March 18, 2004 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY

PROCEEDINGS Vol. XLV No. 1

The House met at 2:00 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Hodder) : Order, please!

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS Mr. Speaker, the Justices of the Supreme Court have

arrived.

MR. SPEAKER: Admit the Justices of the Supreme Court.

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: All rise.

Mr. Speaker, His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor has arrived.

MR. SPEAKER: Admit His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor.

Mr. Speaker leaves the Chair.

His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor takes the Chair.

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: It is the wish of His Honour The Lieutenant-Governor

that all present please be seated.

PREMIER WILLIAMS: May it please Your Honour: The House of Assembly,

agreeable to Your Honour's command, have proceeded to the choice of a Speaker

and have elected Harvey Hodder, Member for the District of Waterford Valley, to

that office, and by that direction I present him for Your Honour's approval.

HIS HONOUR THE LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR (Edward Roberts, Q.C.):

On behalf of Her Majesty, I assure you of my sense of your efficiency and I

do most fully approve and confirm you as their Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Your Honour, having approved the choice of this House in

constituting me as its Speaker, it now becomes my duty in the name of the

representatives of Her Majesty's loyal subjects, the people of this Province,

to claim respectfully of Your Honour their accustomed rights and privileges,

especially that they shall have freedom of speech in their debates, that they

may be free from arrest during their attendance in Parliament, and that I, as

Speaker, may have full access to Your Honour's presence at all reasonable

times, and that they have confirmed to them all their ancient rights and

privileges which have been confirmed them by Your Honour's predecessors.

HIS HONOUR THE LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR: Mr. Speaker, in accordance with the

tradition that goes back to the time of Queen Elizabeth I of England, I do

confirm this House on behalf of Her Majesty in the enjoyment of all of its

ancient and undoubted rights and privileges.

Mr. Speaker, Members of the House of Assembly and people of Newfoundland and

Labrador:

On the ninth of February, half a world away from his hometown of Campbellton,

Notre Dame Bay, Lieutenant-General Rick Hillier proudly took command of the

International Security Assistance Force in war-torn Afghanistan. Though

Newfoundland and Labrador is one of the most peaceful and safe places on Earth,

we continue to produce thousands of young heroes whose courage and commitment to

peace and liberty are without compromise. Today, we especially remember one such

hero, Corporal Jamie Murphy of Conception Harbour, who, on the morning of

January 27, gave his life in defence of those ideals. He was just twenty-six.

This tragedy has touched all of us very deeply. To the Murphy family,

Newfoundlanders and Labradorian in every part of the Province extend their

heartfelt prayers and their deepest sympathies.

Our Cultural Heritage

Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:

The first known reference to the presence of French fishers in Newfoundland

and Labrador waters dates back to 1504. Five hundred years later, from Labrador

West to St. Lunaire-Griquet, from Port au Port to the old capital of "Plaisance",

Newfoundland and Labrador is celebrating a half-millennium of "French

Experience." Celebrating our French heritage and ties helps define our

strong cultural identity; it adds to our quality of life; it expresses our sense

of inclusion; it expands our knowledge and raises our pride in who we are; and

it contributes to our cultural and linguistic diversity, including Canada's

two official languages. Our people share a common Acadian heritage with those in

other provinces such as Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and

with Acadians around the world. We are also celebrating the strong relationships

we have cultivated with our French neighbours in Qubec and St. Pierre and

Miquelon. My Government commends the Fdration des Francophones de Terre-Neuve

et du Labrador for taking the lead in promoting this anniversary and drawing

attention to our rich francophone cultural heritage, which has been so important

in making all of us who we are.

Grce notre patrimoine franais nous sommes plus forts. Cette anne,

nous vous invitons tous dcouvrir l'histoire franaise de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador

et fter notre patrimoine avec nous.

Translation: Because of our French heritage, we are stronger. This year,

we invite everyone to discover the French history of Newfoundland and Labrador

and celebrate our heritage with us.

In 2000, the world celebrated with us the millennial anniversary of the

completion of "the Full Circle", the convergence of westward-moving

Vikings from Europe and eastward-moving Aboriginal people inhabiting Labrador

and the Island. In the centuries that followed this great convergence of east

and west, Newfoundland and Labrador, as a strategically-situated trading state,

came to embrace people from countries, cultures and creeds the world over.

Scottish, Chinese and East Indian, Spanish and Portuguese and so many other

ancestries - all of us Canadians - and at the same time we are all

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. That rich legacy of convergence is among our

greatest strengths.

Among our greatest challenges is the need to bring about another kind of

convergence - a coming together of what we are capable of accomplishing as a

Province and what we are actually getting done. It is high time that

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians started living up to their potential.

The New Approach

Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:

On the 21 st of October 2003, the voters of Newfoundland and

Labrador elected a new Government with a strong mandate to pursue a new approach

to governance and economic self-reliance in our great Province. People voted for

change, and my Government will deliver change for the better. The challenges

confronting us did not occur overnight, and will not be solved overnight, but

they will be solved progressively over time. The initiatives my Government is

bringing before the people's House this year represent a strong new beginning.

My Government is determined to deliver open, accountable, effective governance

as we embark on a strategy for success: to spend more effectively the revenues

we already receive, and to generate new revenues by promoting business growth,

new investment and new jobs. My Government's policies are rooted in solid

economic fundamentals. They focus on promoting medium- and- small-business

development, better economic infrastructure, innovation and product

diversification, expanding trade, sustainable resource management, a healthy

environment, a highly-skilled workforce, a competitive tax system, and sound

fiscal management. They focus on helping those who most need help to enable them

to participate fully in their society by addressing the barriers that have

marginalized women, persons with disabilities, people living in poverty, our

Aboriginal people and the elderly.

My Government will be guided in all of its decisions by a strong social

conscience and a clear understanding that Newfoundland and Labrador will make

significant social progress through economic growth and fiscal health.

Three priorities will guide my Government's decisions for Newfoundland and

Labrador over the coming year:

Firstly, to get our economy growing in a way that generates more jobs,

investment, diversification and revenue here in our own communities;

Secondly, to use those revenues to finance low-waste, high-quality social

programs; and

Thirdly, to improve federal-provincial relations in concrete ways that bring

real benefits to the people, economy and Treasury of Newfoundland and Labrador.

That, Mr. Speaker, is my Government's new approach to governance and

self-reliance in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Sustainable Resource Management

Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:

Newfoundland and Labrador is blessed with a bounty of natural resources. Our

natural environment is still our most important economic asset. Clean water and

clean air are priceless natural endowments. The fisheries, forests, soil,

wildlife and minerals are worth billions of dollars annually. My Government is

determined to build on our traditional strengths by better managing the

development of the resources on which vital provincial industries are based.

My Government has already established the new Department of Environment and

Conservation and the new Department of Natural Resources, which will work

cooperatively for the protection of our sensitive ecosystems and the sustainable

development of our resources.

My Government will commence work to develop, within two years, a Sustainable

Development Act that will ensure our natural resources, both renewable and

nonrenewable, are developed responsibly in ways that maximize benefits to the

people of Newfoundland and Labrador and protect and conserve our natural

environment and our natural heritage. This Sustainable Development Act will be

the legislative framework for a Strategic Environmental Management Plan, the

purpose of which will be to achieve environmental and economic sustainability

and a high quality of life for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. My Government

will also enhance the strategic environmental review component of internal

government processes to ensure that environmental considerations are fully

appreciated and addressed in submissions to Cabinet.

My Government will also support the proposal before the Atlantic Canada

Opportunities Agency to establish in Corner Brook a Centre for Excellence in

Environmental Research, Development, Science and Technology, which will partner

with Memorial University and Sir Wilfred Grenfell College to make the Corner

Brook area a national leader in environmental sciences.

Fisheries and Aquaculture

No industry is in greater need of the application of sustainable development

practices than our fishing industry, one of the Province's largest

private-sector employers. Entire regional economies are based on the harvesting

and processing of fisheries resources. Our transportation, fuel, technology and

service industries rely on the business the fishing industry generates.

While my Government is determined to better manage fisheries responsibilities

within its jurisdiction, it is deeply concerned that Newfoundland and Labrador

has too weak a role in fisheries management. Canada dictates resource

allocations in waters within the country's 200-mill exclusive economic zone

while the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization, NAFO, decides allocations

in waters of the continental shelf outside the 200-mile limit. My Government

will pursue a Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador fisheries agreement to give the

Province a greater say in fisheries management within Canada's economic zone

management on the continental shelf immediately outside Canada's 200-mile

limit where such action is warranted to preserve fish stocks from international

unsustainable harvesting practices.

Conservation decisions as well as economic planning decisions should reflect

a broad body of scientific data, the findings of fish harvesters, and the

interpretations brought to bear on that information by the specialists at the

Fisheries Resources Conservation Council, FRCC. My Government welcomes the

decisions regarding Gulf cod this year will be guided by the recommendations of

the FRCC. My Government reaffirms the collective belief of Members of this

Legislature that this fishery should be reopened.

While many of the world's wild fisheries are in decline, aquaculture

promises to replace much of the supply. My Government is determined to increase

the availability of raw fish product and to bolster our aquaculture industry by

investing in a cod aquaculture development program.

My Government is also prepared to increase the return Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians receive on the fish products they do produce by working, in

consultation with the industry, to enhance the quality assurance program and to

develop a comprehensive, long-term marketing program.

My Government is particularly concerned about the uncertainty that has

gripped the industry's shellfish sector in recent years. To bring stability to

the Province's fish processing sector, my Government has accepted in principle

the recommendations of the 2003 Final Report of the Fish Processing Policy

Review Commission, chaired by Eric Dunne, and will use this report as the

foundation for a renewed processing policy.

Agriculture

Mr. Speaker, agriculture is another industry with phenomenal growth

potential. Through value-added production, industry diversification, land

development, technology and marketing, farmers and others in the industry are

already beginning to take better advantage of the boundless opportunities for

growth. With increasing emphasis among consumers on food quality and safety, new

opportunities are opening up for agriculture and the preparation of specialty

food products. My Government will help agricultural enterprises to access

capital and to commercialize so they can take better advantage of opportunities

for expansion and even greater success.

