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May 30,

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLVIII No. 23

The

House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Osborne):

Order, please!

Admit

strangers.

Today, I

welcome to the Speaker's gallery the Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador Science

Team who are the subject of a Ministerial statement. The students are Nora

Boone, Noha Shehata I hope I pronounced that relatively close Nisarg Dave,

Kurtis Collins and Aaron Sarkar. Erin Baker and Yvonne Dawe, co-chairs of

Eastern NL Science Fair Council; and absent is Clara Phillips.

Welcome

to the Speaker's gallery.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

In the public gallery today

we have Madame Cyrilda Poirer, President of the Francophone Federation of

Newfoundland and Labrador and members of the Francophone and Acadian community.

They are joining us today to mark the Provincial Francophonie Day, which will be

the subject of a Ministerial Statement this afternoon.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Gail Bennett, as well, is in

our public gallery. She is the mother of one our Pages, Catherine Bennett.

Welcome.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

I would also like to point

out that it's our Government House Leader's birthday today, so Happy Birthday.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

I would like to personally

embarrass our Law Clerk today. This will be her last week serving in the

Legislature. Lorna Proudfoot, QC, has advised that she will be retiring this

October, so I ask all Members at some point today to bid her a farewell. She has

long provided Members of the Legislature with very sound advice. I admire the

advice and the counsel that she provides to myself as Speaker, and I will miss

her.

We see

Lorna daily here in the House of Assembly and we all know that she brings

extensive experience in drafting legislation and providing advice on

parliamentary matters.

The

position of Law Clerk has a long history in the British parliamentary system. As

a Table Officer of the House, the Law Clerk supports the Clerk and the Clerk

Assistant, and the presiding Officers, as required, as is accountable for

provision of legal advice on parliamentary matters and procedures to the

Speaker, Clerk, Members of the House of Assembly and the House of Assembly

Management Commission. The Law Clerk also provides legal counsel to the House of

Assembly service with legal issues that may arise.

Prior to

the report by the Hon. J. Derek Green,

Rebuilding Confidence , in 2007, for many years the duties of the Law Clerk

of the House of Assembly in Newfoundland and Labrador were provided by the

lawyers who were employed in the Office of Legislative Counsel in the Department

of Justice and Public Safety who are responsible for the drafting of government

legislation.

Justice

Green recommended the creation of a new Law Clerk position, reporting only to

the House of Assembly because of the potential conflict of interest with the

Executive Branch performing this role. Lorna was the first Law Clerk recruited

following the process outlined in the

House of Assembly Accountability, Integrity and Administration Act and she

was appointed by resolution of the House of Assembly on November 27, 2008. She

was appointed to the Queen's Counsel in September of 2014.

In 1975,

Ms. Proudfoot completed her undergraduate degree at Memorial University,

graduating with a Bachelor of Science Honours. In 1981, Ms. Proudfoot completed

her law degree at the University of New Brunswick and was admitted to the Bar of

Newfoundland and Labrador in April of 1982.

Prior to

her appointment as Law Clerk to the House, Lorna worked with the Office of

Legislative Counsel, the Department of Justice for 20 years. Prior to that, she

worked in private practice in the areas of real estate, corporate and family

law.

Interestingly and some of the Members of the House of Assembly may know this,

but for those who don't, Lorna followed in the tradition of her father, William

F. Proudfoot, who was the Law Clerk with the House of Assembly from

Confederation until his death in 1955.

We thank

Lorna for her service to the House of Assembly. I wish her a healthy and happy

retirement and hope that she gets to spend lots of days with her husband Jeff

and her children Dierdre, Shannon and Kieran.

Again,

Lorna, thank you very much for your service.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Some of you probably don't

know, Lorna hates the spotlight, so I hope Broadcast got this.

Statements by

Members

MR. SPEAKER:

For Members' statements today

we have the Members for the Districts of Labrador West, St. John's East Quidi

Vidi, Placentia West Bellevue, Mount Pearl North, Harbour Grace Port de

Grave, Topsail Paradise.

The hon.

the Member for Labrador West.

MR. LETTO:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise

in this hon. House today to once again highlight the success of competitors from

Labrador West at the 2nd Annual Classic of the Newfoundland and Labrador Body

Building provincial competition in Grand Falls-Windsor on May 20.

Eight

athletes from Labrador West competed at the event, and as previously done, once

again stole the show.

Williams

Parsons, our lone male competitor, was successful in winning gold in his

division, and Dana Martin-Kelly placed first in Figure Grand Masters, while Lori

Butt placed a respectable third. Taylor Ryan placed first in Figure Overall.

Other

competitors included Gerri Lynn Arnold, Cordelia Richards, Julia Johnson and

Kyra Louvelle, all of whom had very respectable placements.

This is

believed to be the first time in bodybuilding competition in this province that

a mother/daughter combination competed at the same event in Dana Martin-Kelly

and Cordelia Richards. Dana recalls her proudest moment was when Cordelia rushed

to the stage to congratulate her on winning first place.

Bodybuilding is a fast growing sport in Newfoundland and Labrador, and I ask all

hon. Members to join me in congratulating all the participants of this year's

event and wish them success as they continue to raise the profile of this sport.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

I am

delighted to rise today to recognize a long-time stalwart of the local acting

community, also a long-time constituent and friend.

In March

of this year, Arts NL announced that actor, writer and puppeteer, Mary-Lynn

Bernard is the winner of the 2016 Rhonda Payne Theatre Award, and no more

fitting recipient could have been found.

The

award is named for groundbreaking actor, writer and director Rhonda Payne.

Rhonda Payne established the $500 cash award by dedicating royalties from the

production and publication of her works to a fund to assist women theatre

artists in Newfoundland and Labrador who are struggling to achieve their goals

as actors or writers.

Mary-Lynn has been a fixture of the St. John's stage, film and television scene

since the 1980s, acting in everything from Chekhov productions to

Random Passage , and has recently evolved into puppeteering.

I ask

all hon. Members to join me in congratulating Mary-Lynn Bernard, this year's

recipient of the Rhonda Payne Award.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Placentia West Bellevue.

MR. BROWNE:

Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate

Tourism Awareness Week and la Journee de la Francophonie, it is fitting to

recognize two important milestones.

Fifty

years ago, the Burin Peninsula celebrated the opening of its first visitor

information centre, an iconic building in the form of a lighthouse, built and

operated in Marystown, and officially opened by then Premier Joseph R.

Smallwood.

This is

now one of three information centres on the Burin Peninsula, with centres also

in Goobies, the gateway to the Burin Peninsula, and Fortune, the gateway to

Saint Pierre et Miquelon.

Twenty-five years ago, tourism operators and advocates formed a formal

association, the Heritage Run Tourism Association. This serves as the voice of

tourism on the Burin Peninsula, and has a long and successful track record of

attracting tourists into the area and capitalizing on opportunities,

particularly with our French neighbours.

While

there have been many volunteers and officers of the board who have helped this

organization thrive, there are two who stood out for their decades of dedication

and commitment to tourism. Russ Murphy, a volunteer from the mid-80s until 2014,

and Albert Dober, one of the founding members of the original visitor centre,

were both awarded honourary lifetime membership awards in the Heritage Run

Tourism Association.

(French

spoken: Mr. Speaker, please join me in saying congratulations to Mr. Dober, Mr.

Murphy, as well as the HRTA for these remarkable achievements.)

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount

Pearl North.

MR. KENT:

Sorry, Mr. Speaker, I was so

enthralled with the Member's statement, and I have to say to the hon. Member, I

love it when you speak French. Flicitations.

Mr.

Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to recognize the City of Mount Pearl on

hosting the Focus on Youth Awards recently held to honour youth in our city.

I would

like to congratulate all of the nominees and the winners of these awards. In

particular, Female Youth of the Year, Andie Winsor; Male Youth of the Year,

Patrick Breen; Female Athlete of the Year, Keeley Cox; Male Athlete of the Year,

Evan Knight; Team of the Year, the Mount Pearl Senior High Female Grade 9

Volleyball team; Adult Volunteer working with Youth and Sports, Richard

Christopher; Youth Volunteer of the Year, Emily Garlie; Official of the Year,

John Mackenzie; winner of the RNC Youth in Service Award, Cassidy Rose; Youth

Group of the Year, Mount Pearl Senior High Causes for Concern; Literary Arts

Award winner, Hunter Richardson; winner of the Visual Arts award, Sarah Hiscock;

winner of the Performing Arts award, Jack Thistle and Hunter Madden; winner of

the S.T.E.M. award, Joel Hatcher; Adult Volunteer working with Youth, Tracey

Dwyer; and the Performing Arts Group award was a tie between Conway, Mount Pearl

Senior High Drama Club, O'Donel High Jazz Band, Mount Pearl Senior High Jazz

Band, O'Donel High School High School

Musical and the Mount Pearl Senior High Traditional Band.

Mr.

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

nominees and winners on a fantastic Focus on Youth Awards ceremony.

Thank

you.

Merci

beaucoup.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. Member for Harbour

Grace Port de Grave.

MS. P. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, I would like to recognize Mr. Bill Luffman of Harbour Grace on a

lifetime of dedication to community and culture through song.

Born in

Markland in 1934, he moved to Harbour Grace with his parents and siblings,

travelling in the back of a pickup truck. Mr. Luffman said in those days jobs

were extremely scarce, so he opened a small shoe repair business in the

community where he made a living for his wife, Gladys Newman, and their three

children.

Mr.

Speaker, I remember visiting his shop with my mom when I was a child. Many would

remember that it was a quaint little business, which displayed a large,

life-sized shoe outside above the door.

Bill is

affectionately known as the singing cobbler. He spent many years playing and

singing to raise funds for those in need. His instrument of fame was the ugly

stick.

A local

favourite, Bill Luffman wrote and performed many times his own song, The Light

and Power Boys. Recently in Harbour Grace, there was a celebration for Bill to

say thank you for his many acts of kindness and support for others.

I ask

all hon. Members to join me in recognizing Mr. Bill Luffman.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. Member for Topsail

Paradise.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, the Avalon Dragons is a team made up of breast cancer survivors who

brought dragon boating to Newfoundland and Labrador, the fastest-growing team

water sport in the world.

Mr.

Speaker, this past year, Paradise held its sixth annual Avalon Dragon Paddle in

Paradise event which I again had the pleasure of attending. Team members have

all had breast cancer and are in various stages of treatment and recovery.

