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February 27, 2017

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLVIII No. 59

The

House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Osborne):

Order, please!

Admit

strangers.

We would

like to welcome to the public gallery today Mayor Derm Flynn from the Town of

Appleton. Welcome, Mayor Flynn.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

As well. I've been notified

of a birthday here in the House today, so I know Question Period will be rather

pleasant and festive. It's the Opposition House Leader's birthday.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

Statements by

Members

MR. SPEAKER:

For Members' statements

today, we have the Members for the Districts of Harbour Main, Cape St. Francis,

Harbour Grace Port de Grave, Fortune Bay Cape La Hune, Conception Bay South

and Virginia Waters Pleasantville.

The hon.

the Member for the District of Harbour Main.

MS. PARSLEY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise

today to congratulate the volunteers and staff that made this year's Crystal

Carnival in the Town of Holyrood such a great success.

The 2017

carnival took place from February 17 to 26 and saw hundreds of residents and

visitors converge on the town to take

part in the festivities. This included

things such as an ice-carving demonstration, a dinner and dance, bingo games,

snow-bubble soccer and truffle dipping with the Newfoundland Chocolate Company

which I hear was a great success.

addition, the Crystal dip saw many participants take a plunge into the icy

waters of Holyrood in support of the K-Rock Children's Trust Fund.

The

carnival demonstrates to all that a willing group of hard-working volunteers can

turn their hands to anything and make it a great success. It is events like the

Crystal Carnival that make our communities such a great place to live, work and

play.

I ask

all Members to join me in congratulating this year's organizers of the Holyrood

Crystal Carnival and send them best wishes for the years to come.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the

District of Cape St. Francis.

MR. K. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise

in this hon. House today to congratulate Kaitlyn Dalton of Flatrock on winning a

writing competition with her speech, What Canada Means to Me.

Kaitlyn

is a grade eight student at Holy Trinity High in Torbay. She is also a very

proud Canadian who clearly loves her country and all that it stands for. Based

on her entry, Kaitlyn was selected as one of four finalists taken to CBC studios

to tape their speeches. A week later, Kaitlyn was notified that she had been

selected as the winner.

Winning

the competition provided Kaitlyn with the opportunity to present her speech in

front of thousands of people who had gathered at St. John's City Hall this past

New Year's Eve to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday. No doubt, this was a very

proud moment for Kaitlyn, her family, her school and her community.

Mr.

Speaker, I ask all hon. Members to join me in commending Kaitlyn for her winning

speech and for the pride she has in our country.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Harbour Grace Port de Grave.

MS. P. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It's

great to be back.

Today I

stand to recognize outstanding volunteer, Ms. Dianne Trenchard of Bay Roberts.

Following retirement from the Provincial Information and Library Resources

Board, Dianne offered to help run an auction and was subsequently offered a seat

on the board of directors of the Bay Roberts Cultural Foundation. This

foundation is a non-for-profit, registered, charitable organization established

to preserve and sustain the traditions and practices of outport life for present

and future generations.

Currently, the foundation is raising money towards a Regional Performing Arts

and Wellness Centre. Every week, Dianne set up the legion for Chase the Ace,

lines up the entertainment and runs the 50/50. She is a firm believer in giving

back and paying it forward.

Reader's Digest

recently name Bay Roberts as one of the top 10 places to spend Christmas, and

Dianne says volunteers played a huge role in making this happen.

Ms.

Trenchard is this year's recipient of the Christine Bussey, Most Spirited Award.

This recognition was created as a legacy in memory of a beautiful soul, who was

a dedicated volunteer in the town. It is presented to a member of a committee

directly involved with the town's departments of tourism and recreation.

Colleagues, please join me in congratulations.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.

MS. PERRY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is

indeed a pleasure for me to rise today and pay tribute to the remarkable

firefighters, first responders, Lions members, countless volunteers and

community groups that make my district distinctly South Coast Strong.

Recent

disasters and tragic events have borne witness that residents along this coast

truly epitomize the characteristics of perseverance, kindness and camaraderie

that all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are famous for. Our community spirit,

along with our ability to respond effectively to the urgent and ongoing needs of

residents, following the unprecedented events of Hurricane Matthew and the

recent fires that destroyed our public buildings has been truly extraordinary.

Looking

back on how we weathered these storms together brings a great sense of pride.

Today, it is an honour to recognize our South Coast Strong volunteers who

rallied so admirably in response to adversity. We know you are always working

steadfastly every day, and we thank you for being the very heart of our

communities.

I ask

that all hon. Members join me in congratulating and thanking our South Coast

Strong volunteers. This is a tough one today, because it's been emotional for

us. It's incredible how much we can accomplish when we work so harmoniously and

courageously together.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise

today to inform my hon. colleagues about an exceptional individual from my

district who has been named one of the best principals in the country. David

Locke, the principal of Holy Spirit High School, Conception Bay South, is among

40 people across the country listed among Canada's Outstanding Principals.

David

Locke has received national recognition for his work as an educator. The

Learning Partnerships news release said David Locke is a leader who builds trust

with his staff, students and the broader school community. He is intentionally

visibly in the halls and classrooms of Holy Spirit High School, interacting and

connecting with his 900 students, often referring to them by name.

Since

his arrival, the graduation rate at Holy Spirt has consistently been near or at

the top of the province. Additionally, the percentage of students in the

non-academic stream has been decreasing.

Principals are nominated for Canada's Outstanding Principals list by their

colleagues, school staff and community members. The Learning Partnership is a

national charity dedicated to supporting, promoting and advancing

publicly-funded education in Canada.

I ask

all Members to join me in congratulating Mr. David Locke on being selected as

one of Canada's Outstanding Principals.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Virginia Waters Pleasantville.

MR. B. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise

today in this hon. House to highlight an incredible event that was held at the

Masjid-an-Noor mosque in Virginia Waters Pleasantville on Feb 3.

The Human Shield Protect Our Mosques event, organized by

Gobhina Nagarajah, saw hundreds of people turn out in solidarity with our Muslim

community here in St. John's to denounce

Islamophobia and bigotry.

It was

an honour for me to attend this event and speak to the members of MANAL and

those who came out to show support. The turnout at the event makes it clear that

hate will never overshadow the strength of our community in this city or this

province.

MANAL

does an excellent job of acting as a bridge in our community and I want to

thank, personally, Dr. Pirzada, and the rest of MANAL for their hard work,

acting as a refuge and a source of strength for many in a very difficult time.

I ask

all hon. Members to join me in declaring that the horrifying acts of terror and

violence in Quebec City cannot become the norm. Now, more than ever, we must

stand up and say we reject Islamophobia. We reject racism. In Newfoundland and

Labrador, we welcome everybody.

Thank

you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Statements by Ministers.

Statements by

Ministers

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Advanced Education, Skills and Labour.

MR. BYRNE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, I'd like to express my sincere condolences on behalf of the Government

of Newfoundland and Labrador to the family of Dr. Angus Bruneau, whose work and

whose generosity impacted so many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Mr.

Speaker, among his many accomplishments, Dr. Bruneau served as the founding Dean

of Memorial University's Facility of Engineering and Applied Science, and helped

establish the Canadian Academy of Engineering. He also founded Fortis

Incorporated and served as the company's president and CEO for almost a full

decade.

Throughout his life, Dr. Bruneau endeavoured to give back to his community, to

his province and to his country. Together, with his wife, Jean, they donated

millions of dollars to many causes including providing support to Memorial

University of Newfoundland.

Their

contributions to the university have resulted in the creation of the Angus

Bruneau Student Leadership and Innovation Fund in Engineering and the Bruneau

Centre for Excellence in Choral Music. In 2011, Memorial University renamed the

Inco Innovation Centre in his honour.

Mr.

Speaker, I ask all Members of the House of Assembly to join with me today as we

remember Dr. Bruneau's contributions to Newfoundland and Labrador and extend our

deepest sympathies to his wife, Jean, to his entire family and to his huge

network of friends.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank

the minister for an advance copy of his statement. We join with government and

all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians in expressing condolences, as well as our

gratitude, to the late Dr. Angus Bruneau and his family.

Mr.

Speaker, Dr. Bruneau has had an immense impact on our country, province, its

institutions and its people. Together with his wife, Jean, they gave unselfishly

to numerous worthy projects and causes, benefiting so many people along the way

and certainly will continue well into the future. As the minister alluded to,

our province's university was a major recipient of this generosity and, through

their charitable acts, the Bruneau legacy will live on well into the future.

behalf of the Official Opposition, I wish to pass along our sympathies to the

family and offer thanks to Dr. Bruneau's massive contributions to Newfoundland

and Labrador.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

I'm very

pleased to stand and join with the minister and my colleague from the Official

Opposition in offering condolences to the family of Dr. Angus Bruneau. The arts

were indeed among his greatest passions. As the minister noted, he and his wife,

Jean, donated $1 million to Memorial to fund, among other things, the Bruneau

Centre for Excellence in Choral Music. This donation was the largest made by a

private citizen in the university's history. He was also founding chair of

Festival 500.

Thanks

to Angus Bruneau.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Further statements by

ministers?

The hon.

the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development.

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, I rise in this

hon. House today to announce that during Violence Awareness Week, 38 schools

were recognized for their efforts in achieving safe, caring and inclusive

learning environments, promoting positive school climates and sustaining safe

and caring communities.

To help

with these efforts, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development

provided $20,000 shared between 38 schools through the Safe and Caring Schools

Special Project Awards.

Mr.

Speaker, ensuring the students of Newfoundland and Labrador have a positive,

safe and caring environment in which to learn is a key priority for this

government. Our Safe and Caring Schools Policy helps to establish this climate.

As part

of Violence Prevention Week, K-12 students from across the province participated

in various activities to promote Pink Shirt Day. This year, students were asked

to think about a Pink Shirt Promise they could make to combat bullying. I was

fortunate to participate in one such event at St. Francis of Assisi School in

Outer Cove and I was amazed at the enthusiasm and the level of understanding on

display. It was quite impressive. We created important awareness that bullying

is not acceptable and we all play a role in preventing it.

Mr.

Speaker, I ask all hon. Members of this House to join me in congratulating this

year's recipients of this year's Safe and Caring Schools Special Project Awards.

A complete list of this year's award winners can be found on the department's

website.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank

the minister for an advance copy of his statement. We would also like to

recognize the 38 schools identified that went above and beyond for their efforts

in achieving safe, caring and inclusive learning environments as well as

promoting safe and caring communities.

Mr.

Speaker, while I'm happy to hear the minister recognize this day and the

participants, with pending layoffs on the horizon, cuts to inclusive learning

around the corner and recent cuts to government's Violence Prevention

Initiative, I have to wonder what this government's plan is for the province.

