May
12, 2015
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS
Vol. XLVII No. 13
The
House met at 1:30 p.m.
MR. SPEAKER (Verge):
Order, please!
Admit strangers.
Statements by
Members
MR. SPEAKER:
Today I am pleased to
hear members' statements from the Members for the Districts of Bellevue,
Fortune Bay Cape La Hune, Bonavista North, Trinity Bay de Verde, St.
John's Centre, and Burgeo La Poile.
The
hon. the Member for the District of Bellevue.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. PEACH:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I
rise in this hon. House today to recognize the graduating classes of 2015 in
the great District of Bellevue.
On
May 1, 2015 I had the privilege of attending the graduation at St. Joseph's
All Grade School in Terrenceville.
There were thirteen graduates.
Then, on May 2, I had the opportunity to join my colleague, MHA for
Placentia St. Mary's and Attorney General, to attend the graduation of
Crescent Collegiate in Blaketown, with eighty graduates.
This
past weekend, May 8, it was my pleasure to attend the graduation of
Tricentia Academy in Arnold's Cove, where there were thirty graduates.
There are two other high schools in the District of Bellevue: Swift
Current Academy, with ten graduates; and Fortune Bay Academy, with eight.
I
want to congratulate and thank the principals, teachers, and staff of each
school for the great work they do preparing the students for their future.
Without your professionalism, these graduating classes would not have
been a success.
I
ask all Members of the House of Assembly to join me in congratulating the
graduating classes of 2015 on their accomplishment today and their years of
hard work and dedication.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
the District of Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS PERRY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I
rise today to congratulate Devin and Bob Benoit for their remarkable
achievement of being amongst the strongest powerlifters in Canada.
This incredible father-son duo provides each other the support and
encouragement that is essential to excel in this sport.
With
a first place win in the eighty-three kilo weight class, at the National
Championships in St. John's last month, Devin is a three-time National
Champion. We cannot wait to see
how he does at the World Championships in November.
His awesome numbers were squat, 518 pounds; bench, 297 pounds; and
deadlift, 508 pounds.
Bob
is extremely proud of his son's success and has great reason to boast,
himself. Competing at his first
nationals in the 120-plus kilo class and competing for the second time with
his son, his numbers were: squat, 425 pounds; bench, 335 pounds; and
deadlift, 518 pounds.
Without using any lifting equipment other than a belt, Bob placed in fourth
place with a perfect lifting experience that was nine for nine in lifts.
Their commitment to chasing their dreams to gold together is truly
inspirational to us all. I ask
all members to join me in congratulating Devin and Bob and wish them the
best of luck in their upcoming competitions.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
the District of Bonavista North.
MR. CROSS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I am
sure you have all heard the riddle: What's the hardest thing about learning
to skate? Answer: the ice.
Let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, that answer is about to change.
The new answer is: competing against Crystal Gliders.
At
the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Figure Skating Competition for
thirteen years and under two members of Bonavista North's own Crystal
Gliders Figure Skating Club placed in the top six.
Stacey Wheeler of Greenspond and Amber Gray from Lumsden qualified to
perform at Skate Atlantica at Halifax on March 28, 2015, competing against
twenty-two other young ladies from the Atlantic Provinces.
Surely a dream come true for the young athletes representing their
club and their Province at such a tender age.
They are barely in their teens, yet both have been skating for over
ten years under the tutelage of Claudia Drover, their coach and motivator.
Parents say both girls spend countless hours utilizing skating video and
YouTube until they master the spins and jumps.
Their natural ability, coupled with their desire to compete at a very
keen level, has boosted their success.
Mr.
Speaker, I ask you and all hon. members to join me in congratulating Stacey
and Amber on their recent success, and I am sure there is more of the same
in the future.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Trinity Bay de Verde.
MR. CROCKER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to recognize Danielle Seward of
Heart's Delight-Islington.
Danielle's brother Shane was born in 1985 with a rare neurological disorder
called Hypomelanosis of Ito. At
that time, Shane was the first person to be diagnosed with this condition in
Newfoundland and Labrador.
Unfortunately, Shane passed away in February 1995, at the age of nine.
Danielle and her parents, Bev and Clyde Seward, began fundraising for the
Janeway when Danielle was only four years old.
This year will mark Danielle's twenty-third year participating in the
Janeway Telethon. The first two
years were alongside her brother Shane and the rest have been in his memory.
Danielle volunteers countless hours each year for the Janeway and
this is her eighth year as a telethon coordinator.
On
May 1, family and friends gathered in Heart's Delight-Islington for this
year's event, A Night for Shane.
A night of great local entertainment.
That evening alone raised over $3,000.
Through their efforts, the Seward family has raised over $30,000 for
the Janeway in Shane's memory.
I
ask all hon. members to join me in congratulating the Seward family for
their continued fundraising efforts in Shane's memory.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
St. John's Centre.
MS ROGERS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Today I am happy to acknowledge and congratulate the Froude Avenue Tenant
Association that is having its AGM at the Froude Avenue Community Centre
in the heart of St. John's Centre.
The Association is poised to do incredible work to support their
community.
Tenant associations plan activities for seniors, youth, and children.
Among their activities are: social events and outings for seniors,
after-school activities for youth and children, parties to celebrate special
holidays. They organize events
to celebrate the accomplishments of tenants, proudly spreading the news of
successes in their community.
They also make sure that folks who may be sick or in need of support are
given that help.
The
Froude Avenue Tenant Association works together with all members to identify
needs in their neighbourhood and to come up with solutions that work.
This is community building at its best.
Many members of the Association have been long-time members
dedicating hours and hours of volunteer work.
As well, there are younger folks who join in.
I want to thank these volunteers for the work they do to ensure that
their community is safe and supportive for every member.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr.
Speaker.
I
rise today to recognize and congratulate the Piranha Swim Club, out of the
Bruce II Sports Centre, in Port aux Basques on raising more than $8,000
during their annual Swim for Hope on March 27.
The Piranha Swim Club started in 2003.
The current members are seven to sixteen years of age and the club is
a member of Swimming Newfoundland and Labrador.
Swim
for Hope is a provincial event held each year to raise money for the Dr. H.
Bliss Murphy Cancer Care Foundation.
This is the Swim for Hope's nineteenth year.
The charity event is a twelve hour relay and this year the local Swim
for Hope team competed against six community challenge teams.
These teams included teachers, local residents, parents of the
Piranhas, and others. The event
ended with more water fun, plenty of food and games for the participants.
The
Swim for Hope Team, along with countless volunteers, did a tremendous job
and are to be commended for their hard work and dedication for this worthy
cause.
Mr.
Speaker, I ask all members of this House to join with me in extending
congratulations to the Port aux Basques Piranha Swim Club on another
successful Swim for Hope.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Statements by Ministers.
Statements by
Ministers
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I am
pleased to rise in this hon. House today to recognize May 11 to 17 as
National Nursing Week in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The theme for 2015 is Nurses:
With you every step of the way.
This theme speaks to the broad scope of health services our nurses
provide and this week is an excellent opportunity to recognize their
contribution to our health care system.
We
currently have 6,342 registered nurses working in our Province.
This represents the second highest per population ratio for
registered nurses anywhere in the country.
Newfoundland and Labrador is also fortunate to have the highest per
population ratio in Canada for licensed practical nurses, with 2,383 LPNs
working in our Province.
Nurses play an invaluable role in our communities.
With a vast array of duties delivered in a number of settings, from
long-term care facilities and emergency departments, to frontline health
services in schools and clinics, nurses are often the first point of contact
for patients when they enter the health care system.
Nurses also play an important role in post-secondary education,
administration, research and policy.
They are responsible for providing direct care to patients, mentoring
new employees and students, and ensuring that everyone under their care is
treated respectfully.
Nurses often act as emotional support and provide reassurance that helps
ease the minds of patients and their families during difficult times.
Our nurses demonstrate humility and empathy, as well as a tremendous
work ethic and steadfast dedication to helping those who are most in need.
We continue to support nurses by negotiating competitive collective
agreements, implementing recruitment and retention initiatives, and
providing financial support to nursing students.
Mr.
Speaker, as part of our government's five-year strategy to reduce emergency
department wait times, Budget 2015 includes an investment of $938,300 to
provide approximately seven new full-time triage nursing positions, which
will make a real difference in ensuring all patients are assessed and
triaged quickly by a qualified nurse upon arrival in emergency departments
across the Province.
Mr.
Speaker, we applaud every nurse working in our Province.
I encourage everyone in Newfoundland and Labrador to recognize the
tireless efforts of nurses during National Nursing Week, and to acknowledge
their dedication to patients and to families.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr.
Speaker.
I
thank the minister for an advance copy of the statement.
We, as the Official Opposition, would also like to recognize May
11-17 as National Nursing Week.
We also want to thank nurses for their hard work and their dedication to
improving health care in our Province.
They affect the lives of many patients and their families, and they
are obviously invaluable in all our communities.
They
are highly skilled individuals who contribute significantly to our health
care system. Health care remains
a top priority for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, and nurses are a large
part of that care.
We
have some of the poorest health outcomes in Canada the highest rates of
diabetes, stroke, cancer, just to name a few.
Our health care system needs to be more focussed on health outcomes,
and I think we can continue and should be listening to nurses to hear what
they have to say as front-line workers in our system.
Nurses can and should play an important role in improving the health
and wellness of the people of our Province.
So
again, thank you to all the nurses here in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I,
too, thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement.
I am very happy and very pleased to be able to stand and recognize
the nurses in our Province, both the Registered Nurses and the LPNs.
They truly are the first line of defence in our health care system.
They are the first ones that people interact with in our
institutions.
I
also want to recognize how overworked these nurses are, Mr. Speaker.
Our institutions are understaffed, whether we are talking about
long-term care or the hospitals.
Our nurses are overworked. They
cannot do the work that they really want to do in the positions that they
are in. We should be utilizing
them much better in primary health care and base them in the community.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Environment and Conservation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. CRUMMELL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, the diverse range of outdoor recreational opportunities offered
through our impressive network of family-friendly campgrounds and day parks
has something to offer everyone.
I am pleased to rise today in this hon. House to encourage all members,
residents, and visitors from far and wide to explore and enjoy Newfoundland
and Labrador's great outdoors this summer.
Mr.
Speaker, we may not always have perfect camping weather, but that certainly
does not deter the thousands of campers who flock to our provincial
campsites each year. In advance
of this year's camping season, we launched a new provincial campsite
reservation service, designed to better meet the needs of outdoor
enthusiasts Province-wide.
Developed by renowned campsite management provider, Camis, the new service
requires users to pay both the reservation fee and campsite fees at the time
of reservation. This approach is
designed to deter clients from failing to cancel reservations when they do
not intend to show up.
The
new service improves the customer experience in other ways as well.
For example, users now have the ability to search based on campsite
availability instead of campsite category and a more streamlined campsite
numbering system has been implemented to replace the use of letters.
In addition, the campers now have the option of paying for a vehicle
entry fee at the time of reservation, thereby allowing for a speedier
check-in upon arrival at the park.
The
response to this new service has been overwhelming positive, Mr. Speaker.
During launch week alone, more than 4,200 reservations were made
through the service, and staff received a number of positive, unsolicited
public comments on its ease and efficiency.
The new system is working extremely well, and is expected to result
in increased usage of campsites during the 2015 camping season.
Mr.
Speaker, spring has sprung and the camping season is just around the corner.
Seven of our thirteen provincial camping parks open for the season on
Wednesday May 13
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. CRUMMELL:
followed by additional
park openings May 22 and May 29.
For anyone who has not already done so, I encourage you to visit the new
reservation system at
www.nlcamping.ca,
book your campsite now, and get out and enjoy this Province's impressive
network of provincial parks and natural areas this summer.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
The Straits White Bay North.
MR. MITCHELMORE:
Thank you, Mr.
Speaker.
I
thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement.
Certainly we can agree that Newfoundland and Labrador has immense
beauty and pristine natural areas, and our provincial parks are a great
opportunity for people to get out and enjoy outdoor recreational activities.
Although it is disappointing that almost half of them will not be
open even for the May 24 long weekend which is coming up, as the minister
stated.
I
certainly support more efficient ways of conducting government business.
More services could be offered online, and it is good to see that you
can now reserve online for camping at our provincial parks.
One of the things I noticed when I went to the website, though, and
tried to use it on my BlackBerry that it does not work for mobile.
There is no dot mobile option at this point, so there is a way to
make improvements so that people can have greater access.
As
well, though, I think that we really do need to look at this year's Budget
which does increase camping fees by 20 per cent and that there were cuts
made to the Burnt Cape Ecological Reserve for interpretation.
So, when you look at natural areas, we do not have another Mud
Immortal.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
St. John's East.
MR. MURPHY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I
thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement today on parks.
Mr. Speaker, at the same time, realizing that they have a reservation
system; at times it does have issues.
No doubt, the system is probably going to experience a little bit of
overload. Usually it happens in
the first week or so of the system use.
Mr.
Speaker, we also encourage residents and visitors alike to use these parks
wisely. They are pretty much a
provincial treasure of ours. We
also have to note as well that because of the use of these parks, we believe
there is a need for further study on the need for more parks in this
Province. We do know that
outdoor recreational activities are increasing.
Mr.
Speaker, just to sum up, again we urge caution over the weekend.
Keep in mind the road traffic this weekend is going to be very heavy
and we urge safety. Practice
safety, think safety first of all.
Thank you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JACKMAN:
Mr. Speaker, I rise today
to note that May is Better Hearing and Speech Month in Newfoundland and
Labrador, and across Canada.
Yesterday, I joined representatives of the Newfoundland and Labrador chapter
of the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association, and other organizations, to
officially sign a proclamation to that effect, in an effort to help promote
awareness of hearing loss and speech-language disabilities.
Mr.
Speaker, the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association of Newfoundland and
Labrador is a non-profit, charitable organization committed to the
prevention of hearing loss. It
is the only organization in the Province which exclusively represents people
who are hard of hearing. Since
its inception in 1994, it has made steady progress in developing programs
and services for its clientele.
The
Provincial Government's Disability Policy Office works with all government
departments, agencies and community organizations to develop policies and
programs to help ensure the inclusion of all people in all aspects of
society. Budget 2015 allocates
continued operational funding for the organization, and we have also
partnered with the Hard of Hearing Association on a variety of specific
initiatives over the years.
Mr.
Speaker, communication disorders such as hearing loss and speech language
disabilities affect about 50,000 people in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Many people benefit from early detection, appropriate therapy,
medical intervention, assistive technology, and inclusion strategies.
As
many of you may know, I have dealt with a loss of hearing myself, and have
worn two hearing aids for several years.
Mr. Speaker, I believe
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. JACKMAN:
I hear what I want to
hear.
I
believe, Mr. Speaker, I have worn them for about thirty years.
I will say to anybody who wears them, you would not survive without
them.
The
improvement in these devices, even over the past few years, has been
remarkable, and I am fortunate to have been able to benefit from advances in
assistive technology.
Mr.
Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join with the Canadian Hard of Hearing
Association Newfoundland and Labrador, the Newfoundland and Labrador
Association of Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists, and the
Hearing Instrument Practitioners Association, to help promote public
awareness about hearing loss and speech-language disabilities.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay South.
MR. HILLIER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I
thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement.
I am happy to rise in this hon. House and recognize May as Better
Hearing and Speech Month. This
issue has been near and dear to the hearts of my household as my son is an
audiologist here in the Province.
Such
observances give us pause to reflect on the challenges those with
communications disorders face, and to celebrate achievements in technology
and programming to mitigate these challenges.
Persons with communications disorders can experience exclusion in
day-to-day interactions; interactions many of us take for granted.
Given only one-in-five people who
could benefit from a hearing aid actually uses one, point to the importance
of raising awareness around communications disorders.
Speech-Language & Audiology Canada have launched a seniors' communications
health campaign as part of this year's Speech and Hearing Month.
They pointed out that, People who have hearing loss are 2 to 5 times
more likely to develop dementia. and that at least 30 per cent of people
who suffer a stroke experience language loss thereafter.
As
the minister stated, early detection and intervention is key.
The recommended wait time for preschool children for therapy for a
speech sound disorder is three to six months.
As of July 2014, the wait time for children to receive treatment for
speech-language pathology was seventeen months from the time of referral.
Government committed in Budget 2015 to improve wait times.
Mr. Speaker, we hope that those wait times are improved for children
with hearing disabilities.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
St. John's Centre.
MS ROGERS:
Thanks, Mr. Speaker.
I
thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement.
I thank the Hard of Hearing Association for their work.
Bravo.
While listening to the minister talk about how hearing aids have improved
and how fortunate he is to benefit from that, I am thinking about the many
seniors with very modest incomes who cannot afford hearing aids and do not
qualify for assistance. Many do
not meet the very strict income criteria of the Provincial Hearing Aid
Program. Those who do qualify
have to wait at least a year for an appointment with an audiologist before
they can get their hearing aids.
We
all know how difficult life can be, the frustration and isolation that can
come with a hearing disability.
So I urge the minister to look into these barriers for seniors who need
hearing aids and to help seniors get the hearing aids that they desperately,
desperately need.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Oral Questions.
Oral Questions
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of
the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
There are 182 contaminated sites in our Province.
The Auditor General said that the financial liabilities of these
sites should be included in the Province's financial statements, but we
learned last night at Estimates that this work on the inventory has not been
completed.
So I
ask the Premier: The AG identified this over a year ago; why has this work
not been completed?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Environment and Conservation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. CRUMMELL:
Mr. Speaker, we are
following the advice of the Auditor General.
The impacted sites liability assessment program actually has been
ongoing for the last year, and I am happy to say in the House today that
work has been completed. We will
be submitting it to the Comptroller General and on to the Auditor General in
the coming days and weeks as we vet it through.
So,
that work has been done, and we look forward to releasing it to the public
in the coming weeks.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of
the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Well, the AG said that government will ultimately have involvement in all
contaminated sites in the Province.
The Abitibi sites alone are estimated to be $265 million.
So I
ask the Premier: What is the total amount of the environmental liabilities
in our Province?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Environment and Conservation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. CRUMMELL:
Mr. Speaker, I would just
like to correct the Leader of the Opposition.
The number he is referring to as a liability for Abitibi is a
textbook quote in terms of a liability that has not been researched and
found and work done on it. They
just take a number out of the book just to put it down as a liability
number.
Mr.
Speaker, that site is being remediated; there is work being done on that
site. So, we do not know what
the exact cost is going to be at the end of the day.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. CRUMMELL:
With regard to the total
cost, we will not know that either until the program
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. CRUMMELL:
assessment has been
done, and we will release all that to the public.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of
the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Mr. Speaker, there seems
to be some confusion on the minister's part here.
Just a few minutes ago he said that the reports would be submitted,
would be made public. I just
mentioned that $265 million.
Will
the minister please clarify: Are the reports done or not?
What is the value of the contaminated sites at Abitibi?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Environment and Conservation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. CRUMMELL:
Again, Mr. Speaker, all
the work has been done. The
report will be submitted to the Auditor General in due course.
That is going to happen in the coming days, and at the appropriate
time that will be made public. I
cannot be more clear than that.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of
the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Last
year, government accepted all the pre-existing environmental liabilities at
the Come By Chance refinery without knowing the extent of those liabilities.
