
lawyers who were employed in the Office of Legislative Counsel in the Department
of Justice and Public Safety who are responsible for the drafting of government
legislation.
Justice
Green recommended the creation of a new Law Clerk position, reporting only to
the House of Assembly because of the potential conflict of interest with the
Executive Branch performing this role. Lorna was the first Law Clerk recruited
following the process outlined in the
House of Assembly Accountability, Integrity and Administration Act and she
was appointed by resolution of the House of Assembly on November 27, 2008. She
was appointed to the Queen's Counsel in September of 2014.
In 1975,
Ms. Proudfoot completed her undergraduate degree at Memorial University,
graduating with a Bachelor of Science Honours. In 1981, Ms. Proudfoot completed
her law degree at the University of New Brunswick and was admitted to the Bar of
Newfoundland and Labrador in April of 1982.
Prior to
her appointment as Law Clerk to the House, Lorna worked with the Office of
Legislative Counsel, the Department of Justice for 20 years. Prior to that, she
worked in private practice in the areas of real estate, corporate and family
law.
Interestingly and some of the Members of the House of Assembly may know this,
but for those who don't, Lorna followed in the tradition of her father, William
F. Proudfoot, who was the Law Clerk with the House of Assembly from
Confederation until his death in 1955.
We thank
Lorna for her service to the House of Assembly. I wish her a healthy and happy
retirement and hope that she gets to spend lots of days with her husband Jeff
and her children Dierdre, Shannon and Kieran.
Again,
Lorna, thank you very much for your service.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Some of you probably don't
know, Lorna hates the spotlight, so I hope Broadcast got this.
Statements by
Members
MR. SPEAKER:
For Members' statements today
we have the Members for the Districts of Labrador West, St. John's East – Quidi
Vidi, Placentia West – Bellevue, Mount Pearl North, Harbour Grace – Port de
Grave, Topsail – Paradise.
The hon.
the Member for Labrador West.
MR. LETTO:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I rise
in this hon. House today to once again highlight the success of competitors from
Labrador West at the 2nd Annual Classic of the Newfoundland and Labrador Body
Building provincial competition in Grand Falls-Windsor on May 20.
Eight
athletes from Labrador West competed at the event, and as previously done, once
again stole the show.
Williams
Parsons, our lone male competitor, was successful in winning gold in his
division, and Dana Martin-Kelly placed first in Figure Grand Masters, while Lori
Butt placed a respectable third. Taylor Ryan placed first in Figure Overall.
Other
competitors included Gerri Lynn Arnold, Cordelia Richards, Julia Johnson and
Kyra Louvelle, all of whom had very respectable placements.
This is
believed to be the first time in bodybuilding competition in this province that
a mother/daughter combination competed at the same event in Dana Martin-Kelly
and Cordelia Richards. Dana recalls her proudest moment was when Cordelia rushed
to the stage to congratulate her on winning first place.
Bodybuilding is a fast growing sport in Newfoundland and Labrador, and I ask all
hon. Members to join me in congratulating all the participants of this year's
event and wish them success as they continue to raise the profile of this sport.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's East – Quidi Vidi.
MS. MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I am
delighted to rise today to recognize a long-time stalwart of the local acting
community, also a long-time constituent and friend.
In March
of this year, Arts NL announced that actor, writer and puppeteer, Mary-Lynn
Bernard is the winner of the 2016 Rhonda Payne Theatre Award, and no more
fitting recipient could have been found.
The
award is named for groundbreaking actor, writer and director Rhonda Payne.
Rhonda Payne established the $500 cash award by dedicating royalties from the
production and publication of her works to a fund to assist women theatre
artists in Newfoundland and Labrador who are struggling to achieve their goals
as actors or writers.
Mary-Lynn has been a fixture of the St. John's stage, film and television scene
since the 1980s, acting in everything from Chekhov productions to
Random Passage, and has recently evolved into puppeteering.
I ask
all hon. Members to join me in congratulating Mary-Lynn Bernard, this year's
recipient of the Rhonda Payne Award.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Placentia West – Bellevue.
MR. BROWNE:
Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate
Tourism Awareness Week and la Journee de la Francophonie, it is fitting to
recognize two important milestones.
Fifty
years ago, the Burin Peninsula celebrated the opening of its first visitor
information centre, an iconic building in the form of a lighthouse, built and
operated in Marystown, and officially opened by then Premier Joseph R.
Smallwood.
This is
now one of three information centres on the Burin Peninsula, with centres also
in Goobies, the gateway to the Burin Peninsula, and Fortune, the gateway to
Saint Pierre et Miquelon.
Twenty-five years ago, tourism operators and advocates formed a formal
association, the Heritage Run Tourism Association. This serves as the voice of
tourism on the Burin Peninsula, and has a long and successful track record of
attracting tourists into the area and capitalizing on opportunities,
particularly with our French neighbours.
While
there have been many volunteers and officers of the board who have helped this
organization thrive, there are two who stood out for their decades of dedication
and commitment to tourism. Russ Murphy, a volunteer from the mid-80s until 2014,
and Albert Dober, one of the founding members of the original visitor centre,
were both awarded honourary lifetime membership awards in the Heritage Run
Tourism Association.
(French
spoken: Mr. Speaker, please join me in saying congratulations to Mr. Dober, Mr.
Murphy, as well as the HRTA for these remarkable achievements.)
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. KENT:
Sorry, Mr. Speaker, I was so
enthralled with the Member's statement, and I have to say to the hon. Member, I
love it when you speak French. Félicitations.
Mr.
Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to recognize the City of Mount Pearl on
hosting the Focus on Youth Awards recently held to honour youth in our city.
I would
like to congratulate all of the nominees and the winners of these awards. In
particular, Female Youth of the Year, Andie Winsor; Male Youth of the Year,
Patrick Breen; Female Athlete of the Year, Keeley Cox; Male Athlete of the Year,
Evan Knight; Team of the Year, the Mount Pearl Senior High Female Grade 9
Volleyball team; Adult Volunteer working with Youth and Sports, Richard
Christopher; Youth Volunteer of the Year, Emily Garlie; Official of the Year,
John Mackenzie; winner of the RNC Youth in Service Award, Cassidy Rose; Youth
Group of the Year, Mount Pearl Senior High Causes for Concern; Literary Arts
Award winner, Hunter Richardson; winner of the Visual Arts award, Sarah Hiscock;
winner of the Performing Arts award, Jack Thistle and Hunter Madden; winner of
the S.T.E.M. award, Joel Hatcher; Adult Volunteer working with Youth, Tracey
Dwyer; and the Performing Arts Group award was a tie between Conway, Mount Pearl
Senior High Drama Club, O'Donel High Jazz Band, Mount Pearl Senior High Jazz
Band, O'Donel High School High School
Musical and the Mount Pearl Senior High Traditional Band.
Mr.
Speaker, I ask all Members of this House to join me in congratulating the
nominees and winners on a fantastic Focus on Youth Awards ceremony.
Thank
you.
Merci
beaucoup.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. Member for Harbour
Grace – Port de Grave.
MS. P. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, I would like to recognize Mr. Bill Luffman of Harbour Grace on a
lifetime of dedication to community and culture through song.
Born in
Markland in 1934, he moved to Harbour Grace with his parents and siblings,
travelling in the back of a pickup truck. Mr. Luffman said in those days jobs
were extremely scarce, so he opened a small shoe repair business in the
community where he made a living for his wife, Gladys Newman, and their three
children.
Mr.
Speaker, I remember visiting his shop with my mom when I was a child. Many would
remember that it was a quaint little business, which displayed a large,
life-sized shoe outside above the door.
Bill is
affectionately known as the singing cobbler. He spent many years playing and
singing to raise funds for those in need. His instrument of fame was the ugly
stick.
A local
favourite, Bill Luffman wrote and performed many times his own song, “The Light
and Power Boys.” Recently in Harbour Grace, there was a celebration for Bill to
say thank you for his many acts of kindness and support for others.
I ask
all hon. Members to join me in recognizing Mr. Bill Luffman.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. Member for Topsail –
Paradise.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, the Avalon Dragons is a team made up of breast cancer survivors who
brought dragon boating to Newfoundland and Labrador, the fastest-growing team
water sport in the world.
Mr.
Speaker, this past year, Paradise held its sixth annual Avalon Dragon Paddle in
Paradise event which I again had the pleasure of attending. Team members have
all had breast cancer and are in various stages of treatment and recovery.
The team
has become a powerful source of hope and inspiration to others who are just
starting their cancer journey. They promote public awareness of the importance
of exercise and healthy lifestyle in preventing breast cancer and lymphedema, a
common side effect of breast cancer surgery, and show that people living with
breast cancer can lead full lives and active lives.
Fundraising enables the Avalon Dragons to provide dragon boat activities for
breast cancer survivors throughout the region and to promote its expansion to
other parts of the province. The team also contributes financially to programs
and services that directly help those who are having difficulties bearing the
financial burdens that undergoing cancer treatment often imposes.
Mr.
Speaker, I ask all Members of this hon. House to join me in recognizing the
Avalon Dragons for their dedication and the fantastic support that they provide
to others.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Statements by Ministers.
Statements by
Ministers
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development.
MR. KIRBY:
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to
congratulate the members of our province's very own Eastern Newfoundland and
Labrador team for their outstanding performances at the 56th annual Canada-Wide
Science Fair, held at the University of Regina. The competition is the largest
of its kind in Canada.
Six
students from the Husky Energy Eastern Newfoundland Science and Technology Fair
represented this province at the event earlier this month. These students are:
Nora Boone, Clara Phillips and Noha Shehata from Holy Heart, Nisarg Dave from
Gonzaga, Kurtis Collins from Waterford Valley, and Aaron Sarkar from Macdonald
Drive Junior High.
All
participants presented remarkable work and represented our province with pride.
Mr.
Speaker, the level three student Nora Boone won a gold medal for designing a
training tool for emergency brain surgery.
Ms.
Boone's simulation tool is meant to train medical staff in rural areas to safely
perform emergency surgery when intracranial hematomas need to be treated before
a patient can be transferred to neurosurgical care in a larger centre.
In
addition to her gold medal, Ms. Boone also brought home an Innovation Challenge
award and a Youth Can Innovate award valued at $1,000.
The
scope and complexity of the remaining Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador team
members' individual projects are truly impressive as well. Aaron Sarkar won a
silver medal, Kurtis Collins, Nisarg Dave and Noha Shehata each brought home a
bronze medal as well. These young people clearly have bright futures ahead of
them and their extraordinary work deserves to be recognized.
I ask
that all hon. Members of this House join me in congratulating Nora Boone, Clara
Phillips, Noha Shehata, Nisarg Dave, Kurtis Collins and Aaron Sarkar on their
tremendous successes on the national stage. I know we can look forward to more
great things from these young people in the future, Mr. Speaker.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay East – Bell Island.
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the hon. Member for an advance copy of his statement. It gives me immense pride
to stand today and congratulate the members of the Eastern Newfoundland team on
their success at the Canada-Wide Science Fair.
The six
students from the Husky Energy Eastern Newfoundland Science and Technology Fair
are a great example of the talent we have in our province and the role our youth
will play in the future of Newfoundland and Labrador. We congratulate Nora,
Clara, Noha, Nisarg, Kurtis and Aaron and we commend them for the work they've
done. They certainly have the support and pride from the people of Newfoundland
and Labrador.
This
side of the House congratulates all participants on their well-deserved awards
and their brilliant efforts on the national stage. We wish them well in what
will, no doubt, be a bright and promising future. Congratulations to each one of
you.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. Member for St.
John's East – Quidi Vidi.
MS. MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I, too,
thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement. Congratulations to
Nora Boone for her innovative simulation tool to train doctors to perform
emergency surgery when a neurosurgeon is not available. This technology has the
potential to save lives and is an exciting example of how our young people can
excel in technology and serve rural communities.
I also
commend the other five members of the team who received awards, all well
deserved. Knowing the calibre of work presented by hundreds of students at this
fair every year, we can all be extremely proud of them.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. Minister of Justice
and Public Safety.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'd like
to recognize May 29 through June 2 as Victims and Survivors of Crime Week. This
week, we'd like to raise awareness about the issues facing victims and survivors
of crime in this province and the programs, services and laws that are in place
to help victims of crimes and their families participate more fully in the
criminal justice system.
Mr.
Speaker, this week is also an opportunity to acknowledge the important work of
service providers, such as our very own Victim Services, for their dedication to
assisting victims and survivors of crime.
Mr.
Speaker, since coming into this role, it has been a top priority for me to
ensure the justice system works for everyone, particularly victims who need
additional support.
This
past fall, I had the opportunity to sit down with the staff from our Victim
Services who work very hard to meet the diverse needs of survivors of crime by
offering free support to assist in the healing process. Victim Services provides
a wide range of services, some of which include referrals for counselling,
safety planning, court preparation and assistance with completing Victim Impact
Statements. Mr. Speaker, this is a very important program that helps a number of
victims in our province and I'd like to thank everyone who contributes to the
services.
We
recognize that victims need support on many levels – and they need to know their
options. Mr. Speaker, last month we announced a Sexual Assault Response Pilot
program which will provide free legal advice to survivors of sexual violence.
This program will give victims access to justice and empower them to make
informed choices as they navigate through the system.
The
experience for a victim of crime can be life altering, and the impact is
profound. This week, and every week, we are committed to doing whatever we can
to ensure that victims have access to justice and to help in the healing
process.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the minister for an advance copy of his statement today. We join with government
in recognizing Victims and Survivors of Crime Week.
Mr.
Speaker, it is very important that proper supports for survivors and victims of
crime remain paramount within the justice system. The province has an important
obligation to ensure that all necessary supports are established, but also an
equally important obligation to ensure that cases have their day in court and
are not dismissed as a result of delays leading to the application under Jordan.
We're
fortunate to have very capable, dedicated, passionate individuals working with
Victim Services and providing services to victims of crime and survivors of
crime in this province, and this week we join government in celebrating the work
they do to support victims and survivors as well.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's Centre.
MS. ROGERS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the minister for an advance copy of his statement. I, too, thank all these
fabulous folks in Victim Services who provide excellent work with passion and
compassion to people who have been victims of crime. There are many ways the
province can help in that work by providing more comprehensive supports such as
including all kinds of medical and dental care, long-term counselling, lost
wages, property damage and more.
I would
also like to thank the community organizations who also provide supports in so
many ways to victims.
Thank
you, and bravo to one and all.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Service NL.
MR. TRIMPER:
Et responsable pour des
Affaires francophones
also, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, I am delighted to rise in this hon. House on
La Journée de la francophonie
provinciale to
recognize the Francophone and Acadian community in our province.
This
morning I was proud to welcome the Lieutenant Governor as we joined students
from École des
Grands-Vents and
members of the community who raised the Francophone flag here at Confederation
Building.
Many
others are also celebrating across our province, including in Labrador and on
the Port au Port Peninsula.
Monsieur
le Président, l'excellent travail de l'équipe dévouée de la Fédération des
francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador et des membres de la communauté a
rehaussé le profil de la population francophone de notre province.
En
février, le Bureau des services en français a connu un repositionnement
stratégique au sein de Service TNL. Nous commençons déjà à voir les avantages de
ce repositionnement des services en français sous l'égide d'un ministère axé sur
le service.
Par
exemple, je suis heureux d'annoncer que, des adjourd' hui, le formulaire de
demande de certificat de naissance est disponible en ligne en français sur le
site Web de Service TNL.
Monsieur
le Président, en mars, le ministère de l'Enseignement postsecondaire, des
Compétences et du Travail a lancé un plan d'action sur l'immigration grâce
auquel nous établirons un partenariat avec les organismes communautaires et les
fournisseurs de services. Ceci permettra d'augmenter l'attraction et la
rétention des immigrants francophones.
Nous
pourrons aussi atteindre l'objectif, établi dans le document
The Way Forward, d'augmenter
l'immigration de 50 pour 100 et d'accueillir environ 1 700 immigrants par année
d'ici 2022.
Today, I
call on all of my colleagues here in the House to join me in celebrating the
rich cultural and linguistic contributions of the Francophonie throughout the
year.
Bonne
Journée de la francophonie provinciale!
Merci.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. KENT:
Je remercie le ministre pour
une copie à l'avance de sa déclaration. Ma femme parle français, malheureusement
pas moi!
Monsieur
le Président, j'aimerais également reconnaître aujourd'hui la communauté
francophone et acadienne dans notre province: la Journee de la Francophonie.
J'ai été
heureux de rejoindre les nombreux autres qui se sont rassemblés au bâtiment de
la Confédération ce matin pour élever le drapeau francophone. C'était vraiment
un événement merveilleux et je suis certain que les autres événements dans la
province auront autant de succès dans la reconnaissance de cette journée très
importante.
Monsieur
le Président, nous avons un riche patrimoine culturel français dans notre
province et c'est en effet quelque chose à célébrer. Félicitations à la
Francophonie de la province!
Merci
beaucoup and et je m'excuse!
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
That was a valiant effort and
better than most.
The hon.
Member for St. John's East – Quidi Vidi.
MS. MICHAEL:
Merci, Monsieur le Président,
mais je vais parler en Anglais.
I thank
the minister for the advance copy of his statement. I'm delighted to join with
everyone celebrating la Journée de la francophonie. The francophone and Acadian
communities have a long and acclaimed history in this place which has not always
been properly recognized, much longer than the 30-year-old flag that was hoisted
today.
These
communities bring a vibrancy and richness to our province's culture and society.
Congratulations to the francophone association of Newfoundland and Labrador. We
all celebrate with you today.
I echo
the minister: Bonne journée de la francophonie provincial!
Merci,
Monsieur le Président.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Oral Questions.
Oral Questions
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, recently local media has reported that sexual assault charges against a
man with previous convictions will have the charges dropped due to court delays.
The presiding judge said that the delay in excess of 40 months is simply too
long for a relatively straightforward case, as this one was.
Can the
minister explain to the people of the province why a case such as this one has
been stalled so long that the charges were being dismissed by the judge?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Certainly we, as in every other province, have seen cases that have been dropped
due to the Jordan ruling which we know came out last summer. That's a ruling
that basically put hard and fast ceilings in place to have criminal matters
disposed of.
Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do with actions that have been taken in
the past. Basically, our department, since the time the Jordan case has come
down, has taken proactive measures to ensure that these things do not happen
now. We've hired extra Crown prosecutors; we've had meetings with police. We've
done a number of things to work within the system, work with all parties. We had
a Justice Summit where this very issue was discussed.
The fact
is it's hard to go back in time and fix the issues that happened before,
certainly, a number of these cases that have happened. We're actually doing very
well in this province compared to other jurisdictions, but it's an issue and
something that we continue to follow up on.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I can
assure the minister of the province that the people are not at all comforted
knowing that a convicted sex offender and others are having charges dropped
because our province's court system doesn't have the resources necessary to meet
the demand.
I ask
the minister: Rather than finding out these stories through local media, will he
now be upfront and tell the people of the province how many more very serious
charges such as this are in danger of being dropped because of unnecessary court
delays and the invoking of the Jordan decision?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It's
hard to predict which defendants want to make Jordan applications, because the
fact is that's up to each and every person. This is a decision that has received
some national attention. In fact, it was considered by the Supreme Court.
Our
court system has had its challenges, but I think the Member opposite will
remember when he sat right there in his place during Estimates just a few weeks
ago and the former Director of Public Prosecutions, who is now on the Supreme
Court, looked over and reminded him of the drastic decisions made in 2013 when
his administration cut court times and they also cut a number of Crown
prosecutors.