Mr.

Speaker, while I critique this minister and his government, I sincerely wish to

congratulate this year's recipients of Safe and Caring Schools Special Project

Awards. Keep up the great work. Trusting this group of students and educators

can help create positive change in our schools, community and in our government.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

And I

thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement. I'm happy to recognize

the 38 schools that the minister has recognized and the many other schools who

put so much effort into creating a culture of safety and inclusion, but I urge

the minister to ensure that government puts in place all the resources these

schools and others need to create safe and inclusive environments for all

students.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further statements by

ministers?

Oral

Questions.

Oral Questions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It's

good to be back in the House of Assembly. As we come back to the House of

Assembly today it's clear, there is a trust deficit with this Premier and his

government

Mr.

Speaker, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have lost faith in our government.

Many times they have told the people that things are going to be a certain way

and very soon after to find out that things are very different, and this has

been an ongoing pattern.

November, the Premier stated that there was no discussion occurring with Quebec

or Hydro-Qubec that they were involved in. He went as far as to say none

whatsoever.

So I ask

the Premier: Do you stand by that statement?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I do.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well,

I'll ask the Premier this: Can you confirm, Premier, that Quebec government

wrote your government in May 2016 and requested a meeting to discuss energy,

more precisely the electrical sector and possibly partnership opportunities?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

No, I

can't.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

I can

tell you, it was through an ATIPP request that we filed that it was discovered

that a letter had been sent to the government. And, in fact, there's a trail of

emails that includes the Premier's email to being copied in the letter.

So I'll

ask the Premier: Can you tell this House of Assembly today, is it accurate and

correct that you received a letter from Quebec, from the Province of Quebec, and

asking to have discussions on the electricity sector?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have

not seen the letter that the former premier is talking about. I'll check with

the officials and see where this is. But, Mr. Speaker, I've always said, if

there's a deal that could be made for the benefit of Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians, regardless if it's with Nova Scotia, whoever it is, we'll explore

those options, Mr. Speaker. So I'll check and see where this information is

coming from.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well,

it's the Quebec Minister of Natural Resources, Pierre Arcand, who stood last

year and publicly made comments that there was discussions happening between the

Government of Quebec and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Interestingly enough, Mr. Speaker, this letter is signed by the same Quebec

minister.

So I'll

ask the Premier again: What was your government's response to the letter to the

Minister of Quebec who had asked for those discussions?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well,

the Leader of the Opposition in that letter that he's referring to, if memory

serves me correct, it was basically referring to the discussion that he had with

the Leader of the Opposition. That is what he was talking about.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

PREMIER BALL:

This goes back to the

discussion that was had in St. John's at the Council of the Federation, Mr.

Speaker. It was very clear that the Leader of the Opposition right now had those

discussions. I'm not sure how far they went. This came up just last year in this

House of Assembly, Mr. Speaker. But clearly, right now, if there's a deal that

can be made with any province, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick or if it's with

Quebec, Mr. Speaker, and it's in the best interest of Newfoundland and Labrador,

why would we not explore those options?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

Before I

recognize the hon. the Leader of the Opposition, the rules in this Legislature

are very clearly established and my expectation that Members will follow the

rules is very clearly established. The only person I wish to hear speaking is

the person that I've recognized to speak.

The hon.

the Leader of the Opposition.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

What's

really interesting about this letter is not only did he receive a letter about

the discussions that Quebec was having with the Premier, the current Premier of

Newfoundland and Labrador, but not only that, the Premier extended the

conversations to Premier Wynne of Ontario, Mr. Speaker. Because the email trail

that we received for the Access to Information indicates from the chief of staff

that he discussed it with the Premier and the Premier told him he had spoken to

Premier Wynne in Winnipeg and they chatted about this. They actually had a

discussion about this.

So I say

Premier, when you say you're not having discussions, were you also having

discussions with Premier Wynne?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In terms

of any discussion with Ontario, the only thing I recall that could have been

talked about there was the free flow of electricity with the Canadian free trade

agreement that we were negotiating. And, of course, it was something that was

important for us, as it's important for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians as part

of the free flow of electricity; something, Mr. Speaker, I would say that all

previous administrations said was important to our province. They could never

get this to the appropriate table. So right now there's a process that's ongoing

for the Canadian free trade agreement that would allow, potentially allow for

the free flow of electricity through Quebec.

So that

was a discussion that involved Ontario, I would say, Mr. Speaker. As a matter of

fact, the federal government was also involved in that as well, as they

recognize that for provinces to properly extract the natural resources that they

would have in their jurisdictions, for Newfoundland and Labrador that was

something that we were looking for.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

What we have here, Mr.

Speaker, is we have the minister from Quebec who's clearly on the record as

saying they were having discussions with the Premier of Newfoundland and

Labrador. We have discussions happening at meetings where Premier Wynne and the

Premier the Liberal Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador were having

discussions about this, and in so far as far as to go as the Premier of

Ontario asked for a copy of the letter.

So I'll

ask the Premier again: Did you actually send a copy of the letter to Premier

Wynne? Do you all of a sudden now know what this is about?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Right

now, as I said to the Member opposite now on a couple of occasions. The

discussion that we had with Ontario, and with other provinces, I would say, Mr.

Speaker, because this was part of the Canadian free trade agreement as part of

that, we had taken the position that we were interested in having a free flow of

electricity through Quebec that would open up the rest of the country, I would

say, for electricity out of Labrador, out of Labrador projects. And, Mr.

Speaker, we see that as a good thing. As a matter of fact, I think all

administrations would see that as something positive.

The

discussions that the Leader of the Opposition is now talking about are the

discussions that occurred in 2015 in St. John's with the former premier at the

Council of Federation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Not the case, Mr. Speaker,

and we'll get to that.

I want

to ask the Minister of Natural Resources: This letter was couriered to you; did

you share it with the Premier?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

MS. COADY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

believe the Member opposite is referring to discussions around the Agreement on

Internal Trade. As the Premier has indicated, there were discussions and there

are ongoing discussions on the Agreement on Internal Trade which centers around

the free flow of electricity across this country. Something that's very

important, not only in Newfoundland and Labrador, but I would say, Mr. Speaker,

to nation building. And that is the nature of the discussions that we've ever

had around this issue.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

doesn't answer the question, if she actually shared it with the Premier or not.

We know the minister has a problem sometimes sharing information with the

Premier. We want to know if she shared this letter.

The

letter clearly articulates, Mr. Speaker, very clearly articulates a desire for

the establishment of a business partnership between our two provinces in

relation to future developments in the domain of energy and, more precisely, the

electrical sector.

We asked

the Premier very clearly last year if there were any discussions taking place.

The minister of Quebec says there is. The Premier stood in his place and said

there was not.

I ask

the Premier: Why were you not open and transparent with the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

There

are no discussions ongoing with the Province of Quebec related to future

developments in Labrador.

Mr.

Speaker, we've had, as I said, as part of the Agreement on Internal Trade, the

Canadian free trade agreement, about the free flow of electricity through

Quebec. We see that as a good thing, Mr. Speaker. If we are able to get to that,

Mr. Speaker, it would open up a huge window of opportunity for us as a province.

Now,

with that said, we already know that with the current Muskrat Falls Project

there might be some opportunities within Nova Scotia, but, Mr. Speaker, the

current situation that we have in our province right now, whatever opportunity

exists for us as a province to bring economic benefits so that we can provide

social programs to this province, I'm willing to have that discussion but that

discussion is not something that's ongoing.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In the

information received in the Access to Information request that wasn't disclosed

by the Premier, there's also an email here back to May 12 which was sent to the

Premier which indicates as well that the new CEO of Nalcor was going to be

copied on this as well.

So I'll

ask the Premier this: What discussions has the new CEO of Nalcor had about

energy assets and partnerships with the Province of Quebec?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I can't

speak to what discussions the new CEO would have had with Nalcor, but I will

tell you this, the CEO of Nalcor right now, just like every Member on this side

of the House of Assembly, is very concerned about rate mitigation in this

province. They are very concerned that the current project at Muskrat Falls

would lead this province to be paying in excess of 22 cents a kilowatt hour for

electricity, Mr. Speaker. That's as a result of decisions they had made.

So if

the CEO is having discussions with any particular jurisdiction in a way to

actually provide rate mitigation for people in our province, Mr. Speaker, I

would encourage him to do so.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It's our

understanding that back to February 10, 2016, the talks of Newfoundland

partnering with Quebec were initiated, at that time, at an Energy Ministers'

meeting. So I ask the minister: Can you confirm this?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

MS. COADY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for

the question.

I have

met Mr. Arcand once at an energy meeting in August of last year. We have lots of

discussions around energy. The discussion I believe the hon. Member is looking

for is around the agreement on internal trade. At our energy table, we do

discuss concerns around making sure that energy is available in the North. We

talk about movement of electricity. There are lots of things spoken about at the

table, but nothing in particular between Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, last week the Auditor General concluded that the former CEO of Nalcor

was constructively dismissed. The Premier has said repeatedly that he resigned.

I ask the Premier, which one is correct, in your opinion?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would

say that the words of the former CEO of Nalcor is correct. In his own words, he

said he was stepping down from Nalcor. As a matter of fact, Mr. Speaker, going

back to the report that the Member is talking about, I fully co-operated with

the AG. The AG has said that, Mr. Speaker. He has said that I certainly did not

mislead the people of this province.

It's the

subsequent days that came after this which is extremely interesting because it

was the board of Nalcor that on Thursday, two days after the Tuesday meeting,

the board of Nalcor this is publicly available information, so I'm guessing

the Members opposite would have this. On Thursday, it was the board that asked

the former CEO: Oh, by the way, when was your employment with Nalcor when was

it finished? When did you cease employment with Nalcor, Mr. Speaker? So clearly,

it was not something that happened at our Tuesday night meeting.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

So I

never got an answer to that question, so I'll as the Premier, quite simply, do

you agree with the Auditor General's conclusion that Mr. Martin was

constructively dismissed? Yes or no, please.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Mr. Speaker, the AG has come

to a conclusion that based on the information that led up to Mr. Martin's

termination, the cessation of employment, when he decided to leave, that there

was enough information that would consider to be constructively dismissed. That

was a separate issue then how the man, after, had left his employment.

Two

separate issues, Mr. Speaker. It was the board of Nalcor basically saying that

we terminated him. There's nothing in his contract the contract was designed

by the prior administration nothing in that contract that would ever

contemplate a premier or this government dismissing or terminating the

employment of the former CEO, Mr. Speaker. That was done clearly by the board.