An environmental assessment has been planned the minister just
spoke to that. Last November,
the minister said: We expect the assessment to happen in short order.
I
ask the Premier: Has this environmental assessment been completed?
If so, what is the extent of that environmental liability?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Natural Resources.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. DALLEY:
Mr. Speaker, just by way
of an update, there was a commitment that there would be an assessment done.
It is not completed yet, Mr. Speaker.
It is ongoing. We are
fully committed to make that available to the public, but it is not
completed.
Bearing in mind, as well, that our commitment around the facility was we
had to make a choice around doing some work around assessing the
environmental liabilities, which we believe, Mr. Speaker, it has been a long
history and we think it is going to be okay.
The other side of that was we either do that or we put 600 people out
of work. We were not prepared to
put 600 people out of work.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of
the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Well, no one asked the question about putting 600 people out of work.
What we asked was: What was the extent of the environmental
liability? The minister clearly
can answer that.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Hear, hear!
MR. BALL:
He talked about it last
fall. He is still talking about
it. The work is not being done.
Will
the minister finally tell us: Who is actually doing this work?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Environment and Conservation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. CRUMMELL:
Mr. Speaker, the terms
and conditions of the sale of the refinery to the proponent was part of
that. The environmental
assessment was their responsibility.
We
have taken responsibility in that liability agreement concerning the
environmental issues around soil sediment, ground water, and surface water.
That is all that we are responsible for, Mr. Speaker.
The proponent that has taken over that site is responsible for
everything else on that site.
Mr.
Speaker, the liability agreement is for a ten-year period.
If the company ceases to operate for more than one year, they assume
all responsibilities for the environmental impacts that are on the site.
That
is the short of it, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of
the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Government ran a $924 million deficit last year and is running a $1.1
billion deficit this year.
I
ask the Premier: If all of the environmental liabilities for their 182
contaminated sites were included in your Budget documents, how would this
change the financial picture of the Province?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Environment and Conservation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. CRUMMELL:
Mr. Speaker, generally
accepted accounting practices requires us to identify those liabilities, to
have them on our books. I spoke
earlier that the report is being finalized.
It is going to be ready to present to the Auditor General.
Ms.
Speaker, we will make that all public, but it will on our books as
liability, not as a debt.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of
the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Well
just to clarify, this work has been ongoing we understand from the
minister that it is going to be soon or very soon.
Will
the minister at least give the people of Newfoundland and Labrador some kind
of time frame when they can expect this information?
Is it a few weeks, will it be June, will it be May, will it be July?
When will it be?
You
are the minister of that portfolio, the Premier is sitting there.
You really do not know what the environmental liabilities are in this
Province?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Environment and Conservation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. CRUMMELL:
Mr. Speaker, we are
talking about 182 sites that we have identified, that we have done the work
on, we done the assessments on.
Mr. Speaker, there has been a lot of work that has gone into this.
Again, we are at the very final stages.
It will be up to the Auditor General to have a look at that, get his
set of eyes on that. When he is
ready to release that, and when the government is ready to release that, we
will do so when it is appropriate.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Leader of
the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Well, I remind the minister, it was the AG who said it needed to be done.
The new act to provide the public with access to information and
protection of privacy, which was prepared by Justice Clyde Wells and his
Committee, and which repeals Bill 29 received approval in this House, in
committee level, on April 28.
The new bill is of extreme importance to the people of this Province.
It only takes the third reading in this House which can be
accomplished today and signed by the Lieutenant Governor to make this bill
law.
I
ask the Premier: Why is your government delaying the passage of this very
important legislation?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Justice and Public Safety.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KING:
Mr. Speaker, there is no
delay on the moving forward of the legislation for the bill that the member
is asking about. The standard
procedure in this House is that we take bills through first reading, second
reading, committee, third reading, and royal assent, and it happens at
various stages. The last couple
of days we just happened to be debating the Budget but he can expect that
third reading on this bill will be coming, I would say, within the next
three or four days.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Bay of Islands.
MR. JOYCE:
Mr. Speaker, 911 is the
major life and safety policy in our Province.
In Estimates this morning, I was denied an opportunity to probe the
911 Estimates. There are a
number of questions that need to be answered.
I
ask the minister: Is this the open and accountable government you are trying
to promote or are you trying to hide behind Bill 29 one more time?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister
Responsible for Fire and Emergency Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KING:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We
are very proud of the fact that it was our government that brought forward
the 911 bill for this Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KING:
We are very proud of the
service that we are providing all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians with this
bill.
There is nobody hiding, Mr. Speaker.
As the member would know, in Estimates this morning, Estimates is
intended for members of the committees to explore the government funds that
have been appropriated for various departments.
The member would also recognize, because he said himself towards the
end: If you don't mind, I will move away from this now.
I have some policy issues I want to raise on 911.
Estimates concluded at the end of a little over three hours, Mr. Speaker.
Members who were present this morning can attest that I made the
offer to the hon. member to have my officials and myself available for
follow-up discussions on policy issues or we could debate it in the House of
Assembly.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Bay of Islands.
MR. JOYCE:
I am not sure about the
minister, but when you transfer $500,000 from the 911 to the government,
that is a budgetary item; when you transfer $150,000, that is a budgetary
item.
Mr.
Speaker, I ask the minister, seeing he shut it down this morning.
It is a question they would not answer this morning.
Mr. Speaker, you heard yesterday in Question Period emergency
responders are asking for a dispatch system for 911.
Your officials have continually said that a dispatch system would
overwhelm the system and cause problems for the public service answering
points.
I
ask the minister: In openness and transparency, will you table the
evaluation that you have completed to verify that the 911 system would be
overloaded with dispatch callers?
I ask you to table that report, as you used it publicly yourself.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister
Responsible for Fire and Emergency Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KING:
Mr. Speaker, we have
established 911 in this Province as an emergency response, and the member
opposite is fully aware because he is making the most protest of the current
system of anyone in the Province.
The
reality is that the system is set up so that emergency zones are established
throughout all of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
In those zones, they determine the agency that responds to calls when
they arrive. Corner Brook and
St. John's use the standard operating procedures that are consistent, Mr.
Speaker, with other jurisdictions across this country I might add.
When
a call is received, it is then transferred to the first lead responder who
makes a determination on whether other responders are required and then they
follow through on that service.
It is a very clear process, Mr. Speaker.
I have outlined it on many occasions but it is clearly not an
Estimates discussion, it is a policy political discussion that we are having
here.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The
hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.
MR. JOYCE:
Mr. Speaker, if I am the
only one complaining, who is the fire chief from Pasadena who was on CBC
this weekend? The fire chief
from Cox's Cove is complaining, the fire chief in Meadows is complaining,
the fire chief in Hughes Brook Irishtown complained about not getting a
call.
I
ask the minister again: As you told all of the volunteer firefighters in
this Province that we cannot have dispatch because it would overload,
wouldn't you do the respect of those volunteers and table that report?
I am sure that you would not make such a decision without having the
report completed.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister
Responsible for Fire and Emergency Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KING:
Mr. Speaker, I accept the
debate on policy and I expect a political debate, but I am certainly not
going to sit here in this House and have the member suggest or insinuate
that I, or anybody over here, have disrespect for firefighters in this
Province. It is absolutely
ridiculous.
We
all have firefighters in our own communities and we value what they do every
single day.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KING:
We go to events.
We celebrate what they do in saving lives and responding to
emergencies, Mr. Speaker.
This
is a political debate, nothing more than that.
Our government brought it forward.
The member does not like it for his area and he is playing politics
with the situation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The
hon. the Member for St. Barbe.
MR. J. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker,
yesterday the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services said they do
everything they can for youth who have signed service agreements with the
department. Clearly, there are
gaps in service, if youth receiving services from CYFS are dying in the
transition to adulthood.
I
ask the minister: What action will you take on the Committee's
recommendations to improve the transition for youth receiving services?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Child, Youth and Family Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. S. COLLINS:
Thank you, Mr.
Speaker.
I
would say to the member opposite, if he wants to come to my office, as he
has done before, and have a briefing with regard to youth services, I would
be more than happy to do so. We
have made great progress in the last number of years, particularly since
2011 when we made improvements to the legislation.
We continue to do improvements to that legislation and the work that
is done around it.
He
has to understand I believe he understands it, but he would just rather
not hear it it is a voluntary service, so we can only do so much when a
child turns into a youth at sixteen years of age.
It is a voluntary service.
We try to work with that individual to try to bring them in under our
umbrella of services; however, it is a voluntary service.
As I said, we have made great progress and I certainly hope to see
that progress continue.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
St. Barbe.
MR. J. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker,
briefings are where they tell us what they are doing.
In here is where we actually force them to do something.
Youth who sign themselves out of care face a considerable transition to
adulthood. The fact that they
require protective intervention in the first place speaks to the exceptional
challenges they will face in transition.
We can infer from the Committee's recommendations that transition
supports are not adequate for vulnerable youth.
I
ask the minister: Will you adopt the recommendations of the Committee to
ensure youth transitioning out of care are adequately prepared?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Child, Youth and Family Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. S. COLLINS:
Mr. Speaker, again,
we strive as a department to make sure that transition goes as well as it
possibly can. The member
mentioned you are talking about vulnerable youth; you are talking about
vulnerable children who turn into the youth age.
We want to work with those individuals.
Again, it is a voluntary service.
I do not know what the member is suggesting, whether we take those
people and we make sure they have the services against their will.
It is a very delicate piece of work, but we want to make sure that we
work with other departments such as AES to be able to help with that
transition so that person aging out of the child system going into
'youthhood', if I could use that term, that they are provided with every
opportunity to make sure that that transition is successful, and we do that
on a daily basis.
Again, I will go back to the progress we have made, particularly since 2011.
We have made great progress, and I hope to see more progress
continue.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. S. COLLINS:
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Mr. Speaker, in
Budget Estimates for Justice this morning the Attorney General indicated
that $100,000 was being budgeted to research and develop a model for a
domestic violence court in Labrador, but the Attorney General refused to
commit to actually establishing a court in Labrador.
I
ask the Attorney General: Will you commit now to ensuring that a domestic
violence court is established in Labrador?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Attorney
General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. F. COLLINS:
Thank you, Mr.
Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, this government has committed to reinstituting or creating a
domestic violence court in St. John's and also to extending that court to
another site on the West Coast of the Island.
As well, we have committed $100,000 to do a study in Labrador to see
what kind of a therapeutic treatment court might be the best suit for
Labrador.
That
is what the money is for, Mr. Speaker.
The therapeutic treatment approach of these courts will be different
for Aboriginal clients, because we would want to involve the community and
the Aboriginal culture into that treatment.
That is what the money is there for, Mr. Speaker, and that is what
the government is committed to.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS:
Mr. Speaker, I have
asked several times this morning and I have asked again here now, the
Attorney General has had several opportunities to clarify his government's
plans for a domestic violence court in Labrador.
All he has committed to was spending the money to research it.
The people of Labrador are more interested in actually getting the
court.
I
ask the Attorney General again: Will you now commit to treating the
residents of Labrador fairly and ensuring they actually get a domestic
violence court as has been committed to the rest of the Province?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Attorney
General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. F. COLLINS:
Mr. Speaker, I am
sure the people of Labrador are committed to just and fair treatment and the
administration of justice, so is this department, so is the Department of
the Attorney General. That is
why, Mr. Speaker, we want to look very closely at what is the best kind of a
model that suits Labrador; that is what we are doing here.
Until such time as we have all of that put together, then we will
decide what and where and when the court goes in Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Mount Pearl South.
MR. LANE:
Mr. Speaker, in the
Auditor General's recent update of recommendations made since 2009 he noted
that in 2010 he made a number of recommendations related to real estate
regulations. Five years later he
notes only half of these recommendations have been implemented.
I
ask the Minister of Service NL: Why have you not taken action to implement
those recommendations?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Service Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. CRUMMELL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, there are no concerns with regard to the protection of the public,
and we do take the Auditor General's comments certainly in context.
We are doing the work that needs to be done around that.
What
he was referring to more than anything was the there are issues around the
Automated Licensing and Enforcement Registration Tracking System.
It is a system that we use through OCIO to track what is happening in
the industry.
Mr.
Speaker, the industry in Newfoundland and Labrador is only so big.
We are able to do that work in other ways, but we need to upgrade
that system. We plan to do that
hopefully in the coming while.
Right now, there are no budget recommendations around to enhance that
system, and we are working towards that.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Mount Pearl South.
MR. LANE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It
sounds pretty non-committal to me.
Mr.
Speaker, Service NL has held public consultations for amending the
Residential Tenancies Act. It
also held consultations for a statutory review on the workers' compensation.
I
ask the minister: Why did you amend your insurance legislation so that
agents no longer have to submit audits of their trust accounts without
consulting with key industry stakeholders?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Service Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. CRUMMELL:
Mr. Speaker, again, we do
certainly look at the Auditor General's concerns and we take them very
seriously. We have the highest
reporting standards in Canada for a Province.
Provincially, we have the highest in Canada for reporting standards.
Mr.
Speaker, we do have a small industry; similarly, we are a small Province.
We are managing that industry very well, we believe.
In terms of consultations, right now the changes that we have made
are aligned with other jurisdictions in Canada.
The
mainland companies that do business here in Newfoundland and Labrador were
asking for this. The work that
was being done before, companies that were based in Newfoundland and
Labrador were doing that work, but the mainland companies found
difficulties. It was difficult
for us to make them be compliant with the legislation.
We thought it would be easier
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Humber East.
MR. FLYNN:
Mr. Speaker, at
yesterday's Estimates for the Department of Business, Tourism, Culture and
Rural Development, the minister would not commit to fill the promised
position for the tourism officer in Labrador that has been vacant for two or
three years.
So I
ask the minister: Given that this position was to be filled within weeks of
last year's Budget, why are you breaking your own commitment yet again to
the people of Labrador?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KING:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We
have a number of resources that are serving the people of Labrador through
my department, not only through the Tourism branch but through the old
Innovation, Business and Rural Development branch.
I am certainly quite happy with the level of service that we provide
there.
As I
said to the member yesterday in Estimates, my answer has not changed on
that. There is a vacant position
there and we are currently assessing whether we will refill the position and
in its current location, or whether we will fill it and move it into a
different location, or whether we will not fill it at all.
When I make a decision, I will gladly share it with him in the House
of Assembly.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Humber East.
MR. FLYNN:
Mr. Speaker, Labrador has
world-class attractions which speak directly to the kind of tourists we
would like to see visiting our area, including a world heritage UNESCO site
at Red Bay, a national park, and the finest hunting and fishing in all of
North America, just to name a few.
Yet, this portion of the Province has been ignored.
So,
I ask the minister: Will you review this knee-jerk decision and hire a
tourism officer for Labrador to help build on the region's tourism
potential?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KING:
Mr. Speaker, nothing
could be more ridiculous than to suggest that we have ignored the
opportunities for tourism in Labrador.
We spend about $13 million a year right now on advertisements,
tourism ads that bring people to the Province, to the Island of Newfoundland
and also to Labrador, Mr. Speaker.
We have helped grow the tourism industry there because of significant
investments by our government.
So,
to stand here and suggest that we are ignoring tourism in Labrador is
absolutely terrible and ludicrous.
We will continue to invest in tourism in Labrador as we have always
done and help grow the industry there as we do on the Island part of
Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay South.
MR. HILLIER:
Mr. Speaker, in the
Provincial Healthy Aging Policy Framework, government set the following
goals: promote the national goal of a 10 per cent increase in physical
activity among seniors and explore the feasibility of provincial seniors'
games.
I
ask the minister: To what degree has your department achieved these
important goals for seniors?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JACKMAN:
Mr. Speaker, I think all
the hon. member has to do is to look at our record of investments in
seniors, from seniors rec grants to seniors' wellness grants.
Take a look at some of the funding that we have approved over the
last number of years, Mr. Speaker, just to see how active our seniors are in
Newfoundland and Labrador. That
speaks to the record itself.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay South has time for a quick question.
MR. HILLIER:
Mr. Speaker, seniors have
seen a significant increase in their fees to participate in swimming
programs at provincial pools.
The fees have gone from $20 to $50 for a twenty-session swim pass, much
higher than municipal rates in Mount Pearl and Conception Bay South.
Wellness programs and physical activity for seniors promotes healthy
living.
I
ask the minister: Why are you defying your own healthy aging framework by
making it too expensive for seniors to use provincial pools?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Seniors, Wellness and Social Development has time for a quick reply.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JACKMAN:
Mr. Speaker, I will
answer in line with what I responded to yesterday.
The pools that he is talking about are three that have a unique
arrangement. These three pools
now we have brought in line comparable and in some cases lower than all the
other jurisdictions across the Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
Yesterday, the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills told this House
that the government is reorganizing health care through consolidation into
one entity as has happened with the school boards.
I
ask the Premier: Will he confirm that Budget 2015's plan for a stand-alone
shared-service organization of the regional health boards is actually
consolidation into one health authority?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, I obviously
have to begin by thanking the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills for
answering the questions yesterday.
To
be clear, what we said during the Budget and what I have said numerous times
since in this House is that we are going to consolidate back office
administrative functions of the four regional health authorities and the
Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information.
It will be a stand-alone public body.
It will improve the efficiency of our health care system and allow
our regional health authorities to focus on what they are in place to do,
which is deliver quality health care to the people of Newfoundland and
Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MS MICHAEL:
I invite the minister to
read Hansard, Mr. Speaker, and hear what the Minister of Advanced Education
and Skills said. He said it
would be the same as we have done with the school boards.
What they did with the school boards was one school board.
I want a straight answer and the people want a straight answer.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MS MICHAEL:
Are you headed towards
one health authority Premier?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, we have
unique geography in this Province.
Our population is dispersed despite the fact that we only have just
over 500,000 people in this Province.
If we had intended to consolidate the entire regional health
authorities, we would have done so.
We
believe the best structure for health care and health care delivery in
Newfoundland and Labrador is the one that we have proposed.
It will allow the four regional health authorities to focus on their
real mandate, which is delivering health services, while consolidating the
back office stuff and finding efficiencies in information technology,
finance, payroll, marketing and communications, areas where it makes sense
for the health authorities to work together and act as one.
It
is a sensible approach, but she is probably against that too, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I
ask the minister, since they are using what happened with the school boards
as the model that is what the minister said I ask: How much did the
government save in creating the one English speaking school board for the
Province?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KENT:
Mr. Speaker, there will
be real savings by consolidating back office functions within our regional
health authorities, functions like purchasing and human resources, to name a
couple of others. We are going
to create a stand-alone shared services organization that will work closely
with our regional health authorities.
As a result, there will be significant savings.
This
has nothing to do with school boards, Mr. Speaker, and the member opposite
knows that.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
St. John's East.
MR. MURPHY:
Mr. Speaker, documents
related to the operations of the new 911 service in the Province reinforced
the term two-tiered. There is a
distinct difference between a call taker and a dispatcher.
I
ask the minister: Why the two-tiered set-up of 911 in the Province?
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister
Responsible for Fire and Emergency Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KING:
Mr. Speaker, I am not
sure where the member is getting his information.
In
fairness to the Member for Bay of Islands, we had a good discussion on 911
today. The member who asked the
question did not attend the Estimates, but clearly he is missing information
to ask that kind of a question.
There is no two-tiered system.
