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November 12, 2013 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLVII No. 27

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Wiseman): Order, please!

The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, I stand on a point of privilege.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. member, on a point of privilege.

MR. A. PARSONS: In this House, Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, Nov. 7, the

Member for Conception Bay East – Bell Island stood and apologized in this House

for a breach of the Code of Conduct.

Shortly thereafter, within the hour, the member gave an interview in the next

room and said, and I quote: I did not apologize to the people of the Province

because I feel I have not done anything against them. You know, I find it hard

to apologize for being active, doing nothing wrong, doing nothing.

Mr. Speaker, such conduct to me is an affront to what we do in this House and

an affront to all members and the people in which we represent. Again, I would

remind that this is the people's House.

A finding of contempt falls under the umbrella of privilege, in that it is an

affront to the dignity and authority of Parliament which may not fall under a

specifically defined privilege. The House has a right to punish as a contempt,

any action which may not be a specific breach, but tends to instruct or impede

members of the House in the discharge of their duties, or is an offence to the

dignity of the House, including disobedience of legitimate commands.

The logic or rationale behind this is that the House should be able to

protect themselves from acts which directly or indirectly impede the House from

their functions.

I would say the House has wide latitude in maintaining its dignity and

authority through the exercise of contempt power. Going through O'Brien and Bosc,

the Speakers have acted in breach of an order of the House in the past.

It is our position that an apology in this House, as was ordered, is to be

clear and unequivocal. However, to follow that apology in this House, the

people's House, with comments made to the public at large via broadcast media

saying you are not sorry and you did nothing wrong would seem to indicate that

the apology was fake and disingenuous and, therefore, contempt of this House.

I have the Hansard here from the day, Thursday, November 7, and I have

commentary from the Government House Leader, which we echoed in our comments, "I

would hope that the public would have respect for this House of Assembly and for

the people in here in seeing that we are taking the issue very seriously, all

members here, and that we are holding one of our own members accountable for the

actions that have occurred."

My commentary that day was, "Any breach, even when by a sole member, affects

every single one of us…" and that we would have to treat this matter very

seriously.

It is our position that to stand in this House on one day and to make an

apology which is supposed to be unequivocal and clear, an apology to the members

of this House, to the House itself, to the Speaker of the House, and to the

people in which we represent, and then to walk outside and to say just the

opposite to the public at large shows that the apology was not that at all; and

that, therefore, is contempt of this House.

Therefore, we would ask that you find the member in contempt, and I would ask

that you forward the motion, if a prima facie case of contempt is found, to the

House Committee on Privileges and Elections.

MR. SPEAKER: Are there any further comments to the point of privilege?

Points of privilege are taken seriously by the House, and should be taken

seriously by all of us as members of the House. The House is going to take a

brief recess to review the submission made, and we will adjourn for a few

moments while we have a review of the submission that we just heard.

This House stands recessed.

Recess

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Opposition House Leader has raised a point of privilege with respect to

the conduct of a member of this House. It is a significant issue that has been

raised. As I have said earlier, points of privilege are taken very seriously by

the House.

A couple of things that have been raised in that point of order require a

significant amount of research, I believe, before I am in a position to render a

decision. There is a reference to an interview that was done outside of this

House. I want some time to review more clearly and more closely the content of

that interview, and then to review the transcript of Hansard from Thursday of

last week in the context of that interview.

I am going to suggest to the House that we continue with the proceedings of

the day and give the Speaker an opportunity to review it much closer and report

at a later time.

MR. BRAZIL: Mr. Speaker?

MR. SPEAKER: Does the Member for Conception Bay East – Bell Island have

leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

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

MR. BRAZIL: Mr. Speaker, I apologize to this House, unequivocally.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: Thank you.

I just want to be clear for the House; the Opposition House Leader has raised

a point of privilege. As I understand, the request was that the Speaker consider

the point of privilege and determine, firstly, whether there is a prima facie

case of breach of privilege; and, secondly, should I determine that there is,

that the matter be referred to the Committee of Privileges and Elections. That

will dispose of the point of privilege at that point.

I acknowledge the member's comment; however, it does not dispose of the point

of privilege being raised. As I said earlier, I will take it under advisement,

consider the issues referred, and look at the transcript of the interview that

was with one of the media outlets, and report back to the House at a later date.

Thank you.

Statements by Members

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

the District of Harbour Main; the Member for the District of Port de Grave; the

Member for the District of Bay of Islands; the Member for the District of St.

John's North; the Member for the District of Mount Pearl South; and the Member

for the District of Bonavista South.

The hon. the Member for the District of Harbour Main.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HEDDERSON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

On October 26, 2013 I had the honour and the privilege to attend the Brigus

Volunteer Fire Department dinner and dance at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch

65 in Brigus.

Mr. Speaker, it was an opportunity to thank the firefighters and their

auxiliary for another successful year providing protection to the citizens of

Brigus and surrounding areas.

As well, Mr. Speaker, I had the great pleasure during this event to recognize

the contribution of firefighter Ken Broughton on achieving thirty-five years of

volunteer fire service.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Broughton has given unselfishly of his time to fire and

emergency training, responding to emergencies such as residential and commercial

fires, to highway traffic accidents, and volunteering within the community and

surrounding communities to promote and raise awareness of this protection.

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

Ken Broughton on his thirty-five years of volunteer service with the Brigus

Volunteer Fire Department.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLEJOHN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I stand today in this House to recognize Zoe Wilkins, a former student of

Ascension Collegiate, Bay Roberts who was the latest winner of the Lester B.

Pearson Scholarship for Newfoundland and Labrador.

Zoe was selected on the basis of academic achievement, her volunteer

activities, and her character. Lester B. Pearson is one of the ten United World

Colleges located in Victoria, British Columbia. The school dedicates itself to

international understanding by creating an environment in which students from

many different cultures and countries come together to study and serve their

community.

In selecting Zoe they noted her involvement in her school community

highlighted by her election as Vice-President of the Student Council and a

member of the school math team. A dedicated volunteer both in school and in the

community, Zoe performs with two community-based choirs and bands, and, Mr.

Speaker, in her spare time teaches violin to a group of young students.

Zoe will graduate in two years and will receive the world-respected

International Baccalaureate Diploma, which replaces the twelfth grade and

university freshman year throughout North America.

I ask all hon. members to join me in congratulating Zoe Wilkins as she

embarks on this prestigious educational experience.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. JOYCE: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Minnie Vallis of

Meadows, a well-known volunteer and advocate who passed away on July 26 at the

age of eighty.

Minnie's volunteer service over the years was exemplary. She was involved

with many groups, including the Girl Guides, Transition House, Hospital Board,

Provincial Advisory Council on Aging and Seniors, Coalition of Persons with

Disabilities, and the Meadows 50 Plus Club. She also served on the Meadows town

council for fourteen years, both as a councillor and later as Mayor. Minnie was

also a passionate advocate for seniors, the disabled, and caregivers.

Never one to shy away from a challenge, Minnie faced one of her biggest

challenges in 1992 when she suffered a double brain aneurism and had to relearn

basic life skills including reading and writing, but she never let that slow her

down.

Minnie's volunteer work was recognized many times over the years. She

received the Lieutenant Governor's Volunteer Award, the Queen's Jubilee medal,

and the provincial Seniors of Distinction Award. In 2010, Minnie was presented

with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree at the Grenfell Campus fall convocation.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members to join me in recognizing the tremendous

contribution Minnie Vallis made to her community and, indeed, the Province.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. KIRBY: Mr. Speaker, I stand in the House today to honour Silver Cross

representative Natasha Lucas, her son Matthew, and daughter Mackenzie, who

yesterday laid a wreath of remembrance at the Remembrance Day ceremony at the

National War Memorial in St. John's.

Their husband and father, Sergeant Donald Lucas, was one of six Canadian

soldiers who were tragically killed after a roadside bomb exploded near them in

Afghanistan on April 8, 2007. This tragic incident also claimed a life of

another Newfoundlander and Labradorian, Private Kevin Kennedy of St. Lawrence.

Sergeant Lucas, whose parents, Ella and Fred, reside in the District of St.

John's North, started his military career with the Royal Newfoundland Regiment

before transferring to 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, based at Canadian

Forces Base Gagetown in New Brunswick. He has been described by his fellow

soldiers as a charismatic leader who often spoke of his love for his wife and

his children.

Silver Cross representatives symbolize those left behind by the casualties of

war. I ask all members to join me in honouring Silver Cross representative

Natasha Lucas and the Lucas family. Let us dedicate our work here to all of

those who gave so much.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. LANE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It gives me great pleasure to rise in this hon. House to recognize several

outstanding young people in my community.

The Mount Pearl Focus on Youth Awards, held this past May, was a tremendous

success and highlighted the great talent, athleticism, and intellectual ability

possessed by some very amazing youth.