The team

has become a powerful source of hope and inspiration to others who are just

starting their cancer journey. They promote public awareness of the importance

of exercise and healthy lifestyle in preventing breast cancer and lymphedema, a

common side effect of breast cancer surgery, and show that people living with

breast cancer can lead full lives and active lives.

Fundraising enables the Avalon Dragons to provide dragon boat activities for

breast cancer survivors throughout the region and to promote its expansion to

other parts of the province. The team also contributes financially to programs

and services that directly help those who are having difficulties bearing the

financial burdens that undergoing cancer treatment often imposes.

Mr.

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

Avalon Dragons for their dedication and the fantastic support that they provide

to others.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Statements by Ministers.

Statements by

Ministers

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development.

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to

congratulate the members of our province's very own Eastern Newfoundland and

Labrador team for their outstanding performances at the 56th annual Canada-Wide

Science Fair, held at the University of Regina. The competition is the largest

of its kind in Canada.

Six

students from the Husky Energy Eastern Newfoundland Science and Technology Fair

represented this province at the event earlier this month. These students are:

Nora Boone, Clara Phillips and Noha Shehata from Holy Heart, Nisarg Dave from

Gonzaga, Kurtis Collins from Waterford Valley, and Aaron Sarkar from Macdonald

Drive Junior High.

All

participants presented remarkable work and represented our province with pride.

Mr.

Speaker, the level three student Nora Boone won a gold medal for designing a

training tool for emergency brain surgery.

Ms.

Boone's simulation tool is meant to train medical staff in rural areas to safely

perform emergency surgery when intracranial hematomas need to be treated before

a patient can be transferred to neurosurgical care in a larger centre.

addition to her gold medal, Ms. Boone also brought home an Innovation Challenge

award and a Youth Can Innovate award valued at $1,000.

The

scope and complexity of the remaining Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador team

members' individual projects are truly impressive as well. Aaron Sarkar won a

silver medal, Kurtis Collins, Nisarg Dave and Noha Shehata each brought home a

bronze medal as well. These young people clearly have bright futures ahead of

them and their extraordinary work deserves to be recognized.

I ask

that all hon. Members of this House join me in congratulating Nora Boone, Clara

Phillips, Noha Shehata, Nisarg Dave, Kurtis Collins and Aaron Sarkar on their

tremendous successes on the national stage. I know we can look forward to more

great things from these young people in the future, Mr. Speaker.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank

the hon. Member for an advance copy of his statement. It gives me immense pride

to stand today and congratulate the members of the Eastern Newfoundland team on

their success at the Canada-Wide Science Fair.

The six

students from the Husky Energy Eastern Newfoundland Science and Technology Fair

are a great example of the talent we have in our province and the role our youth

will play in the future of Newfoundland and Labrador. We congratulate Nora,

Clara, Noha, Nisarg, Kurtis and Aaron and we commend them for the work they've

done. They certainly have the support and pride from the people of Newfoundland

and Labrador.

This

side of the House congratulates all participants on their well-deserved awards

and their brilliant efforts on the national stage. We wish them well in what

will, no doubt, be a bright and promising future. Congratulations to each one of

you.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

I, too,

thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement. Congratulations to

Nora Boone for her innovative simulation tool to train doctors to perform

emergency surgery when a neurosurgeon is not available. This technology has the

potential to save lives and is an exciting example of how our young people can

excel in technology and serve rural communities.

I also

commend the other five members of the team who received awards, all well

deserved. Knowing the calibre of work presented by hundreds of students at this

fair every year, we can all be extremely proud of them.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. Minister of Justice

and Public Safety.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'd like

to recognize May 29 through June 2 as Victims and Survivors of Crime Week. This

week, we'd like to raise awareness about the issues facing victims and survivors

of crime in this province and the programs, services and laws that are in place

to help victims of crimes and their families participate more fully in the

criminal justice system.

Mr.

Speaker, this week is also an opportunity to acknowledge the important work of

service providers, such as our very own Victim Services, for their dedication to

assisting victims and survivors of crime.

Mr.

Speaker, since coming into this role, it has been a top priority for me to

ensure the justice system works for everyone, particularly victims who need

additional support.

This

past fall, I had the opportunity to sit down with the staff from our Victim

Services who work very hard to meet the diverse needs of survivors of crime by

offering free support to assist in the healing process. Victim Services provides

a wide range of services, some of which include referrals for counselling,

safety planning, court preparation and assistance with completing Victim Impact

Statements. Mr. Speaker, this is a very important program that helps a number of

victims in our province and I'd like to thank everyone who contributes to the

services.

recognize that victims need support on many levels and they need to know their

options. Mr. Speaker, last month we announced a Sexual Assault Response Pilot

program which will provide free legal advice to survivors of sexual violence.

This program will give victims access to justice and empower them to make

informed choices as they navigate through the system.

The

experience for a victim of crime can be life altering, and the impact is

profound. This week, and every week, we are committed to doing whatever we can

to ensure that victims have access to justice and to help in the healing

process.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank

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

in recognizing Victims and Survivors of Crime Week.

Mr.

Speaker, it is very important that proper supports for survivors and victims of

crime remain paramount within the justice system. The province has an important

obligation to ensure that all necessary supports are established, but also an

equally important obligation to ensure that cases have their day in court and

are not dismissed as a result of delays leading to the application under Jordan.

We're

fortunate to have very capable, dedicated, passionate individuals working with

Victim Services and providing services to victims of crime and survivors of

crime in this province, and this week we join government in celebrating the work

they do to support victims and survivors as well.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank

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

fabulous folks in Victim Services who provide excellent work with passion and

compassion to people who have been victims of crime. There are many ways the

province can help in that work by providing more comprehensive supports such as

including all kinds of medical and dental care, long-term counselling, lost

wages, property damage and more.

I would

also like to thank the community organizations who also provide supports in so

many ways to victims.

Thank

you, and bravo to one and all.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Service NL.

MR. TRIMPER:

Et responsable pour des

Affaires francophones

also, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, I am delighted to rise in this hon. House on

La Journe de la francophonie

provinciale to

recognize the Francophone and Acadian community in our province.

This

morning I was proud to welcome the Lieutenant Governor as we joined students

from cole des

Grands-Vents and

members of the community who raised the Francophone flag here at Confederation

Building.

Many

others are also celebrating across our province, including in Labrador and on

the Port au Port Peninsula.

Monsieur

le Prsident, l'excellent travail de l'quipe dvoue de la Fdration des

francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador et des membres de la communaut a

rehauss le profil de la population francophone de notre province.

fvrier, le Bureau des services en franais a connu un repositionnement

stratgique au sein de Service TNL. Nous commenons dj voir les avantages de

ce repositionnement des services en franais sous l'gide d'un ministre ax sur

le service.

Par

exemple, je suis heureux d'annoncer que, des adjourd' hui, le formulaire de

demande de certificat de naissance est disponible en ligne en franais sur le

site Web de Service TNL.

Monsieur

le Prsident, en mars, le ministre de l'Enseignement postsecondaire, des

Comptences et du Travail a lanc un plan d'action sur l'immigration grce

auquel nous tablirons un partenariat avec les organismes communautaires et les

fournisseurs de services. Ceci permettra d'augmenter l'attraction et la

rtention des immigrants francophones.

Nous

pourrons aussi atteindre l'objectif, tabli dans le document

The Way Forward , d'augmenter

l'immigration de 50 pour 100 et d'accueillir environ 1 700 immigrants par anne

d'ici 2022.

Today, I

call on all of my colleagues here in the House to join me in celebrating the

rich cultural and linguistic contributions of the Francophonie throughout the

year.

Bonne

Journe de la francophonie provinciale!

Merci.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount

Pearl North.

MR. KENT:

Je remercie le ministre pour

une copie l'avance de sa dclaration. Ma femme parle franais, malheureusement

pas moi!

Monsieur

le Prsident, j'aimerais galement reconnatre aujourd'hui la communaut

francophone et acadienne dans notre province: la Journee de la Francophonie.

J'ai t

heureux de rejoindre les nombreux autres qui se sont rassembls au btiment de

la Confdration ce matin pour lever le drapeau francophone. C'tait vraiment

un vnement merveilleux et je suis certain que les autres vnements dans la

province auront autant de succs dans la reconnaissance de cette journe trs

importante.

Monsieur

le Prsident, nous avons un riche patrimoine culturel franais dans notre

province et c'est en effet quelque chose clbrer. Flicitations la

Francophonie de la province!

Merci

beaucoup and et je m'excuse!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

That was a valiant effort and

better than most.

The hon.

Member for St. John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Merci, Monsieur le Prsident,

mais je vais parler en Anglais.

I thank

the minister for the advance copy of his statement. I'm delighted to join with

everyone celebrating la Journe de la francophonie. The francophone and Acadian

communities have a long and acclaimed history in this place which has not always

been properly recognized, much longer than the 30-year-old flag that was hoisted

today.

These

communities bring a vibrancy and richness to our province's culture and society.

Congratulations to the francophone association of Newfoundland and Labrador. We

all celebrate with you today.

I echo

the minister: Bonne journe de la francophonie provincial!

Merci,

Monsieur le Prsident.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Oral Questions.

Oral Questions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, recently local media has reported that sexual assault charges against a

man with previous convictions will have the charges dropped due to court delays.

The presiding judge said that the delay in excess of 40 months is simply too

long for a relatively straightforward case, as this one was.

Can the

minister explain to the people of the province why a case such as this one has

been stalled so long that the charges were being dismissed by the judge?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House

Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Certainly we, as in every other province, have seen cases that have been dropped

due to the Jordan ruling which we know came out last summer. That's a ruling

that basically put hard and fast ceilings in place to have criminal matters

disposed of.

Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do with actions that have been taken in

the past. Basically, our department, since the time the Jordan case has come

down, has taken proactive measures to ensure that these things do not happen

now. We've hired extra Crown prosecutors; we've had meetings with police. We've

done a number of things to work within the system, work with all parties. We had

a Justice Summit where this very issue was discussed.

The fact

is it's hard to go back in time and fix the issues that happened before,

certainly, a number of these cases that have happened. We're actually doing very

well in this province compared to other jurisdictions, but it's an issue and

something that we continue to follow up on.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I can

assure the minister of the province that the people are not at all comforted

knowing that a convicted sex offender and others are having charges dropped

because our province's court system doesn't have the resources necessary to meet

the demand.

I ask

the minister: Rather than finding out these stories through local media, will he

now be upfront and tell the people of the province how many more very serious

charges such as this are in danger of being dropped because of unnecessary court

delays and the invoking of the Jordan decision?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House

Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It's

hard to predict which defendants want to make Jordan applications, because the

fact is that's up to each and every person. This is a decision that has received

some national attention. In fact, it was considered by the Supreme Court.