About fifteen minutes ago I outlined the process of how calls are received
and transferred, and that is the process.
If regions of the Province and municipalities of the Province choose
to add on to that service, it is well within their jurisdictional
responsibility, but the Province does not offer a two-tiered system.
We offer one level with common standard operating procedures across
the entire Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
St. John's East has time for a quick question.
MR. MURPHY:
Mr. Speaker, shouldn't
the department worry first over giving everyone the same 911 service as we
have here in the Northeast Avalon?
That is the question everybody is asking.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister
Responsible for Fire and Emergency Services has time for a quick reply.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. KING:
Mr. Speaker, we have done exactly what the member is asking.
We have made 911 available across the Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. KING:
It seems to get the
Opposition members going, the fact that they did not bring the policy
forward. It was our government
who took the forthright and the initiative and the vision to do it.
We
have a consistent service across the entire Province, Mr. Speaker.
I am not sure where the member is getting misinformed in his
questions.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The
time for Question Period has expired.
Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.
Tabling of Documents.
Notices of Motion.
Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.
Petitions.
Petitions
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
St. Barbe.
MR. J. BENNETT:
Thank you, Mr.
Speaker.
A
petition to the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and
Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents
humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS the communities of New Ferolle, Shoal Cove West, and Reefs Harbour
have always relied on the fishery as a means to earn a sustainable income;
and
WHEREAS the main employer for these three communities has been a seafood
processing plant located in New Ferolle; and
WHEREAS this plant was seized by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
as a result of mortgage arrears; and
WHEREAS the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador then permitted an
outside operator to operate the plant but that operator became insolvent and
closed; and
WHEREAS the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador then sold the plan to
another operator for the sum of $1 and has not operated the plant but
instead has stripped most, if not all, of the equipment from the plant
instead of operating it;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the
House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to
find a local operator for this plant so that people can go back to work
As
in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr.
Speaker, in the community of New Ferolle, there is excellent infrastructure
where people can carry on the fishery in a modern, contemporary, small-scale
multi-species plant. There is a
significant sized cold storage.
It is an older plant that has been used for a variety of buying purposes,
there is an office building, and there is a fish plant.
The fish plant is the one that was expropriated not expropriated,
it was repossessed by government.
The
government has let this go through a succession of owners and none of the
owners have had very good results.
In the most recent go around, the plant has been sitting vacant,
sitting idle, licences are assigned to that community, to that operator with
no work, nothing happening for the people in the community.
The
people are looking for employment.
If this plant were operational it could probably employ on a
large-scale basis maybe 150 to 200 people, but on a small-scale basis thirty
or forty or fifty people throughout the entire season.
This is a plant that the Province seems to have washed its hands of
and it is providing absolutely no direction whatsoever in order to get this
moving.
This
is a petition from the people of the three communities New Ferolle, Reefs
Harbour, and Shoal Cove West requesting that the government take action
and move forward on this issue.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
The Straits White Bay North.
MR. MITCHELMORE:
Thank you, Mr.
Speaker.
To
the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in
Parliament Assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of
Newfoundland and Labrador humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS government has a responsibility to ensure that Internet access is
broadly available so people have the right to be able to access the Internet
in order to exercise and enjoy their rights to freedom of expression and
opinion and other fundamental human rights; and
WHEREAS the Town of Goose Cove still remains without broadband services; and
WHEREAS residents rely on Internet services for education, business,
communication, and social activity; and
WHEREAS wireless and wired technologies exist to provide broadband service
to rural communities to replace slower dial-up service;
We,
the undersigned, petition the House of Assembly to urge the government to
assist providers to ensure the Town of Goose Cove is in receipt of broadband
services in Newfoundland and Labrador.
As
in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. MITCHELMORE:
Mr. Speaker, this
petition is signed by all residents there from Goose Cove.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. MITCHELMORE:
I would just like to
say that I have presented a number of petitions on broadband Internet in the
House of Assembly, but they are dwindling in the numbers that I can present.
There are really two towns, Goose Cove and Bide Arm, that are still
without service.
Goose Cove has a significant opportunity when it comes to looking at
broadband service and when it comes to business development in the town.
It would be a great opportunity to establish new business to provide
taxation base in that town to help for sustainability.
It is just 7.9 kilometres from the Town of St. Anthony.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. MITCHELMORE:
When you talk about
growing population and growing economy and talk about creating sustainable
communities, advancing broadband Internet is one of those.
We have a real opportunity here to work with providers, to work with
private and community economic development groups to lever and put together
a good proposal and see that happen for those eighty-four householders in
Goose Cove, so that they could have broadband Internet as other communities
in the region.
Government has invested in seeing communities outlying St. Anthony right now
this will come on stream in just a couple of weeks.
Hopefully we will see that move forward when it comes to Goose Cove
as well. I did not see any
mention to broadband Internet in the Speech from the Throne or the Budget,
but I do understand that there is money that could carry forward.
I
hope to see greater partnerships happening in advancing business in the
region. I look forward to having
further discussion with the Minister of Business on this particular matter
on behalf of my constituents of Goose Cove.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Signal Hill 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 humbly
sheweth:
WHEREAS computer science is the new literacy, and is a vital skill for the
digital age; and
WHEREAS computer science is a growing field of employment, and is one of the
highest paid academic majors; and
WHEREAS computer science education in Newfoundland and Labrador is not
keeping pace with computer science education in other provinces; and
WHEREAS the public education system has a duty to expose students to a wide
variety of subject areas and careers;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the
House of Assembly to urge government to consider adding mandatory computer
science subjects to the public education curriculum.
As
in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
I am
very honoured today, Mr. Speaker, to stand on behalf of the Code NL, the
organization that has been circulating this petition.
It has been a while since they have sent the petition to me, and I am
very happy to once again stand and speak of the concern that people have
that they themselves and their children are not getting the opportunity for
a full education in this age of technology.
Code
NL has been studying this issue and knows well that we need to be training
more people locally in computer science, because the demand will increase
here and computer science will contribute to the economy.
Code NL says we are way behind other provinces; our education
curriculum is not keeping pace.
There are two unrelated courses in the system: one, which is a course that
is offered in a handful of urban schools; another is a course in robotics
that is offered in twenty schools in the Province.
These are just individual courses.
We do not have a real computer science curriculum; whereas in
Ontario, they have ten interrelated computer science and computer technology
courses in Grades 10 to 12 offered in a sequence.
So I
encourage the Minister of Education to bring us up to date in this Province.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Conception Bay South.
MR. HILLIER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
A
petition to the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and
Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents
of Newfoundland and Labrador humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS the Town of Conception Bay South is the second largest municipality
in the Province with a population of approximately 26,000 people; and
WHEREAS recent dangerous incidents on community streets have highlighted
concerns of high speed and inadequate traffic control in Conception Bay
South; and
WHEREAS residents, organized groups, and the town continue to raise
awareness about pedestrian traffic along main streets and the lack of police
presence in Conception Bay South; and
WHEREAS residents are increasingly concerned about safety in their
community;
We,
the undersigned, petition the House of Assembly to urge government to review
the level of policing in Conception Bay South, with an objective of
increased policing services and improving public safety for residents.
As
in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr.
Speaker, this is a petition I have brought forward on several occasions.
I would just like to start right from the very beginning and point
out that in no way am I criticizing the work that RNC officers do in the
Town of Conception Bay South.
They continually present themselves in a most professional manner as they go
about their daily work in making Conception Bay South a safer place for all
of us to live.
In
speaking with residents, I feel the issue here is tied more to the degree of
policing, the perception of residents, and the visibility of police in the
community, Mr. Speaker. Time and
time again residents will talk about never having seen a police car go up
their street.
Mr.
Speaker, the Premier is fully aware of that because, obviously, at one point
he was a member of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary.
He was a ward councillor in the Town of Conception Bay South.
I know as the MHA for Topsail, that members of council in Conception
Bay South have continually kept him in the loop about their concerns of
policing in the community.
Mr.
Speaker, at one point in time the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary had a
neighbourhood policing office in the Town of Conception Bay South.
That has been phased out since
AN HON. MEMBER:
In Manuels.
MR. HILLIER:
In Manuels, that is
right, Cherry Lane. That has
been phased out since 2013 and has really not been replaced.
The
Minister of Justice will tell us that the philosophy of our local police
force has changed and is now focused on intelligence-based policing, as
opposed to community-based policing, which was the way the police force
focused when we had our own little substation there in Conception Bay South.
Mr. Speaker, this may very well be the case, but it does not make any
difference to the people of Conception Bay South as they are still concerned
about not seeing a regular police presence in the community.
Mr.
Speaker, as I have gone through the community, there are two areas of focus.
One is the whole concept of
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
I
remind the hon. member his time has expired.
MR. HILLIER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker,
I
will get the rest in next time.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Cartwright L'Anse au Clair.
MS DEMPSTER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
To
the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in
Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS Route 510 from L'Anse au Clair to Red Bay is in deplorable condition
and requires immediate upgrading; and
WHEREAS the condition of the highway is causing undue damage to vehicles
using the highway and is a safety hazard for the travelling public; and
WHEREAS both residential and commercial traffic has increased dramatically
with the opening of the Trans-Labrador Highway and increased development in
Labrador; and
WHEREAS cold patching is no longer adequate as a means of repair;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the
House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to
immediately allocate resources to Route 510 from L'Anse au Clair to Red Bay
that allows for permanent resurfacing of the highway.
As
in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr.
Speaker, I have been up numerous times over the last couple of years on this
petition for the people of Cartwright L'Anse au Clair, and indeed the
people of all Labrador who travel this stretch of highway, and I will
continue to do that. Route 510
from L'Anse au Clair to Red Bay
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MS DEMPSTER:
In Question Period today
there were some questions around a tourism development officer for Labrador.
My colleague for Humber West talked about the tourism opportunities
there. I am going to be talking
about that later today. It is
all part and parcel and it fits together to entice tourists to come into the
area and for us to get in on that one billion dollar industry that the
Premier talks about is a priority for him and this Province.
Mr. Speaker, we have to have roads that are safe to drive on.
I
went on the website today for Transportation and Works, and several lines
there in the things they value, safety was at the top.
Well, I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, that anybody, especially people
who are not familiar with just how dilapidated that the road is, it is
decades beyond its expiration date.
If you get off the ferry after dark, that is if you can get through
the ice, and you get off and you are driving that road, you are taking your
own life in your hands. It is a
very serious threat to safety.
Mr.
Speaker, I said it here before and I will say it again, where is Route 510
on this government's list of priorities?
Where is it? Because if
they are out doing roadwork and they are allocating resources according to
need and there is a stretch of road in the Province that is worse than this,
I would love to go and see it. I
would love to go there.
Mr.
Speaker, I am concerned about the children who are bused every day on this
road. My heart goes out to the
people with broken femurs who have to travel by ambulance on this.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MS DEMPSTER:
It is time for us to get
our priorities in order and to let these people know where they are on the
list of priorities for roadwork because the road is in an extremely bad
shape, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Orders of the Day.
Orders of the Day
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government
House Leader.
MR. KING:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. KING:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I
appreciate the encouragement from members opposite.
At
this time we will call Motion 1 from the Table, that the House approves in
general the budgetary policy of the government, the Budget Speech.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Motion 1.
We will resume debate on the Budget Speech, debating the
sub-amendment.
I
recognize the hon. the Member for Kilbride.
MR. DINN:
Mr. Speaker, it would be
nice if I had a wall or something here so I would not be drifting over away
from the microphone. I think
this comes from my teaching days where you would be up talking to a class
and you would wander around all over the place.
I
want to address some of the comments made last week about unemployment and
employment here in this Province.
We were kind of accused as a government of creating unemployment
problems here, that we have done nothing to stimulate the economy or to
create jobs.
I
want to go back to the year 2000, that is fifteen years ago.
At that time, in 2000, the unemployment rate here in Newfoundland and
Labrador was 16.6 per cent.
AN HON. MEMBER:
How much?
MR. DINN:
It was 16. 6 per cent.
It
was a very difficult time to find a job.
Graduate students from MUN and the trade schools were vying or
competing with other people for truck driving jobs.
They were looking for delivery jobs and department store jobs.
I
mentioned before in the House of Assembly, there was a company on Topsail
Road that advertised for a van driver's job in the local media.
Five hundred people showed up at the door of that company looking for
that job. Some of the people who
showed up were people with university degrees and other trades.
In
those days it was not uncommon to see a dozen people or more every morning
at construction sites looking for a job.
Also, in those days there were many, many you would not see help
wanted signs like you do today.
If you look around today you will see a lot of help wanted signs.
These signs are at take-outs and other food establishments.
You will find them at home care facilities; farmers are even looking
for workers.
It
was only recently I had been talking to a young farmer who spent months
looking for someone to go to work on his farm.
After several months, he did find somebody he could hire.
I have had other farmers phone me, saying, do you know anybody I can
hire to take a job to go on the farm?
I have had companies, when I walk in their yard or something, or see
them at a facility or at a business somewhere else, they say, do you know
anybody looking for a job? Very
often, you did not know anybody because they were not there.
This was not the case years ago.
Back
in the 1990s, it was difficult for students to find a job.
I taught school for many years and during those times it was rare to
have five or six people in your class who worked after school, people who
had a part-time job.
Today that is not the case.
Today any student who wants to work can probably find part-time employment.
Very often it is not difficult for them to get summer employment
either. That was not the case
ten or fifteen years ago. It is
interesting to note too that many of those students who do work are helping
to finance their own education, which is very good.
I think it helps them avoid debt later on in life for their
schooling.
Last
week, I spoke to people at the Goulds Recreation Committee.
Myself and the Member for Ferryland were at a volunteer reception for
young people at the Goulds Recreation Committee.
Some of those people told me that it is getting increasingly more
difficult every year to get staff for summer employment to staff their
programs.
Ten
or fifteen years ago, this was not the case.
In those days, ten or fifteen years ago, it was not unusual to have
ten times more resumιs than the jobs that you had available.
People in the Kilbride recreation program tell me the same thing; it
is getting harder to get young people to go to work in the summertime.
So there is work out there.
It
is also interesting to look at the unemployment statistics for this Province
in previous years to get a true perspective of today's situation.
Did you know that in 1985 the unemployment rate was 20.2 per cent in
this Province? In 1992, 1993,
and 1994 it was still 20 per cent.
In 1995, 1996, and 1997 it was 18 per cent or a bit higher.
In 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003 it was 16 per cent and a bit
higher.
In
2004 it was 15.6 per cent and for the next nine years, it went progressively
downwards to 12.3 per cent. In
2013, 2014 it was below 12 per cent for the first time in many, many, many,
many years, probably the first time ever since they started keeping
statistics. Actually in April
this year, this past month, we had a modest gain in employment in this
Province.
It
is also interesting to note that if we have such a serious unemployment
problem, we note that we are bringing in temporary foreign workers.
Why would you bring in temporary foreign workers if there is no
unemployment problem, or if there is one?
You would be looking at your own environment to solve your problems;
you would not have to bring people in.
To me, the fact that we have to do this means that the unemployment
problem is probably what it always was for the last number of years.
No matter what happens, I do not think that you will get the
unemployment figures down much below ten, no matter what we do.
There are also accusations that we ruined the economy.
Remember, we are part of a global economy, subjected to the ups and
downs of foreign commerce. If
the Chinese do not want to buy iron ore or they want to pay a lower price
for it, then you know what happens.
Oil prices went down; you cannot blame the Premier of this Province
or this government, especially the Minister of Finance, for the fact that
oil has gone down. You might say
that you should have predicted it, but I am sure, like some of us have said
in the last few days, Saskatchewan, Alberta and those people are in the same
boat. None of them knew how to
predict either, so you could only make a guess at what it was going to be.
From
what I can see also, it is just not just rabbit and partridge populations
that are cycling. I think the
economies are also cycling. If
you look over the last number of years you can see periods of time when the
economy was up, followed by a few years when it went down.
This has been going on for as long as I can remember.
Back
in the 1980s and the early 1990s I had a landscaping business.
During that time, in the 1980s things were booming.
I write everything down, as you probably noticed
AN HON. MEMBER:
(Inaudible).
MR. DINN:
You noticed now, did you?
Anyway, during those times I used to have a book with two or three pages
that I could never keep up on. I
always had work, work, and work.
A few years after, in the early 1990s, she went that way; I would have two
or three items in the book that I had to do.
That went on for a few years, then it went up again, then it came
down again. It went up and now
it is down again for a few years.
I believe myself that we are in an environment now where some of the
stuff that we have done in the past, we are much better off than we were
when we had the last real bad downturn.
I
think that we are cushioned now for a quicker recovery actually.
I do not think it is going to last five years.
I think that in three years' time you are going to see things getting
much better.
AN HON. MEMBER:
(Inaudible).
MR. DINN:
You can write that down
if you like.
The
fact that economies are cycling is reality; this is nothing new.
Budget 2015-2016 deals with issues.
This government is dealing with issues.
I am glad to see that our Premier
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. DINN:
I am having difficulty to
hear myself here now.
I am
going to wait until I get attention again now.
MR. SPEAKER (Littlejohn):
Order, please!
MR. DINN:
Budget 2015-2016 deals
with issues. Our government
deals with issues. The present
Premier is dealing with issues.
The size of the public service in this Province was a big issue.
People have said it is too large.
Experts say that our public service is too large.
We have more public servants per capita than any other province in
this country.
In
the Budget year like we had coming, in the crunch that we had, we found
ourselves in the situation where our first reaction could have been layoff a
lot of people, send them out the door, but we did not do that.
Now, there are some people, some groups around that would have been
happy that we did that, but we did not do it.
As a government we decided to approach the size of public service
with an attrition plan, an attrition plan that does not lay off 1,200 people
today or tomorrow. Actually, if
it was not an attrition plan and we had planned to cut 1,200 jobs, they
would be gone now. They would
have got their yellow slips or their pink slips last week.
So,
these people would have been gone.
We decided that we would cut the public service as people retired,
and this would allow us and allow people more time.
People do retire, and I think the Attorney General mentioned
yesterday that 400 to 500 people retire per year from the public service.
So, this attrition plan should work, knowing how many people do
retire.
Losing 1,200 jobs or employees all at once would have a tremendous negative
impact on the commerce of this Province.
Can you imagine the trickle-down effect of 1,200 people not having
jobs, losing their jobs all of a sudden?
These are people who are buying houses, buying cars, buying
groceries, buying, buying, and buying.
We would have lost all this economy
AN HON. MEMBER:
(Inaudible).
MR. DINN:
It will be back, don't
you worry.
Two
or three months prior to the Budget, I had a number of people working in the
public service contact me. They
contacted me by phone. I met a
number of them over in the cafeterias here in the Confederation Building.
I visit the cafeteria very often.
I think I eat four or five times a day when I am here at
Confederation Building, so I run into people fairly often.
Some of those people were able to come to me and tell me they were
very, very worried, prior to the Budget coming down, that they were going to
lose their jobs very concerned.
They thought they were going to be out the door any time.
I
spoke to some of them on the phone and I talked to others, like I said, in
the cafeteria and other places outside these buildings.
These people were worried to death.
I am glad to say that after Budget day these people still had their
jobs, especially those at the lower end of the seniority scale, the young
people who would have been the first to go if layoffs had to occur.
These would be the young people just starting their lives, just
starting their employment lives.
