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May 8,

2013 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS Vol.

XLVII No. 17

The House met at 2:00 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Wiseman): Order, please!

Admit strangers.

Before we start proceedings today, I want to welcome some special guests to

our gallery. I want to welcome twenty-five students from Crescent Collegiate

Vocal Ensemble in Blaketown, along with their teacher Robert Colbourne, their

bus driver Chris Reid, and their chaperone Morley Reid.

Welcome to the House of Assembly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: We will learn much more about them now as the Member for

Bellevue makes his statement a little later.

Statements by Members

MR. SPEAKER: Today we will have members' statements from the Member for

the District of Bellevue; the Member for the District of Humber West; the Member

for the District of Bay of Islands; the Member for the District of Mount Pearl

North; the Member for the District of St. John's North; and the Member for the

District of Mount Pearl South.

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 to recognize a group of twenty-six Crescent

Collegiate students who range from Grade 7 to Grade 12 at Crescent Collegiate,

Blaketown.

This group is the Crescent Collegiate Vocal Ensemble. They have performed at

the opening of the Ronald McDonald House in St. John's, competed at the Kiwanis

Music Festival receiving the highest marks for best performance in Newfoundland

choral music, and have performed at numerous benefit concerts and community

events.

I have heard them perform many times myself, Mr. Speaker, and they are

outstanding.

The Crescent Collegiate Vocal Ensemble submitted a YouTube video to the

selection committee in Ottawa for Canada Day and has been selected to represent

the Province to perform as part of the Unisong music festival. The vocal

ensemble will be performing at various venues throughout Ottawa, and they will

be joining a mass choir with singers from across the country on Canada Day at

the National Arts Centre.

This group attributes their success to the great leadership and

professionalism of Mr. Robert Colbourne.

Mr. Speaker, they are energized, they are excited, and I want all members of

this House to join me in wishing the Crescent Collegiate Vocal Ensemble all the

best as they represent Newfoundland as a strong voice in music on this Island.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. GRANTER: Mr. Speaker, I stand in this hon. House to congratulate

Sherman Downey and the Ambiguous Case from Corner Brook on being recently

selected as the Best New Music Act in Canada for the National CBC Searchlight

Competition.

Downey's five-piece band beat out close to 3,000 artists and bands from

across Canada to win this honour. The winning prize includes a trip to Toronto,

where the band will be featured in a CBC Music video, and a performance at the

CBCMusic.ca Festival. They will also receive $20,000 worth of music equipment.

This rootsy folk rock, West Coast band has been relentless in their music

pursuit and has garnered a large following, both locally and nationally.

On Saturday, May 4, true to their roots, the band pleased local fans in

Corner Brook by performing a concert in Margaret Bowater Park. They did not let

the crowd down, Mr. Speaker. Their second album, featuring the winning track,

Thick as Thieves , is scheduled to be released very soon.

I ask all hon. members to congratulate Sherman Downey, Andrew Ross, Paul

Lockyer, Neil Targett, and Bill Allan on their success thus far and wish them

many more years of music success.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. JOYCE: Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to recognize the

organizing committee of the fifth annual Steps for Life walk, which I attended

this past Sunday, in the Town of Irishtown-Summerside. Ninety-three people took

part in this year's walk and raised over $4,500.

The Steps for Life walk is a fundraising event for the Association for

Workplace Tragedy Family Support-Threads of Life program. This association is

dedicated to helping families living in the aftermath of a workplace fatality,

occupational disease, or life-altering injury. Funds raised go directly to

programs and services to support the families of workplace tragedy.

Geraldine Wheeler of Summerside, and Chair of the Corner Brook Steps for Life

Committee, has been the driving force of the local

chapter since its formation

in 2009. Mrs. Wheeler lost her own son, Greg, in an industrial accident in the

Northwest Territories in 2001. Through the pain and heartache Mrs. Wheeler and

her family have endured, she has found strength and comfort in helping other

families who have experienced similar tragedies. Mrs. Wheeler is committed to

raising awareness about the important of workplace safety.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members to join me in recognizing Geraldine Wheeler

and her committee for their dedication and commitment in helping other families

in their healing journey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Mount Pearl North.

MR. KENT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I must begin by complimenting the Member for Bay of Islands on his footwear

today, if I might.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a team of environmentally conscious

children known as the Paradise Grasshoppers.

Mr. Speaker, Paradise Grasshoppers is a group of enthusiastic children who

want to make a difference in their community. Formed in 2011, they are all

between the ages of four and nine and they make the planet cleaner and

healthier.

Mr. Speaker, they take to the streets with a goal to tackle litter and

increase awareness amongst the community that littering is unacceptable. They

demonstrate the fact that everyone has a part to play and that age is not an

excuse or a barrier.

Most recently, the Paradise Grasshoppers were named the 2012-2013 Town of

Paradise Volunteer Group of the Year. This is an amazing feat for such a young,

enthusiastic group. The Grasshoppers have big plans and hope to continue their

work towards making Paradise a greener and cleaner place to live.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of this House to join me in congratulating the

Paradise Grasshoppers for all they do for the Town of Paradise.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. KIRBY: Mr. Speaker, I would like today to congratulate everyone

involved in the Prince of Wales Collegiate Safe Grad event held at the Ches

Penney Y last Friday, May 3, following the more formal graduation at the

Convention Centre.

About 200 students in this year's graduating class partied from midnight to

5:00 a.m. This year's theme, appropriately for PWC's academic stars, was: On the

Red Carpet. The Y was festooned with Hollywood decorations, including two huge

Oscar statues set up outside the door.

The planning for Safe Grad starts right at the beginning of the school year

in September, but work really starts to pick up in January, and does not stop

until the last student leaves for home.

The almost 100 volunteers, mostly parents, raised wait for it $10,000

this year so that all graduates could attend this inclusive, safe event, without

concerns about financial barriers. All of the recycling drives, ticket sales,

and 50/50 draws, all the planning and decorating are more than worth the effort

when 200 kids can have a memorable time.

Congratulations to all the volunteers for their hard work.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Mount Pearl South.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LANE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to rise in this hon. House to offer

congratulations to a group of individuals who have made a significant

contribution to sport in my community.

Once again, this year's Mount Pearl Athletic Awards were a tremendous success

which highlighted the achievements and emphasized the important role that sport

has played and continues to play in the development of youth and adults alike

within our great city.

There were a number of very worthy nominees again this year nominated in four

categories. Congratulations to this year's winners: Peter Halliday Executive of

the Year Award winner, Mr. Jim Bulger of YBC Bowling; Coach of the Year, Mr.

Scott Gordon of Mount Pearl Minor Hockey; Female Athlete of the Year, Charlene

Barter of Dogs Rugby; and Male Athlete of the Year, tremendous hockey player and

ball hockey player, Patrick O'Keefe.

Mr. Speaker, I would ask all members of this hon. House to join me in

congratulating these individuals on this significant accomplishment and wish

them all the best in their future sporting endeavours.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Before we have ministers' statements I want to acknowledge

another guest in our gallery, the Deputy Mayor of Charlottetown, Labrador and

the Labrador Director for Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador, Ms Lisa

Dempster.

Welcome to our galleries.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Statements by Ministers.

Statements by Ministers

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MCGRATH: Mr. Speaker, the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation

Commission has launched its annual SAFE Work Young Worker Video/Radio Ad

Contest, which challenges students in Grades 7-12 to create a video or radio ad

to illustrate the importance of safety on the job and their rights and

responsibilities in the workplace.

Voting began on May 1 to determine which of the top ten videos will receive

the Viewers' Choice Award. Voters have until Friday, May 10 to visit the

Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission's Web site or the SAFE Work

Newfoundland and Labrador Facebook page to vote for their favourite video. The

winning entry will receive $500 in cash as well as a plaque for their school.

Mr. Speaker, I am inspired by the mix of creativity and responsibility our

young people demonstrate in contests such as this one. Every year, this contest

brings out the very best our students have to offer and showcases the immense

talent our students have.

Creativity and talent aside, I am most impressed with the safety awareness

exhibited by these students. Last year's winning videos can be found online and

feature very effective reminders of the potential hazards that can arise in the

workplace. These student video submissions acknowledge the importance of proper

safety procedures, and the overall message is loud and clear. Safety must be top

of mind.

Mr. Speaker, it is a well-known fact that young people are at greater risk

for a workplace injury. Their best defence is knowing their rights and

responsibilities at an early age. Contests such as this help students learn

those all too important lessons in a way that is interesting to them. Arming our

students with safety knowledge early will help instil safe work practices so

they are prepared when they start their first job.

I wish all this year's participants the very best of luck with their

submissions for the 2013 SAFE Work Youth Video/Radio Ad Contest, and encourage

all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to go online, vote for their favourite, and

learn some interesting tips to make our workplaces safer.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Torngat Mountains.

MR. EDMUNDS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Youth Video/Radio Ad Contest is a fantastic event which encourages students in

our Province to take every interest in safety on the job.

Encouraging our young people to take an interest in safety in the workplace

is vitally important and, as the minister stated, we know young people are at

greater risk for a workplace injury. Empowering them with the knowledge of our

workplace safety is an important first step as our young people enter the

workforce, and I commend the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation

Commission for continuing with this initiative.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the top ten entries: B.L. Morrison

All Grade School in Postville, in the lovely District of Torngat Mountains;

Clarenville High School; St. Kevin's School; Lewisporte Collegiate; Laval High

School; Gonzaga High School; Greenwood Academy; Roncalli Central High; John

Watkins Academy; Bayview Regional Collegiate; as well as the other schools that

submitted to this contest. Well done.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Third Party.

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

I, too, thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement. It is

really good to know that this program is being continued by the Workplace

Health, Safety and Compensation Commission. It is a great idea to get students

to make their own safety messages and deliver them to their peers. I look

forward to seeing this year's entries on the SAFE Work Newfoundland and Labrador

Facebook page.

The statistics on young worker injuries in this Province, 491 lost time

injuries and 249 health care injuries in 2011, are a testament to the minister's

statement that young people are at greater risk for a workplace injury. It is

true that young workers need to know their rights and responsibilities, and we

need to keep educating students long before they get into the workforce; but in

order to reduce the number of youth injuries in the long run, our laws and

inspection programs must be strong to target and eliminate unsafe places.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. FRENCH: Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House to congratulate the

winners of the 2013 Arts and Letters Awards which were presented this past

weekend at a ceremony at The Rooms. More than $47,000 was awarded to recipients

in a number of categories including literary arts, music, visual arts, and

digital multi-media.