Our

court system has had its challenges, but I think the Member opposite will

remember when he sat right there in his place during Estimates just a few weeks

ago and the former Director of Public Prosecutions, who is now on the Supreme

Court, looked over and reminded him of the drastic decisions made in 2013 when

his administration cut court times and they also cut a number of Crown

prosecutors.

So,

again, I can't fix the mistakes of the past, but I will certainly do everything

we can to make our system work now.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, we

know the Liberals like to blame somebody else when something's not going their

way and they like to blame the previous administration, just as the minister has

just done here today with one breath, when in another breath he actually closed

courts here last year, Mr. Speaker, closed four courts here in the province last

year, while Jordan decision had become law in this country. He's also seeing

reductions in policing in Newfoundland and Labrador, reductions they've done

nothing about, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. P. DAVIS:

So I ask the minister: Very

simply, you've been in office for 17 months, instead of blaming someone else,

when will you take responsibility for what's going on with the justice system in

our province?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House

Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

appreciate the questions from the Member opposite. Certainly, we sat here for

three hours and we answered every question he had during the Estimates process.

I can't

help the fact the Director of Public Prosecutions blamed him squarely for the

decisions that he made while he was in Cabinet. He has to live with that. We've

made a number of decisions since that time. We've increased the number of Crown

prosecutors. We have made no cuts to front-line policing. In fact, we're

investing in studies into our courts and into HMP.

If he

wants some statistics; right now we have 29 total Jordan applications, only four

have been stayed, three of those are under appeal. So the fact is in this

province we face challenges, but they are far less than the challenges faced in

places like Quebec where murder charges are being dropped and they have over 200

applications.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

closed courts under his watch while Jordan was in effect, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, while we're pleased that the Husky development has been sanctioned,

we're also concerned the Liberal government may have given away key benefits and

not telling the full story.

Yesterday, the minister was asked four times here in the House what work will be

done outside the province. Not once did she provide an answer. She talked about

what's going on inside the province, but not once will she tell us what work is

going outside the province.

I ask

the Premier: In the interest of openness and transparency, we've had lots of

people ask the same question in the last 24 hours, will you disclose what work

will be done outside of Newfoundland and Labrador?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House

Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have

no choice but to stand and address the

preamble by the Member opposite, which is

factually incorrect. We had to make decisions last year, unfortunately due to

the financial mess that he and his team left us in. We did make a decision to

close courts. Subsequent to that, not before, subsequent to that, the Supreme

Court made the Jordan ruling. After that we worked with the courts to find both

the savings and keep the courts open.

I'm

sorry I had to stand here. I know he's going to ask that question again, but I

had to remind the Member that there are facts out there and hopefully he can put

them on the floor of this House.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Eighteen

months in power, we're seeing cases still thrown out because of Jordan, Mr.

Speaker.

I will

ask the Premier once again: In the interest of openness and transparency, will

you now provide full disclosure and tell the people of the province what work

will be done outside of the province?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

MS. COADY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

When

yesterday I was asked this question, I would have thought that the Member

opposite who was involved in the former administration would have realized what

he had read in 2013 and signed, but I guess not. So I'll tell him.

In 2013,

it was decided the facility support frame, which has not traditionally been done

in the province, as well as the drilling equipment set, which has not been

traditionally built in this province and the facility service block, which I did

mention yesterday, is now been built as part of the topsides which is now being

done globally as part of the topsides not embedded in the 2013 agreement. Any

of those things were not embedded in the 2013 agreement.

allowed me to answer this question, but I did think he would have read his 2013

agreement, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Here we go again, Mr.

Speaker, blame somebody else; blame somebody else.

Yesterday, the CEO of Husky said to the

National Post that the attractiveness of the project was increased through

negotiation with a motivated government. Some would say a government who's

desperate for a good news story during a polling period.

I ask

the Premier: What concessions did you make to close this deal?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

MS. COADY:

I would hope, Mr. Speaker,

that the former premier, who was a Minister of the Crown at the time of the 2013

agreement, would always be motived to encourage the oil and gas industry in this

province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS. COADY:

As far as concessions, Mr.

Speaker, what we did do was have a good discussion with Husky who did not need

the gates in Argentia. We also talked with Argentia about this. Instead of the

gates in Argentia, which are not required for this project, we have a $60

million economic development and innovation fund which is going to help drive

the industry and help us to really put in place some of the infrastructures that

are required.

Argentia

is very motivated and happy to be able to have this project, Mr. Speaker, and

we'll be working with them as we move forward.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

So the

gates will not be built in Argentia which was part of the original plan, if I

remember correctly. Thanks to the minister for providing that information.

Can the

minister tell us what the employment target percentages for female gender

equality in the project are?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

MS. COADY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

They

have not changed since the 2007 agreement. That was done by the former

administration. They are the exact same as they were. We have a full agreement

in place on gender equity and that remains in place as they were in 2007.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In 2015

and 2016, the ratio was 50 per cent under the contract. So is that still going

to be in place for 2017 and onward, Minister?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

MS. COADY:

I'm sorry, Mr. Speaker, I

didn't hear the actual question, but I will say, as I said yesterday, there's a

number of benefits to this province including 10 million person-hours of

employment, which is a huge increase, Mr. Speaker, over what was discussed in

In terms

of direct benefits to the province, almost 10 million which equates to about

5,000 person hours. When this project was announced by the former administration

in 2013 it was about 2,800. So as you can see, the scope, the size, the

development of this project is bringing increased benefits to the province

including, Mr. Speaker, increased engineering.

We were

able to increase the amount of engineering being done in the province on the

accommodations module from the 2013 agreement which was 75 per cent to today

over 95 per cent, great benefits to Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The

Minister of Finance indicated that government would introduce wage freezes for

non-bargaining employees.

I ask

the minister: Will legislation be introduced to cause wage freezes for

non-bargaining employees?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank

the Member opposite for the question. As we announced in the budget this year,

it is our intention to implement a wage freeze in the context of our management

and non-unionized employees. We are working on the details of doing that, and

we'll certainly be bringing that information to the House as soon as we're

ready.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well,

we're hearing a number of things happening on the negotiation front.

I ask

the minister, if they're going to ask employees to take one unpaid day off each

month in order to save money?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, again, I thank

the Member opposite for his interest in the very important issue that we are

working on with our public sector employees.

Quite

frankly, the question from the Member opposite is asking me to discuss things

that we're discussing at the table. We have certain issues that we are working

on. We are not going to bargain in public. Certainly, when we have those

discussions with our public sector employees and their union leadership as to

certainly provide that information to the House.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We're

also hearing that government is considering decreasing the province's share and

making employees pay more of their share for health and benefits for employees'

compensation.

So I ask

the minister: Will she commit today to negotiate an agreement and not

legislating a collective agreement on hard-working public servants in

Newfoundland and Labrador?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

What

I'll commit to is what I've committed to, and what our government has committed

to right from the start of this process. We want to have a meaningful

conversation with our public sector employees on the financial circumstances and

situation that we're faced in this province. We encourage our public sector

leadership at the union level, leadership level, to have a meaningful dialogue.

We're looking for all kinds of ways to make sure that dialogue happens.

The

reality is that the situation we're facing isn't going to go away and we're

going to continue to work hard at the table to have those conversations, Mr.

Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount

Pearl North.

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

October of 2015, a $30 million commitment for community initiatives as part of

the Voisey's Bay Development Agreement was announced.

Could

the Premier give us a status update on these important projects?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, as

part of the Voisey's Bay underground agreement which was, I think, the sixth or

seventh amendment that was made to that agreement if you remember, after the

Voisey's Bay deal that continues to supply many great benefits to the people of

the province. It was Members opposite who thought they could drive a Mack truck

through that.

Here it

is even today, they are talking about the $30 million investment they could make

to communities like Happy Valley-Goose Bay and to communities like Placentia and

so on. Mr. Speaker, the details of all of this and health care initiatives,

these things are still being worked out. It's going through a process right now

to determine how that money will be used and the things that will need to be

done to get that money into the system, Mr. Speaker.

When

it's ready to go, and go through the necessary processes, the money will be

spent. The commitment is made to the necessary communities that are impacted by

this money.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount

Pearl North.

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, the Premier says

the details on these projects are still being worked out. They were worked out

almost two years ago. This government has been in office for about 18 months;

$12 million was approved for supportive housing and health supports for

vulnerable populations across the province; $11 million for a new wellness

centre in Happy Valley-Goose Bay; $4.5 million for a new aquatics facility in

Placentia; and $2.5 million in funding for a cardiovascular hybrid operating

room at the Health Sciences Centre.

Again,

nearly two years later, why has there been no progress? Has this government

backtracked on previous commitments and are they making changes to how this

funding is going to be allocated?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Mr. Speaker, the reality is

if the government at the time had done a better job in putting an agreement in

place, we would not be in the position that we're in right now.

Mr.

Speaker, they made a lot of announcements, let's face it. The Members opposite,

who was the government at the time, they made a lot of announcements. Not a lot

of detail behind it; they would go out, make announcements.

Just a

few minutes ago when I listened to the Leader of the PC Party when he talked

about a motivated government, Mr. Speaker, what it reminded me of: one morning

speaking to a conference. I think it was a NOIA conference when the premier of

the day was so motivated to make an announcement, he went down and announced

that Statoil would be reaching an agreement within a couple of weeks.

Well

guess what, Mr. Speaker? Statoil didn't even know anything about it.

So when

you talk about making announcements, there's a difference in making

announcements and putting things in action, Mr. Speaker. When it's ready to be

done, when the process is completed, the money will be in place.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount

Pearl North.

MR. KENT:

The Premier never lets the

facts get in the way of a good story.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

And his

blame-the-former-government argument is getting old. People in the province are

tired of hearing it and we certainly are as well. They were elected to govern

and it's time for them to start doing so.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Are you cancelling the

previously approved projects? Yes or no?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Municipal Affairs and Environment.

MR. JOYCE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I just

find it very odd and weird that the Member is asking questions about that. When

you look at the pool in Placentia, I'm after having nine meetings with the Town

of Placentia. It was just last Monday myself and the Premier had a meeting with

Happy Valley-Goose Bay; five meetings on the centre in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Guess

what? Not one question, not one inquiry in the last 18 months from the Members

opposite. Now, all of a sudden, they've become a concern.