So,
again, I can't fix the mistakes of the past, but I will certainly do everything
we can to make our system work now.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Well, we
know the Liberals like to blame somebody else when something's not going their
way and they like to blame the previous administration, just as the minister has
just done here today with one breath, when in another breath he actually closed
courts here last year, Mr. Speaker, closed four courts here in the province last
year, while Jordan decision had become law in this country. He's also seeing
reductions in policing in Newfoundland and Labrador, reductions they've done
nothing about, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. P. DAVIS:
So I ask the minister: Very
simply, you've been in office for 17 months, instead of blaming someone else,
when will you take responsibility for what's going on with the justice system in
our province?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I
appreciate the questions from the Member opposite. Certainly, we sat here for
three hours and we answered every question he had during the Estimates process.
I can't
help the fact the Director of Public Prosecutions blamed him squarely for the
decisions that he made while he was in Cabinet. He has to live with that. We've
made a number of decisions since that time. We've increased the number of Crown
prosecutors. We have made no cuts to front-line policing. In fact, we're
investing in studies into our courts and into HMP.
If he
wants some statistics; right now we have 29 total Jordan applications, only four
have been stayed, three of those are under appeal. So the fact is in this
province we face challenges, but they are far less than the challenges faced in
places like Quebec where murder charges are being dropped and they have over 200
applications.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
He
closed courts under his watch while Jordan was in effect, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, while we're pleased that the Husky development has been sanctioned,
we're also concerned the Liberal government may have given away key benefits and
not telling the full story.
Yesterday, the minister was asked four times here in the House what work will be
done outside the province. Not once did she provide an answer. She talked about
what's going on inside the province, but not once will she tell us what work is
going outside the province.
I ask
the Premier: In the interest of openness and transparency, we've had lots of
people ask the same question in the last 24 hours, will you disclose what work
will be done outside of Newfoundland and Labrador?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I have
no choice but to stand and address the preamble by the Member opposite, which is
factually incorrect. We had to make decisions last year, unfortunately due to
the financial mess that he and his team left us in. We did make a decision to
close courts. Subsequent to that, not before, subsequent to that, the Supreme
Court made the Jordan ruling. After that we worked with the courts to find both
the savings and keep the courts open.
I'm
sorry I had to stand here. I know he's going to ask that question again, but I
had to remind the Member that there are facts out there and hopefully he can put
them on the floor of this House.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Eighteen
months in power, we're seeing cases still thrown out because of Jordan, Mr.
Speaker.
I will
ask the Premier once again: In the interest of openness and transparency, will
you now provide full disclosure and tell the people of the province what work
will be done outside of the province?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Natural Resources.
MS. COADY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
When
yesterday I was asked this question, I would have thought that the Member
opposite who was involved in the former administration would have realized what
he had read in 2013 and signed, but I guess not. So I'll tell him.
In 2013,
it was decided the facility support frame, which has not traditionally been done
in the province, as well as the drilling equipment set, which has not been
traditionally built in this province and the facility service block, which I did
mention yesterday, is now been built as part of the topsides which is now being
done globally as part of the topsides – not embedded in the 2013 agreement. Any
of those things were not embedded in the 2013 agreement.
It
allowed me to answer this question, but I did think he would have read his 2013
agreement, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Here we go again, Mr.
Speaker, blame somebody else; blame somebody else.
Yesterday, the CEO of Husky said to the
National Post that the attractiveness of the project was increased through
negotiation with a motivated government. Some would say a government who's
desperate for a good news story during a polling period.
I ask
the Premier: What concessions did you make to close this deal?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Natural Resources.
MS. COADY:
I would hope, Mr. Speaker,
that the former premier, who was a Minister of the Crown at the time of the 2013
agreement, would always be motived to encourage the oil and gas industry in this
province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS. COADY:
As far as concessions, Mr.
Speaker, what we did do was have a good discussion with Husky who did not need
the gates in Argentia. We also talked with Argentia about this. Instead of the
gates in Argentia, which are not required for this project, we have a $60
million economic development and innovation fund which is going to help drive
the industry and help us to really put in place some of the infrastructures that
are required.
Argentia
is very motivated and happy to be able to have this project, Mr. Speaker, and
we'll be working with them as we move forward.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
So the
gates will not be built in Argentia which was part of the original plan, if I
remember correctly. Thanks to the minister for providing that information.
Can the
minister tell us what the employment target percentages for female gender
equality in the project are?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Natural Resources.
MS. COADY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
They
have not changed since the 2007 agreement. That was done by the former
administration. They are the exact same as they were. We have a full agreement
in place on gender equity and that remains in place as they were in 2007.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
In 2015
and 2016, the ratio was 50 per cent under the contract. So is that still going
to be in place for 2017 and onward, Minister?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.
MS. COADY:
I'm sorry, Mr. Speaker, I
didn't hear the actual question, but I will say, as I said yesterday, there's a
number of benefits to this province including 10 million person-hours of
employment, which is a huge increase, Mr. Speaker, over what was discussed in
2013.
In terms
of direct benefits to the province, almost 10 million which equates to about
5,000 person hours. When this project was announced by the former administration
in 2013 it was about 2,800. So as you can see, the scope, the size, the
development of this project is bringing increased benefits to the province
including, Mr. Speaker, increased engineering.
We were
able to increase the amount of engineering being done in the province on the
accommodations module from the 2013 agreement which was 75 per cent to today
over 95 per cent, great benefits to Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The
Minister of Finance indicated that government would introduce wage freezes for
non-bargaining employees.
I ask
the minister: Will legislation be introduced to cause wage freezes for
non-bargaining employees?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MS. C. BENNETT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the Member opposite for the question. As we announced in the budget this year,
it is our intention to implement a wage freeze in the context of our management
and non-unionized employees. We are working on the details of doing that, and
we'll certainly be bringing that information to the House as soon as we're
ready.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Well,
we're hearing a number of things happening on the negotiation front.
I ask
the minister, if they're going to ask employees to take one unpaid day off each
month in order to save money?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MS. C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, again, I thank
the Member opposite for his interest in the very important issue that we are
working on with our public sector employees.
Quite
frankly, the question from the Member opposite is asking me to discuss things
that we're discussing at the table. We have certain issues that we are working
on. We are not going to bargain in public. Certainly, when we have those
discussions with our public sector employees and their union leadership as to
the terms and conditions of the contract that they may find suitable, we'll
certainly provide that information to the House.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We're
also hearing that government is considering decreasing the province's share and
making employees pay more of their share for health and benefits for employees'
compensation.
So I ask
the minister: Will she commit today to negotiate an agreement and not
legislating a collective agreement on hard-working public servants in
Newfoundland and Labrador?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MS. C. BENNETT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
What
I'll commit to is what I've committed to, and what our government has committed
to right from the start of this process. We want to have a meaningful
conversation with our public sector employees on the financial circumstances and
situation that we're faced in this province. We encourage our public sector
leadership at the union level, leadership level, to have a meaningful dialogue.
We're looking for all kinds of ways to make sure that dialogue happens.
The
reality is that the situation we're facing isn't going to go away and we're
going to continue to work hard at the table to have those conversations, Mr.
Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. KENT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
In
October of 2015, a $30 million commitment for community initiatives as part of
the Voisey's Bay Development Agreement was announced.
Could
the Premier give us a status update on these important projects?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yes, as
part of the Voisey's Bay underground agreement which was, I think, the sixth or
seventh amendment that was made to that agreement – if you remember, after the
Voisey's Bay deal that continues to supply many great benefits to the people of
the province. It was Members opposite who thought they could drive a Mack truck
through that.
Here it
is even today, they are talking about the $30 million investment they could make
to communities like Happy Valley-Goose Bay and to communities like Placentia and
so on. Mr. Speaker, the details of all of this and health care initiatives,
these things are still being worked out. It's going through a process right now
to determine how that money will be used and the things that will need to be
done to get that money into the system, Mr. Speaker.
When
it's ready to go, and go through the necessary processes, the money will be
spent. The commitment is made to the necessary communities that are impacted by
this money.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, the Premier says
the details on these projects are still being worked out. They were worked out
almost two years ago. This government has been in office for about 18 months;
$12 million was approved for supportive housing and health supports for
vulnerable populations across the province; $11 million for a new wellness
centre in Happy Valley-Goose Bay; $4.5 million for a new aquatics facility in
Placentia; and $2.5 million in funding for a cardiovascular hybrid operating
room at the Health Sciences Centre.
Again,
nearly two years later, why has there been no progress? Has this government
backtracked on previous commitments and are they making changes to how this
funding is going to be allocated?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Mr. Speaker, the reality is
if the government at the time had done a better job in putting an agreement in
place, we would not be in the position that we're in right now.
Mr.
Speaker, they made a lot of announcements, let's face it. The Members opposite,
who was the government at the time, they made a lot of announcements. Not a lot
of detail behind it; they would go out, make announcements.
Just a
few minutes ago when I listened to the Leader of the PC Party when he talked
about a motivated government, Mr. Speaker, what it reminded me of: one morning
speaking to a conference. I think it was a NOIA conference when the premier of
the day was so motivated to make an announcement, he went down and announced
that Statoil would be reaching an agreement within a couple of weeks.
Well
guess what, Mr. Speaker? Statoil didn't even know anything about it.
So when
you talk about making announcements, there's a difference in making
announcements and putting things in action, Mr. Speaker. When it's ready to be
done, when the process is completed, the money will be in place.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. KENT:
The Premier never lets the
facts get in the way of a good story.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
And his
blame-the-former-government argument is getting old. People in the province are
tired of hearing it and we certainly are as well. They were elected to govern
and it's time for them to start doing so.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Are you cancelling the
previously approved projects? Yes or no?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Municipal Affairs and Environment.
MR. JOYCE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I just
find it very odd and weird that the Member is asking questions about that. When
you look at the pool in Placentia, I'm after having nine meetings with the Town
of Placentia. It was just last Monday myself and the Premier had a meeting with
Happy Valley-Goose Bay; five meetings on the centre in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
Guess
what? Not one question, not one inquiry in the last 18 months from the Members
opposite. Now, all of a sudden, they've become a concern.
I can
tell the Member opposite that we're meeting with the town officials. We are
getting the program in place. We are working diligently to make sure we're
getting the best bang for our dollars. Each of the towns are working with us and
we're after having at least six, seven meetings with one and five with the other
town to get these projects moving to satisfy all the people in the area.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, we're concerned
because two years have passed and this government has taken no action
whatsoever. Nine meetings in Placentia: no results; five meetings in Happy
Valley-Goose Bay: no action, no commitment.
We
understand that Municipal Affairs and town officials from Placentia met again
last week to discuss the swimming pool project. They're very frustrated that in
almost two years nothing has been done regarding the project.
If
you're still unable to meet commitments from the 2015 agreement for the people
of Placentia and other communities, how confident can people throughout
Newfoundland and Labrador be that your government can administer the Innovation
and Business Development Fund recently announced?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Municipal Affairs and Environment.
MR. JOYCE:
Mr. Speaker, I find it
strange not one question, not one letter, not one meeting, not one inquiry about
the Placentia pool. Just for the record, just so the Member opposite doesn't
stand up again and ask questions which he has no idea about, it was 14 days ago
that Placentia finally put in a final cost for the pool – that Placentia put in.
It had
nothing to do – because we're working through the agreement of the building.
It's a massive building. You just can't take it and say we're going to go ahead
and build a swimming pool. They're building a lot on to the swimming pool.
They're going to look out for the swimming, exercise inside. They're going to
have walking. That takes time. That takes engineering.
We are
working constantly with the town. Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago was when they came
in with the final price and we're working on that price.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. KENT:
First blame the previous
government then blame the Town of Placentia.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
We're raising these
questions, Mr. Speaker, because the people of Placentia trusted that government
–
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. KENT:
– would follow through with
its commitments. We trusted that this government would honour previous
commitments and they have not; more broken promises.
I ask
the minister: Didn't the Town of Placentia have completed designs 18 months ago
and your department sent them back to the drawing board? Isn't that why you just
received new plans in the past week or so?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
I remind
all hon. Members the only individual I wish to hear from is the individual
recognized to speak.
The hon.
Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment.
MR. JOYCE:
Mr. Speaker, I'll make one
commitment here. When we finally get the work done for the pool in Placentia
there's one commitment I'll make. It will not be like the hospital and long-term
care, making five or six announcements on the same project and never delivering.
When we
get this project done, the design work that the minister is talking about will
be used to put out for a project build. It will be used to put out; it will not
be wasted as the Members opposite did.
I can
tell you one thing; they'll have their swimming pool. I'll guarantee you that;
they'll have the swimming pool. I'll guarantee you another thing, we'll have the
hospital and we'll have the long-term care facility in Corner Brook. Unlike the
Member opposite who made at least four commitments that it's going to start,
going to be built and never delivered on one. Not only that, Mr. Speaker, never
even had the design done on either one of them while making those commitments.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay East – Bell Island.
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
As a
recent Telegram story indicated, the
existing legislation states only that municipalities in this province may
contribute to a public library as opposed to must contribute. Your new libraries
report gives a completely different direction.
I ask
the Minister of Municipal Affairs: Is he in favour of downloading the financial
responsibility for public libraries on the municipalities?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Municipal Affairs and Environment.
MR. JOYCE:
Mr. Speaker, I understand the
dilemma we're in but I can guarantee you one thing, when we make a decision with
the municipalities it's going to be in conjunction and in consultation with the
municipality.
One
thing we won't do, Mr. Speaker, is we won't have a mayor in the town up to Kent
supplies get a call from the minister of Municipal Affairs and the minister of
Education offering $225,000 a year to pay for expenses to their building so they
could put a library in to help them pay the cost of the building. That's not the
way to operate libraries.
When the
Member opposite stands up and wants to ask questions about the libraries, think
about the $225,000 in CBS that they made from the Kent store, that two ministers
called the mayor from the Kent store. When we work with municipalities – there
are municipalities that want the libraries – we'll help out, but I can tell it
will be in conjunction and consultation with the municipalities who are –
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay East – Bell Island.
MR. BRAZIL:
I hope it's better
consultation than the downloading of firefighting costs for municipalities, road
improvement costs for municipalities and recreation facilities costs for
municipalities.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. BRAZIL:
The unions representing
provincial library workers were very critical of the extremely vague report.
They contend this report leaves many in limbo.
When
will the librarians and the general public be provided with the details of how
government will proceed?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Education and Early Childhood Development.
MR. KIRBY:
Mr. Speaker, as I said here
in the House of Assembly yesterday, this is the most detailed overview of the
public library system that we've had in this province for 2½ decades. It is very
detailed.
Every
librarian and library worker in this province who wanted to participate in that
consultation did. There is a detailed road map in the report. It will be
followed. The public libraries board, it's now in their hands. They will provide
direction; they will consult with the department on their future direction. We
won't dictate to them as we have not in the past.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay East – Bell Island.
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Now that
the minister has had time to read and consider the report, will any of the
recommendations be adopted? If so, what can people expect and what time frames?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Education and Early Childhood Development.
MR. KIRBY:
Mr. Speaker, as is customary
here in the House, the Education critic for the PC Party continues to be
confused with the relationships between external agencies, boards and
commissions and departments of government.
Unlike
the previous administration which interfered constantly in the inner workings of
school boards, libraries boards and Memorial University, deciding who would be
president and who would not be president and so on and so forth – unlike that
meddling approach we are honouring the legislative autonomy that is afforded to
public institutions in our province.
When the
Public Libraries Board has an opportunity to build a road map based on what's in
that report, we will work with them to build a more sustainable public library
system.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay East – Bell Island.
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I must
remind the minister that he commissioned this report. In principle, it's his
report. He's had a copy of it. He's paid for it.
The
minister stated on May 18: “When that report is released, I will provide a full
accounting of what it cost.” It's 12 days later. Where are the numbers, Mr.
Minister?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development.
MR. KIRBY:
Mr. Speaker, the day that the
public libraries report was released by the Public Libraries Board, the media
widely reported that it cost $253,000. There has not been a comprehensive review
of the public library system for 2½ decades.
If you
look at the amount of funding that has been provided over that period of time,
it approaches $300 million. The amount of money that was paid for this report
amounts for less than 1 per cent of the total amount of money, either on an
annual basis or over the course of the 25 years, that there was no analysis done
of the system.
This is
good value for money and overall an infinitesimally small amount of money in
comparison to what we are paying out every year for public library services.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's East – Quidi Vidi.
MS. MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
Restoring Adult Basic Education to the College of the North Atlantic will ensure
that students can access further programs at the college as well as
student-centred support services always with the student's best interests in
mind. We were assured in Estimates that government is going to make it happen.
I ask
the Premier: What actions are the government taking to reinstate ABE in the
public college system where it belongs?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Natural Resources.
MS. COADY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The
Member opposite and all of us would remember that Adult Basic Education was
removed from the college system in 2013. I do know the minister responsible is
doing a full analysis and looking at exactly what can be done with Adult Basic
Education, how best to provide that service, how it should be done in this
province, Mr. Speaker. He's doing a thorough analysis and when that analysis is
completed, I'm sure he'll let the people of the province know what he will be
doing with Adult Basic Education as it pertains to the college system.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. Member for St.
John's East – Quidi Vidi.
MS. MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I thank
the minister for that information. But I would point out that the government is
publicly talking about the huge potential in returning ABE to the College of the
North Atlantic, citing distance learning as an example and saying the sky is the
limit. I say to the minister that people want actions, not words.
I ask
the Premier: Will his government commit to bringing ABE back to the public
college system by September 2017?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Natural Resources.
MS. COADY:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
As
Members opposite would know, as the people of the province would know, there's a
full modernization plan for the College of the North Atlantic that is underway.
He's spoken publicly about this and tabled the report.
Mr.
Speaker, the issue around Adult Basic Education is very complex and a very
responsive program to the needs of the people of this province. A thorough
analysis is being done in a timely way. I think the minister has spoken about
the needs of the Adult Basic Education, about the opportunities within the
College of the North Atlantic, but no decision has been made at this point
because the analysis is still taking place.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. Member for St.
John's Centre.
MS. ROGERS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Before
the previous Conservative government so recklessly privatized the ABE program at
the Waterford, it was provided by the College of the North Atlantic in
partnership with Eastern Health. They incorporated comprehensive support
services to help students with complex mental health needs and were extremely
successful. The program was held up as a model and was the envy of the rest of
Canada.
I ask
the Minister of Health and Community Services: Will he commit to working with
the minister to having the college once again deliver the ABE program at the
Waterford?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
MR. HAGGIE:
Thank you very much for the
question, Mr. Speaker.
As the
Member opposite may recall from her time on the All-Party Committee, the
discussion about wraparound services and transitions from acute care into the
community are particular pressure areas that have been acknowledged across the
health care system and not just in mental health or addictions. Certainly, I
have been open to this concept.
The
implementation group are working on the report of the All-Party Committee and I
would hope that would be something that would be addressed once their report is
ready. I anticipate that being out before the end of June, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. Member for St.
John's Centre.
MS. ROGERS:
Mr. Speaker, the majority of
inmates in correctional facilities across the province have complex mental
health needs, addictions issues and have not completed high school.