The Arts and Letters Awards Program encourages the creation of new works of

art by both professional and non-professional artists in Newfoundland and

Labrador by providing an opportunity to submit works for adjudication at an

annual competition. For the past sixty-one years, this program has played a

fundamental role in the encouragement and support of artistic impression. Since

its inception in 1952, it has recognized some of the Province's most well-known

artists. The hallmark of this program is the acknowledgement of the creative

talent of established writers, composers and visual artists, as well as the

Province's young up-and-coming talent.

Mr. Speaker, in the junior division, there were thirty-six winning entrants

ages twelve to eighteen and, in the senior division, there were thirty-eight

entrants. Overall, 611 entries were submitted. The Percy Janes First Novel

Award, the event's top prize of $1,500, was awarded to Mary Pike of St. John's

for her manuscript entitled Never-Ever-Land.

Newfoundland and Labrador is renowned for its rich and vibrant culture, and

boasts a wealth of talented artists who have made their mark locally,

nationally, and internationally. Many of these artists gained their first

recognition through the Arts and Letters Awards Program.

Once again this year, Mr. Speaker, our government has reiterated its

commitment to our Province's cultural industries, allocating more the $17

million in Budget 2013: A Sound Plan, A Secure Future . This represents an

$87 million investment in the sector since 2006 when we launched our blueprint

for development and investment in culture.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Bay of Islands.

MR. JOYCE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for an advance copy. Members on this side would also

like to congratulate all the winners and all the participants who participated

in the Arts and Letters Awards Program.

I remember years ago when I attended the program and I presented some awards,

you can see the young up-and-coming artists who are now professionals in their

own right. You can see that this is a training ground for a lot of younger

artists in Newfoundland and Labrador.

It is a great way for a lot of other students in the Province to exercise

their artistic skills in a number of ways, Mr. Speaker, either through music,

writing, visual arts, and other ways. It is a great program for all of us.

I see, Mr. Speaker, at the end, that government is still taking all the

credit for it, announcing all the money. One thing we have to be careful of,

make sure that we arrange the program and arrange for when the ceremony is going

to be because the number of hours has been cut at The Rooms. When you stand up

and make all the announcements to try to take credit for all the good stuff, you

also have to realize that there are some major cutbacks in this field this year.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. MITCHELMORE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Sixty-one years is a milestone. It may have been around that long but it

certainly is not aging. If anything, the Arts and Letters Awards program is more

vibrant than ever with the expansion into the digital multimedia, in addition to

all the other categories.

It is very positive, Minister, to see so many entrants. Let's work to

encourage even more than the 611 applicants next year.

Congratulations to all the winners, especially Mary Pike of St. John's who

won the prestigious Percy Janes First Novel Award. Seventeen million dollars in

our cultural industries is a good investment, and I hope in the future we can do

even better.

Thank you.

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.

During his meeting this week with the federal Minister of National Defence,

the Minister Responsible for Fire and Emergency Services outlined that he would

like to see partnerships with the private sector to augment search and rescue in

the Province.

I ask the minister: Can you explain the position? Are you looking at

privatizing some aspects of search and rescue in Newfoundland and Labrador?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: Mr. Speaker, I am glad the hon. member recognizes that I did

not go into the meeting empty handed. I came in with suggestions in regard to

addressing the issues that were outlined in the federal Auditor General's

report. One of them was exactly that which is not rocket science in regard to

augmenting your service from your military by partnering with private entities.

CHC Helicopters, which used to be an entity here in Newfoundland and

Labrador, provides that in such countries as Ireland, Norway, the UK, Australia,

Kazakhstan, and other places in the world. Cougar is into it as well. PAL,

another Newfoundland and Labrador company, partners with many governments across

the world, and also with DND here to augment the service on a fixed-wing basis.

Mr. Speaker, it was a good suggestion. I am hoping that the minister will act

on it, because it certainly would correct some of the problems that

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Two years ago it was reported that the federal government was looking at

privatization components of the military search and rescue. At that time, the

Premier said that the federal government would need to be very careful here and

consult with people who could be impacted.

I ask the minister: Did you have any consultations with the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador before making the suggestion to the minister about

privatizing certain aspects of search and rescue?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: Mr. Speaker, at this point in time we have to act

responsibly, we have to act now. We have to have a solution to a problem in

regard to search and rescue, not only in Newfoundland and Labrador but also in

Canada.

If the federal government wants to consult with the public in regard to and

it is not privatization. It is augmenting the service that is already provided

by such bases as in Gander, the 103 Search and Rescue Base that provides great

service to the people who work offshore, both in our oil industry and in our

fishing industry. All you have to do is augment it.

As a matter of fact, he works quite closely right now with Kruger in regard

to the oil industry. There is a great relationship with them. Many of them came

from the military that work with Kruger right now. It is only just to enter a

pilot project

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I was not talking about the federal government doing the consultations with

the people of the Province. It was the Premier's words that said you should do

it, and you should speak to the people who would be impacted. That was my

question, I say, for the minister.

Mr. Speaker, the residents of Black Tickle have been left stranded without

any means of affordable transportation out of their community. They have been

asking the Department of Transportation and Works for help since the beginning

of April.

I ask the minister: Why have you left the residents of Black Tickle stranded

without any means of transportation?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DAVIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

There is an arrangement in place for the residents of Black Tickle who can

avail of what we refer to as a schedivac flight, which is utilized through the

area for persons who need transportation from isolated communities. It is

especially important to the people of Black Tickle during the shoulder seasons,

between the winter months where the ice is solidly frozen and the summer months

where there is a ferry service.

Very recently, I have had some good discussions with a representative from

Black Tickle who expressed some concerns. We are working through those concerns

to be able to provide the best service to the people of Black Tickle that we can

possibly provide.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL: Mr. Speaker, we are aware of the schedivac flight but that is

not the solution because there is a 50 per cent subsidy available to Black

Tickle residents who could avail of the schedivac flight, but it is simply not a

scheduled flight, I say to the minister. There is no scheduled flight into Black

Tickle. There is one, however, along the South Coast of Labrador.

I ask the minister: Will you make the 50 per cent subsidy available to the

people in Black Tickle to avail of the scheduled flight to the South Coast?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DAVIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

There are numerous municipalities, local service districts, and communities

throughout Newfoundland and Labrador that live in very difficult and isolated

circumstances. Many of them vary from community to community. A circumstance you

will find in one community is different from other communities.

Black Tickle, up to a fairly short period of time in history, had a scheduled

flight service provided by a private carrier. In the last couple of years the

carrier stopped having regular flights to Black Tickle. This subsidized service

was put in place to provide a service to the people in Black Tickle.

As I mentioned, I had discussions this week with a representative from the

local service district of Black Tickle who explained it in great detail. We had

a very good discussion about the challenges they face and we are working to

correct those and make a better service.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Official Opposition.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

One way to really work and have a meaningful impact for the people who live

in Black Tickle is to make the 50 per cent subsidy available. The schedivac

flight is not the solution here, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, on the other hand, the Apollo traffic across the Strait

of Belle Isle is expected to increase on May 24 weekend. The present

schedule

will not be able to accommodate the extra traffic.

I ask the minister: Will you direct your officials to arrange extra crossings

on The Straits with the Apollo for the long weekend?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DAVIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Apollo has been providing a service across The Straits now for

many, many years. We are quite pleased that service is back in operation again

this year. We have policies in place that deal with extra traffic.

As well, in recent meetings that I had with representatives from Labrador,

when I attended the Combined Councils meetings in Labrador with some of my

colleagues, we had some discussion there about pressure points that exist in the

Apollo service. Again, we indicated to them that we would work with them.

They identified particular needs through the fall of the year on some days of

the week. We indicated that we are quite willing to work with them, to consult

with them, which we have done to make the service as best we can.

It is very similar to the people in Black Tickle. We know we have pressure

points in services quite often, especially in remote areas that we provide, and

we work with them to make the best possible service that we can.

MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Official Opposition.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, maybe just a yes or no answer would be good.

What the question is: Will you speak to your officials and put on the extra

Apollo crossings on the Strait of Belle Isle on the May 24 weekend, just

a yes or no?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DAVIS: Mr. Speaker, operating ferry services can be very complex, and

it would be inappropriate, it would be irresponsible for me to stand here today

without having all of the information and consideration for all the factors to

be able to tell the hon. member opposite: yes, I can do it, or no, I cannot.

We will get the information. We will research the request, and if we can

provide a service or find a way to provide a better service because the demand

requires it, we will certainly do that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, the Noseworthy report shows that the Department of Advanced Education

and Skills is in a mess. Executives have known this for quite some time, I say,

Mr. Speaker. The minister had the report since December 2012 and really never

got around to reading it until February.

So I ask the minister: How can you justify cutting millions of dollars of

programs and services outside your department, when internally the organization

is in complete disarray?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I certainly, first of all, take exception with the comment that the

department is in disarray. We have a fine group of public service employees in

the Department of Advanced Education and Skills who work hard each and every

single day on behalf of the people of this Province, in the interest of the

people of the Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Just this morning we sat through three-and-a-half hours of

Estimates with a group of eight or ten officials who put in tireless hours

preparing information to present to the members opposite. So, I do take

exception to that on behalf of the people of the Province.

As I said yesterday, the Noseworthy report is but one piece of information

that will inform the decisions that the Department of Advanced Education and

Skills will take as we focus on the priorities of Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians, and the first priority is to ensure that we maximize every

opportunity available to us in a growing economy.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, I take exception to the fact that the minister has made the connection

to having a disorganized department and connecting that to the valuable

employees you have there. As a matter of fact, some of those employees, as the

report said, are working in very challenging situations. This is not about the

department; this is about the leadership in that department, and it is

dysfunctional the report says that, I say, Mr. Speaker.

It was revealed in Estimates today that the government is spending $170,000

on a population growth study this year.

So I ask the acting minister: Is Ross Reid's salary included in this

$170,000, and how much is Mr. Reid being paid?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I believe the salary details are provided by the Minister of Finance in

Estimates, and I think they were provided online several weeks ago.