I can

tell the Member opposite that we're meeting with the town officials. We are

getting the program in place. We are working diligently to make sure we're

getting the best bang for our dollars. Each of the towns are working with us and

we're after having at least six, seven meetings with one and five with the other

town to get these projects moving to satisfy all the people in the area.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount

Pearl North.

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, we're concerned

because two years have passed and this government has taken no action

whatsoever. Nine meetings in Placentia: no results; five meetings in Happy

Valley-Goose Bay: no action, no commitment.

understand that Municipal Affairs and town officials from Placentia met again

last week to discuss the swimming pool project. They're very frustrated that in

almost two years nothing has been done regarding the project.

you're still unable to meet commitments from the 2015 agreement for the people

of Placentia and other communities, how confident can people throughout

Newfoundland and Labrador be that your government can administer the Innovation

and Business Development Fund recently announced?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Municipal Affairs and Environment.

MR. JOYCE:

Mr. Speaker, I find it

strange not one question, not one letter, not one meeting, not one inquiry about

the Placentia pool. Just for the record, just so the Member opposite doesn't

stand up again and ask questions which he has no idea about, it was 14 days ago

that Placentia finally put in a final cost for the pool that Placentia put in.

It had

nothing to do because we're working through the agreement of the building.

It's a massive building. You just can't take it and say we're going to go ahead

and build a swimming pool. They're building a lot on to the swimming pool.

They're going to look out for the swimming, exercise inside. They're going to

have walking. That takes time. That takes engineering.

We are

working constantly with the town. Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago was when they came

in with the final price and we're working on that price.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount

Pearl North.

MR. KENT:

First blame the previous

government then blame the Town of Placentia.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

We're raising these

questions, Mr. Speaker, because the people of Placentia trusted that government

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. KENT:

would follow through with

its commitments. We trusted that this government would honour previous

commitments and they have not; more broken promises.

I ask

the minister: Didn't the Town of Placentia have completed designs 18 months ago

and your department sent them back to the drawing board? Isn't that why you just

received new plans in the past week or so?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

I remind

all hon. Members the only individual I wish to hear from is the individual

recognized to speak.

The hon.

Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment.

MR. JOYCE:

Mr. Speaker, I'll make one

commitment here. When we finally get the work done for the pool in Placentia

there's one commitment I'll make. It will not be like the hospital and long-term

care, making five or six announcements on the same project and never delivering.

When we

get this project done, the design work that the minister is talking about will

be used to put out for a project build. It will be used to put out; it will not

be wasted as the Members opposite did.

I can

tell you one thing; they'll have their swimming pool. I'll guarantee you that;

they'll have the swimming pool. I'll guarantee you another thing, we'll have the

hospital and we'll have the long-term care facility in Corner Brook. Unlike the

Member opposite who made at least four commitments that it's going to start,

going to be built and never delivered on one. Not only that, Mr. Speaker, never

even had the design done on either one of them while making those commitments.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As a

recent Telegram story indicated, the

existing legislation states only that municipalities in this province may

contribute to a public library as opposed to must contribute. Your new libraries

report gives a completely different direction.

I ask

the Minister of Municipal Affairs: Is he in favour of downloading the financial

responsibility for public libraries on the municipalities?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Municipal Affairs and Environment.

MR. JOYCE:

Mr. Speaker, I understand the

dilemma we're in but I can guarantee you one thing, when we make a decision with

the municipalities it's going to be in conjunction and in consultation with the

municipality.

One

thing we won't do, Mr. Speaker, is we won't have a mayor in the town up to Kent

supplies get a call from the minister of Municipal Affairs and the minister of

Education offering $225,000 a year to pay for expenses to their building so they

could put a library in to help them pay the cost of the building. That's not the

way to operate libraries.

When the

Member opposite stands up and wants to ask questions about the libraries, think

about the $225,000 in CBS that they made from the Kent store, that two ministers

called the mayor from the Kent store. When we work with municipalities there

are municipalities that want the libraries we'll help out, but I can tell it

will be in conjunction and consultation with the municipalities who are

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

I hope it's better

consultation than the downloading of firefighting costs for municipalities, road

improvement costs for municipalities and recreation facilities costs for

municipalities.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

The unions representing

provincial library workers were very critical of the extremely vague report.

They contend this report leaves many in limbo.

When

will the librarians and the general public be provided with the details of how

government will proceed?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Education and Early Childhood Development.

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, as I said here

in the House of Assembly yesterday, this is the most detailed overview of the

public library system that we've had in this province for 2 decades. It is very

detailed.

Every

librarian and library worker in this province who wanted to participate in that

consultation did. There is a detailed road map in the report. It will be

followed. The public libraries board, it's now in their hands. They will provide

direction; they will consult with the department on their future direction. We

won't dictate to them as we have not in the past.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Now that

the minister has had time to read and consider the report, will any of the

recommendations be adopted? If so, what can people expect and what time frames?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Education and Early Childhood Development.

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, as is customary

here in the House, the Education critic for the PC Party continues to be

confused with the relationships between external agencies, boards and

commissions and departments of government.

Unlike

the previous administration which interfered constantly in the inner workings of

school boards, libraries boards and Memorial University, deciding who would be

president and who would not be president and so on and so forth unlike that

meddling approach we are honouring the legislative autonomy that is afforded to

public institutions in our province.

When the

Public Libraries Board has an opportunity to build a road map based on what's in

that report, we will work with them to build a more sustainable public library

system.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I must

remind the minister that he commissioned this report. In principle, it's his

report. He's had a copy of it. He's paid for it.

The

minister stated on May 18: When that report is released, I will provide a full

accounting of what it cost. It's 12 days later. Where are the numbers, Mr.

Minister?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development.

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, the day that the

public libraries report was released by the Public Libraries Board, the media

widely reported that it cost $253,000. There has not been a comprehensive review

of the public library system for 2 decades.

If you

look at the amount of funding that has been provided over that period of time,

it approaches $300 million. The amount of money that was paid for this report

amounts for less than 1 per cent of the total amount of money, either on an

annual basis or over the course of the 25 years, that there was no analysis done

of the system.

This is

good value for money and overall an infinitesimally small amount of money in

comparison to what we are paying out every year for public library services.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

Restoring Adult Basic Education to the College of the North Atlantic will ensure

that students can access further programs at the college as well as

student-centred support services always with the student's best interests in

mind. We were assured in Estimates that government is going to make it happen.

I ask

the Premier: What actions are the government taking to reinstate ABE in the

public college system where it belongs?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

MS. COADY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The

Member opposite and all of us would remember that Adult Basic Education was

removed from the college system in 2013. I do know the minister responsible is

doing a full analysis and looking at exactly what can be done with Adult Basic

Education, how best to provide that service, how it should be done in this

province, Mr. Speaker. He's doing a thorough analysis and when that analysis is

completed, I'm sure he'll let the people of the province know what he will be

doing with Adult Basic Education as it pertains to the college system.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

I thank

the minister for that information. But I would point out that the government is

publicly talking about the huge potential in returning ABE to the College of the

North Atlantic, citing distance learning as an example and saying the sky is the

limit. I say to the minister that people want actions, not words.

I ask

the Premier: Will his government commit to bringing ABE back to the public

college system by September 2017?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

MS. COADY:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

Members opposite would know, as the people of the province would know, there's a

full modernization plan for the College of the North Atlantic that is underway.

He's spoken publicly about this and tabled the report.

Mr.

Speaker, the issue around Adult Basic Education is very complex and a very

responsive program to the needs of the people of this province. A thorough

analysis is being done in a timely way. I think the minister has spoken about

the needs of the Adult Basic Education, about the opportunities within the

College of the North Atlantic, but no decision has been made at this point

because the analysis is still taking place.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. Member for St.

John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Before

the previous Conservative government so recklessly privatized the ABE program at

the Waterford, it was provided by the College of the North Atlantic in

partnership with Eastern Health. They incorporated comprehensive support

services to help students with complex mental health needs and were extremely

successful. The program was held up as a model and was the envy of the rest of

Canada.

I ask

the Minister of Health and Community Services: Will he commit to working with

the minister to having the college once again deliver the ABE program at the

Waterford?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Health and Community Services.

MR. HAGGIE:

Thank you very much for the

question, Mr. Speaker.

As the

Member opposite may recall from her time on the All-Party Committee, the

discussion about wraparound services and transitions from acute care into the

community are particular pressure areas that have been acknowledged across the

health care system and not just in mental health or addictions. Certainly, I

have been open to this concept.

The

implementation group are working on the report of the All-Party Committee and I

would hope that would be something that would be addressed once their report is

ready. I anticipate that being out before the end of June, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. Member for St.

John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Mr. Speaker, the majority of

inmates in correctional facilities across the province have complex mental

health needs, addictions issues and have not completed high school.

I ask

the Minister of Justice: Will he commit to working with the minister to having

the College of the North Atlantic deliver ABE and GED programs at correctional

facilities throughout the province, with comprehensive supports to help inmates

in rehabilitation and increasing their likelihood of successfully reintegrating

into society?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Justice and Public Safety.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank

the Member for what is a very important question. What I can confirm is that,

yes, I will always commit to working with other Members of this government to

ensure the best interests of the people of this province, including the people

that are residents right now at our various institutions and corrections

centres.

The fact

is that we need to do this. It needs to be co-operation between the Departments

of Health, Advanced Education, Justice and you name it.

We need

to break down the silos that have previously existed. I look forward to doing

that. Hopefully we can make decisions that will help everybody in this province.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The time for Question Period

has expired.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Tabling

of Documents.

Tabling of

Documents

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, pursuant to

section 5 of the

Local Authority Guarantee Act , I wish to table the annual report of loan

guarantees provided to local governments to enable them to arrange interim

financing for capital projects. I'm pleased to report there were no new

guarantees issued on behalf of local governments during the fiscal year.

Mr.

Speaker, the last report under this act was tabled on April 11, 2016, and

included guarantees issued up to and including March 31, 2016. The current

report covers the period from April 1, 2016, to March 31, 2017.

As well,

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to

section 49(2) of the

Financial Administration Act , I wish to table the attached list of

temporary loans that were raised under

section 48 of the act since my last

report to the House on April 11, 2016.

addition, Mr. Speaker, pursuant to

section 55(3) of the

Financial Administration Act , I wish to report that there were no

guaranteed loans paid out by the province since the last report, also on April

11, 2016.

Finally,

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to

section 55.1(2) of the act, I wish to report that there

has been no guaranteed debt of a Crown corporation or agency assumed by the

province since the April 11, 2016 report.