Energy

Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:

Though Newfoundland and Labrador is an energy-rich Province, we will not be

the principal beneficiaries of the revenues generated from any of our key energy

projects - Hibernia, Terra Nova, White Rose or the Upper Churchill - under the

existing fiscal arrangements. Returns from the petroleum sector are a particular

source of frustration because, under the Atlantic Accord between our Province

and Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador should be the principal beneficiary from

the development of, and the revenues generated by, the oil and gas resources off

our shores. Even following the full application of the Accord's twelve-year

equalization offset formula, Canada will receive about six times as much in

revenues from our offshore oil and gas projects as Newfoundland and Labrador

will receive. Once these petroleum resources are gone, so too is the opportunity

to benefit from their extraction and use. This is a once-in-a-lifetime

opportunity that Newfoundland and Labrador must not and will not miss.

My Government will not rest until we have reached, with the Government of

Canada, an equitable arrangement on petroleum revenues that reflects the intent

of the federal and provincial governments when the Atlantic Accord was signed.

The intent was that Newfoundland and Labrador would be the principal beneficiary

of such developments.

My Government takes tremendous encouragement from the support it has garnered

from leaders across the country for a re-balancing of offshore revenues to the

benefit of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The New Economy

While offshore petroleum developments have not delivered the revenues to

which our Province is entitled, they have nevertheless fostered increased

self-confidence in our Province's business community. My Government believes,

as do economic leaders and innovators, that the time has come for Newfoundland

and Labrador to set its sights on other opportunities in the knowledge economy.

Thousands of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are employed in high-knowledge,

high-skills jobs across Canada and around the world. They compete with the best

and they perform with the best. Our younger generations are tech-savvy, bold and

ambitious. They innovate with ease, they embrace change with confidence, and

they seek new challenges that bring greater rewards. Unfortunately, too many of

our youth have to leave the Province to find jobs that match their talents and

skills.

My Government is determined to help our young people to achieve their career

goals here at home so they can apply their talents in building a more prosperous

Province.

My Government will begin work this year to develop a comprehensive innovation

strategy that identifies and builds upon emerging opportunities in a wide range

of disciplines: for example, information technology, engineering, marine

science, and environmental technologies addressing climate change and waste

management. Memorial University is already undertaking groundbreaking research

and development in a wide range of disciplines and is opening doors to new kinds

of careers. My Government will identify opportunities to best support

post-secondary education and training to ensure that even more Newfoundlanders

and Labradorians are able to compete successfully for lucrative careers on the

cutting edge.

In the past, many solid economic development opportunities in this Province

have gone unrealized because of a lack of champions or a lack of coordination

among departments and between the provincial and federal governments. Hundreds

of long-term jobs can be created in such areas as agrifoods, waste management,

mining, energy and tourism if government was to properly coordinate its

activities in support of the private sector. To ensure that viable projects and

opportunities move quickly from concept to reality, my Government will direct

the Economic Policy Committee of Cabinet to take on the added role of an

Economic Initiatives Committee. It will be charged with coordinating the efforts

of departments and agencies, breaking logjams where they exist, and facilitating

decisions. Government must support the private sector by playing an enabling

role in the pursuit of new jobs.

The tremendous opportunities associated with the new economy serve to

complement the incredible opportunities associated with our traditional or

resource-based industries. My Government will work to identify new avenues for

growth in mining and mineral exploration, oil and gas exploration offshore,

forestry, wildlife, tourism and culture while preparing ourselves for

opportunities on the cutting edge of technology.

Education

Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:

The fuel of the new economy is knowledge. Our young people are best prepared

for emerging opportunities when our education system provides them with the

skills they need to succeed. My Government will make world-class education among

its highest priorities.

My Government recognizes that education is a lifelong process beginning in a

child's earliest years. In order to reach students in their critical formative

years, my Government will establish a Ministerial Council for Early Childhood

Learning to foster comprehensive programs across all government departments and

agencies that focus on the learning needs of children and their families. For

students in the K-to-12 system, my Government will set achievement standards in

core areas of school curriculum, including language arts and mathematics, and

further develop a process for assessing and disclosing school performance.

My Government will also ensure the Province's school buses are safe and

well-maintained and that schools are safe and conducive to learning.

Education does not end at high school graduation. Higher levels of education

mean higher incomes for graduates and stronger investment opportunities for the

economy. My Government will commission a White Paper on post-secondary education

identify initiatives that will enhance the employment prospects of graduates.

The White Paper will also examine whether our university and public college are

meeting their potential to attract investment and generate economic development

opportunities in Newfoundland and Labrador. With their world-class instructors

and technological resources, these public institutions are well-positioned to

partner with industry and the community to conduct a wide range of basic and

applied research that has strong economic development opportunities.

In order to better prepare students and lifelong learners to take advantage

of the benefits education brings, my Government will initiate a more focused and

coordinated approach to career planning. To encourage and enable more of our

citizens to pursue a higher education, My Government has announced a freeze on

tuition fees at both Memorial University and the College of the North Atlantic

for the 2004-05 academic year.

Infrastructure

In order to attract new investment and to compete more successfully,

Newfoundland and Labrador requires not only a well-educated work force but also

a solid foundation of reliable infrastructure. Investing in infrastructure is

one of the most effective ways governments can stimulate jobs creation in the

short term and make the economy more productive and competitive over the long

term.

Unfortunately, in many part of Newfoundland and Labrador today, existing

infrastructure is deteriorating from the inability to service the many demands

within available resources. Preventative maintenance is far less costly than

outright replacement or extensive repairs down the road. Our Province will

bridge the large gap between the infrastructure we have and the infrastructure

we need only if we proceed strategically and progressively in accordance with a

plan. My Government will develop a comprehensive infrastructure strategy to

guide investments in public infrastructure in a manner that promotes growth. My

Government will also work closely with the Province's municipalities to ensure

that they are well-prepared to attract new investment and jobs.

A significant component of the infrastructure gap is the isolation of the

entire Island and most of Labrador from the North American highway grid. Our

people and companies are at the mercy of costly air and sea transportation links

as a consequence of our disconnection from the highway grid. My Government, in

cooperation with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, will conduct a

pre-feasibility study to determine whether and how it is practical to construct

a fixed link connecting Labrador and the Island.

My Government is determined to open up the new frontier of Labrador to new

opportunities that will be of particular benefit to Labrador's communities,

people and economy. To that end, my Government has just announced its intention

to proceed this year with Phase III of the Trans-Labrador Highway construction

project connecting Happy Valley-Goose Bay to Cartwright and thereby completing

the highway from Labrador West to Southern Labrador.

A Pivotal Role for Labrador

For far too long, the people, resources and potential of Labrador have been

ignored and excluded from the decision-making processes of the Province. We can

no longer tolerate this atmosphere of exclusion. We must recognize that Labrador

will play a pivotal role in the future success of this Province. We must create

meaningful employment opportunities, optimize resource benefits and develop

infrastructure that results in a stronger, more vibrant economy.

Business

Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:

My Government's goal is to make Newfoundland and Labrador a magnet for

investment and a mecca for talent.

To this end, my First Minister will oversee a new Department of Business to

facilitate growth and investment throughout rural and urban Newfoundland and

Labrador. This year and in the years to come, my First Minister will meet one on

one with many businesses operating in our Province - for example, oil companies,

mining companies, paper companies, major retailers and small business owners

alike - to determine what my Government can do to enhance business success and

job creation in our Province. My Government recognizes and celebrates the strong

role and tremendous successes of entrepreneurs and innovators in many sectors of

our economy, including our creative and cultural industries which have helped to

shape who we are. My Government also recognizes the vital role of workers,

unions and employers in laying the foundation for business growth and job

creation.

Not only will my Government consult with businesses currently operating in

the Province about the environment they need in order to grow, but it will also

aggressively pursue investors from outside the Province, encouraging them to

establish and invest in operations throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. Many of

the contracts generated in the Province each year are publicly-funded. To enable

businesses in the Province to compete fairly for public work, my Government will

initiate a supplier development program to help local firms supply quality goods

and services at competitive costs to government departments and agencies.

Economic and Social Policy

Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:

Economic policy and social policy cannot be viewed in exclusion of one

another. They are indivisible. Investments in sound social initiatives promoting

education, health and the welfare of our people generate economic activity both

directly and indirectly while at the same time making Newfoundland and Labrador

far more enticing to investors. At the same time, economic policies that get

businesses growing and people working also generate the revenues government

needs to finance further progress on social programs and infrastructure.

The Province fares best when its government's social and economic policies

are designed to function in ways that complement one another.

My Government is particularly concerned about the challenges confronting our

rural communities and the businesses that operate in them. It acknowledges, and

is appreciative of, the contributions made to our Province and our communities

by the volunteer sector, including a host of community service organizations,

advocacy associations and regional development agencies. The time has come to

build on these partnerships with concrete initiatives that produce measurable

results. To that end, my Government has established a new Rural Secretariat as

the focal point for government to work with local and regional partners to build

strong and dynamic communities. The Secretariat will serve alongside the

Departments of Business and of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development as a

coordinating agent for rural renewal. It will embrace and build upon the work of

the Strategic Social Plan. The Secretariat will be tasked with promoting the

well-being of rural Newfoundland and Labrador through a comprehensive approach

aimed at integrating economic, social and cultural aspects of rural and regional

development. As well as working with local and regional partners to make sure

the provincial government understands and acts in response to local and regional

issues, the Rural Secretariat will help communities and regions identify and

take advantage of growth opportunities. My Government will also support small-

and medium-sized private enterprise and cooperative initiatives in all regions

of the Province.

Health

Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:

The dispersal of our small population among hundreds of mostly-rural

communities presents significant challenges to my Government, particularly with

respect to the delivery of essential health services.

My Government is determined to ensure that all Newfoundlanders and all

Labradorians will be able to access the essential health care services they need

when they need them.