The focus of the Population Growth Strategy is responding to a changing

economy in Newfoundland and Labrador. We recognize that the circumstances we are

in today are different than they were even two or three years ago. There is

tremendous opportunity on the horizon.

Contrary to the two messages that you hear opposite, on one particular day

the members opposite argue that we should make changes, and then when we talk

about making changes, they argue that we should not make changes.

Well, that is not where we are on this side of the House. We are going to

make changes in the department so that there is a clear focus on ensuring that

people of Newfoundland and Labrador have every opportunity available to further

their education, to get a good quality background, and take advantage of the job

opportunities that exist in this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, the first part of the question was about is it included in the

$170,000. That, for us, right now would be enough.

Is Ross Reid's salary included in

the $170,000 or not, and what is the amount?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, as I said, the salary details for all deputy

ministers and senior officials have been made public. It is my understanding,

and I will qualify it to be corrected in this House, that the $170,000 would

include the salary and mandatory employment-related costs, which would be an

additional 15 per cent on top of the base salary.

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

MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, according to the teachers' collective

agreement, the Minister of Education had until yesterday, May 7, to notify

teachers if they would be kept on or let go.

I ask the Minister of Education: How many of our teachers did you let go

yesterday?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, the member obviously does not have a lot of

knowledge about education. It is obvious in his question. It is all part of the

collective bargaining process and notification. I cannot say anything else other

than that. He just does not know the system.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. Barbe.

MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, last week, after the public service hiring

freeze was lifted after only a few weeks after it was imposed, the government

started to hire people back that they thought they did not want.

I ask the Minister of Education: Does he want these teachers that he let go

to hang around in case he needs them in the fall, or should they simply pack up

and leave the Province?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, let me just give the member a statement. We

have a per-pupil spending of almost $13,000 per student, the best in Atlantic

Canada. Our funding to education ranks top within Canada. Another point to note:

Our funding formula for needs-based allocation has kept 265 additional teachers

in the system. It speaks to our commitment to education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, clearly we are spending the money; we are just

not getting the results. I think it is probably leadership from the top that is

the problem.

Mr. Speaker, when questioned this week on the status of his deficient Safe

and Caring Schools Policy, the minister became defensive and stated the policy

was working well.

I ask the minister: If his policy was working so well, why did he commission

an expensive review, accept the report's twenty-nine recommendations, establish

a committee, carry out public consultations, and commit to revising the policy?

That seems like a lot of work for something that was working well.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, I have to question his understanding and

commitment to teachers and students in this Province. His first statement, his

lead-in, as far as I am concerned is an insult to teachers.

Mr. Speaker, let me tell the member this, in 2003 our graduation rate was

85.1 per cent.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, in 2003 our graduation rate was 85.1 per cent.

In 2012, that is 92.5 per cent.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, in terms of our Safe and Caring Schools, we

always look for ways that we would improve it. We consulted with major

stakeholders

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Member for Torngat Mountains.

MR. EDMUNDS: Mr. Speaker, the Labrador School Board, as of today, is

advertising for an education psychologist in Labrador West, days after

eliminating the position in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. This is pure manipulation.

I ask the minister: Why are you advertising for a new position of an

education psychologist when you already had one on staff that took you seven

years to find?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, you talk about manipulation; that is exactly

what just happened there and what happened before. This is a position that a

person was in on a contract basis for a number of months. The position is there;

it goes through a collective bargaining process.

Mr. Speaker, the individuals there have the opportunity to apply just the

same as others would. It is the process that has to be gone through. He is

playing politics with it, Mr. Speaker, nothing more than that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Torngat Mountains.

MR. EDMUNDS: Mr. Speaker, this is not a collective bargaining issue. This

move by the Labrador School Board will result in the loss of a highly-educated

Aboriginal professional. It clearly removes the position from where it is needed

the most.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. EDMUNDS: I ask the minister: Will you put an end to this blatant

manipulation and reinstate the position where it is most needed in Labrador?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, our commitment to education in Labrador, on the

Island, continues and will remain strong. There is nothing undue in this

process. It is a process that has to be gone through. It is as simple as that,

Mr. Speaker as simple as that.

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

MR. JOYCE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I brought up about the moose graveyard and the very

serious incident of safety and health with rotting moose. Anybody on a farm has

to dispose of it properly.

We just learned of another one in Goose Arm Road by Hughers Brook Pond

where there are four carcasses piled

up together, Mr. Speaker . This is becoming a trend for the department.

I ask the minister: Will the minister have this investigated and ensure that

the health and safety of people the kids who are riding bikes along this road

that this is not causing any disease and have these moose carcasses removed

and disposed of properly before any serious injury or health to anybody in the

area?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, the answer to that, of course, is yes.

With respect to the animals or carcasses he mentioned yesterday, the

Environmental Protection Officer went to the site and has confirmed that the

site has been cleaned up. Obviously, there are protocols that have been

followed. There is a close connection between Natural Resources and the

Department of Environment and Conservation, that will be maintained and the

proper rules will be followed.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Third Party.

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

We have a government who is out $1 billion on their Budget deficit

predictions. They budgeted $90 million, the purpose for which they kept secret

for weeks, and recently they sent a backbencher to say they have made $50

million from expropriated hydro assets in four weeks. When pressed for details

the minister twists and turns, but does not answer correctly. The people of the

Province can be excused if they are skeptical.

Mr. Speaker, to make it clear, I ask the minister, yes or no: Will he provide

appropriate financial documents to the people of this Province to back up their

claim?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador,

in the best interest of the people of this Province, expropriated assets in

Central Newfoundland so that these assets would be owned by the people of the

Province.

Since the assets were expropriated in 2009, the government through the

people's energy company, Nalcor, an energy company owned by the people of this

Province, an energy company that exists to get the lowest possible energy rates

for the people of this Province to run the facility and they have done it.

They have sold the electrical power to Hydro, they paid the operating costs, and

they paid the loans that were taken out. Since 2009, after bringing in the

revenue and after paying the operating cost, after paying the loan, has a profit

on a cash basis of $21 million. That is one benefit and there are more that

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yesterday, the minister noted the Auditor General could look into the botched

Abitibi expropriation deal. That was a good idea.

In 2007, then Premier Danny Williams asked the Auditor General to review a

controversial financial arrangement by government to purchase fibre optic

strands. The Auditor General found that government was getting a good deal.

I ask the minister: Will he ask the Auditor General to examine the financial

implications of the Abitibi expropriation and report to the House? It could be a

good deal; let's find out.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador,

the Department of Natural Resources, is audited by our provincial Auditor

General. Nalcor has its own independent auditors. The audits are always

available.

Mr. Speaker, let me talk about the other benefits that came out of the

expropriation of these assets. There was fifty-four megawatts of power that were

being used for the mill. Out of the Central Newfoundland hydro assets, they were

going into the mill. They are now available to go on the grid. That cheap power

is used to displace the purchase of expensive power, oil power at Holyrood.

There is enhancement number one.

The second extended benefit is that the previous owners were selling the

power to Hydro at a cost of eight cents a kilowatt hour; Nalcor is selling the

power to Hydro at four cents a kilowatt hour. So, there are additional

advantages of cheaper power there because the ratepayers will get the benefit of

that (inaudible)

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yesterday the Minister of Natural Resources said in referring to the purchase

of hydro assets in Central Newfoundland: We have to pay only for half of the

value of the asset.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister: Who pays for the other half?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, what I said was that we had paid for just

slightly less than half of the value of the equity.

We paid out the equity owners, except for Abitibi Abitibi were the majority

owners in both projects and we assumed the debt. We did not have to pay

Abitibi; the federal government paid Abitibi.

MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to point out to the minister that if the federal government paid

the rest to Abitibi then that comes from the pockets of the people of Canada,

which the people in this Province are a part.

We paid for more than what he had indicated

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS MICHAEL: Mr. Speaker, the recent Auditor General's update on prior

years' report recommendations notes that government has been dragging its feet

in collecting information regarding gasoline tax. The Auditor General noted the

department had, among other things, failed to conduct regular reviews to

identify unregistered retailers and failed to perform more frequent field audits

on retailers.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister of Finance: Why would such a cash strapped

government, as they claim to be, forced to fire over 1,000 employees, not be

more vigilant in its tracking of revenue owed to it?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance.

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It was actually as a result of being diligent, and particularly the officials

in the Department of Finance, that we found or managed to reduce that deficit by

a billion dollars. The officials in the Department of Finance, Mr. Speaker,

found an anomaly in the reporting of the C-NLOPB and found that, in fact, there

was 8 million more barrels of oil.

What we are doing constantly as a government is we are raising revenues, but

we are not doing it on the backs of middle-income Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians like the NDP would do by taxing them, taxing them, and taxing them.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I ask the Minister of Finance: Will he look at the AG's report and make sure

that the Department of Finance starts

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS MICHAEL: putting in place the recommendations they have made with

regard to gasoline tax?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We certainly examine the Auditor General's report and we look at everything

that is said. Let me point out a couple of things about the economy, Mr.

Speaker, and what this government has done by rebuilding the economy since 2003.

We have lowered taxes by a half billion dollars.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: We have raised wages by a half billion dollars, Mr. Speaker.

We have the most competitive tax regime in Atlantic Canada. We have the lowest

tuition fees in the country. We are second in the country in weekly earnings. We

have more people working than ever before and we have the lowest unemployment

rate that we have had in thirty-seven years. That is what this government is

doing.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for The Straits White Bay North.

MR. MITCHELMORE: Mr. Speaker, in March 2012, I asked why a perfectly

working air ambulance service was removed from St. Anthony before any planning

for human resources, evident from eleven unfilled medical flight specialist

positions. The Drodge report said this team should be located with the air

ambulance to maximize effectiveness because sending a team from St. John's could

double travel time.

I ask the Minister of Health: Why did your department ignore this

recommendation; and why are these vital positions

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. MITCHELMORE: still unfilled after three years?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, this particular decision was made to best serve the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador, and it has certainly worked. We have statistics that

show the number of flights from Labrador far surpass the number of flights that

were happening in St. Anthony.

Mr. Speaker, further to that, when he talks about the flight specialist team,

we have worked diligently to get that second flight specialist team in place. We

have eight people in training as we speak.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for The Straits White Bay North.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MITCHELMORE: Mr. Speaker, when reviewing Newfoundland and Labrador

ambulance program, the consultant responded to a submission I made, stating

location is not within the purview of her review to improve effectiveness. Yet,

the consultant's mandate clearly notes that she can make suggested changes to

the current program.