Thank

you.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further tabling of documents.

Notices

of Motion.

Answers

to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland

and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

smaller class sizes, adequate learning environment and effective curriculum are

paramount to success of our youth; and

WHEREAS

recent budget decisions have negatively impacted student supports, educational

resources and teaching allocations; and

WHEREAS

the provincial education system should ensure that each child has the ability to

reach his or her full potential;

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

of Assembly to urge government to enhance the education system in Newfoundland

and Labrador, introduce initiatives which ensure smaller class sizes which will

provide more sufficient personal space per child and allow more individual

learning opportunities, develop effective curriculums which enable youth to

develop both life skills and optimal academic achievements, provide resources to

ensure a fully beneficial inclusion model is in place and to ensure all children

in our province have equal standard of education in their learning environment.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The

Member for Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioner will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, I've had an opportunity over the last number of months in this hon.

House to present this petition and a number of other ones relevant to our

education system, and some of the challenges that people are facing. Those

challenges are faced by a multitude of those involved, particularly the

administrators, the teachers themselves, the parents, the school councils, the

district boards, but particularly the students themselves.

The lack

of services and the lack of assets that are necessary indicate that our students

are not going to have the ability to achieve a well-rounded, full inclusive

education that they so deservingly should be entitled to. What's being outlined

here is a collage of challenges and issues that have been identified by all

these stakeholders that I mentioned earlier regarding how collectively we have

to look at how we best fill the gaps in our education system and how we support

these students in our system.

It talks

about particular things: how we've become regressive around some of the

approaches here. Larger class sizes are not in any way you'll find no science

that will dictate that larger class sizes are in the best interests of a

student.

They're

asking to go back to for a number of years we tried to find something that was

workable, but we've increased that and it becomes a challenge where in some

school systems where the classroom sizes are a challenge. We need to build more

facilities or upgrade the facilities themselves. The challenges around the

number of teachers that are allocated and the particular extra resources we need

to have to ensure that people have a well-rounded education accessible to them.

Some of

the other partnerships that need to be developed; we need to look at how we

better drive those types of initiatives. They talk here about optimal academic

achievements and they talk about life skills training, they talk about financial

training. These are all very important life skills that people will need to

become better citizens and productive citizens in our province.

Mr.

Speaker, I want to present this on behalf of the people of Newfoundland and

Labrador to improve our education system.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The Member for St. John's

East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

To the

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland

and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

the US Centers for Disease Control now estimates that autism spectrum disorder

affects one in 68 children, which represents a 30 per cent increase from the

estimate two years ago; and

WHEREAS

early diagnosis of ASD is essential because there is a critical developmental

period when early intervention is vital for future success of children with ASD;

and

WHEREAS

in other provinces an ASD diagnosis can be made by specialists certified and

trained in ADOS;

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

of Assembly to urge government to allow other specialists trained and certified

with ADOS to make the autism spectrum disorder diagnosis.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, I'm very pleased to once again be able to stand and support the

petitioners with regard to their concerns around early diagnosis of children

with ADS. This week is a significant week for doing it because it is Early

Childhood Educators' Week. In this instance we are talking about the needs of

children who, in the ones I'm going to speak to now, are not just children who

are early childhood, but children who are early childhood who are on the autism

spectrum.

If there

is any group that needs special needs early in their lives, it is children who

are on the autism spectrum. The earlier these children can be diagnosed, the

earlier they can be assessed, the earlier they can have the programs that they

require the better their lives are going to be.

I cannot

impress upon this House, upon the government, and the petitioners can't impress

enough on us either how important it is that assessments that are done of our

children here in this province are done by a child development team, a team that

includes a pediatrician, a psychologist, a speech-language pathologist,

occupational therapist and intake coordinator. We need a team like that in every

regional health authority, Mr. Speaker, so that our children are not waiting for

months to get a developmental assessment.

At the

Janeway right now, according to figures from the Autism Society of Newfoundland

and Labrador, the waiting time is 10 months and that's up six months from

January 2016. With the Central RHA, it's six months of waiting. With the

Western, it's 10 months but creeping up. In Labrador, it's 3 months.

Mr.

Speaker, I urge the government to take this seriously and to put in place what

is needed.

Thank

you.

MR. SPEAKER:

The Member for Conception Bay

South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland

and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

the provincial government has mandated the Eastern Regional Service Board to

implement modern waste management practices in the eastern region; and

WHEREAS

the Eastern Regional Service Board has opened a Waste Recovery Facility on Old

Brigus Road in Whitbourne to receive bulk items such as: appliances, furniture,

electronics, car and truck tires, construction and demolition debris, shingles,

et cetera;

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

of Assembly to urge government to insist mitigation measures be established to

contain the waste held at the facility and improve esthetics surrounding the

containment area.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, I brought this petition this is numerous times or several times I've

brought it up. It's a big issue to the residents of Whitbourne. This

transshipment I call it a transshipment facility but it's a drop-off for

larger appliances, larger items. It's on the Old Brigus Road, which is directly

parallel with the Trans-Canada Highway, but it's right on the border of the

communities near a residential area.

There is

a contract been called, tenders have been called for some fencing and some trees

to cover up to try to contain this, but the problem with it is they don't feel

and most of the town doesn't think that's going to be enough to solve the issue.

You need covered containment areas, you need berms. It needs to be done in a

more aesthetic value.

It hurts

the community, the optics of a mattress blowing out on the highway. You have

tourists travelling on that road. The optics of just a pile of garbage as you

enter your community, this is a pile of garbage that basically faces you as you

come to the community of Whitbourne.

Residents have no issue with this facility being there, but while Eastern waste

management are doing the tender, they're encouraging them or asking government

to help them to expand that tender to make it more 'sightly' I guess, more

aesthetically valued, better aesthetics because the people in the community have

complained about this numerous times to their town and publicly about the mess

this is creating in their community and they ask for government to step in and

provide better mitigation measures.

Thank

you very much.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'm

pleased to rise today to present a petition on behalf of residents of my

district.

To the

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland

and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

Budget 2015 announced a new school for

the Witless Bay-Mobile school system; and

WHEREAS

the planning and design of this school was underway; and

WHEREAS

Statistics Canada has recognized the region as having significant growth; and

WHEREAS

the project was cancelled in Budget 2016 ;

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

of Assembly to urge government to reverse its decision and construct the

proposed school for the Witless Bay-Mobile school system announced in 2015.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, this has been an issue that I worked on with the community for the past

number of years. In 2015, based on statistics, based on consultants that were

paid for from the public purse, it was a clear and definitive decision that this

new middle school needed to be built. It was recommended by the Eastern School

District, it was confirmed by the Eastern School District and at no time have

they approved the current design of nine classrooms that are underway on Mobile

Central High School.

Today in

Question Period, I made a comment and the minister referenced the fact if I

wanted to ask questions, get up and ask questions. We've asked a lot of

questions here but, unfortunately, the minister is not, has not and cannot

answer the question as to why, for some reason, this Liberal government decided

to cancel the middle school and come up with some scheme to put nine classrooms

on Mobile Central High that today the consultant, based on our meeting last week

with the parents with TW, still aren't sure if this facility or these classrooms

can even be built in Mobile Central High School.

In fact,

now it's predicted it's anywhere from 30 to 50 per cent over what they

originally budgeted. In fact, even with it built by 2021, the department's own

numbers, the government's own numbers tell them that at that time in 2021 there

are going to be capacity issues and they're going to have to build on again.

Further

to that, in the meeting it was told to us that they're looking at an interim

plan, a contingency plan because the timeline to do this now has been pushed

out. In actual fact, we hear there are portable classrooms being ordered when in

fact, if you're doing the construction of nine classrooms on Mobile Central

High, there is no place to put these classrooms.

So now

you have a situation where the thing is over budget, no one can rationalize. The

Premier has been asked to meet with the families. He won't do that. He won't

meet with the region. The minister met with us some time ago. His actual line to

the people was: Well, why would they want to move up there anyway?

Now just

imagine, a Minister of the Crown actually said to people in my district: Why do

you think the growth is going to continue? Why are people going to move up to

that region? It's unbelievable that a Minister of the Crown could sit with

people from anywhere in this province and make that statement to them.

He's

over there heckling now in the corner. Why doesn't he get in his seat and stand

up and answer some questions. He never has and never will. It's pathetic. It's

pathetic for a government minister to do that, the Minister of Education. It's

disgusting, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House

Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Orders of the Day, Mr.

Speaker.

Oh, you

have a petition?

Oh,

sorry, I did not see the Member for St. John's Centre. Certainly she can put her

petition in and hopefully it's nicer.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

I would

be remiss to not stand yet again and present this petition after I've lost

count how many times I've presented this petition on behalf of the good people

Newfoundland and Labrador.

Here we

go again. Hopefully my colleagues here in the House and the people at home will

be able to hear the very strong message that people are sending through this

petition.

To the

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

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

WHEREAS

government has removed the provincial point-of-sale tax rebate on books, which

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

WHEREAS

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

book stores, publishers and authors, and the amount collected by government must

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

and

WHEREAS

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

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

encourage reading and literacy; and

WHEREAS

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

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

a tax to read the books of our own writers;

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

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

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, today in this House we had a number of young people, high school

students, who had won all kinds of awards in science competitions. We so proudly

honoured them here today.

I would

imagine, Mr. Speaker, if you asked each and every one of those young people,

potential leaders in our community, brilliant young people, award winners if

you asked them whether or not it's a good idea to tax books, what do you think

they would say? Absolutely they would say: No, absolutely that makes no sense to

tax books. Books are a building block for the formation and education of our

young people.

I would

think if this government was really responsive to the needs of our young people

and they're talking about how important it is for young people to stay here.

They have their innovative funds; they have their social enterprise funds.

If they

were to ask the young people who they hope to be able to support through all

these new programs if they ask these young people: Do you think it's a good

idea to tax books? I bet my bottom dollar that they wouldn't be able to find a

single young person who is interested in the future of this province, I bet you

they couldn't find a single young person to say it's a good idea to tax books.

As a matter of fact, they would say it would be the most unwise decision to tax

books in terms of the needs of our young people.

Thank

you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. Member for Mount

Pearl North.

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland

and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

Budget 2016 implemented a regressive

tax on books in this province; and

WHEREAS

Newfoundland and Labrador is the only province in the country to have such a

tax; and

WHEREAS

a tax will undoubtedly affect literacy rates in this province as well as

negatively impact local authors and publishers;

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

of Assembly to urge government to immediately cancel this ill-conceived book

tax.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

This

petition is signed by residents of a number of communities in the province. Just

like the Member for St. John's Centre just argued, this book tax is an

ill-conceived regressive measure that has all kinds of unintended consequences.

