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May 10, 1982, Tape 1, Page 1 -- apb The House met at 3:00 p.m. Mr. Speaker in the Chair. SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: Mr. Speaker, their Lordships the Justices of the Supreme Court have arrived. MR. SPEAKER(Russell;: Admit their Lordships the Justii .oes : of the Supreme Oourt. SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: Mr. Speaker, His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor has arrived. MR. SPEAKER(Russell): Lieutenant-Governor. SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: Admit His Honour the Ladies and Gentlemen, it is the wish of His Honour the Lieut enant-Governor that all be seated. Thank you.

PREMIER PECKFORD: May it please Your Honour, the House of Assembly, agreeable to Your Honour's Command, have proceeded to the choice of a Speaker, and have elected Mr. Maxwell James Russell, Member for the District of Lewisporte, to that office, and by their direction I present him for the approbation of Your Honour. HON. W. ANTHONY PADDON(Lieutenant-Governor): On behalf of Her Majesty I assure you of my sense of your efficiency and I do most fully approve and confirm you as the Speaker. MR.

SPEAKER (Russell): Your Honour :Paving approved of the choice of this House in constituting me as its Speaker, it now becomes my duty in . the name of the representatives of Her Majesty's loyal subjects, the people of this Province, to claim respectfully of Your Honour their accustomed rights and privileges, especially that they shall have freedom from arrest during their attendance in Parliament and that I, as Speaker, may have full access to Your Honour's presence at all reasonable time s and that they have confirmed to them all their 1

May 10. 1982, Tape 1, Page 2 apb MR . SPEAKER(Russell): ancient rights and privileges which have been confirmed to them by Your Honou='s predecessors . BON . W. ANTHONY PADDON(Lieutenant -Governor) : On behal= of Her Majesty I do confirm this House in the enjoyment of all its ancient and undoubted rights and priv ileges . His Honour then delivered the Speech from the Throne: 2

May 10, 1982 Tape No. 2 SD - 1 HON. W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant-Governor ): Mr. Speaker and members of the hon. House of Assembly: It is my privilege and pleasure to welcome you to this First Session of the Thirty-ninth General Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland. Since my last addr ess to this hon. House, the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador ha ve passed judgement on the performance and policies of my Government and in so doing have addressed themselves directly to my Government's stand on resources, particularly on the offshore.

The results of the April 6th election constitute an overwhelming affirmation and endorsement of the position taken by my Government on offshore resources. From Wabush to St. Shotts, from Corner Brook to Logy Bay, their message came loudly and clearly. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians know that the resources of this Province belong to them by right. There can be no doubt in any person's mind that our people firmly and clearly support with abiding conviction my Government's determination to maintain control of our heritage.

Their expression of support for my Government's policies will be reflected in the course for the coming year which I shall place before you today. Mr. Speaker and members of the hon. House of Assembly: A few weeks ago the final step in the constitutional independence of this Nation took place. I refer to the patriation of our Constitution. My First Minister participated fully and played a significant role in reaching an Accord wh.ereby this historic event was made possible in the traditional Canadian way of negotiation and consensus. My Government is pleased that the principles 3

May 10, 1982 Tape No. 2 so - 2 HON. W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant-Governor): set forth by this Province at the beginning of the Constitutional discussions are enshrined in our new Constitution. We now have a Constitution which fully recognizes the equality of Provinces. It also reinforces the concept of a federal state within which sharing amongst all Canadians is embodied. These principles are a sound basis upon which to build a greater future for this Province, and for all other parts of our great Nation.

The new Constitution recognizes the importance of resource management and control as the principal instrument of provincial policies. Within the Canadian Federation, clear division of powers exists between the provincial and federal orders of government. Powerful economic tools such as monetary, fiscal and exchange rate policy rest with the Federal Government. Yet it must be recognized that the most pressing and costly social programs, such as health and education, are areas of provincial responsibility.

The heavy responsibilities of the Province in social fields impose great pressures in responding to the many needs that must be met, much less in reaching Canadian standards. The necessary funding for social programs can only be made available by the careful exploitation and management of our natural resources, under a system of provincial control that is sensitive to both national and provincial needs.

My Government firmly believes provincial control over resource management is essential in achieving our social and economic objectives so that our people may enjoy a standard of living equal to that of other Canadians. When the Dominion of Newfoundland became a partner in Confederation in 19.49, the Terms of Union confirmed that the resources belonging to us prior to Union were to be retained and fully protected in the Constitution, 4

May 10, 1982 Tape No. 2 SD - 3 HON. W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant-Governor): just as they are for all other Provinces.

Section 37 states that "all lands, mines, minerals and royalties belonging to Newfoundland at the date of Union ... shall belong to the Province of Newfoundland". The purpose of this clause was to maintain the position of Newfoundland as a partner in Confederation, with powers over resources identical to those which it possessed as a Dominion. It was also to ensure' that Newfoundland had equality with the other Provinces who also maintain ownership and control of their resources. My Government is extremely pleased that the new Constitution accepts and reaffirms provincial natural resource ownership and control, embodied in

Section 109 of the British North America Act, a role which has been central to the Canadian Confederation. Yet in spite of the BNA Act and the new Constitution, my Government has had to take action to confirm ownership and control of Newfoundland's resources to protect the rights of our p~ople. In this, Newfoundland is unlike the other Provinces. No other Province has had to fight to win the basic right to transport its energy resources between Provinces as Newfoundland has had to do regarding its electric energy.

My Government has responded to the basic requirement to recapture control of our natural resources by taking bold initiatives in all sectors: offshore minerals, fisheries, forestry, mining, agriculture, and hydroelectricity. The right to manage our resources has been asserted in three basic ways: through legislation, through judicial action and through negotiations. Action has been taken on these three fronts. to secure a sound economic and social foundation for present and for future generations. 5

May 10, 1982 Tape No. 2 so -4 HON. W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant-Governor): Mr. Speaker and members of the hon. House of Assembly: My Government is not alone in its conviction that the mineral·resources of our Continental Shelf belong to us. As I have already noted, the people of our Province hold the same conviction, as evidenced by the resounding vote of confidence which they recently gave to my Government. Newfoundland's claim to ownership of offshore resources is well founded. Ownership of these resources resided with the Dominion of Newfoundland before Confederation with the Dominion of Canada.

We entered the Canadian Federation as an equal partner, retaining certain rights and assuming certain responsibilities to the great nation of Canada. One of the rights retained was control over our natural resources. We had faith in the integrity of the British North America Act and in the Terms of Union. The F'ederal Government of today, however, has either lost sight of those sacred covenants or consciously chooses to ignore them.

The Federal Government has unilaterally declared that it has the right to control our offshore resources, a declaration in contravention of the Terms of Union between Newfoundland and Canada. Their position is nothing less than an unprecedented and unconscionable attempt to seize the resources of this Province. My Government is encour~ged by the precedents which were set by previous Federal Governments in dealing with the Provinces regarding control of their natural resources.

Canadian history gives us several notable examples whereby Provinces received control of their natural resources, or had their boundaries extended, through the process of negotiation. For example, in 1912 negoti~tion was the way in which the northlands of Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba were passed over to these Provinces, together with 6

May 10, 1982 Tape No. 2 SD - 5 HON. W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lie~tenant-Governor): ownership and control of all the resources contained in them. Similarly, in 1930 it was through negotiation that Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba received control of their natural resources. It is not surprising then, that Newfoundland expects the same treatment that her sister Provinces have historically received. Even negotiation was not necessary in 1913 when the world's first offshore well w~s drilled on the Canadian side. of Lake Erie.

The Federal Government of that day did not dispute Ontario's proprietary and legislative rights with respect to the resources of the lakebeds. Since 1867, Ontario has owned and controlled the underwater resources of the Great Lakes, even though these lakes are international waterways. My Government demonstrated its willingness to resolve the offshore ownership dispute in the Canadian tradition of negotiation.

In good faith this Province entered into discussions ·with the Government of Canada to work out a joint management and revenue sharing regime on the understanding that the exclusive claim to ownership of both parties would be set aside during negotiations, and permanently if the negotiations were successful. The Federal Government initially agreed that ownership would be put aside. That was the basis on which discussions commenced. Ohce negotiations started, however, the Federal Government gave only lip service to its stated intention to put ownership aside.

Instead it insisted on negotiating from a position of ownership, with Newfoundland as a subordinate rather than an equal partner. In the interests of our people, my Government could not accept that position. It could not, and would not., and will not surrender the birthright of our people. if Qttawa persists in its 7

May 10, 1982 Tape No. 2 so - 6 HON. W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant-Governor): present course, the Supreme Court of Newfoundland will have to decide who owns the minerals off our Continental Shelf. Our preparations for this case have been exhaustive. Our case is strong and our cause is just. The new Constitution should produce a renewed spirit of co-operation, and for our part, my Government is willing to resume negotiations with the Federal Government.

The essential condition that must be met before negotiations can resume is that the Federal Government must put aside the question of ownership for the period of negotiations, and permanently if the negotiations are successful. The Province has already demonstrated that it can be trusted to do likewise. We believe that a negotiated settlement can be reached but the agreement must be based on a true and equal partnership. The interests of our people would not be served by accepting an agreement similar to that recently reached by the Federal Government with Nova Scotia.

The Federal Government has proposed that Newfoundland accept such an agreement. The agreement with Nova Scotia places total control in the hands of the Federal Government and explicitly provides for the application of federal legislation and for administration to be carried out by federal officials. It does not provide an adequate share of revenues into the future. The Provincial share of revenue will fall rapidly as the level of revenues increases and might even disappear entirely when the fiscal position of the Province reaches a certain threshold level.

My Governrnent finds unacceptable any agreement that would fail to recognize the enormous shortfall which exists in our fiscal and economic positions. An agreement which denies the concept of joint management is B

May 10, 1982 Tape No.2 SD - 7 HON. W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant-Governor): unacceptable. A revenue sharing agreement which would give the Federal Government 100 per cent of additional oil and gas revenues beyond a certain level while the Province received nothing would be unacceptable. There must never be another Upper Churchill. My Government is willing to negotiate. My Government is willing to be reasonable. But reasonableness has its limits. To accept the agreement proposed by the Federal Government would be tantamount to sacrificing our offshore heritage to a serfdom of the Federal Government.

Newfoundlanders deserve a better settlement. My Government .will stand with the people of Newfoundland and Labrador and will live up to the trust placed in it by them on April 6th. Mr. Speaker and members of the hon. House of Assembly: The Newfoundland economy is now suffering from the serious effects of the present international recession. Virtually all of our traditional export markets have been affected by the international downturn in ·business. My Government will shortly be presenting its budgetary plan to this hon. House.

In preparing the Budget, my Government is very mindful of the state of the Province's economy and will be attempting to provide economic stimulation. My Government has taken action to create jobs in the face of a difficult economic situation. The construction industry is experiencing a serious downturn.

In order to assist the industry and to generate employment, my Government announced a five point economic recovery program: 1) early tendering on transportation, housing, land and school construction projects; 2) building lot subsidies; 3) support to fish plants; 4) early tendering on municipal water and sewer projects; 5) early tendering on a local roads programme. 9

May 10, 1982 Tape No. 2 SD - 8 HON. W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant-Governor): This program responds to the current recession and the low level of investment activity resulting from high .interest rates. By accelerating construction activity through early tendering, and advancing the start of capital projects, it is intended to assist the construction industry and to create jobs at a time when they are most needed. To achieve this objective and others, this hon. House will be asked to address itself early to the granting of interim supply to Her Majesty. Mr. Speaker and members of the hon.

House of Assembly: My Government will continue to seek greater legislative control over fisheries so that the industry can be placed on a strong foundation and yet be managed in a fashion which will fulfill our social expectatio~s. It is too simplistic to suggest that the fishery can be managed purely from a cold economic perspective without recognizing the dependence of hundreds of Newfoundland communities upon the legacy of the sea. Through negotiation with the Government of Canada we propose to achieve a management position in the fishery.