The structure of our health system was designed thirty to fifty years ago, at

a time when the population was concentrated in different regions, when the

average age was much younger than today, when technologies were less expensive,

when highways were less developed, and when telecommunications did not offer the

same advantages. Changes in all these areas have created a need to reassess the

structure of health care delivery throughout the Province. We need to ask

whether the current structure is overburdened with administration at the expense

of front-line services. We must ask that our access to physicians and other

health professionals can be more stable in rural communities. In a time of

fiscal restraint, we must ask which services can be made more efficient without

compromising accepted standards of quality. The answers to these types of

questions are the key to making our health system more sustainable over time. My

Government will pursue solutions in the health system which promote quality,

access and effectiveness.

My Government is particularly concerned about the provision of community

mental health services, especially in rural areas. With this in mind, my

Government will therefore develop and implement a new mental health plan.

My Government is also concerned about the care available to our seniors. To

that end, my Government will establish a Division of Aging and Seniors in the

Health and Community Services Department and also a Ministerial Advisory Council

for Aging and Seniors to ensure that the needs and concerns of seniors are

properly understood and properly addressed. My Government will establish a

strategy for healthy aging in the seniors population.

My Government is working to develop a comprehensive long-term care and

supportive services strategy to address the whole continuum of service,

including home support, supportive living, personal care homes and nursing

homes, for a full range of individuals, such as seniors, persons with

disabilities, and children with special needs. Within the context of such a

plan, my Government will pursue strategic investments to ensure the right levels

of care are available for the changing needs of the population.

Children and Families

Poverty remains a significant concern in our Province. According to the

National Council of Welfare, Newfoundland and Labrador's level of child

poverty is the highest in the country. Poverty is often associated with poor

nutrition and poor health. Hungry children who cannot focus on their studies at

school often face poor career prospects as a consequence. People living in

poverty are denied many opportunities to reach their potential for

self-reliance, and for this reason, poverty takes a significant bite out of the

Province's economy while profoundly affecting the lives of those it directly

touches.

My Government is determined to facilitate a progressive reduction in

Newfoundland and Labrador's rate of poverty until we achieve the lowest rate

of poverty in the country. To help our most vulnerable citizens, my Government

will act to reduce the burden of taxation, taking measures to alleviate poverty

and ensuring that children and families receive appropriate support.

People living with disabilities sometimes face considerable employment

challenges that leave them frustrated as well as impoverished. My Government

will expand the supported-employment program for people with disabilities to

facilitate their full participation in the work force. My Government will also

establish an Equal Opportunities Committee of the House of Assembly to monitor

and report on equality issues and promote mainstreaming of equal opportunities

in the House of Assembly and throughout government.

Justice and Safety

Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:

For decades, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and the Royal Canadian

Mounted Police have done an exemplary job of protecting people and property

throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. My Government is cognizant of the

difficult conditions under which our police officers have sometimes worked and

is determined to enhance public safety by making sound investments in policing.

In order to ensure there will be more officers available to patrol our

streets and protect our families, my Government will contract with Memorial

University to train seventy-five new RNC cadets over the next three years and

thereby create forty-five new RNC positions and replace thirty officers who will

be lost through attrition. An additional four RCMP positions will be created for

Labrador.

My Government is following with deep interest the inquiry by retired Chief

Justice Antonio Lamer into the administration of justice in the cases of Gregory

Parsons, Randy Druken and Ronald Dalton. Though the inquiry has not concluded,

my Government is learning from these proceedings and is preparing to act

decisively and effectively on the inquiry's findings and recommendations to

restore faith among Newfoundlanders and Labradorians in the integrity of their

justice system.

Violence and the threat of violence, sadly, continues to be a major issue for

many women in our Province. My Government is renewing its commitment to address

this and other issues of special concern to women in order that our people may

share equitably in the social and economic benefits of our Province,

irrespective of their gender. My Government will work to ensure that women's

voices are heard and that women's needs are addressed.

Aboriginal Communities

Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:

My Government recognizes the aspiration of Aboriginal communities to exercise

genuine control over their own affairs. My Government will work in partnership

people can realize their desire to become more self-reliant. My Government is

pleased with the progress that has been made to date and is looking forward to

further progress on several initiatives involving our Aboriginal communities,

including the ratification of the Inuit land claim, negotiations on the landless

band concept for the Federation of Newfoundland Indians, reserve creation at

Sheshatshiu, and reserve expansion at Conne River. My Government will also work

with the Labrador Mtis Nation to understand the implications, if any, of the

recent Powley decision of the Supreme Court of Canada.

Democratic Reform

Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:

No institution in this Province has a greater impact on the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador than this House, their Legislature. It is here, in the

people's House, that policies are applied, legislation is passed, supply is

sought, taxes are imposed, petitions are heard, questions are asked and

information is provided. It is here, in the people's House, that all the

operations of government find their foundation. Nothing my Government does is

beyond the power or influence of this Legislature, and nothing this Legislature

does is beyond the power or influence of the people of the Province. Yet still,

far too often, people have expressed a sense of alienation from the institutions

that have governed them. A Legislature that alienates its people loses its

legitimacy. Therefore, my Government will restore the House of Assembly to its

rightful place as "the people's House" by significantly

strengthening its role.

My Government has championed, Mr. Speaker, the first election in this

Province of an independent Speaker, a member who will not sit in the caucus or

be eligible for a Cabinet appointment during the term of the Legislature over

which he or she presides.

My Government will ask the Legislature to adopt a strict code of conduct for

all members, to be enforced by the Commissioner of Members' Interests,

emphasizing members' accountability to the wider public interest and to their

constituents, and emphasizing the need for openness, honesty and integrity in

their dealings with the public, with their constituents and lobbying

organizations.

It will ask the Members of the House of Assembly to adopt new procedures to

provide for the proper auditing and disclosure of members' expenses. It will

amend the House of Assembly Act and the Elections Act to require elections at

fixed four-year intervals and to impose a tighter timetable for byelections when

seats become vacant. No district should again be left without representation for

an unreasonable period.

Far too often in government, the will of the people is sidelined by special

interests. My Government will introduce lobbyists legislation to reduce the

influence of money and special interests. My Government will also proclaim new

access to information and protection of privacy legislation and require public

institutions to function more transparently and accountably. Moreover, my

Government will regularly release information of its own accord in the interest

of transparency and honesty. Knowledge is power. By empowering people with

knowledge about their public institutions, my Government will address the

problem of alienation and better enable the people of our Province to become

masters and commanders of their own destiny.

Effective and Efficient Government

Everyone knows by now that Newfoundland and Labrador faces profound fiscal

challenges that cannot be ignored.

My Government is determined to restore the integrity of the Province's

finances responsibly and progressively over time in order to place the Province

in a stronger position, both fiscally and economically, to take on the

challenges ahead. My Government will maintain its commitment to fiscal

discipline to ensure the Province begins to live within its means.

My Government is working cooperatively and constructively with our public

sector unions to negotiate new collective agreements that, to the greatest

extent possible, meet the aspirations of our public employees within the context

of the Province's fiscal means. My Government's commitment to positive

labour relations and harmony in the workforce is solid. While there are

short-term challenges that cannot be ignored, my Government is working with our

public employees to identify long-term solutions that will bring greater rewards

down the line.

No government has all the answers. Good government is about developing

solutions through constructive partnerships. My Government this year sought the

direct input of public employees in the identification of efficiencies in the

operation of government. Almost 900 submissions received to date are now being

evaluated, and those that are prudent will be considered for implementation.

Already, my Government has restructured and streamlined departments and other

public entities to ensure they function effectively within fiscal constraints.

My Government stands by its commitment to avoid massive layoffs in the public

service while taking advantage of opportunities to achieve savings, where

possible and prudent, through attrition.

These are the choices a government faces when fiscal resources are severely

strapped. It is important that the people of Newfoundland and Labrador have

access to timely and accurate information about the state of the Province's

finances so they can understand the nature of the fiscal constraints under which

the government must operate. This fall, my Government will introduce a new

Transparency and Accountability Act to adopt formally the more-accurate

consolidated accrual accounting for budgeting, to require three-year forecasts

for significant initiatives, and to require a semi-annual economic and fiscal

updates. It will also adopt a more rigorous standard for releasing and acting

upon the reports it commissions.

My Government is determined to ensure that public money is not being

squandered. To that end, it has directed the Government Purchasing Agency to

administer public purchasing decisions in a way that will get maximum benefit

from the taxpayer's dollar while promoting business opportunities for

companies in Newfoundland and Labrador. The agency will be given greater

autonomy to assess bids and recommend purchases in accordance with fair and

objective criteria. In addition, my Government will take a hard look at public

expenditures on such things as cellular telephones, government-owned vehicles,

and leased or owned office space to ensure that scarce tax dollars are not being

wasted. My Government is determined to promote efficiency and effectiveness in

government to ensure it extracts from the provincial economy no more in taxes

than can be justified.

A Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Partnership

Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:

Newfoundland and Labrador is proud to be a partner in the Canadian

federation. However, my Government is deeply troubled that our Province, so rich

in resources and opportunities, continues to lead the country in its

unemployment rate, has suffered protracted periods of population decline that

are expected to continue, and has a significant number of children living in

families with low incomes, despite having led the country in economic growth in

recent years. What does equality in principle mean if it does not enable us to

achieve fairness and equity in fact?

My Government is determined to forge a new future for Newfoundland and

Labrador in the Canadian federation - a future in which the principles of equity

and fairness are put to work for the greater benefit of Newfoundland and

Labrador.

My Government will establish a Newfoundland and Labrador Office of

Federal-Provincial Relations in Ottawa in order to give our Province a stronger,

more-assertive, more-effective presence in the nation's capital. My Government

will be right there, imaginatively and aggressively focusing attention on

Newfoundland and Labrador's concerns about equalization, health and social

transfers, oil and gas revenues, Canada's share in Hibernia, fisheries

management, infrastructure, Churchill Falls, military training at Goose Bay, and

the numerous other issues, big and small, that affect the people and economy of

Newfoundland and Labrador. Our overriding focus will be on enabling Newfoundland

and Labrador to achieve its full potential within the Canadian family.

Three Priorities

My Government is prepared to take full responsibility for obligations and

opportunities within its jurisdiction irrespective of the actions of the

elected a working government that will deliver what it has promised. Over the

course of the year ahead and the remainder of the term that follows, my

Government will take action on its commitment to a new approach by developing

initiatives to grow businesses and jobs in order to generate the revenues we

need to deliver top-quality social programs. Again, that is the new approach.