They would have been devastated.
I
know a couple of these young people in my district.
They had gone back to school, they had gotten off Income Support, and
they were very, very happy working.
If they had to be laid off they would have been devastated.
I can tell you that now, I know.
I do not know how they would have dealt with it.
We
also had an issue with public pensions.
This government has taken a leadership role in finding a solution to
the liability associated with pension benefits that would have severely
impacted the Province's net debt.
Over the past year we have worked with unions to formalize agreements
that protect the defined benefit plans for approximately 97 per cent of plan
members.
We
are going to continue work in 2015 and 2016 to address the remaining
unfunded pension liability. I
think that is tremendous. When
you look at figures that we had last year and the year before, given to us
about public debt, a big part of that public debt was pension liability.
We have taken steps to address this.
Budget 2015-2016 puts a plan in place for fiscal recovery.
We have mapped out a strategy for going forward with an emphasis on
trying to stop deficits to reduce debt, and we put in a generation plan with
seed money set aside for future downturns in the economy.
This is facing problems head on and making corrections when they are
needed. We saw, as a government,
that we had a problem and we found a way to deal with this problem.
Budget 2015 and 2016 could have been much worse.
We could have cut many existing programs.
In a budget situation like we found ourselves in we could have
balanced the books by raising taxes a lot more than was done by cutting
services, and laying off employees.
We took a more balanced approach.
Programs for seniors are mostly still in place.
Funding for community groups stayed the same.
Tuition freezes and needs-based grants are still in place, or still
around for secondary students.
There is still a free textbook policy in place for K to 12 students in all
of our schools. Drug programs
are untouched, some are actually enhanced.
The
Rent Subsidy Program is funded again, helping many people.
I do not know how many of you people realize the impact of a Rent
Subsidy Program. If we put a
million dollars in rent subsidies, you are helping probably anywhere from
150 to 250 people with each million.
We have gotten $9 million or $10 million into rent subsidies.
It could be more than that.
I am not sure of the exact number.
So you multiple 150 or 200, probably use 200 as a round number and
times that by ten and you will know how many people you are helping.
These are vulnerable people, people who do need the help, people who
are finding it hard to exist in this economy.
Skill trades programs are included in the 2015-2016 Budget with
improvements. Grant programs for
farmers were not cut. Farmers
can still apply for a Growing Forward 1 program, Growing Forward 2.
It is very important for farmers.
The
Land Consolidation Program is still funded.
For those of you who are not aware of the importance of that program,
the Land Consolidation Program is there to help people, who have farmland
they do not use anymore, sell it to the Province and then the farmers can
use it. It is good for the
people who have the land, who have land that is zoned agricultural and
probably will remain zoned for a long, long time, and it also helps farmers
who are looking for land.
I
was very interested yesterday when the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture
and Forestry you have a lot of titles mentioned in the House of Assembly
that they are now working on plans to address the issue of food security, a
pet peeve of mine. We bring in
about 90-odd per cent, roughly 90 per cent of the food that we use in this
Province. Having a plan in place
to address that is very, very important.
I do
not know how many of you are aware of it, but if the boat stopped bringing
food here there would not be too many days before you would be short.
I would not, okay. A lot
of you people would not have food.
AN HON. MEMBER:
You would share with
us.
MR. DINN:
No, you would not come to
my place because it is well guarded.
I
should also mention that Budget 2015-2016 could have eliminated all
infrastructure spending. We had
an adequate excuse to say we cannot do any more, but we did not do that.
We still chose to do roadwork, to build some schools, ferries, but we
did have to put aside some of the large projects until the slowdown is over.
People are complaining that we have not started the Waterford Hospital.
We have not built a prison.
We have not done the hospital in Corner Brook.
The hospital in Corner Brook is on the way.
It will take time.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. DINN:
Yes, it will.
The
west end high school was four or five years getting done.
It will be open this year.
It does not happen all of a sudden.
You are talking many millions of dollars, a lot of money.
We are not in a position to take all of this stuff on today.
I suppose we could have borrowed and had a $3 billion debt, but we
did not.
Budget 2015-2016 could have been worse, like I said before, but we chose to
take a balanced approach. I am
glad we did.
My
time is nearly up. I have
seventeen seconds fifteen, fourteen.
Thank you very much for your time.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Trinity Bay de Verde.
MR. CROCKER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The
Member for Kilbride is a hard act to follow.
Mr.
Speaker, it is my pleasure to stand this afternoon and represent the people
of the District of Trinity Bay de Verde and take some time to talk about
Budget 2015.
First, I am going to talk a little bit about my district.
I guess some of the ramifications of Budget 2015 on my district and
some of the issues that I found in my district in the short time I have been
the member, since November, about six months, I guess.
Mr.
Speaker, when you look at Trinity Bay de Verde, the major issue always
comes back to the fishery. One
thing I have seen in my time around the House of Assembly in the last year
or so, first as a staff person, was the co-operation between all three
parties when it came to the inshore shrimp.
Inshore shrimp, Mr. Speaker, in the District of Trinity Bay de Verde is
huge. The economic impacts that
we face every day are beyond compare I guess to most districts in the
Province. I am just going to
give you some numbers.
Mr.
Speaker, in looking at the report of the FFAW, in Bay de Verde last year
there was 3 million pounds of shrimp landed; in Old Perlican, 3.3 million
pounds of shrimp. Alone, shrimp
in Old Perlican and Bay de Verde accounted for over 6.3 million pounds.
The economic impact of this to the local district and to the economy
of the Bay de Verde Peninsula Routine Maintenance and Fuel in 2014: Old
Perlican there was a total of $515,000; Bay de Verde, $418,000; and Hant's
Harbour, $22,000.
These are small municipalities, Mr. Speaker.
When you look at the tax base of these municipalities you look at
Bay de Verde for example. Bay de
Verde's tax base is 44.5 per cent revenue from commercial taxes.
I can assure you that is all fish plant.
Other than one or two small local stores, 44.5 per cent of the tax
base in Bay de Verde is the fishing industry.
When you go and look at Old Perlican, it is a little bit of a larger
town, and a bigger commercial tax base.
Even so, 39.8 per cent of the tax base in Old Perlican comes from
commercial enterprises.
As
our population ages, we also look at these communities again.
I do not mean to single out these two communities, but these two
communities are so important and this industry is so important to our
district. Mr. Speaker, 46.2 per
cent of the people in Bay de Verde work directly in the fishing industry.
In Old Perlican, it is 43.9 per cent of the working population.
AN HON. MEMBER:
How many?
MR. CROCKER:
It is 43.9 per cent in
Old Perlican work in the fishing industry.
Mr.
Speaker, I encourage government, the Opposition, and the Third Party to stay
working diligently for the shellfish industry in our Province.
Mr.
Speaker, also in Budget 2015 there was some more money allocated for the
Heart's Content Cable Station, the Provincial Historic Site.
The renovations have started there over the winter.
They are continuing on the exterior and they are nearing completion.
MR. A. PARSONS:
(Inaudible).
MR. CROCKER:
Well, that is coming, I
say to the Member for Burgeo La Poile.
I
was a little disappointed to learn yesterday in Estimates, Mr. Speaker, that
under the heading of special celebrations there has been no money directly
earmarked for the 150th anniversary of the landing of the first
transatlantic cable, which would be next year, 2016.
So, I encourage the minister and I encourage the government to look
at the 150th anniversary of the transatlantic cable in Heart's
Content, and ensure that the proper funding is in place next year for those
celebrations.
Mr.
Speaker, the Member for Burgeo La Poile just reminded me of a picture that
I took back late last fall. It
was in front of the cable station 149 years since the transatlantic cable
was landed ironically that was somewhat the birthplace for
telecommunications in North America, and now it is a dead zone when it comes
to cellphone coverage. The
District of Trinity Bay de Verde has little or no cellphone coverage in
2015.
We
talk about economic diversification as we look around.
One of the failures of this government over its twelve years in
office is a failure to diversify the economy, because one of the things that
is so important in rural economies is cellphone coverage.
Again, cellphone coverage was not mentioned in Budget 2015.
Mr.
Speaker, another issue I hear lots of in my district, both from individuals
and municipal councils, is their inability to access Crown lands for future
development. Now, I know the
minister a couple of weeks ago addressed this in an announcement, and I do
hope that the Department of Municipal Affairs addresses this issue as soon
as possible to ensure that municipalities and private business people in
districts, in rural districts, have the ability to develop.
Mr.
Speaker, I guess I would be remiss if did not take advantage of some of
these nice, glossy documents provided to us by the government at taxpayers'
cost. I was impressed on Budget
day, there was it was about that thick, a nice, glossy document.
Let me just cherry-pick a bit around a few of them.
I will not go in too deep, but I will cherry-pick some stuff.
The
first one, obviously the title of the Budget is
Balancing Choices for a Promising
Future. Twelve years in, the
government now decides that they are going to balance our choices for a
promising future. Mr. Speaker,
here are some of the highlights of Budget 2015.
This is the government's document; these are some of the highlights
of Budget 2015. The deficit for
2014-2015 projected at mid-year was $916 million; revised upwards, $924
million. That is a result,
according to this glossy document, of the decrease in oil revenues.
The
ironic part, Mr. Speaker, when oil was $103 a barrel back in the spring or
late winter of 2014, this government in its last Budget projected a deficit
of over $500 million. So even
when oil was at its highest, oil was at its highest peak or some of its
highest peak, $103 a barrel or somewhere in that vicinity, we were looking
at a Budget deficit last year of over $500 million.
This was not sprung on us overnight.
This has been coming for a while.
It is like the freight train.
Budget 2015 outlines a five-year fiscal recovery plan.
I guess, Mr. Speaker, we are going to recover from the twelve years
of mismanagement. I would think
it is a five-year plan to recover from the past twelve years.
By the way, we are going to return to surplus in 2020 and 2021.
Again, that is on projected oil revenues.
The Member for St. John's East pointed out yesterday afternoon that
looking that far into the future at oil revenues is probably not a safe bet
is that fair, Mr. Murphy?
After ten years of significant growth, economic conditions in Newfoundland
and Labrador have weakened but they are expected to rebound by 2019.
It is good to know. Mr.
Speaker, the government produces a five-year plan for recovery, and I think
it is a five-year plan from recovery of twelve years of mismanagement.
Mr.
Speaker, one move the government did make in Budget 2015 was an increase in
the HST, 2 per cent. The HST,
being obviously a consumption tax, is going to affect each and every one of
us in this Province. It is going
to take an already slower economy or a slowing economy and slow it even
more. It is going to affect
those in society: our seniors, our lower income people; they are the ones
going to be affected the most. I
know, Mr. Speaker, that the government is going to tell us oh no, that is
okay; we are going to give them back that money in October with a $300 tax
credit and we are going to increase the threshold.
Mr.
Speaker, for the senior paying a heat bill in February or the parents buying
sneakers and school supplies in September, that $300 in October is not going
to help. That $300 cash infusion
in October is not going to help the other eleven months of the year.
Mr.
Speaker, the government also made a move in this Budget quickly to remove
the Residential Energy Rebate.
Again, that is another move that is going to affect likely our seniors and
most vulnerable again.
Mr.
Speaker, I think a week before the Budget the Member for Conception Bay
South entered a private member's motion for a seniors' advocate, similar to
the Advocate we have for children in our Province.
It was astonishing that day to hear the members opposite say how
one member, I think it was the Member for Exploits, made the comment that we
do lots for seniors. Mr.
Speaker, we can never do enough for our seniors.
They are the people who have built our economies; they have built our
communities. So when it comes to
providing for our seniors, I do not think we can ever do enough.
I am
going to put down this little glossy document and go yet to another one,
same title, Balancing Choices for a
Promising Future. I am going
to go to 2015 Expectations: Economic growth is expected to remain subdued in
2015. Real GDP is forecast to
decrease by 0.3 per cent.
Household income is expected to increase it is an increase, Mr. Speaker
by 0.2 per cent. By the way, as
household income increases by 0.2 per cent, consumer prices are expected to
increase by 1 per cent, and we are going to add a 2 per cent HST increase on
that. The modest increase in
household income will certainly be offset by the government's increase in
the HST.
Employment is expected to average 234,000, down from 2014, so employment is
down. Retail sales are expected
a modest decrease of 0.3 per cent to $8.9 billion.
Mr. Speaker, my guess would be, and I am not an economist by any
stretch of the imagination, but once January 1, 2016 comes and we bring in a
2 per cent increase in the HST, if government predicts a modest decline this
year in retail sales, look out in 2016.
Oil
production is supposed to decrease; the Province's population, decrease;
mineral exploration is also going to decrease; fish landings in our Province
are going to remain stable.
Well, Mr. Speaker, stable is good; we can handle stable.
This government also has to prepare for the return of groundfish.
I
was in Grates Cove; it will be two weeks this Saturday, I met with the
Harbour Authority. One of the
things that the seventeen crews that fish Grates Cove were talking about is
they have a quota, I think it is 3,000 pounds currently.
Seventeen crews in Grates Cove fishing 3,000 pounds of cod.
We have to ensure with the federal government that the basic
infrastructure is in place and our marketing is in place so that when cod
does return, we are ready for that change.
Mr.
Speaker, another expectation of the government's Budget this year is a 9.6
per cent decline in housing starts.
It is quite interesting that is the government's document.
Yesterday in a couple of news articles the Minister of Finance I
have an article here from The Telegram. The
minister acknowledges the Province is in a recession.
In another article the Minister of Finance says: economic indicators
are strong, despite recession.
Economic indicators, Mr. Speaker I just spoke of some of the economic
indicators. GDP in 2015 is down,
final domestic product is down, household incomes are down, disposable
income is down, retail sales are down, and the Consumer Price Index is up.
AN HON. MEMBER:
That is not a good
thing (inaudible) inflation.
MR. CROCKER:
Yes, that is inflation.
Yes, you are correct.
Housing starts, as I just mentioned a moment ago, are down 9.6 per cent.
Unemployment is up, the labour force is down, and the population is
down. Mr. Speaker, I am happy
that the Finance Minister sees the positive indicators, despite we are in a
recession.
Bear
with me, Mr. Speaker, there is so much in these documents.
I will put that one down and go to another one.
MR. S. COLLINS:
Do you want me to
sing a song in the book?
MR. CROCKER:
No, I say to the Member
for Terra Nova, there is no need for him to sing this afternoon.
I
want to refer back to another glossy document.
This glossy document is called
Securing the Future: A 10-Year Sustainability Plan for Newfoundland and
Labrador. This stability
plan and we know this government has lots of plans, lots of paper, and
lots of glossy documents. This
one is dated March 26, 2013, so a little over two years ago, at which time
the government was going to eliminate the deficit this year actually
government is going to get rid of the deficit; 2015-2016, the deficit was
gone.
Government at that time, Mr. Speaker, was committing to long-term planning.
I find there is one interesting section in the sustainability plan;
it is on page 14. The Auditor
General warns back in his 2012 report, and I quote, World oil prices are
highly volatile and production levels related to non-renewable resources can
vary significantly. Therefore,
changes in these factors can result in significant changes in revenue from
year to year
.
AN HON. MEMBER:
That was only three
years ago.
MR. CROCKER:
Yes, three years ago the
Auditor General said this is one of the government's glossy documents
world oil prices are highly volatile.
We knew that three years ago, but oh no, we did not plan.
We never, ever considered it.
There was never a rainy day fund.
I
remember one of the things in the early 1990s when the Chrιtien government
came to power in Ottawa and I guess I am a little biased.
One of the things, probably the best Finance Minister in Canadian
history, Paul Martin, always did was he had a contingency fund.
He built a contingency fund into his Budget because Canada is a
natural-resources-based economy.
One thing we know about economies based on natural resources is it is
volatile. We look today at Lab
West and we see the changes in iron ore prices and the havoc that is causing
in Lab West, but to offset that we have to plan.
Now,
after twelve years of government, and their new eight pillars pillar
number eight is a legacy fund or a heritage fund or some kind of fund.
So seventeen years after taking power good planning seventeen
years after taking power this government is going to plan for a rainy day,
Mr. Speaker. Seventeen years
after taking government.
In
2021, I say to the member, I think this government is going to be ready to
plan for the future.
MS C. BENNETT:
(Inaudible).
MR. CROCKER:
Yes, good point, I say to
the Member for Virginia Waters.
By that time, we will have $14 billion in debt.
I
just have to refer back to something very early here in the two-year-old
plan. Here we go: In 2004, when
our Administration took office, we inherited the structural deficit of
almost $12 million. Now, we will
dispute that number. I think it
was more like $9.3
AN HON. MEMBER:
Billion.
MR. CROCKER:
Billion, sorry.
That is a B. Yes, B for
Bob.
In
the last ten years this government has taken us 180, plus a few billion.
In 2004, we had a $9.3 billion structural deficit, and in 2019 this
government is telling us that we are going to have a $14.9 billion
structural deficit. Mr. Speaker,
astonishing. It is almost double
in seventeen years.
I
see my time is running out, Mr. Speaker.
I am only about 25 per cent through my glossy documents but I will
get another couple of opportunities in the coming days and hopefully at that
time I will get through the rest of my glossy documents.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Minister of
Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.
MR. JACKMAN:
That is it, Mr. Speaker,
that is one of them.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JACKMAN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It
is a pleasure to get up and speak to the Budget.
I am going to take a little bit of a
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. JACKMAN:
I am going to take a
little bit of a different approach, I think, Mr. Speaker, but before I get
into that I would like to just speak to some of the points that the member
just talked about.
Mr.
Speaker, the volatility of oil has always been there, there is no doubt
about that. I think if a lot of
people had tried to predict where it was going to be about a year and a half
ago, even though people will talk to volatility, I do not think anyone would
have predicted it would have gone to where it is at this particular point.
As
much as the member might want to paint the terrible stories and whatnot, I
just want to point out a couple of things to him.
That since they have been recording unemployment statistics
nationally, 2013 and 2014 were the lowest numbers of unemployment that
Newfoundland and Labrador ever had.
The lowest it has ever had.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JACKMAN:
Mr. Speaker, there is
another statement I would ask the member to go and take a look at.
There was a May 8 article that came out and quoted Stats Canada.
In terms of Atlantic Canada, it says that Newfoundland and Labrador
was the only province that saw job gains.
As a matter of fact, Mr. Speaker, some 2,200.
I want to speak to the people of the Province through this means,
those who are listening, please do not take the message that everything is
doom and gloom.
Mr.
Speaker, I think the Premier said it.
I heard him in an interview one day and he said, this is a bump in
the road and we are asking the people of the Province to work with us.
Things are going to be okay.
We will get through this and continue the good work that is going on
in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Mr.
Speaker, we in this House are called upon from time to time to get up and
speak for ten, fifteen, or twenty minutes
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. JACKMAN:
and oftentimes, Mr.
Speaker, we are called upon by someone who leading a piece of legislation
and say, would you mind getting up to speak?
Oftentimes we get up on very short notice and speak in this House,
Mr. Speaker.
In
speaking to the Budget, I thought what I would do is I would take it from
two perspectives: one is the challenges that we were faced with and how we
dealt with them. Do you know
what, Mr. Speaker? The second
point, this is the Budget we are going to be taking to the people of the
Province in an election, and these are the people who will judge.
I am going to ask something of the people who speak here now shortly.