When this was implemented and this is just one of 300 new taxation measures

and fees that we saw in last year's budget, 299 of which were continued into

Budget 2017 and are now in effect.

This one

has had a devastating effect on multiple segments of our population. Some of the

headlines at the time when this news first hit: Newfoundland and Labrador set to

become first province in Canada to tax books; HST to be applied on books;

Newfoundland and Labrador to become the only province to tax book purchases;

book tax annoying for readers, crushing for independent store owners; Memorial

students say new Newfoundland and Labrador book tax hitting them hard.

Beyond

the attack on our local libraries, particularly the rural ones which we had a

chance to talk about in Question Period once again today, this is an issue that

will affect literacy in our province. We already have literacy rates that we

should not be proud of. We have work to do in that area and this is a major step

backwards. That's one unintended consequence of this book tax.

This

will affect our arts community as the Member previously outlined this afternoon.

It will affect our artists, our authors and others, our publishers. This will

have a huge effect on the arts community; it will have an effect on our

students. Students are now paying more for their books as a result of this move.

It will affect young families. It will affect seniors, many of whom are avid

readers and will now have to pay more for books as well.

This is

another decision that was made that is bad for people, bad for families, bad for

the economy and bad for our communities. We know there are tough decisions to be

made and we've presented alternatives on how to deal with some of the fiscal

challenges facing Newfoundland and Labrador. It was a plan that was working.

To tax

books as part of the solution, that's not a solution. It's a cop-out, it's

hurtful, it's having a damaging effect on many sectors of our community and it

needs to be reversed.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House

Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Orders of the Day, Mr.

Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Orders of the Day.

Orders of the Day

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, I would call

Order 2, third reading of Bill 11.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House

Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded

by the Minister of Natural Resources, that Bill 11,

An Act To Amend The

Proceedings Against The Crown Act, be now read the third time.

MR. SPEAKER:

It has been moved and

seconded by the hon. the Government House Leader that Bill 11 be now read a

third time.

Is it

the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

All

those in favour?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

Those against?

Carried.

CLERK (Barnes):

A bill,

An Act To Amend The

Proceedings Against The Crown Act. (Bill 11)

MR. SPEAKER:

This bill has now been read a

third time and it is ordered that it do pass and its title be as on the Order

Paper.

motion, a bill,

An Act To Amend The Proceedings Against The Crown Act, read a

third time, ordered passed and its title be as on the Order Paper. (Bill 11)

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House

Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, I would call

Motion 1.

I would

move, seconded by the Minister of Natural Resources, for leave to introduce a

bill entitled,

An Act To Amend The Highway Traffic Act, Bill 13, and I further

move that the said bill be now read a first time.

MR. SPEAKER:

What was the bill number, 13?

It is

moved and seconded by the hon. the Government House Leader that he shall leave

to introduce Bill 13 and that the said bill be now read a first time.

Is it

the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

All

those in favour?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

Those against?

Carried.

Motion,

the hon. the Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador to introduce a bill,

An Act To Amend The Highway Traffic Act, carried. (Bill 13)

CLERK:

A bill,

An Act To Amend The

Highway Traffic Act. (Bill 13)

MR. SPEAKER:

This bill has now been read a

first time.

When

shall the said bill be read a second time?

MR. A. PARSONS:

Tomorrow.

MR. SPEAKER:

Tomorrow.

motion, Bill 13 read a first time, ordered read a second time on tomorrow.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House

Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Yes, Mr. Speaker, I would

move Motion 3. I would move pursuant to provisional Standing Order 11(1) that

the House not adjourn at 5:30 p.m. today, Tuesday, May 30, 2017.

MR. SPEAKER:

The motion is that the House

do not adjourn at 5:30 today.

All

those in favour?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

Those against?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Nay.

MR. SPEAKER:

Carried.

The hon.

the Government House Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Yes, Mr. Speaker, I move,

seconded by the Minister of Natural Resources, that the House resolve itself

into a Committee of the Whole to consider Bill 12.

MR. SPEAKER:

The motion is that the House

resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole to consider Bill 12.

All

those in favour?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

Those against?

Carried.

motion, that the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole, Mr. Speaker

left the Chair.

Committee of the

Whole

CHAIR (Dempster):

Order, please!

We are

now debating the related resolution and Bill 12,

An Act To Amend The Loan And

Guarantee Act.

Resolution

That it

is expedient to bring in a measure further to amend

The Loan and Guarantee Act, 1957 , to provide for the advance of

loans to and the guarantee of the repayment of bonds or debentures issued by or

loans advanced to certain corporations.

CHAIR:

The Chair recognizes the hon.

Member for Mount Pearl Southlands.

MR. LANE:

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I'm glad

to take a few moments and speak to Bill 12. Of course, this is relating to the

situation with Corner Brook Pulp and Paper. I want to say from the outset that I

do support this bill. It's certainly something that I think is important.

One of

the issues I've seen over the last day or two and I've been talking to a

number of people who have called me and there have been questions on social

media and so on I think there's a lot of confusion out there, quite frankly,

in the public around this bill and exactly what it means. There are people who

think that basically the government is cutting a cheque for $88 million to

Corner Brook Pulp and Paper which is not true. That's not what's happening. But

it's important, I think, that we all do our part to get the message out because

it is very important what we're doing here today in this bill.

I don't

think there's anybody in this House on either side that's going to be against

what's being done. Really what is being done here, it's protecting the pensions

of the workers at Corner Brook Pulp and Paper. I'm glad to see there's really no

risk or any additional risk to the taxpayers as it relates to this.

This

relates to an agreement which was struck back in 2014 by the former

administration but supported by all parties in the House of Assembly at the time

when the mill was in trouble. It wasn't unique to Corner Brook Pulp and Paper.

We know what's happened in Stephenville, Grand Falls-Windsor and other parts of

the country. The demand for newsprint is down and there had to be ways to try to

make that mill more viable because of the importance that mill has for the

people of Corner Brook, for the people on the Northern Peninsula and Central

Newfoundland who supply wood product to the mill, to the economy, not just of

Western Newfoundland, the Northern Peninsula and Central, but to Newfoundland

and Labrador as a whole.

I think

we all recognize the history of the mill. We recognize the value of the mill. I

think back in 2014, the government of the day and, as I said, supported by all

parties recognized the importance to do what could be done to ensure that mill

was viable because of the impact that it would have, like I said, not just on

workers in that mill, but all the other people that provided supply to the mill.

It was important to keep it open. We all agreed with that and we all supported

that.

Now,

that particular agreement at the time, what happened of course was there was a

loan of $110 million, as I understand it, and recall and certainly from the

briefing I had it kind of reminded me. There was a $100 million loan provided to

Corner Brook Pulp and Paper.

Some of

that money went to the pensions because the pension had been underfunded. I

believe it was because the employer wasn't paying their share into the plan. I

think that's what happened or some of the money got spent, whatever.

There

was a shortfall nonetheless, regardless of how it happened, in the pension plan.

So there was money gone into deal with the plan that was underfunded. There was

money that went into, I think, paying off some creditors and so on and there was

money that went into making some improvements, as I understand it, to the

processes and to the equipment to make the mill more viable, more competitive.

As I

recall, Corner Brook Pulp and Paper, in terms of the actual operation itself,

they had been very competitive and had a very skilled workforce, but there were

things that needed to be done to upgrade, modernize the facility and, like I

said, take care of some of those other obligations. At the time, $110 million

was loaned to the mill.

against that, Corner Brook Pulp and Paper have an asset and the asset being the

Deer Lake power and Watson's Brook or Watson's creek. Forgive me if I don't get

the name totally right, but Watson something I think it's creek.

AN HON. MEMBER:

Brook.

MR. LANE:

Brook, is it? Okay, Watson's

Brook.

That's

an asset that they have. Basically, the agreement of the day, back in 2014, was

that there would be a valuation done on what that asset is worth and it was

determined it would be $150 million that the provincial government should that

mill shut down, the provincial government would purchase that asset for $150

million but that would go against $110 million loan.

So in

other words, really what would happen is if it had shut down at that time, the

province would receive the asset and would pay Corner Brook Pulp and Paper $40

million because they owed us $110 million. That's generally how it worked, as I

understand it.

course that increased in 2017 or 2016, I think or 2017, I think, it goes up to

$175 million and 2019 it goes up to $200 million, or 2020 around there, it goes

up to $200 million valuation. At the end of the day, come 2020, the citizens of

Newfoundland and Labrador are already in, so to speak, on that $200 million

commitment. We're paying it anyway, regardless. If none of this was done, we

would be on the hook for the $200 million based on the 2014 agreement in lieu of

that asset should the mill shut down.

Right

now we've loaned $110 million and what's being proposed is to loan another $90

million, minus the $2 million that we're taking to look after environmental

issues should they occur. So there's $110 million that they've already had a

loan of, $2 million gets held in case there were any environmental issues should

the plant close down.

The $88

million is being held basically in trust. I think they call it a creditor's

note. I forget the exact terminology but basically it's held there in a pot, so

to speak, that should the plant shut down at any time even though the pension

plan is no longer underfunded, that's fine. If the plant shuts down, it's not

underfunded now based on if people keep working and people keep paying in and

the company keeps paying in. But if it shut down and there are no longer the

company and no longer employees paying into the plan, then at some point in

time, the people who are in receipt of a pension, those funds would run out

before they passed away.

We need

to set aside additional money to ensure that if that were ever to happen, the

people who are currently receiving a pension would continue to receive their

pension right up until the time they passed. That's what that's doing. That

extra money is being held there against that $200 million asset to ensure that

happens.

So, no,

nobody is writing a cheque for $88 million to Corner Brook Pulp and Paper. No,

they can't take that money, because there is no money in theory, it's just there

on paper. They can't take this $88 million and spend it on whatever they like.

That can't happen. There is no actual money, per se. All it is, it is ensuring

that if they were ever to shut down, the employees would receive their full

pension benefits.

There is

no additional cost whatsoever or risk to the citizens of Newfoundland and

Labrador as it relates to what's being done here now. The only risk, one could

argue, would have been in 2014 when the original deal was cut and it was decided

we would pay up to $200 million for that asset. Plus that asset, of course, gets

re-evaluated when the Maritime Link comes online. It could go higher,

potentially. It was the 2014 agreement that saw us guarantee that we would

purchase that asset. Nothing being done today is in any way making that any more

risky or whatever to people at all.

