October 28, 2026 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS Vol. LI No. 42
Please be advised that this is a PARTIALLY EDITED portion of the House of Assembly sitting for Question Period on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. The edited Hansard will be posted when it becomes available.
The entire audio/visual record of the House proceedings is available online within one hour of the House rising for the day. This can be accessed at: https://www.assembly.nl.ca/HouseBusiness/Webcast/archive.aspx
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: Thank you, Speaker.
The Premier has just confirmed that he will not bring the final 50-year agreements on Churchill Falls back to the House until after they’re signed and finalized. This is an insult to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
The debate last month was about a single non-binding framework. They are negotiating now with a brand new negotiator apparently; 17 new agreements that are binding for 50 years.
Does the Premier not understand Newfoundlanders and Labradorians should see these agreements before they are signed off on by the Premier for 50 years?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: Speaker, what we have said we are going to do is to make sure that the binding agreements reflect what was voted on here in the House of Assembly, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. We’re going to bring them back to the House of Assembly.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: We’re going to turn around and make sure the technical briefings are done and make sure that there’s a special debate around it.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: The Premier needs better legal advice, because once they are finalized and signed, there is absolutely no reason to come back here because they won’t be able to be changed.
During the election, the Premier promised he would not sign any Churchill Falls without a referendum. He broke that promise. He said he would bring the final agreements back to the House and now he is refusing to do that until it is too late and they are signed and our future has been sold to Quebec.
How can the public possibly trust anything this Premier says when they can't trust the process, they can't trust him on the biggest decision in the history of Newfoundland and Labrador?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: We need to bring the final agreements back. I made sure that what we have negotiated, what we have voted on in this House of Assembly, that agreement will be held up by those definitive agreements. They will make sure those definitive agreements outline exactly what has been voted on in the House of Assembly.
Let me remind the Member opposite almost a year ago he stood out there and asked the people of Newfoundland and Labrador to vote for less. He asked them to vote for less power, less transmission, less value and less jobs. Today, in the House of Assembly –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: In the House of Assembly he voted yes to less and no to more.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: What I told Newfoundlanders and Labradorians is I wanted a mandate to negotiate a deal that I could bring to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. This Premier promised a referendum and didn’t do it. Now he’s trying to shove a deal down the throats without them seeing it.
Again, we’ve heard so many flip-flops from the PCs about all kinds of things, including Churchill Falls, but now there's another one. The Deputy Premier said this week that they don’t announce when someone leaves a negotiating team, but today they announced that Barry Perry is leaving the negotiating team. That’s the one thing they can announce but they want to hide why Mr. Coffey left.
So can the Premier explain why this is different today and, again, why we get a different story from the Deputy Premier and a different story from the Premier?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: Speaker, for clarification for everyone, Mr. Perry has not left the team.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: No, he will be leaving the team. So they actually saw fit to announce in advance that he will be leaving the team but, of course, they don’t tell us that Bern Coffey has left the team.
The Premier confirmed today that the same three oversight panellists who he hand-picked will remain as well.
For such a consequential 50-year deal, why won't the Premier agree to an oversight panel selected by parties of this House instead of hand-picking them from his own office?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: Speaker, what we have agreed to is exactly what I said before the previous House closed. The three members of the oversight committee agreed to stay on. We are now getting recommendations from the chair of the Public Utilities Board, which was asked to bring forward recommendations for others to joining that oversight committee.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: Speaker, while the Premier and his ministers continue to tell the House that there’s nothing to see here with regard to Mr. Coffey, we know they’re saying that because in fact there’s lots to see here. The more questions we ask, the more questions we continue to get, partly because the Premier and his ministers have different versions of the same events.
So I will ask the Premier for clarification: Was Mr. Coffey’s work concluded pursuant to the mandate, or did Mr. Coffey terminate his contract? I look forward to the answer from the Premier.
SPEAKER: The hon. the Deputy Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
B. PETTEN: Speaker, here we go again. Day three of trying to create a narrative. They’re all over the place.
Mr. Coffey was asked to come in as an advisor to the negotiating committee to review the IRC report, to formalize a negotiating strategy. He done his work and he done a great job. When he was pretty much finalized, he decided he wanted to move on. He issued a letter.