Mr.
Speaker, I have sat around a Cabinet table for eight years, a little over
eight years, and I have been through a budget process eight years in a row.
I am going to tell you, Mr. Speaker, the discussions we had around
this Budget were more intense.
It was longer than either of the previous years that I have sat around that
table.
We
looked at decisions, we brought forward suggestions, proposals were brought
forward, we assessed them, we reassessed them, we put them in, we took them
out, reconsidered, and, Mr. Speaker, like I said, there was more discussion
went into this Budget from what I have sat around the table in the past
eight years than I have ever seen before.
Mr.
Speaker, I would just like to outline the approach.
I will say to the members who are heckling a little bit, I am not
here, standing up and speaking to this Budget in a joking way.
I am serious when I speak about it, and speak about the direction
that we had to take.
MR. J. BENNETT:
You should be wearing
black.
MR. JACKMAN:
Mr. Speaker, the Member
for St. Barbe suggests we should be wearing black.
I hope the people of the Province are paying attention to those kinds
of commentaries because that will tell you the difference between that crowd
and our crowd.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JACKMAN:
Mr. Speaker, I am
thinking that he is suggesting we wear black because it is doom and gloom.
We on this side certainly do not believe that.
Mr.
Speaker, I will say to you that when we went into the Budget process, just
through my Department of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development, we could
have cut funding to community organizations and sports groups.
We could have cut funding in the Poverty Reduction Strategy.
We could have cut funding for the supports that we offer to seniors.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
There are many conversations going on both sides of the House and it is very
difficult to listen to the hon. minister and hear the hon. minister.
If we could, on both sides, can we carry our conversations on both
sides?
Thank you.
The
hon. the Minister of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.
MR. JACKMAN:
Mr. Speaker, we could
have cut dollars from the Disability Policy Office.
In AES, we could have cut Income Support.
We could have cut JCPs.
We could have cut the apprenticeship programs.
We could have cut training programs.
We could have laid off people, but we did not do that.
We
said that we needed to be measured.
That is why, Mr. Speaker, we came up with the attrition plan.
The purpose of the attrition plan is that as people retire we replace
a certain number. If we had gone
with layoffs, who would have been the first ones who would have been laid
off? The young people who are
entering our workforce, so we did not want to go there.
Mr.
Speaker, I caution people because there has been commentary made in this
House. The Member for Virginia
Waters has said it on occasions.
It has been in the newspaper.
She has tipped her hand. She has
indicated there will be cuts.
The one thing that she has not figured out yet is where.
MS C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, a point
of order.
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Virginia Waters on a point of order.
MS C. BENNETT:
Mr. Speaker, I
correct the minister on the opposite side and say that what I have clearly
said repeatedly is respecting the public sector, but more importantly,
cutting the waste out that this government continues to waste today.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
There is no point of
order.
The
hon. the Minister of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. JACKMAN:
Mr. Speaker, I will tell
you
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. JACKMAN:
Mr. Speaker, when you see
a response like that, and the onslaught of applause, that tells you are
hitting a nerve. You are hitting
a nerve.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JACKMAN:
I will credit people
they are the ones who will see through it, Mr. Speaker.
The
second thing we had to do we had to be measured because you did not want
to go in and just throw everything into disarray.
Mr. Speaker, the second thing we had to do is we had to be balanced.
We knew there were things that we had to do, but we had to be
balanced. There were things that
could be cancelled. I will say
to the people in my district, we have approved dollars for a protective
custody unit a dementia unit in my district.
Mr.
Speaker, I would say to the people, just be a little bit wary, just be a
little bit wary as to if you are hearing comments from the Member for
Virginia Waters talking about she is going in, she does not know where, but
she is going to just be wary of some of the things that might disappear.
So
we had to be balanced.
AN HON. MEMBER:
Fear mongering.
MR. JACKMAN:
Someone across the floor
is saying fear mongering. No, I
give the people of the Province more credit than that.
They will decide.
We
had to find balance. We knew
there were projects that had to be done.
It is quite obvious and evident to people around the areas in Gander,
I will say, and on the Avalon, out around Bay Roberts, schools have to be
built. Students have to have
places whereby they have to sit.
There are places, Mr. Speaker, where students have to sit.
We have the demand of increased population growth; therefore, we have
no choice. There are other
projects in schools that need to happen.
There are renovations that have to be carried out.
So,
Mr. Speaker, we were measured in our approach and we were balanced in our
approach. There were some
projects that we have heard in the media that people are disappointed that
they did not get the go-ahead.
Well, I would ask those people to recognize that we do face this bump in the
road and that we would ask that they work with us, because we still are
committed.
I
heard an interview around the Waterford Hospital and I will tell you, in
that intense debate that was one that we did have a lengthy discussion on.
As the minister has indicated, as we have said, we are still
committed to that project, and we would ask people just to bear with us.
So,
Mr. Speaker, we had choices to make.
We wanted to be measured and we wanted to be balanced.
So where are we now?
That leads me into my second part.
We are now we know it, that sometime this fall we are going to be
heading into an election. What
we are going to have to do is we are going to have to trust on the people to
decide. Everyone knows that
ultimately it is the people of the Province who will decide.
Mr.
Speaker, we have heard on several occasions, they have talked about
misspending and we went and did projects that we did not plan.
Well, whether they like it or not and I do not like going to
history too much, but there were many projects that we had to get into.
I
remember early when we came into power, if there was one thing that we heard
over and over again, was about mould in schools.
I come from that in my previous career, Mr. Speaker.
We heard about those projects that required mould remediation.
We had no choice. We had
to go down that road. That is
where we did go. The number of
schools that we built, we have gone down that road.
Let
me tell you, I will just reflect a little bit on the Burin Peninsula.
The CT scan was a piece of equipment that was required.
One of the biggest issues that residents faced at that particular
point, and I really felt for the individuals who needed that service, that
for three days a week the people had to leave the Burin Peninsula and they
drove either an hour-and-a-half to Clarenville, if they could get in, or
more of a requirement is they drove three times a week into St. John's,
received dialysis, and then had to drive back.
Mr.
Speaker, when I leave government, if there is one thing that I can say that
I am more than proud of being a part of was putting that dialysis unit down
there.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JACKMAN:
That means that an
individual can now get in their vehicle and the longest they probably have
to go it about thirty to forty minutes.
I know people who are in that and I know how draining it is on them
to receive dialysis. I can only
imagine that three-hour drive one way, six hours on the road, three times a
week to receive dialysis.
So,
Mr. Speaker, put all the political rhetoric aside, I do not care what
anybody says, we did not have to do that and we could have continued the old
practice, but that was a worthy, worthy investment.
Mr.
Speaker, another one
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. JACKMAN:
The Premier, the Minister
of Health, a number of us, went out in Paradise and went to the announcement
around the private-public non-profit partnerships.
That will be the creation of 360 beds.
Now there has been some question as to where
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
I
ask hon. members if they want to have a sidebar conversation, they take it
outside of the Chamber.
The
hon. the Minister of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.
MR. JACKMAN:
Mr. Speaker, I never did
think I would spark that much reaction, but it is getting there.
About the creation of 360 long-term care beds do you know the biggest
question I received on that?
When will they be available? The
minister has gotten into the recognition that we can do these more cost
efficient, we can do them faster and with our aging demographics, it is
where we need to go.
Mr.
Speaker, I have to say another one.
The Member for Virginia Waters got up the other day and spoke to what
we have done, how we have neglected Corner Brook pulp and paper.
Mr. Speaker, we offered $110 million support, and I will tell you the
other thing that I am not that fond of hearing.
She made this comment; the Office of Public Engagement, she referred
to it as the department of clickers.
Now, Mr. Speaker, the Office of Public Engagement has gone around the
Province and has held multiple sessions to seek input from people.
I
have been to a number of those sessions and you know the difference in
those. Oftentimes when they hold
these sessions, you will get three or four people who parade to a microphone
and they are the ones who put their views forward and oftentimes that is
what dominates the conversation.
The Office of Public Engagement, through the use of new technology, as she
refers to it as clickers, have engaged more people.
I have heard from people who have attended these sessions and they
have said they very much appreciate the opportunity to provide their input.
Mr.
Speaker, I have also heard some commentary about Nalcor, whether we should
be investing in Nalcor. Somebody
said something to me a couple of years ago that really resonated.
They said they want Nalcor to become Norway's Statoil.
Anybody who follows Statoil Statoil is a renowned recognized entity that
goes all over the world to make investments in the oil industry and the
returns go back to Norway. Mr.
Speaker, that is what we need of Nalcor.
That
is why I can guarantee you, anybody who asks me publicly where I stand on
our financial support for Nalcor; I have absolutely no qualms about saying I
totally support our investment 100 per cent.
I predict, Mr. Speaker, if we allow Nalcor to continue their work,
they will become the Statoil for Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. JACKMAN:
The returns they bring to
our Province will be the rewards, not for my generation, Mr. Speaker, but it
will be for my grandchildren.
That will ensure we have the revenue coming into our Province and that they
will reap returns for it.
Mr.
Speaker, twenty minutes goes by rather quickly, and I certainly could
enlighten I have to say, I am thrown off sometimes with some of the
commentary by the Member for Virginia Waters.
She mentioned another one, the Department of Transportation and
Works, and almost insinuated there was a staff member out there who was
abusing the use of a government vehicle.
She mentioned what the AG had done.
The difference was the AG was asking that it be looked into.
She was accusatory. She
had made up her mind, and that is a dangerous, dangerous thing.
Mr.
Speaker, I am going to conclude by this.
I am going to say to the people who are listening: judge us on what
we have done. There will be
things that people will say yes, we should or should not have, but tonight I
am going to ask the people judge us on what we have done.
Look at what we have outlined in the Budget.
Look at what the minister has outlined for the next five years, and
judge us on the way forward.
I
would ask people as we get closer and closer to the election, just not
listen to rhetoric, Mr. Speaker.
The easiest job in the House of Assembly is to be Opposition, because all
you have to do is criticize; you do not have to govern.
We have governed, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Mount Pearl South.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. LANE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I
look forward to doing my easy job.
I agree with the minister, actually it is pretty easy to criticize a
lot of things. Anyway, I will
continue.
Mr.
Speaker, it is a pleasure to have an opportunity now for the first time to
speak to the Budget. Of course
we are debating the sub amendment, so everyone will get at least two more
opportunities to speak on the Budget.
I am looking forward to having a few words today.
Mr.
Speaker, I was listening to the Member for Kilbride, a fine member, I must
say. I have a lot of respect for
him; a nice guy, a good constituency guy.
He was talking about the unemployment rates.
He was talking about the history. It
was a nice history lesson on where our unemployment rates have gone and so
on.
I
just heard the minister talk about a couple of years back we were at a very
good level in terms of employment and so on, but we are really not here to
talk about what our past levels were and so on.
We are really here to talk about where we are today and where are we
heading. That is really what we
need to talk about. That is what
people are more concerned about, is where we find ourselves today.
Mr.
Speaker, obviously, when you look at the Budget numbers, and we are not
making up these numbers. These
numbers are coming straight from government's own documentation.
When we look at them, Mr. Speaker, it is quite obvious to the people
that we have a real financial crisis on our hands, and there is no doubt
about it.
The
minister said there is a small bump in the road.
I do not know how small the bump in the road is.
He might refer to it as a small bump, and some people might sort of
liken it to the bump we seen in Rose Blanche.
There was a small bump in that road; the pothole was so big that
there were actually people canoeing in it.
I guess it depends on who you ask exactly how small or how large that
bump happens to be, but no doubt, Mr. Speaker.
Again, we have heard government members talk about the fact that much of
this is attributable to the price of oil.
I agree. I totally agree
with the members opposite, that oil is playing a big factor in all of this,
the price of oil and certainly production.
I
would agree that they perhaps could not predict, although if you listen to
statements that have been made by experts in the past and the Auditor
General warned of this. They
said that oil is volatile, as we all know, and it could certainly go down.
I do not think the government, I do not think anybody here
necessarily believed it was going to decline at the rate that it did, as
fast as it did. It did happen
nonetheless.
Government certainly would be aware of the production numbers.
Obviously that is something they get through the C-NLOPB and so on.
They would have known in advance basically, how much production there
will be in any given year. They
would have known that in terms of Hibernia and so on we have already peaked
and now we are sort of on the downturn.
When
we look at the employment numbers that a couple of the members opposite
referenced, they looked at the numbers for employment and they were saying
how they had been so high. Well
that was attributable, naturally, to oil.
It was attributed to the fact that production was high, that prices
were high, and we had these megaprojects that were on the go out in Bull
Arm, Marystown, and so on. Of
course now we have Muskrat Falls.
Whether people agree with Muskrat Falls or they do not, one of the
short-term benefits is the fact that there would be employment in terms of
construction.
We
have seen peaks in employment, but now we are seeing the other side of it
where things are now on the decline.
We hope on this side and we are optimistic I heard it said that you
are preaching doom and gloom and fear mongering.
That is not true at all, but we are trying to live in reality and to
talk about the reality of the situation.
We
are all hopeful that at some point in time oil prices will rebound.
Whether they will ever get back to $105 a barrel, who knows?
I do not think they will, but who knows?
I think they will rebound to some degree.
There is no doubt that when we look at opportunities with Hebron, Bay du
Nord, and all those projects that will be happening over the next number of
years, that production eventually will go up again and we will reap the
benefits of that. I do believe
that in the future, as government has said I think we all agree, we are
all very hopeful that production will go up, that prices will stabilize,
and we will be in a better position.
The
question is, I suppose, how did we get to where we are today?
While members opposite might like to say that it was totally because
of the price of oil, I think we have to ask ourselves what planning was
done. Were there any warnings?
Was there any planning?
Should there have been any planning for oil prices to drop?
When we look at even last year's Budget, last year's Budget was
predicting over $600 million I am not sure the exact number, but it was
somewhere in the area of a $600 million deficit predicted.
That is when oil prices were high.
So
even when the prices were at $100 or $105 a barrel and so on, even at those
prices, they were already predicting the fact that we would have a $600
million deficit. The fact that
part way through that fiscal year that price has plummeted, that has put us
in a much worse position where now we are over a billion dollars we have
over a billion dollar deficit and we know that now we have had to borrow $2
billion in this Budget, and we know we are going to have to borrow more for
the next few years because prices have dropped substantially.
Even before all that happened, at the time when prices were high,
government was still predicting a $600 million deficit.
So,
it just ties into the fact that even if this did not happen, we still were
not managing our affairs the way we should have been anyway.
I think that is a point that members opposite would want people not
to realize, just to sort of throw it out there: Oh, it is all because of oil
prices. It is not all because of
oil prices. It is worse because
of oil prices, but even if that did not happen, we still would have found
ourselves or I should not say we would have found ourselves, we would have
put ourselves in this position.
That is really what happened.
When
we talk about now trying to find efficiencies and we can all debate, some
would say, well what you cut or what would you do, and so on.
We can all talk about that.
I think the point is that perhaps we should not have been having to
talk about this today, had we had left a buffer.
Now, whether that buffer I am not suggesting it would be
necessarily a rainy day fund or a heritage fund; you can call it what you
like.
To
me, it would make more sense to had paid more down on debt so when times
were bad then if we needed to borrow, then it would have had less of an
effect. At least by putting it
on debt we would be saving money on interest and so on, as opposed to a
heritage fund. I mean, they had
a heritage fund in Alberta, but that was after they were debt free and they
were writing cheques to everybody in Alberta, then they were talking about a
heritage fund.
I
think it goes to the point of living beyond our means, because basically
what has happened is that for every dollar that a barrel of oil went up,
that equated to more spending.
Now, I want to make this point clear as well, because members opposite have
talked about spending and said: What school wouldn't you have built?
What hospital wouldn't you have built and so on?
We
all agreed; it was capital spending that was required.
There is more capital spending that is going to be required.
We all know that, but it is not about the capital spending.
It is about the ongoing operational expenses that continue to drive
the deficit and the debt now, year over year over year.
It is the ongoing operations.
There are all kinds of examples we can point to of things that maybe you
could argue was wasteful or not good management and so on.
Just a few of them that come to mind and this is not an exhaustive
list by any stretch, but we look at the fact that a number of years ago when
Premier Williams, at the time, had his big fight with Prime Minister Harper
and we started losing federal services, which I believe was punishment, to
be honest with you. Whether that
is true or not, but there is philosophy out there there are people out
there who think we have been punished.
I tend to agree to some degree that we have been punished for that,
for ABC and so on.
It
was federal responsibilities that were removed by the federal government,
but what we decided to do was we will take them on.
It was a case of well, the heck with you.
If you are going to remove them, we will do them.
We
can to look at things like fishery science for example.
I am not against fishery science.
I believe it is very necessary and I support fishery science.
I absolutely do.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. LANE:
It is critical to rural
Newfoundland and Labrador, but the point of the matter is, though, is that
was a federal responsibility that got downloaded on us and we accepted it.
We should not be accepting it.
We should be demanding the federal government take on its
responsibility and that is money we would not have to spend on federal
programs.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. LANE:
Mr. Speaker, I believe
river wardens were another one, if I am not mistaken, at the time.
We had some provincial and some federal, I believe, and the feds cut
theirs out and we said we would pick up the slack; we will do it.
The heck with you; we will do it.
There were other things as well that the federal government were and are
responsible for and we just accepted that download.
We said the heck with you, if you will not do it, we will do it
ourselves; but these are not one-time things, like capital.
These are now ongoing. So
it is like every year we have these salaries and expenses associated to that
that certainly that adds on to the debt and our deficit and things we should
not be doing.
We
have already talked about the $445,000 that Nalcor spent on this we are
ready for winter campaign.
AN HON. MEMBER:
How ready were they?
MR. LANE:
Obviously they were not
ready because we still had issues, but we still spent $445,000.
Now, whether it is arm's-length or not, we keep getting reminded by
the minister all the time that Nalcor is us.
It is our company. We own
it. We are the only
shareholders. Certainly, we have
been writing a lot of cheques to Nalcor year over year a huge cheque in
this Budget to Nalcor, yet they can spend that money on some glossy ads and
advertising saying we are ready.
We
have heard about schools. We
have had a number of schools in the Province that have been shut down
because they were building new schools or whatever the case might be and
they shut down the old ones. For
three and four years later we are still paying for heat and light and so on,
on these buildings. There was
one I think it was the one in St. Anthony, or near St. Anthony that is
actually scheduled for demolition.
It is in St. Anthony. It
actually says on the chart when you look at the status: demolition; but we
are paying heat and light and have been paying it for the last two or three
years or whatever I think it is like $1 million for all the schools heat
and light on buildings that are not used and are scheduled for demolition.
We
look at the amalgamation of the school boards because we are talking about
doing the same now with the health authorities, taking the administrative
functions and putting them under one authority and so on.
At the time, when we did this with the school boards, we were all
told that this was going to save money.
We have not been able to get the answer but my understanding it is
actually costing us more money now than it did under the old system.
We have actually spent more money than saved money.
Of
course, we have taken all of these environmental liabilities.
We have talked about Come by Chance, Abitibi, and all those things.
We are not sure what the number is because we just took them on.
We did not even bother to do the assessments.
Well, we will take it on and then we do the assessment after.
Of
course, we have seen all of the Auditor General recommendations.