I ask
the Minister of Justice: Will he commit to working with the minister to having
the College of the North Atlantic deliver ABE and GED programs at correctional
facilities throughout the province, with comprehensive supports to help inmates
in rehabilitation and increasing their likelihood of successfully reintegrating
into society?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Justice and Public Safety.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank
the Member for what is a very important question. What I can confirm is that,
yes, I will always commit to working with other Members of this government to
ensure the best interests of the people of this province, including the people
that are residents right now at our various institutions and corrections
centres.
The fact
is that we need to do this. It needs to be co-operation between the Departments
of Health, Advanced Education, Justice and you name it.
We need
to break down the silos that have previously existed. I look forward to doing
that. Hopefully we can make decisions that will help everybody in this province.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The time for Question Period
has expired.
Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.
Tabling
of Documents.
Tabling of
Documents
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Finance and President of Treasury Board.
MS. C. BENNETT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, pursuant to section 5 of the
Local Authority Guarantee Act, I wish to table the annual report of loan
guarantees provided to local governments to enable them to arrange interim
financing for capital projects. I'm pleased to report there were no new
guarantees issued on behalf of local governments during the fiscal year.
Mr.
Speaker, the last report under this act was tabled on April 11, 2016, and
included guarantees issued up to and including March 31, 2016. The current
report covers the period from April 1, 2016, to March 31, 2017.
As well,
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to section 49(2) of the
Financial Administration Act, I wish to table the attached list of
temporary loans that were raised under section 48 of the act since my last
report to the House on April 11, 2016.
In
addition, Mr. Speaker, pursuant to section 55(3) of the
Financial Administration Act, I wish to report that there were no
guaranteed loans paid out by the province since the last report, also on April
11, 2016.
Finally,
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to section 55.1(2) of the act, I wish to report that there
has been no guaranteed debt of a Crown corporation or agency assumed by the
province since the April 11, 2016 report.
Thank
you.
MR. SPEAKER:
Further tabling of documents.
Notices
of Motion.
Answers
to Questions for which Notice has been Given.
Petitions.
Petitions
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay East – Bell Island.
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
To the
hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in
Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland
and Labrador humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS
smaller class sizes, adequate learning environment and effective curriculum are
paramount to success of our youth; and
WHEREAS
recent budget decisions have negatively impacted student supports, educational
resources and teaching allocations; and
WHEREAS
the provincial education system should ensure that each child has the ability to
reach his or her full potential;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House
of Assembly to urge government to enhance the education system in Newfoundland
and Labrador, introduce initiatives which ensure smaller class sizes which will
provide more sufficient personal space per child and allow more individual
learning opportunities, develop effective curriculums which enable youth to
develop both life skills and optimal academic achievements, provide resources to
ensure a fully beneficial inclusion model is in place and to ensure all children
in our province have equal standard of education in their learning environment.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The
Member for Conception Bay East – Bell Island.
MR. BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
And as
in duty bound, your petitioner will ever pray.
Mr.
Speaker, I've had an opportunity over the last number of months in this hon.
House to present this petition and a number of other ones relevant to our
education system, and some of the challenges that people are facing. Those
challenges are faced by a multitude of those involved, particularly the
administrators, the teachers themselves, the parents, the school councils, the
district boards, but particularly the students themselves.
The lack
of services and the lack of assets that are necessary indicate that our students
are not going to have the ability to achieve a well-rounded, full inclusive
education that they so deservingly should be entitled to. What's being outlined
here is a collage of challenges and issues that have been identified by all
these stakeholders that I mentioned earlier regarding how collectively we have
to look at how we best fill the gaps in our education system and how we support
these students in our system.
It talks
about particular things: how we've become regressive around some of the
approaches here. Larger class sizes are not in any way – you'll find no science
that will dictate that larger class sizes are in the best interests of a
student.
They're
asking to go back to – for a number of years we tried to find something that was
workable, but we've increased that and it becomes a challenge where in some
school systems where the classroom sizes are a challenge. We need to build more
facilities or upgrade the facilities themselves. The challenges around the
number of teachers that are allocated and the particular extra resources we need
to have to ensure that people have a well-rounded education accessible to them.
Some of
the other partnerships that need to be developed; we need to look at how we
better drive those types of initiatives. They talk here about optimal academic
achievements and they talk about life skills training, they talk about financial
training. These are all very important life skills that people will need to
become better citizens and productive citizens in our province.
Mr.
Speaker, I want to present this on behalf of the people of Newfoundland and
Labrador to improve our education system.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
The Member for St. John's
East – Quidi Vidi.
MS. MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
To the
hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in
Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland
and Labrador humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS
the US Centers for Disease Control now estimates that autism spectrum disorder
affects one in 68 children, which represents a 30 per cent increase from the
estimate two years ago; and
WHEREAS
early diagnosis of ASD is essential because there is a critical developmental
period when early intervention is vital for future success of children with ASD;
and
WHEREAS
in other provinces an ASD diagnosis can be made by specialists certified and
trained in ADOS;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House
of Assembly to urge government to allow other specialists trained and certified
with ADOS to make the autism spectrum disorder diagnosis.
And as
in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr.
Speaker, I'm very pleased to once again be able to stand and support the
petitioners with regard to their concerns around early diagnosis of children
with ADS. This week is a significant week for doing it because it is Early
Childhood Educators' Week. In this instance we are talking about the needs of
children who, in the ones I'm going to speak to now, are not just children who
are early childhood, but children who are early childhood who are on the autism
spectrum.
If there
is any group that needs special needs early in their lives, it is children who
are on the autism spectrum. The earlier these children can be diagnosed, the
earlier they can be assessed, the earlier they can have the programs that they
require the better their lives are going to be.
I cannot
impress upon this House, upon the government, and the petitioners can't impress
enough on us either how important it is that assessments that are done of our
children here in this province are done by a child development team, a team that
includes a pediatrician, a psychologist, a speech-language pathologist,
occupational therapist and intake coordinator. We need a team like that in every
regional health authority, Mr. Speaker, so that our children are not waiting for
months to get a developmental assessment.
At the
Janeway right now, according to figures from the Autism Society of Newfoundland
and Labrador, the waiting time is 10 months and that's up six months from
January 2016. With the Central RHA, it's six months of waiting. With the
Western, it's 10 months but creeping up. In Labrador, it's 3½ months.
Mr.
Speaker, I urge the government to take this seriously and to put in place what
is needed.
Thank
you.
MR. SPEAKER:
The Member for Conception Bay
South.
MR. PETTEN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
To the
hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in
Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland
and Labrador humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS
the provincial government has mandated the Eastern Regional Service Board to
implement modern waste management practices in the eastern region; and
WHEREAS
the Eastern Regional Service Board has opened a Waste Recovery Facility on Old
Brigus Road in Whitbourne to receive bulk items such as: appliances, furniture,
electronics, car and truck tires, construction and demolition debris, shingles,
et cetera;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House
of Assembly to urge government to insist mitigation measures be established to
contain the waste held at the facility and improve esthetics surrounding the
containment area.
And as
in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr.
Speaker, I brought this petition – this is numerous times or several times I've
brought it up. It's a big issue to the residents of Whitbourne. This
transshipment – I call it a transshipment facility but it's a drop-off for
larger appliances, larger items. It's on the Old Brigus Road, which is directly
parallel with the Trans-Canada Highway, but it's right on the border of the
communities near a residential area.
There is
a contract been called, tenders have been called for some fencing and some trees
to cover up to try to contain this, but the problem with it is they don't feel
and most of the town doesn't think that's going to be enough to solve the issue.
You need covered containment areas, you need berms. It needs to be done in a
more aesthetic value.
It hurts
the community, the optics of a mattress blowing out on the highway. You have
tourists travelling on that road. The optics of just a pile of garbage – as you
enter your community, this is a pile of garbage that basically faces you as you
come to the community of Whitbourne.
Residents have no issue with this facility being there, but while Eastern waste
management are doing the tender, they're encouraging them or asking government
to help them to expand that tender to make it more 'sightly' I guess, more
aesthetically valued, better aesthetics because the people in the community have
complained about this numerous times to their town and publicly about the mess
this is creating in their community and they ask for government to step in and
provide better mitigation measures.
Thank
you very much.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Opposition House
Leader.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'm
pleased to rise today to present a petition on behalf of residents of my
district.
To the
hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in
Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland
and Labrador humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS
Budget 2015 announced a new school for
the Witless Bay-Mobile school system; and
WHEREAS
the planning and design of this school was underway; and
WHEREAS
Statistics Canada has recognized the region as having significant growth; and
WHEREAS
the project was cancelled in Budget 2016;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House
of Assembly to urge government to reverse its decision and construct the
proposed school for the Witless Bay-Mobile school system announced in 2015.
And as
in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr.
Speaker, this has been an issue that I worked on with the community for the past
number of years. In 2015, based on statistics, based on consultants that were
paid for from the public purse, it was a clear and definitive decision that this
new middle school needed to be built. It was recommended by the Eastern School
District, it was confirmed by the Eastern School District and at no time have
they approved the current design of nine classrooms that are underway on Mobile
Central High School.
Today in
Question Period, I made a comment and the minister referenced the fact if I
wanted to ask questions, get up and ask questions. We've asked a lot of
questions here but, unfortunately, the minister is not, has not and cannot
answer the question as to why, for some reason, this Liberal government decided
to cancel the middle school and come up with some scheme to put nine classrooms
on Mobile Central High that today the consultant, based on our meeting last week
with the parents with TW, still aren't sure if this facility or these classrooms
can even be built in Mobile Central High School.
In fact,
now it's predicted it's anywhere from 30 to 50 per cent over what they
originally budgeted. In fact, even with it built by 2021, the department's own
numbers, the government's own numbers tell them that at that time in 2021 there
are going to be capacity issues and they're going to have to build on again.
Further
to that, in the meeting it was told to us that they're looking at an interim
plan, a contingency plan because the timeline to do this now has been pushed
out. In actual fact, we hear there are portable classrooms being ordered when in
fact, if you're doing the construction of nine classrooms on Mobile Central
High, there is no place to put these classrooms.
So now
you have a situation where the thing is over budget, no one can rationalize. The
Premier has been asked to meet with the families. He won't do that. He won't
meet with the region. The minister met with us some time ago. His actual line to
the people was: Well, why would they want to move up there anyway?
Now just
imagine, a Minister of the Crown actually said to people in my district: Why do
you think the growth is going to continue? Why are people going to move up to
that region? It's unbelievable that a Minister of the Crown could sit with
people from anywhere in this province and make that statement to them.
He's
over there heckling now in the corner. Why doesn't he get in his seat and stand
up and answer some questions. He never has and never will. It's pathetic. It's
pathetic for a government minister to do that, the Minister of Education. It's
disgusting, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Orders of the Day, Mr.
Speaker.
Oh, you
have a petition?
Oh,
sorry, I did not see the Member for St. John's Centre. Certainly she can put her
petition in and hopefully it's nicer.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's Centre.
MS. ROGERS:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I would
be remiss to not stand yet again and present this petition after – I've lost
count how many times I've presented this petition on behalf of the good people
Newfoundland and Labrador.
Here we
go again. Hopefully my colleagues here in the House and the people at home will
be able to hear the very strong message that people are sending through this
petition.
To the
hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in
Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS
government has removed the provincial point-of-sale tax rebate on books, which
will raise the tax on books from 5 per cent to 15 per cent; and
WHEREAS
an increase in the tax on books will reduce book sales to the detriment of local
book stores, publishers and authors, and the amount collected by government must
be weighed against the loss in economic activity caused by higher book prices;
and
WHEREAS
Newfoundland and Labrador has one of the lowest literacy rates in Canada, and
the other provinces do not tax books because they recognize the need to
encourage reading and literacy; and
WHEREAS
this province has many nationally and internationally known storytellers, but we
will be the only people in Canada who will have to pay our provincial government
a tax to read the books of our own writers;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House
of Assembly to urge government not to impose a provincial sales tax on books.
And as
in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr.
Speaker, today in this House we had a number of young people, high school
students, who had won all kinds of awards in science competitions. We so proudly
honoured them here today.
I would
imagine, Mr. Speaker, if you asked each and every one of those young people,
potential leaders in our community, brilliant young people, award winners – if
you asked them whether or not it's a good idea to tax books, what do you think
they would say? Absolutely they would say: No, absolutely that makes no sense to
tax books. Books are a building block for the formation and education of our
young people.
I would
think if this government was really responsive to the needs of our young people
– and they're talking about how important it is for young people to stay here.
They have their innovative funds; they have their social enterprise funds.
If they
were to ask the young people who they hope to be able to support through all
these new programs – if they ask these young people: Do you think it's a good
idea to tax books? I bet my bottom dollar that they wouldn't be able to find a
single young person who is interested in the future of this province, I bet you
they couldn't find a single young person to say it's a good idea to tax books.
As a matter of fact, they would say it would be the most unwise decision to tax
books in terms of the needs of our young people.
Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. Member for Mount
Pearl North.
MR. KENT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
To the
hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in
Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland
and Labrador humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS
Budget 2016 implemented a regressive
tax on books in this province; and
WHEREAS
Newfoundland and Labrador is the only province in the country to have such a
tax; and
WHEREAS
a tax will undoubtedly affect literacy rates in this province as well as
negatively impact local authors and publishers;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House
of Assembly to urge government to immediately cancel this ill-conceived book
tax.
And as
in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
This
petition is signed by residents of a number of communities in the province. Just
like the Member for St. John's Centre just argued, this book tax is an
ill-conceived regressive measure that has all kinds of unintended consequences.
When this was implemented – and this is just one of 300 new taxation measures
and fees that we saw in last year's budget, 299½ of which were continued into
Budget 2017 and are now in effect.
This one
has had a devastating effect on multiple segments of our population. Some of the
headlines at the time when this news first hit: Newfoundland and Labrador set to
become first province in Canada to tax books; HST to be applied on books;
Newfoundland and Labrador to become the only province to tax book purchases;
book tax annoying for readers, crushing for independent store owners; Memorial
students say new Newfoundland and Labrador book tax hitting them hard.
Beyond
the attack on our local libraries, particularly the rural ones which we had a
chance to talk about in Question Period once again today, this is an issue that
will affect literacy in our province. We already have literacy rates that we
should not be proud of. We have work to do in that area and this is a major step
backwards. That's one unintended consequence of this book tax.
This
will affect our arts community as the Member previously outlined this afternoon.
It will affect our artists, our authors and others, our publishers. This will
have a huge effect on the arts community; it will have an effect on our
students. Students are now paying more for their books as a result of this move.
It will affect young families. It will affect seniors, many of whom are avid
readers and will now have to pay more for books as well.
This is
another decision that was made that is bad for people, bad for families, bad for
the economy and bad for our communities. We know there are tough decisions to be
made and we've presented alternatives on how to deal with some of the fiscal
challenges facing Newfoundland and Labrador. It was a plan that was working.
To tax
books as part of the solution, that's not a solution. It's a cop-out, it's
hurtful, it's having a damaging effect on many sectors of our community and it
needs to be reversed.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Orders of the Day, Mr.
Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
Orders of the Day.
Orders of the Day
MR. A. PARSONS:
Mr. Speaker, I would call
Order 2, third reading of Bill 11.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded
by the Minister of Natural Resources, that Bill 11, An Act To Amend The
Proceedings Against The Crown Act, be now read the third time.
MR. SPEAKER:
It has been moved and
seconded by the hon. the Government House Leader that Bill 11 be now read a
third time.
Is it
the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
All
those in favour?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
Those against?
Carried.
CLERK (Barnes):
A bill, An Act To Amend The
Proceedings Against The Crown Act. (Bill 11)
MR. SPEAKER:
This bill has now been read a
third time and it is ordered that it do pass and its title be as on the Order
Paper.
On
motion, a bill, “An Act To Amend The Proceedings Against The Crown Act,” read a
third time, ordered passed and its title be as on the Order Paper. (Bill 11)
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Mr. Speaker, I would call
Motion 1.
I would
move, seconded by the Minister of Natural Resources, for leave to introduce a
bill entitled, An Act To Amend The Highway Traffic Act, Bill 13, and I further
move that the said bill be now read a first time.
MR. SPEAKER:
What was the bill number, 13?
It is
moved and seconded by the hon. the Government House Leader that he shall leave
to introduce Bill 13 and that the said bill be now read a first time.
Is it
the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
All
those in favour?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
Those against?
Carried.
Motion,
the hon. the Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador to introduce a bill,
“An Act To Amend The Highway Traffic Act,” carried. (Bill 13)
CLERK:
A bill, An Act To Amend The
Highway Traffic Act. (Bill 13)
MR. SPEAKER:
This bill has now been read a
first time.
When
shall the said bill be read a second time?
MR. A. PARSONS:
Tomorrow.
MR. SPEAKER:
Tomorrow.
On
motion, Bill 13 read a first time, ordered read a second time on tomorrow.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government House
Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Yes, Mr. Speaker, I would
move Motion 3. I would move pursuant to provisional Standing Order 11(1) that
the House not adjourn at 5:30 p.m. today, Tuesday, May 30, 2017.
MR. SPEAKER:
The motion is that the House
do not adjourn at 5:30 today.
All
those in favour?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
Those against?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Nay.
MR. SPEAKER:
Carried.
The hon.
the Government House Leader.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Yes, Mr. Speaker, I move,
seconded by the Minister of Natural Resources, that the House resolve itself
into a Committee of the Whole to consider Bill 12.
MR. SPEAKER:
The motion is that the House
resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole to consider Bill 12.
All
those in favour?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
Those against?
Carried.
On
motion, that the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole, Mr. Speaker
left the Chair.
Committee of the
Whole
CHAIR (Dempster):
Order, please!
We are
now debating the related resolution and Bill 12, An Act To Amend The Loan And
Guarantee Act.
Resolution
“That it
is expedient to bring in a measure further to amend
The Loan and Guarantee Act, 1957, to provide for the advance of
loans to and the guarantee of the repayment of bonds or debentures issued by or
loans advanced to certain corporations.”
CHAIR:
The Chair recognizes the hon.
Member for Mount Pearl – Southlands.
MR. LANE:
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I'm glad
to take a few moments and speak to Bill 12. Of course, this is relating to the
situation with Corner Brook Pulp and Paper. I want to say from the outset that I
do support this bill. It's certainly something that I think is important.
One of
the issues I've seen over the last day or two – and I've been talking to a
number of people who have called me and there have been questions on social
media and so on – I think there's a lot of confusion out there, quite frankly,
in the public around this bill and exactly what it means. There are people who
think that basically the government is cutting a cheque for $88 million to
Corner Brook Pulp and Paper which is not true. That's not what's happening. But
it's important, I think, that we all do our part to get the message out because
it is very important what we're doing here today in this bill.
I don't
think there's anybody in this House on either side that's going to be against
what's being done. Really what is being done here, it's protecting the pensions
of the workers at Corner Brook Pulp and Paper. I'm glad to see there's really no
risk or any additional risk to the taxpayers as it relates to this.
This
relates to an agreement which was struck back in 2014 by the former
administration but supported by all parties in the House of Assembly at the time
when the mill was in trouble. It wasn't unique to Corner Brook Pulp and Paper.
We know what's happened in Stephenville, Grand Falls-Windsor and other parts of
the country. The demand for newsprint is down and there had to be ways to try to
make that mill more viable because of the importance that mill has for the
people of Corner Brook, for the people on the Northern Peninsula and Central
Newfoundland who supply wood product to the mill, to the economy, not just of
Western Newfoundland, the Northern Peninsula and Central, but to Newfoundland
and Labrador as a whole.