The Province has little constitutional control over fisheries at present. However, in the constitutional review process which will commence within the next year, my Government intends to press for concurrent jurisdiction over the fisheries. Factors beyond our control made the past year critical for the fishing industry. Weakened market conditions, high interest rates and a failure of the inshore fishery in certain areas contributed to an unprecedented cost-price squeeze for most fishermen and proces.sors.

During this most difficult time, the industry has been and will continue to be assisted by the Province through various means in order to solve its severe problems. MY Government has rna,de financial. assistance available to fishing companies which have 1 D

.n May 10 , 1982 Tape No . 2 so - 9 HON . W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant Governor): potential to attain viability . Legislation will be introduced to ratify financial suppo rt extended to the fishing industry . Members of this hon. House will recall that last year my Government established a Royal Commission on the Inshore Fishery, the report of which was submitted towards the end of 1981 . The Commission's recommendations will assist my Government in the further development of this vital industry .

My Government als o welcomed the appointment of the Federal Task Force on th~ Atlantic Fishery and will be making a submission outlining the Province 's social and economic goals and objectives relative to the fishery . 1 1

May 10, 1981 Tape 3 PK - 1 HON. W, ANT HONY PADDON (Lie utenant-Governor ): My Government's commitment to the fishery is based on its major development prospects, and on the realization ~hat only through the development of a vibrant industry can we have a strong rural and provincial economy, Clearly,no other renewable resource offers the employment potential associated with our fishery resources. Despite short-term problems being experienced in the fisheries sector over the past several years, my Government is confident that long-term stability can be assured.

Through negotiation, we propose to manage the fishery jointly with the Federal Government to rebuild and strengthen the industry. An assessment of recurring problems in the fisheries . sector clearly shows that a number of structural changes will have to be made if these ~roblems are to be resolved. These will deal with product diversification, quality and marketing.

My Government will be placing greater emphasis on the attachment of conditons to its fish buyer's and fish processor's licences in order to improve resource management, to maximize benefits and to attain the quality necessary to firmly establish the repute of Newfoundland marine products in the markets of the world. My Government fully recognizes the role played by fish processing plants in various rural areas of the Province, A number of these firms experienced serious financial problems during 1981 and my Government has moved to alleviate these difficulties.

Seasonal inshore operations will need to be supplemented with of~shore landings to make them ·viable. My Government is taking the 1 2

Ma,y 10, 1982 Tape 3 PK - 2 HON, W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant-Governor ): initiative in having a consortium of seasonal plants established for this purpose. Every precaution will be taken to ensure that oil and gas development is supportive of the fishing industry. My Government has undertaken a number of initiatives to safeguard the interests of the fishrries sector and special emphasis will be placed on the fo rmu lati on of a, program which would compensate fishermen and companies for any adverse impacts of offshore resource development.

Again, the critical role of the fishery in the Newf ou ndland economy and the vulnerability of the fishery to oil devel­ opment require that policy decisions be made through joint management between the Province and the Federal Government. In short, my Government remains firmly optimistic about the future of the fishery and its potential to generate permanent stability in our economy. Moreover, my Government is confident that the proposed measures will serve to strengthen the overall structure of th .e industry and will result in the emergence of a more dynamic fishery.

Through legislation and negotiation my Government will take action to ensure that this goal is a,chieved, Mr, Speaker and Members of the Honourable House of Assembly: For centuries the waters overlying our Continental Shelf provided the source of livelihood for our people, During the past decade, other resources from within our Continental Shelf, the hydrocarbons of the Grand Banks and of the La,bra,dor sub-sea areas, have been discovered, evidencing yet other gifts conferred by a bountiful nature upon the inhabitants of this Province.

Thus there exists a striking continuity of our past with the present and .our 1 3

May 10, 1982 Tape 3 PK - 3 HON. W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant-Governor): future, in that the huge Continental Shelf extending outward from our shorelines was, is and will remain, our most precious possession and the foundation of our economic well being. The offshore resource heritage of our Province has attracted international attention. It is the birthright of our people and my Government vows it will never allow our people to be deprived of their rightful sh<re in this resource for short term economic or political benefit. The mistakes of the past will not be repeated.

We will not be lured into a management agreement which does not ensure that maximum benefit will accrue to this Province. This is my Government's ~ovenant with each and every Newfoundlander, a covenant which shall not be broken. Exploration during the past year continues to confirm the potential for development of our offshore petroleum resources.

Even the most conservative estimates of recoverable oil and gas from offshore fields illustrate the massive new contributions that these discoveries will make to the provincial economy through tax revenues and spinoff effects in the form of local employment, new technologies and growth in the local industrial goods- and services sector. Further successful delineation of the giant Hibernia structure continued in 1981 and significant discoveries were made at Hebron and South Tempest in the northern Grand Banks area.

As well, the first oil was encountered on the Labrador Shelf at North Lei£ and a large gas condensate discovery was made at North Bjarni. We must continue to emphasize that our response to fu.ture promise of massive scale offshore development must be tempered with prudence. Amidst enormous 1 4

- May 10, 1982 Tape 3 PK - 4 HON. W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant-Governor): forces for change, developmeftt must be at a pace that will be in accordance with our own requirements for equality of opportunity and social and cultural well being. Mr.

Speaker and .'1embers of the Honourable Honse o E 1\;-,sc mbly: Through firm legislative action embodied in The Upper Churchill Water Rights Reversion Act passed during the last Assembly, my Government moved decisively to regain control of this Province's largest hydro project and to secure justice and equity from the Upper Churchill hydro development for our people. rt will be recalled that my Government undertook to withhold proclamation of this Act until it had been adjudicated to be within the power of this Legislature and necessary accommodation had been arranged with bondholders.

The fir~t hurdle along the determined course of my Government to attain justice and equity from the Upper Churchill resource has · been surmounted. Our people greeted with immense satisfaction the decision of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland that the enactment of The Upper Churchill Water Rights Reversion Act is within the powers of this Legislature. My Government is confident that the Supreme Court of Canada will concur with this decision of the highest Court in this Province.

The goal of this Province is to achieve fairness and equity in the flow of benefits from the Churchill Falls project. That goal is closer to achievement with the decision on the WLlter riqhts. 'J'lw power generated at Churchill Falls will be available first of all to users in Labrador and Newfoundland. Power surplus to our needs will be for sale outside the Province on a 1 5

May 10, 1982 Tape 3 PK - 5 HON. W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant -Governor) : reasonable recall basis and at a fair price subject to escalation in conformity with market conditions. Advances in technology have made the Cabot Strait crossing feasible. A study by the Lower Churchill Development Corporation has confirmed the technical feasibility of a transmission line across the 120 kilometer Cabot Strait. Power from Churchill Falls would make this technical feasibility economically and financially feasible as well.

My Government and the Government of Canada have already formed a partnership to develop the Lower Churchill sites at Gull Island and Muskrat Falls. The power from these sites will further enhance the feasibility of a linkage between Labrador powef and the markets in the rest of Canada and in the United States. The Federal Government has assured my Government that it is willing to allow the National Energy Board to grant to Newfoundland the right to transmit electrical energy from the Lower Churchill across Quebec into Ontario, the Maritimes or the Northeastern United States.

Early enactment of this legislation in the Parliament of Canada is eagerly anticipated. With enactment of this federal legislation, this Province will have achieved recognition of its right to transmit electrical power generated within the Province through sister Provinces in order to market it with the same freedom as oil and gas are now transported inter-provincially. With the technical feasibility of the Cabot Strait crossing now confirmed, the Province will be able to consider alternative routes of transmission. 1 6

May 10, 1982 Tape 3 PK - 6 HON. W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant-Governor): My Government has already announced the renegotiation of the fixed price power contracts with ERCO, Bowaters, and Abitibi Price. The net effect of these renegotiated power contracts will result in Government receiving an additional $146 million in revenue from ERCO and an additional $120 million in the seventeen years remaining on the Paper Company co.ntracts. This mean~: that the total benefit gained for the people of this Province over the life of these renegotiated contracts is $266 million.

Legislation will be brought before you for your consideration wich will ratify these revised and improved contracts. Mr. Speaker and members of the hon. "House of Assembly: The forest resources of our Province continue to play a very important role in the social and economic well being of our people. While the current surplus of newsprint in North America could have negative short term effects, the long term outlook for the industry continues to be good. This sector of our economy is expected to maintain its relatively stable and strong performance into the future.

Great strides have been made in implementing sound management legis~ation in the forest sector. Negotiations with holders of large tracts o£ forest land have been successful in ensuring better productivity and higher returns to the Province. Substantial progress has been made in returning control of our forest lands to the Province. This year will likely see the culmination o£ discussions undertaken to rectify a land tenure system that ha.s been in place for 75 years, a system that has not always served the people of this Province well. Twenty year concitional Forest Management Agreements are expected to • 1 7

May 10, 1982 Tape 3 PK - 7 HON. W. ANTHONY PADDON (Li eutenant-Governor ): replace the longer term arrangements. These new agreements will place responsibilities on both companies and Government to ensure that our forests are indeed renewed. My Government has taken progressive steps towards intensive forest management. This effort was enhanced in 1981 with a chemical and biological spray program. This initiative, combined with natural factors, has greatly reduced the budworm population and protective measures will be continued in 1982.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Royal Commission on Forest Protection and Management presented its work last fall. My Government has undertaken a number of measures for implementing its recommendations and is confident that these efforts will enhance the future of the industry. My Government will continue efforts to attr~ct and to encourage the establishment of a forest based industry in Labrador. The wood resources and other features of the Lake Melville area of Labrador are being actively promoted. My Government will be reviewing its policies with respect to public lands.

A key objective will be to achieve greater co-ordination of land management policies in all areas of Government. The legislation will ensure that the rights of public use of, and access to, public lands and resources arc not abused or denied by actions of private individuals or corporations. Such legislative measures are necessary to respond to the expanding pressures on these limited resources and the increasing number of conflicts being encountered. Through negotiation and progressive legislation, my Government has succeeded in 1 8

May 10, 1982 Tape 3 PK - 8 HON. W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant-Governor): regaining control of large tracts of undeveloped mineral lands in the Province. These lands were previously held for long periods under concession agreements or in perpetuity as Fee Simple Grants. Over the past three years, some one million hectares of mineral lands, to which rights were held with little or no exploration activity taking place, have reverted to the Crown. These lands have thus been freed for competitive exploration. The close-down of the asbestos mine at Baie Verte dealt a hard blow to some 650 workers and their families.

My Government is relentlessly continuing its efforts to reopen this mine, which still has sufficient asbestos to support an operation for fifteen years. The recent indefinite closure of Rambler Mines is causing further hardship in this area. My Government will continue to develop enlightened policies and progressive legislation to attract new investment in the mineral industry and to ensure that these non-renewable resources are managed in the best interests of our people.

My Government wili continue to encourage development and expansion of the agricultural industry to reduce our dependency on imported food products. Primary program emphasis will deal with the identification, preservation and utilization of the natural soil resources; the training of farmers in technical and farm business management practices; and the adoption of the latest research and technology relative to both production and marketing. Prime agricultural land in the St.

John's area will continue to be reserved for agricultural purposes, and my Government will introduce measures to keep or bring this land into production. 1 9

Hay 10, 1982 Tape 3 PK - 9 HON. W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant-Governor) : My Government, working closely with farmers' organizations, has developed an agricultural strategy for future years. Discussions will be held with the Federal Government to seek their support and involvement in implementing this strategy. My Government will continue to work co-operatively with our farmers, and to negotiate with the Federal Government and other interests with the overall objective of enhancing the prosperity of the industry. Mr. Speaker and members of the hon.

House of Assembly: New emphasis is being placed on , the commercial development of the tourism industry. To upgrade our accommodations sector, financial assistance is available for the modernization and expansion of hotels and motels. My Government is encouraging the formation of regional tourism member associations to promote private sector involvement. Tourism industry training programs are being introduced. My Government also plans to encourage the operation of private camp grounds, and is implementing regulations to ensure that hunting and fishing outfitters provide an acceptable level and quality of service.