These individuals included: Mount Pearl Female Youth of the Year, Erin

O'Brien; Male Youth of the Year, Tyler Flynn; Youth Volunteer of the Year,

Alyssa Milley; Male Youth Athlete of the Year, Colin Hunt; Female Youth Athlete

of the Year, Hannah Jardine; Youth Team of the Year, Robyn-Lynn McGrath and

Mathew Power; the RNC Youth in Service Award winner, Alexia Spencer; Youth Group

of the Year, 1 st Mount Pearl Rangers; Performing Arts Individual

Award winner, Julia Dunne; Visual Arts Award winner, Laura King; and Literary

Arts Award winner, Abigail Newman.

I would ask all members of this hon. House to join me congratulating these

young people in their accomplishments.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Bonavista South.

MR. LITTLE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to honour Mr. Felix Maloney, resident of Summerville. On October

4, Mr. Maloney was inducted into the Newfoundland and Labrador Volunteer Hall of

Fame, being awarded with the lifetime achievement for volunteers.

Mr. Maloney enjoyed a thirty-seven-year teaching career, spent over a decade

as a bookkeeper, and has been a Justice of the Peace for many years. With his

skills, he became the ‘go to' person in the area, with neighbours asking him to

write letters to government, make out a bill of sale, prepare their income tax

returns, or fill out employment insurance forms.

Mr. Speaker, Felix has been a member of the local volunteer fire department

since 1987 and continues to fundraise for the group. He has been a volunteer

member of the local service district since it was formed and currently serves as

treasurer. He is deeply committed to his church and parish. He is responsible

for organizing a fundraising campaign to restore St. Anne's Roman Catholic

Church in Summerville, and has served on the pastoral council for St. Patrick's

Parish Church, in Plate Cove, for over forty years.

Mr. Speaker, hon. colleagues, please join me in recognizing Mr. Maloney for

his years of dedication and contribution to our great Province.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Statements by Ministers.

Statements by Ministers

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

Recreation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. FRENCH: Mr. Speaker, the First World War was a defining time in the

history of Newfoundland and Labrador. Our Province's role in the Great War is a

story of courage, perseverance and pride built on the backs of men and women who

signed up for service in droves to answer the call both at home and abroad.

With the 100 anniversary of the First World War approaching in 2014, I was

honoured to join our Premier at Government House last week as more than $3.6

million was announced for Honour 100 , an initiative that will pay homage

to the sacrifices made by our veterans. Our Premier spoke personally of the

profound effect of visiting the memorials to our soldiers at places like

Beaumont-Hamel and Monchy-le-Preux, and reiterated our commitment to commemorate

Newfoundland and Labrador's First World War story.

Mr. Speaker, we have organized our First World War commemorations planning

into five pillars: Anniversaries, Legacy, Education, Provincial Outreach, and

Research and Development. Over the coming months, we will be announcing a series

of initiatives under each of these pillars. We will co-ordinate a number of

events focusing on the reformation of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, the march

of the First Five Hundred to the Florizel, the contributions of the Women's

Patriotic Association who gathered at the ballroom at Government House to knit

socks for the men who served in the Newfoundland Regiment, and the arrival home

of the soldiers in 1919.

Mr. Speaker, we will renew our relationship with the communities connected to

each of the key battles involving the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, and will work

with our partners to commemorate the centennial anniversaries beginning in 2016

through to 2018.

It is our government's hope that Honour 100 will put the bravery and

the sacrifices of the First World War at the forefront of our thinking, and help

us continue to understand the debt we owe so we can bestow the honour and

respect they so rightly deserve.

The upcoming centennial period will present a unique opportunity to reconnect

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians with their past and help remember the

sacrifices made by honouring our veterans, past and present. It will help ensure

that the legacy of these brave men and women, to whom we owe so much, is

acknowledged and remembered as significant to the character and identity of

Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. JOYCE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for an advance copy.

Once again, we see this is a great initiative on the government to bring

forward to recognize the veterans and the great sacrifices that many have made

over the years, Mr. Speaker.

I just attended a fundraiser in Corner Brook for the statues in Corner Brook.

The next thing they are going to raise is the memorial tree that in

Beaumont-Hamel, where the brave soldiers were trying to get up the enemy lines,

there is one tree that was there. They were all rushing for the tree, the only

way to get around the wire. That is where most of the Newfoundlanders lost their

lives.

At the time, Mr. Speaker, they did not realize how important and significant

it would be. To bring back all of this and to help to recognize all of our past

history is a great feat, and it is a great thing the government is bringing

forth because we all need this connection. I know in Curling, on Monument Hill,

there is a War Memorial there. There is one in Lark Harbour. All throughout, we

are all touched.

Mr. Speaker, on my behalf, and I am sure all the people on their behalf, we

say great job. It is great that you are recognizing the sacrifices that the men

and women made in the Great War. Congratulations, and anything we can do to help

out, to help with this recognition, we are definitely included in that.

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

Honour 100 is about commemorating the great, great sacrifices of many who

gave so much so that we could all live in a fair and just society. Archivists

are absolutely crucial in any successful commemoration. The last budget cut from

our archives three archivist positions, including the only conservator. Our

archives may be the only in the country without a conservator and already the

work is backlogged.

Honour 100 will be handling thousands of valuable, precious artifacts

that require the expertise of a conservator and archivist. These cutbacks were

short sighted and must be reversed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Does the hon. the Member for St. John's North have leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

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

MR. KIRBY: Thanks to the minister for an advance copy of his statement.

I have had the privilege myself of visiting the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland

Memorial in France and it is as stirring an experience as I expect one can have.

I also want to commend the Patten Family Foundation and Elinor Gill Ratcliffe

for their generous contributions to the exhibit that will commemorate the one

hundredth anniversary of the First World War and the Battle of Beaumont-Hamel.

Thank you.

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

Minister Responsible for Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MCGRATH: Mr. Speaker, I rise today in this hon. House to acknowledge

and celebrate an important milestone for the Miawpukek First Nation in assuming

responsibility for its people.

I had the honour of participating in a ceremony held in Conne River last

week, joining the hon. Bernard Valcourt, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and

Northern Development and Chief Misel Joe, of Miawpukek First Nation, to sign a

Self-Government Agreement-in-Principle.

Mr. Speaker, this Agreement-in-Principle is an important achievement in

signaling the beginning of final agreement negotiations and moving Miawpukek

First Nation closer to self-government; providing greater flexibility and

control in the development and delivery of programs and services, in a manner

best suited to the Mi'kmaq culture and values.

Miawpukek developed and refined its vision for self-government based on

extensive community consultations that took place throughout the negotiation

process. As a self-governing First Nation, Miawpukek First Nation will provide

for political and fiscal accountability in any constitution drafted in

accordance with the eventual final agreement.

Upon conclusion of a final agreement, Miawpukek First Nation will be able to

assume greater control over the conduct of its own affairs through the exercise

of jurisdiction in several subject areas such as culture and language, education

and social development, child and family services, health, land management and

resource management.

Mr. Speaker, the jurisdictions set out in the Agreement-in-Principle will

eventually allow the Miawpukek First Nation to better maintain and promote its

linguistic, cultural, and historic traditions.

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador strongly believes in the

Aboriginal people of the Province taking control of their own destinies and this

agreement marks a significant step forward for the Miawpukek First Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. members to join me in congratulating the

Miawpukek First Nation on this historic step forward towards self-government.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

MR. EDMUNDS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement. Mr. Speaker, we,

too, wish to congratulate the Miawpukek and both levels of government on

developing an Agreement-in-Principle. This is a good first step, but much work

remains and all levels of government must co-operate to reach a final agreement.

Mr. Speaker, we must remember that the Inuit of Labrador, Nunatsiavut, took

thirty-five-plus years to reach final agreement, and the Innu Nation are

thirty-plus years and counting as they strive towards a final agreement. We hope

it will not take this long for the Miawpukek and its 2,500 off and on reserve

members to reach final agreement.

Mr. Speaker, the Qalipu people are now undergoing a rigorous qualification

process that we hope will be resolved in the near future. Congratulations to the

Miawpukek First Nation for reaching this important milestone in their efforts to

obtain self-government.

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. Congratulations to

Chief Misel Joe and all involved in getting to this point. Conne River is a

thriving, healthy community with leadership that has put its people first – an

example for our own government.

They have developed a community-based government focusing on housing, care

for seniors, education, and a sustainable economic development based on

community needs and benefits. Our government has a lot to learn from what is

being done in Conne River.

Bravo Chief Misel Joe and the people of the Miawpukek First Nation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Does the Member for The Straits – White Bay North have

leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: Leave.

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

MR. MITCHELMORE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

commendable model for maintaining tradition, education, and social and economic

development that is driven by First Nations. I certainly congratulate this step

towards self-government for the people of Conne River.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Oral Questions.

Oral Questions

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

MR. JOYCE: Mr. Speaker, the consumer advocate in Nova Scotia is speaking

out against the Muskrat Falls Project. John Merrick said the latest agreement to

import additional electricity from Muskrat Falls is not good enough to make Nova

Scotians pay for the Maritime Link.