I think
we all recognize the history of the mill. We recognize the value of the mill. I
think back in 2014, the government of the day – and, as I said, supported by all
parties – recognized the importance to do what could be done to ensure that mill
was viable because of the impact that it would have, like I said, not just on
workers in that mill, but all the other people that provided supply to the mill.
It was important to keep it open. We all agreed with that and we all supported
that.
Now,
that particular agreement at the time, what happened of course was there was a
loan of $110 million, as I understand it, and recall – and certainly from the
briefing I had it kind of reminded me. There was a $100 million loan provided to
Corner Brook Pulp and Paper.
Some of
that money went to the pensions because the pension had been underfunded. I
believe it was because the employer wasn't paying their share into the plan. I
think that's what happened or some of the money got spent, whatever.
There
was a shortfall nonetheless, regardless of how it happened, in the pension plan.
So there was money gone into deal with the plan that was underfunded. There was
money that went into, I think, paying off some creditors and so on and there was
money that went into making some improvements, as I understand it, to the
processes and to the equipment to make the mill more viable, more competitive.
As I
recall, Corner Brook Pulp and Paper, in terms of the actual operation itself,
they had been very competitive and had a very skilled workforce, but there were
things that needed to be done to upgrade, modernize the facility and, like I
said, take care of some of those other obligations. At the time, $110 million
was loaned to the mill.
Up
against that, Corner Brook Pulp and Paper have an asset and the asset being the
Deer Lake power and Watson's Brook or Watson's creek. Forgive me if I don't get
the name totally right, but Watson something – I think it's creek.
AN HON. MEMBER:
Brook.
MR. LANE:
Brook, is it? Okay, Watson's
Brook.
That's
an asset that they have. Basically, the agreement of the day, back in 2014, was
that there would be a valuation done on what that asset is worth and it was
determined it would be $150 million that the provincial government – should that
mill shut down, the provincial government would purchase that asset for $150
million but that would go against $110 million loan.
So in
other words, really what would happen is if it had shut down at that time, the
province would receive the asset and would pay Corner Brook Pulp and Paper $40
million because they owed us $110 million. That's generally how it worked, as I
understand it.
Of
course that increased in 2017 or 2016, I think – or 2017, I think, it goes up to
$175 million and 2019 it goes up to $200 million, or 2020 around there, it goes
up to $200 million valuation. At the end of the day, come 2020, the citizens of
Newfoundland and Labrador are already in, so to speak, on that $200 million
commitment. We're paying it anyway, regardless. If none of this was done, we
would be on the hook for the $200 million based on the 2014 agreement in lieu of
that asset should the mill shut down.
Right
now we've loaned $110 million and what's being proposed is to loan another $90
million, minus the $2 million that we're taking to look after environmental
issues should they occur. So there's $110 million that they've already had a
loan of, $2 million gets held in case there were any environmental issues should
the plant close down.
The $88
million is being held basically in trust. I think they call it a creditor's
note. I forget the exact terminology but basically it's held there in a pot, so
to speak, that should the plant shut down at any time – even though the pension
plan is no longer underfunded, that's fine. If the plant shuts down, it's not
underfunded now based on if people keep working and people keep paying in and
the company keeps paying in. But if it shut down and there are no longer the
company and no longer employees paying into the plan, then at some point in
time, the people who are in receipt of a pension, those funds would run out
before they passed away.
We need
to set aside additional money to ensure that if that were ever to happen, the
people who are currently receiving a pension would continue to receive their
pension right up until the time they passed. That's what that's doing. That
extra money is being held there against that $200 million asset to ensure that
happens.
So, no,
nobody is writing a cheque for $88 million to Corner Brook Pulp and Paper. No,
they can't take that money, because there is no money in theory, it's just there
on paper. They can't take this $88 million and spend it on whatever they like.
That can't happen. There is no actual money, per se. All it is, it is ensuring
that if they were ever to shut down, the employees would receive their full
pension benefits.
There is
no additional cost whatsoever or risk to the citizens of Newfoundland and
Labrador as it relates to what's being done here now. The only risk, one could
argue, would have been in 2014 when the original deal was cut and it was decided
we would pay up to $200 million for that asset. Plus that asset, of course, gets
re-evaluated when the Maritime Link comes online. It could go higher,
potentially. It was the 2014 agreement that saw us guarantee that we would
purchase that asset. Nothing being done today is in any way making that any more
risky or whatever to people at all.
I don't
see an issue with it. I think there's no additional risk to the people
whatsoever. It's taking care of the pensioners; it's making sure that they get
looked after in the event that mill was ever to shut down. It's protecting the
people and it's also helping the mill as well to function, operate and to
eliminate that liability.
I think
it's a good thing overall.
CHAIR:
Order, please!
MR. LANE:
I'm glad the government stood
up to the plate to look after the workers.
CHAIR:
Order, please!
MR. LANE:
We all support it I'm sure.
Thank
you.
CHAIR:
I remind the hon. Member his
time for speaking has expired.
The
Chair recognizes the hon. Member for St. George's – Humber.
MR. REID:
Thank you, Madam Chair.
It's
great to get up to have a few words on this piece of legislation.
I don't
intend to belabour the issues here but I just wanted to add my voice to those in
support of this motion. I think it's good to hear other Members of the House,
from all sides of the House, talk in support of this motion. It's good to hear
that it's getting widespread support.
Rather
than tangle this legislation up with a lot of other issues I think we have to
look at what's being done here on its own merits. We have to look at is this a
good piece of legislation for the workers, for the mill and for the province in
general? I think that's the way to judge this piece of legislation.
If it
passes those tests, if the answer is, yes, it's good for the province, yes, it's
good for the mill, yes, it's good for the pensioners, then we have to support
it. I'm glad to hear that people around here, although they have some questions,
they're supporting this piece of legislation. It's very positive for the whole
province and in particular, the people who have worked at the mill and the
people who are working at the mill.
This
weekend in Corner Brook we saw some meetings that really brought a lot of work
accumulated to a point where the government had meetings with pensioners and
workers at the mill. I was happy to hear that the workers and the pensioners
were very supportive of these changes. They recognized the benefits that were to
come their way because of this benefit. It's generally been well received on its
own merits, Madam Chair.
We all
know that pulp and paper mills are facing challenging times all around the
world, particularly here in Newfoundland and Labrador. We've seen two of our
pulp and paper mills close down in this province. I think we have to be willing
to work with unions, to work with the companies themselves as a government and
to work together to see that the mill in Corner Brook continues to operate and
continues to provide employment and benefits to the community.
I'm very
encouraged that this whole process has come together, that we're having a
positive outcome that doesn't involve any further expense by the government,
that protects pension plans and addresses solvency issues, that allows the
Government of Newfoundland to monitor all issues and decisions related to the
trust and protect the best interests of pensioners. I'm very pleased that is the
outcome of this and very supportive of this piece of legislation which will make
it all happen.
Thank
you, Madam Chair.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR:
The Chair recognizes the hon.
Member for Cape St. Francis.
MR. K. PARSONS:
Thank you very much, Madam
Chair.
Again,
it's indeed a privilege to get up here today and represent the District of Cape
St. Francis and the beautiful people in the District of Cape St. Francis. We're
looking at Bill 12 and it's The Loan and
Guarantee Act that we're going to talk about here today. I think most
people in this Legislature will support what's happening here and will support
the workers and the retirees in Corner Brook in the area working in the paper
mill.
Madam Chair, when we look at our workers and the people in
our province this is a good story. The money and a lot of the details have yet
to be put in place, but any time anyone has some security and they – when you
work your lifetime at an industry you try to set up so that your retiring years
are taken care of.
I believe in this province right now, I could be corrected,
but I think there's about 300 – 316 I heard yesterday – different pension plans
in the province. I heard the Member for Labrador West last night get up and he
talked about Wabush Mines. My heart goes out to the people in Wabush. It's
devastating for them to realize they will lose their health benefits,
which is something they worked all their lives for and I'm sure they worked hard
for the company. To realize then down the road – it was something that was put
in place, they were assured they'd get in their retirement years and won't get
it. It's very unfortunate that through legislation, through everything else,
that they're not getting it right now.
Also, to
lose 25 per cent of their income; I'm sure a lot of those people, like most
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, have a fixed income. They know exactly where
those dollars are going, whether it's paying for a vehicle, whether it's paying
for a home, your grocery bill, your light bill. They have budgets done up and if
you take 25 per cent away from individuals, it's so difficult to be able to cope
and understand what it's going – it could be paying for university or education,
anything that they have to do, because they worked hard all their lives for
their retirement. That's what most people do. Like I said, there are 300-or-more
pension plans right now in the province.
The
Member for Lab West got up yesterday and spoke about Wabush Mines. I know the
deal with Corner Brook Pulp and Paper is based on a lot of what they have is
equity, and the money they have, the $150 million right now, that's there for
Deer Lake, the hydro plant in Deer Lake. They're using that as part of – if
something happens there then they can always fall back.
That's
what I spoke of to one of the ministers yesterday. I just asked a question,
wouldn't this be something good that we could do for all pension plans so that
people in the province could have some assurance that when they do retire, the
work they put in, the years they put in, that they're secured the money they
rightfully own and rightfully worked for and everything else.
I know
there are other companies in the province where maybe we can do some kind of
deal with them also to make sure our residents – because that's what we're here
for. We're here as elected officials to make sure we represent all people of the
province. I know the people in Corner Brook – I'm happy with this deal. I'm
happy they're secured, that their pensions are secured now and in the future.
It's important to those families.
All
pensioners in the province, I'm sure they want to have the same security. I
think government down the road; I think it's a good start for maybe looking at
different pension plans right through the whole province. That we can probably
see if there's some way we can secure those pension plans also and have some
kind of way to show the people in the province that if something goes wrong –
like what happened in Wabush and Cliffs, it just seemed like they shut down the
company and just ran out of town, according to the Member for Lab West. That's
not a reflection of whether you're on this side of the House or the other side
of the House or you're a Member of the Third, that stuff happens.
The
thing we should be doing here, as elected officials, is making sure that the
workers, the people of the province, have some kind of security and they're
protected. I think that's what this agreement does. It protects the retirees and
it protects the people that are working there in Corner Brook right now. I'm
sure they're from all over the West Coast. It's security for those people.
I
support this. I understand listening to the minister yesterday about the whole
financing and understanding the financing part of it and where the money is
going to go, because I believe $29 million is to go right into the fund right
now to protect the pension plan. As that grows, I guess the other monies will be
used for taking care of that. Those were some of the questions we had yesterday
in Question Period.
I look
forward to government looking at other plans. I look at the Wabush Mines
situation. My heart goes out to the people in Wabush. I feel they were done
badly by the company that really didn't secure their futures. I hope that
something down the road – I know it's in courts now and stuff like that. I hope
sometime it will be favourable for those people because they deserve the same
thing that the people in Corner Brook deserve.
They
worked hard all their lives to ensure they would have as their – I don't know if
you call them golden years or retirement years or whatever you call them, but
people work hard to make sure that as they do grow older, as they do retire,
that there are some funds put in place for them. They work and they say at the
end of the day when I retire, this is the lifestyle and this is my livelihood
that I can depend on.
That's
due to the income you can have because, again, like I said, I understand that
with Wabush Mines a big concern of all the workers there was their health care
program. As we get older in – my mother used to say golden years, there's no
such thing as golden years. Anyway, as they retire in their retirement years,
sometimes medical expenses are a lot higher than they are when you're in your
younger years and mid-years. A health plan is so important to people that are
retired and it's important they have some kind of protection.
So,
again, I'd like to support this bill. Sometimes when bills come here before
government we will debate and we'll argue over whether they're good or bad or
whatever, but I think any time that we do stuff that protects the future and
gives people a sense of trust, a sense of security – another thing that it
really does is it takes away from the stress that people will have.
I know
that when you retire you get to those later years, ages like myself, and you're
looking at retirement down the road, you always want to make sure that you can
still survive. I mean most retirees just want to be able to live a decent life
in comfort. Hopefully this will help with the comfort of the people and down the
road it will give them a sense of trust that they have a company there. We all
hope that Corner Brook Pulp and Paper lasts for years and years and they don't
have to go in, but at least there's some form of protection here.
That's
the big thing about this bill. I'm sure the minister and government, whether
you're on this side of the House or the other side of the House, if there are
other pension plans that can be able to work like this so people can have that
security and have that form of less stress, they know that in the future the
dollars that they expect are the dollars that they're going to get down the
road.
There
are some details here that we asked the minister about yesterday. There were
some questions that we had in Question Period, I'm sure, that he'll probably
answer when this gets closed today.
I look
forward to government working with companies right across this province because
there are a lot of pension plans out there. I really don't want to see what's
happening in Labrador right now, in Wabush and Lab City and that area with
Cliffs; they just got out of town. The last people on the totem pole that gets
paid are the pensioners down the road and then to know that the income that you
thought that you had is gone.
It is
good to be able to do this. I look forward to all the details that the minister
will give. I'll be supporting this bill.
Thank
you.
CHAIR:
The Chair recognizes the hon.
Member for Conception Bay East – Bell Island.
My
apologies.
MR. PETTEN:
Try again.
CHAIR:
The hon. Member for
Conception Bay South.
My
apologies to the Member.
MR. PETTEN:
Thank you, Madam Chair.
It's a
pleasure to get up this afternoon and speak on Bill 12 as my colleague just
spoke. We've all genuinely spoken. It's a good thing.
We
support the continued operation of the mill in Corner Brook. As we all know,
it's the backbone of Corner Brook and the Greater Corner Brook area. It's been
around a long time. The community was built on the mill. It's always good to see
the continued prosperity of a long-standing operation like that. It's a mainstay
in the area. For that reason, we are glad to see that their pensions are
protected and it gives viability to the company and to the pensioners, Madam
Chair. There's a lot of concern out there on the street when you're a retiree,
not knowing about your pension.
As my
colleague referenced, we have the situation in Wabush where it's a really sad
situation. I have a lot of Wabush Mines pensioners that live in my own district.
As the Member for Lab West – myself and him have spoken many times. He's well
aware of that as well. They're all spread throughout the province but I do have
a lot in my district. A lot have reached out to me and, collectively, we all try
to make sure that, at the end of the day, the right thing happens through the
court process. That's a prime example of what can go wrong.
With
this new loan guarantee for the mill in Corner Brook, hopefully we don't see a
repeat of what happened in Wabush happen in Corner Brook. Like I say, I do want
to be on record as saying that we do sympathize and support the Wabush
pensioners in their plight. We're all hoping for a positive resolution whenever
the courts do rule on that because it's totally unfair to the pensioners which
this bill will hopefully give the longevity to the Corner Brook mill.
On that
note, Madam Chair, I'd like to go back to 2014. The former administration also
stepped up to the plate when Corner Brook was faced with some downturn in their
business operations and they needed help to stay operational and stay active in
the community. The former administration did step up to the plate and helped
basically get them over that hurdle at the time. It's gone a long way in their
continued operation within Corner Brook prior to this most recent agreement.
I sat
and listened to some debate over the last day or so when this Bill 12 has been
debated. I know there's a bit of back and forth and that about – the responses
made across the way at this former administration. I wasn't a Member of the
former administration in the House of Assembly as such, but I question why would
you be critical of the former administration? They stepped up; they gave a $110
million loan guarantee. They worked out an agreement that kept the mill
operational in Corner Brook which, if anything, you should be applauding for.
Every deal is done differently or people might like to see certain things in a
deal, but at the end of the day, the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper mill stayed
operational, viable and a very important part of Corner Brook. That's a good
thing.
Two or
three years later, we're standing in our places and saying to the government
opposite that we do support this loan act. We do support the continued operation
of the Corner Brook mill. There are lots of questions we asked. Our leader asked
questions yesterday. We may ask questions in coming days or in coming weeks, who
knows, as they become available because that's our role. That role in the
Opposition is to ask questions to get the facts for the people.
Governments govern, Oppositions keep government's feet to the fire, so to speak,
to get answers for the general public that can't get those answers in the timely
fashion that our elected representatives are in place to do. So on this side of
the House, all Opposition Members, that's their role.
I'm
somewhat taken aback sometimes when I hear some of the commentary and the
criticisms. I know it's part of the process, I get all that, but on situations
like this, it's not a bad thing to compliment each other. I'll throw a
compliment when I think it's warranted and I think that the same thing back
wouldn't be a bad thing either.
I heard
several times yesterday, I know the Minister of Municipal Affairs was in his
place and he was giving our leader a lecture about him and the current Premier
had to go and arrange meetings for Corner Brook Pulp and Paper in order to
assure that the $110 million loan from our former minister of Natural Resources
– they had to assist him. Is that something you would not do as an elected
Member for your area?
If any
minister across the way asked me to intervene in a corporation in my community
that they're willing to help, it would be pretty naive of me to say, no, I'm not
helping you. You'd be very thankful that government came to you, first of all,
to help a business in your community and you'd do everything in your power to
make sure that everything worked out.
Back to
that comment, that stuck with me because I'm thinking should you thank the
Opposition Members of the day that helped the former administration work out –
get the meetings for that deal? Should you thank them or shouldn't they not be
thanking the former administration for stepping up to the plate and helping
assure that $110 million loan? It's a two-way street and, yes, it's important, I
think, to highlight that because this is a good thing and that was a good thing.
Again, like I said, I wasn't a Member during the 2014 negotiations but it did
stick with me a bit when I sat back and listened. I try to listen to most debate
and that one really stuck with me.
You can
make shots all you want but that was one of the ones I was like, this is a good
thing. You would have been better off getting up and saying – and it was one
thank you, but then it was almost like, yeah, but we had to go out and save the
day. You weren't saving the day without the support of the former administration
that believed in the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper mill. It was a good thing. Say
it. There's nothing wrong with saying that. It's all right to criticize, we all
do that, but I think on this one that was a joint effort at the time to make it
work.
We're
standing in our places today on Bill 12. We support the legislation; we support
the Corner Brook mill. I guess what I don't support is some of the antics or
some of the comments back and forth because I don't get it. Maybe I look at
things in a different context than others. I don't get the criticism that comes
across the way. The former administration came to the table and helped back in
2014, and I think the current administration stepped up and helped them through
this hurdle.
With
these company towns we've seen what happened in Grand Falls with the Abitibi
mill. That was a big loss to that area and a big loss to the province.
Previously, over the years, we've seen fish plants close; we've seen the
Stephenville mill years back close. They're very vital and important industries
to all of these communities. They're the backbone of most of these communities.
I know
you can't save everything. Government can't be the be-all to everyone and
everything, but they can provide an environment. Sometimes in our economy – and
we get up and we talk about the budget issues. You've got to provide an
environment that businesses can survive. Your taxing policies, your tax base, a
lot of these things are out in our economy, as we said.
Anywhere
we can help out, I think it's incumbent upon any government to do so, regardless
of where the business is located, what district it's in, what area of the
province. These are vitally important, especially in rural Newfoundland. These
are the backbone of all of these communities.
Even out
in Corner Brook, even though Corner Brook is a city on the West Coast and it's
the hub of activity, I've been to Corner Brook many, many times, and I tell you
that mill is the centrepiece of that city. The conversation on the street –
they're mill workers, they're union workers, they're blue-collars. It's a
blue-collar city.
I have a
great deal of respect for the people of Corner Brook and the people that have
worked in that mill over the years, both current and past, because they should
be proud. It's a beautiful city and it was built on the mill. It exists today
largely in part because of the mill.