Only through cooperation and hard work will Newfoundland and Labrador be ready

and able to seize control of its own destiny, to chart a course to greater

economic prosperity, and to realize our true potential within Canada.

In

summary, Mr. Speaker, three priorities will guide my Government's

decisions for Newfoundland and Labrador over the coming year:

First, to get our economy growing in a way that generates more jobs,

investment, diversification and revenue here in our own communities;

Second, to use those revenues to finance low-waste, high-quality social

programs; and

Third, to improve federal-provincial relations in concrete ways that bring

real benefits to the people, economy, and treasury of Newfoundland and Labrador.

My Government is ushering in a new era of good government and genuine

economic growth in Newfoundland and Labrador. It is delivering on its commitment

to be, at all times, open and accountable to the people for what it does on

their behalf. It is delivering on its promise to consult before it acts and to

be inclusive when it consults. It is delivering on its obligation to make

decisions that are in the best long-term interests of Newfoundland and Labrador,

even at the expense of short-term political gain. My Government recognizes and

celebrates the tremendous opportunities now before us and is prepared to be bold

and ambitious in preparing our Province to capitalize on those opportunities.

Throughout the year and term ahead, my Government will set its sights high and

settle for nothing less than the best that can be achieved through hard work and

an unshakable belief in ourselves. That is the new attitude - the new approach -

that is going to begin turning things around for the better throughout

Newfoundland and Labrador.

In the words of that great Newfoundlander, the poet E.J. Pratt:

"Here the winds blow, / And here they die, / Not with that wild, exotic

rage / That vainly sweeps untrodden shores, / But with familiar breath / Holding

a partnership with life, / Resonant with the hopes of spring, / Pungent with the

airs of harvest."

Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of Assembly:

Estimates of expenditure will be laid before you in due course and you will

be asked to grant supply to Her Majesty.

I invoke God's blessing upon you as you commence this new Session.

May Divine Providence guide you in your deliberation.

His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor and the Vice-Regal party leave the

Chamber.

Mr. Speaker returns to the Chair.

MR. SPEAKER: Order please!

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. E. BYRNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I shall ask leave to introduce a bill

entitled, "An Act To Amend The Student Financial Assistance Act," Bill

Motion, the hon. the Government House Leader to introduce a bill, "An

Act To Amend The Student Financial Assistance Act," carried. (Bill 1)

On motion, Bill 1 read a first time, ordered read a second time on tomorrow.

MR. SPEAKER: His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor has been pleased to make

a Speech to the members in this General Assembly. We shall take a few minutes to

distribute the Speech to the hon. Members of the Forty-Fifth Assembly.

MS JOHNSON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

On behalf of all members -

MR. SPEAKER: Before we move to the formal proceedings, I would like to

take this opportunity to introduce to all members the Pages that we have in our

House. I would like to introduce Ms Christine Callahan, Ms Mary Ryan, and a

gentleman who is returning with us, Cameron McKay. I wonder if members could

welcome them.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: I should inform all hon. members that these young people are

students at Memorial University and are in various stages of their program of

studies.

The hon. the Member for Trinity-Bay de Verde.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON: Once again, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

On behalf of all members, I would like to thank His Honour for delivering the

first Speech from the Throne for the new government. I would also like to take

this opportunity to commend His Honour for the initiatives he has taken since

being appointed Her Majesty's representative in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are particularly impressed that His Honour

has provided the public with greater access to Government House and has taken

steps to preserve the historic colours of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, which

are deteriorating. We extend to His Honour our best wishes, as He and Her Honour

continue to carry out their duties on behalf of the Crown.

On October 21, the people of Trinity-Bay de Verde elected me to represent

them in the people's House of Assembly. I want to thank my constituents for

entrusting me with the responsibility of standing up for their concerns and

aspirations, and I assure them I will leave no stone unturned in working to

build a brighter future for Trinity-Bay de Verde.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON: I was also privileged, on October 21, to become the youngest

woman ever elected to serve in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly.

Relatively few people in their early twenties are elected to serve in public

office on behalf of their province. Indeed, far too many people in their

twenties are wondering whether they will even be able to remain in their

province. Many of my friends have left in search of jobs while many others who

have stayed behind are struggling.

Nevertheless, ask most young Newfoundlanders and Labradorians whether they

believe things are destined to be that way and they will tell you: No - they are

not pessimistic about their Province. Rather, they are passionate about their

Province. I am passionate about our Province, which is why I entered politics.

Young Newfoundlanders and Labradorians understand that this Province stands

at a fork in the road. On the left is the pathway towards further decline; and

on the right, the pathway towards a brighter future. They are well aware that

the right-hand path is a much steeper climb, but they would rather fight for a

brighter future here than resign themselves to some other future in a place far

from home. Young people are not naive enough to believe our decades-old problems

will be solved overnight, but neither do they believe the problems are beyond

solving. They are looking for the kind of aggressive, imaginative, skilled

leadership that can turn golden opportunities into good jobs right here at home.

As a young person, I welcome our government's focus on getting greater

benefits from our traditional industries, such as the fisheries and agriculture,

while also pursuing new opportunities at the cutting edge; for example, in

information technology, engineering, marine science and environmental

technologies, which is my particular area of concern and experience. With my

educational background focusing on forestry and environmental engineering, I

appreciate the importance of sound environmental policies in ensuring we develop

our renewable resources sustainably. I am delighted that our government will be

developing a new Sustainable Development Act to ensure our resources are

harvested responsibly in ways that maximize benefits to the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador. If we have learned anything from the closure of our

ground fisheries in the nineties, it is that no one benefits when our resources

are mismanaged to the brink of collapse.

As a member representing a rural district, I am particularly impressed with

our government's emphasis on rural renewal and small business growth. The

Premier has adopted a hands-on approach to business growth and rural renewal,

taking for himself the portfolio of Business and creating a new Rural

Secretariat as a focal point for government to work with local and regional

partners to build strong and dynamic communities. This is the kind of approach

that I believe will get things moving in rural communities - get people talking,

get investors listening and get parties cooperating for the greater good of the

community.

As a young person who spent a considerable amount of time in recent years as

a post-secondary student, I am very appreciative of two initiatives in this year's

Throne Speech - namely, the continuation of the tuition fee freeze at Memorial

and CONA, and the commissioning of a White Paper on post-secondary education to

prospects of graduates. Not only does a high-quality education make young people

far more employable, but having a well-educated pool of human resources is a

prerequisite to attracting certain kinds of investment that our Province badly

needs. Investing in post-secondary education means investing in the future of

individuals, of communities, of industries and of our Province generally.

I am standing here today, not only as a young person, a former student and a

champion of rural renewal, but also as a woman. It was not so long ago that

women could not even vote in Newfoundland and Labrador, let alone seek office.

We have come a long way as a society, but we are not there yet. Today, many

women continue to face many challenges. Women are more likely to be abused,

assaulted and threatened. Women are less likely to be financially self-reliant.

Many women do not have a voice, but our government intends to do a better job of

listening and a better job of meeting the particular needs of women. Many women

are raising children in conditions of poverty, and for that reason, I am very

delighted that our government has gone on record with a goal of turning the

Province with the highest rate of poverty into the Province with the lowest in

the country. We will not get there overnight, but we are taking concrete steps

in the right direction.

In conclusion, I would again like to thank His Honour for his attendance here

today, and I move that a Select Committee be appointed to draft an Address in

Reply to the Speech from the Throne.

Thank you very much.

Hear, hear!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Lake Melville.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HICKEY: Mr. Speaker, it is a great honour to second the motion that a

Select Committee be appointed to draft an Address in Reply to the Speech from

the Throne.

Mr. Speaker, it is indeed a great honour to be standing here in this House of

Assembly, representing the proud people of Lake Melville in Labrador. I want to

take this opportunity to certainly thank them for their support in my recent

election.

Mr. Speaker, I do not know how many people in this Chamber today, or in the

gallery, or watching by television, have had the opportunity to experience

Labrador for themselves. It is a place quite unlike any other - breathtaking in

beauty, blessed with natural resources, rich in legends and culture, huge in

size and populated with some of the finest people anywhere on the face of the

earth. Those of us who call Labrador home are Labradorians for life, because it

will always be a part of who we are, no matter where we are or where we go.

I am proud to be part of a government that believes Labrador can and will

play a pivotal role in our Province's future and is prepared to work with

Labradorians to make it happen. Labrador, for too long, has been treated as

someone else's repository of resources, ripe for the picking. For too long,

Labradorians have watched while others have benefitted from local resource

developments, and we all know about Churchill Falls. For far too long

opportunities, have gone unharnessed because of a lack of infrastructure and

investment.

Mr. Speaker, our government is prepared to ensure that positive changes will

and are taking place. I am absolutely delighted that our government has just

announced its intention to proceed with Phase III of the Trans-Labrador Highway,

connecting Happy Valley-Goose Bay to Cartwright and thereby extending the

highway from Southern Labrador to Labrador West. Those who enjoy highway

infrastructure may not fully understand just how the lack of a paved continuous

highway is an impediment to development. Canada, a single united country largely

because visionaries saw the value of investing large sums in transportation

infrastructure. Those initiatives have returned dividends far, far greater in

magnitude than the original investment, and I believe our Province, and indeed

all of Atlantic Canada, will reap similar dividends by the completion of the

Trans-Labrador Highway in Labrador.

Labrador, or as many call it "The Big Land" is a unique place for a

host of reasons, one of them being the vast untapped natural resource potential

of its forests, rivers and minerals. At Voisey's Bay, we witnessed the

uncovering of one of the richest cobalt, copper, and nickel deposits anywhere on

the continent. At the Lower Churchill, we are looking at one of the continents

greatest untapped hydro-power resources. Labrador West remains one of the

Provinces wealthiest mining regions because of its iron ore. Investors and

explorers have only begun to scratch the surface of what Labrador can offer.

Our government is eager to work with Labradorians to find new ways to harness

Labrador's strengths and turn opportunity into prosperity and jobs. We believe

the Trans-Labrador Highway will be a vital factor in making that happen. But we

also believe that open dialogue and cooperation with Labradorians is

indispensable.