I ask the Premier: What happens to the federal loan guarantee and the

financing of Muskrat Falls if your deal with Emera of Nova Scotia falls through?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY: Mr. Speaker, the federal loan guarantee was announced by the

Prime Minister of Canada, our Premier, and the Premier of Nova Scotia on

November 30, 2012. Mr. Speaker, that was a great day for the Province, a great

day of successful work by our Premier and our government to ensure that we had a

federal loan guarantee that would ultimately mean $1 billion for the people of

this Province – $1 billion.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY: Through that process, there are a number of conditions

precedent that have been outlined by the federal government that we collectively

continue to work towards so that we can secure the federal loan guarantee and

move on with this project.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. JOYCE: Obviously, the minister could not answer the question, but

that is fine, we understand you are just new at the job.

Mr. Speaker, in one of the filings with the UARB, the board's consultants

said that Nalcor, in order to satisfy Emera's demands, will build additional

wind or water power facilities to increase their firm energy production.

I ask the Premier: If building additional power plants is all a part of your

deal with Emera, why have you not presented any details or costs for these

additional plants?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY: Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question, and I understand the

member does not truly understand all the details, because he too is new on the

job.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY: Mr. Speaker, the UARB are going through a process to look at

compliance filing where we are going to have an opportunity to do a win-win good

business deal with Nova Scotia, where we can sell our excess power, and they can

have access to excess power. The UARB are looking at those conditions, and

others, Mr. Speaker, are certainly in support of the compliance filing that we

have made and we certainly look forward to a positive ruling.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. JOYCE: Mr. Speaker, at least I know my limitations, and Muskrat Falls

is not yours, I can assure you of that.

Mr. Speaker, if building new power plants in our Province is required to meet

conditions placed by Nova Scotia, these plants are part of a larger Muskrat

Falls Project and their details should be available.

I ask the Premier: Why did you exclude the cost of these power plants from

your Muskrat Falls budget and from the review of your consultant, Manitoba

Hydro?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY: Mr. Speaker, so we are clear, in all the work and all the

research that has been done, and all the experts, Muskrat Falls has been

determined to be the least-cost option for us to provide power to the

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians well into the future. Regardless of what

rhetoric, what questions, or what direction the member opposite wants to take us

in, it is the least-cost option, Mr. Speaker.

Any potential, Mr. Speaker, to build other power generation facilities that

the member is referring to, the likelihood of that happening – to be quite

frank, I asked the question. The likelihood of that happening where we would go

outside of our firm power and get into our non-firm power, Mr. Speaker, we would

have to do without rain or snow for twenty-four years in this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. JOYCE: Mr. Speaker, anybody who is doing an analysis of a project

would have that included in case we need it, which they are now making a

commitment to Nova Scotia.

Mr. Speaker, government invested nearly $600,000 into the Humber Valley

Regional Planning Advisory Authority to develop a land use plan for the region.

I ask the minister: Can you provide an update of the authority's work and

when the report will be finalized and made public?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental

Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENT: Mr. Speaker, my Department of Municipal and Intergovernmental

Affairs is very interested in ensuring that there are regional plans in place in

a number of regions in this Province. The process involved in land use planning

is a lengthy one. It is a complex one. We are working actively with the regions

that currently have a plan and the ones that are in the process of developing

those plans.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. JOYCE: Mr. Speaker, obviously the minister has no idea of what he is

talking about, absolutely no idea.

Mr. Speaker, an ATIPP request shows that the last payment to the Town of

Pasadena for the authority's work was made April, 2011 – over two years.

Residents have been waiting for the committee's report for more than two years.

I ask the minister: Can you confirm if this report will have any legislative

authority over municipalities in the region or is this just another $600,000

fiasco by this government?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental

Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENT: Mr. Speaker, when we talk about land use planning issues in

various regions of the Province, it is really important that we work under the

Urban and Rural Planning Act to ensure the process is carried out correctly. In

any regional planned amendment, for instance, there are four decision points

that I must deal with as minister responsible every time there is any kind of

amendment.

In terms of this particular report, my understanding is it is a draft report

and further consideration is required. We are very committed to working with the

partners in each region of the Province to further develop the regional plans

that are in process.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Humber Valley.

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Premier this weekend says that she is launching a campaign to acknowledge

the innovation of our young people and small businesses. She used the example of

a group of young people designing a smart meter for measuring energy in Ontario.

I ask the Premier: If you are now promoting innovation in our energy sector,

why did you pass Bill 61 last year forbidding energy innovation in our Province

for fifty years?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have a hat trick today, Mr. Speaker, in terms of questions coming from

members of the Opposition, one, two, three wrong. In terms of what I talked

about in this Province on the weekend, it was celebrating the innovation of our

business leaders and our industries here in this Province. We spend a lot of

time talking about energy, and that is a good thing. We spend a lot of time

talking about the fishery, and that is a good thing, too, but there are a lot of

other things going on in this Province and it is time to celebrate it.

In terms of Bill 61, Mr. Speaker, we are just saying that Nalcor has to be

the lead on energy development. It does not prevent it from forming partnerships

with people who bring good ideas to the table.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Humber Valley.

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, what we do know is that there is going to be very little choice in this

Province for fifty years based on a power purchase agreement, which will be

required for the federal loan guarantee. Mr. Speaker, the facts are clear. The

Premier and her government passed Bill 61 with Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro,

a monopoly to supply, distribute, and sell electricity in our Province. This

bill prevents any innovation to our electricity energy industry for fifty years

and forces residents and businesses to buy Muskrat Falls power.

I ask the Premier: How does giving Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro exclusive

rights to electricity in our Province encourage any innovation by others in this

sector?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the MHA for Humber Valley is completely wrong in what he says.

It does not prevent innovation. It does not prevent Newfoundland and Labrador

Hydro or Nalcor for entering into partnerships with innovators around energy.

What we have found through our research, and it has been well documented and

well discussed here in the House of Assembly, Mr. Speaker, is that Muskrat Falls

is the cheapest alternative for power generation in this Province. It is a good

project, good for us, good for the region, and good for the country.

Mr. Speaker, they have not been able to propose an alternative on the other

side that makes sense if we do not do Muskrat.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Humber Valley.

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, it was a dairy farmer on the West Coast who came forward with a

proposal, and we all know where that went.

Mr. Speaker, Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro is proposing in 2014 a capital

budget of $151 million, almost double what their budget was in 2012 and more

than five times what it was in 2004.

I ask the Premier: Why is Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro's capital budget

expanding at such an alarming rate?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, as I have said here in this House many, many times, as a utility

Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro is highly prized by the people of this Province.

So much so that when an attempt was made to privatize the company some years

ago, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians rose up and came into the streets to

prevent it from happening.

Mr. Speaker, they do not do that to have a big company or to grow their

company because there is more profit into it for them. They do what is

necessary, replacing transmission that is worn out, increasing transmission

where it is necessary.

Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro has a regulated rate of return that is set by

the Public Utilities Board. Whether their capital budget is large or small does

not make any difference to the return to the company at the end of the year.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Humber Valley.

MR. BALL: It is certainly not like Emera's situation where their return

on their capital does make a difference to ratepayers as you know, and here in

our Province, too. Mr. Speaker, as Hydro's annual budget continues to grow at

alarming rates, they are proposing a 74 per cent increase to industrial

consumers and a 25 per cent increase for most people in Labrador.

I ask the Premier: How do you expect any industrial growth in our Province by

raising energy rates here while offering discounted rates to the people in Nova

Scotia?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, Emera is a privately-held company with shareholders. Its job is

to make money for its people. What we do as a publicly-owned utility, a utility

that is owned by the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, is provide energy

rates at the cheapest rate possible. We are pretty proud of that.

In terms of the work that needs to get done here, it is necessary work, Mr.

Speaker. It is a process of refurbishment. Because we are not intent on profit,

we ensure that – and we have to ensure because it is the way that the utility is

regulated within the Province – any money spent has to be recovered from

ratepayers. When you are spending money building a system, operating a system,

refurbishing a system, Mr. Speaker, then that is passed on to ratepayers, and we

have some of the best rates in Atlantic Canada.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

MR. EDMUNDS: Mr. Speaker, there have been at least three fires and

multiple breakdowns onboard the Northern Ranger this year while providing

passenger and freight service to Black Tickle in Northern Labrador.

I ask the minister: When will your department issue a Request for Proposals

to replace the Northern Ranger as a roll-on/roll-off vessel as you

have committed to?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MCGRATH: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we are well aware of the issues on the Northern Ranger ,

as well as with other ferries within the government system. Before the end of

the year, I am committed that we will have an RFP out to replace the Northern

Ranger and the Apollo.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

MR. EDMUNDS: Mr. Speaker, the best case scenario for replacement for the

Northern Ranger is 2016. People of Labrador will have to live with the

huge number of interruptions in service until then. Mr. Speaker, due to lack of

maintenance, there will be breakdowns.