Will the Minister of Health explain why she is limiting the consultant's

review of the program?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, there is absolutely no reason to review where the air ambulances

are operating from. We have made our decision on that, the statistics prove that

was a wise decision. It is working, and there is absolutely no reason for us to

change our mandate in terms of what the ambulance review is to do.

The ambulance review has a broad mandate as it is. It has a large number of

areas to investigate, Mr. Speaker. The report is coming on that very soon and I

am certainly looking forward to that report.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. MURPHY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We are looking forward to seeing some of those statistics too when she makes

them available. Mr. Speaker, the Health Estimates last week revealed that indeed

the ambulance review is coming up.

I would like to know when she is going to be making that public.

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, I certainly cannot make it available before I

get it. I am waiting to get the report. I will get the report, we will review

it, and after that time we will be able to make it available. Mr. Speaker, I do

not have it right now.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. MURPHY: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, roads in the Province are in dire need of line painting. There

was an

article in The Telegram today talking about the situation in St.

John's. There have been several close calls for motorists all over the Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. MURPHY: Can the minister please tell the House: What is the progress

of the painting program, and when can we expect to see the appropriate work

done?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DAVIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I should explain to the member opposite, Mr. Speaker, that it is difficult to

paint lines on the road when they are covered in salt and snow and ice. We have

to wait for the snow and ice to dissipate from the roadways, and then we also

have to wait for the salt to dissipate from the roadways as well.

You cannot put lines on the road when there is salt and sand, that is residue

left from the winter. It takes several weeks and months, depending on weather

sometimes, to clear the roads. Mother Nature does that job for us.

When Mother Nature has the roads cleared and to a point in time when it is a

good time to paint the roads then we start the painting process. We have our

line crews that are gearing up to start the process, and that work will be

underway very shortly, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. MURPHY: Mr. Speaker, the whole idea of early road construction,

maintenance, and tendering would be to allow the roadwork to be done in our

short construction season.

I ask the minister at the same time as that: Why isn't line painting work

done earlier? Why isn't it announced in the fall when it can be done at the

purview of the companies that are doing it?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DAVIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I will try and explain it to the member opposite. Line painting in the

Province is primarily carried out by the hard-working and dedicated public

servants of Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker. The employees of

Newfoundland and Labrador from Transportation and Works with equipment that is

owned and operated by the Department of Transportation and Works are the ones

who carry out this work as part of our summer maintenance program.

As I said, after winter clears, even though winter may clear earlier in the

year in his district, in other places it is later in the year, but we have our

road crews underway and they will start doing painting during the season as we

do in other years, and they do a good job, I say, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's East, time for a quick

question without

preamble.

MR. MURPHY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am looking for some results as regards to some of the accidents that have

happened to

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

A quick question, please.

MR. MURPHY: Does the minister have assessments of these accidents? Do you

have reports available?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs, time for a quick

response.

MR. O'BRIEN: What accidents? You are going to have to be a little bit

more specific, George. Write me.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

Obviously, there are some disgruntled Hab fans in the House today because of

the amount of excitement.

Question Period has now expired.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Resource Committee have considered the matters to them referred and have

directed me to report they have passed without amendment the Estimates of the

Department of Environment and Conservation; Tourism, Culture and Recreation;

Innovation, Business and Rural Development; Natural Resources; Fisheries and

Aquaculture; and Advanced Education and Skills.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: 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. BENNETT: 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 home care allows the elderly and people with disabilities to remain

within the comfort and security of their own homes, home care also allows people

to be discharged from hospital earlier; and

WHEREAS many families find it very difficult to recruit and retain home care

workers for their loved ones; and

WHEREAS the PC Blue Book 2011, as well as the 2012 Speech from the Throne

committed that government would develop a new model of home care and give people

the option of receiving that care from family members; and

WHEREAS government has given no time commitment for when government plans to

implement paying family caregivers;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the

House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to

implement a new home care model to cover family caregivers.

As in duty bound your petitions will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, this is a promise that was made, a promise that has not yet been

kept. We have received some reassurance that the government probably will go

ahead with part of this program this year, because there seems to be a Budget

allocation. Now, the Budget allocation seems to be for part of a year but not

for a whole year. I think in Estimates we are gradually starting to learn that

the Minister of Health is trying to tailor the money to actually fit the time

left in the year.

I would urge the minister to get on with it, because what may happen is if

they are so slow getting out this program as they have been with programs over

the past year or so, you may have money left at the end of the year and people

still in want.

So I would urge the government to move forward with this promise because

funds have been allocated but not yet dispensed. Please move with the program.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

MS ROGERS: 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 transgendered people face high risk of discrimination, violence,

underemployment and lack of access to housing and other services; and

WHEREAS a recent EGALE Canada survey found that 90 per cent of transgender

youth hear transphobic comments regularly from other students and one quarter

hear such comments from teachers; and

WHEREAS the Public Health Agency of Canada reports that nearly half of trans

youth seriously considered suicide and one-fifth attempted in it in the previous

year; and

WHEREAS all individuals should have equal opportunity to live their lives and

meet their needs without being hindered or prevented by discriminatory practices

based on gender identity or gender expression; and

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the

House of Assembly to urge government to amend the Human Rights Act to include

gender identity and gender expression in the list of prohibited grounds of

discrimination.

And as in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Well, Mr. Speaker, it was wonderful yesterday to sit in the House and to hear

the Minister of Education praise the work that is being done in the Department

of Education by their Safe and Caring Schools policy, where they had EGALE

people from all over the country come and do workshops about homophobia, about

trans-phobia. Here we are in this week, Mental Health Week across the country,

and what we are focusing on, the theme this year is Youth Mental Health.

We know that trans-gendered youth are among the most vilified in our

community. I keep getting up in the House and talking about this. As a matter of

fact, the Premier two weeks ago in the media said: I do not know why she is

always up there talking about this. Well, I guess because I always have to be up

here talking about this, Mr. Speaker.

It is imperative, absolutely imperative, that our Human Rights Act be changed

to include this. Our Human Rights Act is a living document. It has a

responsibility not only to hear complaints, but to have a proactive role. The

proactive role is to do education about this issue.

This is an issue whose time has come. It is embarrassing, and it is shameful

at this point, that this government has not done this; and I know they have the

ability to do this. It is not going to cost us any money. It is our moral

obligation to take this in hand and to amend our Human Rights Act to have it do

the right thing.

This is happening all across the world, Mr. Speaker. I do not know why we

have to be the last ones. Last week I had the opportunity of meeting with some

gay-straight alliances in junior high, junior high school, Mr. Speaker, and the

students in junior high school were asking: How come this government is not

changing our Human Rights Association?

Do you know what, Mr. Speaker? Junior high students get it. They know the

importance of this. The junior high school students are far ahead of our own

Minister of Justice. That is a sad state of affairs, but maybe he will listen to

them.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

Your time has expired.

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

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS: 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 students of the Adult Basic Education program at the College of the

North Atlantic do not wish to attend privatized educational facilities; and

WHEREAS College of the North Atlantic has the most accredited Adult Basic

Education program in Newfoundland and Labrador; and

WHEREAS students are concerned as to the availability of private institutions

and whether or not they can accommodate additional students.

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the

House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to reverse

this damaging decision to students and reinstate the Adult Basic Education

programming at the College of the North Atlantic.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, this is a petition on a subject that we actually had the

opportunity to ask questions about in Estimates this morning. We had three

hours; there was a lot to cover. We never had as much time as we would have

liked, certainly, to cover off that wide a range, but one of the things we did

discuss was ABE. Besides the fact that it is quite clear that the department has

a horrible, horrible mess right now, that it is barely functioning, it is

actually funny that we have a department that is a year-and-a-half old and it is

going through restructuring. It is actually amazing; the department is barely

past a year old, its birthday, and we are already restructuring the department.

I mean, it is an absolute mess.

I think that is one of the reasons we have this ABE situation like it is.

Now, I will put some positive news out there. The positive news is that it looks

like the RFP or tender process will be coming sometime this month. Now, that is

not for sure, but we have to hope for the best. Again, that is the only positive

I am going to say is that it looks like that. That is all there really is

positive that I can see to it.

We found out a lot of information that the government is putting out through

their speaking notes was actually basically wrong, miscalculated; talking about

graduation rates where we do not even take into account the fact that Income

Support students who have to go to College of the North Atlantic have barriers

that prevent them from graduating in many cases, which is part of the white

paper that government commissioned. Again, they use that to justify the move

they have made. It is counterproductive and it is counter to everything they

tried to do.

I am hoping they will come to their senses at some point and make the right

decision as it relates to Adult Basic Education as we move forward, not to put

out misrepresented information, as has been done by many members on the other

side. I hope the Premier lives up to her words, that there is going to be more

opportunity for Adult Basic Education in the future.

There are still a lot of questions to ask on this section, and hopefully we

will get some answers at some point.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

I remind him he has a couple of minutes before 3:00 o'clock.

MR. KIRBY: 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 students of the Adult Basic Education program at the College of the

North Atlantic do not wish to attend privatized educational facilities; and

WHEREAS College of the North Atlantic has the most accredited Adult Basic

Education program in Newfoundland and Labrador; and

WHEREAS students are concerned as to the availability of private institutions

and whether or not they can accommodate additional students;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the

House of Assembly to urge government to reverse this damaging decision to

students and reinstate the Adult Basic Education programming at College of the

North Atlantic.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

As my colleague, the Member for Burgeo La Poile, has pointed out, we did

talk about this at length this morning in the Estimates Committee. It is

increasingly evident this was just a cost-saving measure and nothing more.

One of the things this has done now is thrown a wrench into the Province's

plans for a strategic adult literacy plan, which this government, the government

opposite, promised the people of Newfoundland and Labrador back in 2007. Just

last year, the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills, the current minister,

said we would have that plan this year. Now we understand that plan has been put

off perhaps up to even two years as a result of this change.

This is at a time when we really need to focus on Adult Basic Education and

literacy. Instead we are shaking up the system to get something uncertain. We

are not even clear on what the quality assurance mechanism for this will be in

the end. Certainly those who teach in the program and students of the program

now believe the program they are taking at College of the North Atlantic is one

of high quality.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The member's time has expired.