Economic development will substantially increase water demands, which may result in serious water-use conflicts and possible shortage of water in certain areas. In recognition of the fact that adequate water supplies are a prerequisite for such development, comprehensive legislation covering all aspects of water resources will be placed before this Honourable House. This legislation will provide for total water use management and ensure that the rich water resources of· the Province are utilized to our best advantage. 20

May 10 , 1982 Tape 3 PK - 10 HON . W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant-Governor) : My Government is increasingly concerned about acid rain \·lhich threatens to become one of the most serioul;; environmental problems of ou r time . This Prov inc e is in the path of weath er systems that bring acid precipitation from the industrialized areas of central Canada and the northeastern United States . The problem of acid rain will increase with planned conversion ~o -.:·'11 firing of certain power plants in both count ries . 21

May 10,1982 Tape No. 4 ah-1 HON. W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant-Governor): My Government will continue to support the Federal Government in its efforts to conclude an agreement with the United States Government to reduce industrial emissions on both sides of the border. My Government will also be expanding its monitoring efforts through the installation of new precipitation monitoring sites, increased lake and stream monitoring and by increasing its analytical capability.

Vigilance will be maintained in order that the Province is immediately aware of any increase in the acidity of its rainfall and alerted to new developments in this important area. Our Province is unrivalled in its natural beauty and my Government recognizes its responsibility to conserve and protect the land and resources. The Environmental Assessment Act passed by this Honourable House in 1980 is a strategic element in Government plans in support of its quality of life objective. This l~gislation will guide all efforts in resource management and protection. Mr.

Speaker and members of the House of Assembly: My Government remains firmly committe~ to the reorganization of its Courts in order to ensure full access to the Court system, at all levels, for all citizens of the Province regardless of where they live. To this end, a new Judicature Act will be introduced to provide for the merger of the Trial Division of the Supreme Court with the District Court, as well as to provide a framework for the modernization of the practice and procedure o~ the Supreme Court. My Government will continue its work in law reform, following in the steps of such measures 22

May 10,1982 Tape No. 4 ah-2 HON. W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant-Governor): as the Matrimonial Property Act, The Jury Act, The Freedom of Information Act, and The Privacy Act, which place this Province in the forefront of law reform in Canada. Further support will be granted to the Newfoundland Law Reform Commission to ensure the continuation of this work so important in a dynamic and changing society. My Government reaffirms its commitment to reform in legislation covering elections.

The "Select Committee on Elections, Controverted Elections and Elections Financing for Members of the House of Assembly" on this matter will be reinstated during this Session so that the necessary legislative amendments can be placed before this Honourable House. My Government has received the Report of the Commission of Enquiry into Purchasing Procedures of the Department of Public Works and Services and has accepted all of its recommendations for implementation. At the same time, work is proceeding on legislation to implement our local preference policy.

Comprehensive legislation will be introduced with respect to both public tendering and provincial preference. This legislation will extend the application of the Public Tender Act to confirm present tendering policy with regard to the leasing of office space and will include other provisions to strengthen the Act as recommended by the Commissioner. Appropriate provisions will be made whereby local content can be recognized explicitly in the evaluation of bids.

My Government will continue to implement its Five Year Plan for the development of a network of appropriate hospital facilities and services throughout the Province. This includes the regionalization 23

May 10,1982 Tape No. 4 ah-3 HON. W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant-Governor): of specialty services, the elimination of existing deficiencies, and the renovation and construction of new and replacement facilities to provide a capability of delivering quality health services. Consistent with the aims of the Five Year PLan, a new hospital is now under construction at Channel Port-aux-Basques. In this fiscal year, construction will begin on a hospital in Clarenville and planning will commence for a new hospital to serve the Burin Peninsula.

My Government was pleased with the enactment of the Alcohol and Drug Dependency Commission Act during the last session of this Honourable House. The legislation will become operative on June lst'of this year and marks a new thrust in the treatment and prevention of alcohol and drug abuse. There is a wise-spread concern among our citizens about the degree of dependency on alcohol and various forms of drugs, particularly among young people.

Through initiatives that will be taken by the newly established Alcohol and Drug Dependency Commission, it is our hope that new programs will, through early education, bring about a greater awareness of problems associated with the overuse and misuse of drugs and alcohol. New efforts will be made to rehabilitate those citizens who are the victims of alcohol and drug abuse. My government will continue its efforts to meet the needs of a constantly increasing senior citizen population.

New servi.ces have been developed to support the aged in maintaining the highest level of independence possible at the communi·ty level. My Government firmly believes that institutionalization of many of our senior citizens must be made unnecessary 24

May 10,1982 Tape No. 4 ah-4 HON. W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant-Governor): through the provision of home support services. To the degree to which this has been possible with the resources available, it has been a welcomed and unqualified success. My Government will continue to expand its services to mentally retarded citizens.

Through the accelerated development of group homes, special foster homes and support for parents to maintain mentally retarded persons in their own homes, my Government is aiming to phase out its institutional programs in keeping with th(~ philosophy of normalization to the highest level possible for the individual. Exon House will be maintained as a Developmental Care Unit for assessment and behaviour modification programs. My Government is mindful that human development must be consistent with resource development so that our people are equipped to reap the benefits of our natural heritage.

Manpower programs must ensure smooth operation of the labour market, and safety in the work place, and must enable the labour force to meet the demands placed upon it. My Government's manpower programs are designed to meet those objectives ~nd to promote harmonious relations between unions and employees through mediation, conciliation and consultative services. My Government is hopeful that Federal Government funding for a new campus for the College of.Fisheries and Marine Technology. will be secured soon.

If we are to respond to the labour market demands of the economy of the 1980's, it is imperative that we establish a modern Institute of Fisheries and Marine Technology with comprehensive programs to meet the growing needs of the developments taking place in the Province. The Federal Government has already pledged funding for a new Marine Emergency Duties Training Centre, which will be part of the Institute of Fisheries and Marine Technology. 25

May 10,1982 Tape No. 4 ah-5 l-ION. W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant-Governor) : My Government will continue to assess its existing programs geared to the petroleum industry to determine the changes necessary to make them adaptable to the needs of this growing industry. This assessment will include both institutinal and industrial training and will require a coordinated effort with employers. Many of our people have already benefited from training programs now in effect.

During 1981 some 675 workers were trained through on-the-job programs in the petroleum industry and approximately 550 persons received training in offshore related programs in the techincal and vocational insititutions. As exploration continues, and with theonset of the development phase, these numbers will continue to increase. At least once every five years, Government is required to appoint a Review Committee to examine all aspects of the Provincial Workers' Compensation system.

My Government recently received the report of the 1981 Review Committee and has already implemented the Committee's recommendation for substantial increases in benefits paid to the dependents of fatally injured workers. My Government is continuing its comprehensive assessment of the Committee's report and will be presenting appropriate amendments to The Workers'Compensation Act in due course.

My Government is pleased that the new constitution recognizes the need for affirmative action in areas of the country where there are relatively higher rates of unemployment and allows us to continue our local preference policy so that qualified Newfoundlanders are not denied jobs. The phase-in of the reorganization of the high school program began at the Grade X level in 26

May 10,1982 Tape No. 4 ah-6 HON. W.ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant-Governor): September, 1981 and is progressing very well. The new program will see the first Grade Xll graduates in June, 1984. A reorganization of this magnitude cannot be fully implemented without encountering problems.

In order to identify these problems and to correct them as soon as possible, my Government has established a Committee, consisting of representatives of all agencies concerned: The Church Authorities, The Federation of School Boards, Parents, The School Superintendents, and The Newfoundland Teachers Association, to monitor the phase-in period. This group has been meeting rcyuL.1rly and it is anticipated that through its work and the cooperation of all concerned, any problems associated with the phase-inwill be resolved and the reorganization completed on schedule.

My Government is aware of activities in some Provinces which could eventually threaten the integrity of the excellent world wide reputation now enjoyed by Canadian universities. We are fortunate in this Province to have a U~iversity with the highest standards of excellence. My Government is pleased with the recent installation of Dr. Leslie Harris as President of Memorial University and is confident that he will ensure that Memorial's enviable record of progress will continue into the future.

To control the establishment of any other university in the Province, Legislation will .be introduced prohibiting the establishment of universities or post-secondary institutions, or the offering of post-secondary courses leading to a degree, without the approval of this Honourable House. My Government intends to assert its jurisdiction in the communications field as a means of furthering its cultural, educational and economic 27

May 10,1982 Tape NO. 4 ah-7 HON. W.ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant-Governor): objectives. New communications legislation will be placed before this Honourable House during this Session. My Government will be introducing measures to provide for the regulation of pension funds in the private sector to improve their financial integrity and portability. My Government is not insensitive to the hardship suffered by workers who, in the middle of their productive years, find their employers thrust into liquidation leaving their workers without any or adequate pension rights.

Indeed, in the past year, some Newfoundlanders, after many years of service to a company, have been thrown out of work with little or no security for their retirement. Others already retired from their lifetime labours have been subjected to the severe distress of having their pensions terminated. My Government regards such occurences as completely unacceptable and intends to take measures leading to prevention of recurrence of such calamities upon the individual lives of the people affected.

My government proposes to rectify this injustice and during this Session will lay before you a Pensions Benefit Act which will monitor the funding and solvency of pension plans. It is the ultimate aim of My Government to require provision of compulsory pension plans applicable to the widest categories of business in the Province and containing the greatest possible degree of portability. Such measures will have to be implemented after careful assessment of their effect upon the security of businesses and the jobs of employees concerned.

My_ government views enactment of The Pension Benefit Act as an important first step towards the necessary protection of the rights of workers who have laboured diligently and faithfully for years only to find themselves cast out of 28

May 10,1982 Tape No. 4 ah-8 HON. W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant-Governor): work without any security for their families and themselves. Mr. Speaker and members of the hon. House of Assembly: I have mentioned only some of the proposed legislation which will be placed before you. Attached to the printed text of this Speech is a list of twenty major Bills which will be presented to this Honourable House during this Session. In .iddition mort ' than forty other Elills are ready for the consideration of this Honourable House.

My Government will be re-introducing a Resolution into this Honourable House requesting unanimous support for a request to both Houses of the American Congress that the proposed amendment to the .Merchant Marine Act of 1920 (The Jones ~ct) be withdrawn. This amendment would interfere with the rights of non-residents of the United States to sue American companies whose oil rigs operate in foreign waters.

While the proposed amendment will not affect claims arising out of the Ocean Range~ disaster, it could, in future years, have adverse effects for Newfoundlands working on American rigs and for their relatives in the event of loss of life. It is proposed that this Resolution be presented in person by the Speaker of this Honourable House to the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives in Washington. Mr. Speaker and members of the House of Assembly: My Government has taken decisive action to improve the economic and social well being of our people.

My Government's bold initiatives to gain ownership and control of all our natural resources will 29

May 10,1982 Tape No. 4 ah-9 HON. W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant-Governor): have far reaching benefits for future generations of Newfoundlanders. Through negotiation and j~dicial action my Government is reaffirming its control of our offshore mineral resources. Through negotiation and legislative action my Government wtll regain control of our hydro- electric resources. Similarly, negotiation and legislation have been utilized by Government to strengthen the potential of the fishing industry.

Negotiation was the route my Government used to rectify an inequitable land tenure system and thereby place the management of the forest resource under the Province. Negotiation and legislation were the instruments used by my Government to free up vast acreage of mineral lands so that they could be made available for active competive exploration. Negotiation, combined with progressive legislation, has also been employed to advance the agricultural capability of the Province. My Government has been guided in all its endeavours by the goal of development for the people.

Resource exploitatllion has been made consistent with social goals, environmental concerns and quality of life object ives. It is precisely to meet the objectives and goals of our people that my Government has made exemplary efforts to obtain resource ownership so that our natural heritage can be managed in the interests of our people. My Government is committed to continue this course of action until resource ownership and control rest with the people of the Province and the benefits.of their resources flow to them. Mr. Speaker and members of the Honourable House of Assembly.