The AG

concluded that based on the information that led up to this, there was a case

for constructive dismissal, which led to the severance payment, Mr. Speaker. If

we look at the emails that are publicly available right now, it is very clear

the board was asking Mr. Martin when his employment (inaudible).

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the

Premier: There's no separation between the termination of Mr. Martin and the

issues in regarding as to what transpired and what caused that to happen. They

are all linked; that's what the Auditor General had said.

So I'd

ask the Premier again: Please explain to us why you don't agree with the Auditor

General's recommendation on what transpired and what caused the termination of

Mr. Martin.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

What

caused the termination of Mr. Martin was Mr. Martin himself. As a matter of

fact, it was the board that reached out to Mr. Martin and asked him when, when

is it that your termination with your employer, with Nalcor, when is it that you

had left as a matter of fact, he went on to say that we would prefer that you

stayed on all of Wednesday so that you could participate in the board meetings.

So, Mr.

Martin, on Wednesday morning, he went to work. Mr. Martin went to work on

Wednesday morning, fully participated in a board meeting. The following day,

Nalcor, the officials at Nalcor, asked Mr. Martin: By the way, when did you

leave Nalcor? Do you have anything in writing to government? The answer was no.

If there wasn't anything in writing, well, we would like you to have your

termination effective the end of business day on Wednesday.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The

Auditor General recognized very clearly that due diligence wasn't done in the

execution of the contract. The Minister of Finance, the former chair of Nalcor,

was aware of the employment contract for the CEO, so I ask the Minister of

Finance: Why didn't you inform the Premier about the termination clauses and the

implications of some of the decisions that transpired?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The

Member opposite asked this question earlier in the session and I provided an

answer at that time. The answer is that as a former director of the board at

Nalcor, I have fiduciary responsibility to maintain the privacy of information

that I would have received in fulfilling that role. I have legal opinions

verifying that and if the Member opposite would like to see those legal

opinions, certainly, as I said last fall, on ongoing questions, I'd be happy to

provide him that.

But if

the Member opposite is suggesting that as a Minister of the Crown I break the

law, I would inform him that I do not have any intention to do so.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

understand fully the fiduciary responsibility in regard to chair of the board,

but I'll ask the minister: As Minister of Finance, the minister responsible for

the President of Treasury Board and part of the executive of government, does

she think she would entitled to see Mr. Martin's contract in holding that

position? Why wouldn't you have asked for a copy of the contract?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, as the Member

opposite would certainly be familiar; the contract that was with Mr. Martin

would have been a contract between the company of Nalcor and Mr. Martin.

In my

role, I do not have access to nor have I had access to contracts for CEOs of

Crown corporations. Those contracts are with the boards of directors. And I

would remind the Member opposite, that the continuing reference from the

Member's office, including the Leader of the Official Opposition, in that I

somehow had access to provide that information to this government and they would

request that I break the law break my fiduciary responsibility is something

that is quite unacceptable.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Mr. Speaker, we understand

the Minister of Natural Resources had a copy and the Premier had a copy. I'm not

sure why the Minister of Finance wouldn't have a copy and want to review it in

her role.

Mr.

Speaker, the AG stated that the Minister of Natural Resources requested a copy

of the CEO contract and sent it to the Premier's office, or the Premier's Chief

of Staff.

I ask

the Minister: Did you read the contract before you sent it? And, again, did you

review it for the termination clause and what the cost could be for the

implications?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

MS. COADY:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

And I'd

like to thank, publicly, the Auditor General for his comprehensive review of

this matter. I think he took a long time to deliberate on these issues and make

his conclusions.

Mr.

Speaker, regarding the contract; I told this House on June 1 that I had a copy

of the contract, requested a copy of the contract on March 3. I requested the

same following a Treasury Board meeting, discussing the finances of Nalcor and I

thought it was responsible of the Minister of Natural Resources to have a copy.

I did review it at the time. I absolutely did, and I then filed it. Because of

course, Mr. Speaker, and as we've said repeatedly and has been indicated by the

Auditor General, the contract of the CEO of Nalcor rests with the board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

So the

minister said she reviewed it on March 3. So based on that review, did she have

an understanding of what the termination clauses were? And, in her opinion, was

this constructive dismissal?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources

MS. COADY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I will

speak to the Auditor General's report. The Auditor General did say in his

report, and I'm just going to read from page 19 where he said: the only explicit

decision made by the Premier at the April 19 meeting was that he could not

provide the public support asked for by Mr. Martin.

Now, Mr.

Speaker, this government has been reviewing the Muskrat Falls Project, has done

an awful lot of work with EY to ensure the cost we understand the cost

benefits and associated risks of the Muskrat Falls Project. We have put in place

and expanded a very well-experienced board of directors, really, a stellar board

of directors.

Mr.

Speaker, we have concluded our discussions around the Astaldi contract. Mr.

Speaker, we have negotiated an extension to the loan guarantee. There has been a

lot of work that we have done to ensure that the Muskrat Falls Project is on

track.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Mr. Speaker, the AG stated

that due diligence, as I indicated, was ignored by pretty well all concerned.

I ask

the Premier: Is he okay with the fact that two ministers, the Minister of

Finance and the Minister of Natural Resources, did not apply due diligence as

suggested by the Auditor General? And is he okay that the work done, that should

have been done, hadn't taken place in regard to the termination?

AN HON. MEMBER:

Good question.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well,

the AG's report clearly says it does not contemplate any consideration where

government would terminate the employment of the former CEO.

What

happened, Mr. Speaker, is very clear. When the board met on Wednesday, April 20,

they had three things in their agenda. One was the bonuses of the management

team. Secondly, was to review the employment contract of the former CEO. Mr.

Speaker, the third thing was to bolt for the door on Friday.

So they

were clearly interested not interested in looking after the well-being. They

clearly, as the AG said, they could've stayed or they could've left this

contract to a new incoming board. They refused to do that.

They put

in place a settlement agreement with much discussion, I would say, with the

former CEO, not with government. This is a contract that was clearly

administered by the board, Mr. Speaker. It was their decision to terminate the

employment.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

understand from the Auditor General, the Premier and the Minister of Natural

Resources sat in a room when the decision was actually made.

I ask

the Premier: When did you first have discussions with Stan Marshall on taking

over the CEO position?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, I

take exception to what the Member is saying about when he was dismissed. He

clearly was not dismissed. Why would an individual who is CEO of a major

corporation, Nalcor, go to work the next morning if he was dismissed the night

before? Why would the board of Nalcor be writing emails to the former CEO on

Thursday, two days after, asking: Oh, by the way, did you write anything to

government about the cessation of your employment? When do you believe your

employment ended? If you haven't put anything in correspondence, can you make it

for the end of day Wednesday so that we could have a full complement for board

participation?

So,

clearly, it was between Mr. Martin and the board that put the measures in place

for the termination of that employment.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

So I'll

ask the Premier again: When did you first have discussion with Stan Marshall

about taking over the CEO position of Nalcor?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, I

met with Mr. Marshall on Monday morning, April 18, and that meeting was set up

based on a prior conversation that I had many weeks ago with Mr. Marshall. He's

a gentleman that I have had discussions with in the past. He's had tremendous

expertise in this field. And the discussion on Monday morning, on April 18, set

up from a previous conversation, was about board governance.

It was

later that day that I called Mr. Marshall, as outlined in the AG's report there,

and we had a discussion about the future of Nalcor, if indeed I could not come

to a resolution with the CEO.

Mr.

Speaker, let's not forget that I did everything possible to actually support Mr.

Martin and keeping him there. It was the ultimatum that he put to this

government that put us in the very difficult situation, either you be a

cheerleader for me or I will leave. I could not do that, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader, for a very quick question.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

That's

certainly what the AG has said if read the report, I'd say to the Premier.

Mr.

Speaker, the Premier just articulated how involved he was with the hiring of

Stan Marshall, but he claims to be hands off when it came to the termination of

the former CEO.

I ask

him to explain to the people of the province, what's the difference. It's the

same board, the same public entity, why so different rules?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

If you

go back to when Mr. Martin was put in place, it was very clear then that it was

the administration of the day that actually put Mr. Martin in place. As a matter

of fact, what was very interesting, Mr. Speaker, when I reviewed the information

that's now publicly available, back in 2009 with the renewal of the contract for

Mr. Martin, it took nearly six months. The board took the due diligence and the

proper time that it was required, six months, to renew a contract, Mr. Speaker,

but it took literally hours to put a settlement agreement in place to actually

terminate the employment of Mr. Martin.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

Last

fall's fiscal update projected the provincial unemployment rate to rise to 19.6

per cent by 2019, up six points from the current rate.

The Way Forward document,

government's vision for sustainability and growth, sets targets for just about

everything except jobs.

I ask

the Premier: May we assume that a drastically increased unemployment rate is the

jobs target of this government?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well,

needless to say that when you look at the province right now, coming off of

three mega projects that are currently coming to a conclusion, Mr. Speaker, they

are difficult times for this province. It's unprecedented in our history. We

know that, Mr. Speaker. And I would say again that there was very little

planning, very little management, put in place to actually prepare this province

for where we are today.

That is

the reason why we are making a significant investment into infrastructure in

this province, Mr. Speaker. We are looking and we've had significant discussions

on new opportunities. Economic diversification is well underway.

So it's

our job right now to do the best job that we can do putting jobs in place, in

particular in some of the rural communities in our province, Mr. Speaker.

There's certainly lots of interest now in Labrador West. We're seeing

significant opportunities offshore.

We are

taking

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

PREMIER BALL:

the job situation in our

province seriously.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

The

Government of Alberta didn't lose its nerve in the face of tough economic

circumstances. Their budget was called the Alberta Jobs Plan, and they are now

projected to lead the country this year in economic growth.

I ask

the Premier: Where is the Newfoundland and Labrador jobs plan? I just don't want

words; I'd like him to answer.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well,

the Member opposite is saying you want words; you want an answer. Well, I would

suspect that the Member opposite would do some research, Mr. Speaker, and see a

very big difference in what's happening in Alberta than what's happening in

Newfoundland and Labrador.

Alberta,

a province of literally zero debt and cash in the bank on a per-capita basis;

Newfoundland and Labrador at the other end of the spectrum, Mr. Speaker, with

the highest amount of debt per capita. The situation is very different in

Alberta than it is in Newfoundland and Labrador, I say.

So I'd

encourage the Member opposite, before you get up and put this in a situation

comparing Newfoundland and Labrador to Alberta, to get your facts straight and

you will see a much different situation in our province than it is in Alberta.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

We've

just lost 287 non-bargaining unit positions in this public service.