I want
to commend government for stepping up to the plate and helping their situation
in 2017, but I also think it's worthwhile to mention that in 2014, the former
administration stepped up to the plate in a big way and saved the mill as well.
On that
note, Madam Chair, I thank you for your time.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR:
The Chair recognizes the hon.
Member for Ferryland.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Thank you, Madam Chair.
It is
certainly a pleasure to rise today and speak to Bill 12, An Act to Amend the
Loan and Guarantee Act, 1957. This particular piece of legislation was debated
over the past couple of days.
My
colleague said it's a key part of the Corner Brook area in regard to the
industry and the forestry sector and what it's meant for decades. Not only for
Corner Brook but certainly for the region, as well for those that are involved
in the industry, not just Corner Brook Pulp and Paper, the mill itself, but all
of those supplementary businesses and activities, cutters, different companies
that supply pulp to the mill and what's required.
It's an
integrated industry. When you're looking at providing support to the industry,
it is to an industry, it's not just to one building from that perspective. As I
said, it's an integrated operation which goes wide and far on the West Coast,
within Corner Brook and abroad as well.
This
note looks to amend the Schedule of The
Loan and Guarantee Act. We were provided with an order-in-council which
authorized the guarantee to secure certain obligations of Corner Brook Pulp and
Paper Limited under a letter of credit up to $88 million. We've talked about
that. The order-in-council said no expiry date.
The
guarantee agreement has yet to be executed. It's not provided at this time so I
assume it will be sometime in the near future. Maybe the minister, when he
speaks later today, could just indicate that in regard to the timeline and how
this is going to transpire in regard to executing the date of the issue, when
it's provided and that sort of thing. I'm sure maybe in debate he may speak to
that.
As well,
as I said, this is to amend The
Loan and Guarantee Act pursuant to a
letter of credit of $88 million to assist, my understanding, primarily to make
the current unfunded pension plan solvent. In the last couple of days there's
been a number, $29 million, $30 million – I'm not sure what the exact number is
of that $88 million that would make that solvent of that $88 million. Which as
we know, in any industry, those that have contributed to the operations of a
facility like that, they've paid in, whether it's the pension component, whether
it's their dental, or whether it's their health plan, those types of things are
essentially crucial when people retire so they can draw that down and have those
benefits that they worked towards.
In this
particular case, this loan guarantee has no expiry date. The interest on the
letter of credit is 0.5 per cent of the amount plus standby interest of up to
0.10 per cent of the difference between the $88 million and the amount of the
letter of credit, plus the bank's prime lending rate on all amounts unpaid. So
that's the set-up for the arrangements made in regard to that security of $88
million. Obviously there's a credit taken out, it's held, there's interest
accrued on it. This would go through the interest, how it would be accrued and
how it would be paid.
As I
said before, the funding would allow the solvency valuation pension liability of
Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Limited. There was a news release by government
which basically outlined the terms or the government's thinking in regard to
moving forward with this.
Under
the terms of the proposal, Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Limited will obtain an
irrevocable letter of credit from a financial institution backed by a government
guarantee. Government will take security interest in the company's power assets
at Deer Lake and Watson's Brook. The letter of credit will be held by a trust
for the benefit of pension plan members with government and Corner Brook Pulp
and Paper representatives as co-trustees.
So it
will be held in a trust, and based on what would transpire – and my colleague,
before me spoke, talked about 2014 and how as the former administration, which I
was part of, intervened at that particular time as well and looking at the
significance of the industry, what it means to the West Coast and that whole
region certainly recognize the requirement to assist.
There
were issues in regard to infrastructure, capital costs. At that particular time,
there was an upgrade or a capital cost expenditure plan. I think it was over a
10-year period. That money at that time, or some of it, would go towards capital
costs, capital upgrades to enhance the efficiencies of the facility so the
facility could pay down its liabilities. Those liabilities could be related to
capital costs already carried out, infrastructure, machinery and as well the
whole pension.
So a
pension would be listed under one of those liabilities back in 2014, and the
expectation that they would pay that down. If I remember correctly, it was paid
down over a 10-year period. Corner Brook Pulp and Paper did make significant
payments, my understanding, in those initial years since 2014 to pay down that
pension liability and to pay down some of the costs that were associated with
that.
Corner
Brook Pulp and Paper will borrow to fully fund the pension plan. This will be
backed by government, as I said. Corner Brook Pulp and Paper, if called by the
government, will certainly have to pay it back.
If the
Government of Newfoundland has to pay the loan, the amount of loan will be
deducted from the purchase price of the power assets and water rights which were
obligated under the 2014 loan should the mill close. That's where their security
started, I guess, in 2014 was that when the loan back then of $110 million, I
believe, it was tied to the security of those two assets, those hydro-producing
–
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
CHAIR:
Order, please!
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Thank you, Madam Chair.
The
security for that initial loan in 2014 was tied to the two generating electrical
assets out there that were owned by Corner Brook Pulp and Paper. So it wasn't
done with no assets, no security. The first lien went to the Province of
Newfoundland and Labrador in relation to the amount of the loan and then how it
was tied to the two assets of Corner Brook Pulp and Paper.
The
details, as this goes forward, this needs to be ratified here in the House of
Assembly. That's why we're here to do this because this is a new guarantee. The
guarantee is based between Service Newfoundland and Labrador, which the minister
has spoken to it here in Question Period and yesterday in debate, and Corner
Brook Pulp and Paper Limited. Service Newfoundland, I guess, is the overseer or
oversight or who is one of the partners with this actual agreement under
The Loan and Guarantee Act.
There
are two pensions we're talking about here with Corner Brook Pulp and Paper: one
for unionized employees and one for non-unionized employees. There are two
different union funds here. The plans are fully funded on a going basis or a
going concern, but on a solvency valuation it's understood that it's unfunded –
I think the number is about $29 million. This means that the plan is $29 million
short if it was to wind up today. This funding here of $88 million, $29 million
of that will go into the fund today to make sure that it's solvent as of
whenever I said earlier, that government has to indicate when it will be issued,
but at that point in time that amount will go into the fund, into those two
pension plans to make them solvent.
I
mentioned in 2014 our administration issued a loan with a sustainability plan
attached to it. That was all about the challenges that the industry was facing
not only here, but certainly North America and the challenges of the industry.
That was to assist the mill out there. It saw the government at the time issue a
loan of $110 million using the assets of the corporation as collateral – and
that's what I talked about – in two generating facilities.
My
understanding to date is that $102 million has been drawn down from the loan.
The conditions of this included, as I said before, significant capital
improvements using the plan as assets, as security and as well the power
purchase agreement.
On this
$102 million, $39 million of the borrowed funds was paid into the pension plan,
is my understanding, $17 million went to capital improvements and the rest to
balance the debt, restricting operations and so forth. I think $4 million went
to capital improvements at the mill and $13 million went to capital improvements
in Deer Lake. I understand some of those improvements were related to the hydro
assets as well.
Madam
Chair, I see my time is running down. I certainly look forward to getting up
later in the debate and speaking further to Bill 12.
Thank
you very much.
CHAIR:
The Chair recognizes the hon.
Member for Fortune Bay – Cape La Hune.
MS. PERRY:
Thank you so much, Madam
Chair.
It's
certainly a pleasure to rise once again in this hon. House and speak in support
of Bill 12 here in the House that we are debating today.
As many
of my colleagues have already alluded to, this is a very, very important bill,
particularly for the pensioners of the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper mill. On this
side of the House we will be supporting the bill.
As many
of my colleagues have already discussed, it is very unfortunate that the Wabush
pensioner situation remains unresolved. We all look forward to hopefully some
type of successful resolution on that issue when we hear back from the courts in
the not-too-distant future.
There
are some questions, though, that do come to mind in regard to Bill 12, and that
is with respect to what other businesses with pension liabilities and assets are
there that government is willing to help. We do open the door, I guess, in terms
of setting a precedent. That it is something that we all have to be conscious of
here in the House of Assembly.
As well,
are there any provisions to make sure that the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper mill
only uses the letter of credit to fulfill the pension liability? Can they use
additional room in the letter of credit to borrow for other reasons? The current
liability is only $29 million if the company were to go insolvent today on the
pension plan, but the loan guarantee is for up to $88 million.
The
final question that I would have with respect to the bill is the loan guarantee
has no expiry date, so can government force the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper mill
to put funds aside to pay off pension liabilities and the letter of credit? Some
type of a schedule by which the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper mill had to pay off
the unfunded pension liability would be a nice thing to see included here in the
bill as well.
Mr.
Chair, as we're winding down in our time in the hon. House for the spring
session of this sitting, I'm going to use my remaining time that I have, because
it is a money bill which affords us the opportunity to discuss anything we wish,
matters of importance to the people of the province. I'm going to use a few
minutes today to talk about the good things in Newfoundland and Labrador. There
are some fabulous things in Newfoundland and Labrador.
I was
very pleased, as I was driving today, to hear about the White Rose Project and
the work that's going to be bringing for the people of the province. We really
do have incredible talent here in this province, we have incredible skills here
in this province and we have incredible resources in this province. It's music
to my ears when I finally hear us talking about being players in the global
stage and exuding confidence on the global stage, the confidence that we deserve
to have. We, as a people, truly do have the abilities and the resources to
continue to make this place even better than what it is today.
I, for
one, will always remain rooted in Newfoundland and Labrador. I can't imagine
myself living anywhere else. It's okay to visit but I'm quite happy living in
rural Newfoundland and Labrador actually. I see the promise each and every
single day. This weekend being home looking at the fabulous activity that's
happening in my district as a result of Muskrat Falls and the energy powerhouse
that this province is going to be, and our ability to provide that power, not
just to other places in Canada, but certainly across all of the Eastern United
States. It's real potential for us to be very, very wealthy if we play our cards
right over the next few years.
I know,
for our part here in the House of Assembly, we will certainly be keeping
government to account in ensuring that all the benefits of our resources are
reaped by the people, first and foremost, of Newfoundland and Labrador.
In
talking about the good news I have to mention once again the opportunity for a
new road connection that links the interior Southwest Coast of Newfoundland and
Labrador to the Avalon Peninsula in a meaningful way. It is something that I
will be corresponding with the Cabinet Committee on Jobs about. The communities
at large in my district, I believe, will be doing so as well.
We see
it as a real opportunity to enhance and increase tourism, to enhance and
increase agriculture. Many people probably are not aware of this but the pH
factor of the soil in the Coast of Bays region and the Bay d'Espoir area is
identical to the Codroy Valley. So the agricultural potential – we can grow the
best root crops. We even have grape trees, I will tell you; grape trees and
plums. I've eaten them on the election trail.
Agriculture opportunities abound there. As well, of course, the aquaculture
opportunities we have in growing our farmed salmon, our farmed trout, our
mussels and who knows what other species in the future. With a predicted
significant increase in the global populations, anything and everything we can
do to produce food to supply the world's peoples will certainly be an economic
advantage for us.
We also
need to become more self-sufficient in providing our own food. Food security for
ourselves is actually a major concern. As an isolated island, should anything
happen to that ferry for a long period of time, we could quickly get into
trouble with the amount of food available in this province for even our livyers.
So I truly believe agriculture and aquaculture need to grow significantly in
this province, and I truly believe the Coast of Bays is one area that has the
potential to do that.
In
speaking, as I often do, with my constituents about the road – because it's
something everyone's very keenly interested in – we are open to exploring every
option, whether it means paying a toll to operate that highway. We're willing to
look at any possible avenues that are out there to make this venture a viable
one. Of course, we'd also realize a significant savings in ferry costs by
removing a community that is now isolated, from isolation, and giving it road
access which could also save the government millions and millions every year.
We think
it's a fabulous opportunity. It's one we will continue to advocate for from the
Coast of Bays region, one we look forward to speaking with the Cabinet Committee
on Jobs about.
Of
course, as we leave this House for the summer months, there's a lot of work
ahead of us to do. I'm sure all of us look forward to getting out and about and
talking with our constituents and coming back to the House this fall with all
the matters of significant importance to the people of this province.
In
particular, this summer we'll be talking to people about what they see as
opportunities moving forward and the types of impacts that they are feeling and
continue to feel as a result of the regressive budget of 2016 which continues to
negatively impact our people. Hopefully, by this time next year, we will be able
to take more strides in terms of reversing some of those negative impacts.
With
that, I will take my seat for the day. I am truly proud of the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador and truly proud of my hon. colleagues. As we wind down
for this sitting of the House, I do wish all of you a fantastic summer.
Thank
you so much.
CHAIR (Warr):
The Chair recognizes the hon.
the Member for Ferryland.
MR. HUTCHINGS:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It's
good to get up to speak to Bill 12, a very important bill. I'm certainly looking
forward to debate and more to come no doubt on the bill.
When I
was up before I talked about some of the technical details in regard to the bill
and how the amendment to amend The Loan
and Guarantee Act is required in regard to this new agreement with
Corner Brook Pulp and Paper. Because of the 2014 agreement of the loan that I
referenced before, the $110 million, if the mill was closed the Government of
Newfoundland would purchase the assets. That was the two generating assets: Deer
Lake and Watson's Brook had a set value. That value was from 2014 onward up to
when the Maritime Link was active which, I think, would be possibly 2019 or
earlier. The evaluation or valuation of the assets would be tied to those.
I think the value started at about $150 million and would
increase to $200 million in 2019. Between $150 million and $200 million from
2014 to 2019 and the value of those two assets would continue to grow. Based on
that, if the company discontinued to operate, then that would set in place the
calculation of what that purchase price would be for the Government of
Newfoundland and Labrador. Obviously, that's an asset in and of itself but then
you've got the generating ability of that as well in terms of generating
electricity.
Using the $150 million figure, if it was $150 million, $110
million would go to pay off the loan to government,
$2 million to environmental liabilities and the balance would be equity for
Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Limited. As the value of the purchase arrangement
increased to $200 million, as I said, when it started in 2014 and go to 2019,
the balance would increase to $88 million.
This is
before the agreement, 2017, what we're discussing here. That was the set-up
prior to what we're talking about here today, the 2017 pension agreement, what I
just described there that time.
What
we're doing here today would be Bill 12 to amend
The
Loan and Guarantee Act. This is the
current situation that's going to flow from once this amendment is approved here
in the House. Because of this 2017 pension agreement, up to $88 million will be
used to pay off the guaranteed debt related to the letter of credit.
Officials with the Department of Finance, when we had a briefing, provided some
information. The maximum of $88 million was decided upon – that's $200 million,
the amount which government would purchase the assets for and give to Corner
Brook Pulp and Paper. It would work out to about $110 million to pay off the
loans to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador with $200 million for
environmental liabilities and then $88 million to pay off the credit letter,
which is part of this new agreement that we're discussing here today.
If
Corner Brook Pulp and Paper was to go bankrupt and cease to operate, the bank
would certainly call the guarantee. The Government of Newfoundland would pay
that $88 million to the bank instead of paying it to Corner Brook Pulp and Paper
Limited.
The
value of the assets may increase above $200 million beyond 2019 because, at that
time, the expectation is that the Maritime Link would be completed and would
allow power to be exported. Then based on whether it's sold in the spot market
or sold with a firm agreement, there could be variations with regard to what the
value would be.
The
credit letter would fund the pension plan and thus free up cash from Corner
Brook Pulp and Paper for other things related to infrastructure capital
investment. As we know, we said earlier in regard to the industry, there are
challenges. It's all about efficiency and trying to hit that return on
investment that allows them to obviously make a profit, employ those several
hundred folks they have at their facility and continue to improve
competitiveness and be competitive with other entities, both here nationally in
North America and certainly around the world.
This is
a very competitive market today in regard to, as we know, the use of paper and
how that's evolved over the past number of years and past decades and how it's
changed.
We were
also made aware from officials in the Department of Finance that it has – in
regard to taxpayers of the province after 2019 in regard to the purchase of $200
million which is the figure, the change is that now instead of paying the
balance to Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Limited, as what was in 2014 or prior to
this one – the change is now instead of paying that, it be paid to the lending
institution if the credit letter is called. That's a difference in regard to
what was initiated prior to, what's initiated now and what we're doing the
amendment to in 2017.
There's
also, I think, reference to possible capital upgrades and what this does to
allow free up of capital for Corner Brook Pulp and Paper, new computer systems,
payroll administration. I think there's a thermal system in regard to
enhancements. All of these updates were to save costs and, as I said, make
operations more efficient. All of those things are needed in terms of capital
improvements. I think the number for some of that was somewhere in the range of
$4 million that would be used.
In Deer
Lake, I think there's ongoing work now in regard to the penstocks in regard to
the generating facility. That's being worked on now. That's key to that asset in
terms of upgrading the asset and making sure it can do what it needs to do. I
think the cost of that was around $13 million. So that's significant in regard
to capital upgrades. That's roughly about $17 million to $20 million in regard
to those capital upgrades that would be part of what we're talking about here
today.
In the
2014 loan, the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper was not required to pay back the
capital until March 31, 2019. The loan payback schedule indicates that it was
paid back in 59 quarterly payments which is valued at about $1.85 million
starting on March 31, 2019. The last will be paid on December 31, 2033. Corner
Brook Pulp and Paper is currently paying interest on this loan. I think it was 4
per cent for the first three years of the agreement. Per the agreement, it now
becomes the provincial government cost of a 0.5 percentage point. I think
they're paying 3.8 per cent in interest this particular year.
There is
a monitoring committee which meets regulatory and reviews of Corner Brook Pulp
and Paper Limited and actively compared to the loan guarantee. A couple of
issues that have come up in Question Period and in regard to this particular
case, in regard to Wabush pensioners and the unfortunate situation we saw in
Labrador with Wabush pensioners in regard to some of the challenges they had in
regard to receivership. I know I have some pensioners in my actual district that
retired and they're all over the province.
In
regard to the scale back in their actual pension they're receiving, I think in
some cases it's almost 30 per cent. That was significant enough in regard to net
dollars because, obviously, a fixed income on a pension but some as well, the
challenges in regard to their health benefits. You can imagine as you get older
and you've paid into a program to give you a health benefit and all of a sudden
you don't have that anymore, so you have to try and re-establish or connect with
a private company to get new health benefits.
When you
look at as you get older and all of us in the demographics and what that cost
is, it's quite significant in terms of getting that cost. Having to find a
health plan later in life is certainly challenging. Some of the individuals I
know, one of the pensioners and then their spouse may be covered as well, and
all of a sudden that's not available. They've had huge challenges.
I know
there were some questions asked at the briefing with department officials, but I
think the answer was because there was already bankruptcy. Wabush had gone into
bankruptcy, thus the asset is already tied. I guess the point was that with the
two generating stations at Corner Brook Pulp and Paper there are, I guess we'll
say – excuse the pun – concrete assets there that are generating electricity.
That's well in and of itself. That would be the security and therefore that
would be the case made of why Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Limited may be a
little different. I'm not sure of the assets of Wabush Mines or what's available
or what would be a part of that, but there's been some discussion about that as
well.
Mr.
Chair, that concludes my 10 minutes. I certainly look forward to speaking again
in regard to this debate.
Thank
you very much.
CHAIR:
The Chair recognizes the
Member for Fortune Bay – Cape La Hune.
MS. PERRY:
Thank you so much, Mr. Chair.