You can play semantics with the words in the letter or email. He moved on. We wish him well. We thank him for his service. Now we’re moving to the next stage, the definitive agreements.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
B. PETTEN: We thank Mr. Coffey for his work and we look forward to seeing definitive agreements coming back to the House of Assembly at the end of this year, early in the new year, for final sign-off and implementation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
The next person who speaks when it’s not their time to speak is going to lose their speaking privileges for the day, I guarantee it.
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: I appreciate the Premier has clarified to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians that the agreements will come back after they’re signed. The Deputy Premier says they will come back to the House for sign-off. The reason there’s a narrative being created is because the Premier and the Deputy Premier can’t get on the same page with anything.
Speaker, I ask the Premier: Why is he saying work was concluded – the Deputy Premier just said it was mostly concluded – even when the clerk stated in her email reply to Mr. Coffey that she acknowledged, and I quote, notice of termination. If something is terminated it is not completed. Can the Deputy Premier try and clarify that?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Deputy Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
B. PETTEN: Speaker, I said the definitive agreements will come back to the House. The sign-off will happen and they’ll come back to the House as we’ve committed. There’s no playing with words. Every word we say, the Leader of the Opposition tries to jump on it.
But Mr. Coffey concluded his work with government. He moved on. We were his client. He’s moved on to other clients. We’ve moved on as well and we wish him well. End of story. Nothing more to say about it.
It’s a narrative they’re trying to generate. They’re going on day three. I said yes, that this could go on for weeks, but we’ve got four or five weeks. So we’re looking forward to it.
Thank you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: It amazes me the Deputy Premier says they’re just relying on the words that we say in the House of Assembly. Yeah, you’re darn right we are. There are questions and we expect the answers and the words to matter. Maybe you need to get better legal advice than the fact that words do matter, Deputy Premier.
SPEAKER: Please address the Chair.
J. HOGAN: More clarification is needed.
Speaker, I ask the Premier: How did he know that Mr. Coffey’s work was concluded given that he never spoke with Mr. Coffey? Who was the conduit that received the information that Mr. Coffey’s work was, as he says, completed, and told the Premier?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: Speaker, again play on words. Mr. Coffey concluded his work. That was his choice to conclude not mine. He concluded his work.
Let me tell you for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador who are watching this, here we are in day three and we’re focused on Mr. Coffey when we ought to be focused on better health care, lower taxes and safer communities.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: That’s what should be the (inaudible) questions about.
I’m sure the Members opposite have real questions about those topics and we’d love to hear them and be able to address them, not simply stand here because the former Leader of the Opposition voted yes to less and no to more.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: Again, we’re getting different answers and so now Mr. Coffey determined that his work was concluded but the Premier said that it wasn’t his decision the work that was concluded.
Was the Premier satisfied that the work was concluded or not or did Mr. Coffey walk away and terminate his contract?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: Mr. Speaker, the email was clear: Mr. Coffey has moved on. We’ve moved on. We congratulate him, thank him for all the work he’s done and we look forward to continuing to deliver for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
That’s what we’re talking about here, Speaker. We’re talking about a new and better deal for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. We’re talking about a deal that delivers more power, more transmission, more value and more jobs. That’s exactly what we’re going to continue to talk about and deliver for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: He said something that I actually agree with, the email was clear. The problem is the Premier is not clear, the Energy Minister is not clear and the Deputy Premier is not clear. The Deputy Premier said that when Mr. Coffey left, and I quote, everyone was aware of it.
Can the Premier answer: Who is everyone, because it wasn’t the public, it wasn’t the media, it wasn’t Members in the House of Assembly who tried to debate it with all the information at their fingertips that now we know we didn’t have. If everyone is just the PC Cabinet, why did the Premier hide it from Newfoundlanders and Labradorians?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Energy and Mines.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
L. PARROTT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I can be very clear on the fact that I know where I won’t be getting my legal advice from, from the Member across the way.
Mr. Speaker, he sits in here and he talks about the integrity of people, because Mr. Coffey left. While he was the premier, Michael Wilson left. When Michael Wilson left he kept it completely silent. As a matter of fact, he brought back to Cabinet and appointed another Member and kept that silent.