I ask

the Premier: How many indirect and induced job losses does he expect will occur

in the private sector as a result of these layoffs? Did he do his research?

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, I

again encourage the Member opposite to do some research. In her election

platform last year when it was her own leader, it was her own leader that is

looking for a job, by the way, from what I hear. It was her own leader that made

mention that he was actually going to reduce significantly the size of the

Executive Council and so on. So job cuts were also part of their election plan,

I say, Mr. Speaker.

This is

very difficult times for our province, Mr. Speaker, and we really value the work

that the public sector has done. But when you look at where we are in terms of

putting in sustainable jobs for the public sector, what we did last week was

something that I don't none of us on this side of the House, none of us would

enjoy doing this. But adding the sustainability to those that are left and those

public sector employees was also very important to us. Putting in place a

correct balance is something that we will always strive for.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's Centre, for a quick question.

MS. ROGERS:

Mr. Speaker, I ask the

Minister of Justice: What can he do to help restore confidence and trust in our

provincial police service, and can he give us an update on his proposed pilot

program for free legal advice to sexual assault complainants in criminal

matters?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Justice and Attorney General.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

And I

thank the Member opposite for the question. I have every confidence in the

police forces of this province, the women and men that do this job day in and

day out. And I say this as it relates to police forces or doctors, or

politicians or lawyers we will not let the actions of one tar and feather the

actions of the rest who do good work on a day-to-day basis. I maintain my

confidence in them.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. A. PARSONS:

That being said, we have to

be allowed to ask questions, and that's what people do. We want to see that

leadership provided. We've seen a situation where the public is upset and we

will continue to ask questions, but I will support the men and women doing this

job.

As it

relates to the sexual assault response pilot program, I'd be happy to inform

this House that I'll have news on that very shortly. It's something that we are

very proud of and looking forward to providing an update in the very near

future.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The time for Question Period

has expired.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Tabling

of Documents.

Notices

of Motion.

Notices of Motion

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Environment actually, it's a new department.

The hon.

the Minister of Service NL.

MR. TRIMPER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I give

notice that I will ask leave to introduce a bill entitled,

An Act To Amend The

Public Safety Act, Bill 67.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further notices of motion?

The hon.

the Minister of Service NL.

MR. TRIMPER:

Mr. Speaker, I also give

notice that I will ask leave to introduce a bill entitled,

An Act To Amend The

Highway Traffic Act No. 5, Bill 68.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I give

notice that I will ask leave to introduce a bill entitled,

An Act To Amend The

Financial Administration Act No. 3, Bill 66.

And

also, Mr. Speaker, if I might, I give notice that I will ask leave to introduce

a bill entitled,

An Act To Amend The Financial Administration Act No. 2, Bill

MR. SPEAKER:

Further notices of motion?

The hon.

the Minister of Health and Community Services.

MR. HAGGIE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I give

notice that I will ask leave to introduce a bill entitled,

An Act To Amend The

Health Professions Act, Bill 69.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Cartwright L'Anse au Clair.

MS. DEMPSTER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise

to give notice that I will move the following private Member's resolution,

seconded by my colleague, the hon. Member for Burin Grand Bank.

WHEREAS

only 34 female MHAs have been elected in Newfoundland and Labrador since 1930;

and

WHEREAS

as of June 2016, only 22.8 per cent of all national parliamentarians were women;

and

WHEREAS

the recent Daughters of the Vote event saw significant interest among women

across the province to become involved in political and leadership roles;

THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that this hon. House urges the Government of

Newfoundland and Labrador to encourage increased participation of women in

leadership and political roles.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House

Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The

private Member's resolution just entered by the Member for Cartwright L'Anse

au Clair, pursuant to Standing Order 63(3), that will be the resolution to be

debated this Wednesday.

Thank

you.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further notices of motion?

Answers

to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the

hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland

and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

Route 60 is a main highway that runs through the Town of Conception Bay South,

it's a vital artery in the provincial road network; and

WHEREAS

Route 60 is one of the most heavily travelled roads in the province; and

WHEREAS

Route 60 has been deteriorating and requires major upgrades;

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

of Assembly to urge government to allocate funds to upgrade Route 60.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, that petition is directly, of course, from my district. During a recent

announcement of the five-year Roads Program Route 60 was excluded, or is not

there on the list yet. I realize there is a time that it could be put there, but

it's an issue that I've made clear for the last year since I was elected, that

road is in need of major repairs. So I was a bit taken aback when I read this

roads list and it was excluded.

To go to

further, comments that I've made publicly on this issue is I've been calling

upon the Minister of Transportation and Works to provide the full roads list for

the entire province. We have X number of provincial roads, why not provide the

comprehensive scoring list for every road in the province so people can see

where and if and what these roads will ever have an opportunity to see the light

of day getting work done. I'm sure they all will eventually but if you provided

the listing and the scoring for those roads, at least we could say: it's fine to

say you're taking the politics out of paving but your actions have to match your

words.

So if

you're saying you're providing this list, provide the full list. Not just a list

of the roads you're tendering to get work done on, provide the entire list. You

can always change your tendered road or a list. Once it's tendered, it's

different. These roads are not tendered. They're on a list. They can be subject

to change should something happen.

So it's

fine to say you don't want to box yourself in, but I take personal exception to

Route 60 in my own district. I'm sure other Members as well feel the same way on

roads in their own district. They do not know where they stand on the list. And

I'll call upon the minister again I'm pushing 10 months asking for it and I'll

continue provide us a list. At least we know where we stand, instead of we sit

there on bended knees, go in cap in hand and, hopefully, he's going to put our

road on the list next year if we don't ruffle too many feathers.

So, Mr.

Speaker, I'll ruffle feathers or whatever. The people of the my district, that

happens to be the second largest municipality in the province, are constantly on

me about this and I'm going to keep speaking about it publicly because I feel

that it's high time for the Minister of Transportation and Works to pay some

more attention to those main arteries and if he's taking the politics out of

paving, do what's required on Route 60.

Thank

you very much.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount

Pearl North.

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the

hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland

and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

Marine Atlantic ferry rates continue to rise, becoming increasingly more cost

prohibitive; and

WHEREAS

increased rates impact the cost of goods being shipped into our province, as

well as those products being exported out by local businesses; and

WHEREAS

tourism is negatively impacted by the ever increasing, cost prohibitive means of

ground transport into the Island portion of our province;

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

of Assembly to urge government to open a line of communication with the federal

government and begin to advocate on behalf of residents and businesses of the

province, not stopping until results are realized.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, this is an issue that Members on both sides of the House have spoken

about many times in the past and in recent history as well. We hear lots about

the warm, fuzzy, happy relationship between our provincial government and our

federal government, and it's great that everybody's happy and getting along and

having Sunday night calls with the minister. That's great. It's wonderful, but

results matter, Mr. Speaker. And on an issue like this, that I know is of

concern to several Cabinet ministers on the front bench of the government who

have been vocal in their previous roles prior to being in government, if the

warm, fuzzy, cosy relationship exists, then hopefully we'll see some results and

some progress.

AN HON. MEMBER:

(Inaudible.)

MR. KENT:

He's excited. It's birthday,

Mr. Speaker. So I'm going to cut him some slack today.

This is

a really serious issue. I know the government has finally acknowledged that

they've written the federal government and they're going to talk about it and

they're going to express some concern about the issue, but I would hope that

this would be a really critical and important issue to the government and they

would be calling on their cousins in Ottawa to put a stop to continuous Marine

Atlantic rate increases.

What

we're seeing now on April 1, the rates will go up another 2.6 per cent and

Marine Atlantic are saying it's necessary to reflect the continuing increased

costs associated with material, supplies and labour, and to help the company

provide reliable service. Well, this is what we've heard for years from Marine

Atlantic.

So I'm

calling on all Members of the House of Assembly to be concerned about this.

Petitioners are calling on the House of Assembly to be concerned about this;

but, more importantly, we're calling on the Liberal government to reach out to

their friends and colleagues in Ottawa and demand some action. It's great for

everybody to be getting along, but if it doesn't result in anything happening,

if it doesn't result in any benefits for Newfoundland and Labrador, then that's

a problem, Mr. Speaker. This should be a relatively easy one for our federal

Liberal government and our provincial Liberal government to get together and

solve.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the

hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

government plans to remove the provincial point of sale tax rebate on books,

which will raise the tax on books from 5 per cent to 15 per cent; and

WHEREAS

an increase in the tax on books will reduce book sales to the detriment of local

books stores, publishers and authors, and the amount collected by government

must be weighed against the loss in economic activity caused by higher book

prices; and

WHEREAS

Newfoundland and Labrador has one of the lowest literacy rates in Canada and the

other provinces do not tax books because they recognize the need to encourage

reading and literacy; and

WHEREAS

this province has many nationally and internationally known storytellers, but we

will be the only people in Canada who will have to pay our provincial government

a tax to read the books of our own writers;

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

of Assembly to urge government not to impose a provincial sales tax on books.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Now, Mr.

Speaker, it seems to fly in the face of reason, the imposition of a provincial

tax on books. It makes no sense at all. Considering we have the highest

illiteracy rate; we have soaring unemployment; we have a problem, a huge

problem, in the fiscal realities of our province. People are hurting. We have

inflation. And we know that education is the keystone of empowering our people,

and empowering our people so that we can weather the storm. That is the role of

government. The role of government, particularly in hard times like this, is to

empower communities, to strengthen communities, to strengthen individuals.

This

kind of measure is the antithesis of that. We look, particularly, on the effects

of students. I'm not so sure that government really thought through the

ramifications of this particular decision. Let's see how it will hurt students.

Memorial University, the Heart of Darkness ,

Microelectronic Circuits is $250 plus

tax. Supply Chain Logistics Management

is $303.95 plus tax. We are taking money out of the pockets of some of the most

vulnerable people in our communities, and that's students. Students who will

carry high student debt, students who have to work in order to be able to

continue their studies and we're taxing their textbooks.

We know

that education, again, is one of the cornerstones to empowering our people so

that they don't live in poverty, so that they can help the economy in and of

itself be strengthened, that they can build the economy of our province. It is

one of the most short sighted aside from the levy that this government imposed

when they came down with their last budget, this tax is so short sighted. When

the government talks about flatter and leaner, I think it's flatter and meaner.

It's one of the most idiotic taxes that we've seen in a long time.

Michael

Crummey, as a matter of fact, said that the government will make more on the tax

of books that he has written than he will himself as a writer. That makes no

sense at all, Mr. Speaker.