I ask the minister: Will you introduce a scheduled plan of action for the

next two years to compensate for the anticipated breakdowns on board the

Northern Ranger ?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MCGRATH: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, since I have gone into the department, one of the things that I

have really been working on is putting together that RFP. We are aware of the

issues; 2016 is the date that we are hoping to have the new ferries replaced,

what we are working with today. I am working now, through the senior officials

in my department, to see that we can ensure a safe and reliable service between

now and 2016 on the Labrador Coast.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. OSBORNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We understand that government has decided that government inspectors are no

longer permitted to volunteer their time to inspect floats at the downtown Santa

Claus parade. Christmas is a time for giving, Mr. Speaker.

I ask the Premier: Is you government really going to prevent inspectors from

volunteering their time to ensure that children have a Santa Claus parade? I

thought the Grinch was only imaginary.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Service NL.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. CRUMMELL: Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of the work that our

officials do in Service NL. The inspection services they carry out throughout

the Province, they take very seriously on a day-to-day basis.

I am not aware of the report that the hon. member has brought to the floor

here today. I will certainly look into it, Mr. Speaker. I know that our people

are on the ground, that our people are on the ground doing their work and

wherever there are inspections required, that is where you will find our

employees.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. OSBORNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

These inspectors volunteer their time to inspect the floats at the Santa

Claus parade.

I ask the minister and the Premier: Because your government promotes

volunteerism, will you please reinstate the right for these volunteers to

inspect the floats?

MR. SPEAKER: I ask the member to direct his comments to the Chair,

please.

The hon. the Minister of Service NL.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. CRUMMELL: Mr. Speaker, there is nothing more important to our

government than the well-being and safety of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians,

and especially the children of this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. CRUMMELL: Mr. Speaker, there is obviously some collective agreements

in place that our inspectors have to follow as part of the protocols, but

certainly I would take the member's question under advisement and let him know

at a later date.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, on Friday we heard of a Harbour Breton fish

plant closing down because they cannot process salmon due to infectious salmon

anaemia – 150 jobs gone on top of fifty jobs gone in Harbour Breton just three

months ago.

I ask the minister: How many people are actually processing farmed salmon in

this Province today?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY: Mr. Speaker, it is certainly an unfortunate situation

currently on the South Coast, but it is temporary. The company has been clear

that it is business as usual. The impact of the current depopulation order, Mr.

Speaker, they will be able to manage that. There will be a temporary layoff from

their plant in Harbour Breton.

I do not have the exact number of how many are processing, but we do know

that as a result of collectively working with industry and our government's

investment that we revitalized the economy on the South Coast, Mr. Speaker.

There have been some ups and downs, but we work closely with industry. We

have strong biosecurity in place. We have made good investment, Mr. Speaker. We

have a great return on that investment. I am sure the people on the South Coast

are certainly very appreciative, Mr. Speaker. This is a temporary shutdown; we

fully expect it to ramp up again real soon.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, when the current Fisheries Minister was in

Innovation, Business, and Rural Development his department invested in wave

technology. In case open containment became unfeasible, it would use this for

close containment.

In August, under pressure from the Opposition, the Department of Fisheries

and Aquaculture sent a delegation to West Virginia to study closed containment.

I ask the minister: Has government learned enough yet to move to closed

containment, or are we going to continue to support the boom and bust cycle of

economic and financial degradation on the South Coast?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY: Mr. Speaker, government has learned enough that in looking at

closed containment facilities and looking at whether there is any large-scale

closed containment salmon farms around the world, government has learned enough

that it does not work. It is not economically viable. It is not feasible, Mr.

Speaker. Any attempts have been closed down. We have done that research. I have

spoken about it here in the House time and time again

Mr. Speaker, our commitment is to work with the industry, as we have in all

facets of the economy in this Province. If there are new opportunities and there

is new technology, we are always there to listen. We want to learn and we want

to do all we can to continue to strengthen the economy, particularly the

strength of the aquaculture industry, Mr. Speaker.

We are wide open; but, at this point, there is no technology proven to be

feasible and viable, and we certainly will not be introducing it on the South

Coast of this Province and shut down the aquaculture industry.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BENNETT: Recently the Premier provided a private briefing for a few

friends and industry reps before she threw a party at The Rooms in order to give

away our processing sector to the Europeans.

Will the Premier provide the contents of the briefing she gave immediately

before she announced the giveaway of our processing sector to the Europeans?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY: Mr. Speaker, we stand in this House day after day. The member

opposite representing the Liberal Party of the Province, the Opposition, day

after day tries to find ways to condemn the fishery, to run the fishery down. We

had a CETA agreement, one of the best things to happen in our fishery in a long

time.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY: We were able to negotiate $400 million, Mr. Speaker, to

invest in the industry for the future of the industry.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY: Mr. Speaker, industry stood shoulder to shoulder with us. The

head of the unions and the head of the processing sector greatly applauded the

efforts of our Premier and our government to look forward to the benefits of

this, and the member opposite continues to try to find ways to disagree with it.

Where does the Liberal Party stand on the fishery? Tell us.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burgeo – La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I guess from the answer we are not going to get that briefing.

Mr. Speaker, the current wait time for speech therapy in Clarenville is

eighteen months. As of May, there were over 100 children waiting for therapy in

Clarenville alone. Early intervention for autism is critical and the incidence

of autism is growing. We need a government that is proactive on this issue.

I ask the minister: What action is your department taking to address this

unacceptable wait-list?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we have invested considerable time and effort into addressing

the situation, particularly around autism. For the purposes of the House and in

answering the question, I would also like to point out that the Minister of

Education and I have formed a new committee to look precisely at these very

issues and to see what it is we can do around improving the services we offer.

Mr. Speaker, in the meantime, we still continue to invest considerable money

as well, $10.5 million invested in autism through the ABA program. We are seeing

some great results with that, and we will continue to work. We are working with

Eastern Health as well to analyze the wait times to see what it is we can do. We

are also working –

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burgeo – La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, obviously the answer to my question was

nothing. There is no action being taken.

I asked these questions in April, 2012 and all I got back then was: We are

investing money. Again, here we are in November, 2013 and there is still no

answer. We asked about the very issue a year and a half ago. There was a twelve

to fourteen month wait-list for speech pathology at the Janeway. The minister

says she is going to invest. As of June, 2013, the wait-list is thirteen months

in St. John's.

I ask the minister: What concrete steps are you taking to get the wait time

for therapy down to the recommended four to six months?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, further to that, we have made contact with the University of

Toronto where they have some specific expertise in this area, and we are working

with that particular university in terms of trying to reduce wait times.

Apart from that, we have hired sixty new full-time allied health

professionals since we have been in power to deal with some of the issues,

particularly around autism. Mr. Speaker, that has seen a 29 per cent increase in

the number of speech-language pathologists that we have working in the Province

right now.

SOME HON. MEMBER: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

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

Last week, the Minister of Health and Community Services stated that two

rapid response teams have been put in place and two more planned to help seniors

stay out of the ER by providing home-base supports. I have heard from the

minister, and I thank her for getting in touch with me, that this information is

not accurate.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister: Could she please clarify for the House when

the rapid response teams will be up and running?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for asking the question again so

that I can in fact clarify the information.

What I referred to the last day happened to be the fast track system that we

have in place, as opposed to rapid response. In terms of our rapid response

teams, Mr. Speaker, we are continuing to work on those. We will have four, as

opposed to two, rapid response teams operating in the Province. In fact, the

RFPs have gone out and we expect to start the process around hiring very, very

soon, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I ask the minister: When exactly do we expect to have the four of them in

place, in terms of the fiscal year that we are in?

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

SOME HON. MEMBER: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the direct answer that she is looking for in terms of exactly

when, will be very early in the new year. As I said, the RFP has already gone

out. It is currently in place now, and we really hope that very, very early in

the new year we will have the teams in place. There will be four teams, Mr.

Speaker, as opposed to the two that we originally announced. Those teams will be

at the Health Sciences, they will be at St. Clare's, and also there will be a

team at Central Newfoundland Regional Health and at Western Memorial.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Stories continue to come out about pregnant women having terrible ER

experiences at Eastern Health. The policy of not monitoring and supporting women

who are miscarrying at less than twenty weeks has put some women at risk.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister: What is she going to do to ensure that women

under twenty weeks get the same treatment as other pregnant women?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, in terms of miscarriages that we have read about in the paper

and that have been brought to the floor of this House of Assembly, obviously, I

cannot make any comment on those particular cases. What I can talk about,

though, is the protocol that we have in place. This is something that is

exceptionally important and it is an issue that we take very, very seriously.

Mr. Speaker, when a pregnant woman reports to the emergency department there

are certain protocols in place. If the woman is under twenty weeks the woman is

treated. If it is a non-pregnancy related issue she is treated within the ER. If

it is determined by people in the ER, being the nurse practitioner or the

physician, that the woman needs other treatment, then the woman is referred on

to the labour and delivery unit. The initial triage happens in the emergency

room.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The minister has to investigate the fact that the protocol is not working and

she has to do something about it.