There was a number of them came out that will save us thousands of
dollars, hundreds of thousands, millions of dollars, Mr. Speaker, that has
not happened.
The
worse thing about this, Mr. Speaker, you get up on a little bit of a tantrum
here I have five minutes left, but I am glad I have a lot more time to
speak to be able to go again, but what I really wanted to start off talking
about, and I
AN HON. MEMBER:
Fifteen minutes ago.
MR. LANE:
Fifteen minutes ago my
colleague said.
What
I wanted to start talking about was I think could be considered a root cause
to all of these issues. All of
these issues that I listed here, what would a root cause be?
I think certainly one of the root causes because it is all
management issues. It is all
about management having control over your departments, control over your
expenditures and so on.
Mr.
Speaker, I would have to question, how do you do that when you have a
revolving door of ministers? I
am not tying this just to this government.
I think if you were to go back in history, in past Administrations,
we have seen it. We have seen it
in all Administrations. Although
this one here, I have to say, some of the numbers here have been absolutely
brutal, beyond the norm.
If a
person goes into a department as a minister, I would suggest there is a
pretty sharp learning curve associated with that.
Of course it depends on the department.
Some departments are larger than others.
Some have more responsibilities.
To be honest with you, I do not know since the latest shake up.
I look at the Minister of I think he is Justice and Business and
AN HON. MEMBER:
Tourism.
MR. LANE:
Tourism and
AN HON. MEMBER:
Public Safety.
MR. LANE:
Public Safety.
I am not sure what else.
AN HON. MEMBER:
Rural Development.
MR. LANE:
Rural Development.
He is doing it all. He is
like a one-man show. I do not
mean that in a disrespectful way, I mean that in a sincere way.
I honestly do not know how the man is managing to juggle it all.
I do not know how he is doing it.
I really do not. Good for
him that he is able to keep all those balls up in the air and do the best
that he can, but I do not know how he does it.
There is no doubt, that is a classic example of how it has gotten
even worse.
It
takes time to get into a department, to learn what is going on and really be
able to get a handle on things.
I would say it probably takes a year or probably two years really, to
totally get immersed and understand how things work.
By the time somebody goes in there, they are yanked out again.
So they do not have time to manage anything.
Is
it any wonder that a lot of these issues take place when there is no steady
hand at the helm? As soon as
somebody goes in there, before you know it they are yanked out again, or the
department has changed, or the name has changed, or the focus has changed,
the offices are changed, everything is changed.
This was made even worse over the last year or so because of the
leadership issue in the governing party.
They
had all these interim Premiers and want-to-be Premiers and people who wanted
to be, who were ejected and someone else who quit, and then all this stuff
that happened. Between that and
all of the departments changing and ministers changing left, right and
centre, I think it is fair to say things have been on autopilot.
I have heard people say I think it has been on autopilot.
I tend to agree that it has been on autopilot.
Now,
Mr. Speaker, there are many specifics that I could get into and,
unfortunately, I am running out of time.
I am going to look at, for example, Service Newfoundland and
Labrador, Service NL, because that is the department I shadow, critic,
whatever you want to call it. It
was formerly called Government Services.
Since 2003, we have had nine ministers.
Since 2011, we have had six six since 2011.
Of course, the latest change that we have seen, we actually have the
Minister of CYFS Workers' Comp used to be part of Service NL and that just
got removed. Now Workers' Comp
has gone with the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.
I am
not sure if I see that fit, and I am not sure how comfortable I would feel
if I was an injured worker. It
has nothing to do with the minister, nothing to do with the individual, he
is a good fellow. I am not
knocking that at all. It is
nothing about him as an individual, but to have the Minister of CYFS
responsible for Worker's Comp, I am not sure what kind of priority somebody
who is an injured worker gets in that scenario.
It is very concerning.
When we hear about all the issues going on with injured workers, that is a
concern.
Of
course, we also gave the Minister of Finance the OCIO, Office of the Chief
Information Officer, which was part of Service NL.
Then the Government Purchasing Agency, which is part of Service NL,
has gone to the Minister of Education.
So there is no doubt there is a real mess, and it is no wonder that
things are in the state they are.
I am going to have a lot of examples to give for all the departments
when I speak the next time.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
Labrador West.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. MCGRATH:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I am
pleased to be able to stand here today and have an opportunity to speak on
the Budget. A Budget that is
named Balancing Choices for a Promising Future.
I am
going to start my introduction by talking a little about my district and
then I will get into the Budget.
I certainly will not get everything that I have to say in in twenty minutes,
but anyone who talks about how an economy can change overnight and change
quickly, my district is evidence of that.
This
time sixteen months ago Labrador West was known as little Fort McMurray.
We were booming. The
economy in Labrador West was booming.
The morale was booming.
Every secondary industry in Labrador West had a sign in their window: help
wanted. Over the last four years
we have had over 400 foreign workers come into a community with only 9,000
people in it. That is indicative
of how strong and how vibrant the economy actually was.
Of
course, in January 2014, we started to see a shift.
That was when Wabush Mines hinted they were going to be making some
changes in their workforce. They
were not saying exactly what they were doing.
In February, 2014, they made a drastic announcement, just five weeks
later, that they were not going to be considering a shutdown.
They were not going to be considering a layoff.
They were actually closing their doors.
I
remember sitting in the minister's boardroom on a Tuesday afternoon.
We were supposed to have a meeting that day with Cleveland-Cliffs,
the owners of Wabush Mines.
Rather than them show up at the meeting, we went into a conference call and
we were advised then, on a Tuesday afternoon, that Thursday morning they
will be making an announcement to 450 employees that they were closing their
door. That is how quickly it can
change.
In a
matter of twenty-four hours, they were going from employing over 450 people
to employing at that time they went from 450, and they went into what we
call a warm idle. When they went
into a warm idle, they went from 450 employees down to, I think it was
fifty-six that they employed.
You are not talking employees who were making $35,000 or $40,000 a year.
You are talking the average income per person of between $90,000 and
$120,000 a year. That was the
average income.
When
you think about it, a tradesperson who, many of them had a Grade 12
education, went and did a trade and went there as apprentices, a lot of them
working there for over twenty-five years, and they were doing very well for
themselves. They were set into a
certain lifestyle, used to having a certain income coming in on a biweekly
basis. All of a sudden, all of
that is ripped out from underneath you.
Like
I said, that happened within a period of twenty-four hours.
I remember sitting in the Wabush Hotel in a meeting and I had
seventeen people who were employees of Wabush Mines.
The junior person in those seventeen people had
twenty-seven-and-a-half years of employment with the company.
They were the ones who were affected the most, because they were the
ones, their pension really got hurt on that.
So, they were wondering what you can do to help them.
Then
in the next twelve months, while we are dealing with the Wabush Mines warm
idle, you start hearing rumblings of Alderon, and you hear rumblings of
Bloom Lake, and you hear rumblings of the IOC expansion.
Now, you have to bear in mind, Rio Tinto had just spent $3.6 billion
to prepare for an expansion $3.6 billion and now all of a sudden that is
on hold.
Alderon which many of the people in the community had made personal
investments in, hoping to have a return on it all of a sudden Alderon is
on hold. Then Alderon is just
delayed for twelve months, and then Alderon is cancelled.
Now Alderon has maybe three employees until the market picks up
again. Bloom Lake, a company
that Cleveland-Cliffs paid $5.9 billion for less than five years ago $5.9
billion Cleveland-Cliffs made an investment in and all of a sudden again,
overnight, Bloom Lake is closed.
A
lot of people say: Well, do you know what?
What effect does Bloom Lake have on Labrador West that is in Quebec?
It is it is sixty kilometres on the other side of the border, on
the Quebec side of the border, but all of the secondary industry for Bloom
Lake employed people from Labrador West.
I have to say, not just from Labrador West, because I know I have
heard the Member for Cartwright L'Anse au Clair, I have heard the Member
for Happy Valley-Goose Bay, I have heard the Member for Torngat Mountains
stand in this House of Assembly and comment on how people in their district
were working in Labrador West and were reaping the benefits of employment in
Labrador West. All of a sudden
all of that is gone. So here now
is the secondary industry that is affected and again,
all with no warning.
In
the last couple of months, IOC has been trickling, how are we going to cut
down on our expenses, and they tried through attrition and they tried asked
for wage freezes. Just a short
while ago, about a month ago, they announced 150 more people who are going
to be laid off in May. Some of
those people in that 150-person layoff and I have to comment on the
janitors.
It
hits home when your next door neighbour who has twenty-six years of service
with a company, who has two teenage children she is raising on her own, who
has an elderly mother who she supports, went to work one day after working
six days straight, six twelve-hour shifts, went into work and when she came
home from work there was an envelope on the kitchen table letting her know
that effective in a month's time after twenty-six years of service, your
services are no longer required and there is no retribution whatsoever.
You have no bumping rights because your job just became declassified.
That is a big pill to swallow.
So that is what is happening now in Labrador West and that is how
quickly an economy can change.
We
are not just seeing that in Labrador West.
I had to talk about my district.
I am talking all doom and gloom for the last eight minutes, but the
people in Labrador West and there was a minister in my district about two
weeks ago. After meetings all
day and a public speaking engagement he said there is something different
about the atmosphere of the people in Labrador West.
Every time I have a minister when the Premier was in, the Premier made the
same comments. I have had three
Premiers in my four-year term so far who have been into my district and
spoken. They all make the same
comment: The people in Labrador West are different.
They have a different outlook.
Do
not get me wrong, there are a lot of people in Labrador West right now who
are extremely nervous. There are
people going through foreclosures.
For those of you who are in the virtual Facebook page and social
media, if you go on and you look up the Labrador Virtual Flea Market, I tell
you if you are looking for a deal, there is no problem to find a deal now in
Labrador West. They cannot give
their Ski-Doos away. They cannot
give their big trucks away. They
cannot give their four-wheelers away.
Houses that people have $400,000 and $500,000 mortgages on, they are
starting to see foreclosures on them.
There is a glimmer of hope there.
People are saying it has to change.
They are resilient and they are watching.
When
I went home the last couple of weekends people say to me and of course
like any member in this House of Assembly I have no doubt when you go into
your district you are not sure; do I go to the mall because people are going
to want to talk about this Budget?
Do I go to the church? Do
I go to the grocery store? I can
guarantee you, I do that. I am
fortunate in my district if I spend an afternoon in the local mall there,
I can speak to probably 50 per cent of my constituents.
I am very lucky like that, and I am glad I am because it gives me
that opportunity to mingle with my constituents.
When
I go to mass on Sunday, they know where I sit in the church; I sit in the
same pew every Sunday. They know
where I am at. People know how
to get in touch with me, and they talk to me.
People are not afraid to come up to me, as I am sure with many other
members in this House, your constituents do not mind approaching you and
letting you know how they feel.
My
constituents, they have some concerns with the Budget but I sit down with
them and I explain to them what we are dealing with.
Because of the economy the way it is, the state the way it is right
now in Labrador West, maybe it is a little easier to understand.
Maybe the people in Labrador West are saying we understand what we
are going through there. They
are accepting some of the hard choices that we had to make.
I
had a constituent say to me on Saturday we were sitting down and we were
having a coffee. We chatted for
maybe forty, forty-five minutes.
That constituent looked at me and he said: I am here now over forty years.
I supported you in the last election.
He said: I am going to support you in the next election because
anybody can govern when times are good.
When times are good, anyone can govern because everything is flush.
He looked at me and he said: Now times are a little bit different and
now we are seeing that this government this is a constituent that said
this to me does not mind making the difficult choices.
You are making choices to make the future better for us, and that is
what it is all about. It is
making choices that will plan for a better future.
That is some of the things that we are doing as a government.
These are the choices that we are making.
I
look at some of the choices that we made in this Budget.
Nobody likes to see fee increases.
Nobody likes to see tax increases, and I do not think any government
likes to implement that. When
you have to make a choice where you either make certain increases and try to
harmonize it throughout the whole economy, or you have major layoffs, or you
make major cuts in programs, you have to make the choice.
I think that this government made the right choices in the economy
that we are dealing with right now.
We
have made some choices that we feel we can live with.
We have made some economic decisions and I feel the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador can get through the transition period that we are
going through. This is a
transition period.
I
have seen the economy where it has bottomed out completely.
I remember in 1992 on one street alone in Labrador West there were
138 houses that were barred up.
I remember the manager of one of the financial institutions there.
I was chatting with her one day and she said, Nick, I have a rule
that I never close my office doors.
As the bank manager her door was always open, she never closed her
door. She said, I am afraid to
turn my chair around because the keys are being thrown in that fast I am
afraid I am going to get pelted with keys on one street alone 138 houses.
I
remember in 1992 there were over 430 homes that were vacant and that economy
turned around. Then in 2002 we
had another difficult time and we rode through that.
Since 2007 in Labrador West there have been over 600 new homes built.
That is unprecedented.
That is in a community of only 9,000 people.
These are big homes that are being built.
There are three new subdivisions.
You cannot buy a piece of land right now in Labrador West, but as I
said right now the economy is hurting.
Another thing that I think we need to remember I will talk about the iron
ore. I had the privilege of
sitting in on a round table at the College of the North Atlantic in my
district last Friday. We have
nine Ph.D. students from Memorial University who are here from all over the
world. They were there from
Switzerland. They were there
from Finland, from Austria, and from Spain.
These Ph.D. students wanted to talk about Arctic living, today's
economy, and what effect it is having on Arctic living.
They
were amazed. They made the comments
of the people in Labrador West.
They came up to me after and they said it is amazing the amount of
information the people in Labrador West can share with you.
We know that we are going to have vacant homes in the next while.
One of the comments I heard by quite a few of the presenters at this
round table was that iron ore right now twenty years ago the iron ore in
Labrador West was sold to a captive industry.
It was being sold to the steel mills in North America.
Then Rio Tinto purchased the Iron Ore Company of Canada, and
Cleveland-Cliffs purchased Wabush Mines.
All of a sudden the mines in Labrador West were no longer selling to
a North American steel market.
They became part of the global economy.
That
is what we are being affected by right now.
We are affected by that global economy because China and India are
dictating now where the economy is.
You have three large companies that own 70 per cent of the ore market
in the world so they are dictating what the price is in ore.
Those three companies have big, deep pockets.
They can afford to have the ore prices drop to what we are seeing
now. Ore prices have gone from
$180 a ton; we have seen it as low as $44.70 a ton this year.
Just a couple of months ago ore was trading at $44.70 a ton.
Those big companies are not feeling that pinch.
It is the smaller junior companies.
It is the companies that were getting into the mining industry.
The Alderons of the world, the Labrador Iron Mines, these are the
mines that are being squeezed out.
China is seeing the same thing over there.
China just dropped their corporate tax rate by 50 per cent to try and
alleviate some of that from happening.
So
we know the market is going to come back.
We know that Labrador West is going to be around for a long time yet,
but for right now the people have to deal with it.
That is what we are dealing with.
In all of Newfoundland and Labrador, all of Canada, all of North
America, right now, the global economy is hurting right now.
It is not just in Newfoundland and Labrador.
It
is going to be very interesting to see in Alberta.
We all know with the oil as volatile as it is right now what the
economy is like in Alberta. It
is going to be very interesting to see in six months what is going to happen
and what is going to transition in Alberta.
I think we are all keeping a real close eye on how the new government
there is going to deal with that.
After a government of forty-two years and probably the most
prosperous province in our country, and all of the sudden they have made a
drastic change in an economic downturn.
For
me, when I talk to my constituents, the message that I get out to my
constituents is you bear with us.
We are steering the ship and we are going to continue to do that.
What I am hearing from my constituents is if you can keep it at a
steady pace then we will get through it.
That is what this Budget is all about.
This
Budget is all about making changes now.
We have talked about changes in our health care.
We have talked about changes in our education.
We have talked about changes in our infrastructure plans.
We have talked about changes in our transportation plans.
One thing that we have to be given credit for is that this government
has not come to a standstill. We
have not come and said we are stopping everything.
We
did not say we were going to stop education.
We are still moving forward with our education plans, but we are
going to tighten things up. We
are going to make it more economically safe.
We are going to make it more efficient and someday the oil prices are
going to come back up.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. MCGRATH:
We can now get ready for
when the prices come up. Then
one of the eight pillars is we will build our legacy fund.
I
think the most important message and again I can talk for another twenty
minutes no problem. What is
important is that we have that plan out there and we have our vision.
We have our plan and we have tabled our plan.
MR. SPEAKER:
I remind the hon. member his time has
expired.
MR. MCGRATH:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for
St. John's Centre.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS ROGERS:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I am
very happy to stand and have this opportunity to speak to the Budget.
It is very interesting to hear the Member for Labrador West talk
about how we will have our ship ready.
All I can think of, Mr. Speaker, is that after five years of decline
in GDP, job losses, a shrinking economy, the Minister of Finance has said,
yes Sir, we are in a recession.
What they have done is that we do not have a broad-based economy.
They
got rid of the RED Boards.
Anything that would make sense, aside from their addiction to great big
projects, they have gotten rid of.
AN HON. MEMBER:
Obliterated.
MS ROGERS:
That too.
They have gotten rid of.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance has said that he believes everything
will be turned around within five years, and then we will start to be able
to save for a rainy day. The
Member for Labrador West said that we will have our ship in order.
I am proposing that by that time they are going to need an ark. That
is the ship they are going to need.
They are going to need an ark in order to be able to survive.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS ROGERS:
Because we can be darn
sure there is going to be a lot of rain.
There are going to be rainy days unless things are turned around,
unless we see economic diversification.
Mr.
Speaker, many of my colleagues, since the Budget has been released, have
stood up and talked about the big picture.
They are talking about macroeconomics, and I think that is important.
We need to look at economic diversification.
We need to look at the price of oil and what is going to happen with
the price of oil. We need to
look at Nalcor. We need to look
at Muskrat Falls. Is Muskrat
Falls going to be bountiful for us or are we going to have to get into that
ark? Who knows, Mr. Speaker?
MR. KING:
(Inaudible).
MS ROGERS:
I am getting to that.
The Minister of Justice, I am going to get to that because I do not
want to spend
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The
hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.
MS ROGERS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
In
terms of what I would like to look at, Mr. Speaker, I would like to look at
some of the benefits that we have seen, and rather than for me because
many people have talked about the macroeconomics.
I would like to look a little more
closely at what is happening in people's lives and how this Budget affects
the lives of people, because people on both sides of this House have talked
about we need to weather the storm.
If
we need to weather a storm, there are certain things one needs to do in
order to protect themselves from the storm or to be able to stay afloat.
We are not going to get to that ark right away.
Hopefully we will be able to not have to get to the point of needing
an ark, but let's look at how the people of Newfoundland and Labrador
because the title of this Budget is:
Budget 2015: Balancing Choices for a Promising Future.
What
can we do, on all sides of this House, to ensure a promising future for the
people of Newfoundland and Labrador?
Again, I know about the issues, the macroeconomic issues, the larger
economic issues, but let's talk about people in our districts, people in our
communities, and people in their homes and how they are going weather this
storm. That is what I would like
to talk a little bit about, Mr. Speaker.
Because unless our people are buoyed and able to weather the storm,
whatever that storm might be, because it is still not entirely clear.
It
was only yesterday that the Minister of Finance finally said yes, we are in
a recession. It is so important
because if people are not able to weather the storm, what is the point?