Until Michael Wilson’s resignation letters got slipped out into the public, did he say one word about it? He pretended he knew nothing about it and now he’s going out on this line. It’s absolutely ridiculous that he expects people to hold a different standard than he held as premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: Speaker, yesterday the Deputy Premier acknowledged he’d either spoken with or received information directly from Mr. Coffey about why Mr. Coffey left his role.
My question is: Did the Deputy Premier have this direct conversation with Mr. Coffey?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Deputy Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
B. PETTEN: No.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: If he didn’t talk to Mr. Coffey, who did he get the information from that Mr. Coffey, in his words, had bigger and other files to deal with?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER WAKEHAM: Thank you.
Speaker, let’s talk about what’s important to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. Let’s talk about what exactly we’ve done in the first year of government: secure the historic new Churchill Falls deal, advance Bay du Nord, secured an $8-billion commitment for 5 Wing Goose Bay, put money back in people’s pockets, delivered record investments of $5.4 million in health care, tackled the housing challenge head-on, expanded access to child care, addressed the labour shortage by attracting skilled workers, made communities safer, restored 24-hour snow clearing, helped families lower their energy costs, modernized government services, drove economic diversification, delivered stronger supports for seniors, persons with disabilities, caregivers and vulnerable populations and we’re just getting started.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: Thank you, Speaker.
The Deputy Premier tried to get up so I’ll give him an opportunity. If the Deputy Premier didn’t talk directly to Mr. Coffey, who did he get the information from that, according to him, Mr. Coffey had bigger and other files to deal with.
SPEAKER: The hon. the Deputy Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
B. PETTEN: Speaker, the former premier of this province should know there are more people in this government than the Deputy Premier; there are thousands of people in this government. Bern Coffey can talk to whoever he wants to. He’s had lots of conversations, regardless of if they were with me or to anyone else. We know he’s talking; everyone is speaking to him. It’s not a big issue. It’s solicitor-client privilege. We were his client, like any other client he deals with and he’s moved on.
The former premier should know better than what he’s at here. He’s going down rabbit holes and he should be worried about the province and what we’re talking about, safer communities, better health care, lower taxes, more jobs and affordability measures that they will not talk about because they can’t defend. They didn’t do it, we did and we’re proud of it. The people of the province are lucky we’re there.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: I’m more worried about the province than any day that I’ve been alive since I’ve been around here, I can tell you that right now.
Just like health care, education issues across Newfoundland and Labrador are getting worse under this PC government. The NLTA says classroom complexity is increasing, while teachers are losing adequate supports, and that the government’s response to the crisis in Happy Valley-Goose Bay is a band-aid solution.
Why is the minister relying on temporary fixes instead of addressing the underlying problem?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
P. DINN: Thank you, Speaker.
As everyone knows, I was up in Labrador this past week speaking with all schools up there in Lab West and Happy Valley-Goose Bay. I said it the other day in speaking to the teachers at Peacock elementary, in particular, their statement, and I quote, over the last decade we’ve been neglected and disrespected.
I wasn’t there in the last decade, but I also said I’m going to try and fix that for them. They messed it up in 10 years; I can’t fix it up in 11 months.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: The minister is missing the point that they’re asking him how he’s going to fix it.
The NLTA says inadequate staffing, increasing classroom complexity and student safety concerns are taking a toll on educators and students.
The minister has been in charge for over a year: Why are teachers waiting for meaningful action?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
P. DINN: The Member opposite mentioned safety. What we’re doing now: 100 ADEs in the schools have been replaced, we’ve increased the naloxone kits in the schools, we’ve put additional funding in for Commit to Kids, we’re updating the Safe and Caring Schools Policy, we’re continuing to work with the School Safety Collation and we’re creating a school safety division – it’s never been done in the province before – that will focus on safety in our schools.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: Speaker, these challenges extend beyond Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Lab West, Coastal Labrador and rural Newfoundland according to the NLTA.
Does the minister have a plan to address the systemic problems across the province or will the minister continue to react with band-aid solutions one school and one problem at a time?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
P. DINN: Thank you, Speaker.
We’re working on a daily basis with the stakeholders here. We meet on a regular basis with the NLTA; in fact, we met with them on the 7th of this month, less than a week after the incident in Peacock elementary. We’re continuing to work with them.
Our last meeting was talking about coming up with real solutions, working together on those solutions. They can’t be solved by one department or one stakeholder. We know that the community plays into what happens in the schools.