Mr. Speaker, our government is particularly intent on working with our

Aboriginal peoples to help them achieve their goals in this Province. Both the

Innu Nation and the Labrador Innuit Association have taken giant steps on the

path towards self-reliance. We recognize the desire of our Aboriginal

communities to exercise genuine control over their own affairs, and we want to

work with them in bringing their dreams to fruition.

We are delighted with the progress that has been made on the Innuit land

claim and are very pleased with the constructive discussions we have had with

the Innu Nation. In Labrador, our government is also working with the Labrador

Mtis Nation to understand the implications, if any, of the recent Powley

decision. On the Island, our government is working with the Federation of

Newfoundland Indians on negotiating the landless band concept, and we are

working with the people of Conne River on reserve expansion. Our Aboriginal

communities have faced considerable challenges over the years, and we applaud

them for the initiatives they have taken to face down those challenges to build

a brighter future for their people. Our government will work with them to help

them achieve even greater progress in the years ahead.

The announcement of additional police officers may seem like a small deal to

someone living in a larger centre, but to the people living in a smaller

Labrador communities, that announcement is a significant one and one I know will

be most welcome.

Mr. Speaker, I was proud to have had the honour to serve several years as a

mayor and councillor for the Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay in Labrador - a town

with a host of good things going for it, but until just recently, a whole lot of

uncertainty. Nothing defines our community quite like the base at 5-Wing. It has

put Goose Bay on the map and has brought a great many people to our region from

around the world. Their presence has changed us as much as we have changed them,

and it has proven to us that even a relatively small, isolated municipality can

reap tremendous investment dividends when it is plugged into a larger network. I

am delighted that the future of 5-Wing seems more secure now than it has for

months, with the announcement that the future of the base is secure. I applaud

our government for taking a very strong role in fighting for our base, and I

commend our Premier -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HICKEY: And I commend our Premier for his leadership in championing

the fight.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HICKEY: Mr. Speaker, I believe great things are in store for our

Province, and indeed Labrador, and not because Labrador has so much potential,

but because we have a government that is willing to do what it takes to achieve

that potential. I believe great things are in store for our Province and

Labrador, and I believe that Labradorians are speaking up with more vigor than

they have in a long time, because we have a government that is genuinely

listening and paying attention. There are significant challenges in Labrador

that cannot be overcome overnight, and there are significant opportunities that

cannot be fully exploited overnight, but we can make real headway if we open our

eyes and ears to see the potential in Labrador and to hear what Labradorians

have to say about how to best develop the "Big Land" and the place

that we all call home.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. GRIMES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is a great pleasure to make a few brief comments, I am sure everyone in

the House of Assembly and our special guests would be pleased to know, at the

opening of this First Session of the Forth-Fifth Assembly of the House of

Assembly here, the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador.

As I begin, I would like to start by offering, again in this Legislature,

congratulations to yourself, Mr. Speaker, as the first elected Speaker in the

House of Assembly, in the history of the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and

Labrador. Contrary to what the Throne Speech said, Mr. Speaker, a great Liberal

initiative -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. GRIMES: - which we put in place in the last term of office and

changed the law and changed all the rules so that, in fact, you could be sitting

there today having been already elected by procedures that we put in place about

a year or so ago, and actually there was quite a bit of it. I was pleased today

to see the continuation of quite a number of wonderful Liberal initiatives that

this group has now looked at and has decided to continue on with.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. GRIMES: I am very, very pleased to see those initiatives and, as

well, to look forward to seeing the things continue to develop over the next

little while.

Again, Mr. Speaker, congratulations to all MHAs here. We have all been done a

great honour, and it is a great privilege to serve the people of Newfoundland

and Labrador by being elected to this Legislature. To many people here for the

first time, a special congratulations. It will be a great experience, I can tell

you, from this being my fifth election and fifteen years in this Legislature; a

great privilege, a great experience, a great honour to actually have the

opportunity to serve the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. GRIMES: In fact, I would like to say thank you again to the

constituents in Exploits District who have shown their confidence in me one more

time.

To His Honour on the Speech today, I congratulate His Honour with respect to

the delivery of the Speech from the Throne. Also, congratulations to the mover,

the Member for Trinity-Bay de Verde, and the seconder, the Member for Lake

Melville, in their moving and seconding that we strike the committee of Address

in Reply to the Speech from the Throne. We look forward to participating in the

debate on that.

A special thank you today for a special guests both on the floor of the

Legislature, in the Speaker's gallery and in the public gallery, for coming to

join on what is a very auspicious occasion, especially now with a change of

government for the first time in fifteen years and a new approach that people

voted for, that we understand and accept and that we all look forward to.

Our role is one now of being the Official Opposition, and we understand that

to be really one that entails three different parts that we intend to put

forward and uphold as part of our duties, hold the government accountable from

our perspective as members in the Opposition, to provide alternatives where we

think there are good alternatives to what is being discussed and debated, and we

have had our first bill tabled here today, that we will study through the

weekend, I am sure, and start to prepare for debate next week - we look forward

to that - and give voice to use our place in this House to give voice to groups

and individuals who would like to have their views expressed on their behalf in

this Legislature, because of the fact that they are not here themselves but they

would like to have this public Chamber hear their voice and hear their concerns.

You will see that from us, Mr. Speaker, as will all Members of the House of

Assembly and the general public in the next little while.

In the Speech today there was a phrase that came to mind, because we have had

almost some six months of experience with a new government before coming here

today to hear this Speech from the Throne, and it reminds me in a little way of,

I guess, a lot of these ads that are around and are very popular these days for

health and fitness aids that are supposed to give you a trim tummy and lose

inches in weeks and all of that kind of thing. There are these diet fads that

are around, that you see on television and in the papers, where if you take this

you are going to change dramatically overnight, but there is always a little

rider and a little caveat that says: results may vary. Mr. Speaker, that is what

I think, unfortunately, we have seen a little bit so far in the first four, five

or six months of the new government.

The new approach that people voted for and acknowledge that they did vote for

in big numbers - we understand and accept that - but they are not sure it was

this approach so far. That is why, with the Speech today, it reminded me so much

of a Blue Book that we saw back during the election, many of the same

initiatives restated. They were stated then, there was hope, there was

confidence, there was optimism and there was enthusiasm to embrace a new

government that would take this new approach, and by now we should be starting

to be prosperous. Already -

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. GRIMES: That is the feeling of a lot of people, it should already

have started. Again, as the caveat and the rider shows: results may vary,

results may differ.

So far, unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, and I am not going to speak negatively

today - I might have to a few times in the next couple of months or so here -

but there has been some disappointment and some disillusionment with the people

who wanted a change and looked for a new approach. In fact, they would hope that

the same kinds of things that were referenced and profiled in the Speech today,

that there would be a focus on growth, revitalization, jobs and a new

Newfoundland and Labrador, but we unfortunately have not seen much of that, much

talk of that, much action with respect to that in the first few months.

I guess the government feels necessary an obsession with the fiscal

circumstance, and it has been described by different reports as being a choice

at looking at a circumstance where we do have an issue that admittedly must be

dealt with. You will never hear me, or this Opposition, say anything

differently. We do need to live within our means as a people in a Province. You

will never hear us say anything other than that, but how you go about it is

something else, Mr. Speaker.

There was one report at least that said that it is a matter of whether you

look at a glass at being half empty or half full. What we have seen so far is a

pessimistic group on the other side who want to try and convince everyone that

not only is it half empty, it must be nine-tenths empty, it is worse than we

ever thought, worse than you could ever imagine, which unfortunately is not the

case as we know it but we will have lots of time to debate that, Mr. Speaker, in

the days and months ahead.

There are issues to be dealt with. I have heard the Finance Minister, whom I

have great personal respect for - we have to do that, we help each other shovel

our driveways sometimes. When you shovel snow together, living next door to each

other, you have to have great respect for each other. He has always asked that

at least we deal with the issues truthfully. I could not agree with him more.

The only thing I know is that he cringes sometimes when he sees his leader use

different words than he does. We will deal with that over the next few days as

well, Mr. Speaker, in terms of the issue that does need a lot of attention and I

am sure will be the focus of much debate.

If I could just point out, before I do conclude, because I do not want to

take a long time today, Mr. Speaker, it is not the right day for it. It is a

great day for a new government with a Throne Speech, and I think we should

relish that. We should in fact celebrate. That is what Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians want to do, and we all should, but talk about the disillusionment

and the disappointment. Let me just give you two examples.

Yesterday, I happened to attend the meeting with 300 or 400, I guess, members

of the Public Service Pension Plan here in St. John's. They talked, in their

session yesterday, about the fact that members opposite, now the government,

when they were in Opposition, used to rally with them, used to grab the

microphones and say how much they stood up for the pensioners and how much they

deserved to get something different. One of the members even, during the

election, I understand - we have the transcripts that we will produce later on -

even said that he had checked with the leader, who is now the Premier, and not

only were the pensioners going to be assured of the increases they received, but

they were likely to get them retroactively back to 1989. That is the kind of

stuff that was talked about during the election and in the lead up to the

election. As soon they become the government and get into office, what did they

do? They rolled back the increase, the first increase they received in fifteen

years.

Yesterday, unfortunately, because there were a couple of members there from

the Opposition - I give them credit for being there and showing up. I was there,

the Leader of the NDP was there - the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi - and

many others were there, obviously 300 or 400 of their members. In fact, they

used language, unfortunately, they felt like they were betrayed and deceived -

not my words. Not my words, but pensioners who spent thirty to thirty-five years

working on behalf of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, who admitted that

they voted for the members opposite. They voted for the change, they voted for

the new approach, but, like results might vary, they did not think that was

going to be the result. That is what they said yesterday in big numbers. I guess

at least one of the members, as I understood it, the Member for St. John's

Centre, when questioned, said that he was going to be a champion for them and

try to get the government to change its mind. I give him credit for saying that

because he did say during the election that he was on their side and he said it

again yesterday. We know there is at least one voice inside that caucus that

believes that the pensioners deserve what they are getting and they hope that

this rollback that is being talked about will not occur.