We are not going to get out of this.
We are simply not going to get out of it.
We know that any prosperity that is experienced by this Province is
because of the good people of Newfoundland and Labrador who work hard to
create that prosperity.
I
would like to talk about what I know to be true for some of the good people
in my District of St. John's Centre; the good people of St. John's Centre
who are hard-working people, who are raising families, who are caring for
our sick, who are teaching our children, some people who are very, very
economically disadvantaged, but still who have contributed to our society in
the ways that they can. That is
what I would like to talk a little bit about, Mr. Speaker.
Also, the Minister of Finance said that one of the pillars of his
Budget was how is this Budget in the best interest of the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador? How
do we plan for the future?
In
the lovely, wonderful District of St. John's Centre, which is smack dab in
the heart of St. John's, we have seniors.
There are a lot of seniors.
I have met a lot of seniors in my district with some very particular
needs. After working hard all
their lives, after providing for their families, after contributing to our
economy, contributing to our society, they have some pretty specific needs.
I will talk a little bit about that.
There are a lot of young working families who bought a house, who have
children, who are trying to help be part of the population growth and the
stability in our Province. There
is a fantastic hospital in my district, St. Clare's Hospital.
So there are a lot of people who work in St. Clare's Hospital who
also live in the district. They
are taking care of our sick, some of them working in very difficult
situations; the nurses who work very hard, the doctors, people who maintain
the hospital, who ensure that the hospital is operating properly and
cleaning the hospital.
There are a lot of community groups and agencies in St. John's Centre that
are providing incredible services, services around mental health, around
services to young people who are out of the school system, services to
people who have had run-ins with the law, who are inmates who are now out,
who have done their time, a lot of groups that serve people with physical
disability.
There are a number of labour groups as well in my district.
The FFAW has their main office in my district.
So there are a lot of unionized workers.
There are a lot of minimum wage workers as well.
There are a lot of fast food restaurants, small businesses small
businesses which work really hard and pay minimum wage.
Again, this Budget was Balancing
Choices for a Promising Future.
Mr. Speaker, I do applaud the government for some of the initiatives
they did take in this Budget. I
am very happy. As you can
imagine, I was ecstatic, as well as many women's groups and advocates across
the Province were very happy to hear that the domestic violence court is
back.
I
would say, Mr. Speaker, that is not an expense.
That is an investment, because we know the recidivism rate for people
who went through the Family Violence Intervention Court had dropped.
So that means that saves us lots of money.
It saves us court costs.
The more able we are to help families work through their problems and stay
together, if that is their choice, we know that in the long run that saves
us money because people are able to be stabilized.
The
Minister Responsible for Seniors and Wellness, and Newfoundland and Labrador
Housing, has talked about doing a pilot project making some portable rent
sups for seniors. Now, I do not
know if that is new money or if that is simply money that he is going to
make if those are existing rent sups that will become portable.
I do not know that, but I have Estimates tonight, so I am looking
forward to asking him about that.
What
I would like to talk about is, how do we take care of business while we are
taking care of business? What I
mean by that, Mr. Speaker, how do we ensure that the people of Newfoundland
and Labrador and I am thinking specifically the people of St. John's
Centre, how are they taken care of?
Not that we are taking care of people, but how do we ensure that
people have what they need so they can get on and be productive members of
our society in whatever way they can while the big macroeconomics, that big
picture is being taken care of as well?
So that is why I say, how do we take care of business, in terms of
people's lives, while we are taking care of business?
Mr.
Speaker, I had the honour and the privilege to be with the all-party
committee yesterday in Corner Brook.
We met with people who worked in Western Health, we met with people
who worked in the area of mental health and addictions, and it was very,
very interesting; but not only did we get to meet with managers, we got to
meet with people who work on the front line.
We also got to meet with people who are consumers of mental health
services and families and friends of people with persistent chronic mental
health issues, and also groups and organizations, non-profit groups and
organizations who do service delivery in this area.
Everywhere we went and everyone we heard from talked about housing.
They talked about how expensive housing is, particularly for people
on modest incomes, not just people who are on Income Support but people who
are even in middle incomes that housing is such a determinant of health but
it is also a determinant that can push somebody into poverty.
They talked about how difficult it is if you have a mental health
issue to live in boarding houses, to live in places that are not safe, that
are not appropriate.
Mr.
Speaker, we experience that in St. John's Centre.
I think the majority of the calls that I get in my office are calls
around the need for affordable housing and not only affordable housing, but
also calls around the need for supportive housing, for people who need a
safe place to live, who need a little bit of help as well in order to be
living independently and to be living in this safe place.
That people with mental health issues I think Dr. Ladha who is the
Chief Forensic Psychiatrist in the Province, and has been for years, said
there is almost no point. There
is no way that the people he sees can be well if they do not have a safe
place to live.
Mr.
Speaker, I am not so sure that this Budget has addressed the incredible
growing housing crisis that I see in St. John's Centre, that I know all of
us see across the Province. I do
not think that this Budget has addressed the issue of working families,
young working families who find housing an incredible barrier.
That the cost of housing to them is so high, whether they are renting
if you are family with two children, you are looking at $1,500 a month
$1,500 a month just to rent a decent place to live.
I am
not talking about something that is palatial; I am talking about just a
decent place to live. It is the
same for students, the high rent and how it affects students.
When we look at young working families not only do they have that
$1,500 a month cost for rent or a mortgage a lot of people's mortgages are
at least that then they have on top of that heat and light, insurance,
cable, phone, then, Mr. Speaker, to top that off the high cost of child
care.
There is nothing in this Budget to provide affordable child care for young
working families. How often do
we hear people when we are talking around the dinner table, or when we are
out speaking to our constituents who say I cannot afford to have another
child? I would love to have
another child, but I cannot afford it.
We
know that the average cost for one child in daycare is anywhere from $1,000
to $1,200 a month. So imagine a
mortgage payment or a rent payment of $1,500 a month.
If you have one child, put $1,000 on top of that.
If you have two children, put $2,000 on top of that.
We are up to $3,500, Mr. Speaker, before food, before heat and light,
before cable and phone, and before clothing.
Mr.
Speaker, these are foundational pieces.
Without affordable housing, without affordable, accessible child
care, there is no way that our young working families can survive.
We know that household debt has grown exponentially.
We know that credit card debt has grown exponentially.
How many of us here in the House have heard from young working
families where mostly the mom will say I cannot afford to work?
The cost of child care makes it prohibitive for me to work.
These are young people who are educated, who are trained, who want to
work, and be part of our society.
The
Budget has done nothing to address those issues.
When we look at it, Mr. Speaker, we know that economic
diversification in our communities, getting people out to work, is what
builds a strong, reliable, dependent economy.
There has been nothing in this Budget to help our people weather the
storm when they are talking about the other side, they are talking about
people have to weather the storm, that we have to weather the storm.
There are no safety nets.
There are no life jackets that this Budget is providing.
There was a promise over four years ago of a home ownership assistance
program. We had not seen hide
nor hair. There are rumblings
that maybe we are going to see it.
I am not holding my breath, Mr. Speaker, but I sure as heck hope that
we are going to see that because boy, do working families need it in order
so that they can work, in order so that they can have children, in order
that our population will grow; because we cannot get out of this recession
unless we have more people and unless we have more people working and being
productive.
Mr.
Speaker, we know that housing is so foundational, housing is a social
determent of health, and I would like to talk a little bit about housing and
seniors. I know that every
member in this House, every single member in this House gets calls about
seniors and their housing crisis.
No matter if it is Joe Batt's Arm, whether it is on the Northern
Peninsula, whether it is in Labrador or down in Burin, or St. John's Centre,
East, North, or South, Salmon Cove, everywhere we know of the housing crisis
that is affecting our seniors.
Our seniors want to live in their houses.
If some of them are over housed, particularly if you are widowed, if
you have been married or have been partnered and now you are alone, you are
living in a great big house, you cannot afford to keep that great big house
going, and you probably need lots of repairs and you need a smaller place to
live again, the rents are so high, and it is often not possible in many
communities to sell your great big house and to buy a smaller house, because
smaller houses often are more expensive than great big houses that you may
have owned for years and years and years.
Seniors want to live in their houses, and that is what we should be aiming
at. There is nothing in this
Budget to help address that problem.
Mayors across the Province in small communities and in larger
communities are saying that housing is one of their most crucial problems
that they face in their communities.
There is nothing in this Budget to do that, to address that.
Then
we also look at seniors, the dental program I know that many of us get
calls from seniors who cannot access a dental program, or that there is a
huge waiting list, or if you go to your dentist you have to go for an
assessment, then the dentist has to put in forms to see if you are eligible
for the dental work that you need.
You may wait a few months for that approval to come back.
In the meantime, you have dental problems and then you have to go
back to the dentist, and maybe you are going to have to drive almost an hour
to get to your dentist. It is
not working.
Hearing aids seniors who have to wait a year for an appointment with an
audiologist in order to get a hearing aid.
We know the isolation that causes when you have a real difficult
program.
Then
home care; there is nothing in this Budget to address a real comprehensive
home care program that helps seniors to stay in their homes because, again,
that is what seniors are telling us.
In
the far run, if these are choices for a promising future, there is no
promise in the future for people who are trying to make a go of it, for
people who are trying to cope, trying to have children, seniors who have
worked hard all their lives.
MR. SPEAKER (Verge):
Order, please!
I
remind the member her time has expired.
MS ROGERS:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
I
look forward to the opportunity to rise again and to speak to the Budget.
Thank you very much.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The
hon. the Member for Bellevue.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. PEACH:
Thank you very much, Mr.
Speaker.
It
gives me great pleasure to stand in the House of Assembly and represent the
great District of Bellevue, as I have always done.
I want to talk about the great District of Bellevue a bit, but I also
want to address some of the things that have been said on the other side.
When
the Member for St. John's Centre stood up she said: we are going to need an
ark. Then after that she said:
there are some things in the Budget that I like.
First she criticized the Budget and said we are going to need an ark
because everything was gone. It
is like the song says: she's gone, boys, she's gone.
It is terrible.
I
remember back first when I got elected in 2007, I think it was, we were
talking about the 2 per cent increase on HST and we looked at 15 per cent on
HST. Well, it is not very long
ago that the 15 per cent was on HST and when the government started getting
into the money, we took a percentage off and we rolled it back to 13 per
cent. People do not forget that.
Mr.
Speaker, I want to talk about my district, the District of Bellevue.
I always refer to it as the bridge to the Island and the bridge to
the Avalon. My district is very,
very
AN HON. MEMBER:
Narrow.
MR. PEACH:
It is narrow.
You can look at both sides of the bay.
In one part of my district you can look at Trinity Bay, and in the
other part of my district you can look at Placentia Bay.
So it is very narrow.
AN HON. MEMBER:
And foggy.
MR. PEACH:
Well, you only get that
in the Doe Hills.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. PEACH:
Mr. Speaker, you can laugh all you like and make fun all you like of my
district, but I am very proud my district.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. PEACH:
I am very proud of the
people in my district. I am very
proud of the people who put me here in the House of Assembly to represent
them and I represent them to the best of my ability, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. PEACH:
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind everybody, my district is the economic
driver for this Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. PEACH:
My district is the
economic driver for this Province.
We have the Long Harbour site just across the road there.
Now it is going to be in my district the next time around.
We have the Bull Arm site, we have Come by Chance, and we have three
fish plants in my district.
Mr.
Speaker, when you drive out over that road at 5:30 in the afternoon and you
see all the vehicles coming towards St. John's and coming towards Harbour
Grace and Bay Roberts area, it shows the economic growth that is in that
area, in my district that is fueling the whole Avalon Peninsula.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. PEACH:
Everything that generates
from those companies out there is putting business in St. John's, building
up all around the whole Avalon Peninsula.
Our
housing out there is really in good shape.
We have new homes going up.
Just the other day I went into the Home Hardware store there and I
saw a lot of lumber being brought in.
I said to the guy at the Home Hardware store, you must be expecting a
lot of houses to be built this summer.
He said, Calvin, you would never believe the requests we have for
lumber again this year, where people are going into Long Harbour and
building new homes.
I
talked to two guys the other day from Alberta who came down here to start
work. They worked here for a
year-and-a-half and now they are building a new home and they are going to
stay there in the area. We are
generating revenue. We are
bringing people into the Province.
We are creating jobs for young people.
Those people are only young, twenty-four years old.
I said to him, what brings you here?
He said work; work brings me here.
That is great to see that happening, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.
Speaker, the Minister of Finance was tasked with putting together a Budget
that was focused on the next five years, a Budget that will be
Balancing Choices for a Promising Future.
I
just want to look at Nalcor for a minute.
Nalcor's investments in 2017-2018 would, over ten years, be $3.1
billion but by 2025-2026 it would be a complete payback, Mr. Speaker a
complete payback. In 2041-2042
and beyond, Nalcor's returns, dividends to the Province will be in excess of
$1 billion annually.
This
is a vision for the future, a vision for our grandchildren, and for their
children. Our Province has had
significant growth over the past ten years and we will continue to protect
the progress we have made in this five-year plan.
We will lay down the groundwork that will allow us to continue to
grow.
In
2015, Mr. Speaker, we are continuing to invest in the infrastructure.
Let's look at some of the areas of infrastructure we have already
invested in. We hear from the
Opposition on the other side when they say we have wasted money, we have
squandered money. We hear that
every day. We hear it from St.
John's Centre. We hear it from
Virginia Waters.
MR. HILLIER:
Conception Bay South,
what about me?
MR. PEACH:
Yes, and even from
Conception Bay South.
Let's look at some of the monies that we have invested in.
Forestry and agriculture; the forestry industry employs 5,500 people
directly and indirectly and is valued at $250 million annually.
Agriculture; the agriculture industry generates direct and indirect
employment for approximately $6,500 people, farm gate revenues upwards
towards $150 million, and the agrifoods processing sector nearly $500
million a year.
Mr.
Speaker, is that squandering money?
Tell those 6,500 workers that the money we spent to keep them in jobs
over the years was squandering money.
It was money that was well spent.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. PEACH:
Post-secondary education,
the Core Science Facility, Memorial University, St. John's, $9 million; Arts
and Science extension, Grenfell campus, Corner Brook, $27.1 million;
Macpherson College residence at MUN in St. John's, $65 million.
Is that money that has been squandered over the years?
It certainly does not sound like it, Mr. Speaker.
Fisheries and aquaculture; the seafood sector contributes to the Province
annually $1 billion. I just want
to talk a little bit on the fishery.
I was down on the wharf the other day in Long Cove and I was talking
to some of the fishermen there.
Most of the boats are gone now.
Most of the boats are in around St. John's and up in Fermeuse and down off
Catalina. Some of them are
running into some difficulty with the ice in the harbours down there.
So some of them could not get down.
We
had one skipper last week hauled one trip on the crab and got 75,000 pounds
of crab in one trip, in one haul.
That was a great fisher, 75,000 pounds in one haul.
The
crab is good in some areas and in other areas it is not so good.
In 3PS the crab fishery this year is way, way down.
The crab fishery
MR. SLADE:
A point of order.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The
hon. the Member for Carbonear Harbour Grace on a point of order.
MR. SLADE:
Mr. Speaker, not only are
they claiming they put the oil there, now they are saying they put the crab
there too.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
There is no point of order.
The
hon. the Member for Bellevue.
MR. PEACH:
Mr. Speaker, there are a
lot of funny people in the world.
I will say to the Member for Carbonear Harbour Grace I have been
around as long as he has. I know
a lot about the fishery. You do
not have to get up and have a point of order on me.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. PEACH:
I never said we put the
crab fishery there. I just said
that the crab fishery was good this year for people who live in my district,
Mr. Speaker. It is good for the
Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. PEACH:
When we talk about the
fishery, Mr. Speaker, we do not need somebody on the other side trying to
make a joke of it. I can tell
you that now.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. PEACH:
The fishery in 3PS this
year; as I said the crab fishery is down this year.
The lobster fishery is down really low as always.
Some say it is because of the green crab that the lobster fishery is
down and the crab fishery. That
may be true because we do have a lot of green crab in the Placentia Bay
area.
In
the Trinity Bay area the lobsters are up, and up in the Fortune Bay area.
Where I represent the communities in Fortune Bay, the lobster season
is doing really, really well.
They tell me they are experimenting this year with the same kind of pots
that they have in Nova Scotia.
That is making a difference they are telling me.
Mr.
Speaker, we have three plants in my district that are not doing so good.
Negotiations are ongoing right now for the cod prices and that is
hopefully moving forward. I
talked to a guy the other day who is into negotiations there.
He tells me that it is moving forward with the FFAW and the
companies.
I am
hoping they will arrive at a good price this year as opposed to last year.
Last fall I know there were quite a few people who never got to sell
to Icewater. Icewater did not
buy last year, but there were other plants that did buy.
Once the prices are set I guess they will be buying again now in
the very near future.
Mr.
Speaker, we also spent on aquaculture wharf investments of $16.2 million in
Harbour Breton, Pool's Cove, Hermitage, Sandy Cove and Milltown; the Centre
for Aquaculture Health and Development, $8.9 million; and, special grants,
$2.5 million. I just want to
talk a little bit about that as well.
The special grants in the districts with small communities, like I
have, are very helpful to the fishermen's committees.
It helps them fix up their community stages.
It helps them fix up their wharves.
It helps them with buying equipment around the wharves through the
harbour authorities. Most of
them are harbour authorities now.
We used to have fishermen's committees at one time, but now we have
mostly all harbour authorities.
Those people avail of a lot of these special grants.
Roads and highways, ferry terminals, airports, $1.7 billion in the last ten
years; the Placentia lift bridge, $51.9 million; and, new ferries in Fogo
Island, Change Islands, and Bell Island.
The projected cost for new vessels and the new wharf infrastructure
is about $140 million. Mr.
Speaker, that is certainly not a waste of money.
You
ask the people out there who are using these facilities.
You go into Placentia when Placentia had the problem with the lift
bridge and you tell them that the $51 million you are going to put into
Placentia to repair the lift bridge was a waste of money.
That is basically what they said.
We are squandering money, we wasted money.
We should not have spent that $51 million because that was a waste.
The
Trans-Labrador Highway has approximately $510.7 million in construction.
There is close to 1,200 kilometres of highway connecting communities
and creating new opportunities for residents.
Work is still going on towards the finishing of this highway, Mr.
Speaker.
Municipalities; being a past mayor myself in Norman's Cove for ten years, it
certainly was good news to hear that our government was helping out the
municipalities this year.
Municipal buildings and other infrastructure, $80.6 million; recreation
infrastructure, $177.9 million; water, sewer, and wastewater, $667.9
million, and these are out to all the communities.
Those are communities throughout my district and throughout all the
other districts, from people here who are in the House of Assembly
representing their districts.
Everybody has seen some monies for water and sewer projects in their
district, and it is a great thing.
Now,
do we fix it all? No we do not.
We do not fix it all, but we certainly help out some of the ones that
do have problems with water and sewer.
I am sure there will be a budget again this year.
There will be monies put out this year by municipal affairs in the
very near future. I am sure that
people here avail of some of that money.
Mr.
Speaker, local community road improvements, $225.1 million; and, the
Building Canada Fund, 139 projects have been completed to date.
I just want to talk a little bit about the Building Canada Fund.