Thank

you very much.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the

hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland

and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

the provincial government arbitrarily cut 24-hour snow clearing services in the

2016 budget; and

WHEREAS

cutting 24-hour snow clearing services has led to unsafe road conditions and

endangering lives; and

WHEREAS

government has an obligation to provide a safe system of transportation that

meets the needs of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians;

The

undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call the House of Assembly to

urge government to listen to the people and reinstate 24-hour snow clearing

services.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, over the last number of months, my colleague from Conception Bay South

has very eloquently got up and echoed the concerns of the people of this

province, particularly in those areas where 24-hour snow clearing not only was

part of the ongoing road system around winter maintenance and safety, but was

necessary because of the volume of traffic that was out there.

And it

was noted by thousands of people in emails the outrage, that safety has to be

the primary objective. And while I realized the minister and I was fortunate

enough to serve for two winters as minister of Transportation and Works must

be cognizant of their budget lines, but you can't put safety ahead of having to

make major cuts. You know, two budgets I had to make cuts around the Department

of Transportation and Works 24-hour snow clearing on the main arteries where

volumes of traffic dictate that it's travelling 24 hours, all times of the day,

in all kinds of weather, was not prudent and in the best interest of the people

of this province particularly doing it.

Would we

have liked to have had 24-hour snow clearing everywhere? Of course we would

have. But in high-volume areas when people have to be travelling in certain

areas and you know there's going to be a volume of traffic, we have a

responsibility to ensure and minimize the impact of the negativity of snow may

have on people and ensure safety is there.

So the

outrage has been there for a number of reasons. Outside of that, what I'm

hearing from depots and some of the people I've talked to, the costing, with the

call-outs in overtime is going to mitigate any savings that have been realized

or anticipated by the department. And that's something we have to look at here.

It has to be around the safety-related process. And I do agree sometimes you

have to make decisions around financial responsibilities and financial

obligations.

But, at

this point, this is being shown not to be in any way, shape or form a financial

exercise that saves the people of this province any money. What it does is

endanger people's live, ensure that businesses themselves have to change their

whole scheduling around when they travel. I've heard from cab companies about

the dangers in some of these areas. I've heard from courier companies. I've

heard from manufacturing companies. I've heard from trucking companies who've

said they're endangering the lives of those employees when they have to travel

the general public themselves.

And I do

realize the minister will try to mitigate any dangers by looking at being able

to call people out at a moment's notice, but unfortunately you can't dictate

what the weather's going to be, and unfortunately that has an impact. So I urge

the government to go back, reassess this and make a decision to reinstate

24-hour snow clearing.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

To the

hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

Newfoundland and Labrador has the greatest percentage of the workforce earning

the provincial minimum wage in Canada, with women, youth and those from rural

areas making up a disproportionate number of these workers; and

WHEREAS

the minimum wage does not provide enough money for the necessities of life

because a person earning a minimum wage, working 40 hours a week, will make

between $21,320 and $21,840, which is barely above the low income cut-off of

$20,065 for St. John's, and a working couple on minimum wage, with two children,

will also make close to low income; and

WHEREAS

in 2012 the minimum wage review committee recommended an increase in the minimum

wage in 2013 to reflect the loss of purchasing power since 2010 and an annual

adjustment beginning in 2014 to reflect the Consumer Price Index; and

WHEREAS

government instead legislated two 25-cent increases, one in October 2014 and one

in October 2015 with no annual adjustment; and

WHEREAS

eight provinces and territories will have a higher minimum wage than

Newfoundland and Labrador, or did have by October 2015;

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

of Assembly to urge government to legislate an immediate increase in the minimum

wage to restore the loss of purchasing power since 2010 and an annual adjustment

to the minimum wage beginning in 2016 to reflect the Consumer Price Index.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, this petition was signed prior to government finally taking some action

with regard to minimum wage and setting up the consultations that are now going

on with regard to the indexation of the minimum wage. The thing is the

indexation is going to be extremely important, but workers in Newfoundland and

Labrador have lost so much between 2010 and 2015 when the Consumer Price Index

rose twice as much than the increase in wages for people and the cost of food

rose 15 per cent, three times as much as the wage increases for people on

minimum wage.

So it's

going to be extremely important that if the government is going to start a

Consumer Price Index, they are going to have to correct the wage first before

starting the Consumer Price Index. They're going to have to make up for the loss

of wages that went on from 2010 to 2015, then look at doing the top-up to match

the CPI.

I'm not

sure what's in government's mind, but I know that people going to the

consultations are pointing this out to them. That we absolutely need the CPI,

but we need the wage to go up first. You know, we stagnated while others were

growing. We have to do more than catch up now.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House

Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Yes, Mr. Speaker, I call

Orders of the Day.

MR. SPEAKER:

Orders of the Day.

Orders of the Day

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, I've previously,

during Notices of Motion, gave notice on a number of pieces of legislation and

with the leave of my colleagues opposite, I would ask leave to do first readings

on three pieces of legislation today.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

Does the

hon. the Government House Leader have leave?

AN HON. MEMBER:

Leave.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I don't

know if they were telling me to leave or if they are giving me leave, but thank

you.

Mr.

Speaker, I move, seconded by Minister of Education, for leave to introduce a

bill entitled,

An Act To Amend The Financial Administration Act No. 2, Bill 65,

and I further move that the said bill be now read the first time.

MR. SPEAKER:

It is moved and seconded by

the hon. the Government House Leader that he shall have leave to introduce Bill

65 and that the said bill be now read a first time.

Is it

the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

All

those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

Motion,

the hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board to introduce a

bill,

An Act To Amend The Financial Administration Act No. 2, carried. (Bill

65)

CLERK (Barnes):

A bill,

An Act To Amend The Financial Administration Act No. 2. (Bill 65)

MR. SPEAKER:

Bill 65 has now been read a

first time.

When

shall the said bill be read a second time?

MR. A. PARSONS:

Tomorrow.

MR. SPEAKER:

Tomorrow.

motion, Bill 65 read a first time, ordered read a second time on tomorrow.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House

Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded

by the Minister of Natural Resources, for leave to introduce a bill entitled, An

Act To Amend The Financial Administration Act No. 3, Bill 66, and I further move

that the said bill be now read the first time.

MR. SPEAKER:

It is moved and seconded by

the hon. the Government House Leader that he shall have leave to introduce Bill

66 and that the said bill be now read a first time.

Is it

the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

All

those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

Motion,

the hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board to introduce a

bill,

An Act To Amend The Financial Administration Act No. 3, carried. (Bill

66)

CLERK:

A bill,

An Act To Amend The Financial Administration Act No. 3. (Bill 66)

MR. SPEAKER:

Bill 66 has now been read a

first time.

When

shall the said bill be read a second time?

MR. A. PARSONS:

Tomorrow.

MR. SPEAKER:

Tomorrow.

motion, Bill 66 read first time, ordered read a second time on tomorrow.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House

Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded

by the Minister of Service NL, for leave to introduce a bill entitled,

An Act To

Amend The Public Safety Act, Bill 67, and I further move that the said bill be

now read the first time.

MR. SPEAKER:

It is moved and seconded by

the hon. the Government House Leader that he shall have leave to introduce Bill

67 and that the said bill be now read a first time.

Is it

the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

All

those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

Motion,

the hon. the Minister of Service NL to introduce a bill,

An Act To Amend The

Public Safety Act, carried. (Bill 67)

CLERK:

A bill,

An Act To Amend The Public Safety Act. (Bill 67)

MR. SPEAKER:

This bill has now been read a

first time.

When

shall the said bill be read a second time?

MR. A. PARSONS:

Tomorrow.

MR. SPEAKER:

Tomorrow.

motion, Bill 67 read a first time, ordered read a second time on tomorrow.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House

Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Again, I

thank my colleagues for leave to do first reading and I would now call from the

Order Paper: Address in Reply.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the

District of Lewisporte Twillingate.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. D. BENNETT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for

the opportunity to deliver my maiden speech and to speak about the district I

represent and the pride I feel in being elected to this hon. House. Actually, I

think this is my fourth version of my maiden speech, so there have been a few

changes along the way.

It's

truly a great privilege to be out representing the beautiful and scenic District

of Lewisporte Twillingate. I would like to begin by extending my sincere

appreciation to the people who have worked so hard to get me here. While it's

dangerous to single out people, I have to recognize my co-campaign managers,

Betty Clarke and Brent Spracklin, who worked so diligently throughout this

journey.

We had a

very inexperienced team when we started. Most of us have never been involved in

a political campaign before. But what we lacked in experience, we made up for in

commitment. Our team was built on the belief that what we were engaged in was

important to our region's future. It was that team approach and the great people

working with us that brought success.

Mr.

Speaker, I would like to acknowledge Mr. Ronald Dawe and the Liberal party for

all their guidance and direction during the campaign process. Their contribution

and commitment did not go unnoticed. To my friends and supporters throughout the

district, thank you. You have trusted me to represent you as your Member of this

Assembly. You can rest assured that I will do all that I can to meet your

expectations.

During

my campaign I made one promise: that I would represent the people of my

district, of Lewisporte Twillingate, to the best of my ability. And I intend

to keep that promise.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. D. BENNETT:

There are so many people to

thank, it is almost overwhelming. To my daughter Catherine, my son Jonathan, and

his wife Robyn, thank you for all your love and support. To my mother-in-law and

father-in-law, Art and Jane Pickett, you've always been there for our family,

and there are no words to express my appreciation. Mr. Speaker, there's an old

saying: Behind every successful man, there's a really good woman. In my case,

there's a great woman, and that's truly, truly very supportive, my wife, Tina.

She has

been my greatest supporter; the source of my strength, the one that picks me up

when I'm down. Tina has always been there for me. While I spent countless hours

away from home, running recreation programs and special events in my previous

career, Tina was at the home front. During the election, this commitment did not

change. While I was out on the campaign trail, knocking on doors daylight and

dark, she continued to work herself and manage the home; helping me to prepare

my next day; doing data entry; and making sure I had a home-cooked meal every

night. Tina, without your support, this would not be possible. Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. D. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, I grew up in

Lewisporte and would like to share a little about its history. Settlers first

moved to Lewisporte in 1887 to take advantage of the prosperous fishing, logging

and shipbuilding industries. A railway station was built in 1900 at Notre Dame

Junction, just 11 kilometres south of Lewisporte. With the railway station

established, Timber Estates Limited, a sawmill operation, made Lewisporte a

shipping location, producing more than all other Newfoundland sawmills combined.

The mill was a major reason for the growth of our town.

During

the war years, Lewisporte played an important operation for the Canadian Forces.

Three army sites were constructed to protect the fuel supply to Gander.

Lewisporte's population increased as the town's transportation and distribution

functions became more important.