I don't

see an issue with it. I think there's no additional risk to the people

whatsoever. It's taking care of the pensioners; it's making sure that they get

looked after in the event that mill was ever to shut down. It's protecting the

people and it's also helping the mill as well to function, operate and to

eliminate that liability.

I think

it's a good thing overall.

CHAIR:

Order, please!

MR. LANE:

I'm glad the government stood

up to the plate to look after the workers.

CHAIR:

Order, please!

MR. LANE:

We all support it I'm sure.

Thank

you.

CHAIR:

I remind the hon. Member his

time for speaking has expired.

The

Chair recognizes the hon. Member for St. George's Humber.

MR. REID:

Thank you, Madam Chair.

It's

great to get up to have a few words on this piece of legislation.

I don't

intend to belabour the issues here but I just wanted to add my voice to those in

support of this motion. I think it's good to hear other Members of the House,

from all sides of the House, talk in support of this motion. It's good to hear

that it's getting widespread support.

Rather

than tangle this legislation up with a lot of other issues I think we have to

look at what's being done here on its own merits. We have to look at is this a

good piece of legislation for the workers, for the mill and for the province in

general? I think that's the way to judge this piece of legislation.

If it

passes those tests, if the answer is, yes, it's good for the province, yes, it's

good for the mill, yes, it's good for the pensioners, then we have to support

it. I'm glad to hear that people around here, although they have some questions,

they're supporting this piece of legislation. It's very positive for the whole

province and in particular, the people who have worked at the mill and the

people who are working at the mill.

This

weekend in Corner Brook we saw some meetings that really brought a lot of work

accumulated to a point where the government had meetings with pensioners and

workers at the mill. I was happy to hear that the workers and the pensioners

were very supportive of these changes. They recognized the benefits that were to

come their way because of this benefit. It's generally been well received on its

own merits, Madam Chair.

We all

know that pulp and paper mills are facing challenging times all around the

world, particularly here in Newfoundland and Labrador. We've seen two of our

pulp and paper mills close down in this province. I think we have to be willing

to work with unions, to work with the companies themselves as a government and

to work together to see that the mill in Corner Brook continues to operate and

continues to provide employment and benefits to the community.

I'm very

encouraged that this whole process has come together, that we're having a

positive outcome that doesn't involve any further expense by the government,

that protects pension plans and addresses solvency issues, that allows the

Government of Newfoundland to monitor all issues and decisions related to the

trust and protect the best interests of pensioners. I'm very pleased that is the

outcome of this and very supportive of this piece of legislation which will make

it all happen.

Thank

you, Madam Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

CHAIR:

The Chair recognizes the hon.

Member for Cape St. Francis.

MR. K. PARSONS:

Thank you very much, Madam

Chair.

Again,

it's indeed a privilege to get up here today and represent the District of Cape

St. Francis and the beautiful people in the District of Cape St. Francis. We're

looking at Bill 12 and it's The Loan and

Guarantee Act that we're going to talk about here today. I think most

people in this Legislature will support what's happening here and will support

the workers and the retirees in Corner Brook in the area working in the paper

mill.

Madam Chair, when we look at our workers and the people in

our province this is a good story. The money and a lot of the details have yet

to be put in place, but any time anyone has some security and they when you

work your lifetime at an industry you try to set up so that your retiring years

are taken care of.

I believe in this province right now, I could be corrected,

but I think there's about 300 316 I heard yesterday different pension plans

in the province. I heard the Member for Labrador West last night get up and he

talked about Wabush Mines. My heart goes out to the people in Wabush. It's

devastating for them to realize they will lose their health benefits,

which is something they worked all their lives for and I'm sure they worked hard

for the company. To realize then down the road it was something that was put

in place, they were assured they'd get in their retirement years and won't get

it. It's very unfortunate that through legislation, through everything else,

that they're not getting it right now.

Also, to

lose 25 per cent of their income; I'm sure a lot of those people, like most

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, have a fixed income. They know exactly where

those dollars are going, whether it's paying for a vehicle, whether it's paying

for a home, your grocery bill, your light bill. They have budgets done up and if

you take 25 per cent away from individuals, it's so difficult to be able to cope

and understand what it's going it could be paying for university or education,

anything that they have to do, because they worked hard all their lives for

their retirement. That's what most people do. Like I said, there are 300-or-more

pension plans right now in the province.

The

Member for Lab West got up yesterday and spoke about Wabush Mines. I know the

deal with Corner Brook Pulp and Paper is based on a lot of what they have is

equity, and the money they have, the $150 million right now, that's there for

Deer Lake, the hydro plant in Deer Lake. They're using that as part of if

something happens there then they can always fall back.

That's

what I spoke of to one of the ministers yesterday. I just asked a question,

wouldn't this be something good that we could do for all pension plans so that

people in the province could have some assurance that when they do retire, the

work they put in, the years they put in, that they're secured the money they

rightfully own and rightfully worked for and everything else.

I know

there are other companies in the province where maybe we can do some kind of

deal with them also to make sure our residents because that's what we're here

for. We're here as elected officials to make sure we represent all people of the

province. I know the people in Corner Brook I'm happy with this deal. I'm

happy they're secured, that their pensions are secured now and in the future.

It's important to those families.

All

pensioners in the province, I'm sure they want to have the same security. I

think government down the road; I think it's a good start for maybe looking at

different pension plans right through the whole province. That we can probably

see if there's some way we can secure those pension plans also and have some

kind of way to show the people in the province that if something goes wrong

like what happened in Wabush and Cliffs, it just seemed like they shut down the

company and just ran out of town, according to the Member for Lab West. That's

not a reflection of whether you're on this side of the House or the other side

of the House or you're a Member of the Third, that stuff happens.

The

thing we should be doing here, as elected officials, is making sure that the

workers, the people of the province, have some kind of security and they're

protected. I think that's what this agreement does. It protects the retirees and

it protects the people that are working there in Corner Brook right now. I'm

sure they're from all over the West Coast. It's security for those people.

support this. I understand listening to the minister yesterday about the whole

financing and understanding the financing part of it and where the money is

going to go, because I believe $29 million is to go right into the fund right

now to protect the pension plan. As that grows, I guess the other monies will be

used for taking care of that. Those were some of the questions we had yesterday

in Question Period.

I look

forward to government looking at other plans. I look at the Wabush Mines

situation. My heart goes out to the people in Wabush. I feel they were done

badly by the company that really didn't secure their futures. I hope that

something down the road I know it's in courts now and stuff like that. I hope

sometime it will be favourable for those people because they deserve the same

thing that the people in Corner Brook deserve.

They

worked hard all their lives to ensure they would have as their I don't know if

you call them golden years or retirement years or whatever you call them, but

people work hard to make sure that as they do grow older, as they do retire,

that there are some funds put in place for them. They work and they say at the

end of the day when I retire, this is the lifestyle and this is my livelihood

that I can depend on.

That's

due to the income you can have because, again, like I said, I understand that

with Wabush Mines a big concern of all the workers there was their health care

program. As we get older in my mother used to say golden years, there's no

such thing as golden years. Anyway, as they retire in their retirement years,

sometimes medical expenses are a lot higher than they are when you're in your

younger years and mid-years. A health plan is so important to people that are

retired and it's important they have some kind of protection.

So,

again, I'd like to support this bill. Sometimes when bills come here before

government we will debate and we'll argue over whether they're good or bad or

whatever, but I think any time that we do stuff that protects the future and

gives people a sense of trust, a sense of security another thing that it

really does is it takes away from the stress that people will have.

I know

that when you retire you get to those later years, ages like myself, and you're

looking at retirement down the road, you always want to make sure that you can

still survive. I mean most retirees just want to be able to live a decent life

in comfort. Hopefully this will help with the comfort of the people and down the

road it will give them a sense of trust that they have a company there. We all

hope that Corner Brook Pulp and Paper lasts for years and years and they don't

have to go in, but at least there's some form of protection here.

That's

the big thing about this bill. I'm sure the minister and government, whether

you're on this side of the House or the other side of the House, if there are

other pension plans that can be able to work like this so people can have that

security and have that form of less stress, they know that in the future the

dollars that they expect are the dollars that they're going to get down the

road.

There

are some details here that we asked the minister about yesterday. There were

some questions that we had in Question Period, I'm sure, that he'll probably

answer when this gets closed today.

I look

forward to government working with companies right across this province because

there are a lot of pension plans out there. I really don't want to see what's

happening in Labrador right now, in Wabush and Lab City and that area with

Cliffs; they just got out of town. The last people on the totem pole that gets

paid are the pensioners down the road and then to know that the income that you

thought that you had is gone.

It is

good to be able to do this. I look forward to all the details that the minister

will give. I'll be supporting this bill.

Thank

you.

CHAIR:

The Chair recognizes the hon.

Member for Conception Bay East Bell Island.

apologies.

MR. PETTEN:

Try again.

CHAIR:

The hon. Member for

Conception Bay South.

apologies to the Member.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Madam Chair.

It's a

pleasure to get up this afternoon and speak on Bill 12 as my colleague just

spoke. We've all genuinely spoken. It's a good thing.

support the continued operation of the mill in Corner Brook. As we all know,

it's the backbone of Corner Brook and the Greater Corner Brook area. It's been

around a long time. The community was built on the mill. It's always good to see

the continued prosperity of a long-standing operation like that. It's a mainstay

in the area. For that reason, we are glad to see that their pensions are

protected and it gives viability to the company and to the pensioners, Madam

Chair. There's a lot of concern out there on the street when you're a retiree,

not knowing about your pension.

As my

colleague referenced, we have the situation in Wabush where it's a really sad

situation. I have a lot of Wabush Mines pensioners that live in my own district.

As the Member for Lab West myself and him have spoken many times. He's well

aware of that as well. They're all spread throughout the province but I do have

a lot in my district. A lot have reached out to me and, collectively, we all try

to make sure that, at the end of the day, the right thing happens through the

court process. That's a prime example of what can go wrong.

With

this new loan guarantee for the mill in Corner Brook, hopefully we don't see a

repeat of what happened in Wabush happen in Corner Brook. Like I say, I do want

to be on record as saying that we do sympathize and support the Wabush

pensioners in their plight. We're all hoping for a positive resolution whenever

the courts do rule on that because it's totally unfair to the pensioners which

this bill will hopefully give the longevity to the Corner Brook mill.