Back in 2008-2009 when we had a Building Canada Fund, we had an
overpass on the highway there in Sunnyside.
They had been advocating for an overpass there for years because
there were always accidents there on the double lane highway.
When we got the Building Canada Fund back then they put an overpass
there and it was a great job done.
It certainly was not money wasted.
You would not be able to tell anybody in Sunnyside that the money was
wasted.
Mr.
Speaker, I am getting as bad now as the Member for Trinity Bay de Verde.
I have a job to find my notes.
Health care: new research centres, $50.2 million; addiction treatment
centres, $34.2 million; health care equipment, $425.4 million; new long-term
facilities, $380.3 million, and the list goes on.
Talk
to the people out there who are using those facilities and using the
equipment. You talk to some of
the people. If you listen to
people on Open Line, you would swear our health care was the worst you ever
could have, but you talk to some of the people who have been there and used
it. Talk to some of them.
I have letters and I have emails from the Clarenville hospital, from
the St. John's hospital, and from people who had loved ones in there.
They told me about the good care they had gotten.
No
doubt about it our emergency rooms are blocked up.
I mean there is a lot of aging population.
We have an aging population and our emergency rooms are blocked up
all the time. I hear that.
I hear about five and six beds in the emergency room, people waiting
to get a bed on stretchers. Mr.
Speaker, we are aiming to look after that.
We are aiming to free up some of those beds by building new long-term
care homes.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. PEACH:
The people on the other
side do not want that. They do
not want that. They do not want
to see a long-term care home where we can free up ten or fifteen beds in a
hospital, but the people want it.
The people have said to us, look, you have to do something.
You go into the hospital and you cannot get a bed for two or three
days, you have to do something to free them up.
At
one point in time in the Clarenville hospital we had nine people waiting to
get into a long-term care home.
If you build a long-term care home you would free it up really quickly,
wouldn't you? I think that is a
good step forward. Newfoundland
and Labrador is home to fifteen hospitals, twenty-three community health
centres, 119 community clinics, and twenty-three long-term care facilities.
Equipment in health care: dialysis equipment, $8.2 million spent by this
government; MRI equipment, $10.5 million.
I was in Burin just a short time back, myself and the Member for
Placentia West and also the minister representing Grand Bank, we were there
and some of the equipment that was being given out there, I tell you, there
were a lot of happy people around there from all over the districts, from my
district, from Grand Bank district, and from Placentia West.
Ultrasound equipment: $14.7 million; CT scanner, $20.8 million.
Mr. Speaker, there is a list of money that we spent over the years
that certainly was not a waste of money and we definitely did not squander
the money.
Mr.
Speaker, K-12 education, over $600 million invested in schools since 2004 in
school infrastructure. Before I
came into politics, I used to work with the Avalon North school board at
finished carpenter work. I saw
the condition that the schools were in back in 2000 to 2004.
I saw the condition. I
saw the mould. I saw the roofs
that were rotten. I saw the
walls being just what we used to call scarfed up because what was
happening was when you take off the outside board, the two-by-six would be
gone, so they would say look, we do not have the money to fix it, so just
put another piece of two-by-four on and try to find a place where you can
drive a nail in. I saw all of
that. That is only a short time
ago.
When
I came here in 2007, the government had started already repairing schools.
I had schools in my district that had a lot of mould.
I had schools in my district that needed the roofs repaired.
I had schools in my district that needed siding and new windows.
Mr. Speaker, they are done now.
We do not have any complaints about the schools there now.
A lot of the bad work is done.
We
still need some work to be done.
There is still work to be done, but the mould is gone.
The children can go to school comfortably now.
We do not have to have people out there monitoring the air in the
schools all the time. There is
no plastic on the ceiling. We
have come a long way.
I
just want to say to the people on the other side, my time is running out, I
just want to say to them that all I put out there today in money is not
money wasted.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR. PEACH:
It is not money wasted.
It is a good investment by this Province and a good investment by the
people who are over on this side of the House.
We have good management.
Not like the ones over there.
They say oh, we have the people over here.
We have all the expertise over here.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
I
remind the member his time has expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The
hon. the Member for Cartwright L'Anse au Clair.
MS DEMPSTER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I am
very happy for the first time, since the Budget came down, to stand in my
place and be a voice for the people of Cartwright L'Anse au Clair, a voice
of reason. Mr. Speaker, often
when I am driving through the district I think a first-class people lives
here, from one end to the other, a first-class people.
What saddens me that it is a first-class people with a second-class
service, and many times third.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS DEMPSTER:
Mr. Speaker, the Member
for Bellevue and I listened to him intently.
He talked about out in his district being an economic driver for the
Province.
Mr.
Speaker, I want to ask the Member for Bellevue: Where is the ore coming
from? Where is the ore coming
from in your district? Where is
it coming from?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MS DEMPSTER:
Mr. Speaker, I hope that
the people in his district are getting a better return on the dollar, they
are driving better roads, and they are living in better conditions than the
people in the district that I represent.
It saddens me.
When
I began to prepare, Mr. Speaker, I thought twenty minutes and I have so many
issues. I have said it before
there are people over there who can stand up and they can say to me you
know, I have cell problems in my area.
Someone else might stand and say I have bad roads in my area.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MS DEMPSTER:
Someone else might say I
have a ferry issue in my area.
Someone else might say I have a broadband issue in my area.
Do you know what is different, Mr. Speaker?
I represent a district and we have them all.
There is something wrong with that.
A lot of the times it seems like I am singing from the same hymn book
with the resources coming out and so little coming back.
When things have not changed, I have to stick to the facts as they
are.
I
have been listening the last few days and I have a job to believe that
people can stand and hold their head with this Budget, Mr. Speaker.
I have only been here in the House since the fall of 2013 and I have
been amazed again and again and again; $25 billion in oil money, a
staggering figure. So then we
sit and we gather and we wait for the Budget to be read.
What do we get, Mr. Speaker?
The biggest deficit in the history of Newfoundland and Labrador
unbelievable.
It
will be no surprise to people I have to start by mentioning the ferry.
People are still outraged about the ferry.
They are outraged. Mr.
Speaker, I say, I am looking at a minister over there, this is not personal.
This is about a government that has not treated the people fairly,
that have not put proper planning in place, that have had no vision, and
people that I represent are among the people who have paid the price for
that. They put out an RFP and
they began to do their homework after.
I
said it before, if there is anyone in Newfoundland and Labrador who does not
know about the ferry woes in the Strait of Belle Isle, they must have been
hiding with their head under a rock.
Every day I listen to issues in the House and I think about the major
issue we have. How can we begin
to grow our economy? How can we
invite tourism in? How can we
take part in that billion-dollar industry, Mr. Speaker, when we are still
back trying to move people from point A to point B?
As
recent as yesterday, Mr. Speaker, I was getting messages from businesses
saying we are still struggling through the ice.
The icebreaker came in and did a little video the other day; they got
across and then she left again.
I guess they took the clip up to Ottawa somewhere and they are going to use
it for something, but it is the people who are far down the list, Mr.
Speaker, and that is very, very sad.
I
look at one minister and he has a new ferry coming, Fogo, Bell Island, Mr.
Speaker. So I say to the
Minister of Transportation and Works: Stand up, when you go for twenty
minutes on your feet, be honest and be upfront with the people of Labrador
and tell them how much longer they have to wait.
We are using a forty-year old boat, Mr. Speaker, a Scandinavian
reject. She had served her time
before she came into the Strait of Belle Isle, and we have older people and
we have children I do not know if you have been on it, Mr. Speaker, but
perhaps you will go on it this summer.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MS DEMPSTER:
I would say, Mr. Speaker,
we asked questions again and again and again in the House because we knew
there were issues, we had concerns, and as late as March month, we were
still being told that the commitment for 2016 was still year.
What happens, Mr. Speaker?
A couple of weeks later we find out it is not even on the table.
I
say stand and tell the people. I
have heard from many mayors who have been in the gallery and who have
contacted me around this consultation piece.
The feedback that I am hearing in my district is that it is an insult
to the people of Labrador. It is
a joke. This is not a new
service. This is a service that
this government has been providing for decades, Mr. Speaker.
So if there is anybody who do not know what we need by now, there is
something wrong. There is
something wrong if you have to go back and talk to the people in the
communities. People see through
it, Mr. Speaker. It is nothing
more than a PR exercise and a stall tactic and I can tell you, there is a
lot of unrest in Labrador about it.
I
have had emails I should say to the minister from all around the Province,
people who say and I sit beside them; every weekend on the flight I sit
beside people going to Labrador to work and they say until I have been
working in Labrador, I really did not know how far back you guys were with
basic, basic things like ferries and roads.
I
talk a lot about roads, Mr. Speaker.
I have to mention my good friend Blair because I have been thinking
about him Blair Gillis from Cartwright.
We just drove the road again on the weekend to Goose Bay.
I was happy to have our leader up in the district with me and we had
a couple of fantastic events.
When you get close to Goose Bay, the last part of the road that was built,
the best shape road that there is, guess where the asphalt is going first?
Not how it was originally planned to go.
Initially, there was an announcement of Phase I that was Lab West to
Goose Bay and because of all the bungle with Humber Valley Paving and all
that, we have eleven kilometres left to do on that part.
Phase II was to be Red Bay to Cartwright Junction, and Phase III was
Goose Bay.
Mr.
Speaker, our Premier was the Minister for Transportation and Works in the
spring of 2013 and that was the first I heard about roadwork being done on
the Goose Bay end. I asked him
when he came into Combined Councils to speak I said: What happened to the
announcement of Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III?
Why are you now putting first pavement on the newest part of the road
that is the least travelled?
Because in my district, Mr. Speaker, we have a cluster of communities that
heavily travel that area every single day.
One community has a bank.
One community has a Family Resource Centre.
People travel from several communities from May to October to work at
the shrimp plant in Charlottetown.
I
asked the man who is now the Premier: Why are you starting what happened
to the initial announcements? He
looked at me I was representing the community of Charlottetown at that
time in the capacity of deputy mayor and he said: Well, Ms Dempster, you
think the pavement should start here and there were many witnesses that
day in the room and someone else thinks the pavement should start there.
He said: In the end, we had to start somewhere.
I
was speechless, Mr. Speaker. I
said: I guess that is what you call planning I guess that is what you call
planning. Someone says we should
start here and someone says we should start there and, in the end, we have
to start somewhere.
Mr.
Speaker, we see indications of how things have rolled out by this government
like that in many regards and I am going to take some time to go through
some but I believe that we can still change that.
Asphalt starting on the Northern end should never be.
I had five mayors in from my district last fall.
We met with the minister.
We were going to have asphalt for Red Bay North announced before the end of
the year.
Now
since we have been in Estimates I am very, very saddened to find out it
looks like we are not getting asphalt at all this year, Mr. Speaker, an
eighty-five kilometre stretch of road from Red Bay North down to beautiful
world heritage sites Battle Harbour.
We have the Mealy Mountain Park.
Parks Canada is waiting to infuse $35 million into Mealy Mountain Park.
I think it is $2.65 million every year they are going to do after.
Why are we not there yet, Mr. Speaker?
We are not there because this government has been holding onto the
files since 2007.
We
talk about small communities and helping to make communities sustainable so
that they can help themselves move along and get off their dependence from
government. Mr. Speaker, they
are not being given a chance.
They are not being given the help they afford.
Two more consultation sessions now, we have been pushing it along
two more consultation sessions.
It is going to be back on the minister's desk on Tuesday is my
understanding, and then we will start hammering at that again.
The
Mealy Mountain Park, gateway to the North, it has to happen.
We need that $35 million.
The agreement has already been signed by NunatuKavut.
I understand the Member for Torngat Mountains, the people in his area
is happy with how it is. I
mention that as a side note. I
digress, but many positive things that could come and they are being held
up.
The
tourism development officer from probably my first day in the House, I
have been in the media about this.
I have been petitioning about this.
We have so many tourism opportunities.
We want to get in on this billion-dollar industry.
We want to help ourselves, Mr. Speaker.
We
have Point Amour. Not point
armour, as the Finance Minister said when he was reading the Budget.
We have Point Amour, the tallest lighthouse in Atlantic Canada.
We have Red Bay, we have Battle Harbour, and we have all kinds.
Yet, Mr. Speaker, we see that when a gentleman who was filling this
position retired, it was never filled.
Today, Mr. Speaker, the minister got up in Question Period and he said we
are happy with what we are contributing to the tourism industry in Labrador.
Well I can tell you that the people in Labrador are not happy, the
people who live there, the people who want this position filled.
Here is a note that I had just the other day, Mr. Speaker, on this
from a municipality in the region that said: I am really sick of politics
overruling good decisions for the people of the Province.
Mr.
Speaker, a tourism development officer to market some of what we have is
going to bring in investment.
People are tired of the piecemeal, of the lack of planning, and time and
again we have some much that is a solid case that we can bring forward but
it falls on deaf ears. They are
not listening. When you go
around the Province, people know.
It has been a decade or more, people know.
People have said to me again and again, people who do not even follow the
House, the proceedings, not into policy or politics, people say: They have
not listened. People talk about
some of the high-level things like Bill 29.
When I spoke on Bill 29 a little while ago and I did some research, I
could not believe how much backlash there was at the time, yet they ploughed
on through, Mr. Speaker. What
happened? A million dollars
later we are back with Bill 1.
That is just one example.
Humber Valley Paving, almost $20 million.
There are a lot of sad stories when I think about what could be done
in my district for that amount of money.
There are a lot of missed opportunities, absolutely, and people are
paying the price for that, Mr. Speaker.
Broadband: We live in a technological age.
I just mentioned I had the leader up in my district.
Mr. Speaker, he could not even check his emails, even basic emails,
in the community of Charlottetown on a Blackberry, on an iPhone, on nothing,
that is how bad it is. Until you
live there, you cannot appreciate the frustration.
The
problem with that is when you have a government that is pushing people to do
things online and they have left regions completely out.
They have not moved them along.
They have not given them the infrastructure they have needed, Mr.
Speaker. You get a rebate back if you
renew you motor vehicle registration online.
What happens to the people who cannot get online to do that, Mr.
Speaker?
Service NL is promoting things like BizPal and things like that.
It puts the people who do not have adequate broadband at a very
unfair disadvantage, Mr. Speaker.
What it does is it continues to exasperate, in my mind, the rural,
urban economic divide. It is
very, very sad. I will continue,
on behalf of the people of Cartwright L'Anse au Clair, to keep the issues
of broadband front and centre.
Mr.
Speaker, I have a lot of things I wanted to touch on in my district area,
but I also want to touch on my critic area too because there are lots of
good stuff there. Muskrat Falls:
Right from day one I was up on Muskrat Falls and no matter what question you
asked, there were always answers on the other side, but the truth of it is
it is a mess. We called for an
ombudsman to oversee the hiring, to bring some fairness to this.
That did not happen.
Every single day my colleague from Torngat, myself, my office, and many
others, we get calls from people looking for work there.
The only two independent bodies, the PUB and the Joint Review Panel,
did not get to finish their work because it got pushed through.
We
always get answers. The other
day we found out there were 124 labourers who were hired, and 117 were from
outside Labrador. Those are the
labourer positions. So we said,
now, what is the answer they are going to come back with from this?
For sure they are going to have an answer, there is always an answer.
Well, we did not understand.
There are eleven different classifications of labourers; yet, every
single weekend I sit on a flight to and from Labrador the bus is waiting,
the big buses are waiting and then I go home to my district.
There are lots of qualified people who want to find work there, who cannot
get on the project. Nobody is
checking driver's licences, cross-referencing it with resumes, and it is a
crime. It is a crime, it is very
sad. Qualified people who should
be working emails as recent as this week saying they are looking for
carpenters, and we have lots of carpenters looking for work.
I cannot stand without mentioning that, because it is one of the main
topics that I hear everywhere I go in my district.
The
proposed commercial rates, Mr. Speaker, myself and my colleague from Torngat
have petitioned many times on that.
It has been submitted. I have
requested to present at that hearing, we are still waiting for dates.
I believe it is absolutely wrong.
Once again, when you are going to choose the smallest communities
with aging population, with seniors who are already choosing between going
to the clinic and buying their pills or staying warm in their house, when
that is the people we are going to try and balance the books of this
Province on by increasing rates, it is wrong.
Mr.
Speaker, I want to mention a couple of things.
I am happy to be critic for the
department, about a billion dollar department, Advanced Education and
Skills. I take that very
serious. I get calls from all over
the Province from people on Income Support, from people who have trades and
apprenticeship issues. It is
near and dear to my heart, because I worked as a career and employment
counsellor for twenty-three years dealing with some of these issues.
Mr.
Speaker, I was going through last night some of the strategies this
government have put out that they would do. I
concluded at the end of the evening, after I did my homework, that the next
thing they need to do is come up with a strategy to help them implement
their strategies. That is all I
can see.
Persons with disabilities; NL performed worst.
This Province performed worst in employment retention for persons
with disabilities across Canada.
Thirty-five per cent of those who had been working in 2011 were no longer
working in 2012. For three years
we have been waiting for government to launch an action plan to actually put
their strategy for persons with disabilities into action three years, Mr.
Speaker.
Population Growth Strategy; here we are a population of just over 500,000;
93,000 seniors by 2025. One in
every four people is going to be a senior; lots of issues.
We see this was an office that was created in 2012, and at the time
Dunderdale, the Premier at the time, said this is real work that needs to
get done real work. It almost
sounded like a sense of urgency, like something important, like it mattered.
Here we are in the spring of 2015 and nothing is happening.
We are still waiting. We
are still waiting for the Population Growth Strategy; yet, we have the
fastest aging population in Canada, a population that is aging and
declining.
The
Adult Literacy Plan was committed to in 2007, and still no strategy almost
nine years. According to Stats
Canada, less than half, 43 per cent of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have
Level III literacy or higher.
Mr. Speaker, Level III is the level required to cope in a modern society and
here we are eight, nine years waiting for an Adult Literacy plan.
Poverty reduction; four years later we are still waiting.
I am not making it up, Mr. Speaker. I
just went to the books they gave us, their own books, and pulled all of this
out. Back in 2011-2012, a
strategic plan for the former Department of Human Resources, Labour and
Employment, they committed to begin implementation of the new four-year
Poverty Reduction Action Plan, and we are still waiting, Mr. Speaker.
Apprenticeship my time is almost gone and I did not get to half of my good
stuff. The Journeyperson
Mentorship Program announced in 2012 with a goal of training up to 200
apprentices going to train 200 apprentices and in year one, they trained
five. There are so many examples
that I could get. Now, I do not
have my estimates for it yet, until May 25, but a quick glance through the
Budget, it looks like $2 million was cut from supporting apprentices.
We
are in a very sad state I say, Mr. Speaker, and I look forward to speaking
again on the many, many issues that we have concerns on in the Province.
MR. SPEAKER:
Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Government
House Leader.
MR. KING:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I
move, seconded by the Member for Port de Grave, that the House do now
adjourn.
MR. SPEAKER:
The motion is that this
House do now adjourn.
All
those in favour, 'aye.'
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Aye.
MR. SPEAKER:
All those against, 'nay.'
This
House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 2:00 p.m., Private Members' Day.
On motion, the House at its rising adjourned until tomorrow, Wednesday, at 2:00 p.m.