Mr. Speaker, just yesterday we had the auto insurance issue released by the

government after their study. During the election again, following the news this

morning, everybody in the Province was reminded by the CBC Radio reporter that

there was a commitment to a cap and there was a commitment that the

discrimination based on gender and age would disappear, and all of a sudden we

are the only province in Canada now without the cap. Instead of a cap we have a

deductible, a new concept that the minister, when asked to explain this morning:

Where did that come from? - because nobody heard tell of that before, that was

not discussed, that was not in the Blue Book - she said: a few of us sat around

and had a chat and came up with idea. I think that is the exact quote from the

radio this morning. The insurance representatives on just after said: We never

heard tell of it before. The first we heard of it was yesterday as well - a

brand new concept, right out of the blue.

The early analysis, even just a day later, not even twenty-four hours later,

is that it will do nothing with the rates because all that will happen is,

whatever the deductible is, the history will be the claims will go up by that

much, it will actually be higher, the cost will increase after a year of a

freeze, and this initiative is going to be a huge colossal failure.

What it will show, and I will predict this today, Mr. Speaker, is that the

legal community involved in that will be very happy, and they might be reporting

profits if they did publicly like the insurance companies just did, next year

this time, because their work is going to get bigger and better. The insurance

companies themselves will probably have another pretty good year, and the

consumers are going to pay through the nose. They are not going to get the kind

of reductions in the rates that were talked about at all. On those issues, we

will have lots of time, because I am sure - I understand there is going to be

legislation brought in with respect to that as well. We have not seen it yet,

but we do look forward to the debate.

A couple of other things, Mr. Speaker: There were issues that were not

mentioned specifically today in the Throne Speech, but were mentioned very

specifically in the Blue Book which I understand now is being described as the

blueprint. It is the same document now with the word book changed to print. The

blueprint talked about more doctors and nurses in rural areas, hard to serve

areas, more diagnostic equipment, reducing wait times to standards that seem to

be appropriate by doctors. I guarantee you, and we heard today, we are going to

find out because times have changed and population shifts have occurred, and we

are going to find out which services are sustainable, and we are going to have a

new modern system that meets the needs of today.

I tell you, the Member for St. George's-Stephenville East, and the Member

for Port au Port have already found out which ones are sustainable in

Stephenville; that is, the ones that are in Corner Brook. The services in Corner

Brook are sustainable because the ones in Stephenville are not. That is what

they have found out already, and we are going to get that confirmed, I am sure,

when we get to the Budget, so that is the kind of thing we can look forward to.

We see it as our role and our job, to make sure we are a voice for these issues

because we believe there is another approach that can be taken and we look

forward to doing it.

There were also statements about - there was not much said today about

education, not a lot said about education. There is going to be a study on the

post-secondary side. There is going to be a freeze for a year at the university

again. Not much else said about it, but there were very specific statements in

the Blue Book, which became the blueprint before, that were not restated today,

like reinvesting the education savings back in the system. We will see if that

happens in the Budget. That was clearly in the Blue Book, the Blue Book, which

is the blueprint. We did not hear it today, and we will find out whether or not

we hear it in the Budget some time in April, when it finally occurs. More

services for special needs students and so on, we will find out if those things

actually happen.

With respect to our own dealings in the House of Assembly, I am pleased to

hear of a code of conduct for members. We are all expected to be hon. members in

this particular Legislature. We spend the people's money and we are expected

to be accountable for it, and we should lead by example. I would suggest that in

the next few days - I can also point out to the government and to the Premier,

Mr. Speaker, as the leader of the government, that a code of conduct for his own

ministers might be a good place to start, because there has been some

questionable conduct that we have raised publicly, and we intend to raise again

in the next little while as we move along.

Again, I do not want to be negative today; I do not want to be long-winded. I

point this out, Mr. Speaker: The people of the Province have given us a very

important role in this particular government, in this Legislature, to hold the

government accountable, to look out for the interests of Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians as an opposing party. We will look at the issues as they come

forward, but let me say this on behalf of all the members of our caucus, in the

Official Opposition.

On the issues that were raised today, with respect to growing our economy,

getting a greater share, a better fiscal relationship on the federal-provincial

side, securing more benefits from Ottawa, greater control over the fishery, I

can tell you today without equivocation, this group that I lead will stand

four-square with the Premier and the new government without any hesitation,

without any reservation. We are for that kind of progress. We are for those

kinds of initiatives, and anything that we can do to add to the voice and to be

helpful, you only need ask. I can tell you this for a fact, that in Newfoundland

and Labrador today, the people, as I see it, want this new government to

succeed. We want this new government to succeed. It might not sound like it

everyday because of our role, but the people of Newfoundland and Labrador need

this new government to succeed. Any time we see initiatives that is headed in

that direction - and I know the Premier, himself, and his government are

committed to not resting until it is done. I believe there was a quote very

similar to that today. I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, on behalf of this caucus,

that we will fully support the Premier and his government, and I am sure we will

get the same support from the rest of the members of this Legislature on those

particular initiatives, because we do owe it to the people of Newfoundland and

Labrador, as forty-eight MHAs in here - forty-seven with you as the Speaker - to

do our darndest to make sure that Newfoundland and Labrador is a better place,

tomorrow, the next day, and the day after, if we can possibly do it at all.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Signal Hill-Quid Vidi.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HARRIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is certainly a real pleasure to speak on this Opening Day of the

Forty-Fifth Assembly. I have had the privilege of sitting in this House of

Assembly for thirteen years. I am now in my fourteenth year; five General

Assemblies. This is the first time that I have seen a change of government. So

this is a pretty special day for this House and for the Province to see a

changeover in government and a new regime in charge, who have created great

expectations amongst the people of Newfoundland and Labrador; expectations and

responsibly that they now bear.

I want to say, first of all, that this is an opportunity, not to be terribly

partisan on Opening Day, although I will have a few points to make, as do the

Leader of the Opposition. First of all, let me congratulate you, Mr. Speaker, on

your election as Speaker of this House, the first-elected Speaker of the House.

It is a tribute to the high regard in which you are held by hon. members on all

sides of the House, that no one dared run against you. Obviously, your

reputation and people's understanding of your fairness and knowledge of the

rules, and willingness to be fair and evenhanded, regardless of the fact that

you are elected under the banner of one particular party, bodes well for the

future, and I congratulate you on your election.

Of course, for some reason, I would like to recognize that the

Lieutenant-Governor is a great reader. He is able to read and present the Speech

from the Throne in a very dignified manner, and certainly that tradition should

be followed here. The new Lieutenant-Governor has represented the Crown very

well today. As the Member for Trinity-Bay de Verde has said: has distinguished

himself in the Office of the Lieutenant-Governor since he has been there.

I do, also, want to commend the mover and seconder of the motion to draft an

Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne, the Member for Trinity-Bay de

Verde and the Member for Lake Melville. It is nice to see that the Member for

Trinity-Bay de Verde is anxious and eager to speak in the House of Assembly the

first opportunity that she gets. Obviously, for an introductory speech, a first

speech by both members in this House of Assembly, they both have to be commended

on their presentation today and the points that they addressed.

I will say to the hon. Member for Trinity-Bay de Verde though, that this

notion of the left and right road being all one way or all the other is not

something that I would recommend that she continue to use. Perhaps during the

course of debates in the House she will learn some things that the left, or

those who are considered to be on the left, have brought to this country and

this Province by way of equality seeking, by way of social programs, by way of

medicare, by way of better working conditions and safety, and all of the things

that I am sure she, and many other people in this Province, recognize as near

and dear to the hearts. So, that is just a little gentle chiding on opening day

for the new member, and I want to congratulate her on her election.

As a young person - one of the biggest challenges, I think, for all of us as

politicians, is to understand and recognize that many young people do not even

exercise their franchise and vote. I think that is something that we, all of us

here, ought to think long and hard about and wonder what it is we need to do to

change the attitude towards our democratic institutions to ensure that there is

an opportunity to participate so that young people do not feel the kind of

alienation that the Speech from the Throne refers to in talking about our

democratic institutions.

I will say that when the Speech from the Throne talks about democratic reform

and a more significant role for the House of Assembly, I do not see the

substance there. It is great to have in a code of conduct - and we all should

behave properly and be accountable, et cetera, but I think we need to hear more

about what this government is prepared to do to increase the significance of the

role of the Members of the House of Assembly; perhaps by having committees of

this House have a more significant role to play, by giving the public greater

access to these committees by having hearings and dealing with substantive

issues, and giving people, the public, more direct access to the process. That

is what alienates people, I think, that they do not feel they have access to the

process of democracy. We should be thinking about alternatives, such as a

proportional representation and other means of involving people in the

activities of the House of Assembly, and of politics in general. So these are

some of the things that I think we will be hearing more about in the weeks and

months to come.

First of all, I want to say, too, congratulations to the government and to

the Premier on the election. Obviously, it is six months later and great

expectations have been created. As the Leader of the Opposition has said, there

may be some early disappointments, but we do wish - and I wish as a personal

friend of the Premier - him every success in his endeavours to increase the

revenues of the government, to invigorate the Province's economy with job

creation and economic development. The Premier brings a considerable energy and

ability to his role. I want to wish him every success in doing those things that

he has set out to do by way of increasing economic development, negotiating

better arrangements with Ottawa, and other areas that his government has set

very high standards and ambitions for itself.

Many people know, of course, that the Premier and I have been business

partners and law partners for many years. Some people wonder: Well, how can you

fellows be both in the House of Assembly? You are going to be a critic, you are

going to criticize him. I have no difficulty with this role. The Premier and I,

I think we have mutual respect for each other. I just complimented him on his

energy and ability in the area that he is bringing to government. We both worked

on many projects together over the years in the legal profession, but we are

different. We are in different political parties for a reason, because if we did

see eye to eye politically we would be in the same party and he would be over

here with me.

AN HON. MEMBER: He would be the Leader.

MR. HARRIS: He might even be the Leader, or I would be over there with

him.

I do not know what he said the other night - I heard he was on TV the other

night. Someone told me that Rick Mercer asked him the same question about: How

does he feel about his former law partner being on the other side of the House?

I understand he said some nice things about me, so I thank him. I am still

waiting for the transcript, but I thank him in advance for that.