On that

note, Madam Chair, I'd like to go back to 2014. The former administration also

stepped up to the plate when Corner Brook was faced with some downturn in their

business operations and they needed help to stay operational and stay active in

the community. The former administration did step up to the plate and helped

basically get them over that hurdle at the time. It's gone a long way in their

continued operation within Corner Brook prior to this most recent agreement.

I sat

and listened to some debate over the last day or so when this Bill 12 has been

debated. I know there's a bit of back and forth and that about the responses

made across the way at this former administration. I wasn't a Member of the

former administration in the House of Assembly as such, but I question why would

you be critical of the former administration? They stepped up; they gave a $110

million loan guarantee. They worked out an agreement that kept the mill

operational in Corner Brook which, if anything, you should be applauding for.

Every deal is done differently or people might like to see certain things in a

deal, but at the end of the day, the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper mill stayed

operational, viable and a very important part of Corner Brook. That's a good

thing.

Two or

three years later, we're standing in our places and saying to the government

opposite that we do support this loan act. We do support the continued operation

of the Corner Brook mill. There are lots of questions we asked. Our leader asked

questions yesterday. We may ask questions in coming days or in coming weeks, who

knows, as they become available because that's our role. That role in the

Opposition is to ask questions to get the facts for the people.

Governments govern, Oppositions keep government's feet to the fire, so to speak,

to get answers for the general public that can't get those answers in the timely

fashion that our elected representatives are in place to do. So on this side of

the House, all Opposition Members, that's their role.

I'm

somewhat taken aback sometimes when I hear some of the commentary and the

criticisms. I know it's part of the process, I get all that, but on situations

like this, it's not a bad thing to compliment each other. I'll throw a

compliment when I think it's warranted and I think that the same thing back

wouldn't be a bad thing either.

I heard

several times yesterday, I know the Minister of Municipal Affairs was in his

place and he was giving our leader a lecture about him and the current Premier

had to go and arrange meetings for Corner Brook Pulp and Paper in order to

assure that the $110 million loan from our former minister of Natural Resources

they had to assist him. Is that something you would not do as an elected

Member for your area?

If any

minister across the way asked me to intervene in a corporation in my community

that they're willing to help, it would be pretty naive of me to say, no, I'm not

helping you. You'd be very thankful that government came to you, first of all,

to help a business in your community and you'd do everything in your power to

make sure that everything worked out.

Back to

that comment, that stuck with me because I'm thinking should you thank the

Opposition Members of the day that helped the former administration work out

get the meetings for that deal? Should you thank them or shouldn't they not be

thanking the former administration for stepping up to the plate and helping

assure that $110 million loan? It's a two-way street and, yes, it's important, I

think, to highlight that because this is a good thing and that was a good thing.

Again, like I said, I wasn't a Member during the 2014 negotiations but it did

stick with me a bit when I sat back and listened. I try to listen to most debate

and that one really stuck with me.

You can

make shots all you want but that was one of the ones I was like, this is a good

thing. You would have been better off getting up and saying and it was one

thank you, but then it was almost like, yeah, but we had to go out and save the

day. You weren't saving the day without the support of the former administration

that believed in the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper mill. It was a good thing. Say

it. There's nothing wrong with saying that. It's all right to criticize, we all

do that, but I think on this one that was a joint effort at the time to make it

work.

We're

standing in our places today on Bill 12. We support the legislation; we support

the Corner Brook mill. I guess what I don't support is some of the antics or

some of the comments back and forth because I don't get it. Maybe I look at

things in a different context than others. I don't get the criticism that comes

across the way. The former administration came to the table and helped back in

2014, and I think the current administration stepped up and helped them through

this hurdle.

With

these company towns we've seen what happened in Grand Falls with the Abitibi

mill. That was a big loss to that area and a big loss to the province.

Previously, over the years, we've seen fish plants close; we've seen the

Stephenville mill years back close. They're very vital and important industries

to all of these communities. They're the backbone of most of these communities.

I know

you can't save everything. Government can't be the be-all to everyone and

everything, but they can provide an environment. Sometimes in our economy and

we get up and we talk about the budget issues. You've got to provide an

environment that businesses can survive. Your taxing policies, your tax base, a

lot of these things are out in our economy, as we said.

Anywhere

we can help out, I think it's incumbent upon any government to do so, regardless

of where the business is located, what district it's in, what area of the

province. These are vitally important, especially in rural Newfoundland. These

are the backbone of all of these communities.

Even out

in Corner Brook, even though Corner Brook is a city on the West Coast and it's

the hub of activity, I've been to Corner Brook many, many times, and I tell you

that mill is the centrepiece of that city. The conversation on the street

they're mill workers, they're union workers, they're blue-collars. It's a

blue-collar city.

I have a

great deal of respect for the people of Corner Brook and the people that have

worked in that mill over the years, both current and past, because they should

be proud. It's a beautiful city and it was built on the mill. It exists today

largely in part because of the mill.

I want

to commend government for stepping up to the plate and helping their situation

in 2017, but I also think it's worthwhile to mention that in 2014, the former

administration stepped up to the plate in a big way and saved the mill as well.

On that

note, Madam Chair, I thank you for your time.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

CHAIR:

The Chair recognizes the hon.

Member for Ferryland.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Madam Chair.

It is

certainly a pleasure to rise today and speak to Bill 12,

An Act to Amend the

Loan and Guarantee Act, 1957. This particular piece of legislation was debated

over the past couple of days.

colleague said it's a key part of the Corner Brook area in regard to the

industry and the forestry sector and what it's meant for decades. Not only for

Corner Brook but certainly for the region, as well for those that are involved

in the industry, not just Corner Brook Pulp and Paper, the mill itself, but all

of those supplementary businesses and activities, cutters, different companies

that supply pulp to the mill and what's required.

It's an

integrated industry. When you're looking at providing support to the industry,

it is to an industry, it's not just to one building from that perspective. As I

said, it's an integrated operation which goes wide and far on the West Coast,

within Corner Brook and abroad as well.

This

note looks to amend the

Schedule of The

Loan and Guarantee Act . We were provided with an order-in-council which

authorized the guarantee to secure certain obligations of Corner Brook Pulp and

Paper Limited under a letter of credit up to $88 million. We've talked about

that. The order-in-council said no expiry date.

The

guarantee agreement has yet to be executed. It's not provided at this time so I

assume it will be sometime in the near future. Maybe the minister, when he

speaks later today, could just indicate that in regard to the timeline and how

this is going to transpire in regard to executing the date of the issue, when

it's provided and that sort of thing. I'm sure maybe in debate he may speak to

that.

As well,

as I said, this is to amend The

Loan and Guarantee Act pursuant to a

letter of credit of $88 million to assist, my understanding, primarily to make

the current unfunded pension plan solvent. In the last couple of days there's

been a number, $29 million, $30 million I'm not sure what the exact number is

of that $88 million that would make that solvent of that $88 million. Which as

we know, in any industry, those that have contributed to the operations of a

facility like that, they've paid in, whether it's the pension component, whether

it's their dental, or whether it's their health plan, those types of things are

essentially crucial when people retire so they can draw that down and have those

benefits that they worked towards.

In this

particular case, this loan guarantee has no expiry date. The interest on the

letter of credit is 0.5 per cent of the amount plus standby interest of up to

0.10 per cent of the difference between the $88 million and the amount of the

letter of credit, plus the bank's prime lending rate on all amounts unpaid. So

that's the set-up for the arrangements made in regard to that security of $88

million. Obviously there's a credit taken out, it's held, there's interest

accrued on it. This would go through the interest, how it would be accrued and

how it would be paid.

As I

said before, the funding would allow the solvency valuation pension liability of

Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Limited. There was a news release by government

which basically outlined the terms or the government's thinking in regard to

moving forward with this.

Under

the terms of the proposal, Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Limited will obtain an

irrevocable letter of credit from a financial institution backed by a government

guarantee. Government will take security interest in the company's power assets

at Deer Lake and Watson's Brook. The letter of credit will be held by a trust

for the benefit of pension plan members with government and Corner Brook Pulp

and Paper representatives as co-trustees.

So it

will be held in a trust, and based on what would transpire and my colleague,

before me spoke, talked about 2014 and how as the former administration, which I

was part of, intervened at that particular time as well and looking at the

significance of the industry, what it means to the West Coast and that whole

region certainly recognize the requirement to assist.

There

were issues in regard to infrastructure, capital costs. At that particular time,

there was an upgrade or a capital cost expenditure plan. I think it was over a

10-year period. That money at that time, or some of it, would go towards capital

costs, capital upgrades to enhance the efficiencies of the facility so the

facility could pay down its liabilities. Those liabilities could be related to

capital costs already carried out, infrastructure, machinery and as well the

whole pension.

So a

pension would be listed under one of those liabilities back in 2014, and the

expectation that they would pay that down. If I remember correctly, it was paid

down over a 10-year period. Corner Brook Pulp and Paper did make significant

payments, my understanding, in those initial years since 2014 to pay down that

pension liability and to pay down some of the costs that were associated with

that.

Corner

Brook Pulp and Paper will borrow to fully fund the pension plan. This will be

backed by government, as I said. Corner Brook Pulp and Paper, if called by the

government, will certainly have to pay it back.

If the

Government of Newfoundland has to pay the loan, the amount of loan will be

deducted from the purchase price of the power assets and water rights which were

obligated under the 2014 loan should the mill close. That's where their security

started, I guess, in 2014 was that when the loan back then of $110 million, I

believe, it was tied to the security of those two assets, those hydro-producing

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

CHAIR:

Order, please!

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Madam Chair.

The

security for that initial loan in 2014 was tied to the two generating electrical

assets out there that were owned by Corner Brook Pulp and Paper. So it wasn't

done with no assets, no security. The first lien went to the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador in relation to the amount of the loan and then how it

was tied to the two assets of Corner Brook Pulp and Paper.

The

details, as this goes forward, this needs to be ratified here in the House of

Assembly. That's why we're here to do this because this is a new guarantee. The

guarantee is based between Service Newfoundland and Labrador, which the minister

has spoken to it here in Question Period and yesterday in debate, and Corner

Brook Pulp and Paper Limited. Service Newfoundland, I guess, is the overseer or

oversight or who is one of the partners with this actual agreement under

The Loan and Guarantee Act .

There

are two pensions we're talking about here with Corner Brook Pulp and Paper: one

for unionized employees and one for non-unionized employees. There are two

different union funds here. The plans are fully funded on a going basis or a

going concern, but on a solvency valuation it's understood that it's unfunded

I think the number is about $29 million. This means that the plan is $29 million

short if it was to wind up today. This funding here of $88 million, $29 million

of th