I rise
again to speak to Bill 12 on the pensioner's issue. Like my colleague from
Ferryland, I, too, have many members living in my district who were impacted by
the closure of Wabush and are really struggling to try and figure out how to
make ends meet given that they've lost some of their pension benefits. We're all
quite anxious to see what can be done to help these individuals as well.
In terms
of the pulp and paper industry overall in Newfoundland and Labrador, I can
certainly speak to living down in the Coast of Bays Region, and Bay d'Espoir
area in particular, what it feels like to lose such an industry. It is
absolutely devastating. Even though we are two hours away from Grand Falls, when
the pulp and paper mill shut down over there, the impact was felt throughout all
of Central Newfoundland and Labrador. There were many people from several of my
communities who relied on the pulp and paper mill for their income and for their
livelihood, and several sawmills as well, all of which now have pretty much gone
to the wayside.
So we're
certainly, on this side of the House, very strongly supportive of measures to
keep the pulp and paper industry strong and vibrant in this province, in
particular the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Mill, and to try and alleviate any
concerns with respect to insolvency of their pension plan. We truly do believe
this bill will be instrumental and go a long ways in helping us get there.
Mr.
Chair, as we look around this province, many fabulous opportunities. Again,
today I want to talk a little bit more about positive things, because I do
believe that as we depart for the summer, I think we should depart on a good
note and feeling good about the potential that Newfoundland and Labrador really
and truly does have.
As
people go around this province this summer and take their vacations, I encourage
you to pop into as many of the rural communities as you possibly can. While
there, take advantage of some of the smaller restaurants and the craft stores.
There are always locally produced crafts available, pretty much, as you go
through communities. I know during the summer I always stock up on worsted socks
for the winter, because at craft sales you can manage to capture a few, and I
find they always make wonderful Christmas presents.
So I
hope that many people in this province get out and about this summer and take in
all of our wonderful attractions, be they in rural or urban Newfoundland. Taking
the time to go off the beaten path, I do believe is truly worthwhile.
With
that, Mr. Chair, I'm going to sit down and my hon. colleague is going to rise
for a few minutes.
Thank
you so much.
CHAIR:
The hon. the Member for Cape
St. Francis.
MR. K. PARSONS:
Now, Mr. Chair, you know it's
the beautiful District of Cape St. Francis.
CHAIR:
Absolutely.
MR. K. PARSONS:
Because I know you got a lot
of friends down in Cape St. Francis also.
AN HON. MEMBER:
He got no friends.
MR. K. PARSONS:
He got a few friends down my way. We are very friendly people in Cape St.
Francis.
It gives
me great privilege to get up here again and speak to Bill 12. We're going to
talk about pensions and the importance of securing pensions for people in the
province because anytime we talk about pensioners, they've earned it. They've
earned their pension.
They
worked for a long while and the pension is something that, not only is it your
wages or the benefits you get from what you do as work, no matter what it is. No
matter if it's at a place like Browning Harvey or it's at the Corner Brook Pulp
and Paper mill or if it's in Wabush, people who have pension plans – or whether
here in government, public employees. People work hard and as part of the
benefits, whether you're making $15 an hour or $20 an hour, when you have a
pension plan, that's part of the work. That's part of a negotiated agreement
that most unions have.
It's
important that when you go into negotiations, like right now with government
negotiating with our public servants, that you be fair and you respect the work
those people do. I see it here every day in Confederation Building. I see it
around the Confederation Building, and I see it in different departments how
hard our public servants work. They deserve to be treated fairly. They deserve
to be treated with respect.
When a
person negotiates any kind of an agreement, whether it's Wabush Mines like they
did with Cliffs industries, they negotiated their agreements, and no matter if
it was what they were getting paid by the hour or their health benefits or their
pension, it was all combined into one. When you're finished your work, you hope
that over the years you deserve what you get down the road.
That's
what retirees do. They work hard all their lives and they deserve to get what is
rewarded to them, whether it's on a paycheque from the week before they worked
or the week they worked, or it's on a paycheque that comes to them after they
turn 65 or when they're 70 years old. That's something they earned their whole
lives. Some people are fortunate that we do have pension plans.
Again,
like I spoke about when I was up earlier, I think I heard yesterday that there
are 316 different pension plans in the province. I think I'm correct on that.
I'd like to see any person in this province who has worked, that what they
worked for, what they've earned, no matter if it's the wage they earned or the
benefits through health care or drug plans or whatever, no different their
pension plan. At the end of the day, most workers in this province, their
pension plan – people with Old Age Security and CPP have a difficult time to get
by as it is. So if a person gets a small pension or a big pension, whatever it
is, they worked for it all their lives so they deserve to get that.
I hope
for the people in Wabush, I really do. I spoke to a couple of people from Wabush
who are on the committee. They're working hard. They're very frustrated and you
can understand their frustration. The frustration is that I worked all my life
for this. I've worked hard, I gave to the company my all and now the company has
left town and gave me a reduction. I'm the last on the list when it comes to
security, when it comes to paying off their bills. That's not fair because at
the end of the day, when you look at it, the people that kept that mine going –
and that's a hard industry.
I heard
a gentleman on the other morning talking about different cancers and stuff like
that that's related to mining and dust and stuff. That's not an industry that
you go into that is easy. It's very difficult work. You put yourself in dire
straits really, when you think about it, because the chances of catching
industrial diseases or anything like that are huge. It's probably 10 times or 20
times more than it is probably in regular type work. The mining industry is a
very difficult job, but those people worked hard for those companies. Just like
they are down in IOC, the people of Labrador are working in those mines and the
people in your area working down in Baie Verte.
The
mining industry is not an easy industry to be involved in. People deserve
protection, and probably more so when you look at what protection that a lot of
these plans give you is your health care. Down the road, if you're in a mining
industry, that industry I'm sure, if you looked at statistics and saw what the
statistics would be for mining, it probably would show you that your health
needs down the road are a whole lot more than what they are from other
industries because of what you're breathing in and the environment that you're
in all the time.
It's
very important for those people to know that I worked my life, I worked hard, I
worked in dust, I worked in conditions that probably I shouldn't have been
working in and I did it for that company. Now to see a company just, I don't
know, just up and say this mine is no longer good, but I believe the company is
very prosperous down in the United States and has different areas in the United
States where they're making lots of money. So those companies that come in here
and don't protect our workers – just forget about them. They just forgot about
the people of Wabush and the people of Lab City and say, okay, we got what we
got out of them. That's unfair and that's why I applaud government for this.
Again,
my hon. colleague for CBS talked about the agreement that we did in 2014 with
Corner Brook Pulp and Paper. That was important to do that too. My question to
the minister, I asked the minister this a little earlier, once there are other
industries, companies in this province that have pension plans – and it's
important that those pension plans too, if there's some way that we can put some
kind of legislation in place or have some equity from that company that we can
say if your company goes bankrupt or whatever, at least you're protected. I
think that's what a lot of workers are looking for, just like they're looking
for here in the public service.
I spoke
earlier about different unions. We look at the public service here in
Newfoundland and Labrador and we look at all different jobs that they do,
whether it's snow clearing, whether it's here working in the Confederation
Building, whether it's working with Service NL in different – because there are
a lot of people out there with different regulatory agencies that we have to
have in place. Those people deserve what they are entitled to and that's a
pension plan.
That's
like right now under the negotiations that are ongoing now with government.
Everybody realizes we're in a fiscal situation that sometimes you have to rein
in a few things, but you also have to respect the workers. You have to respect
the people who work for us. You have to respect the people who are working in
this province.
Just
like I talked about the dust in Wabush Mines, there are a lot of times that
you'll see people in the public service that are out working on the roads,
whether it's the snowplow operator that's out there in the middle of a snow
storm and they're putting their lives in danger. But they worked and they
negotiated a deal, whether it's their pension plan, whether it's their health
benefits, whether it's their wages that are negotiated. They deserve to be
treated with respect. That's what this is all about is treating people with
respect.
I like
this. I think it's a good thing for the people of Corner Brook. Any time that
the stress comes off individual workers is a great thing. It's great to see that
they'll know if – and let's say right here now, we hope Corner Brook Pulp and
Paper is successful for years and years to come. It's a very important industry
in our province.
I always
look at my years in Millertown. I've been going back and forth moose hunting now
for almost 30 years. Abitibi was in Central Newfoundland at the time. It's not
only the work they do in the mill, but they put all these roads in and opened up
everything in Central Newfoundland. Now, today we see all kinds of mines; see
all kinds of people into prospecting and stuff like this.
So not
only do they do work in the forestry industry, but they also open up our
province. That's what the pulp and paper industry does because they have to
build roads. We have a great resource in this province and that's our forestry.
This is something that could be (inaudible).
Anyway,
Mr. Chair, thank you for the time.
CHAIR:
The Chair recognizes the hon.
the Member for Conception Bay South.
MR. PETTEN:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It's
good to get up to speak again on Bill 12. When I spoke the last time, I focused
most of my attention on the importance of the mill, what it means to the economy
in the City of Corner Brook, what it means to the province and current and
former workers. Like I said before, it is the backbone of that community.
One
issue with this mill – we talked about the mill and we talked about workers – is
the spinoff effects. There are so many parts of the economy that are driven by a
mill town like Corner Brook is. It's the economic engine for that city. Whether
it be taxis, your grocery stores, your clothing stores, your convenient stores,
your coffee shops, it is the economic driver.
I guess
it was one of the more – Grand Falls, when Abitibi was in operation, I remember
well that I was travelling through there and I happened to have to stay there; I
was on previous work. We had spent a couple days in Grand Falls and it was
during a strike at the mill. I remember going around. Grand Falls is normally a
pretty active, vibrant town. It's actually a beautiful town, but I remember
going out and about and there was very little activity.
I know
my colleague, the Minister of Transportation and Works, the Member for the area,
could agree with me on this, the economic activity was slowed to a crawl.
Everything was slow moving. Not really understanding, and at the time I didn't
realize, I should have probably, but I didn't realize that the mill strike was
actually – I had forgotten the mill was on strike. A colleague with me,
actually, from Grand Falls pointed out – we were down actually visiting the
striking workers that night. He pointed out that once the mill stops, the
economy stops. He said it just goes hand in hand. Shutdowns at the mills are not
such a drastic impact but the shutdown periods had an impact. That's how much
that drove the economy of the day.
Thankfully, Grand Falls has rebounded. They survived, which is great to see and
I wish them well. In Corner Brook the same thing applies. When you look at those
economies the spinoff – and I think that's something that we don't talk about a
lot. We talk directly and we've talked a lot about the mill workers in general,
the pensioners, the mill, what it does to the economy, but it's the spinoff
effects of businesses of this sort that really drive the economy in those
regions.
I won't
go back to what I had mentioned earlier but the point of some of the back and
forth I heard last night about what the former administration did, it's almost
actually – it appeared to be somewhat critical which I couldn't understand. In
my opinion – and I far from know all there is to know, but I've been around long
enough to know that certain things make sense – governments should provide a
climate for economies, provide a climate for optimism for businesses to grow and
flourish within our economies.
As we've
said in this House repeatedly, we're on record many, many times of the taxation
that's been applied upon everyone in this province, business included that is no
doubt slowing the economy. Regardless of what party in power, what party makes
decisions, when you help big industry and you help support the local economies,
which is, like I said, already stated, it's a big economic driver. I guess I'll
flip it over into another form: Isn't that what governments should do? No matter
who's in power, isn't that the role of government to provide that economic
climate?
When any
business or any group is in trouble, isn't that what government should do? Isn't
that what we expect, as citizens of the province, all Newfoundlanders and
Labradorians expect their government when all else fails to come to the rescue?
Like I
said before, we can't be the be-all, end-all, but I think it's a very important
role for government to play, whether it be the pulp and paper mill, whether it
be the fish plants, whether it be any business or any area, especially I'll
state rural Newfoundland. In the Northeast Avalon area, it's still a pretty
active business-based area. Fortunately enough, a great portion of the
population live here and it's driving our economy provincially.
Any time
government can step to the plate and help areas like this, it's a good thing.
It's probably, if at all possible, what we need to do, what government should
do; but, in saying that, I guess it's a slippery slope too. Government need to
protect their – this is public money. On the case of the 2014 deal and now the
2017 deal, there are sureties in place with the power assets that the Corner
Brook Pulp and Paper have, which will be a fallback for these agreements. That's
good. There's a lien in place in every loan that's ever given by a bank.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
CHAIR:
Order, please!
MR. PETTEN:
It's important that
government do that. That's all important.
Obviously, the mill in Corner Brook is putting a lot on the line to get this
help. We do wish it works out, but the point I'm trying to reinforce is that we
shouldn't criticize to score political points on matters of this nature. I think
that's one area where we should all collectively put that aside and look at the
bigger picture and what's accomplished.
Whether
it's the Corner Brook mill – there are lots of other decisions we make sometimes
that you can play that game with but certain times I think it's a time to put
that aside and work together to find a better solution. One example – this is a
smaller example obviously, but we show working together and getting good
results. I was a Member of the All-party Committee on Mental Health and
Addictions. That actually worked. We are not talking economics or the economy;
we're talking about individuals. Mental illness and drug addiction is one of the
biggest social issues facing our province today.
There
was a committee formed, everyone put their political stripes, so-called, by the
door and we sat down and everyone came together for the betterment of the
province, for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. The cause we were there to fight
for, we all come together and we stood together, regardless of our own
individual beliefs or whatnot, and we provided a report that's good for the
people of the province.
It's no
different than supporting each other on a bailout of a business to help the
Corner Brook mill with their pension plan, to help the citizens of Corner Brook,
whether it's the citizens of Bay de Verde with their fish plant, whatever we can
do as a government, I think it's very important that we do it.
Not only
are you helping the economy but you're helping people. I say this, and I can't
say it enough, this is all about people. We say it sometimes and people say it's
a cliché, but it's not. It's about people. Each and every one of the 40 Members
in this House were elected by people in our respective ridings. People expect us
to have their backs, people expect us to speak up for them, to help them with
their issues, to be their voice. When we sit in this Legislature and speak in
this Legislature, it's for the betterment of the Province of Newfoundland and
Labrador. It's what we all should aspire to do. There are times that we're going
to disagree – most times we disagree, but there are times probably we should
agree and in situations like this we do.
As I'm
wrapping up, Mr. Chair, my closing remark would be just that – I'll say it again
– I was somewhat bothered, for want of a better word. It irritated me, I guess,
is even a more fitting word, that I sensed responses coming back all yesterday
about the 2014 deal was like we did something wrong. Instead, the bigger thing
to do would have been to applaud what happened in 2014, as we're applauding
2017. We need questions answered. Certain questions were incumbent of asking,
but I don't think we're doing anything wrong. We're doing our jobs to ask those
questions. I'll repeat it again, and I'll say it again for what it's worth, we'd
like to have answers to the details that were not really clear yet.
Overall,
it's a good thing and I think the government opposite should recognize what this
former administration did was a good thing.
Thank
you very much, Mr. Chair.
CHAIR:
The hon. the Minister of
Municipal Affairs and Environment.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JOYCE:
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'm just
going to say a few words. I thank the Member for his comments and his statement.
Just on the 2014 deal, I agree with it 100 per cent. I was even actually part of
it to help because I was a liaison with the unions to help bring it in because I
thought it would save – I just want to clarify something, Mr. Chair.
There
was a bit of a – and I guess it was my fault. I'll take responsibility on the
confusion last night when I was with the Leader of the Opposition. They did put
$39.6 million into the pension plan. When I was speaking, I was talking about
bringing it up to the solvency part. So the previous government did bring $39.6
million. When I said there was no money put in, I was saying put in to bringing
up the solvency. I just wanted to clarify that. I apologize to the Leader of the
Opposition because someone mentioned today that it was an error. I was thinking
about solvency. You were thinking you did put money in.
I say to
the Leader of the Opposition that I did say that last night. I just want to
recognize that the Leader of the Opposition said that last night. I put it in
there that they did put $39.6 million in the pension plan. No, no, any time I
stand up – what I was saying last night, Mr. Chair, was did they bring it up to
solvency, as I read in Hansard. So,
no, it wasn't up to solvency, but the $39.6 million was put in by the previous
government, the pension plan.
I just
wanted to make that and I want that on the record before I leave the House of
Assembly today. That's one of the reasons why I wanted to stand here today.
AN HON. MEMBER:
In closing.
MR. JOYCE:
And in closing. No, no, I
just wanted to clarify that because I know the Leader of the Opposition stood
last night in his place because of the misunderstanding and said the information
I said was factually incorrect. When I did say about not going into the pension
plan, I meant bring it up to solvency, but he was correct when he said that
there was money put in. I just wanted to make sure that's on the record before I
leave the House in this session because, Mr. Chair, I have no problem – I always
said the 2014 deal was a good deal. It helped the mill. What we did on the 2014
deal, we just built on that deal, Mr. Chair. That's what we did. I just wanted
to recognize that.
Everybody in the House is supporting this. Gerald Parsons, Wayne Rose and a lot
of other people who worked out with this here, I know the unions at the mill
also, they were very supportive and worked with this. I have to say Corner Brook
Pulp and Paper, when this initiative came up back probably last March, April,
they were very supportive on this to help move the mill forward and help them
for the pensioners.
Just for
the record, I just wanted to put this out there, Mr. Chair, Corner Brook Pulp
and Paper and Kruger in general, don't close plants. I'm not sure if they closed
the plant and they stuck people with their pensions. I just have to put that on
the record. I know sometimes they find hard times and they do drive a hard
bargain, they're business people, but they supplied a lot of work, a lot of
labour, not just to Corner Brook, the Bay of Islands and the area, but it's all
for the forest industry in the province. This is the catalyst for all the forest
industry in the province.
Mr.
Chair, there are a lot of people that worked hard on this. I know myself and the
Premier met with the boys from the pensioners, before the election in 2015. I
know I started the ball rolling when I took over Service NL and I know the
Minister of Service NL took it and brought it across the finish line in the last
four or five months. I know the Minister of Finance got involved with it, Mr.
Chair, to bring it all forward. I know Paul Humber and the unions at the mill
worked with us over the last year or so to bring this in.
This is
the type of deal – I heard some Members talking about it. This deal that we just
struck will not cost the province one cent; won't cost the province one cent.
This is the good thing about this. This is money that would have come to Corner
Brook Pulp and Paper if it ever closes, when it ever closes, that goes back into
the pension plan. That was a commitment they made.
I'm just
glad everybody is going to support this deal. I saw Gerald Parsons' piece in the
paper today. Gerald is very pleased. Like Gerald said, yes, anybody can pick
holes in anything, but this is a good deal. I don't think anybody is picking
holes in it. I'm sure they're asking questions. I have no problem with that
whatsoever, anybody asking any type of questions because we should. I know when
I was in Opposition, we asked questions and that's just a part of it.
If you
had to see the look on their faces and the chat from the pensioners on Sunday,
you could see why people are so happy. Now there's a bit of security. It's
something we could do with the existing deal from 2014 that we built on. Once we
built on that deal, Mr. Chair, it's not costing the taxpayers of the province
any money whatsoever.
I have
to give Corner Brook Pulp and Paper – I know when I met with David Angel going
back to February 2016, we had very frank discussions. They realized then that we
had to collectively – unions included – find a way to get through this, and we
did. We did.
Mr.
Chair, when you reach a deal like this that's going to benefit everybody in the
Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, you have to be proud. You have to be
proud of the people in government, proud of the Opposition who originally got
the 2014 deal in place. I say to the Premier of the province who's sitting here,
we were a part of that, too. That's why we were so supportive of that 2014 deal,
and we built on that.