Orders of the Day

Private Members' Day

MR. SPEAKER: This being Wednesday, and it is now 3:00 o'clock, I call

upon the hon. the Member for Humber Valley to introduce the private member's

motion that is on the Order Paper in his name.

The Member for Humber Valley.

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is a privilege for me to introduce this private member's motion on this

Wednesday. I will just read in the motion again for those

MR. SPEAKER: Seconded by?

MR. BALL: Oh yes, it is seconded by the Member for Torngat Mountains:

WHEREAS we have seen many tragedies and many lives lost due to distress on

land and at sea, including tragedies like the Ryan's Commander , Melina

and Keith II , Check-Mate III , Cougar 491, and Burton Winters; and

WHEREAS the federal government has closed the Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre for

search and rescue services in Newfoundland and Labrador; and

WHEREAS many questions have been raised about procedures and practices of the

provincial government and the Department of National Defence in relation to

these tragedies; and

WHEREAS the federal Auditor General has determined that search and rescue

services in Canada are operating at a bare minimum and need significant

improvements; and

WHEREAS the federal Auditor General has identified that a common set of

principles for co-ordinating these levels of government on national matters does

not exist; and

WHEREAS the federal Auditor General did not audit or investigate provincial,

territorial, or municipal search and rescue activities, including those

volunteer organizations, or the activities of other federal organizations such

as the RCMP, who are involved in search and rescue activities; and

WHEREAS the federal government has announced that it would co-operate with

the province on an inquiry into search and rescue issues;

THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that this House urges the Government of Newfoundland

and Labrador to conduct a full investigation into search and rescue services in

Newfoundland and Labrador using a public inquiry under subsection 3.(1) of the

Public Inquiries Act, 2006, which states, "The Lieutenant-Governor in Council

may by order establish a commission of inquiry to inquire and report on a matter

that the Lieutenant-Governor in Council considers to be of public concern."

Mr. Speaker, the reason why we are entering this private member's resolution

today is simply because we have been for many years now and really last year

in January there was a lot of attention paid to the Burton Winters tragedy. It

is just not about one specific event; there are a number of tragedies that have

occurred in our Province and in the waters surrounding our Province. We all know

that it is a difficult environment that we operate in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The big question that would get asked in this situation is: Why do we need an

inquiry? I have asked this question in this House many, many times in the last

year or so and even earlier this week. The federal Auditor General, Michael

Ferguson, in this case, has done a review. He has done an audit of the federal

assets and how they would respond to search and rescue. Not only, of course, in

Newfoundland and Labrador, but across the country.

Mr. Speaker, that audit of search and rescue assets really did not involve

many of the things I just mentioned in the motion, things like the search and

rescue components involved the Province, that involve our municipalities, and of

course many of the volunteer organizations we have that participate in searches

in our Province. It did not include the activities to other federal agencies,

like I said, the RCMP, for instance. All of those components, indeed, what they

do, they make up search and rescue. These are people who will be called upon if

indeed a search and rescue was required.

It is not just about our Coast Guard; it is not just about our air force.

These were the primary assets or people who would be involved in search and

rescue and this is what formed his audit. As I said, Mr. Speaker, there are many

components within search and rescue in our Province that were excluded from the

Auditor General's audit of the assets of search and rescue and indeed the

activities.

Mr. Speaker, since this period of the audit, there have been even more

changes, I would say. For instance, we have seen the closure of the Maritime

Rescue Sub-Centre in our Province and, of course, this was put in place simply

to deal with the high traffic that could support the Joint Rescue Coordination

Centres that were located in Nova Scotia. We put the Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre

in St. John's. It was located here to actually support and be able to help the

high traffic that was offshore Newfoundland, the Maritime traffic.

Also, since that we have seen another significant event in last year's

federal budget, which included the closure of our Coast Guard stations. We have

had five within the Province: one in Argentia, one in St. John's, one in Port

aux Basque, one in St. Anthony, and one in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Those

so-called MCTS, the Marine Communications Traffic Services, play a very valuable

role. This is something we truly do not know when you look at search and rescue

responses; we do not know yet what has been the full impact of losing those

significant assets for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. What has been

the impact?

This was not part of the audit that the federal AG did; this was not part of

his audit at all. It is not fair to say that when you look at and when you want

to put in a world-class, gold-standard search and rescue service for the people

of Newfoundland and Labrador, and indeed the people of Canada, that is what we

have been told. This is what we want; this is the objective. It will not be able

to do that by simply just auditing two components of that.

From the Auditor General's report, there were significant concerns. He talked

a lot about the communication that would happen. Now, because we have a number

of components that participate in search and rescue activities, you just cannot

isolate it to the federal component. Often what we get were the provincial

components that are included. The federal minister on his recent visit made it

quite clear there is and must be shared responsibility for search and rescue in

our Province. He clearly said he would participate in ways to improve that

service.

Mr. Speaker, that co-operation is something we have been challenged to do. As

a matter of fact many times in this House, we have been told we should speak to

our federal MPs, our federal Liberal MPs, to get them engaged and get them

involved. Here we are about a year later asking for this inquiry. Now we have

all parties involved and the Premier herself has said over the last year they

would participate in an inquiry if there was co-operation from the federal

government. We are at that stage now.

Yes, we have said and we have heard it many times in the House this week that

what is required is not more study; what is required is indeed action. Well,

finding out where the gaps are, putting in an inquiry, doing an investigation of

your current assets, and looking at all the components of search and rescue is

an important part of taking action. This is in my opinion, Mr. Speaker.

Part of taking action is when you identify where your gaps are and what is

missing in the system. If we do not have the components, for instance, talking

to each other, collaborating, or working with each other in a search and rescue

event, then what happens is it becomes disjointed. We do not need that. We do

not need that at this critical time, especially when we have increased traffic,

I would say, around our Island.

Mr. Speaker, one thing, too, I would like to address in these gaps is this is

not about politics, I would say. All members in the Official Opposition clearly

say this is about putting a gold-standard, world-class search and rescue

response team in place for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. This is our

goal. We would like to see this inquiry put in place because what it would do is

take the politics out of it altogether.

Now, when you look at the federal Auditor General's report, there were many

things in this, I would say, Mr. Speaker. It covered the period from April 1,

2007 to November 1, 2012. The work was done by February 15, 2013 and we just

recently received the report from the federal AG.

You say to yourself, why is any of this at all important? According to the AG

himself, "Cooperation and collaboration are essential to the success of search

and rescue activities, especially" and these are his words "considering

Canada's size" Now, we can take that to our own Province because we know we

have a lot of coastline around Newfoundland and a lot of coastline around

Labrador. So it is essential, I would say, that we have the co-operation and

collaboration for this to be a success.

He goes on to say, "Effective management and support, including adequate

human resources, reliable equipment, and information systems, make it possible

to carry out efficient search and rescue activities." The report clearly

outlines there has been a big concern around staffing, finding trained people to

actually man those stations, getting qualified people to be available for search

and rescue, and also around the information systems. He goes on to say in his

report that the information systems themselves are at a breaking point and we

have a significant gap with no plan, really, with the information system

supposed to be upgraded around 2015 and 2016.

So here we are, three years from that, and we have a significant gap when we

have the components of search and rescue that are there and put in place to be

called upon if an emergency is to happen for people who are using the activities

in our Province, the people in Newfoundland and the people in Labrador who are

actually working offshore and working our coastlines, if it is fisherpersons or

people just out using it as recreation. What we do not have is the information

systems in place. There is a significant gap that will actually take us through

where we are today in 2013 to get us through to 2015-2016. We have asked that

question, I say, Mr. Speaker.

The report itself was an extensive report. I am not sure how many people have

had a chance to read the Auditor General's report. It outlined many, many

concerns about the various roles and responsibilities. The minister himself,

this week in the meeting he had with our provincial minister, made it quite

clear that there is shared responsibility here, made it quite clear that he is

willing to co-operate to improve services here. In our opinion looking at an

inquiry, an investigation into the assets of what we have available so that we

can put a world-class system in place, where we could have all the components of

search and rescue speaking to each other, communicating with other,

collaborating with each other, Mr. Speaker, is very important if we expect that

to happen.

Mr. Speaker, he went on to say, in addition to their air and marine search

and rescue duties, for instance the Canadian Forces and the Coast Guard also

respond to provincial and territorial search and rescue incidents when

available. This support is normally around humanitarian incidents. This clearly

says they would not be the lead organization in this situation; indeed, they

would be there to support existing groups, which in that case would be a

provincial responsibility. It is very clear here that it is extremely important

that all parties work together. In order to do that, we would have to identify

what is missing in the systems right now.

We know through the Auditor General's report that there are significant gaps,

very important pieces of not only assets, but how people talk to each other,

information systems, trained personnel, Mr. Speaker. I would say there are

significant gaps in the system right now. We need to find a way to bring the

Province and the federal components together so that they understand what would

happen in an emergency situation.

Mr. Speaker, we are not convinced, based on the information we have had and

certain responses we have had over the years in our history, we are not

convinced neither is the Auditor General, I would say, Mr. Speaker. Based on

the comments we see in this report, they are not convinced that those

components, this collaboration, this communication is in place.

Mr. Speaker, as I said, we have seen closures of Coast Guard stations and we

really do not truly see what the impact will be. We have not seen what the

impact will be of the Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre, the closure of that office. I

know today it was mentioned in a press release by the provincial minister that

he has asked to have that office reopened.

What we need is timelines on that. We have not seen a commitment on that.

Even a provincial audit would identify how important that particular component,

that particular station would be to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

What would be the impact of the closure of the Coast Guard offices in St.

Anthony as a for instance, and in St. John's?

They are extremely important components, Mr. Speaker. They have been put in

place for a reason. To see the downgrading of those services without knowing the

impact and I will get a chance to speak again at a later time in this debate,

Mr. Speaker, and I look forward to that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER (Verge): The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: Yes, Mr. Speaker.

I get up in this House today to talk about a very critical and important

issue for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, and as well, Canada, and that

is search and rescue, Mr. Speaker. Just to reflect a little bit, the livelihood

of our people is quite clear on the sea in regard to fishing, the oil industry,

recreation, and whatever it may be. Search and rescue, especially air search and

rescue is critically important to this Province.