This is a bigger picture than the previous government thought, but we’re going to work to fix it.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: Thank you, Speaker.
You’re going to work to fix it. The minister needs to provide Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and parents and students and teachers and everyone who works in the school system and the education system with his plan, rather than saying he’s going to continue to work on it. They don’t want solutions in the future, they want a plan now.
I think the minister said earlier this week he has a plan. Simply put: Will the minister table this grand plan for the House of Assembly to see?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
P. DINN: Thank you, Speaker.
When you’re dealing with the schools and there are complex needs out there in the community in the schools, yes, you do need a plan. One of the first things I’ve done when I came to the department, when I was assigned, I looked at the previous plan. There was no plan. There was no plan. So we have start from round one to work on this.
I’ve been there. I’ve been delayed getting in my position, so I’m not quite here as long as the rest of you. But I’m going to continue to work on creating a plan that’s going to work for long-term measures in our schools.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
J. HOGAN: Yes, I remember June of 2025, when our former government put $44 million and 400 additional educational resources into the system.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
J. HOGAN: The NLTA said now that education is at the bottom of the government’s priority list. That is a shocking and disturbing statement. The education of our children, the future of our province, is the last on this government’s mind.
So I ask the minister: Why is this the case and why isn’t your department relevant at the Cabinet table?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
P. DINN: Thank you, Speaker.
I’d ask the Member to table the document where it’s the last on the list. I’d like to see what he is talking about there, because I can tell you it is not last on the list. It’s a top priority for this government.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
P. DINN: When you talk about safe and caring communities, schools are primary to that. That’s why we are taking these efforts making safer schools. We’re going to continue to do that. We are going to continue to work in creating a safe and caring environment for our students as well as our teachers.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Gander.
J. PARSONS: Speaker, the overcapacity issues –
SPEAKER: Corner Brook, sorry.
J. PARSONS: That’s right.
SPEAKER: I was at the right church, wrong pew.
J. PARSONS: That’s right.
Speaker, the overcapacity issues at Western Memorial Regional Hospital have grown over the past year, sometimes reaching over 125 per cent.
This is due to lack of beds, lack of home supports, lack of long-term care beds and lack of hospitalists, that’s the physicians who are responsible for admitted patients. There are stretchers in many curious places and there is a large makeshift ward that people are describing as something you’d see on M*A*S*H and surgeries are being cancelled.
Can the Minister of Health please tell me what the department is doing to alleviate these concerns?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
J. WALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Member opposite for the question.
It wasn’t too long back, just a few weeks ago, that we were in Corner Brook for announcing 45 long-term care beds. We announced the expansion of Humberwood that’s going to provide extra beds for mental health and addictions.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
J. WALL: I’m very proud to do that, Mr. Speaker.
We were in consultation with doctors and nurses on the front lines and speaking with pharmacists who are moving into the area.
Mr. Speaker, this government is doing a lot for health care. We realize there are many challenges. We realize that but I can certainly tell you we are doing what we can, working with whom we can, to have better health care for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Corner Brook.
J. PARSONS: Speaker, I thank the minister for that.
The 45 beds are certainly welcome but remember, of course, 45 new beds were opened just a year ago and yet this overcapacity problem has only increased. These new beds won’t be ready for some time and long-term care beds are certainly part of the puzzle, but evidently not the only part.
What measures are being taken to address the other contributing factors to this overcapacity problem that’s taxing human resources, delaying care and contributing to the negative outcomes for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
J. WALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Member opposite for the question, it is an important one.
We have to realize the work that’s involved in order to make change and it does take time. We are working with all the stakeholders, Mr. Speaker. Those who are on the front lines, the unions who are involved and, of course, the physicians, the nurses, all those in health care. It does take time. We are working on the varied solutions, especially for Corner Brook. It takes time.
I ask the Member opposite just to bear with us. No doubt we are on the same page of what we want within our hospitals, especially in Corner Brook. We have made improvements. We are having those conversations and we will make an impact on health care, especially in the Corner Brook area.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John’s West.
K. WHITE: Mr. Speaker, six months ago NL Housing CEO Mike Tizzard said a trap house report hotline was being established.