To all
the pensioners, to all the current workers, this is going to free up a lot of
cash that they could put in the mill now to keep this mill going for years to
come. This is a part of it. This is not just about protecting pensioners, the
500 or 600; this is about the people coming behind them. A lot of the pensioners
on Sunday mentioned how they had sons and daughters working at the mill. They
want to keep this running also, Mr. Chair. They want to keep this mill moving.
I look
forward to the vote, and I thank everybody for supporting this. This is the kind
of move that people expect from the Legislature, expect from all sides, Mr.
Chair, about bringing stuff good for the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
I know
the Member for Lab West spoke very well and very eloquently last night up in
Wabush. We wish we had some way that there was an asset there that we can tap
into also. I know that was a tough one for all of us. We had to fly up three
days later and wind up the pension plan.
We will
be working with the people in Lab West; we will be working with the people in
Wabush to try to find something for that area. I know the Member for Lab West
won't let us forget. I just have to recognize the work that he's doing for Lab
West. I know the tough role he has with the pensioners up in his area, a lot of
family and friends from him in that area also, Mr. Chair. We will work
diligently to see what we can do for Wabush and that area because it is an
important part of Newfoundland and Labrador also.
In
closing, I just want to thank everybody that had a hand in this. I started from
the pensioners; I started from all the unions in the mill, the Corner Brook Pulp
and Paper, all the Members on this side and the Premier. I know the Minister of
Service NL, the Member for Happy Valley-Goose Bay, the Minister of Finance dug
into it. When you look at a – and effort by all these people, this government
and the Opposition – I have to recognize them because they're going to support
this also. I recognize this. This is a good day for all of Corner Brook,
Newfoundland and Western.
I say
again what I said earlier about my comments last night. I just stand and had to
correct that, Mr. Chair, because we were talking to two different issues. I'm
sure we understand that, and I apologize again for that but it was – no, it was
when we talk about the solvency.
There's
one thing I'll always say, if I make a mistake or if I make a statement that's
incorrect, I have no problem standing up. We were talking about two different
things. When I sat down someone mentioned what you were talking about. You were
right. I was talking about the solvency part. I was right, but what you said,
you guys put money in, you did put $39.6 million in in 2014. I just want to
recognize that as the contribution.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR (Dempster):
The hon. the Member for
Topsail – Paradise.
MR. P. DAVIS:
What a way to come to a
closing of a debate. I want to thank the minister for his comments.
I kind
of chuckle when he gets up, because he always gets up and say: I'm just going to
use a minute of my time because I only have one thing to say, and he never
leaves a second on the clock, Madam Chair. He never leaves a second on the
clock.
Today he
used all of his time because at the beginning he apologized and when he got down
to about 20 seconds left he apologized again. So I thank the minister for his
commentary. It is an important issue.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. P. DAVIS:
I won't tell him how I felt
about him last night, but the –
MR. A. PARSONS:
(Inaudible) heard that.
MR. P. DAVIS:
No, you didn't hear it all.
It is an
important bill. I mentioned yesterday that I had the privilege of living in
Corner Brook a number of years ago. I lived there by choice, and chased someone
to Corner Brook and enjoyed my time while I was out there and we came back
together. It was a good time out there and we have a lot of friends in Corner
Brook. I fully understand and respect how important and significant the mill
operation is. Not only just in Corner Brook, but the entire West Coast of the
Island.
I'm not
a big hunter in any way, but over my five years in Corner Brook I did spend some
time in the woods with friends and so on and got a better understanding and
grasp – as you travel through the wooded areas of the West Coast you'll
understand how important the mill is and how important the resources are on the
West Coast to be utilized in the best interests of the economy, Corner Brook and
the people that live there.
Our
efforts in 2014, Madam Chair, were very honourable and very genuine. Ensuring
that, first, the mill didn't shut down and that steps could be taken to make the
pension plan whole, to make it solvent, because at the time it certainly wasn't
that. The mill was at great risk in 2014.
I see
what the government has done today by providing a loan guarantee to a letter of
credit that will be provided by a financial institution as an addition to that
2014 deal. That adds to the value and benefit of not only the mill, but people
on the West Coast and the entire province. Because the loss of that mill would
be significant to all of Newfoundland and Labrador, not just the people of
Corner Brook, not just the people of Western Newfoundland, but the entire
province as well.
So I'm
going to finish my comments. I'm not going to use all my time, but I thank the
minister again for his commentary this afternoon. I think it has been a
productive debate.
Thank
you, Madam Chair.
CHAIR:
The hon. the Minister of
Service NL.
MR. TRIMPER:
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I'd like
to thank all the colleagues in the House. It's been an interesting discussion. I
must say, it's interesting for myself, as a relatively new politician, to hear
about the 2014 deal, the co-operation that occurred on there, the intensions at
the time and then now to transform ourselves to this point in time.
What I
wanted to do was just respond to some of the questions that have been raised, in
particular by the Member for Topsail – Paradise and for St. John's East – Quidi
Vidi.
So in no
particular order, first of all, I'd like to talk a little bit about – we've had
a little bit of confusion around the numbers. The numbers that we're talking
about – first of all, as I mentioned yesterday, there are two aspects in a
pension plan. There's a going concern, which in both cases and for both of the
plans here, is more than flush with cash. We are actually in a surplus mode, so
everything is fine there.
The
issue is around the solvency. So what happens if the company suddenly ceases
operations and everybody is sort of out on the street, what happens to all those
pensioners? Are there enough assets existing in those plans to cover all that
people would expect from those pension plans? That's where we have the deficit.
Just so
I can help clarify the numbers – and I had to do some digging to figure out what
it was because I heard a number yesterday of $29 million. Well, what we have are
estimates and assessments. What I've been speaking to, when I rose yesterday, is
an assessment done by an actuary based on December 31, 2016. So that number is
actually some $39 million.
I heard
the number $29 million. The $29 million number, I believe, is based on a current
estimate of the current situation. I believe that was presented in the technical
briefing. So I hear and I think I understand now why those numbers are moving
around a little bit. Suffice it to say that when you finally get the actuaries
involved and they look at all those calculations, you can get a better handle.
The
other thing that's interesting to note is how much this does fluctuate.
Regardless whether it's $29 million or $39 million, we do have deficits. Given
the challenging situation that the mill is in, it's important to have this
arrangement in place, and I'm very pleased to see that it is there.
Just for
the sake of calculation, what we are dealing with is some $39 million, based on
the assessment that was done in December, with a $25 million amount that
represents the arrears that Corner Brook Pulp and Paper has not been making to
keep these things solvent.
The next
I would like to do, and that's toward the Member for St. John's East – Quidi
Vidi – no, before I go there, there's been some allusion that perhaps what we've
done here can be useful for every other pension plan in the province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
CHAIR:
Order, please!
MR. TRIMPER:
Well, in fact, the precedent
and the idea of co-operating between government, those managing the plans and
the corporation at play, absolutely, that's a great opportunity; however, the
unique feature here was that there were assets that had been secured through an
arrangement back in 2014 that allowed this to happen. So you've got to have a
lot of things in alignment and that's what arose.
I do
have prepared answers to the questions that I could leave with the Members of
both parties, if you'd like, or I can read from them. I'm just sort of looking
for head nods. I could perhaps paraphrase. I'll paraphrase.
One was
on the role and composition of the oversight committee. It's important to
understand that this is not an oversight committee around the irrevocable letter
of credit; this is an oversight committee that's around the loan, the $110
million that was set aside by government back in 2014.
As I
said the other day – but I'll just grab a couple of points here and you can go
through in detail – it is going to be chaired by the Deputy Minister of
Fisheries and Land Resources and includes representation from Finance, Service
NL and the Assistant Deputy Minister of Forestry and wildlife. Also, there's a
representative of Nalcor that sits on that.
That
oversight committee is also supported by a technical committee, this
reconstituting. So it's everything around how that money is being spent and how
those payments will be made when they start, as the Member indicated a few
minutes ago, March 31, 2019.
In terms
of timing and when is the oversight committee going to get started: this Friday.
They have their first meeting this Friday. They are going to be discussing the
roles, responsibilities and reporting relationships of both the oversight
committee and the technical committee. I can't give you the details now but as
the Member asked yesterday can we at least provide the assurance that these
kinds of things will be looked at, the answer is yes. We've put that on the
terms of reference for this meeting this Friday.
The next
question that came up yesterday – I hope I don't run out of time – was around
the composition of the trust and whether or not there could be, for example,
pensioners representation on the trust. I'm just going to read a legal opinion
that we used when we were preparing this.
Essentially the way the trust works is two trustees: there's one from the
company and there's one from my department and it's the Assistant Deputy
Minister of Regulatory Affairs. Those would be the two trustees. The beauty of
the way the deal is set up is that the government representative will have the
authority to override. If in the event of a disagreement, government will
control how this will proceed. If in the event the company shuts down and we
need to access that irrevocable letter of credit, government will have control.
I want
to read the point: The trust concept was proposed by legal counsel for
government by McInnes Cooper. It gives added protection to the pension plans in
the event that Corner Brook Pulp and Paper files for bankruptcy protection or
creditor protection.
It also
provides for an intermediary vehicle separate from pension plans for depositing
proceeds from the letter of credit to avoid a situation where excess funds are
paid to the plans, resulting in a proposed arrangement being offside with a
permissible pension contribution rules under the
Income Tax Act. That's what guided us in terms of setting it up. So
you can't have third parties come in there and act as trustees; the legal
obligation is between government and the company.
What I
can assure the Member opposite is that we will set up an appropriate monitoring
structure and we are certainly more than willing to respond to any kinds of
inquiries from the leadership of the two pension plans to report back to them as
often as they like and in the manner that they like. I hope that helps in some
way with your concern.
The
evaluation methodology, as indicated by those who were around in 2014, there is
a rising value of the power assets. Currently, it's fixed at $150 million. That
will go up and so on. But, most importantly, people were wondering how we
evaluate the price of those assets when the Maritime Link comes on. This is a
future present value calculation. What you do is you project what your earnings
are going to be over the next 30 years, you discount them back to a present
situation, and that's the number that you're going to come up with when you're
comparing with what government has said is the minimum value. I got a little bit
of detail in this answer here that I'll provide those Members and it can help
with that.
The
final point that I heard about was in the idea of what happens if the mill
closes before the Maritime Link comes on; I think that was your final point. I
see an affirmative. It's interesting, and we've accessed this before, during
Dark – I like to call it NF because it was only dark here; it wasn't dark in
Labrador, but DarkNL as it became known. Actually, those assets were used to
funnel additional electricity into the grid. That capability exists now and is
actually happening now. So the markets are there. In fact, it's a very lucrative
one because they can actually make quite a bit of money when they feed it back
in the grid, and it's less expensive than what we pay at Holyrood.
There
are some answers I have written – I can provide those to both parties and so on.
I did want to end with a couple of points. As the Minister of Municipal Affairs
and Environment and my colleague for Humber –St. George's – I always forget it.
AN HON. MEMBER:
St. George's – Humber.
MR. TRIMPER:
St. George's – Humber, thank
you. I am trying to avoid his name. We had the pleasure of meeting with the
folks last week on Sunday. I want to make three key points, just to read into
the record. One was it was extremely impressive the sophistication and knowledge
of the leaders of those two plans. They knew what they were talking about. They
were very concerned about what they're dealing with. I was very impressed. I had
been well briefed to go in there, but I must say, that was quite a marathon
going through them and the questions. They know what they're doing.
I was
also equally appreciative of the concern they have for the ongoing operation of
the mill. There are a lot of folks that are certainly not in retirement stage, a
lot of people employed at that site and there was equal concern for both the
pensioners and the active workers.
Frankly,
and finally, I just want to say it was also remarkable before, during and after
the meetings to hear from so many people who expressed concern for my
colleague's point of view, the Wabush pensioners and their support across the
province for other workers who have not been as fortunate to have an arrangement
like this.
Thank
you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
CHAIR:
Shall the resolution carry?
AN HON. MEMBER:
(Inaudible.)
CHAIR:
Is the hon. Member speaking
to the motion?
AN HON. MEMBER:
No.
CHAIR:
Okay.
Shall
the resolution carry?
All
those in favour?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against?
Carried.
On
motion, resolution carried.
CLERK:
Clause 1.
CHAIR:
Shall clause 1 carry?
All
those in favour?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against?
Carried.
On
motion, clause 1 carried.
CLERK:
Be it enacted by the
Lieutenant Governor and House of Assembly in Legislative Session convened, as
follows.
CHAIR:
Shall the enacting clause
carry?
All
those in favour?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against?
Carried.
On
motion, enacting clause carried.
CLERK:
An Act To Amend The Loan And
Guarantee Act, 1957.
CHAIR:
Shall the title carry?
All
those in favour?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against?
Carried.
On
motion, title carried.
CHAIR:
Shall I report Bill 12
carried without amendment?
All
those in favour?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against?
Carried.
Motion,
that the Committee report having passed the resolution and a bill consequent
thereto, carried.
CHAIR:
The hon. the Deputy House
Leader.
MS. COADY:
Madam Chair, I move the
Committee rise and report the resolution and Bill 12.
CHAIR:
The motion is that the
Committee rise and report the resolution and Bill 12 carried without amendment.
Is it
the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
All
those in favour?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
CHAIR:
All those against?
Carried.
On
motion, that the Committee rise, report progress and ask leave to sit again, Mr.
Speaker returned to the Chair.
MR. SPEAKER (Osborne):
The hon. Deputy Speaker.
MS. DEMPSTER:
Mr. Speaker, the Committee of
Ways and Means have considered the matters to them referred and have directed me
to report that they have adopted a certain resolution and recommend that a bill
be introduced to give effect to the same.
MR. SPEAKER:
The Chair of the Committee
reports that the Committee have considered the matters to them referred and have
directed her to report a certain resolution.
When
shall the report be received?
MS. COADY:
Now.
MR. SPEAKER:
Now.
On
motion, report received and adopted.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Deputy
Government House Leader.
MS. COADY:
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded
by the Member for Placentia West – Bellevue that the resolution be now read a
first time.
MR. SPEAKER:
The motion is that the
resolution be now read a first time.
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
CLERK:
Be it resolved by the House
of Assembly in Legislative Session convened, as follows:
“That it
is expedient to bring in a measure further to amend
The Loan and Guarantee Act, 1957, to provide for the advance of
loans to and the guarantee of the repayment of bonds or debentures issued by or
loans advanced to certain corporations.”
On
motion, resolution read a first time.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Deputy
Government House Leader.
MS. COADY:
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded
by the Minister of Service NL, that the resolution be now read a second time.
MR. SPEAKER:
It is moved and seconded that
the resolution be now read a second time.
Is it
the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
CLERK:
Be it resolved by the House
of Assembly in Legislative Session convened, as follows:
“That it
is expedient to bring in a measure further to amend
The Loan and Guarantee Act, 1957, to provide for the advance of
loans to and the guarantee of the repayment of bonds or debentures issued by or
loans advanced to certain corporations.”
On
motion, resolution read a second time.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Deputy
Government House Leader.
MS. COADY:
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded
by the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board, for leave to
introduce a bill entitled – relating to the advancing or guaranteeing of certain
loans made under The Loan and Guarantee
Act, 1957, Bill 12, and I further move that the said bill be now read a
first time.
I'll
correct the name of the bill, An Act To Amend The Loan and Guarantee Act, 1957.
Thank
you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
It is
moved and seconded by the hon. Deputy Government House Leader that Bill 12 be
now read a first time.
Is it
the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
Motion,
the hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board to introduce a
bill, “An Act To Amend The Loan and Guarantee Act, 1957,” carried. (Bill 12)
CLERK:
A bill, An Act To Amend The
Loan and Guarantee Act, 1957. (Bill 12)
On
motion, Bill 12 read a first time.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Deputy
Government House Leader.
MS. COADY:
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded
by the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board, that Bill 12 be now
read a second time.
MR. SPEAKER:
It is moved and seconded that
Bill 12 be now read a second time.
Is it
the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
CLERK:
A bill, An Act To Amend The
Loan And Guarantee Act, 1957. (Bill 12)
On
motion, Bill 12 read a second time.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Deputy
Government House Leader.
MS. COADY:
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded
by the Minister of Service NL, that Bill 12 be now read a third time.
MR. SPEAKER:
It is moved and seconded that
Bill 12 be now read a third time.
Is it
the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
Carried.
CLERK:
A bill, An Act To Amend The
Loan And Guarantee Act, 1957. (Bill 12)
MR. SPEAKER:
Bill 12 has now been read a
third time and it is ordered that the bill do pass and its title be as on the
Order Paper.
On
motion, a bill, “An Act To Amend The Loan And Guarantee Act, 1957,” read a third
time, ordered passed and its title be as on the Order Paper. (Bill 12)
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
I
believe it's come to that time in the spring session that we're about to recess
for the summer. So I am going to call on Members of the Legislature. I ask the
Premier if he would like to make a few remarks, followed by the Leader of the
Opposition and the House Leader of the Third Party.
The hon.
the Premier.
PREMIER BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yes,
it's been – obviously, this session of the House of Assembly and on a late day
in May and the direction coming to actually finish up this session. Certainly
it's been a good robust session with lots of good, healthy debate. I want to
thank you for the leadership in your Chair, sometimes from tempering some of
that debate. I know it's been challenging from time to time.
On this
side of the House, of course, we went through our second budget and certainly
pleased to be able to offer a much better budget for the progress that's been
made within the province this year. Much of that work and the direction comes
from the support we have from our government caucus. I want to thank all my
colleagues on this side of the House for the work they've done in supporting us
in getting through the session.
Also,
for the Leader of the Opposition; I sat in that chair for quite some time and I
understand the roles that the Leader of the Opposition, of course, and his
caucus would play in making sure the questions are asked. We do the best job we
can in getting that information back to the people of the province, either
through Question Period or through other means.
To the
leader of the Third Party, someone who's been a veteran in that seat, has been
there for some time, I appreciate the role that she plays in a lot of ways
making sure that the social element – we should never forget no matter when we
make decisions, there is a social lens that we need to look at and make sure we
do the best job we can in providing the services for the people of our province.
Also to
our Independent Member who's actually been part of much of the debate and his
participation in the debate within this province, sometimes it got into some
late session and so on, doing his job as well of weighing in and making his
opinions known on certain issues that's important to him.
So I
thank everyone for their commitment during this session. We all recognize, as
elected officials in this House, that we are here for one reason and we should
never lose sight of this. We are here elected for the people we serve, people
who are back in our districts who are watching us and realizing the
responsibility on us in this Legislature is important to them. It impacts their
lives. It's important to us that we should never forget that.
Also to
the people, the Table Officers – I mentioned the Speaker and sometimes the
challenging role the Speaker would sit in but also to the members who support
the Speaker, our Table Officers and our Pages. All those people who sit through
hours and hours and watch us as elected officials stand in debate in this House.
You're there making sure that the information is in front of us, making sure
that you have us properly fueled up with good, cold drinking water from time to
time. I would say, when you look at the spirit of some of the debate, a little
dose of cold water is certainly welcomed at some point. We appreciate the work
that you do.
Also for
the people who sit often quietly in the back of this Legislature and support us
and somewhat there to protect us, as they say: the Sergeant-at-Arms, the
Commissionaires, the security and the RNC officers who are available to each and
every one of us throughout the Confederation Building.