Mr. Speaker, Labrador West has not had occupational health and safety

officers stationed there for three years. In one of the most industrialized

areas of the Province, not just mining, but construction and supply industries,

it is time to provide more than fly-in and fly-out inspection services.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador: What

actions is he going to take to treat this as an urgent situation, not just an

ordinary hiring situation?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. CRUMMELL: Mr. Speaker, we have been through several unsuccessful

attempts at recruitment to fill these positions. I said in the House last week

there were reasons for this. The labour market in Labrador, we know how hot that

is right now. We are not the only government agency or organization that has

seen these kinds of difficulties, but we do have people on the ground on a

regular basis.

We have twenty-eight officers right throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

They go to high-priority work sites in Labrador. There are work sites in

Labrador that are prioritized as high priority, Mr. Speaker. They are up there

at least every two to three weeks and often more, depending on conditions.

While our preference is to have people on the ground, Mr. Speaker, right now

we are meeting the need, we are meeting the demand, and our people are there on

the ground doing the good work that needs to be done.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister: What would be a non-priority

area for him?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member of Service Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. CRUMMELL: Mr. Speaker, when you look at the metrics for Occupational

Health and Safety Branch of government, the number of inspections throughout

this Province has gone up phenomenally in the last ten years. The incident rates

in the workplace have gone down by 50 per cent since 2003 because of this

increase in inspections.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. CRUMMELL: We are doing the work, Mr. Speaker. The work is getting

done. We are going into priority areas, and we are going into regular workplaces

as well, Mr. Speaker, and our metrics and our analysis shows that.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS ROGERS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Because of the province-wide housing crisis, seniors across the Province are

living in fear of the next rent increase or need to downsize, but cannot,

because there is nowhere affordable to go.

I ask the minister: Will he help our seniors with this housing crisis by

establishing a seniors' rental assistance program similar to the one in British

Columbia?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills,

Responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Affordable housing is a challenge all across Canada. It is certainly a

challenge here in Newfoundland and Labrador. I have to reference, while on my

feet here in the House of Assembly today, the great work that is being done by

Newfoundland and Labrador Housing. They are continually investing –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: – millions and millions of dollars in housing in this

Province, with 2,779 units here in the City of St. John's alone.

I listened to the Deputy Mayor of St. John's last week and he referenced that

the challenge is so great that it cannot be solved by just one level of

government. We all have to work in partnership in regard to this challenge, and

I will continue to do so as the minister responsible, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

question without

preamble, please.

MS ROGERS: Mr. Speaker, in 2011 this government promised –

MR. SPEAKER: Without

preamble, please.

MS ROGERS: – a home ownership assistance program for low earners. Where

is it?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills, for

a quick response.

MR. O'BRIEN: Mr. Speaker, we are continuing to invest in affordable

housing with over doubling our rent supplement program in this Province to $8

million over the last couple of years.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The time for Question Period has expired.

I want to acknowledge in our gallery today a former MHA, Mr. Sam Winsor, who

is joining us.

Welcome, Sir.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Tabling of Documents.

Notices of Motion

Notices of Motion

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Deputy Government House Leader.

MS SHEA: Mr. Speaker, I give notice that under Standing Order 11, I shall

move that the House not adjourn at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 14, 2013; and

further, I give notice under Standing Order 11, I shall move that this House not

adjourn at 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 14, 2013.

MR. SPEAKER: Answers to Questions for Which Notice has been Given.

The hon. the Deputy Government House Leader.

MS SHEA: Mr. Speaker, I am still in Notices of Motion.

MR. SPEAKER: Okay, I am sorry.

MS SHEA: According to Standing Order 63.(3), we were required to give

notice of the private member's motion on Monday, but where the House was closed

on Monday, we would like leave to be able to put forward the private member's

motion.

MR. SPEAKER: It has been normal practice; yes, please.

The hon. the Member for Bonavista South.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LITTLE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I move, seconded by the Member for the District of Port de Grave, the

following private member's resolution.

BE IT RESOLVED that this hon. House

(1) acknowledges the tremendous importance to Newfoundland and Labrador of

the terms of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement-in-Principle, CETA,

between Canada and the European Union for which the provincial government

successfully advocated, and

(2) supports the decision of the federal and provincial governments to

establish a $400 million fund to improve our fishing industry's global

competitiveness to capitalize more fully on the phenomenal opportunities that

CETA will generate for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Deputy Government House Leader.

MS SHEA: Mr. Speaker, the motion, as just put forward by the Member for

Bonavista South, will be the motion that will be debated tomorrow.

MR. SPEAKER: Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

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

MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, a petition of the hon. House of Assembly of the

Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of

the undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS the marine environment off the Coast of Newfoundland and Labrador

supports a diverse ecosystem, a multitude of organisms and species, above and

below the ocean, as well as supports social and economic development in our

Province; and

WHEREAS our fisheries is a billion-dollar industry and employs over 20,000

people; and

WHEREAS oil leaking out of a sunken paper carrier on the Province's Northeast

Coast has been identified as the cause of recently discovered oiled seabirds;

and

WHEREAS this sunken vessel has the potential to pose even more serious threat

to the marine environment and wildlife, and this threat is causing concern for

many residents, in particular the fish harvesters in the region; and

WHEREAS the provincial government is failing to be proactive and transparent

in protecting our marine environment from this catastrophic threat, instead

passing complete responsibility on to the federal government;

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

House of Assembly to urge the provincial government to show accountability and

transparency involving the urgent issue of this sunken carrier and its current

and potential impact upon our Province by producing a comprehensive joint action

plan with the federal government, to immediately extract the remaining oil in

the ship so that damage to our ecosystem, fish resources and economy is

mitigated before a more catastrophic event occurs.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, this is signed primarily by residents of Twillingate, Durrell,

New World Island, and these towns that are immediately adjacent to this

particular environmental threat. This issue became known and well apparent

earlier this year. The provincial government's response seems to be to contact

the federal government that sent out a remote operated vehicle and went down and

put a patch on the hull of this leaking freighter that has been under the water

for thirty or forty years. It is at a depth of 250 feet or so, eighty-odd

metres.

We have lost the whole summer season – spring, summer, fall, and now we are

going into winter. It simply is not good enough for this government to sit back,

do nothing, and not pressure the federal government.

I understand and appreciate that the environment at sea is a federal

responsibility; however, the environment is a responsibility for everybody. Why

isn't this government pressuring the Stephen Harper government in Ottawa to do

something with the environment?

It seems, Mr. Speaker, this government has a one-track mind. That one-track

mind is Muskrat Falls. Muskrat Falls, loan guarantees, everything that comes up

they want to do nothing to offend the federal government whether it is pressure,

whether it is CETA, whatever, whether it is search and rescue –

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I remind the member that his time has expired.

MR. BENNETT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

MR. MITCHELMORE: 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 government has a responsibility to ensure that Internet access is

broadly available so people have the right to be able to access the Internet in

order to exercise and enjoy their rights to freedom of expression and opinion

and other fundamental human rights; and

WHEREAS Bide Arm was bypassed under the Broadband for Rural and Northern

Development initiative, which saw high-speed Internet added to thirty-six

communities on the Great Northern Peninsula in 2004; and

WHEREAS nearly a decade later Bide Arm still remains without broadband

services, despite being an amalgamated town with Roddickton; and

WHEREAS residents rely on Internet services for education, business,

communication, and social activity; and

WHEREAS wireless and wired technologies exist to provide broadband service to

rural communities to replace slower dial-up service;

We, the undersigned, petition the House of Assembly to urge the government to

assist providers to ensure that Bide Arm is in receipt of broadband Internet

services in Newfoundland and Labrador.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, it is very vital that we move forward and provide a municipality

such as Bide Arm, which is part of another town at this point, with basic

infrastructure such as broadband Internet at an acceptable speed so that the

children in the community, of which there are quite a number of them in Bide

Arm, have that opportunity when it comes to accessing the Internet.

As well, as I spoke to residents when I was going door to door in this

community, one resident is trying very diligently to pursue distant education

and doing so at a much slower speed. It makes it very challenging when you are

trying to stream video and information. It is highly critical.