The Public Accounts for the period ending March 31,1981 will be placed 30

May 10,1982 Tape No. 4 ah-10 HON. W. ANTHONY PADDON (Lieutenant-Governor): before you for your usual thorough review. You will be asked to grant supply to Her Majesty. I invoke God's blessing upon you as you commence your labours in this First Session of the Thirty-ninth General Assembly. May Divine Provic1cnce guide you in your deliverations. 31

May 10, 1982, Tape 5, Page 1 -- apb MR. SPEAKER(Russell): The hon. the President of the Council. MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, I give notice of a bill, "An Act To Amend The Highway Traffic Act", and I ask leave of the House for this bill to be now read a first time. Motion, the hon. the President of the Council to introduce a bill, "An Act To Amend The Highway Traffic Act", carried. On motion, a bill, "An Act To Amend The Highway Traffic Act", read a first time, ordered read a second time on tomorrow. MR.

SPEAKER: His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor has been pleased to make a speech to the members met in General Assembly and for greater accuracy I have obtained a copy. for St. Mary's - The Capes. SOME HON. MEMBERS: MR. HEARN: The hon. the member Heal!:, hear! Mr. Speaker, I have much pleasure in moving that an Address of Thanks be presented to His Honour in reply to the Gracious Speech from the Throne, and that a Select Committee be appointed to draft this reply. Before making this motion,however, I first of all would like to congratulate all the members of this hon. House on their recent election.

In the words of Robert Service, 'To be in such good company would make a deacon proud', and I feel very proud to be one of the members of this hon. House. I know that by working together to resolve the problems facing our Province at this time we can do so, and we will make our own significant contribution to the national and international scenes as well. 32

May 10, 1982, Tape 5, Page 2 -- apb MR . HEARN: I would, hereby , also like to thank the people of the great district of St . Mary's - The Capes - SOME HON • MEMBERS: Rear, hear! MR. HEARN: - £or showing their confidence in me when t hey elected me to this hon . House. The district of St . Mary's - The Capes is a very historic district, among one of the very first to be settled in North America. 33

May 10, 1982 Tape No. 6 so - l MR. L. HEARN: The problems, of course, of such a district are many. We are faced with a tremendous amount of unpaved roads, we are having problems with our fisheries, our fish plants. I am very glad to see today in the Speech from the Throne that reference was made to working on some of the problems in relation to these problems which face us in our district in relation especially to the takeover of the fish plants that got into trouble last year.

Tourism in our area has probably more potential than any o~~~r part of Newfoundland 1 and I go on to say perhaps than any other 'part of Eastern Canada. The district of St. Mary's - The Capes,coupled with the adjacent district of Ferryland,rnak5a tremendous area in relation to tourist potential. The loop road going up the Southern Shore and through St. Mary's - The Capes, once completely paved, will lead to more to~rists corning into our area than we could possibly imagine.

The rough, rugged beauty of the Sourthern Shore leading into the barron area between both our districts,then into the scenic settlements of St. Mary's - The Capes on to places like Colinet that arc different in themselves and, of course, out the Salrnonier Line 1 know~ for its beauty and hunting and fishing potential. This area if properly developed will be one of the greatest tourist attraction our Province will have to offer. The social problems of our district are rnany,and once again I a,rn very pleased that reference was made in the Speech from the Thorne to look upon the social needs of our problems.

Of course, when we look upon problems of our roads, our fisheries, our social problems and to the development of such a resource as tourism, we are looking towards spending a tremendous amount of money and, of course, in this day and age .money is a rarity. Therefore I am very please that in the Gracious Speech this afternoon to hear reference made to our firm commitment to stand firm on our stand on the development and ownership 34

Ma y 10, 1982 Tape No. 6 SD - 2 MR. L. HEARN: and control of our offshor e and hydro-electric resources. The transportation of our electricit y, the transportation of our energy from the Province to markets is of extreme importance to us and, of course, control and management of our offshor e resources will lead to the futur e of a great Newfoundland. A sound 35

May 10,1982 Tape No. 7 ah-1 MR. HEARN: economic and social foundation for future generations is what we have to plan for and is what we have to work for 1 and this can only be done if we own and manage our resources properly. Tremendous emphasis was placed on the development of all our resources in the Gracious Speech from the Throne and it is only with our help working together in this hon. House that the achievement of such an aim is possible.

Despite the many problems we have in our area we do have one very valuable resource and that is a solid, hardworking people, The type upon which this great Province was built and with whose efforts it will continue to progress and prosper. Reference was made in the Speech towards our greatest resource, our youth. It was mentioned, the development of a new College of Fisheries and Marine Technology. When we look ahead realizing that our future depends upon our great present resource, our fishery, and the development of the offshore, it is then we realize the need for such a college.

Having been involved for many years with the youth,I realize the frustrations they face when they have to leave school only to find they have nowhere to go and,those who are successful in obtaining some further educational advancemen~ only to find that they are not properly prepared to move in to the labour force. I think it is up to us to advise and direct them into the right future they should take. I know that the next decade will probably be the most significant ever in the history of our Province. Mr. Speaker, we are all very privileged to be part of history in the making.

Let us face the great challenge which lies before us with determination and confidence so that together we can take this great Province of Newfoundland and Labrador to its place in the sun. 36

May ] 0, ]982 Tape No. 7 ah-2 MR. HEARN: I now would like to move that an Address of Thanks be presented to His Honour in reply to the Gracious Speech from the Throne and that a Select Corr~ittec be appointed to draft this reply. SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear: 37

May 10, 1982 MR. SPEAKER (Russell) : MRS. I. REID: Tape No. 8 NM - 1 The han. member for Twillingate. Mr. speaker, I have much pleasure in rising to second the motion so ably presented by my colleague, the hon. member for St. Mary's-The Capes (Mr. Hearn). Before doing so I would like to congratulate all members on their election to this hon. House and in particular I would like to thank the residents of Twillingate district - SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear~ MRS. I. REID: - for the confidence and the honour that they have conferred upon me in electing me to this House of Assembly.

Most of my life I have lived in Twillingate district. I have always taken a great interest in community affairs and my desire has always been, and still is, to improve the great district in which I live and bring the standard of living up to par with the more prosperous areas of the Province. SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear~ MRS. I. REID: I feel confident that this government will provide me with the assistance required to bring about the necessary improvements.

Over the past number of years I have had the opportunity to travel frequently throughout the district, keeping in close contact with the people, their problems and concerns. Their problems are my problems, and their concerns are my concerns. Therefore, when our Premier called an election asking for a mandate from the people of the Province to negotiate the offshore resources, and when my fellow residents called upon me and asked me to offer myself as the PC candidate for Twillingate district,! felt it an 38

May 10, 1982 MRS . I. REID: their request. SOME HON . MEMBERS: MRS. I. REID: Tape No. 8 N~l - 2 honour and a duty to respond to Hear, hear ~ I feel , and obv iously the majority of the people from my district feel, that we can only become pros perous as a result of a just settlement and proper management of our offshore resou rces . Mr . Speaker, my district of Twillingate is mainly dependent upon ~~e fishery . we ha ve two fish processing plants, one at Twillingate and one at Herring Neck , with feeder plants at Bridgeport and Cottlesville .

I am very pleased that those plants will be opl?'ra ting agaln Lhis year and I am hoping that the plant at Whale' s Gulch '"ill operate, even if only on a small scale. SOME BON • MEMBERS : Hear, hear ! MRS. I. REID: As the major it y of the peopl e in my district depend on the fishery for a living 1 I feel it is very impo rtant that those fish plants continue to ope ra te to their full est potential. A major concern of the people from my district is the substandard con dit ion of the roads, 39

May 10, 1982 Tape 9 EC - 1 MRS. REID: which not only poses an inconvenience for the people who use them on a day to day basis,but also affects the quality of fish that must be transported over them tram areas such as Moreton's Harbour, Cottlesville, Herring Neck, Bay View and Ragged Point. The condition of those roads is also turning away visitors who have heard of the scenic beauty of communities in the district but are reluctant to risk taking their vehicles over them. This has a detrimental effect on the tourist industry in the area.

Twillingate district has a tremendous amount of tourist potentialp Stops such as the Long Point light house in Twillingat:e, t.he museum, locally made handi­ crafts and the traditional ways of fishing provide visitors with an insight of rural Newfoundland. I was especially pleased, Mr. Speaker, therefore, that the Throne Speech addressed itself to the tremendous tourist potential that this Province has, and I feel sure that all members welcome the new emphasis being placed on the commercial development of the tourist industry - SOM E HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! MRS.

REID: - including, of course, the financial assistance for the modernization and expansion of hotels and motels andthe introduction of Tourism Industry Training Programmes . Another concern of people from my district is something that is taken for granted by most other people in the Province but one which the majority of us have to contend with,and that is the lack of water and sewerage facilities. This is an increasing concern due to the fact that people wishing to set up residences are finding it very difficult in obtaining building permits, primarily because water and sewerage is not readily available, 40

May 10 , 1982 Tape 9 EC - 2 MRS . REID: and those who have obtained building permits find it very expensive to comply with Boa.rd of Health regulations. T\.;illingate district does not have recreational facilities to accommodate poth islands and improvements need to be made in that area . My district is also with out adequate facilities to provide ~c:col"lModation for our senior citizens. At present our senior citizens have to be relocated outside the district, away from famil y and friends, in order that they may receive special care .

Therefore, I feel it is necessary that a senior citiz e ns' home be constructed in the district. Mr . Speaker, my desire is that Twillingate district should become a 'have ' district in a 1 have 1 Province , and \'lhere will the dollars come from to provide funding for the much needed improvements in the areas I have just mentioned? MR. NEARY: Otta\._ra, girl . MRS . REID: I feel that the ans\ver i s primarily in revenue derived from our offshore resources . SOI-1E HON . MEt-IBERS : Hear, hear ! 41

May 10, 1982 Tape No. 10 MJ - l MRS. I. REID: Hibernia is a chance to bring an economic future to my district as well as to this whoie Province. The April 6th election was fought on one issue and ~·willingate district has spoken in favour of that issue. SOME HON. MEMBERS: MRS. REID: Hear, hear! I am very pleased, Mr. Speaker, that the Throne Speech has shown this government's rededication to the responsible and planned development of our resources. And I support the continuing efforts of our Premier to secure a fair settlement of our Offshore oil and gas resources - SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! MRS.

REID: - as well as our Hydro Resources in Labrador. The people of Newfoundland and Labrador deserve a fair and reasonable settlement in the best long-term interest of the Province. Mr. Speaker, in March I was asked to be one of the judges for the snow sculptures at the Winter Carnival held by Coker Academy at Virgin Arm, which is on New World Island. Their theme for this years carnival was, 'I Have a Dream'. I was very impressed with the way in which each individual sculpture brought out the theme.

Inscriptions such as 'Work for All ', 'Equality of Man', 'Food for All', 'World Peace' and others, each with a dream of fulfillment. I too have a dream: A dream of prosperity for my district, a dream of prosperity for this Province and I am encouraged that the Gracious Speech from the Throne leaves no doubt that this government will continue to press onward with renewed enthusiasm and ener.gy to own, develop and control our resources and to reap a fair and equitable return from those resources, thereby changing 'have not' to 'have'. We 42

May 10, 1982 Tape No. 10 MJ - 2 MRS. I. REID: We all know that a vast majority of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians share this dream. So, Mr. Speaker, it is an honour and a pleasure for me tod.:1y to join in seconding the motions that an Address of ~hanks be presented to His Honour in Reply to the Gracious Speech fr om the Throne. SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! 43

May 10, 1982 Tape No. 11 EL - 1 MR. SPEAKER (Russell) : The hen. the Leader of the Opposition . SOME RON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! MR. NEARY: Mr. Speaker, first of all I would like to we~come to the House this afternoon, the dignitaries that are in attendance for the opening session of the House, the heads of church and state. I do not know, Mr. Speaker, if the big turnout today is due to the fact that there was no live broadcast coverage of the opening of the House today 1 but in the public galleries there seems to be more people than in the last three or four openings of the House of Assembly.