The
world is a much different place, Mr. Speaker, as we've seen just recently. We
should never take the security and our safety for granted. It's important for us
to always remember there are people in uniform, whether here in this
Confederation Building, in this Legislature, or other parts of the world,
protecting democracy in action. So we should never, ever forget that.
The
group of people who are not widely known to individuals around the province yet,
these are the people who get the information. They report the proceedings in
this House of Assembly. These are people in Hansard, people from our Broadcast
staff. They do a tremendous job. I often get calls from people in my own
district as they watched one of our Cabinet Members, one of our caucus Members
or people in the Opposition – they watch us closely, as they should. We should
never forget that behind the scenes there is someone actually producing that
information for people in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Of
course, our friends in the media, they do their job as well. Our staff at the
Legislative Library, who actually help individuals and some of our caucus as we
go look for some of the historical information that is critically important to
us. Our House Leaders – and, today, of course, it's a day to celebrate for the
House Leader for the government; this is actually his birthday, as we mentioned
prior to when the session opened today. But our House Leaders, our Deputy House
Leader, our House Leader on the government side, but also those House Leaders
and Deputy House Leaders in the Opposition as well, so thank you for the work
that you do making sure that we actually get through all the information that we
put through. The legislation that goes through this House of Assembly requires a
co-operation from our House Leaders and we really appreciate the professionalism
that occurs in people that sit in those chairs.
Mr.
Speaker, you would never get legislation through a legislature without having
people in your caucuses making and keeping you accountable, keeping you in your
chairs. Of course these are the people that have been known through the
Legislature, those people with Whips. Now they're not necessarily Whips. In some
cases, they use BlackBerries. In some cases, they send out notes. These are the
Whips that we have within the Legislature, making sure that our Members are in
their seats, attentive to the debate that's occurring in the House of Assembly,
making sure that they are there for the necessary votes and so on.
To all
the staff that we have in our departments that put in place the necessary
briefing sessions, that would help the Opposition and get the information out to
people that want to have their input into legislation.
Mr.
Speaker, this June 11 to 17 will be Public Service Week. We should never forget
that behind all of us and supporting the people in this province we have a great
public sector workforce that's delivering some very valuable services, whether
it's people in health care, if it's people in our educators. Throughout
Newfoundland and Labrador, I would say that in every single community there's a
public sector worker involved and attached to the services that are critical to
the people in our province. So we'll be celebrating and proud to do so with our
public sector week in just a few days. They are the people who really are the
backbone and makes government successful.
All of
us too, as we spend a lot of time in this Legislature, supported by family and
friends back in our districts – for many people that actually represent rural
districts, in some cases, you're away from your friends and family for a long,
long time. They're there, in some cases, doing the work on our behalf in some of
those districts, so we thank them for their continued support.
Looking
forward to the summer, a busy summer it will be for government as we get around
the province, and I'm sure for Members of the Opposition, they'll be doing the
same thing as well. Because it's important for all of us – it helps us be
grounded, I would say. We sometimes forget that in this fishbowl of a
Legislature that we spend a lot of time, there are people in our communities
that are looking to actually have a good, meaningful discussion with us. I'm
really looking forward to this summer in getting around Newfoundland and
Labrador, anticipating a very strong tourism season as we continue to promote
the province in the way that we all do as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians,
making sure that we spread the word to everyone around the world how great a
place this is to come to visit but, more importantly, for anyone looking for a
safe and secure place to live.
I wish
everyone good health and safe travels. But before I conclude my remarks, I've
been in this Legislature now I think it's probably going on nearly seven years,
when you total it all up. There has been a consistent face that's been in this
Legislature and it has been mentioned already that face that we've come to know.
This is Lorna Proudfoot that I'm talking about, who sits at that table just a
few feet from where we often stand and sit.
Lorna is
leaving us and I just want to be on the public record of especially thanking
Lorna for the work that she's done and I certainly wish her a very happy and a
very healthy retirement. We wish her all the best. It's deserving and I really
appreciate the work that she's done. Someone that would not be widely
recognized, I'm sure, by people of our province, but I can assure you the work
that she's done has been impactful to people in our province. So to Lorna and
her family, I wish her all the best in her retirement.
Mr.
Speaker, I will conclude my remarks, I look forward to being back here in the
fall. I wish everyone a very great summer and wish you all the best in our
travels and bring us all back safely in the fall of this year.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of the
Opposition.
MR. P. DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'll
follow up on the last point the Premier made. He talked about officials and
staff here in the House of Assembly. He also talked just a moment ago about Ms.
Proudfoot leaving. I'm going to tell you a funny story about her. She doesn't
know the story, but I'm going to tell you the funny story about her. You don't
know the story – you don't.
As all
of here in the House can see, Lorna Proudfoot sits here as counsel for the House
of Assembly in a chair that's directly in front of me, facing directly at me.
When I first took a position here in the Opposition chair I was a few days
trying to figure out: Why is she staring at me? She sits and she staring, but
then one day I looked at her, kind of nodded and looked, she didn't respond, but
she's not looking at me. I think she's looking at a spot on the wall or the
pictures behind me or something, but for the first few days I was wondering why
is she staring, but she's just listening and taking it all in and focused on her
job.
Ms.
Proudfoot has been in this House and done a great job I know, for you, Mr.
Speaker, for Members of the House and past as well. Just a few minutes ago, the
last bit of debate that happened in her last day in the House, she had to run to
the Deputy House Leader and provide her assistance to make she got done properly
what was supposed to be done. We all saw that happen, but I think it was very
fitting and appropriate that you'd have to jump out of your seat and come to the
rescue of a Member of the House, as you've done probably hundreds of times
before.
Congratulations to you. We wish you, sincerely, all the very, very best in your
retirement and in your future. That's going to leave two of your colleagues here
at the Table, and I'm sure they'll miss you as well. Even though the three of
you sit there for hours, but you never seem to have much conversation with
other. You don't talk to each other. You just continue sit there.
I don't
know, it's certainly not a place for a politician to sit. To sit in the House
for hours and not have anything to say or heckle or comment or anything, but you
certainly do that. I know that you're an important part of what happens here in
the House and to the Speaker as well.
To the
Clerk, I ask you to pass along to your staff, to all of your staff in the House
of Assembly, those who work in your offices in behind here and upstairs, those
in the Broadcast Centre and people who do work in Hansard.
Hansard is probably the longest standing formal record of what
happens in a Legislature. They work every single day behind the scenes to create
and form those records.
The
Premier mentioned as well some of the security and Commissionaires, the
Sergeant-at-Arms who sits quietly here every day as well. The RNC who are –
there are always RNC at the House or outside the House or within the precinct of
the House when the House is open, and for all the work they do. They're all
greatly appreciated. Our Pages do a great job as well.
I know
one of them had her mom in the gallery today, which I'm sure was a proud day and
a nice day for her as well. She seemed a little stressed and tense earlier when
you mentioned that she had her parents here, but I think it all it went well.
I'm sure it's a proud moment for their families to have a chance to come to the
House while their family member here is working in an honourable and historic
House.
Mr.
Speaker, we come here and do the work that we do every day, supported by a cast
of political staff who work in the backroom who essentially go unseen by the
general public and unheard from by the general public, but they certainly are a
great support to us. There's a combination of political staff. They're not
public servants in the traditional sense of public servants. They're not public
servants, they're not seen to be, but they are political staff who work with us
in the political work they do. I offer my thanks and appreciation to all of them
for all parties and for the independent Member as well because we're only able
to do what we do because they're in the background doing the work that they do
as well.
I want
to offer my thanks and appreciation to all public servants in the province. We
all should be very, very proud of the public service that Newfoundland and
Labrador has and the work that they do. I know from my years, I worked in the
public service for many years, in a large way separated from the general public
service. We were somewhat different or separated from the public service having
worked in policing in my lifetime, but I knew public servants and they were
there to support the work that we did back in those days.
When I
got elected in 2010, I can tell you I grew a brand new respect and greater
respect and understanding of the public service. I've been known in the past to
come here sometimes pretty early in the morning and sometimes leave pretty late
at night, I don't know if I can ever remember a time that there wasn't somebody
here before me and somebody here after I went home. That's not isolated and it's
not just unique to here in the Confederation Building, I know it happens in
other offices around the province as well.
I want
to express my appreciation to them and thank them for the work that they do for
the people of Newfoundland and Labrador and also to speak to the respect that we
have for the public service in our province.
Mr.
Speaker, the role of a politician and a career path of a politician is very
different from, I think, any other career path that someone could follow. No
matter if you sit in the Opposition or if you sit on government side or where
you sit, when you go back to your districts, there's a role and responsibility
that we all take very seriously. For me, I get great satisfaction and enjoyment
out of doing my work in my district, but we also, all of us here, in some level,
have family who are impacted by the work that we do.
I think
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the family and people that are closest to each
and every one of us, that support us, allow us to do the work that we do every
day. Sometimes for some Members from especially rural areas of the province who
sometimes will leave home on a Sunday and not be seen for three weeks until they
drive back. Some people have long travel. Northern Labrador has a significant
amount of travel to get back and forth and some geographic areas on the Island
is a long drive to get to, but also for us in here in the urban area or greater
Northeast Avalon area, and closer to home, you still have to rely, and we rely
heavily on the people around us and our families. So I offer my sincere thanks
and appreciation for the patience and support that my family and the people who
are closest to me give me and I'm sure I share that for all Members of the
House.
When we
go back and spend – we get the chance now when the House closes to spend more
time in our districts, and the people of the province like to offer their
opinion, and I like to welcome it. As long as it's done respectfully and done in
good taste and so on, even though we may disagree. I look forward to those
opportunities over the next few months, as I will use some of my time to travel
throughout the province and meet people that I haven't met before or see people
I've met in the past as well.
That's
really what is sometimes the best indicator to us as politicians in the
direction that all of us – government, Opposition and so on – should like to see
the province take. So I look forward to those opportunities. Some people call it
the barbecue circuit and the community events circuit, but they're
opportunities. The reason why we go to those is because they are the greatest
opportunities to speak to the largest number of people at venues and different
areas in the province.
I know
the Premier and I and other ministers and MHAs, we've criss-crossed and crossed
paths as we've gone to those events in the past. But I encourage people to – if
they see me in a coffee shop and you want to come and sit down, come join me and
have a chat. I look forward to those opportunities around the province.
To all
Members of the House of Assembly, I hope you all stay healthy and safe
throughout the summer. Continue to do the work that we've been elected to do and
while we may disagree, we can sometimes walk away on days like this and thank
each other for the way we've conducted ourselves, wish each other the very best
and look forward to see each other when we get back into the matches and the
fire of the House of Assembly back in the fall again.
So,
again, thank you, Mr. Speaker, thank you to all Members of the House of
Assembly. I wish you all happy and healthy and safe travels throughout the
summer.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for St.
John's East – Quidi Vidi.
MS. MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I am
pleased to stand this afternoon. The Premier's comment got me into doing some
mathematics. This is my 31st time standing at the end of a session. So maybe I
should take out the first time I spoke and read that, nobody will remember.
Maybe the Speaker might because he may have been the only one who was here. So
my 31st time and it's the same but never the same. I think that's what we have
to recognize. It's the same but never the same.
We come
here understanding who we are as politicians. We are people who've been elected
by people to represent them here in this House. We also represent the parties
that we are part of, and we all know, we might have different perspectives, and
we do have different perspectives on various things. But I think the one thing,
and I've said this before and I can say it again because I believe it, the one
thing that is the same for all of us is that we really do know that we have to
be accountable to the people who elected us and that we are here representing
them. Even though we might have different ways of thinking of how we do that,
different ways of expressing it, at the same time I think all of us have the
same goals and we do have the good of the people at heart.
We have
differences; we all know that. But I think we've shown – and I deliberately said
I want to do something positive when I stand this afternoon. So what are the
ways in which we've shown that we can work together? Because there are sometimes
one can say looking at us, can they work together? But we've done some good
things together. For example, the All-Party Committee on Mental Health, the
report was done. The report came out during this session of the House. We had a
wonderful session or event where the report was presented.
We know
that the minister has an advisory committee that will be working with him in
moving forward the recommendations of that report. That report is a symbol of
our ability to work together and I think it's something that we need to build
on; we need to look to and say yeah, we can do that.
What
else have we shown that we agree on things? The private Member's motion on pay
equity, we all stood here and spoke to that and made a commitment to women and
others in the province because pay equity relates more than just on a gender
basis. We voted, as a House, together on that. There are other private Members'
motions that we voted together on as well, but I think that was a fairly
significant one.
How else
have we shown that we can work together? Well, he's not here, but I want to
mention the Government House Leader because I think he really gave us leadership
on the Standing Orders Committee. Even though we're closing a couple of days
earlier than our schedule says – it says June 1 and we're closing today. For the
most part, the whole thing of coming out with a calendar, the new schedule of
working on Wednesday mornings – it was used some decades ago, but for us it was
new – I think that definitely did lessen the number of nights that we sat here
in the House, which is important in terms of having family-friendly schedules
for us.
So we've
done things that show we can work together. I think that's the message to us
here today that I want to say to all of us: Let's remember those times and let's
build on the ways in which we work together. The Standing Orders Committee had a
meeting today. We will be having one in July, so we're not going to stop
working. I'll leave it to the Chair to say the next things that we will be
dealing, but by the time we finish our work, we want to deal with all the
important pieces of the Standing Orders. So we're not giving up our work. I
trust the way in which we work, the unanimity, the way in which we worked
through things – because we didn't agree on everything in the beginning, but we
worked through them – that that will continue.
So let's
remember the ways in which we do work together, because sometimes we can only
look or concentrate on the ways in which we don't. We have the place for that
here in the House and we do our debates and we point out the ways in which we
disagree – and that's our job, and we all know that. Sometimes Opposition gets
criticized, but Opposition has a role to play, just like government has a role
has a role to play, and we do that. But we work together at the same time.
So I say
all that just as a reminder to us. It's a tremendous responsibility and a
tremendous experience to stand in this House and to be part of the House of
Assembly. We should all carry that, respect it. Respect it and respect what it
means for us to be here.
As we go
off into the summer, like the Opposition House Leader just said and the Premier
said as well, we'll have a summer of meeting our constituents, of getting more
time with our constituents. Because especially during the spring session, it's
really hard because of the budget and we have to have the Estimates meetings,
and 14-hour days aren't pleasant. Now obviously, with only two Members of our
caucus, we're covering all of the Committees. So yeah, we had a number of
14-hour days; meetings in the morning, the afternoon, then meetings at night.
But we made it through and we will continue to do that. So it is a heavy time,
the spring session, but we did it and we do it all the time, and we will
continue to do it.
We don't
do it alone, so I just want to go into the thank-yous, because the thank-yous
are important. Maybe we'll say, well I don't need to repeat them all over again,
but I think we need to and I shall, because we don't do it alone. This building
in particular is filled with people who shore up government, who make sure good
government happens, that the administration of government happens, and the
general public, as has been indicated by the Premier and the Opposition House
Leader, don't see those people. The general public doesn't see the people in our
offices, for example, the caucus offices. They don't see the people in Hansard
who are making sure that every word we say is absolutely correctly reported for
history. They don't see the people in the Broadcast Centre who make sure that
the public gets to see us and hear us as we debate here in the House of
Assembly.
They may
every now and again see a Page running around the floor; they know you're there.
We know you're there. I thank you for keeping my water glass filled all the time
by the way, without ice, which makes a little bit of extra touch that they take
care of.
The
general public sees the Sergeant-at-Arms; they don't know the way in which he
keeps the temperature in the place going well for us. Yesterday it's really cold
here. He fixes it. They don't see that. They see the formal piece; we see the
personal piece. The Commissionaires, who are here all the time – I have to go to
my list to make sure I don't forget anybody – the security as well is extremely
important.
Of
course the people in the Legislative Library, what would we do without them in
our research? They're amazing. They're absolutely amazing whether it's as MHAs
doing research, the researchers in our caucus offices or the work of our
committees. So for example, Standing Orders, we're looking at things that happen
across Canada in the different jurisdictions. All we have to say to the staff of
the House of Assembly is: Can you do a jurisdictional search? They'll get all
that information of how do other jurisdictions across the country do their
calendars, for example. They do that work for us.
We have
our Table Officers. The Table Officers, I think it's very significant they sit
in the middle of us because they are at the heart of what we do, both the Clerk,
the Clerk's Assistant, the Law Clerk and the people behind them because there's
another whole load of people behind them who do the work as well.
That
leads me, of course, straight to Lorna. We're going to miss you, Lorna
Proudfoot. You've been an amazing person in your role as Law Clerk. Some people
will laugh or we'll all laugh when I say this: How could we have done
filibusters without Lorna? I don't know how. Getting the language correct for
amendments, for motions, she just knew that stuff inside out. It's not an easy
job and there's nobody to replace her. This is the thing. If we're here for
hours and hours, like in filibusters, there's no other Lorna; there's no
assistant to the Law Clerk. So I don't think she got very much sleep at those
times. We thought we didn't; she got less. We will always remember that. We're
going to miss you sitting at that table and I do wish you all the best, to you
and your family.
With
that, Mr. Speaker, I think I have said enough, but I do want to wish my
colleagues all the best for this summer. We will, I'm sure, bump into each
other.
Just a
personal note; I didn't bump into many people last summer because I couldn't,
but I'm looking forward to another summer now as an MHA who is in good health
and able to take on this summer enjoying my constituency, my constituents and
everything that goes on.
Best
wishes to everybody.
Thank
you to you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
I thank the party leaders for
your comments. I wanted to thank the individuals that make my job a little bit
easier as well. The Commissionaires, the Sergeant-at-Arms, the RNC, and the
sessional security as well that help make sure our Legislature operates and the
Members of the Legislature are safe, because it is a different world.
Our
Pages help make sure that the House runs efficiently. The Table Officers,
Broadcast, Hansard, the Legislative Library and the numbers of individuals up in
the House of Assembly service, I wanted to thank all of them for making my job
easier and ensuring the functioning of the House of Assembly.
A thank
you as well to all Members of the House of Assembly. We have 40 individuals in
the House, 40 different personalities, different caucuses with different
viewpoints. It's not often easy to be able to keep order and decorum because of
different views on different issues but you've done well. It's a different
Legislature now then it was two or three years ago. We do have a much greater
level of order and decorum, and that wouldn't happen without the co-operation of
Members of the Legislature as well.
I
remember when I sat as an independent a number of years ago, and about to break
for summer break saying that – any of you that are old enough to remember the
Road Runner program, it's like the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, you're at
each other when the clock is on but when you punch out on the clock we're all
people with families and we have our lives and people get along.
The
Members of the Legislature, while it looks like very heated debate inside the
Legislature, generally outside the Legislature everybody gets along. That's
something that's often overlooked by the general public, the fact that we are
people with families and not just here fighting while the Legislature is open.
I wanted
to wish everybody a safe and happy summer session, or summer holiday. I know
your work doesn't stop. Members are very busy even during the summer. Enjoy your
work, enjoy your constituencies, and we'll see you in the Legislature again in
November.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Deputy
Government House Leader.
MS. COADY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
On that
very positive note, I move, seconded by the Member for Torngat Mountains, that
we adjourn to the call of the Chair.
Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
The motion is that we adjourn
to the call of the Chair.
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
This
House stands adjourned to the Call of the Chair.
On motion, the House adjourned to the Call of the Chair.