I have met with providers. I have met with wireless providers, having

discussion and dialogue. I encourage and urge government under its Rural

Broadband Initiative, which has $6.2 million in the Budget, to look at this

municipality, which is amalgamated with the Town of Roddickton, to receive

broadband Internet services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burgeo – La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have a petition. To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the

undersigned resident humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS the residents of the Southwest Coast of the Province of Newfoundland

and Labrador must use Route 470 and trunk road 470-10 on a regular basis for

work, medical, educational, and social reasons; and

WHEREAS Routes 470 and 470-10 are in deplorable condition, such that the

shoulders of the road continuously wash away and there are huge potholes on the

road; and

WHEREAS the condition of Routes 470 and 470-10 pose a safety hazard to

residents and visitors to the Southwest Coast; and

WHEREAS the Department of Transportation and Works is responsible for the

maintenance and repairs in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador; and

WHEREAS the local division of the Department of Transportation and Works does

make periodic repairs to this route, but these repairs are only temporary

patchwork and this road needs to be resurfaced;

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

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

the users of Route 470 and 470-10 in their request to have Route 470-10

resurfaced.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Now, Mr. Speaker, this is not the first time I have stood in this House and

spoke about this piece of road in my district. I will say on a somewhat

unrelated note I have to commend the Minister of Transportation because I have

stood in this House and talked about Burgeo road and how it is in deplorable

condition. I have had a chat with the minister and actually he did make sure

that a

section was done. A lot of residents have been complaining and e-mailing.

The minister took it upon himself to make sure that it was looked after and it

was done, and I thank the minister for that and for acknowledging the residents

who complained about it.

Mr. Speaker, in this case we do have a

section of road. This is the road that

connects basically Port aux Basques right down to Rose Blanche and then the

ferry to La Poile. It is a road that, again, is a very windy, twisty road and it

really needs to be looked at. I know this government has a huge inventory of

roads that need to be looked at, but that is why a plan needs to be put in place

to address it.

The side road that leads to the community of Fox Roost-Margaree is actually

at a point where it is a danger. It is a hazard to go over and many parents have

actually considered not letting their children go over it in a bus. It is washed

away in certain sections where there is only one lane. I have had complaints

from the different taxi companies that go in and out. I have had complaints from

parents, from bus drivers, from operators, and especially from tourists who go

down there and look at the road. It is really not fit to be on.

Again, I am putting this in in the hopes that the minister will put this in

his files to have a look at and hopefully – I believe it is too late at this

point, but I hope it will be looked at in the coming year.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

MR. MURPHY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

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

WHEREAS the residents of the Pynn's Brook area are facing dangers in turning

their vehicles safely off the TCH Route 1 into their own driveways; and

WHEREAS it is common practice along TCH Route 1 to impose speed reductions

for traffic travelling through communities such as Badger, Deer Lake, Bishop's

Falls, Gander, Clarenville and Whitbourne; and

WHEREAS highway traffic accidents along the stretch of TCH Route 1 through

Pynn's Brook have caused deaths and injuries;

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

House of Assembly to urge government to reduce the maximum speed limit on TCH

Route 1 through the Pynn's Brook area from the present 100 kilometres an hour to

sixty kilometres an hour.

As in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, this is a very important issue for the people living along the

Trans-Canada Highway. I guess still sticking with road issues; we are talking a

little bit here about the safety of the residents in that area.

Pynn's Brook, Mr. Speaker, the last time I went through, a lot of traffic is

going through that area now, more so than what was there in other years. I think

right now at Motor Vehicle Registration, it has about 610,000 to 615,000

vehicles in this Province right now travelling on our highways. Mr. Speaker,

that is a lot more than what it used to be upwards of twenty years ago.

We also have the record of course, that there are an increasing number of

accidents in a lot of high traffic areas, mainly when some of these roads are

cutting through towns. For example, the Town of Clarenville, the speed limit

used to be 100 kilometres an hour going through the city, but right in the area

where – I think it is Manitoba Drive, where it comes out onto the highway, the

speed limit there has been reduced down to seventy; anywhere from where the

Irving is on the east entranceway of Clarenville to the west entranceway of

Clarenville.

We have a lot of towns where speed limits are being reduced. Badger is

another example, there used to be a lot of car accidents, where the speed limit

has been reduced down to sixty. Gander is another town where the speed limit has

been reduced from 100 down to sixty.

We have an ongoing concern here. We have a record numbers of accidents that

have happened in the Pynn's Brook area. Every now and then you hear from these

particular areas, of course, where accidents still do happen but we have a lot

more important issues out there to deal with. We have unsafe roads when it comes

to distracted drivers, too, at the same time. When it comes to facing the

dangers that are faced by a driver when it comes to pulling into his own

driveway or their own driveway, Mr. Speaker, I think this is an easy problem to

address. It is already close to a slowdown area where the scales are nearby,

where traffic has to slow down anyway.

I think it would be safe to say that hopefully government will address this

in the coming weeks and months and have a look at this situation, because we

will be talking about traffic issues, of course. Some of the legislation that

government is going to be talking about in the next couple of weeks –

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I remind the member that his time has expired.

MR. MURPHY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

MR. KIRBY: 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 Early childhood educators are trained professionals essential to the

operation of child care centres and indispensable to many parents and children

across Newfoundland and Labrador; and

WHEREAS on the occasion of Early Childhood Educators Week in May, 2012,

government conveyed its support and recognition for the role of early childhood

educators and expressed its appreciation for their value; and

WHEREAS early childhood educators working in child care centres receive

salaries that are the lowest in Canada amongst ECEs; and

WHEREAS government's 2012 increase in subsidies paid to ECEs applies only to

Level I ECEs working in child care centre homerooms and Level II Early Childhood

Educators who operate child care centres; and

WHEREAS all early childhood educators are highly educated, skilled, and

deserving of a fair and equitable wage subsidy; and

WHEREAS government has discriminated against some of the most skilled ECEs in

Newfoundland and Labrador;

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

House of Assembly to urge the government to revise the enhancement to the Early

Learning and Care Supplement to include all early childhood educators working in

Newfoundland and Labrador.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, there is a new minister now in Child, Youth and Family Services,

and some people were very excited about the prospect of this minister being in

this portfolio. I would say, perhaps no one is more excited than himself, Mr.

Speaker, and I say that with all due respect.

I encourage the minister to use his enthusiasm for his new-found role to look

at this. I started this petition with early childhood educators. One day I was

knocking on doors in the spring of 2012 on a street called Coventry Way in my

district, and encountered someone who works in that sector who felt quite upset

So I urge members to call upon government, the minister, to have a good look

at this and see if something can be done for the upcoming budget year.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

MS ROGERS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland

and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS transgendered people face high risk of discrimination, violence,

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

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

youth hear transphobic comments regularly from other students and one-quarter

hear such comments from teachers; and

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

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

year; and

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

meet their needs without being hindered or prevented by discriminatory practices

based on gender identity or gender expression; and

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

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

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

discrimination.

As in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, I am so looking forward to not ever having to stand in this

House again and deliver this petition. I was very heartened and pleased to hear

from the Minister of Justice of his intention to introduce a bill to amend our

Human Rights Act to include gender identity and gender expression.

That news has gone out across the Province. That news has gone out across the

country. That news has gone out across the world and is so embraced, not only by

the transgendered community, Mr. Speaker, because this is good news for the

transgendered community, and I am so proud to have been able to push and push

for it, but it is also good news for their families.

It is good news for human rights activists around the world. It is good news

for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador because once again it can prove that

our human rights legislation, our Human Rights Act, is a living, breathing

document that responds to the modern times that we find ourselves in.

Mr. Speaker, I do look forward to debating this issue once the bill is

presented to the House. It is good news, and I so look forward to not ever

having to present this petition again because we will have won this hard

struggle.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

MR. EDMUNDS: Mr. Speaker, to the hon. House of Assembly of the Province

of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the

undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS there is no cell service in Nunatsiavut; and

WHEREAS many individual travel in close proximity to their respective

communities and are subject to accidents and/or misdirection; and

WHEREAS cell coverage may well have saved the life of young Burton Winters;

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

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

with appropriate agencies to provide cell coverage for the North Labrador Coast.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, I have been here in the last two years and I have seen progress

made by this government, slowly but surely, on establishing cellphone coverage

throughout parts of the Island portion of our Province. I am glad for it and I

really do appreciate it. I have stood up on this petition many times before to

talk about the close link, that the installation of cell service would help

alleviate some of the search and rescue cutbacks that we faced over the last two

years.

Mr. Speaker, cell coverage range varies from locations throughout the

Province; some range as high as sixty miles and some range much shorter

distances. Over the last two years we have seen cutbacks in search and rescue

throughout our Province. The reason that I would like to bring up search and

rescue is because any time there is a service that helps in search and rescue,

it is something that we all look forward to. As was the case with young Burton

Winters, at six miles from Makkovik, we did haul a Blackberry out of his pocket.

If you are looking at VHF services up the North Coast of Labrador, Mr.

Speaker, there is a relay station in Hopedale and there is one in Nain. There is

nothing between Hopedale and Goose Bay, so VHF range is very limited. If you

take into consideration the accident around Fogo last week, where VHF was

relayed throughout the Province and the crew of the Sea Shepherd were

rescued, we do not have that luxury.

I am looking, Mr. Speaker, to cellphone coverage being established north of

Goose Bay, northeast of Labrador City; and on the south coast, there are gaps in

the road system where safety becomes an issue where there is no cell coverage. I

look forward to cell coverage in Nunatsiavut.