But 1 would think, Mr. Speaker, that after all the dignitaries and those present listen to the Throne Speech that they have come to one conclusion and that we, the members of the House of Assembly, made a very wise decision in not allowing a live broadcast of that particular Throne Speech. Mr. Speaker, I am also part­ icularly glad to see in the public galleries and the Speaker's Gallery a few former colleagues of mine and out­ standing citizens of the Province. I notice in the public gallery a former colleague of mine in the person of Mr.

Walter Hodder, father of my esteemed colleague to my left, the member for Port au Port (Mr. Hodder),and I can only say to him, Mr. Speaker, that the apple does not fall far from the tree, that he should be proud of his son in this House of Assembly. And I also notice in the Speaker's Gallery another former co1league of mine in the person of the hen. Charles Granger; the Ombudsman now, Mr. Ambrose Peddle 1who 44

May 10, 1982 Tape No . 11 F.L - 2 MR . NEARY: used to be the member for Windsor, I believe it was- Grand Falls or l'Jindso r; and the Mayor of St . John 's,who was a running mate of mine,and I hope, Mr . Speaker, that he has not lost his ambition . And my dear friend and former colleague of this House , the hon . W.J. Browne, ~tr . Speaker, who on one occasion found himself, I believe,in a sim ilar position that we [ind our­ selves in in the Opposition today . I believe we have one mo,.e member , we have eight . I believe when I first came into this House in 1962 and the hon .

Jim Greene was the Leader of the Op positi on, I believe the hon . Mr . Browne sa t 1.,ri th seven . there were seven members of the Opposition at that time .And I can only say to the hon . gentleman that I am gla d to see th at he is still very active in the business co mmunity in this Province and I want to wish him well in the future and say to him that we all lear ned quite a bit from him when he was a member of this House . 45

May 10,1982 Tape No. 12 ah-1 MR. NEARY: Mr. Speaker, I also want 1before I get onto the main part of my address, I want to thank my colleagues for elevating me to the high position of Leader of the Opposition in this House. I want to thank them for giving me an unanimous vote, Mr. Speaker, to lead the Opposition in this House. I am sorry to say that their decision does not meet with the approval of the hon. the Premier. MR. WARREN: They should call an election on it. SOME HON . MEMBERS: Hear, hear! MR. NEARY: Mr. Speaker, I feel sorry about that.

I would say to my hon. friend from Humber East who is sitting inside the rail down there 1that when I started my career in politics in this Province the first seat I had was the seat where the hon. member for - Is it Humber F.ast or Humber West? MR. HODDER: Humber West. MR. NEARY: -Humber West (Mr. Baird) is sitting. And I have worked my way, Mr. Speaker, up one side of the !louse, back down again and then came across the House - I"'R. BARRETT : gallery. SOME HON.MEMBERS: MR. NEARY: Mr.

Speaker Your next seat is in the visitors' Hear, hear! -up and down this side of the House, On one occasion I sat out to the right there as an Independent Liberal 1and I believe, Mr. Speaker, that I have occupied just about every seat in this House except one, cxccct one seat. PREMIER PECKFORD: You are not going to get this one. SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! MR.NF.ARY: And , Mr. Speaker, the performance of the hon. gentleman and his administration will determine 46

May 10, .198 2 'rape No. 12 ah - 2 MR . NEARY: whether or not my new career as Leader of the Opposition will lead to greater t hings . So I do not blame the hon . gentlem an for bein g concerned, Mr. Speaker. I do not blame him . I do not blame them for making remarks like'The new Leader of the Opposition does not know anything about the rules of the House .' But I am always prepar ed to learn , Mr. Speaker . That is one thing I have in my favour, that I am always willin g t o listen and learn .

And if the hon. gentleman would car~ to teach me about the rules of the House , \vell, Mr Sp<' ·,k L•r, I would cert a inly be glad to acc omodate him . So , Mr . Speaker, the hon . ·gentleman is going to have many a sleepless night from now until the ultimate decisi on is made in qur party as to who will lead this party into the next election . SOME EION . MEMBERS: Bear, hear ! MR. NEARY : Mr . Speaker, it is hard to believe that after twent y y ears of wait i ng r · fina lly got my chance to address this Eiouse in a brand ne\v session on openin g day . 47 ..

May 10, 1982, Tape 13, Page 1 -- apb MR. MORGAN: on T.V. MR. WARREN: SOME RON. MEMBERS: MR. NEARY: It should have been Pay T.V., too. Oh, oh~ Mr. Speaker, the only reason we are not on television today is because the government would not allow us to go on television. I went out, Mr. Speaker, and I bought myself a new suit, as hon. gentlemen can see, and I put it on for this session of the House and,like the Premier 1 I refuse to put on a vest. I will put on the suit but I will not put on the vest. I like to feel free. And the Premier would not give me the opportunity, Mr.

Speaker, to show off my new suit in front of the television cameras, and to make my speech to the people of this Province. The hon. gentleman, Mr. Speaker, wants to have the government's opening message televised and broadcast to the people of the Province, but refuses to allow daily live broadcasts of the House of Assembly. And as a consequence of that, I find myself in the position, after looking forward for twenty years to making a speech on opening day, that the Premier and his administration, and the members of this House, refuse to let me make my speech in front of the television cameras.

But I do hope, Sir, that the speech will somehow or other, some of it, will filter out to the people of this Province. But, Mr. Speaker, I want to say that this honour today is worth waiting for. And let me begin, Mr. Speaker, by congratulating you on being elected as Deputy Speaker in this House. 48

May lO, 1982, Tape 13 , Page 2 -- apb MR . NEARY : time that Your Honour - AN HON . MEMBER : Speake r. This is the second He was elected MR. NEARY: Excuse me, Speaker. Th is is the second time that Your Honour has occupied the Chair of the Speak er of this Bouse . And I do not know how many times we have to hang Your Honour . I do not know if the portrait will remain on the walls o= thi s Chamber or i£ it will be removed until Your Honour retires, and then Your honour will be hung for the second time . Bow many times do we have to hang Your Honour befo re he gives up? But , Mr .

Speaker, I wish to congratulate you on being elected Speaker of this House and let me wish you well, Sir, in carrying out your duties judicially and im partially , of which I am conv inced that you and your other colleagues who were elected today, the member for Kilbride (Mr . Aylw~rd) who was elected Deputy Speaker of the House, and the member for St . John 's Centre(Dr . Mc Nicholas) who was elected Chairman of Committees . Now, Mr . Speaker, let me congratulate also the mo ver and the seconder , 49

May 10, 1982 Tape No. 14 SD - 1 MR. NEARY: the member for St. Mary's - The Capes (Mr. Hearn) and the member for Twillingate (Mrs. Reid) on moving and seconding the Throne Speech and welcome them also to this new session. And as well, Hr. Speaker, while I am at it, I may as well congratulate all members on both sides of this hon. House of Assembly who were successful in gaining seats of honour in this hon. House. Whether or not, Mr.

S?eaker, they in turn, as was implied by the member for Twillingate, will honour their constituents and their districts and carry out their duties in the way that they are expected to do remains to be seen. And I remain hopeful, Mr. Speaker, and encouraged in any case. Let me also, Mr. Speaker, recognize another outstanding Newfoundlander in the public galleries this afternoon, a man who we all take off our hat to, the former Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Stirling), who I see sitting across from me in the public gallery, Mr. Speaker. As you know, Mr.

Speaker, and as the Premier knows and as all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians know, he did each and every one of us honour in the way that he carried out his duties while he sat here in this seat. And C!V<?n more recently, Mr. Speaker, he added a new dimension to the tern 'gracious' in the way he so successfully carried hi~self and his party during the recent election campaign. AN HON. ME111BER: Hear, hear . MR. NEARY: He was the very first, Mr.

Speaker, as you know and as I know and other members of the House know,and as all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians know, he was the very first to salute the Premier and acknowledge the voice of the majority of the people on election night. His graciousness on election night is now known far and wide, Mr. Speaker, and honoured each and every one of us who took so

May 10 , 1982 Tape No . 14 so - 2 MR . NEARY :

part in that election,and as well honoured each and every Newfoundlander and Labradorian on whose behalf he campaiqned so honourably . . "1r . Speaker, it has been wd ttcn that the art of government is really a mastery of chaos. Mr . Speaker , if this Province in not in utter chaos it most certainly is in a heap of trouble. And it '"ill t.:~kc more than rhetoric to solve its many problems, it will take ma st0r y, l-tr . Speaker . Today's Throne Spe ec h reminds me of the poems we learned in grade school, the poems wo learned by repetition . 51

May 10, 1982 Tape No.lS EL - 1 MR. NEARY: If you read them over and over and over often enough, if you say them over and over often enough, you are bound to get the words fixed in your mind,and so you spend all your time at it reading it over and over again until you get it right and commit it to memory. Government most certainly must have this particular piece of rhetorical fodder memorized by now, Mr. Speaker, as it has not had any ideas or any new innovations or any initiative or encouragement or hope for the past three years 1 and it looks, Mr.

Speaker, like we are going to have another three years of that same dry spell. Naturally, Mr. Speaker, everyone expected this government to parade its energy policies today for the world to see.And let us face it, Mr. Speaker, it was a theatrical version of that policy that allowed this government to market itself so successfully in the recent general election. Mr. Speaker, I would like to stat~ here and now and for the public record,and for the eyes and ears of all government members, for the media, for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador where we stand on this matter of offshore resources. We intend, Mr.

Speaker, to support this government in the re-opening of the Quebec Hydrocontract and other efforts aimed in that general direction. No disagreement on that. We intend to support this government in getting the very best deal it can for our offshore resources. Let me state, Mr. Speaker, here categorically that it is the official position of this Opposition and the party we represent and the people, the 52

May 10, 1982 Tape No . 15 EL - 2 MR . NEARY: thirty - sev~n per cent of thL' Newfoundland and Labrador population that we represent, that we believe we own outright all the offshore resources now and for all time. We also believe in Newfoundland's right and we support the federal legislation that will allow a power corridor thro ug h the province of Quebec . \·Te do this, Mr. Speaker, even though we are faced with much opposit ~o n from the federal Tories who oppose the legislation to rnH . a po wer corridor across the province of Quebec and even from the Tory MP's from Newfoundland, Mr.

Speaker, wh o will not even accept that it is their duty to vote for that leg ­ islation to give Newfoundland a power corridor and on ly re ­ cently abstained from voting for that very important piece of legislation in the House of Commons up there in Ottawa. They would not even vote on a bill that 53

May 10, 1982 Tape No. 16 NM - l MR. NEARY: would allow this corridor through the Province of Quebec, in the House of Commons. Well, Mr. Speaker, we support that legislation. On all of these things, Mr. Speaker, we not only support this government but we have supported this government on these things in the past and will continue to do so in the future. So, Mr. Speaker, let us end now and forever the myth that a better deal and control of the offshore is a monopoly and concern of the government.

It has been the concern and will continue to be the concern of the offi .cial Opposition in this House for a long, long time to come. But, Mr. Speaker, we do have a disagreement with this government in terms of aim and direction of its energy policy and more specifically its scope. This government, Mr. Speaker, has been allegedly fighting the offshore issue in that it wants to put the ownership aside and wants an agreement on joint management. we say, Mr. speaker, that that is merely an opening statement on an energy policy for this Province.

We say let us negotiate joint control and managment and let us get the best possible deal we can for Newfoundland and Labrador on this. And we also say let us not do what this administration has done, which is to break off negoti~tions in midstream. That is

an act of cowardice, Mr. Speaker, and has to do with_~hings we call bluster and deskthumping. we believe, Mr. Speaker, that this government should have stayed at the bargaining table and out-foxed the federal government on behalf of all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Do not run away from the table with your tail between your legs on some 54

May ) 0 t 1982 Tape No . )6 NM - 2 MR. NEARY : propped up or manufactured calls . Stay there and negotiate man­ fashion and out-fox, out-think, out -smart, out-brazen, out-maneuver, the federal negotiators hammer and tongs. Like Shakespear said in the King Richard III, Mr . Speaker, "!>larch on bravely, let us to it pell rnell/ If not to Beaven, then hand- in- hand to he ll." But, Mr . Speaker, let us not repeat this government's last performance at the bargaining table over offshore rescource s. Let us not race away from a good fight like a me ~1lin g milk- sop, afraid of his own shadow . Stand up and fight for Newfoundland . 55 ,. f,

May 10, 1982 Tape 17 EC - l MR. NEARY: But, Mr. Speaker, here is another area of disagreement between these two sides of this hon. House. Stand up, I say and we say on this side of the House, stand up and fight for a lot more than just mere control and management of our offshore. We say also, Mr.