Mr. Speaker, I come as well, not only as the Minister Responsible for Fire

and Emergency Services and the Minister of Municipal Affairs, I come with

sixteen years of experience in regard to conducting searches and participating

in searches here in Newfoundland and Labrador, along with the federal component.

I noticed as well, as the hon. member spoke, he spoke for fifteen minutes and I

would say probably 95per cent of his speech was all concerning federal

responsibility. That is why I say, Mr. Speaker, that this is not the time for

study.

The Auditor General has outlined in a comprehensive, systematic study of

search and rescue pertaining to Canada - which pertains to Newfoundland and

Labrador - that now is the time for action. The responsible thing is to act now.

That is what I am asking our federal minister to do, is act now in regard to the

recommendations in that report.

I do not need another study to tell me exactly what is missing. I know search

and rescue well, very well. I know exactly how it works in regard to the

twenty-five ground search and rescue teams across this Province, well trained.

We have invested in those. We have invested in those over the years in

equipment, training, and whatever it may be.

We have great people in the RNC and the RCMP, but what we are here for today

is asking the federal government to act now. That is what we need. We need

action now because the Auditor General has outlined areas of concern and

deficiencies, which I met with the federal minister on Monday morning about.

Some of the key issues in regard to areas within that report are

communication, equipment, such as aircraft and personnel, Mr. Speaker. The

communication piece, which we have reiterated, our Premier has reiterated that

we need the marine search sub-centre. That was established here in 1970 for a

reason. We need that reinstated in the Province because we deal with, my people

deal with JRCC at various times during the year. We know exactly how the

protocol works. We know exactly how to approach and what they provide.

The marine rescue sub-centre puts an added pressure on JRCCs. We do not need

that at this particular time. We need clear, really clear communication lines

between that centre and the JRCC. Again, that is a federal responsibility. We

need the minister to act now and act quickly, and reinstate that sub-centre in

St. John's, Newfoundland.

The other thing in regard to things that were brought up in the Auditor

General's report was insufficient equipment and assets. We had quite a

discussion on Monday morning in regard to that. I had a number of suggestions.

We did not come empty handed to that meeting. I did not as a minister, neither

did we as a government. I came with suggestions that if they took immediate

action in regard to my suggestions it would have an immediate impact on their

capability of delivering the service that the Province, the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador deserves and requires, as well in regard to the rest

of Canada.

I suggested to the hon. member that they should pilot a project here in

Newfoundland and Labrador. Not like what is happening in the UK, Norway,

Ireland, Kazakhstan, Australia and other countries around the world where they

augment the service that is provided by their military. I, in no uncertain

terms, am talking about privatizing that particular service because it is the

responsibility of the federal government and they should keep it with the

military.

Fine enough if they could, Mr. Speaker, because one other thing that was

outlined in the Auditor General's report as well was issues within personnel:

number one, on recruitment; number two, on training; and, number three, on

retention. That has to be addressed.

The suggestion I had would really address that issue because first off, hard

recruiting in the military these days, especially with pressure points and the

challenges that they have with the private industry in providing a much higher

rate of pay than the military can provide. They train them up and train them

well, but then what happens, Mr. Speaker? They lose them to the private

industry. Those people are working all around the world augmenting the service

right now in the UK, Norway, and the other countries that I just outlined here

in this House today.

The capabilities of CHC helicopters, the capabilities of Cougar, and the

capabilities of PAL; they have that capability, they have the expertise. The

minister could quite quickly enter into a pilot project with one or two of those

particular companies, or whatever way he wants and it will have the desired

impact in regard to the delivery of search and rescue services in this Province,

Mr. Speaker.

We had quite a conversation in regard to that. He brought to the table as

well that they have recently purchased some helicopters from the US. I said,

Minister, it is going to take a long time, even if it is possible, to convert

those particular aircraft to be able to perform the tasks that are outlined and

come to the standard in regard to a helicopter that is used in search and

rescue, Mr. Speaker. That will take a long time.

The Auditor General's report is quite conclusive, quite comprehensive, and

very systematic. It identifies an issue that we have to have addressed now, not

later, not after another study which will take a long time to do. Like I just

said, I know the system well. I know exactly how it works here in Newfoundland

and Labrador. I know exactly how it works in every province in Canada. It works

the same. The missing components and the issues here are all federal

responsibilities which we have outlined, and our Premier has outlined to the

federal government many times over the last two years.

We have to know how many incidents and I have asked for that data from the

federal minister as well. I need to know the incidents, the number of incidents

in Atlantic Canada, and what the response times were in regard to wheels up

time, twenty or thirty minutes, whatever it may be. I am looking for twenty

minutes wheels up, twenty-four seven, 365 days a year.

I impressed on the federal minister that we do not stop fishing because it is

a holiday. We do not stop fishing because it is a weekend. We do not stop

fishing because it is Christmas Day. It is 365 days a year for twenty-four hours

a day. That is exactly what happens in Newfoundland and Labrador.

He talked about peak times. Fine enough, he talked about the lobster

industry. Those people should be protected, absolutely, and have confidence in

the system in regard to their portion of the fishery here in Newfoundland and

Labrador. Our fishery is a lot more comprehensive than the lobster fishery; it

goes 365 days a year, twenty-four hours a day. Various other species are fished

off our shores and people are on the water as we speak.

They have to have confidence. There has to be a system in place. That

requires proper assets and properly trained personnel. If the federal Minister

of DND, has an issue with regard to the assets and with regard to the personnel

and no disrespect whatsoever, Mr. Speaker, because they live in my hometown.

Searcher and Rescue 103 are located there. I know a lot of them very, very well.

They put their life in danger many, many times for the people of Newfoundland

and Labrador, but if there are challenges there, maybe we can augment that with

some type of a pilot project with the private industry.

As I said in Question Period, Mr. Speaker, Cougar interacts with 103 right

now in providing a service to the offshore, in their capacity. Many of them used

to be stationed at 103 and work with the military, but have transitioned over to

Cougar. So why not go down that path and have an immediate impact, and an

immediate solution with regard to that opportunity that is out there? I implore

the minister to support that, explore it and certainly get it up and running as

quickly as possible.

As well, I said that the hon. member, the Leader of the Opposition, was

talking about another study. Everything that he talked about was a federal

responsibility. The RNC, the RCMP, and our ground search teams are well trained.

Everything - he went right through the Auditor General's report and each and

every one of them was a federal responsibility.

We do not need a study. We need to come together as all parties and implore

and lobby, and make sure that the federal government addresses those needs, not

only here but right across Canada, but certainly in this Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador and to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

That is where I am with it. The time has gone beyond study time. That is

where I am with it, Mr. Speaker. As I said before, I have been in that system

for a long, long time, sixteen years. I have trained people. I know the system

well and it works well, but there are missing components. The main missing

components are in assets, aircraft and trained personnel in the air. They have

to be at the ready and they have to be airborne within twenty to thirty minutes

after the call. That is what the Auditor General outlined in his report in

regard to the wheels up time and the various other components that he outlined.

Mr. Speaker, as well, I chatted with the federal minister in regard to the

availability of the data and the availability of the response times because I

want to review that myself. He said that he would participate with all

jurisdictions, all the provinces, with all the territories in regard to working

with them to provide a goal service, if you want to put that terminology to it

in regard to the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador and also the rest of

Canada. I need to have a look at that data in regard to the number of incidents,

the wheels up time. I want to look at all of that.

I go back again that I firmly believe that talking about it now really

deflects away from the need. That is what it is. I do not want to talk about

what we have; I want to talk about what we need. What we need is a clear,

definitive approach with timelines attached from the federal government, from

the Department of National Defence, in regard to how they are going to address

the issues that were outlined in the Auditor General's report.

I need that because that would certainly show the people of the Province that

we are moving forward, that there are going to be solutions to the issues that

were addressed, or outlined, or identified in that report, and then we will move

it forward. I think we can have immediate action, Mr. Speaker. The only way we

are going to get that, to be honest with you, is to come together as one.

Yes, our federal counterparts or colleagues in the House of Commons should be

asking for just that as well in regard to their time on the floor of the House,

the time to asking questions or meet with the federal minister, whatever it may

be. They should be asking for action now.

This is not a time for chatting and talking, this is not a time for anything

like that. This is a time for action; this is a time to take the responsible

approach. Act now and you could have a dramatic effect in regard to the

resources that we have on the ground here in the Province, the federal resources

on the ground in this Province, as well as the way they respond to a request.

That is where it lies, Mr. Speaker, no more to it than that. I was glad to

see the hon. member, the Opposition House Leader, identify in his speech for

fifteen minutes that all the problems he outlined was all with the federal

government and all with the Department of National Defence.

So now is the time for action, Mr. Speaker. That is the responsible thing.

Act now and we can have a dramatic impact in regard to that service or the

Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. EDMUNDS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is certainly with mixed emotions that I speak to this resolution that has

been tabled here today, Mr. Speaker. I heard the hon. minister talk about search

and rescue, and predominantly he tends to shift everything to the federal

government. In a lot of cases, in the majority of the cases, I agree with him.

Mr. Speaker, in Question Period I heard the hon. minister talk about his

meetings with his federal counterpart. They talked about search and rescue

problems in Newfoundland and Labrador. He talked about search and rescue

problems in Canada. The minister said he talked about problems with search and

rescue in Newfoundland and Labrador. He told the federal minister that, and

Hansard could probably prove that. There is a concern and there is a provincial

concern.

Mr. Speaker, we had people like the hon. minister in the field with search

and rescue, and certainly my life would depend on him. I have had thirty years

with the Royal Reserves, with ground search and rescue, and with the Coast Guard

Auxiliary. I have co-ordinated searches. I have taken

part in searches that have

brought family members home to their families with smiles on their faces,

thankfully a lot more than the situations where I have been part of search teams

that have had to go back to the families and bring bad news. It is not something

I would recommend to anybody in this House or anybody in this Province. It

leaves you at a loss, and it is a loss you have to live with for the rest of

your life.

I have also been rescued more than once. In the lives we live, Mr. Speaker,

you are out at the mercy of the elements and accidents will happen. To know that

you have that service that you could, and I will say, at one time depend on was

a comfortable feeling. When we look at the questions that arose out of disasters

offshore, the Ocean Ranger, the sealing disaster in 1914, and the Titanic ,

there were investigations, there were questions asked. It is because of those

inquiries, whatever you may call them, Mr. Speaker, whether they be

investigations, blunt-end questions, they got responses, and our services are

where they are today because of that.