We do have a different point of view. I do not have any difficulty being a

critic in this House and in public, of the Premier's policies of what he

intends to do that we do not agree with. I have never, in the fourteen years

that I have been in this House, engaged in personal attacks or attacks on a

person. So I have no difficulty playing the role that I have been elected to

play and that I am committed to playing as Leader of the New Democratic Party.

Just as the Official Opposition has said - and we say - where the government

is doing things that are positive and we want to encourage, we will be there to

acknowledge that and to support it. For example, the decision made the other day

by the Premier and his government with respect to the choice of a route - for

the road through Southern Labrador. The Premier sent a very strong signal, I

believe, to people in this Province, that this government is going to examine

carefully the environmental impact of its activities and that the so-called

conservation route was chosen over the perhaps slightly cheaper route that was

on the cards for the road through Southern Labrador, and we hope that is a sign

of positive things.

I want to say I am very pleased to see that this government, in its Speech

from the Throne, has highlighted the concerns about poverty in this Province,

and the rate of poverty that we have. I do not know if we have seen that in the

Speech from the Throne before. I think that it does send a strong signal, but we

will be looking, as a New Democratic Party, to what we regard as being required

as an extremely aggressive approach in dealing with these problems that cause

such terrible hardships to people in this Province and lead to less opportunity

to enjoy life and to see that your children are able to obtain the benefits of

living in this wonderful country and wonderful Province that we do live in.

We want to see some specifics. We have not seen that today. We would like to

see some targets, some goals. The goal of being the lowest poverty rate in the

country is very laudable. If I asked anybody what their time table for that was,

I am sure it would be very, very long range. In the short range there are very

specific things that I think we can do which will help to alleviate poverty in

this Province. Increasing the minimum wage to $8 an hour, for example, is

something that we have championed and we think would work very quickly to

eliminate and increase the ability of people to enjoy life and to contribute to

their families well-being.

Again, the Member for Trinity-Bay de Verde talked about the wages of women.

Unfortunately, in this Province, 50 per cent of women in this Province earn less

than $12,400 a year. In fact, 31 per cent of women employed full time,

year-round, make less than $15,000. The minimum wage, unfortunately, will not

deliver a poverty level wage in this Province. That is something we would like

to see changed, and changed dramatically over the next little while.

In the area of education; one of the great opportunities, one of the great

equalizers in society is a good quality education for young people. In the K

to12 system, we commend their interest in ensuring that we have high standards

but we also want to see and ensure that we obtain and get the benefits of that

education reform that we went through in the last number of years. That was

excruciating for some people, who gave up what they felt was an important right

and an important part of their tradition. They gave it up in many cases because

they believed that this was going to deliver a better education; that

neighbourhood schools would be able to be preserved. We have some debates on

that right now in the City of St. John's. That community schools were going to

be able to be preserved in rural Newfoundland, and that is something we intend

to talk about vigoroursly here.

Post-Secondary education; extremely important. Extremely important because

today post-secondary education is as necessary as high school education was

thirty or forty years ago and ought to be accessible and available without a

burden of significance. The significant debt that young people feel and end up

leaving the Province because they feel they are forced to do that. We want to

see a commitment. It was talked about, the public system, in the Speech from the

Throne. We want to see a commitment to renew and strengthen, increase and

enhance the public educational system in the Province, a rebuilding of that.

In the last ten years the budget for the College of the North Atlantic, for

example, has gone down from $87 million to $62 million. A decrease in excess of

28 per cent of more than $25 million. We want to see that improved, and the

Minister of Education will be sure to hear from us in this House of Assembly on

that issue.

There are many, many issues, of course, that have been dealt with in the

Speech from the Throne and it is an opportunity to bring forth strong statements

in a general way. We support, obviously every person in this Province supports,

and this House supports the notion of us getting a better deal from Ottawa, a

better stake in our offshore resources. The transfer of the federal government

interests to Newfoundland and Labrador in Hibernia, for example, is part of

that. We also have to look at the whole issue of how we are extracting benefits

from our offshore. You know, we talk about Newfoundland and Labrador being the

principal beneficiary of offshore resources as if it was a competition between

the federal government and the Province, and it is, because the federal

government, as the Speech points and as we pointed out on many occasions,

receives up to ten times what this Province receives fiscally from projects such

as White Rose, Hibernia and the Terra Nova project, and Voisey's Bay, for that

matter, and we have to see some changes in that.

The principal beneficiary now, Mr. Speaker, of the offshore is the oil

companies. I will not go into a lot of statistics, there would be a lot of room

for debate here, but I will tell you that in the first quarter of 2003, a year

ago, the Terra Nova project, for example, produced over 14 million barrels of

oil worth $671 million. Of that $671 million, the return to the oil companies,

after production costs and royalties, was $618 million. The return to

Newfoundland and Labrador in the form of royalties was $6.5 million. Of that

$6.5 million, of course, there was the equalization clawback so that we received

less than $4 million for our share in royalties of the $671 million of oil. That

was when the production costs at Terra Nova were $3.35 a barrel. They are now

down to around two dollars. We really need to look at what it is that we are

getting as opposed to what the oil companies are getting in term of royalties.

That is something that has to be addressed, too, because we, as owners of the

resource, should indeed be the principal beneficiaries of that resource.

These are some of the many issues that we will be debating in this House. I

just want to assure the government that we will support the things that we

believe are good for the Province, and we will challenge them on issues that we

believe they are going down the wrong road, or disappointing people, as I

believe they did, for example, in the insurance initiatives that were announced

yesterday. You can count on us to continue to champion the cause of a public

auto insurance scheme for Newfoundland and Labrador because we believe that is

the one that can deal the best insurance program at the lowest cost without

reducing people's rights. You can count on us to continue to support the

development of Newfoundland and Labrador Public Energy Corporation, which

includes Newfoundland Hydro and Newfoundland Power. The government's energy

program is similar to ours in many ways, but we would want to see it a complete

program with Newfoundland power as part of that program.

We will, of course, support increases in the minimum wage. We want to see the

pay equity for women in both the public and private sector in this Province, and

we also want to put this government on notice that we will vigorously defend the

right, not only of current public employees but also past public employees who

are pensioners, to ensure that they do not bear the burden of the fact that

governments of the past have not perhaps taken all of the steps that should have

been taken to put in place a pension plan. In fact, for the first twenty-five

years almost no steps were taken to ensure that the pension plan that was

promised in legislation to employees was going to be there when it was needed.

Some steps have been taken with the last government; further steps need to be

taken. As I said to the pensioners yesterday, the money that is unfunded

liability, the question is, where is the money? The money is in the roads, it is

in the bridges, it is in the water and sewer systems, it is in the schools, it

is in the public facilities, the hospitals that were paid for out of that money,

and all of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador use those services. All of

the people of Newfoundland and Labrador have benefitted from the expenditures

that were made, and all of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador have to bear

the responsibilities to ensure that what is owed to public servants and former

public servants, as pensioners, that they are entitled to, that they should

receive. We will be here to defend that, Mr. Speaker, along with all of the

other issues that we have brought forward.

It is disappointing to hear some of the things that were said today, and I am

not going to get too partisan because I tried to be as positive as I could, but

I have to say that when I hear not only the Speech from the Throne, but the

Member for Labrador say, for example, that with respect to the Labrador Mtis

people, that they will work to look at the implications, if any, of the Powley

decision with respect to the Mtis Nation in Labrador, that coming from a

government who, when they sought government, promised and recognized and said,

in writing, that they had studied this decision, that they were prepared to

recognize that it applied to the Labrador Mtis nation, to hear these words

today is a great disappointment, and I am not surprised that it is with great

shock that the Labrador Mtis nation heard these words today, and heard them

before from this government backtracking on what it promised when they sought

election.

There are going to be very difficult moments in this House when we are called

upon to do our duty in this democracy to challenge this government, to challenge

ministers, to challenge the Premier on issues that we believe are important to

the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, but we will do it in the spirit of

democracy. We will do it within the traditions of this House, and we will do it

as vigorously as we can, knowing that everybody who came here to this House, and

everybody who was elected, all forty-eight of us, are coming here doing what we

think is right for the people of this Province. We will have different views but

we will all present them as strongly as we can and the public will decide, based

on the arguments that are made, who they wish to support on a particular issue.

Having said that, Mr. Speaker, I do wish the government - the government has

achieved a mandate from the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. They deserve an

opportunity to implement their program. They will do their job, we will do ours,

and I hope that the end result will be in the good tradition of democracy that

we have developed strongly here in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Fellow Members of the House of Assembly and fellow government members, I

would like to rise this afternoon to thank His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor

for this passionate and his effective delivery of the government Throne Speech

today. Indeed, I want to thank Their Honours for bringing Government House to

the people of our Province.

I also want to extend my personal thanks to the mover and the seconder of the

motion for the Address in Reply. I am very proud to have both these members, and

indeed all government members, as part of our team to take Newfoundland and

Labrador forward.

Thank you all.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: I also want to thank the Opposition Leader and the

Leader of the New Democratic Party for their remarks. In particular, I want to

thank the Leader of the Opposition for not being negative today. I would not

want to see him on a bad day, but thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: I feel I must remind the Leader of the Opposition that

it is not the new approach that is the problem. It is the old approach that, in

fact, created the problem.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: I also want to thank my former colleague, the Leader of

the New Democratic Party, for his very kind and positive remarks. I am

encouraged by the fact that he his wearing a blue shirt and may want to come

over here . There is comfort in numbers, Jack, so any time you are more than

welcome to come across.

I would also like to extend a warm welcome to our invited guests. There are

some familiar faces which I do not get to see as often as I did in a previous

life. Welcome to the Chief Justices who were with us before, and fellow

Honourable Judges of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Court

of Appeal and the Provincial Court, and to our esteemed heads of Church and

State. Welcome also to the leaders of our Armed Forces and our police forces,

and special recognition to those women and men of our Armed Forces who serve

around the world to promote peace and democracy, and those who have paid the

ultimate sacrifice.

Mr. Speaker, we also welcome our labour leaders, our business leaders and our

municipal leaders. Also, a warm welcome to other distinguished guests, including

former Lieutenant-Governors, members of this hon. Legislature, and former

Premiers. A warm welcome to my family, who have also paid a sacrifice for public

life, to members of the media and, most importantly, to the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador who are with us in this Chamber today or viewing us

through the televised proceedings.