Speaker, that we must fight tooth and nail with the oil companies, with Petro-Canada, with the federal government and anyone else we have to fight with to ensure that not only will there be joint manage­ ment of the production and the delivery of offshore oil and gas, that not only will there be equitable and just revenue sharing, but that also, Mr. Speaker, we negotiate to ensure that the Come By Chance oil refinery SOME HO~. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! MR. NEARY: - becomes the very first beneficiary of any of that prqduction. Let us negotiate, Mr.

Speaker, that more than just a few P~tro dollars will pour into the poor old coffers of this . Province to pay off our provincial debt. Let us also negotiate the human side of this thing, which has been overlooked, in my opinion, by the administration. Let us negotiate, Mr. Speaker, so that there are jobs for every Newfoundlander who wants to work. Let us put life back into Come By Chance and let us put life back into Happy Valley - Goose Bay, let us put life back into Bell Island and all the other communities that have died a thousand deaT.hs since this administration took over.

Let us put a Petro-chemical industry, a plastic industry in some of these regions of Newfoundland, Mr. Speaker, or an automotive parts manu­ facturing plant or some other kind of industry that could use cheap and abundant coal or gas or electricity of which we have so much. Let us negotiate, Mr. Speaker, so that refineries and petro-chemical complexes and nylon factories 56

May 10 , 1982 Tape 17 EC - 2 MR . NEARY : and tooth brush factorjcs and an y other of the many industries that use petroleum produ cts for their manufacturing are located here in Newfoundland and in Labrador , and not in ~1ontreal, Ottawa , Mon cton or Halifax. Demand , Mr . Speaker, and negotiate that every drop of oil and gas that can economically and fea sibly be put through that kind of spinoff industry ~n this Pro vince, manufacturing or othervrise , be put here or no de al. Mr . Speaker, the human side of this oil and <J <H ~ de vel opment is going to be the few jobs 57

May 10, 1982 Tape No. 18 MJ - 1 MR. S. NEARY: that it provides for the unemplnyed of this Province, the economic redress it can offer some of our economically beleaguered communities, like the ones I have mentioned, Happy Valley, Bay de Verde, the SouthwP.st .coast, Bell Island and many o::hers. The human side of oil and gas development, Mr. Speaker, will come about, if we stand un -For the v.ray we want it here and not the way that some oil magnate in 'l'exas tells us he would like to develop us and our natural resources. We will be able to say, Mr.

Speaker, that we have been successful when some day in the future people do not say, 'Well1 boy, the oil and gas came, the rich got richer, prices skyrocketed to meet the new wealth, but the man in the street, the ordina~y Newfoundlander, what happened to him? He got nothing, M~. Speaker, he got it in the neck.' If this resource is to have any redeeming social value, Mr. Speaker, it will have to be developed looking at the human side of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

It is for the people that we want these riches, not for bureaucrats, not for powermongers, not for the honour and glory of Premiers or Prime Ministers or any other public figure, Mr. Speaker. We ,,r;,nt the benefits for the ordinary Newfoundlander. We want this prosperity for the equal benefit of the man in the street, the housewife, the fisherman, the logger, our children~ we want it for today, Mr. Speaker, and we want it for tommorrow. If it cannot be equally showered on all aspects of our economic countryside, Mr. SPeaker, and shared equally for all people1it is an academic excercise of little value indeed.

So, Mr. Speaker, yes, yes, yes-, in case hon. gentlemen on the other side of the House have not heard what we are saying from this side of the House; 58

'· May 10 , 1982 Tape No . 18 ~lJ - 2 MR. s. NEARY: Yes , yes , yes , we support this Prov ince in trying to get the best deal it can for Newfoundland and Labrador on the offshore . v.•e shal l encourage and promote that goal and we shall push this government to go beyond this narrow vision of executive management until it finds a way to humanize its mandate in this regard . l\1r. Speaker, I would like to point out here, especially for the benefit of new l>1HA' s \,•ho grace this hal lo wed chamber for the very tirst time , the duty of this chamber and its member s, I would li ke 59

May 10, 1982 Tape No. 19 SD - l MR. NEARY: to say to them,and how they benefit their constituents will be judged on the way they perform in this hon. House. Today they appear before us unjaded, not weighed down by the dogma of political ~ccountability,and I hope, Mr. Speaker, what we heaid from two rookies in this House this afternoon is just an indication of what we can expect from members on that side of the House in the future. Mr.

Speaker, it is to those members that I give these few words of advice, that they be wary of following political leaders over the cliff and that they look rather askance at party slogans that we have become so accustomed to in this Province in the last couple of years. Mr. Speaker, they must understand 1 and this government must be reminded 1that the reason for this hon. House, the very reason it exists is not physically visable in this room 1but if you go over behind Your Honour and you slide back the curtain behind the Speaker's Chair, pull back the curtain,you will see why this hon. House exists: It exists, Mr.

Speaker, to protect the rights and the privileges and the interests of men and women who toil outside 1 down nine floors 1 in the streets and in the shops and in the kitchens and in the coves and in the inlets, in the mines and the lumber camps, in every walk of life,irtcluding the lawyers and the doctors' offices and the halls of the executive power. The point is, Mr. Speaker, this seat of power serves the total population of this Province and just not the elite few.

I want the new members of the House to remember that the people in their districts form part of that mass of humanity and that their decisions must be based on the well-being and the livelihood of all those people and not just on political or party expediency. Mr. Speaker, this government was given a very grave responsibility, a responsibility of Gargantuan 60

May 10, 1982 Tape No. 19 SD - 2 MR. NEARY: dimensj .on. It has created expectations of unlimited dimensions. The people of Newfoundland and Labrador have stated categorically and beyond any measure of doubt that they want to give this Premier 6 'i

May 10, 1982 Tape 20 EC - 1 MR. NEARY: and his administration its full sanction to deliver this promise of offshore oil and gas bounty and prosperity. We, Mr. Speaker, in the official Opposition, intend to see to it that this government gets its chance in full, in spades, with our full and total support and endorsement on these matters for at least six months or 180 days, which we feel, Mr. Speaker, is a reasonable period of time to show that they are acting in good faith. In that time this administration can deliver or at least allaN us to see the groundwork laid for the delivery of its promise. We intend, Mr.

Speak~r, to remain on guard during that period and will not in any way, shape or form hinder government as long as we perceive it is fulfilling its mandate and satisfying the contract it sought with the people of this Province. It wanted a mandate to negotiate, it has that mandate, and it has, Mr. Speaker, as well, our support. But, Mr. Speaker, trust like that h~s rcs?onsibilities and we shall remind government whenever the occasion arises of its responsibilities, whenever, as I say, the occasion arises or the situation demands. Do not forget, Mr.

Speaker, that although this government sought a full mandate to negotiate, that it has a few other responsibilities to the people of this Province besides just merely carrying on negotiations with Ottawa. It has a major responsibility to immediately bring in a new and long overdue budget. The Premier is already on record as having said it will not be as nasty a budget as some people have speculated. I think now, Mr. Speaker, it is time for the hon. gentleman to put us out of our misery, to let the people of this Province know what we can expect in the way of taxes.

We have heard various rumours and stories about the retail sales tax going up as high as 62

- May 10 , 1982 •rape 20 EC - 2 HR. NEARY : 16 per cent. 'l'ha t has been denied by the hon . gentleman . Today I heard the late st formula that 1<1ill be used, that the government is go i ng ·to cut back the sales tax to 8 per cent , make it look like there was a reduction in taxes from 11 per cent to 8 per cent , but apply it to clothes and food . That would be cruel , Mr . Speaker, that would be cruel inuccd for the administration to attempt to do someth i ng like that that would affect the ordinary people 63

May 10, 1982, Tape 21, Page 1 -- apb MR. NEARY: of this Province who are being hit pretty hard,at the present time, in their pocket books. So, Mr. Speaker, we look forward to that long overdue budget. This government also has a responsibility, Mr. Speaker, to do something now to save the fishery of this Province, to abet the mining industry, to help homeowners and prospective home buyers, to help the construction industry, to ease the inequities facing the senior citizens, to help the school boards find ways of enduring Grade XII.

This government has to help the University and Trades College and vocational schools to better accommodate the changing times and more contemporary needs of new technologies and new skills, Mr. Speaker. This government indeed, Mr. Speaker, as everyone will agree, has an awesome responsibility, none of which are precluded by the fac~ that this government also has to negotiate. Mr. Speaker, this government actually has enough power to do whatever it wants. It actually has the power to do nothing, if it wants, as it has done for the past three years, and probably, Mr.

Speaker, could get away with it legally for another three or four years. But, Mr. Speaker, let me end by saying that if the administration does not perform and live up to the expectations that they have built up in the minds of the Newfoundland and Labrador people, the thunder that will be heard across this land, if this government thinks it is going to do nothing for another term, will make the noise of all previous wars sound like a lost sheep whimpering in the dark. We will b4

May 10 , 1982 , Tape 21, Page 2 -- apb MR . NEARY : call down the heavens, r~ . Speaker , and bring to justice all of those who would try to ignore their responsibility and ne glect their constituency . The constituency of th is Province, Mr . Speaker, is fifty -two districts, not forty-four . ~~d it is in the best interest of all those districts , the families \vho live in them now , and the fam ilies who will live in them in the futu re, that this government must now begin to act rationaLly and fruitfully and industriously . Finally, ~1r.

Speak er , if they do this , then this government will have the total and full ackno\ ·lledgement and un adulterated support of members of this side of the !rouse. SOME BON . MEMBER S: Hear , hear ! 65

May 10,1982 Tape No. 22 ah-1 MR. SPEAKER (Russell): The hon. the Premier. SOME HON.MEMBERS: Hear, hear! PREMIER PECKFORD: Mr. Speaker and members of the House:First of all let me, Sir, congratulate you,as the member for Lewisporte,on your recent election to that office. This morning,here in thisChamber,.we went through the motions of all being sworn into this House as members and you for the second time being the Speaker of the House. And I am sure all members this morning expressed it,and I guess the Leader of the Opposition and myself are doing it now on behalf of our respective parties in this House.

Also to the member for Kilbride (Mr. Aylward). I think it is the member for Kilbride who has the single distinction ol having the larqest popular vote percentage in this House of Assembly today. SOME HON.MEMBERS: Hear, hear! PREMIER PECKFORD: I think it is over eighty per cent. I do not know if it is a record of not. We would have to look up the voting patterns for the last number of decades,but there is not very many members sitting in this House of Assembly or have ever sat in this House of Assembly who could brag of a popular vote over eighty per cent. And to the member for St. John's Centre (Dr. McNichol~

s) who will become the Deputy Chairman of Committees to Assist the Deputy Speaker and the Speaker in their task over the next three or four years. And , of course, I would like to extend to all members of the Hou~ on both sides congratulations on their election to their respective districts. I should also like to thank the members of church and state for turning up again, the second time in a few weeks,for this activity, for the Throne Speech. We would like to think, and I quess the member for the Straits of Belle Isle (Mr. Roberts) and the former Premier, Mr. Smallwood, have always been 66

·May 10,1982 Tape No . 22 ah-2 PREMIER PECKFORD: f airly eloquent in the i r ~efence of this day in keeping it as formal as we can, and hnving the leaders from the chu rch and state be here , I tl1ink, adds that kind of colour and a bit of pageantry, with t he judges and the other members ~vho accompany the Lieutenant-Governor here .keeps it on the plane that I think \ve all '"ant it to be on opening day . Ancl l thank them for being here today . I should also like to indica L_ to some of the members here tpat I am extremely pleas e that they were elected and I am extremely pleaseo obviously t•li th a number of districts. I can 67

May 10, 1982 Tape 23 EC -1 PREMIER PECKFORD: think of the district of Carbonear. I am very, very pleased to see that it is now on this side of the House. SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! PREMIER PECKFORD: The district of Trinity - Bay de Verde,which was never supposed to aqain have a member sitting on this side of the House, SOME liON. MEMBERS: He<>.r, hear! PREtUER PECKFORD: The district of Windsor - Buchans which, of course, was not supposed to be on this side of the House this time, butthe hon. gentleman won. SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! PREMIER PECKFORD: The great district of St.