Can the Minister of Housing please confirm whether this hotline is currently operational and if not, when will it be and why is it taking so long?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Social Supports and Well-Being, Minister of Housing.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
C. TIBBS: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
As promised that hotline will be up and running. We’re still going through some agreements there, but like I say, Newfoundland and Labrador Housing, I just want to thank the staff there. They do some great work.
We have a lot of vulnerable people in this province, Mr. Speaker, but like I always say we can only be judged as a society by how we treat our most vulnerable. We’re going to make sure that hotline is in place and any other supports that the people of this province need.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John’s West.
K. WHITE: Mr. Speaker, this is a health and safety issue. Tenants have a right to know that their homes are safe, they’re clean and free from hazardous drug residue and other potentially harmful substances.
What protocols does NL Housing have in place to ensure properties are professionally inspected and decontaminated before tenants move in?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Social Supports and Well-Being, and Housing.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
C. TIBBS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Underneath this government, this Premier has committed to restoring and repairing more Newfoundland and Labrador Housing units than we’ve ever seen before. We’ve already repaired 266 homes over the past six months.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
C. TIBBS: That’s a record number, Mr. Speaker, and we’re on track for about 350 for the year. We’re going to keep continuing to repair homes and get people –
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
C. TIBBS: – into homes as they need them. We know the vulnerabilities that are out there and we’re going to ensure that Newfoundland and Labrador Housing staff and units are there to help those that are most vulnerable.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burgeo - La Poile.
M. KING: Speaker, Route 480, or commonly known as the Burgeo Highway, has been a serious concern for residents and visitors for months, with a slow pace and unacceptable response to addressing the concerns.
On October 6, I wrote the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure to request a meeting on behalf of the working committee established to address the issues, including four communities along the Southwest Coast, even in Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune. We’ve received no response to date.
So I ask the minister: Will he commit today to meeting with this working committee so we can come up with a proper solution to finally address the ongoing concerns with Route 480?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
B. PETTEN: Thank you, Speaker.
The hon. Member opposite should know I’ve responded to many letters to residents in his community on this road. We’ve been very open. My ADM and officials have talked to them. I met with the Member opposite. I gave him a one-on-one meeting with all our officials and we talked about it.
Bottom line is he wants that road paved. They all want that road paved and I get it. I really do get it. As part of the roads program, we do assessments every year. The roads program will be coming out again in the new year. We haven’t even got together. The officials are gathering that information. We’ll get to that then.
If he wants to meet with me and our officials, we’ll arrange something in the time being. He only sent the letter, he said two or three weeks ago. I haven’t seen that yet, but it will make its way up and when we get time, we’ll do it. I have no problem meeting. But this all takes time –
SPEAKER: Order, please!
The hon. minister’s time has expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.
J. DINN: Thank you, Speaker.
Speaker, during the election, the PCs promised 10,000 affordable new homes over five years, roughly 2,000 homes per year. They’re now over a year into their mandate.
I ask the Premier: How many of these new homes has government built? Not housing initiatives started by the previous administration, but new ones they have started and completed themselves.
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Social Supports and Well-Being, and Housing.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
C. TIBBS: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Yes, we have committed to it. It’s a lofty commitment, but we need to start somewhere, Mr. Speaker. We recognize the housing crisis that’s here in the province, right across the province, including Labrador, and this government is committed to making that commitment of building 10,000 new homes. We’re hoping to get there.
It’s a floating number. We have homes going up right across this province. We just had some down Pleasantville. There are some going up in Grand Falls-Windsor. We’re going to have some going up in Corner Brook. We want to make sure that people have homes to call their home, to raise their families in, start traditions and to make memories.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.
J. DINN: It’s a problem that needs to be solved.
The lack of affordable housing and homelessness affect all districts and crosses all party lines.
I ask the Minister of Housing: Will he immediately strike an all-party committee, including independent MHAs, to develop and implement solutions to the housing and homelessness crisis facing Newfoundland and Labrador?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Social Supports and Well-Being, and Housing.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
C. TIBBS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
This government listens to everybody who speaks, including the Members from across the way. If any suggestions or anybody wants to have a meeting with myself or anybody from Newfoundland and Labrador Housing, we’re more than happy to meet with them, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
SPEAKER: Order, please!
C. TIBBS: But I will say this, we hope to get some more respect from the NDP, from the party across the way, than they’ve shown Newfoundland and Labrador Housing people in the past.