Thank you.

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

MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, a petition to the hon. House of Assembly of the

Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of

the undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS the offshore of the West Coast of the Island of Newfoundland is

recognized as a region containing potentially billions of barrels of oil; and

WHEREAS hydraulic fracturing could have be an accepted and effective method

of petroleum discovery and exploration, and is compatible with the protection of

the natural environment and water sources when executed within the context of a

comprehensive regulatory framework; and

WHEREAS the petroleum exploration sector needs the certainty and confidence

of a stable regulatory regime; and

WHEREAS with that regulatory regime, oil discovery and industry development

could provide unprecedented economic opportunity and bring people home to a

currently economically challenged area; and

WHEREAS the undersigned support properly regulated exploration and

development of oil and gas resources in this Province;

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

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

introduce a regulatory framework immediately under which hydraulic fracturing

could proceed safely and move this industry forward in Western Newfoundland.

Mr. Speaker, the government has shown absolutely no leadership on this issue

whatsoever. A full year ago a company was doing hearings in the West Coast of

the Province, hearings in park communities in Gros Morne National Park and other

communities as well, asking for feedback, and clearly could have used some sort

of direction from the government. There was none.

Back in the spring, the Opposition introduced a private member's resolution

that said: Please give us the regulations, please introduce the regulations, and

if you cannot figure out what to do with the regulations, then by all means

adopt those of the most current regulations in Canada and amend them as you go

along. Nothing happened. The government defeated that resolution.

Now government has moved and said: Now we are not going to issue any more

licences. Clearly, this government governs by polls and leads by polls, which is

not leadership. The people in our area, not all of them absolutely oppose

hydraulic fracturing and an awful lot of people this area has been absolutely

decimated of population because there is no work there for people who would

really like to see some economic development.

Now the government said they are going to have an internal study, go forward,

and then decide what to do. Mr. Speaker, a year has been wasted. More time will

be wasted. These people still want government to move on this issue.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills.

MR. O'BRIEN: Yes, Mr. Speaker, I would like take a moment of the House's

time to apologize to this House and to the Coalition of Persons with

Disabilities for some inappropriate comments I made last Monday. I believe these

comments were disrespectful, and certainly I regret making them.

As well, Mr. Speaker, as their new minister, I look forward to working with

them in partnership and, as a matter fact, for them on an ongoing basis. I will

be building a great relationship with them and have a meeting with the coalition

in the next couple of weeks or so.

I apologize for my remarks in the House last Monday on making that point.

MR. SPEAKER: Orders of the Day.

Orders of the Day

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Deputy Government House Leader.

MS SHEA: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to go to Orders of the Day. We will call Order 1 and we will go

into a Committee of Supply, Mr. Speaker, to continue the debate on Bill 8.

MR. SPEAKER: The House is now adjourning itself into Committee of the

Whole. I will entertain a motion that I do now leave the Chair.

MS SHEA: So moved.

MR. SPEAKER: Moved by the hon. the Deputy Government House Leader.

It has been moved and seconded that I now leave the Chair.

All those in favour, ‘aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

MR. SPEAKER: All those against, ‘nay'.

Motion carried.

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

Speaker left the Chair.

Committee of the Whole

CHAIR (Littlejohn): Good afternoon, everyone.

We are continuing the debate on Bill 8,

An Act For Granting To Her Majesty

Certain Sums Of Money For Defraying Certain Additional Expenses Of The Public

Service For The Financial Year Ending March 31, 2014 And For Other Purposes

Relating To The Public Service.

A bill, "An Act For Granting To Her Majesty Certain Sums Of Money For

Defraying Certain Additional Expenses Of The Public Service For The Financial

Year Ending March 31, 2014 And For Other Purposes Relating To The Public

Service". (Bill 8)

CHAIR: The hon. the Member for Port au Port.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. CORNECT: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Monsieur le Président, je suis très fier de me présenter aujourd'hui dans la

Chambre d'assemblée en représentant la circonscription de Port au Port.

Mr. Chair, I am very happy to rise today representing the people of the great

and cultural District of Port au Port –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. CORNECT: – to speak on Bill 8 respecting the granting of

Supplementary Supply to Her Majesty.

In September of this year, Mr. Chair, government reached an agreement with

the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees, or

NAPE, as it is commonly known. Shortly after that, the Canadian Union of Public

Employees, or CUPE, and the Association of Allied Health Professionals also

reached a tentative agreement with our government.

Mr. Chair, we are very pleased to reach an agreement with NAPE. The agreement

was ratified by eleven of the twelve bargaining units just last month. Mr.

Chair, members of the public sector bargaining units representing over 17,000

workers across Newfoundland and Labrador voted; 83 per cent of the membership

voted in favour of accepting the deal.

Let me break it down for you, Mr. Chair, by bargaining units. Air Services

voted 60 per cent in favour; College of the North Atlantic support staff voted

90 per cent support; general service, 78 per cent agreed; group homes, 99 per

cent said yes; health professionals, 88 per cent approval; hospital support

staff, 86 per cent concurred; laboratory and X-ray, 78 per cent consent;

maintenance and occupational services, 75 per cent approved; Marine Services, 38

per cent approved; Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation, 86 per cent

said yes to the agreement; student assistants, 97 per cent approved; and school

boards, 89 per cent said yes to the agreement.

Mr. Chair, ratification votes have now taken place with the members of CUPE

and the AAHP. The agreements are fair and fiscally responsible, and it

recognizes the dedication, commitment and hard work of our employees in the

public sector. This agreement, Mr. Chair, is in line with our government's

commitment to providing high-quality programs and services in a financially

sustainable way.

This agreement will benefit thousands of professional and dedicated public

employees who work for the people of this Province, Newfoundland and Labrador.

This agreement, Mr. Chair, also shows our commitment to these employees and

shows that our government recognizes the important contribution they make each

and every day to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Through the hard work and dedication of those involved in the negotiation

process, these agreements were reached because they are good deals, Mr. Chair.

They are fair deals to the public employees of our Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. CORNECT: Let me give you the synopsis of the deal, Mr. Chair. The

agreement includes a 5 per cent salary increase over four years. No salary

increase for the first two years of the agreement.

In year three, public sector employees will see a 2 per cent increase to

their salary, and that would be this year. In year four, or 2015, a 3 per cent

increase. In year two, which is this year, Mr. Chair, full-time employees will

receive a $1,400 signing bonus. It is important to immediately enable the

funding of costs associated with the new collective bargaining agreements,

including the negotiated $1,400 signing bonus, be paid to the bargaining unit

employees by Christmas of this year. That is why we are debating this bill

today, Mr. Chair.

As it is precedent that management and non-bargaining unit employees have

received the same benefits as the collective agreements, this benefit will apply

to them as well. Mr. Chair, every effort will be made to pay this benefit to

non-bargaining unit employees before the end of the fiscal year.

This payment, Mr. Chair, is a fiscally responsible way to provide appropriate

compensation for public employees in this year of the agreement. This bonus

reflects a one-time expenditure for government in 2013-2014, and it will not

impact the fiscal forecast for 2014-2015 and years beyond.

Mr. Chair, our public service deserves it. They are a dedicated and committed

people to the Province in the work that they do. Outside of work, Mr. Chair, it

is important to note that these people are involved in the community. They are

involved in municipal politics. They are involved in fire departments. They are

involved with sports. They are involved in the schools. They are involved in

fundraising, and the list just goes on, their involvement in the community of

the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. They are a super group of people, I

may add.

Mr. Chair, that has been our mantra since taking office in 2003. We have

guided our Province away from the doors of bankruptcy, and now we are looking at

the future with a positive and confident and optimistic view.

Mr. Chair, we only have to look at the investments we continue to make.

Budget 2013: A Sound Plan, A Secure Future outlines our path to prosperity

within the investments we are making. We implemented a 10-year sustainability

plan, Mr. Chair, our continued commitment to strong financial management. We are

committed to returning to surplus by the fiscal year of 2015-2016. We are

protecting vital services and programs that are important to the people of the

Province.

Mr. Chair, because of our actions and our initiatives, more people are

working than any other time in our Province's history. That is responsible

management. That is making responsible decisions, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chair, being good stewards of our economy, we are investing in

infrastructure as well. We are committed to spending $866 million to encourage

economic growth, job creation, and stronger communities. These investments will

be spread to all regions of the Province from coast to coast to coast. We are

investing in roads, marine services, health, education, municipal works,

buildings and aquaculture. This infrastructure investment will generate 5,330

person years of employment in our Province.

Mr. Chair, we are investing $185.3 million for program delivery in the

essential areas for child protection, youth services, and child care; $9.5

million on twenty-two new drug therapies under the Newfoundland and Labrador

Prescription Drug Program and the Cancer Care and Hematology Program; $160

million every year for home care; $15.3 million for home support.

Mr. Chair, we are leading the country. Yes, Mr. Chair, the country, in wait

times for cardiac bypass and hip fracture repairs. These are just some of the

investments we continue to make in our families and health care.