Lewisporte Wholesalers and Steers Limited began a wholesaling business in the

community and were suppliers to the rest of the province. Other companies

followed suit. Lewisporte became a major distribution centre. In 1946, the town

became incorporated and, by 1976, the population had grown to 3,200 people.

In the

1950s and '60s, the community made rapid advancements: water and sewer systems,

and a high school, Canadian National shed and wharf, paved streets and a local

newspaper were also added to the town. Modern banking, financial, legal, medical

services had been established, along with restaurants and hotel, and a vibrant

retail trade. Playgrounds and ballparks, along with the ice stadium, provided

recreational activities. Today, Lewisporte continues to serve as a hub for the

region and is a great place to work, to visit and to raise your family.

Mr.

Speaker, I attribute the person I am today to my parents Ross and Daisy Bennett.

They taught me life-long values of trust, honesty and consideration for others.

My father worked 42 years with the Canadian National. He retired at the age of

65 and passed away in 2003 at the age of 76.

mother spent her life as a homemaker. Together, Mom and Dad had 14 children,

seven boys and seven girls, then I came along to break the tie. Yes, I'm the

baby of 15 children and my siblings quickly remind me of that every chance they

get.

AN HON. MEMBER:

How old are they?

MR. D. BENNETT:

Oh, they're a lot older than

me.

I have

to thank my siblings and their extended families for all their support over the

years and during the election. Growing up, we didn't have a lot of material

things or riches, but we were rich in many other ways; we had a loving and

caring family.

Our

neighborhood wasn't the way it is now either. When I grew up, there were dozens

of children around and our lives were consumed with playing sports and doing

actually sitting down talking to one another face to face.

When I

told my mother I was planning to run for the House of Assembly, she was so

supportive and declared to anyone who would listen that I was going to win.

Sadly, just before the nomination, she passed away at the age of 92. I know

she's with my dad now looking down and, no doubt, proud of her big family and

their accomplishments, and in some way, still protecting her children.

Mr.

Speaker, prior to being elected or Madam Speaker, sorry prior to being

elected, I worked with the Town of Lewisporte as the Director of Recreation and

Tourism. Ironically, the date of my Liberal nomination was the 25th anniversary

of me working with the town. Jokingly, I told my friends that it was a sign; my

life sentence was served and now it's time for a new challenge. In reality, I

loved my job, worked with great people and enjoyed serving the community that I

still call home.

Through

my time with the Town of Lewisporte, I worked with a community that enjoyed

growth. My job was to develop recreation programs, facilities and community

special events such as the Mussel Bed Soiree. The Soiree has grown to be one of

the largest festivals in the province.

launched the Lewisporte Craft and Trade Show which is now celebrating its 20th

year and is the highest attended show off the Avalon.

I was

honoured to work with the development of the Lewisporte Marina Complex. And I'm

proud to say, because of the work of some visionary volunteers, it is the

largest marina facility for recreational boating in Atlantic Canada. This

world-class marina is home to local, provincial and national mariners. The

facility is getting international exposure and is quickly becoming a popular

destination for adventurous sailors from many foreign lands. With vessels

porting there from the United States, Switzerland, Austria and France, just to

name a few, Notre Dame Bay is a sailors paradise. It has been called the

Caribbean of the North, thanks to the numerous islands, anchorages and

magnificent scenery.

Madam

Speaker, my greatest satisfaction has always come from working with volunteer

committees and non-profit organizations. I have served on a number of capacities

over the years, everything from being President of Recreation Newfoundland and

Labrador to being the chairperson of the Central IcePak Major Midget Hockey Team

and an honourary member of the Kinsmen Club of Notre Dame. My past work and

volunteer experience, combined with my strong working relationship with the

people of my district, along with my desire to see the region group to its full

potential is the reason why I chose to seek election. I'm a strong believer, if

you want to see change; you have to contribute to making change.

District of Lewisporte Twillingate is made up of over 40 municipalities and

local service districts. Each one is special to me. The entire district is rich

in history and culture and these two things have made it a popular tourism

destination. Whether you are a visitor or a resident looking to experience the

beauty of icebergs, whales, scenic trails, or try your luck at catching a

codfish in season, of course there's always something to do.

Lewisporte Twillingate District offers an experience that is breathtaking and

memorable.

Mr. Speaker, the district boasts a number of festivals,

which I had the opportunity of attending this past summer. I'm going to take a

moment to talk about some of these great community events that are so important

to building community pride.

The Lewisporte Mussel Bed Soiree, which I referenced a few

minutes ago, celebrated its 30th anniversary and was host to five days of

activities for people of all ages. I have been involved in organizing the

festival for the past 25 years, so it was a different feeling being there as a

spectator this year versus being in charge of the event.

The Fish, Fun and Folk Festival, which is into its 35th

year, is one of the longest-running provincial festivals and is rated in the top

10 in Canada. This year was a

great success for the Fish, Fun and Folk Festival again.

The

Herring Neck Dory Race celebrated its third year this summer, and has become a

very popular event for tourists and locals alike. Although my dory racing skills

were pretty rusty, I had a great partner in 17-year-old Cameron Rice. Cameron is

one of the organizers and a true role model for youth.

Madam

Speaker, this past September, the Digital Arts Festival, entitled Unscripted

Twillingate, built on its successes from previous years. It provided local

businesses with the opportunity to extend the tourism season and showcase the

best of Twillingate through four days of workshops, entertainment and adventure

centred around the digital arts industry.

The

neighbouring community of Crow Head hosted come home year celebrations last

summer. The event brought home hundreds of past residents for a weekend of fun,

reminiscing about the past, reacquainting with old friends and making new ones.

addition to the festivals and sightseeing, there's so much more to experience in

the region. Madam Speaker, Twillingate really comes alive during the summer

months, and there's no wondering why it is rated one of the province's top

tourism destinations. My colleague behind me from the District of Bonavista, we

always have the ongoing debate over which area has the greatest visitation and

which is the best tourism destination.

The most

important thing is that all tourists continue to visit and we continue to

develop our potential. The positive impact tourism has on my district and our

province is immense. This year, many in the tourism industry saw increased

numbers in revenues from 20 to 50 per cent over previous years. From the Prime

Berth fishing village, which won three major awards this year, to Auk Island

Winery, which is producing some of the greatest wines in the province, we are

capitalizing on our tourism market.

Also in

my district, on Route 340, the Beothuk

Interpretation Centre in Boyd's Cove, the

site of a Beothuk village that was inhabited over 300 years ago. Walk the trail

or tour their centre with exhibits and artifacts that foster appreciation for

this unique and now vanished culture.

When it

comes to tourism, we are in the top of our game. In addition to our great

tourism industry, there are other thriving businesses as well. The Cottle's

Island lumberyard employs over 100 people. It's a growing industry, diversifying

their business model by producing wood products that is being shipped across the

country.

The

fishery is also a big industry for us with processing plants in Comfort Cove,

Newstead and Twillingate. The district is home to a large group of fish

harvesters, all of whom make a living off the rich resources from our sea.

Although

there's a great deal of positive activity happening in the district, we are not

without our challenges. In March 2015, Breakwater Fisheries processing plant in

Cottlesville was destroyed by fire and will not be rebuilt. This was devastating

to the Town of Cottlesville. Over 100 people now face the challenge of finding

new employment.

Further

impacting the fishery in Notre Dame Bay is the reduction to the shrimp and crab

quotas, along with the early closure of the mackerel fishery. All of this has

had an impact on the fish plants in Comfort Cove, Newstead and Twillingate.

However, on the good news side, we have established a great working relationship

with our federal government. LIFO and other regulations have been changed so

that more product can be caught and produced by inshore fisherpersons.

The

announcement of the re-establishment of the coast guard service in Twillingate

will again provide a much needed, enhanced service for safety of our

fisherpersons, our tour operators and our mariners. We have to continue to build

on this relationship with Ottawa for the economic benefits of our province.

Madam

Speaker, maintaining quality health care is also a major concern for me and my

constituents. The sod turning ceremony for a new private clinic in Lewisporte

back in October was welcomed. It will result in more local physicians in a

modern facility. However, maintaining service in New World Island clinic and in

Notre Dame Bay Memorial Health Centre in Twillingate is also a concern. I'm

committed to working with the residents, Central Health and the Minister of

Health and Community services to enhance medical care wherever we can.

Madam

Speaker, back in October, my district was one of the hardest hit areas by

Hurricane Matthew. This one singular event destroyed what many residents worked

a lifetime to build. The devastation would have been much greater if it weren't

for the efforts of volunteers, first responders and municipal employees and

leaders who worked co-operatively to minimize the damage.

I have

to commend the Premier and the Minister of Municipal Affairs, and also the

Minister of Transportation and Works and their staff, local contractors, and

Fire and Emergency Services for their quick response and their tireless efforts.

Their efforts eased the stress of affected residents and their communities.

closing, Madam Speaker, although the past 15 months have been challenging, they

have also been very rewarding. I have made a lot of new friendships throughout

the district and am blessed to work with some of the greatest people you will

ever meet. I would also like to thank again my family and friends for supporting

me, and a big thank you to all the people of my great district for trusting me

to represent them.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MADAM SPEAKER (Dempster):

The Speaker

recognizes the hon. the Member for Mount Pearl North.

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Madam Speaker, and

welcome back.

I want

to begin by congratulating the Member for Lewisporte Twillingate on his maiden

speech this afternoon. I hadn't realized that we still hadn't gotten through all

the maiden speeches, given that we're a year and a half into a new term. But the

challenge is when there are a lot of new MHAs and there's a change in

government, of course there are going to be a lot of maiden speeches to give.

Fitting

them in, in the course of debate in the House of Assembly, sometimes takes some

time. So I know the Member's been on his feet in the House before today, but

congratulations on delivering your maiden speech this afternoon. He was a

gentleman about it and had good words to say about his district and people that

have supported him, so congratulations on that.

And

welcome to everybody, back to the House of Assembly. Earlier than normal;

earlier than when we've traditionally come back in the spring. And while the

snow outside has been reduced; it's certainly not spring yet. Spring, I think,

is still a ways away. But I am pleased that we have some more structure to the

House schedule, and I think that will result in a smoother process here. And I,

for one, support that change and am delighted to be back in the House of

Assembly.

Several

people said to me on the weekend: Oh, so you're back to work on Monday. I know

it's something we smile and can joke about, but it also can be a little

frustrating because the work of an MHA certainly spans well beyond the work that

we do in this Chamber. In fact, I'll often say to people casually that it's hard

to get work done when you spend the morning getting ready for the House of

Assembly, you're in for several hours, then you might get a few phone calls

returned, and it's particularly challenging for those that live outside of the

capital region.