Mr. Speaker, we are still losing thousands of lives in our Province. It is

because of the nature of what we do, Mr. Speaker, the very nature of what we do

will cost lives. Can services be improved upon? You bet they can, Mr. Speaker,

you bet they can.

Mr. Speaker, I was involved in a search about two years ago, and what I want

to try to tell you in this incident is how the system worked and our perception

of the actions that unfolded.

Mr. Speaker, there were a bunch of seal hunters that went ashore due to an

engine failure on Cape Harrison. Anyone who is familiar with Cape Harrison, Mr.

Speaker, it is a high cliff that sticks out into the Atlantic Ocean. So, Mr.

Speaker, I got the call from one of the people who went ashore on the cape that

evening. They had a part of a satellite telephone call, Mr. Speaker and I will

quote the words, if I may: We are gone ashore at Cape Harrison; send help. Mr.

Speaker, that was the total content of the conversation.

Now, Mr. Speaker, I relayed the call to Coast Guard in Goose Bay. In two

seconds I had the call gone through. We knew about the problems with the

Ryan's Commander . We knew about the problems with the Melina & Keith II .

We did not want to leave our friends there. So we were going to sit back and

say, it is going to be taken care of? No.

Mr. Speaker, I led the search team up to Cape Harrison that night, and you

talk about and the minister talked about it earlier what search and rescue

technicians will do to get the job done. Mr. Speaker, I watched a SAR tech come

down 100 feet and bounce off the rocks, and from my viewpoint, the blades of the

chopper were inches from the side of the cliff and they pulled those guys off

the rocks, Mr. Speaker.

We went up that night in two speedboats, two eighteen-foot speedboats, Mr.

Speaker, two metre swells and twenty-five knots of wind, and we did not know if

we were going to hit a crest of a wave or a piece of ice because we could not

tell the difference, Mr. Speaker. What did we risk to get there? We risked our

lives, yes. Would we do it again? Yes, we would.

Mr. Speaker, it took us four-and-a-half hours to cover fifty miles. The same

time it took the search and rescue helicopter, out of Gander, to get to the same

site. It worked it worked. From the time I got the call saying the boys were

plucked off the cape, the time elapsed were five-and-a-half hours. It turned out

good, Mr. Speaker, and that is what we would like to see. Now the next morning

four of us could not walk properly because when you are driving a small boat in

conditions like that, it takes a toll on your body.

Mr. Speaker, a little while ago I was involved in another search, one that

did not turn out so good. I was the driving point on this search; I was a member

of the search team. I assisted in parts of a search that I would rather not, Mr.

Speaker, and some of the images that I have seen haunt me today.

Mr. Speaker, when the whole incident unfolded and questions started to be

asked, the one question that I remember was Burton's mom in Makkovik asking how

she got there before search and rescue did. This was after the fact, Mr. Speaker

this was after the fact. She questioned why she got there first.

Now, is this a federal issue? Yes. Mr. Speaker, when the federal Auditor

General's report came out one of the incidents that were questioned was the lack

of communication between different levels of government. Different levels of

government, I say to the hon. minister. Where is the confusion here?

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible)

MR. EDMUNDS: Mr. Speaker, I might add, I gave the minister his

opportunity; I wish him to give me mine.

Mr. Speaker, when questions like that arise out of a federal report,

communication problems with different levels of government, I ask questions and

so do everyone else in this Province. In response to the accident in Makkovik,

9,000 people were polled; 69 per cent of the people said yes, let's have an

inquiry. Is this a matter of public concern, when the public comes forward? Yes,

I believe it is, Mr. Speaker. I do believe that is.

You talk about having the discretion, Mr. Speaker, the Public Inquires Act

and I think if you could call Cabinet, the Lieutenant-Governor in Council, the

same people I believe in a matter of public concern, the Lieutenant-Governor

in Council can call an inquiry.

I asked the Premier in Question Period in another sitting: Is this not an

area of public concern? You talk about the comments that came in and where they

came from. Not only in Makkovik, not only in Gander Bay, not only out on the

West Coast, not up in St. Anthony. They came from Qatar in Saudi Arabia, they

came from Lakewood, California, they came from Frankfurt, Germany, and they came

from the West Coast of Canada. I could not answer the e-mails that I received

because there were too many. What did they want? They wanted something done.

When you have an investigation, when you have an inquiry, Mr. Speaker, it is

not to point out what went wrong, although it is part of the process. An inquiry

is to find out how it can be improved. I cannot understand why the government

across the way does not want to improve on services by finding out what went

wrong. That is the whole basis of an inquiry.

Yes, there is a time for action, Mr. Speaker, but the Auditor General's

report and the minister's own comments in Question Period, say there are

problems in search and rescue in Newfoundland and Labrador. There are problems

in search and rescue in Canada. We all know that. We knew it before the Auditor

General's report come out. There was equipment failure with the Ryan's

Commander , communication problems with the Melina and Keith II , and

with the young Burton tragedy. Questions are still there. Yes, it is time for

action, but we need to know what went wrong.

I am going to clue up a bit early, Mr. Speaker. The Auditor General's report

gave problems with equipment, and it gave problems with personnel shortages. I

am not, at any time in my life, ever going to question the credibility of a

trained search and rescue technician. I have worked side by side with them, I

have seen them work. These people will do what they have to do to get the job

done. They problem is, they have to do it with what they have, and therein lies

the problem.

Ground search and rescue we have seen improvements over the last year and

certainly any more improvement is never too much. There is never going to be

enough improvement, Mr. Speaker. If we can see the day in Newfoundland and

Labrador that we can go without losing lives at sea or on the land, then we can

say we have done our job. Until then, we have to question tragedies. We have to

inquire into what went wrong. We have to make recommendations. As the minister

said in his closing statements, we have to act.

There are all kinds of statements out there, Mr. Speaker. Why fix it if it is

not broken? I have heard the minister say that search and rescue would be

applied, as is, the next time around. If there is a life lost, there is a

question there. I think that is the one thing that the government across the way

and that this side of the House will agree on, that there is always going to be

room for improvement. That will never go away.

Mr. Speaker, if you do not know what is wrong, how are you going to fix it? I

think we have seen enough wastage on presumptions, and resources thrown into

what we presume that is wasted money. I do not want to ever go on a search and

rescue sortie again and come back and listen to comments like, I could not send

a helicopter because something might happen here, or the weather was bad.

On the third day of the search for Burton Winters, Mr. Speaker, I sat in my

living room window looking out at 2:00 o'clock in the morning watching two

aircraft that were tasked to fly around. I hoped and I prayed that they would

come back and say it was a success. It did not happen.

Mr. Speaker, when we went out the next day what we found I would not like to

see again and I would not like to wish it on anybody. There are going to be

lives lost because that is the nature of where we live, it is our history, it is

our culture, and it is something that we have to work to improve on. I believe

the minister when he says it is time for action. Let's fix the problem, but

first let's find out what the problem is.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand here and speak to this

resolution today. Search and rescue certainly is important to every

Newfoundlander and Labradorian. There is not a single one of us in this House

and among the people of this great Province who have not been touched by some

tragedy in some way or another that has happened at sea.

Indeed, Mr. Speaker, we heard our minister go on about how we are a seafaring

people in terms of the fishery and all the different species that a lot of our

people make their livelihood on. We are certainly acutely aware of all the

dangers of what could happen while we are out on the water. As such, I just have

to say that this is too important an issue. It is too important an issue to play

politics with and to obscure with rhetoric. That is a simple fact.

I want to help us today, Mr. Speaker, look straight on at this, and let's

look at the facts about what has happened now with the latest report that we are

all here discussing today. The fact is that it is the primary responsibility for

search and rescue of the federal government. That is a fact. The fact is that

the Auditor General has done an objective, independent, and systematic review of

search and rescue. The fact is that his report indicates systematic problems and

a lack of capacity to respond to critical incidents. The fact is that he also

sets out a clear course of action to rectify all of the problems that he found.

Mr. Speaker, if you look at the Auditor General of Canada, I would suggest

that there is no more trustworthy, independent, and thorough source than that

office in and of itself. His very substantial report outlines some very serious

shortcomings, and the very fact that there are some very clear actions that

needs to be taken to rectify those that were outlined. Furthermore, he makes

specific recommendations to improve the entire system of search and rescue, not

only for us here in Newfoundland and Labrador, but across our great country.

In our Province we certainly know the importance of world-class search and

rescue. Our people, like the people all across our great country, deserve that

level of service. It is not an unreasonable expectation for those who make their

living on the sea to want confidence in a high-quality, well-staffed, well

equipped, highly co-ordinated, and responsive search and rescue effort in a

country as great as Canada. Mr. Speaker, our people are interested in seeing

that these issues that were identified by the AG get dealt with. It is as simple

as that.

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General studied personnel in search and rescue, and

I am going to quote him here. The report states, "Providing SAR services across

Canada requires that the Canadian Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard have a

sufficient number of qualified personnel". Nobody is going to argue with that.

After studying human resources available to SAR teams the Auditor General noted,

"Air Force personnel shortages make it difficult to meet minimum crew levels".

Mr. Speaker, he recommends that National Defence assign a sufficient number

of personnel, not only to meet the operational needs of search and rescue, but

also to provide for the mandatory training needs of personnel which have been

difficult to accomplish due to lack of staff to cover absences for training. If

you do not have enough people in order to keep that training up-to-date, then

they have to be on duty. There is definitely going to be a difficulty there.

Nobody can argue with that.

Mr. Speaker, there are grave concerns about the inability of the technicians

to consistently update their skill set. In the rescue of Canadians they provide

unseen medical aid, evacuation from some of the harshest, most difficult and

remote areas of Canada. They must frequently update these qualifications. This

could be anything from diving, to parachuting, mountain climbing, and of course,

they have to have the up-to-date medical qualifications as well. It is simply

going to be difficult to do. If you do not have people to cover those who are in

training and to be on duty, you are not going to get the job done. That was

clearly identified.

The review also found, Mr. Speaker, that in addition to these personnel

shortages, that there is simply not enough aircraft available for training the

aircrews. This has delayed the training of new recruits, as our minister said,

as well as the existing personnel that we have. The new recruits just simply

cannot carry out their functions until they have had that training. We can

almost see the Catch-22 there, Mr. Speaker.