Barbe is not supposed to be around. SOME liON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! PREMIER PECKFORD: And who will forget after today the district of St. Mary's -The Capes? SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! PREMIER PECKFORD: The district of Burin -Placentia West and the district of Grand Bank are now travelling on this side of the House. SOME I-ION. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! PREMIER PECKFORD: And if I can pick out three, Mr. Speaker, if I can be forgiven today to pick out three districts that I am most proud of, they would have to be the district of Twillingate - SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER l'ECKFORD: -they would have to be the district of Bay Verte -. vJhite Bay and the member especially - SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! PREMIER PECKFORD: -and,last but not least, the great historic and now Tory district of Bonavista North. SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! 68

M<IY 10 1 1982 Tape 23 EC - 2 PREMIER PECKFORD: I think all of these districts which now are on this side of the House, Mr. Speaker, have seen today, and I hope will see over the next number of weeks and months and yeaj::s, the way this House of Assembly is going to be operated and the way the members are going to behave. I was extremely impressed, as I am sure everybody was in the galleries on both sides. of the Jlouse, with t.'lL' job that the member for St. Mary's - The Capes (Mr. Hearn) did and the member for Twillingate (Mrs.

Reid) did- 1 wo, as the Leader of the Opposition said, rookie members who, I think, performed admirably and in the spirit of this day and for that I think I am extreme],,. grateful. SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! PREMIER PECKFORD: Mr. Speaker, just to clear up a little misunderstanding between myself and the Leader of the Opposition, which I am sure will not stand for very lony, it is the first time, I think, in the history of tho rrovincc, or in recent times anyway, that the Opposition party has refused to allow the television and the electronic media to participate fully in this House.

It is the first time, because it is the first time that the Opposition placed conditions on having T.V. and radio live in this House. Every other time, every other Opposition allowed this day to be covered without any conditions and that should be put on the record, Mr. Spe.aker, right from the start so there is no misunderstanding among members who might be sitting in the galleries of this House. We accepted the proposal that was put to us by the 69

-, May 10, 1982 Tape No. 24 MJ - l PREMIER PECKFORD: press and the Opposition turned down the pro that was p:1t to them by the press and that is where that stands. SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! PREMIER PECKFORD: And, iJ!r. Speaker, in the context of that little bit of confrontation may I also remind the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. s.

Neary) that perhaps the reason why there a r:e so many people here today is not necessarily because there is no live television and radio~ it is that it is a very historic day, because I do not know of any other time in recent memory, in this century, that there was as many people on the PC side of the House as there is today. SOME IfON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! PREMIER PECKFORD: Now, Mr.

Speaker, the Throne Speech, as most people are aware-1vhat is a Throne Speech?- a Throne Speech is Speech which outlines in general terms the direction and approach that the administration and the 0overnment is going to take to the governing of this Province for the next twelve months. It tries to articulate the idc.:ts, the i:lims and objectives, and in no ways is it to come to grips with the specific economic realities of the Province. And of course that comes later in the budget and which we will eagerly await from the Minister of Finance (Dr. J.

Collins) within the next two or three weeks at the latest,and then we will q~t into the specifics of it. But the Throne Speech is a chance for the government on opening day to present to the people of the Province or the people of the jurisdiction the aims and objectives of the government. And I guess it is fair to say, Mr.

Speaker, that the government has tried on this opening day to lay out in the broadest general way how we want to approach the future in the next year and beyond.And it is also fair to say that in that speech we are trying to move trom the foundation which we have tried to lay over the last three years, which has found great favour with the 70

May 10 , 1982 Tape No . 24 ~u - 2 PREMIER PECKFORD: people of this Province as witnessed by the April 6th ge neral election . And so we want to move ahead in that way . I found the r.eacler of the Opposition 's speech ext remely inconsistent because on the one hand the Leader of the Oppositio n (Mr . S. Neary) ~.;as for~ ttin g about their great slogan of , 'Hake Work not \<\'ar' , of th e election campaign . On the one hand he was sayin (l we own the offshore,on the other hand we should not hav •. ~ broken off negotiations . Now the Leader of the Opposition, like the Leader before him (Mr . L.

Stirling),cannot have it both ways. The Leader of the Opposition can on the one hJnd explain with a gre at deal of rhetoric that 1-1e own the offshore and then on the other hand, in the face of all common sense and rea son, say we should no t have broken off the negotiations-nego ti?tions which would hav e seen the ownership that he so loudly proclaims his pa rt y belongs to bein g gone forever f n·•m the P1·ov i n<~l' of Newfoundland and Labrador and from the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. SOME HON>. . MEMBERS: Hear , hear ! PREMIE R PECKFORD: That is th e great dilerruna .

I apprec iate the dilemma that the new Leader of the Opposition in the House - there is a Leader of the Opposition in the House no w and there is a Leader of the Opposition outside the !louse , so we have got to be very careful , M r. Speaker , 71

May 10, 1982 Tape No. 25 SD - 1 PREMIER PECKFORD: as we speak on that -but the Leaders of the Opposition in the House and out have a great problem,and it does not seem to me that they have come to address it here today, and that is over this whole question of offshore ownership and the whole question of offshore resources, They still want to have their cake and eat it too, exclaim verbally I that they are in favour of that principle of ownership, but on Uw 11tlwr hand and almost in the same breath exclaim that som~how or another we did something wrong in the negotiations which were just finished, over which an election was called and on which the people of Newfoundland and Labrador have voted overwhelmingly ih favour of our side and which can stand the scrutiny of any reason.

The best thing for the Leader of the Opposition and the other seven gentlemen on the opposite side 1 if they really want to help Newfoundland as I said nany times in this House 1 if they really want to help Newfoundland and Newfoundland society and to show completely how much the pe_ople of this Province are in favour of this policy 1 they should join us immediately in the policy that we are now pursuing. Obviously over GO pe~ cent of Newfoundlanders in the popular vot~ side have voted for it which has reflected itself in the forty- four seats,and that if Mr. LaLonde and Mr.

Trudeau need any more evidence then the other political party that still has some measure of support within the Province should got behind those other forty-four so that we can get that agreement. SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear., hear. PREMIER PECKFORD: I mean one of the greatest ironies in the whole election, Mr. Speaker, both as it relates to the TV debate during the election and the whole campaign was that everybody stayed away from the proposal that the government had put on the table as if it was the plague. Nobody wanted to deal with the proposal. Why, Mr. 72

May 10, 1982 Tape No. 25 so - 2 PREMIER PECKFORD : Speaker , did not anybody want to deal with the proposal or why does not the Leader of the Opposition (Mr . ~eary) want to deal with it today? Why is it that everybody ignores, runs away from , hides from this proposal which is a reasonable Canadian proposal? Simply for that, Mr . Speaker, it is a reasonable ~roposaJ, iL is a Canadian proposal, it is a proposal based on sharing and therefore , Mr .

Speaker , when the Leader of the Opposit.i on talks about out of one side of his mouth O\vnership an d ~ •. c other side of his mouth negotiate, I say to the Leader or the Opposition, as a good Ncwfoundlandl'l·, os a qood Canadian , get behind that proposal which can break the log jam and get Canada movin g because we now possess within our grasp, look from Briti sh Columbia up to the Yukon across the Northwest Territories down through th~ Prai ries and Cent ral Canada into the Mariti mes and into Newfoundland and Labrador, the only one energy mega ­ project left that can stand on its own two feet . SOME HON .

MEMBERS : Hear, hear . PREM~ER PECKFORD : There is no other energy megap ro ject now that can go ahead unless the Canadian taxpayer puts in a subsidy . There is only one and ,lo and behold ,for the first time in our history we can stand up and proudly exclaim , 1 It is in Ne\o/[oundland and Lab1 .Juor 1 • SOME HON . MEMBERS : Rear, hear . 73

May 10, 1982 Tape 26 PK - 1 PREMIER PECKFORD : The nressure is on so let us increase the pressure, let us increase the pressure as good Canadians and Newfoundlanders and Laboradorians now, with Alsands dead and with the Alaskan pipeline dead,let us really now together move forward in the next month or two and with the help of the Opposition we could bring about a transaction nobody thought possible a year or two years from now. But, Mr.

Speaker, even more importantly than that particular issue which brought us to the electorate only five weeks ago, I believe and I would lik8 to hope and think that the reason why I am still standing here today and sitting here today with a majority of the people on this side of the House, Mr. Speaker, is not just because of the offshore. I would like to think it is because as we spoke about offshore,and as I got accused standing in this pcsition and other positions,'You are <driving the oil companies away, you want to go too slow , and we have said it in document after document, Mr.

Speaker, that the offshore oil and gas is only a mechanism, it is only a lever to be used;that we have also got to be careful that at the same time as we develop that non-renewable 1 fantastic resource that it does not destroy our fishery , that it docs not destroy rural Newfoundland, that we will wrestle off~hore nil and gas to th8 ground to be used as a way to ensure that the fishery is still here, that we have a viable forestry, that we grow more potatoes and that we are still able to have the kind of quality of life that Newfoundlanders have come to enjoy and want to continue to have for decades and centuries to come.

And I would like to think that is another reason why we are on this side of the House. SOME HON. HEMBERS: Hear, hear! 74

J!, May 10, 1982 Tape 26 !>K - 2 PRE!UER PECKFORD: That is why, t1r . Speaker, we are not embarrassed by mentioning acid rain in the Throne Speech, that is why I am not embarrassed by making comment upon acid rain one of the biggest problems that we have in North America today . I can do it with a straight face and an honest face at the same time cts 1 exclaim a lot of support for offshore oil and 9as , t>cc ,t t!h.· they are not inconsistent, they c<~n become very con sj !itt• n : .. But I am very conccrned,as is the Minister of Envi rom~ .:- nt (Mr .

Andre\IIS) and a lot of people ,w ith what is happenin q in Nova Scotia in the conversion . We can look at the Uni ted States and the Ohio Valley and exc laim how bad the Yankees are in how they are doing their indust rial enterprise. But do not let us forget what we are doin g here in this country right now,and we are converting, which Nova Scotia is forced to do,from oil to coal because they have some coal, but they do not have the proper brushes to put on their coal plants .

So Sudbury is hurting us, Nova Srntia \llill hurt us, and ,if the Americans do not get their house in order industrially,they will nlso hurt us and the Westerly winds '"ill come down wj l.h .. H.:id raln . Talk about documents finding no light of day; this government before the last election presented a paper 75 ..

May lOth, 1982 Tape No. 27 RA - 1 PREMIER PECKFORD: to the Federal Parliamentary Task Force on the Environment 1 by the way,which was given loud 1 high marks for being a very accurate and credible document,and I think all members of the House if I am not mistaken were to get copies of it from the task force in Ottawa, and I have mentioned this to I do not know how many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians over the last three or four rr.onths, picking up hitchhikers, the whole bit.

People ~oinq troutinq now in the Sprinq, they do not realize that if the present rate of acidity contin~es for another ten years, there will be no 24th of May. There will be no more trouting in many of the ponds and rivers and lakes in this Province Newfoundland and Labrador,where we thought we were isolated from it. So as we look towards a prosperous future based upon our resourses,out of which we must squeeze the revenue for hospitals and water and sewer, we must be consistan~ and at the same time spare no effort- and it was only mentioned I think once in the Leader of the Opposition's (Mr.