For me,

I still get to go home to my district at some point this evening and met with

constituents and do whatever else I have to do. But that's more challenging for

those who come from rural districts. So the work of an MHA is certainly not only

when the House of Assembly is open. In fact, a lot of the work, the bulk of the

work we do, is outside of this Chamber, even though the work that we do here

together is really important.

During

this Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne it gives an opportunity to

talk about whatever we want to talk about. It gives us an opportunity to address

issues in our district, gives us an opportunity to talk about current matters

affecting the province and things that our constituents might be concerned

about.

So in

the brief time I have today, I'm going to take an opportunity to do some of

that. And, of course, now that we're back into the spring session, there were

some bills introduced today that we'll start debate on tomorrow. But because of

the parliamentary process, there aren't bills for us to debate today, which is

why we're able to rise and speak to the reply to the Speech from the Throne,

which is another parliamentary tradition.

So, on a

less positive note, I'd like to talk about some of the recent media reports and

controversy related to some changes that were announced last week. I'd like to

get an opportunity to talk about what's going on in my district in Mount Pearl

and St. John's, but I'd like to begin by talking about an issue that relates to

one of the portfolios that I'm the Official Opposition critic for, and that's

Culture. Despite the department name change last week, I was going to continue

to be the Culture critic regardless, along with my other duties.

I will

commend government and commend the minister for today's move, today's reversal

of last week's decision and now the word culture is back in the department

name, which I believe is the Department of Tourism, Culture, Industry and

Innovation.

So I

think words matter. It's not all that matters, but this was an issue that was

really important to our cultural sector and government we all heard loud and

clear that people were upset about the move last week. I commend the minister

for going before the microphones today and saying: Yeah, we made a mistake. We

heard loud and clear and we're making the change before a lot of money was

spent. The minister pointed out in his remarks this morning that there weren't

new letterhead printing and new business cards ordered. So it was good that the

reversal of the decision happened quickly. I think that's a positive thing.

However,

the however is that there are still cuts happening within the department that

our arts community, our cultural community, our heritage community, is very

concerned about. So while it seemed on the surface that it was simply about the

department name and, for some, it was about the symbolism of the department name

bigger issue than that. Because there are many people in our province and

outside our province who are affiliated with our cultural and arts and heritage

communities who are very concerned about some cuts to some key positions that

are happening.

So while

the name has been fixed, the current Liberal government is still proceeding to

eliminate the director of arts and to eliminate the director of heritage and

other positions as well within the newly defined Department of Tourism, Culture,

Industry and Innovation.

So it's

great that the department's name change that culture had been restored as part

of that, but there are still some key positions within the department that have

been cut and we've yet to get answers on what impact that will have on

operations. So I suspect the minister will say: Well, it's not going to have any

impact. We're going to realign duties and it's all going to be fine. But the

bottom line is that some fairly senior key positions that support our arts and

heritage sectors have been eliminated. So the question becomes: Who's going to

provide the administrative leadership and the support to those sectors with

those positions now gone?

So we're

talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars of cuts last week to our arts and

cultural and heritage sectors that are supported by the provincial government.

So that is still a concern, and I hope that we'll hear more from the minister in

terms of addressing that concern.

From

what I hear from the interview that was done with the minister this morning,

that issue was not really addressed. So I hope that at some point in media

interviews or at some point during the course of debate in the House of Assembly

that the minister will speak to that and speak to those ongoing concerns from

the arts and cultural and heritage communities about these cuts.

So it's

good that government admitted its mistake and is acknowledging the concern from

the sector, but let's make no mistake, government is still proceeding with cuts

to the heritage, culture and arts divisions of the former Department of

Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development that's now the Department of

Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation. So while words matter, the decisions

to cut some key positions, some key leadership roles that affect those sectors,

that matters a lot as well.

I'd like

the minister to tell us how many positions were cut, specifically what positions

were cut. And, further to that, what is the practical impact? What does he

suspect the impact will be on those sectors, and who's going to do that work and

who's going to provide that support going forward?

You

know, on the same day that government decided to change the name, shuffle some

chairs around and try and take some of the political heat off themselves by

doing some minor restructuring in some cases and major restructuring in other

cases, the same day that the word culture came out of the department's name, the

director of arts for the province, that position was eliminated. The director of

heritage position for the province was eliminated. So that seems significant to

me.

Beyond

the name change, arts advocates are saying loudly and clearly that they feel the

reductions in those key positions that I've mentioned is a cost-cutting

initiative that will make effective governance impossible. So I'd like to hear

the minister's thoughts about that. I'd like to understand from him why he feels

that's okay, and why he feels those cuts to those sectors are justified. And I'd

like him to speak to the specific concerns that he's heard from people in

industry.

I know

for a fact that he has received dozens of individual pieces of correspondence

from artists and those involved in the arts sectors in our province. They have

raised these questions and concerns, and I feel they deserve answers. I suspect

the minister will write them all back, but I hope he'll provide some clear

answers on how this work is going to get done, and how can you say that these

sectors are so important when you're still proceeding with cuts despite fixing

the name in the department.

The

minister referenced this morning the status of the artists legislation that's

going to be coming forward. On the surface I would say that sounds like a good

initiative and I look forward to learning more and seeing more on that, but I

wonder what the expected results will be. What will be the impact for artists?

What will be the impact on the overall arts sector? And will there be measurable

results, and how will those results be measured? How will those results be

reported on?

The

minister said in a recent interview as well that government is as committed to

culture as ever. Well, I'm hearing from people today who are finding that a

little hard to believe, Madam Speaker. Because how can you say that when in the

last week there have been significant cuts within the new department, once again

newly-named Department of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation. And people

are also concerned about what's not being said at this point. They're concerned

about what other cuts may be coming as government goes through its budget

process.

Another

question I'd have for the minister relates to exactly that. Can we anticipate

even further cuts to areas like arts and heritage, and culture, as the spring

budget approaches? Based on what we've seen over the past week, I think the arts

community does have reason to be concerned. Let me just give you a flavour of

some of the concerns we've heard. And again, some of what I'm going to share

with you relates specifically to the name change, but as you'll hear, it's

bigger than that.

It's not

just about the name of the department. It's about the fact that some key support

to these sectors that contribute greatly to economic development in our

province, some key support to those sectors has been eliminated. Here's one note

from an arts leader in our community who wrote over the weekend to express some

concerns. And again, it's not just about the name of the department, which is

why I want to share these concerns with Members of the House of Assembly today.

Minister, thank you for saying that your door is open for discussion, because

words matter. Last night I saw The Once play the 800-seat theatre at the

National Arts Centre. The sold out performance ended with a three-encore

standing ovation. I would wager that the band said the word Newfoundland I

wish they had also said Labrador upwards of 20 times, maybe more.

production I am personally involved in, a stage-adaptation of

Colony of Unrequited Dreams , opened

last night at the 400-seat Neptune Theatre in Halifax to a full house and

standing ovations as well. The word Newfoundland is said 64 times in that

production. Ten days ago, that show finished its run here in Ottawa, playing to

close to 11,000 people.

This

afternoon, at the National War Museum, I saw the beautiful

The Door You Came In by Newfoundlander once-removed David

MacFarlane. Again, a sold out house, ending with tears and a standing ovation,

top to tail full of stories of our place. I would say he says the word

Newfoundland 30 times in the performance. I'm not able to begin to guess the

number of people who have been turning the pages of our writers, listening to

our musicians, and gazing into the works of our filmmakers and visual artists

over the past two days, but I promise you it is in the thousands. This is a

snapshot of just two days. That's a lot of Newfoundland and Labrador in a lot of

places at one time.

The

artists of our province provide untold value that can't be reduced down to

visits to gift shops. I've had two different people tell me that they moved to

the province after watching Robert Chafe's

Tempting Providence . What would happen if we remove the Newfoundland and

Labrador from all of these shows that are such a calling card for the province

and such a celebration of our place for the people who live there? Removing the

word culture from the Newfoundland and Labrador government priorities makes me

wonder why we try so hard.

So I

think those eloquent sentiments sum up a lot of the concerns that we're hearing

from people in our arts and cultural communities. We're hearing from actors and

artists and writers and poets and musicians and people in all kinds of facets of

the arts and cultural communities who are writing with very similar messages.

Even though the reversal of the decision on the name of the department was

announced this morning, these concerns continue to roll in today. And they

continue to roll in because the problem isn't solved by simply changing the name

of the department. It's great that that's happened. It's great that that's been

fixed, but the cuts that happened last week cannot be ignored and cannot be

forgotten about.

Let me

just share some more sentiments with you from some artists in our province. The

cultural industries are a significant driver of the economy of our province and

the health and well-being of its people. It is already an extremely broad term

that spans arts, heritage, food, clothing, language, history and more. It has

both for-profit and not-for-profit businesses. It covers buildings, it covers

individuals. Its workers are in the thousands with skills that are wide ranging

and needs that are differing. To bury such a huge and diverse industry under the

banner of others is a mistake.

To drop

culture from the name is to drop it in priority. In real terms, you're dropping

the priority of a recognized growth industry worth $455 million annually; one

that is a renewable resource, one that is a success story, one that brings in

tourism while ameliorating the lives of those who live here. To drop from view

such an industry shows an extreme lack of understanding that is undermining our

faith in your stewardship. To reduce key staff is a cost-cutting initiative that

will make effective governance impossible to reduce key staff is a

cost-cutting initiative that will make effective governance impossible. And

these are not my words; these are the words of artists and those involved in the

arts and cultural industries who are quite concerned about the decisions of this

Liberal government in recent days.

The arts

and cultural industries are filled with nationally recognized individuals, as

well as institutions with decades of experience being providers and drivers in

our communities. The Arts and Culture Centres are celebrating 50 years this

year. Rising Tide has been a cultural leader in this province for 40 years. The

Resource Centre for the Arts and the LSPU Hall has been launching artists for 40

years. The Stephenville Theatre Festival has been the backbone of culture and

tourism in the Bay St. George area for 39 years.

Artistic

Fraud of Newfoundland has over 20 years under its belt. Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians have toured around the world; have been seen on stages from

Stratford to Broadway to New Zealand. We run major institutions like the

National Arts Centre and the Toronto Dance Theatre. Our musicians are heard

around the planet. Our writers ignite the imaginations of millions; the work of

our visual artists, hanging collections worldwide.

Our

stories have been seen in such prestigious places as the Toronto International

Film Festival, Cannes, the Sundance Film Festival, Netflix, Discovery Canada

and, of course, the CBC. We've been nominated for Oscars and we've been

syndicated around the planet. We know our industry. We're deeply concerned about

this direction that the government is taking. We hope that you will find a path

forward that will enable the continued growth of this sector that you, the

government, have rightly identified as vital and important.