The AG found this situation in and of itself has had a particular impact on

SAR activities, since in order to be available for the missions the pilots, the

flight engineers, and operational crews have experienced delays in maintaining

their mandatory training due to the lack of available aircraft, Mr. Speaker.

That is a fact.

The report also outlined that the air force is not the only SAR agency to

have insufficient personnel. According to the report the Canadian Coast Guard

has personnel troubles too, Mr. Speaker. That is very serious as well. That

organization faces difficulties in recruiting marine co-ordinators for the JRCC,

the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centres. It is difficult to maintain an adequate

number of rescue specialists and deliver that SAR training to commanding

officers that are so necessary.

Mr. Speaker, I am going to reiterate the point of our minister here today. We

do not need this studied any more. We want the federal government to act, to

recruit more staff, and make sure that they have the training necessary to carry

out this very important job. What could be more important than keeping

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and indeed all Canadians safe?

Mr. Speaker, according to the Auditor General, personnel recruitment and

training is only a part of the story. According to him, the rest can be found in

the aging - and I quote - dilapidated and insufficient aircraft. Problems

included two few Cormorants and the use of the inferior Griffon, whose

limitation means it can only be used for certain missions. We have

twenty-year-old Hercules planes, which are down for significant amounts of time

and for which parts are difficult to get. We have the aging Buffalo aircraft,

which are out of service and unavailable much of the time. It is a simple fact.

The AG also notes that National Defence has not sufficiently replaced or

maintained its SAR aircraft to the level that is necessary to respond to the SAR

incidents effectively. He recommends that National Defence give priority to

acquiring new aircraft that are best suited for search and rescue, it is as

simple as that, and ensure we have not only the best aircraft but that we have

enough of these resources to meet the needs on an ongoing basis. I do not think

anybody, whether you are a legislator or not, would disagree with those

statements.

Mr. Speaker, we need the SAR system adequately equipped and we need a new

plan for how that is going to be accomplished. We have heard that from the

speakers here today, that we have to have a plan going forward. That is

irrefutable. We need to know, as our minister said before during his comments,

how long it is going to take the federal government to acquire adequate numbers

of aircraft and to bring the SAR system up to a level where we as residents, as

legislators, and as average Newfoundlanders and Labradorians can feel confident

once again.

We need to know, Mr. Speaker, no matter where you are from across our great

Province that when we go out on the water, should you need that assistance, it

is going to be available with the appropriate and I emphasis the word

appropriate aircraft and vessels staffed by the best skilled and highly

specialized men and women that this country has to offer. Nobody is going to

talk about our SAR techs, our people, and our commanders and say they are not

the best. We are just saying we have to do better in terms of making sure they

have what they need to get the job done and their training is up to date. We

have enough people to cover the shifts and the training.

I would just like to take a few minutes here, Mr. Speaker, and talk about the

information systems associated with all this, too. If you are in that line of

work, these professionals have to have up-to-date, minute-by-minute information

in order to make the decisions regarding their missions. That is an irrefutable

fact. Unfortunately, the Auditor General found out the current system of

information management just cannot provide the data needed by the co-ordinators

and the other SAR personnel.

Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, the system does not support daily operations and is

near a breaking point. The AG recommended that the government immediately put in

place a plan to cover the time between now and 2015-2016 when a new IMS, a new

Information Management System, is expected to be in place.

Mr. Speaker, we on this side of the House, our government, we fully agree. We

want to see that plan, too. We want to see how this gap is going to be managed

in the short term and we expect the federal government to act on their

responsibility; it is as simple as that. The time for study is long past, long

past, Mr. Speaker. Now is the time for action; it is as simple as that.

Mr. Speaker, this government, we accept the measures that have been taken by

the federal minister, MacKay, and we are glad to see those steps; however, I am

not alone in saying that in light of all the issues that I just outlined, these

issues clearly just do not go far enough. There are other opportunities out

there, absolutely. It is not enough, Mr. Speaker, to simply just fix up a Web

site, renew a satellite subscription, and talk about flexible deployment of

resources and so on. It is not enough when our AG also says that we have very

serious issues with capacity within our system, and we just do not have the

personnel and the equipment to respond appropriately.

The measures are not enough when we have a system of gathering and

disseminating that critical information that is at a breaking point and is not

meeting the day-to-day operational needs; and that is a fact. It is just not

enough to do some window dressing here, Mr. Speaker, and it is not enough for

all the members of this House to settle for that, either. In this House we

should be calling on the federal government to take its responsibility to the

people of Newfoundland and Labrador and to all Canadians, very, very seriously,

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to SAR.

In this House today, we should speak with one voice, asking more of our

federal government, asking for a definitive, immediate action on the report of

the AG. Mr. Speaker, we know what the problems are. We know what needs to be

done. The federal government needs to move on these recommendations. We need

equipment and we need the personnel issues addressed. It is as simple as that.

We need new aircraft, we need people to fly them, and we need more people to

operate the entire search and rescue system. We need information management and

communications issues addressed, and we need response times improved and the

confidence of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador restored. We need the

Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre, Mr. Speaker, reinstated. It is as simple as that.

Mr. Speaker, I know some people here would like to see more study and more

talk. The time for study and talk is over. We need to see a detailed action plan

from the federal government that outlines a specific time frame, as our minister

had mentioned, about how and when we are going to address these serious issues

that were raised in the AG report.

Mr. Speaker, we need acknowledgement from the federal government that they

realize the urgency of this issue to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

They have to act now to improve the state of readiness of air and marine search

and rescue resources and services. It is as simple as that. We must ensure the

resources are provided right away so this critical service is available when our

people need it.

For those, Mr. Speaker, who are making their living on the sea, for the

people in Newfoundland and Labrador, and Canadians all across this great

country, the facts are already before us. The time for study and talk is over.

The federal government has all the information it needs to create a top-notch,

world-class search and rescue service. In this House of Assembly, let us speak

with one voice to call them out, to call them to act decisively, quickly, and

with a definitive timeline to give search and rescue personnel the tools and

training they need to restore the confidence the people of Newfoundland and

Labrador should have in this system.

I would just like to say I wanted to get up here and stick to the facts

today, Mr. Speaker, and I have certainly done that. My good colleague the MHA

for Torngat Mountains has said it, too. The people can only act with the

resources they have. We need the personnel and we need that equipment.

I would also like to point out though, too, both speakers from the Opposition

who were up here today did a great job. Thank you for that. They never said one

thing about the Province. Every single thing discussed was a federal

responsibility.

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 do not know if I can say I take pleasure in standing and talking to this. I

guess in one way I can, yes, but at the same time when you are talking about the

loss of human life it is a necessity, if you will, when you are a legislator.

Sometimes it can be a little disturbing and sometimes it is a little bit of a

sensitive issue. I can appreciate where some members come from on this issue.

The first thing on my mind, Mr. Speaker, when this motion came across was to

put some really pensive thought into this. Before I do, I would like to thank

those people who are out there doing that work, groups such as the Civil Air

Search and Rescue Association, who are the eyes and ears, if you will, and crawl

into those aircraft, and do the voluntary search and rescue duties when they are

out there looking for people ; and groups out there like

the St. John's Rovers and Pasadena Search and Rescue.

I think the minister referred earlier to something in the area of twenty-one

or twenty-two volunteer organizations out there. There are twenty-five

organizations that are out there doing their work. They all have a job to do.

They do not necessarily have to do it, but they do it on a voluntary basis and

they deserve our thanks for that, for answering the call every time that phone

rings. At the end of it all, sometimes it is a positive result and they find

somebody alive; sometimes it is a negative result and they find that somebody is

after deceasing. To those people I wish peace, too, that they can sleep at night

knowing at least they are doing a good job.

When we did this last year, it was a little bit of a different resolution

compared to what it was this year. Last year's resolution had pretty much three

main components to it and all parties voted in favour of it: to call on the feds

to work with the Province to strengthen search and rescue services in the wake

of the Burton Winters tragedy. It also called on Ottawa to consider establishing

permanent search and rescue capability at 5 Wing Goose Bay. We know they have

some helicopters there now. Since then, I think they have added a third. The

third was to rescind the closure of the Marine Rescue Sub-Centre in St. John's.

Mr. Speaker, which had to be one of the most shocking things the federal

government did on their perspective.

We are also at risk, too, of the closure of the station in St. Anthony. We

need that back. There is a huge coastline in this Province.

We know the provincial government is talking about different initiatives in

the Artic. We are going to need a base of operation, not only for business to

carry on, but also for search and rescue capability and the backup to that. We

have to think about that.

Mr. Speaker, the one thing the resolution does this year is call for an

inquiry based on a provincial law in the Public Inquiries Act, which states

that, "The Lieutenant-Governor in Council may by order establish a commission of

inquiry to inquire and report on a matter that the Lieutenant-Governor in

Council considers to be of public concern." This is of public concern. We have

all talked to people who have had an issue with the most recent issues in search

and rescue.

At the same time, we also have to ask ourselves: Should it be an inquiry? We

do know inquiries are very, very costly. We should be asking ourselves if the

information is already readily available for any incidents that have happened in

the Province.

We have had several incidents over the last couple of years. Indeed there

should be assessments and reports that are made available, made public, and made

public on a regular basis whenever they do occur so we can scrutinize our own

provincial services. This is not just a federal responsibility here we are

talking about; it is also a provincial responsibility.

Do you know something? For what has been happening in the news lately,

particularly when it comes to the federal Auditor General's report and when it

comes to search and rescue, I think everybody in Newfoundland and Labrador is

asking themselves the same question over the last couple of years. We have come

to a point where we saw the Labrador helicopters, for example, being replaced;

we saw older aircraft, the old Argus search and rescue aircraft being replaced

with Buffalo and Hercules aircraft.

Now we are coming to a point where this equipment is aging and we are still

talking about the federal government going out and buying seven formerly US used

helicopters from the States just to keep our own aircraft flying. It is

absolutely sickening, I would say to the minister, and I hope he let Mr. MacKay

know that the other day when he was here. The last thing the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador and the last thing the people of Canada deserve is

used junk in our backyard.

We had a prime example of the kind of equipment that 103 is struggling with

now. Just last year, on July 5, everybody remembers the incident out in Grand

Falls-Windsor. We had a problem with our own lift capability, I think it was.

The minister can correct me if I am wrong on that. We had a smaller helicopter

that could not