We’ve had some disrespect shown to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador Housing, the people that do the work on the ground. I’m fed up with it, Mr. Speaker. If they want to truly work with this party, they’re going to show the people that work for me the respect that they deserve.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.
J. DINN: I think the minister should be careful of his words, because he knows bloody well what the issue is here.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
J. DINN: It’s not in Newfoundland and Labrador Housing; it has to do with this government itself.
So we just gave the minister a solution, which is an all-party committee. That’s how you can hear from us.
Speaker, a person in receipt of a Canada Housing Benefit has three months to find a place to live or he or she loses the benefit and has to wait a year to reapply. When he or she does, that person is placed at the bottom of the wait-list.
How does this help a person seeking a home when there is no affordable housing to be found?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Social Supports and Well-Being, and Housing.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
C. TIBBS: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Again, this government, under this Premier, has put a record amount of investment into housing and getting people into housing sooner than later.
As to do with an all-party committee, again, anybody can come and have a chat with me any time they wish. We know what the party did across the way with $38 million in Horizons at 106. We are going to do that at a quarter of the price and ensure those people have the supports that they need moving ahead, Mr. Speaker.
Again, if the NDP would like to talk to my staff – and I don’t be careful of my words, I’ll say to the Leader of the NDP. If the media would like to ask the NDP of how they mistreated my staff, they’re more than welcome to do so.
Thank you.
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Lake Melville.
K. RUSSELL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It’s a sad day in Lake Melville. We’ve seen the protests. We’ve seen the resignation of a principal. We’ve seen school closures. We’ve seen a lack of busing.
With all that, Mr. Speaker, given the teacher and housing shortage in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, I ask the Minister of Education: Will the provincial government explore using existing and vacant NL Health Services housing for travel nurses to accommodate teachers recruited to fill critical vacancies?
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
P. DINN: I thank the Member for his question. There’s no doubt that in Labrador, especially in recent months, housing has become a real critical issue.
Going forward, I’ve said it to the media; actually, this morning I spoke to the media and said the same thing. I said we’re going to explore any options out there. There are some units there. I’m not sure where they are in terms of availability, in terms of renovations that may be needed there. That’s one area to look at.
We need to increase more housing there. I had mentioned last week about potential for 5 Wing, but 5 Wing is not ours and that would have to go through IGA to look at that. The fact of the matter is we have developments coming, we have projects coming in Labrador. There’s going to be a huge demand for housing and we’re going to start to look at it.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Lake Melville.
K. RUSSELL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the minister for his response. I heard the Premier say earlier that we’re delivering on safer communities. I’ll tell you what. Come to Happy Valley-Goose Bay and you’ll see a different picture.
We’ve had a pretty rough year and the last six months have been the worst it’s ever been. I’ll say the violence in those unsafe situations are now creeping into our schools, which is why, Mr. Speaker, we have a huge school and community safety protest and rally occurring there in the community at 4:30 today.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I’ll say with critical shortages of teacher, student assistants and support staff, we’ve heard the Minister of Education say today that we’re a year in and now they’re going to start a long-term plan and to talk about staffing (inaudible).
SPEAKER: I will ask the Member to get your question, please.
K. RUSSELL: I’m asking the Minister of Education: Will he include and consider all options such as partial school closures, reduced school days or classroom closures to ensure schools operate safely and provide the best possible learning environment for students.
SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
P. DINN: I thank the Member again for a good question. Safety is paramount in our schools, no doubt. I’ve been up there and the NLTA president was up there two weeks before. We’ve had discussions; we’re going to continue to have those discussions. I’ve already reached out to the NLTA president to have further discussion on specifically what we heard when we were in Goose Bay, and I was in Lab West.
So, really, when it comes to safety and issues of the school and keeping our children safe, keeping our teachers safe, all options are on the table for consideration. We have to look at all options and we’re going to.
That’s why, as I listened earlier to a question, we’re going to have a school safety division established that will focus solely on school safety. Hopefully – not hopefully, the whole goal of that is to create a safer environment.
SPEAKER: The hon. minister’s time has expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
Please be advised that this is a PARTIALLY EDITED portion of the House of Assembly sitting for Question Period on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. The edited Hansard will be posted when it becomes available.