Neary) speech~ our renewable resourses- the key to this future, Mr. Speaker, is the renewable resources of this pro­ vince,and it is the offshore oil and gas and mining which must rntntc Dround that core of fish, trees and farming and tlw rest, not the other way around, That is our core, that is our permanence around which comes our non-renewable re­ sources.

Squeeze whatever dollars we can get out of it, cJntrol the rate of development to the best we can so that after the oil and gas is gone and after the mining is gone we have,the same as Alberta and Saskatchewan and other places, put away for tomorrow and have built an industrial enterprise based upon our renewable resources which can sustain us for the long term-And there is no other way and no other answer to it. 76

Ma y 10 , 1982 Tape No . 27 RA - 2 PREMIER PECKFORD : It is a real irony as '"e look at this province no~1, the dcmn nds in health and cduc~Linn along. We \-<ere looking at it the other day . The teacher salary bill, I think ,i n this province now is equal to the budget of Prince Edward Island -alone . \ve have de vel oped through Confederation ,and I have said it many times, '·:r. Speaker, a social s·tructure, Eantastic,pnl(Jrt 'ssivl· ····I, · structure, which is absolutely nucessary, impcrativ( ~ ior any human living in North America today .

Nobody would sav we have reached Utopia in any of our social or cultural programmes . Just to maintain them each year now increases by 10 or 15 per cent . ~nd how much are our revenues in ­ creasing by? Four or five per cent .Just inflation,just to con­ tinue the structure that is in place -;.,ith no new schools, no ne\o~ hospitals , no ne\v sen ior citize ns homes, n() new nothing in the social and cultural field -to maintain that is growing by about 15 per cent and our revenues are growing by 5 or 6 per cent at the most . So \vhat is the ans~o.•E'r? Mr .

Speaker, the ans\.,er is to squeeze and to ensu re lhat we get the same kind of <k'<~ls on those blq non -n>nt•wnblt' resources that other Canadians are no'" qetting by riqht . There is no other way out of it . That 77

May 10, 1982 Tape 28 PK - 1 PHEMIER PECKFORD: is why the proposal which was so bad, which everybody ran away fron in the election,must be the proposal that marks a change in direction of Newfoundland and Labrador towards the future; otherwise, we will rob Peter to pay Paul for­ ever, in infinity, perpetuity, 'rhere will be no other Newfoundland and Labrador only the one we have now,which is unemployment insurance infested and which is seasonality infested and which is infested with governments trying to juggle so many financial things in the air that it becomes one day almost impossible unless you get another qrcat in[usion of equalization or some kind of an established programme funding.tn other words,another word for some kind of welfare by some other name, wi1en you can do it by the sweat of your own brow, through yo~r own resources,having the same chance as other Canadians have by right right now.

That is what it is all about. The Throne Speech tries to articulate, Mr. Speaker, to build upon a foundation based upon those resources, not forgetting the five year hospital plan, not forgetting the alcohol and drug addiction c1rurr commission which we arq going to establish and will cost us hnniireds of thousands L>f dollars this year, because it is so absolutely essential, not forgetting all the other social programmes that are built already into the system and trying to build and expand upon them even thouqh you really have not got the money and going to the fanancial markets to borrow.

So we must come up,through the Upper Churchill and throuqh our offshore oil arid gas1with the revenues. We must come up through the revenues of those resources to reinject it back into the fishery, to reinject it back into the foresty and to those social programmes which will 78

:Ji:. May 10, 1982 Tape 28 PK - 2 PREMIER PECKFORD: give us then over time a level of prosperity and a level of opportunity , which is just as important, a level of opportunity, that is now enjoyed by right and taken for granted by other Canadians from Halifax to Vancouver Island.But that is the kind of way we have got to annroach it, and any other way to do so,Mr. Speaker, was frauqht with all kinds of danger anJ we \vJ_ 11 be getting nowhere in the long term as Newfoundlander:; and Labradorians and as part of the great Canadian Ccmfederation. So there is our docu~ent. Mr.

Speaker, it will st<J.nd scrutiny - <mvllodv's scrutiny. We believe it to be one on which we can base programmes in our budget and on to the next year or two• But we must be firm in our resolve that >-Te will be good Canadians ahd we will be reasonable,arid sharing is a part of the whole operation 1but we are not going to do vrhat was done in the past. We have just fought an election on it, we are willing to fight another one on it, we ar0 willing to stand up and be counted. Talk about fight! SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER PECKFORD: I like the Leader of the Op~osition's nerve 1 "Stand up';he said," Why do you not fioht?" SOME HON. MEMBERS: PREMIER PECKFORD: I know, Mr. Speaker. SOME HON. MEMBERS: PREHIER PECKFORD; Hear, hear! I am a good one to say that to, Some good one to sav that too I know. Hear, hear~ In most places I went in the Province in the last two or three rnonths,"My son", they said, "Sure you would rather fight than eat". 79

May 10, 1982, Tape 29, Page l -- apb PREMIER PECKFORD: So, Mr. Speaker, the framework is there, we intend as a government, even though, and as I said on election n icJh t, with a strong mandate, a lot of members, we intend to be responsible and to be reasonable. We intend to co-operate with the Opposition, intend to use the Committees to give the Opposition enough opportunity so that they will be able ·to participate in the full process here. MR. WARREN : have e~ough secretaries. PREMIER PECKFORD: But we do not But their biggest problem is that they do not have enough secretaries. That is about the size of it.

That is about the size of it. The member for •rorngat Mountains(Mr. Warren) should not be so loud in his criticism, because they are now getting a better deal as Opposition members than the members of the government are getting. They are getting more space, they have more secretarial help than the members of the government are getting. What an administration, Mr. Speaker. What an administration. With forty-four members, just after going through a fantast~c election campaign, with eigh .t over there and forty-four over here, what do we do?

I turn around as leader of the party, and leader of the government and say, 'The Opposition members should have more than the government members'. Mr. Speaker, that is what we are doing. That is what we are doing for the Opposition. So the member for Torngat Mountains should do his arithmetic before he raises that on the floor of the House. Mr. Speaker, it has 80

May 10 . 1982, Tape 29, Page 2 -- apb PREMIER PECKFORD : been a good day . It has been a long day for a lot of people in the galleries . Ouc proposals are there, our t,,rgets .1.1' .:' set, our aims are clear : \\le intend to live up to the mandate that has been given to us on April 6th, and to ensure that 1 :-.le\\lfoundland, one day the sun will shine and have not \·lil1 be no more' . S0~1E BON . MEMBERS : Hear, hear ! On motion, a Select Committee was appointed to draft an Addr ess ir . Reply and a vote of thanks to His Honour for the graciou s Speech from the Throne . MR.

SPEAKER(Russell) : I am pleased to announce that the Committee shail consist of the hon . the member for St. ~1ary 1 s - The Capes (Mr. L . Hearn) , the hon~ the member for Twillingate(~trs. I. Reid),and the hon . the member for Ragle River (Mr. E. Hiscock) . MR . SPEAKER : of Finance . NOTICES OF MOTION The hon. the Minist er DR . COLLINS : ~tr . Speaker, I give notice that I will on tomorrow move that the House re solve itself into a Committee of the Whole on Suppl y to consider certain resolutions for the granting of Interim Supply to Her Majesty . MR . LUSH: MR . SPEAKER: for Terra Novil . MR .

LUSH : ~Lr • Speaker. The hon. the member Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will on tomorrow ask 'leave to introduce the following resolution: 81

May 10, 1982, Tape 30, Page 1 -- apb MR. LUSH:

WHEREAS THE PROVINCE of Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest unemployment record in Canada; AND

WHEREAS there are a number of areas in the Province where the unemployment figures are far beyond the Provincial average; AND

WHEREAS many areas of the Province depend on a single resource; AND

WHEREAS the resources already known and available to our Province could, if properly developed, provide full and permanent employment to everyone in the growing Newfoundland and Labrador labour force; BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that this House fully debate all aspects of Resource Development in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Government target areas of high unemployment with a view to producing a plan for ioint Federal/Provincial co-operation aimed at improving the economy of these areas and to creating long-term jobs for unemployed residents of this Province.

SOME HON . MEMBERS: MR. STAGG: MR. SPEAKER(Russell): for Stephenville. MR. STAGG: Hear, hear! Mr. Speaker. The hon. the member Mr. .speaker, I give notice that I will on tomorrow ask leave to introduce the following resolution:

WHEREAS the Provincial Government entered into offshore negotiations with the Federal Government on the understanding that the ownership issue had been put aside; AND

WHEREAS the Federal Government requested and obtained an expansion of the SIU labour relations court case into the area of offshore ownership during the period of the negotiations; 82

" May 10, 1982, Tape 30, Page 2 -- apb MR. STAGG: AND

WHEREAS the Provincial Government subsequently referred the offshore ownership issue to the Newfoundland Supreme Court; BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that this hon. House support the position of the Newfoundland Government in that it is willing to reopen negotiations on the offshore issue with the Federal Government as soon as the Federal Government agrees to set the ownership issue aside for the duration of the negotiations and permanently should an agreement be reached. SOME HON. MEMBERS: MR. TULK: MR. SPEAKER(Russell): for Fogo. MR. TULK: Hear, hear! Mr. Speak<2r. 'l'he hon. the member Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will on tomorrow ask leave to introduce the following resolution:

WHEREAS the fishery is the main thread of Newfoundland's social, cultural and economic fabric; AND

WHEREAS both the inshore and offshore sectors of the Province's fishery are in a state of crisis; AND

WHEREAS there is no coherent or cohesive policy being pursued by the present Provincial Government; AND WIIERI•;As it seems u.ppan!nl lhal the pr·('r;cnl l'rovirwio~l Government has neither the desire nor the ability to develop long-term strategies or policies for the Province's fishery; THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that this Hon. House immediately set as its top priority the development of a comprehensive long-term policy for the Newfoundland fishery. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a Select Committee of this House be appointed to ensure that this policy becomes a real_ity. SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! 83

May 10, 1982, Tape 30, Page 3 --apb MR. REP..RN: MR. SPEi\KER(Russell)..:_ for St. Mary's -The Capes. MR. BE.A.RN: Mr. Speaker. The hon. the member Mr .. speaker, I give notice that I will on tomorrow ask leave to introduce the following resolution:

WHEREAS the development of the inshore fishery is the only realistic way of solving rural Newfoundland's unemployment: problems; AND

WHEREAS Federal Government policy on the inshore fishery is detrimental to this effect, especially as it relates to the harvesting of the Northern cod stock; BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that this Government request the Federal Government to adopt a much more rea~onable stand as it re"lates to this matter. SOME EON . MEMBERS: MR. ROBERTS: MR. SPEAKER: for the Strait of Belle Isle. MR. ROBERTS: Hear, hear! Mr. Speaker. The hon. the member Mr. Speaker, I give noLice that I shall or. tomorrow ask leave to move the following resolution:

Be it resolved that the House directs that the electronic:: media be given full and con:plete access to the proceedings of both the House and its Committees, and That a Select Committee of three L'1embers be appointed to work out those steps which must be taken to enable the electromic media to have such ful1 and complete access. SOME liON. tt!EMBERS: Hear, hear! 84

May 10, 1982, Tape 31, Page 1 -- apb MR. MATTHEWS : MR. SPEAKER(Russell): for Grand Bank. MR. MATTHEWS: Mr. Speaker. The hon. the member Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will on tomorrow ask leave to introduce the following resolution:

WHEREAS there has hccn considerable loss of life off the shores of our Prov LTJ<',· during the past years, and in particular the receD t tragic loss of the Ocean Ranger; AND

WHEREAS there is no major Search and Rescue facjlity located in this Province; AND

WHEREAS a local facility could shorten the response time in the event of an emergency at sea; THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that this hon. House urge the Federal Government to set up a Search and Rescue facility in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. SOME HON. MEMBERS: MR. WARREN: MR. SPEAKER: Torngat Mountains. MR. WARREN: Hear, hear~ Mr. Spc~ilkl~r. The hon. the member for Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on tomorrow I shall ask to introduce the following resolution:

WHEREAS the only means of travel throughout Coastal