So there

are several actions that people are calling on government to take. One was

reinstating the word culture in the title of the department. So you can tick

that box. That's the easy one and that's been done. But they're also calling on

government to reinstate the key positions like the director of arts and the

director of heritage that were cut last week.

Now, I'm

not going to stand here and say that government shouldn't make changes to the

management structure of government departments. Some of those moves are

necessary. I get that there's an evolution that needs to happen within

government departments. But the overall approach to cuts that this government is

taking is haphazard and is irresponsible and there is a better way.

For

instance, we had a very aggressive attrition plan that could have been

accelerated that would have addressed some of the concerns about the size of the

public sector that we all have, or most of us have. So instead of following

through with that plan, the approach has been sporadic and haphazard and

knee-jerk, and now we're seeing real impact on some key sectors in our province.

Artists are also calling for assurances from government that funding for

arts and culture and heritage will be maintained and even expanded. I think it's

a huge economic development opportunity for our province. We can't just think of

is as supporting the arts, period. It's about investing in real economic growth

that's measurable. I mean, we're talking about hundreds of millions of dollars

of economic activity each and every year in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Madam Speaker, I see my time is up. I hope that I'll get more

opportunities this session to rise and talk about other issues and talk about

issues related specifically to my district as well, but this was an important

one that I couldn't let pass today.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MADAM SPEAKER:

The Speaker recognizes

the hon. Minister of Fisheries and Land Resources.

MR. CROCKER:

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

I'm just getting used to that name of the department myself, but it's a

pleasure to stand here today and, first of all, represent the people of the

District of Carbonear Trinity Bay de Verde. It's always a privilege to stand

in this place and represent the people that elect you.

Madam Speaker, I guess the Member who just spoke raised some points about

negativity and where we're headed as a province. Well, you know, from the

challenges that we faced over the last 12 or 15 months as a province, I feel, as

a government, we've made some progress with some of the changes that,

unfortunately, we had to make and some of the things that we faced when we came

into government. But I'm just going to take a few minutes now, first off, I

think to talk about the department which I represent today and I'll lead into

the district that I represent because the two are tied very much I think.

I guess when you think about challenges, only this afternoon we're seeing

news coming out of DFO meetings here in St. John's with respect to the crab

stocks off our coast and, just about a week and a half ago, we heard concerns

raised around the shrimp stocks off our coast. So as a province, we're headed to

a period of transition in the fishery. It's very important that right now, we,

as government and, we, as a province and, we, as a House of Assembly work very

hard to ensure that the transition from shellfish back to groundfish is as

seamless as possible.

Just take a minute actually to look back to 2015-16, the year that we're

just coming out of in the fishery in this province and if you look at the

province's production market value this year, it's going to be the highest ever.

So we see great things coming out of the fishery because let's never forget that

the real backbone of this province has been and always will be the fishery and

it's an integral part of how we grow this province.

I know, Madam Speaker, Members opposite share that view as well. Just

this afternoon, I had a conversation with my critic on the fisheries file and we

shared the concerns of where we're headed this year, unfortunately, it looks

like, in the shellfish industry. But I can assure the harvesters and processors

in this province that we'll do our utmost as a government to ensure that the

transition from what was a predominant shellfish industry to a groundfish

industry is as seamless as possible. But it's important that we recognize the

challenges that the fishery in this province will face in the coming years.

Just to

reflect on that, when I think about the fishery and the impact it has on the

entire province, I quickly reflect to my own district because my district, Madam

Speaker, I would argue is one of the most, if not, the most, dependent district

in this province on the fishery; and it's very important that we make sure that

we're there and we do what we can to help facilitate that transition.

You

know, if you look all around the province, Madam Speaker, I think of your

particular district where you look at the work that the Labrador Union Shrimp

Company does and the challenges that we face in that region of the province this

year with the declining shrimp and decline in crab. So we're going to have a lot

of challenges in the fishery this year, but I can assure you, as a government,

we'll work with the harvesters and processors to the best of our ability.

One of

the other things, I guess, in my portfolio today, Madam Speaker, is aquaculture,

and we see some tremendous opportunities and tremendous developments in

aquaculture in this province. Just this past December, we had Northern Harvest

announce an expansion to their facility in Stephenville, which is going to bring

another 6,000 tons of salmon into production in the province.

You

know, we have things happening in the province with regard to the proposal from

Grieg, Madam Speaker. Just this Friday, it was announced that Marine Harvest,

which is the largest aquaculture company in the world, producing or actually

last year their sales were somewhere in the $2.5 billion range. And this company

successfully acquired the assets of Gray Aquaculture on the South Coast of the

province. This company, too, would also bring a lot of opportunity to the

province, along with existing companies like Cooke and Northern Harvest.

And

then, Madam Speaker, in The Way Forward

document the Premier outlined that one of the things that we will do as we move

to develop our economies primarily in rural Newfoundland and Labrador with

regard to aquaculture is we're looking also to grow the mussel industry. That

industry is primarily located on the Northeast coast of the province, and it's

also an opportunity for a great expansion in that.

And just

to add to the aquaculture side, Madam Speaker, we will this year see our largest

ever volume and GDP benefit from aquaculture in this province. So I guess that's

two parts of the portfolio that I currently sit in, Madam Speaker.

I guess

it'll be two weeks this Thursday I was on the West Coast with the Premier and

the Minister of Municipal Affairs and local MHAs from the region, and we were

able to announce 64,000 hectares of agricultural land that we're going to add to

our agricultural land base in this province. It's important when you realize

that only 10 per cent of our produce in the province today, Madam Speaker, is

grown here. We need to do better. And I think everybody in this House would

agree that as a province we need to grow more of our own food.

Of the

62 areas of interest that we've outlined and we're working with stakeholders to

develop in the province, we're not just looking at certain regions of the

province; we're looking at the entire province. Six of the 62 are located in

Labrador, and 56 are located here on the Island. These have brought in a lot of

co-operation through different agencies.

We've

had 25 municipalities that we've had to consult with, with regard to the changes

to the Crown Lands and bringing more land into agriculture. And I can tell you

the municipalities that we've consulted with, both through us and through

Municipal Affairs, have been more than willing to come on board and want to be a

part of us growing more in this province. So that's something, Madam Speaker, we

will work towards in the coming months to get this land into the hands of

farmers in our province.

Madam

Speaker, this coming summer we as a province will host Canada's Agriculture

Ministers here in St. John's where we hope to conclude a new framework agreement

that will take the place of Growing Forward 2. We're very much looking forward

to the opportunity this summer to conclude the negotiations on that agreement

and bring some much needed funding back into the province when it comes to

agriculture.

Just to

conclude on agriculture, I had the opportunity last week to speak at the

Greenhouse Conference here in St. John's. It's very interesting when you look at

the things that we're doing here in the city and in all parts of the province

when it comes to greenhouse agriculture.

One

other thing, last week in our announcement of the changes to some of the

structures of government, Madam Speaker, as a government now we're looking at

the Wooddale Tree Nursery to expand its mandate not only from a seedling

operation, which is very important to our forestry industry, but we're also

looking at other things that we can use this facility, located in Wooddale in

Central Newfoundland and Labrador, to produce more and to give us some more

opportunities in the agriculture industry.

If we

look for a moment, Madam Speaker, at one of the other industries that would play

very much a large role in our future as a province, is the forestry. We've made

some achievements in the forestry industry over the last number of weeks. We see

some activity in Central Newfoundland, we see our existing companies looking to

expand. There's great opportunity for the forest industry in this province. It's

an industry that has evolved over the years. We've gone from three paper mills

to one, and that itself brings challenges. Again, it is something that as a

province we must and will address when it comes to the availability of all the

resources that we have.

Back in

December, I guess, Madam Speaker, the Department of Municipal Affairs, Minister

Joyce, we brought in some changes to the Crown Lands Act that are very much in line with what municipalities have

been asking this province for a long time. And we look forward to making even

more changes to the Lands Act in the

coming months. It's important that we get Crown lands into the hands of

municipalities and people who want to use this land.

Madam

Speaker, just for a moment I guess, if you look at where we see the vision of

this province. You look at a department like the department that I'm currently

sitting in, there's a lot of opportunity in our renewable resources in this

province. If you look around, whether it's in fisheries, agriculture, forestry,

agrifoods, all of those bring together resources that are abundant here in

Newfoundland and Labrador and resources that you know as we move forward as a

province we will need to develop to their fullest.

When you

think about some of the groups out there today and some of the things that we've

been able to achieve, it's very important that one of the things we need to do

is to work as a group of stakeholders or shareholders I guess to make sure that

everything we do in this province is done with the utmost of respect for our

environment, respect for our native and indigenous people. So we will continue

in this department to consult.

Again,

when you look at the different areas of the province, and I'll come back to my

own district, you know, we see many challenges but we also see many

opportunities, whether it's in the fishery, forestry, agrifoods. But, at the end

of the day, Madam Speaker, it's important we all work together.

I'm

going to conclude right now, but again, thank you for the opportunity this

afternoon.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MADAM SPEAKER:

The Speaker recognizes the

hon. Member for Mount Pearl Southlands.

MR. LANE:

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

certainly is great to be back in the House of Assembly again. I want to welcome

everybody back. I'm sure we all enjoyed having the opportunity of getting out

and about in our districts; talking to the people, hearing what they have to say

and hopefully we're going to bring their views forward in the House of Assembly

as we proceed.

Madam

Speaker, there are many things I could speak about. I guess we're into Address

in Reply, so it's wide open basically to speak about whatever you wish, whether

it be about your district or whether it be about issues occurring in the

province and so on and there certainly are a number of things.

I'm not

going to dwell on the budget today. There's going to be lots of opportunity as

time goes on to talk about that. I will say, though, that I guess as was

predicted at the time and as was said at the time, we've seen a number of people

that I'm sure we've all heard from, I know we've all heard from some of them,

who continue to have challenges, very significant challenges as it relates to, I

guess, the impacts of the budget on their households. And it's quite unfortunate

to say the least, but it's something I'm going to talk about at another time.

What I

want to talk about today, Madam Speaker, is Nalcor. We've had some discussion,

certainly in Question Period today, around the former CEO's contract and how

that went down, who knew what and so on, but that's not really the piece I want

to talk about. I want to talk about, I guess, Nalcor in general.

I want

to talk about the Muskrat Falls Project, a project that I did stand up and vote

for, and I've openly it's on the record anyway. I have no problem saying that

I did because I did at the time based on the information I was provided, my

colleagues were provided. I did so in what I felt to be the best interest of the

people and of my constituents at the time. Based on the information, as I said,

that was provided and taking the word of people as to the information