Indeed, there is no more important institution in Newfoundland and Labrador

than the people's House of Assembly. We operate under a parliamentary system

which is adversarial in nature, founded on the conviction that governments

operate best when they are under constant scrutiny and must defend what they do.

We look forward to vigorous debate from the two parties opposite throughout

the term ahead. We also look forward to the contributions of our own members

and, indeed, the general public. The better the input, the better our policies

will be.

The course of the term ahead will be determined, not by what advances me or

our party, but what is in the best interest of the people of Newfoundland and

Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: I have said many times that the overwhelming reason I

sought elected office was to help foster the kind of strong economic growth in

Newfoundland and Labrador that brings real jobs to our communities.

We want new investment, new business expansion, new kinds of industries, and

new revenues that can pay for high quality social programs and infrastructure. I

am sick and tired, as are indeed all hon. members, of seeing so much of

Newfoundland and Labrador's massive potential wealth moving outside the

Province, along with so many of our young people. I am not willing to sit back

and accept this situation any longer, so my colleagues and I have set out to

apply a new approach to governance that will lead progressively towards

self-reliance. On the twenty-first of October the voters of Newfoundland and

Labrador affirmed this new approach. People voted, not for miracles, but for a

meaningful way of addressing the challenges that confront us.

This year's Throne Speech, Mr. Speaker, represents our government's first

efforts, under challenging fiscal circumstances, to move forward on our agenda.

The Throne Speech outlines three priorities that will guide our government's

decisions for Newfoundland and Labrador over the coming year:

Firstly, to get our economy growing in a way that generates more jobs, more

investment, diversification and revenue here in our own communities;

Secondly, to use those revenues to finance high quality social programs; and

Thirdly, to improve federal-provincial relations in concrete ways that bring

real benefits to the people, economy and treasury of Newfoundland and Labrador.

That is our government's new approach to governance and self-reliance in

our Province.

We have talked at length about our economic agenda. So let me focus on one

concrete social policy priority that is right at the top of our agenda for our

time in government. That is to turn Newfoundland and Labrador from the Province

with the highest rate of child poverty into the Province with the lowest rate of

child poverty.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: And I know, Mr. Speaker, that is something that is

very, very dear to your heart. I have heard you speak eloquently on that issue

in this Chamber. This is a very ambitious goal. However, we, as a government,

must strive for nothing less than the best for our children and our

grandchildren.

In an effort to begin addressing the consequences of poverty for children,

for their families, and for many seniors, we will announce concrete measures in

this year's budget to index both the National Child Benefit and the Low Income

Seniors' Benefit. This represents new money in the hands of some of our most

vulnerable and impoverished citizens. Hand-in-hand with these initiatives we

will implement tax cuts for low income earners.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: Obviously, Mr. Speaker, this is not an overnight

solution to the scourge of poverty but it is an important step in the right

direction. Our government is also committed to recognizing the special and

unique issues related to the women and the young girls in our Province. We must

address issues that marginalize women and more effectively deal with the special

circumstances and issues which face women everyday; including violence, child

care, housing, wage disparity and discrimination, among others.

At the root of poverty is the decline in opportunities, particularly in our

rural areas. Our government understands that there is an intimate, complex

relation between economic policy and social policy. Just as economic decline has

brought with it a host of social policy challenges, so too economic resurgence

will bring a host of social policy opportunities to generate new revenues for

better programs. As we invest in social programs we are creating jobs, promoting

the conditions for investment, and benefitting our economy in a host of other

ways.

While we advance the argument for greater fairness nationally in correcting

regional economic disparity, we will also work for greater fairness

provincially, Mr. Speaker, in addressing the economic inequity that underlies

the overpass syndrome.

Many of our greatest development opportunities are in rural centres, or

centres quite distant from the capital city. We have only scratched the surface

of our potential in the fishery, aquaculture and agrifoods, for example. Then,

look at the opportunities associated with research and development regarding

sustainable resource management. I am proud of the community-driven efforts of

several partners who are aiming to establish in Corner Brook a Centre for

Excellence in Environmental Research, Development, Science and Technology.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: This is the kind of investment, Mr. Speaker, that reaps

dividends far greater than the initial layout. It is the kind of investment that

my government is proud to support.

Look at the opportunities in relatively new sectors such as energy,

information technology, engineering, marine science and environmental

technologies. There are ways that have not even been imagined yet to bring

opportunities for new growth to rural communities throughout the Province,

particularly now that the information superhighway is tackling many of the

distance barriers that separate us. Broadband will be utilized wherever possible

to create jobs and employment in rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

Let us just look at the opportunities in Labrador. By moving ahead with Phase

III of the Trans-Labrador Highway we are investing and opening doors to further

investment. For example, mineral exploration, ecotourism development, forestry,

archeological initiatives and hydro power developments, just to name some of

those opportunities.

A new strategic plan will be created for 5 Wing Goose Bay to secure its

future in a modern military world.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: We are especially delighted to be making progress with

Aboriginal Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. We are eager to work with

Aboriginal leaders, the federal government and others to reach agreements that

enable all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to realize their dreams and their

goals in our Province.

We are also committed to drawing upon the ideas and experience of our

business and labour communities and leaders. We will dare to try new and

innovative things and take calculated risks to achieve great results.

One reason that we have to be so imaginative and aggressive in fostering

economic growth is that the Province can only continue to provide adequate

social programs under current fiscal circumstances if we generate new sources of

revenue.

Federal changes to transfer programs over the past decade have left our

Province with billions less than we should have been receiving and we are

expecting to receive for health care, post-secondary education and social

services. The shift from needs-based funding to per-capital funding has hurt us

more because it does not account for the added expenses associated with a

dispersed and an aging and a diminishing populace.

We will work with the revenues at our disposal to ensure the integrity of our

health, our education and our social services systems. We will find ways to

spend smarter, particularly in finding solutions, by listening to the front-line

workers who understand the demands that are placed on the system, but we will

also focus on growing those revenues so we can afford to do more of the things

that indeed make a difference.

One of the things that we want to do this year to make a difference is to

develop a mental health strategy to ensure that proper services are available to

those who need them. We are also moving ahead to establish a Division of Aging

and Seniors in our health department, and a Ministerial Advisory Council for

Aging and Seniors to ensure that seniors' concerns are heard and addressed

effectively.

We will also create four new RCMP positions in Labrador and train

seventy-five new RNC officers over the next three years. These initiatives, Mr.

Speaker, make a real difference in people's lives, particularly in the lives

of children throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: The government's relationship with its federal

counterparts in recent years has been confrontational and disruptive. Fostering

our relationships with Ottawa and our fellow provinces is a key priority for our

government, particularly as we understand how much hinges on decisions that

involve Ottawa or other provinces. These relationships are key to addressing

challenges at the federal-provincial level, including fiscal transfers for

health, education, social services, equalization, offshore revenues, fisheries

management, sustainable development, transportation infrastructure, regional

economic development and so on. It does not do our Province any good to be out

of the loop or weak in the face of these issues. So my government will move

ahead and establish, in Ottawa, an office of federal-provincial relations where

we can focus on these issues right there in the nation's capital where so many

of those decisions are made.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: Mr. Speaker, we will continue to push the federal

government for a more fair and equitable deal for Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians, specifically on the Atlantic Accord and our offshore revenues. We

cannot, and we will not, accept anything less than 100 per cent of those

revenues. I will continue, myself, to take the lead in this relationship as

Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: Mr. Speaker, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are not

looking to their government for miracles. They are looking for strong leadership

that listens, gets all the right information, makes strong decisions and moves

ahead progressively towards concrete goals. They are looking for a government

that will work on their Province's behalf, creatively, constructively and

compassionately. This is a difficult year for all of us, fiscally speaking. We

are going to work like never before over the coming year and term to identify

opportunities for investment, expansion, job creation, and revenue growth. Those

returns we will use to enhance our health system, our education system, our

social programs and the infrastructure that we need to attract further

investment. It is a shift in thinking, away from managing decline, towards

managing and fostering economic growth.

While we implement our agenda for economic growth, job creation and a better

future, we simply cannot afford to ignore the very serious fiscal situation in

this Province. We have inherited the largest deficit in the history of

Newfoundland and Labrador and now we must deal with it, and my government will

deal with it, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: This will take time. It will require cooperation and

partnership among government, business, unions, stakeholders, and every person

in our Province. However, this government will lead us through the fiscal

challenges in a planned and strategic manner with little impact as possible to

vital social programs and services.

Mr. Speaker, we ask for your patience, and with your patience and cooperation

we will deliver results that will protect the future of our great Province. I

stand humbly before the people of Newfoundland and Labrador today, very thankful

of the strong mandate that you have given our government, and I assure you that

we are dedicating ourselves wholeheartedly to turning things around throughout

Newfoundland and Labrador. With your cooperation and input I am sure that we can

reap successes and make advances that those before us have only dreamed of. My

colleagues and I will do our best because Newfoundlanders and Labradorians

demand it and they deserve it, and they should accept nothing less.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: It is moved and seconded that a Select Committee be struck

to draft an Address of Thanks to be presented to his Honour the

Lieutenant-Governor in reply to the Gracious Speech from the Throne with which

he is pleased to open the present session of the House of Assembly.

The members of the Select Committee will be the Member for Trinity-Bay de

Verde as the mover, the Member for Lake Melville as the seconder, and the Member

for Port de Grave.

All those in favour, aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

MR. SPEAKER: Contra-minded?

I declare the motion carried.

Notices of Motion

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance; President of Treasury

Board.

MR. SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I giver notice that I will on tomorrow move that the House resolve itself

into a Committee of the Whole on Supply to Consider Certain Resolutions for the

Granting of Interim Supply to Her Majesty. ( Bill 2)

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. E. BYRNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Before moving adjournment I want to move notice that the House do not adjourn

at 5:30 p.m. nor at 10:00 p.m. on Monday.

I move for adjournment of today's sitting.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

On motion, the House at its rising adjourned until tomorrow, Monday, at 1:30

p.m.