We are investing for the future. We have a plan to keep our economy vibrant.

We are spending over $200 million in strategic investments to help spur economic

growth. We are maintaining our investment in the Muskrat Falls Project. Mr.

Chair, we are working diligently to revitalize our fishery, just look at the

CETA deal that we just signed on to.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. CORNECT: Mr. Chair, as we debate the Supplementary Supply bill today,

this all leads to leadership and what can be achieved with solid, sound,

sincere, and secure decision making to ensure a stable and growing economy.

Mr. Chair, our Premier continues to give us this leadership. It is with this

leadership that the future of this Province looks very, very bright.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. CORNECT: It is simply, Mr. Chair, because of the sound decisions that

she and this government have made.

Mr. Chair, let us all celebrate on our successes, but let us get ready for a

very promising and prosperous future. Let me say for the record that I am

supporting the Supplementary Supply bill, Bill 8,

An Act for Granting to Her

Majesty Certain Sums of Money for Defraying Certain Additional Expenses for the

Public Service for the Financial Year Ending March 31, 2014 and for Other

Purposes Relating to the Public Service.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

CHAIR: The hon. the Member for The Straits – White Bay North.

MR. MITCHELMORE: Thank you, Mr. Chair, for the opportunity to speak once

again to Supplementary Supply bill which is basically providing the opportunity

for a signing bonus of $1,400 to our workers.

It is important to recognize and acknowledge the good work that the public

sector is doing, whether in our school system, whether in our education system,

or whether working for a line department or other agency. In many cases, though,

when we look at the role of government and what government should be doing is

making sure that our public servants have all the resources available to do

their job in the best possible way.

The member opposite had just talked about investments in road and

infrastructure. No doubt, we are doing a significant amount of investing in road

and infrastructure, but there are many cases where infrastructure is still

lacking, significantly. Like if we look at the provincial gravel road inventory,

there are a number of roads that are still gravel. They need to be maintained

and there needs to be a concrete plan to look at bringing provincial roads out

of a gravel inventory; a plan to look at moving towards paving in some of these

areas to ensure, under a timeline, that we can build stronger economies around

that.

In cases, we have seen, in my district, where equipment failure has led to

delays of being able to grade roads and had potholes there. Those things have

impacts on people and the overall economy, and even on workers being able to do

their work adequately – it does.

We need to make sure that we have contingency plans, that equipment can be

delivered in a timely manner to take care of these things, and that we make

decisions as a people, as a government, that when programs such as the calcium

chloride program is cut, that there is actually some acknowledgement as to what

the criteria was that led to this. Because cutting such a program has led to a

significant amount of dust in communities. It also erodes gravel roads; the

material and the substance goes from them.

It is only going to cost more money down the road to maintain these highways

– like Route 434 to Conche is down to the bedrock in some areas. Government has

invested upwards of $6 million to realign and rebuild this road and those were

done by workers in this Province and under the leadership of the Minister of

Transportation and Works, a great investment; but if the program to cut calcium

chloride is causing all this dust and exposure, it is going to end up where we

are not getting the best return on our investment. Residents and citizens need

to know if a road such as that one is going to be paved, so then they can look

at making further investment in infrastructure when it comes to expanding fish

plants or looking at expanding the tourism business in that region.

There is opportunity, but we need to make sure that we are providing the

basic tools and infrastructure and resources to people. It is like some of our

depots and some of our workers who work in government buildings do not have

access to broadband Internet and the appropriate tools that they would need to

do their jobs in a more effective manner. These are small investments, I think,

that we can make in the people, our workers, to make sure that we are able to,

in a more productive way, do the business of the people in Newfoundland and

Labrador.

These are not big asks by any means; these are very basic requests. It is

government's obligation to look at meeting needs of basic infrastructure. If we

are going to advance our rural economy, we need to make sure that we have

advanced transportation and advanced telecommunication networks. Those two

things are absolutely key.

We need to look at making investments in ports and in infrastructure so that

we can do shipping into the Arctic, that we can take advantage of all of the

opportunities that are going to come with moving forward and exploring and

developing the Arctic and Arctic sovereignty. There is a role for our workers to

be conducting research and to tap into that opportunity in some of our northern

communities like St. Anthony, for example.

We have infrastructure that is currently built in Flower's Cove with the

Strait of Belle Isle Health Centre and it has been basically idle for a number

of months. People are wondering: When are those workers going to get to use this

new facility? When are the residents going to be able to access the services of

a new facility that has been committed by government?

It is a wonderful thing and it is a great investment; but it has taken a

significant amount of time and there have been lots of questions throughout the

process by residents, by municipalities, by people who really feel disengaged in

the process, by the workers themselves not having that level of communication

and knowing as to what is going to happen next.

So I really commend the investments that are being put into my district, but

I think some of the process that is coming forward in providing that open level

of communication is what is really needed so that we can move forward positively

to make sure the workers and the citizens of The Straits – White Bay North are

really looked after; and when they reach out to me as a Member of the House of

Assembly, their representative, I have the answers so that I can tell them and

we can move forward in a very positive way working with government to make sure

our region is as strong as it can be. There are a number of issues.

The Straits – White Bay North is no different than any other district in

Newfoundland and Labrador when it comes to the number of challenges we face, but

there are significant opportunities as well. There is so much potential and we

have to look at building those economies, whether they are built around public

sector, whether they are built around the private sector, or in collaboration

with both. I think there are significant opportunities.

I really like this bill and the fact that it does give back to our public

sector and that it does show a renewed commitment. These workers are entering

into a contract over a period of time that is consistent. It shows good economic

policy when it looks at something that is more sustainable over the longer term.

It gives an ability to open a discussion around what we do around fiscal

sustainability, as the member opposite talked about this ten-year plan. There

are lots of things that we can be doing as a government that can save money.

Then that can be invested back into other projects or into our public sector.

Expanding rural broadband is key. I presented a petition today for broadband

in Bide Arm. If we look at communities that are more isolated and rural, like

St. Julien's and Grandois, where you travel over a thirty-kilometre gravel road,

if they had access to broadband Internet, then they may be able to use

Telehealth and not have to drive a significant amount to get a consultation by a

doctor. Many of these people would be traveling under the Medical Transportation

Assistance Program, which millions of dollars is going into the travel, and also

the strain and the burden as to what that means for people.

We can be using technology more, so that our workers who are working in the

public sector can use their skills and reach out in a different way so that we

can make sure that the people, especially in rural economies, are well taken

care of.

These are the types of things that we need to be doing, progressive policies

that we would expect from a progressive government. Those are the types of

things that we need and we need to see more of. I know this government is

willing to listen and try and introduce such policies.

I will be continuing to use my voice to press for these types of policies as

long as I sit as the Member for The Straits – White Bay North because they are

so important. It is so important to build stronger economies around advancing

transportation. I am looking forward to having discussions with the Minister of

Transportation and Works. I know we can find some solutions that can build those

stronger economies. As well, to look at the investments that have been made in

the region, it is helping workers, it is helping advance the region.

I have had very good dealings with ministers in the government. I look

forward to keeping that and moving forward. Right now, I really support this

piece of legislation. I do not think I will have any further comment unless

something comes up pressing on this. I will be supporting the legislation.

I thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Chair, to make further points on this

bill.

CHAIR: The hon. the Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENT: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It is a great pleasure to rise in the House today and speak to Bill 8. I

think it is very important that we recognize the contribution of our public

service.

Before I do that though, Mr. Chair, I certainly want to acknowledge the fact

that yesterday was a very special day in our Province as communities throughout

Newfoundland and Labrador commemorated Remembrance Day. Despite the weather

conditions in some parts of the Province, ceremonies for the most part did go

ahead. People took time out of their day to acknowledge the contribution of

those who paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we can enjoy the freedom that we

do today.

Just last week, Mr. Chair, I had an opportunity to join the Minister of

Tourism, Culture and Recreation and the Premier at Government House, as the

minister said earlier today, when we launched Honour 100, our First World War

commemoration on behalf of Newfoundland and Labrador. I think Newfoundlanders

and Labradorians appreciate the fact that the First World War was an influential

moment in our history. Our role in that war shaped who we are today. It is a

story that is built on perseverance and pride. So many Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians have done great service for our Province and our country.

I am very pleased to see that commemoration plan launched. The celebrations

will unfold over several years. I certainly look forward to what is to come in

2014 as Honour 100 really ramps up.

Mr. Chair, the public service of this Province does so much for our people

and our communities. In the last few weeks in my new role, I have had an

opportunity to gain a new perspective, a new appreciation for the role that the

public service plays. I have been thoroughly impressed with the women and men I

have met through Fire and Emergency Services Newfoundland and Labrador, through

Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs, all of whom are working very hard each

and every day to serve the people of this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENT: Good things are happening. In the seven-and-a-half minutes I

have left, Mr. Chair, I will not get to cover all of them, but I can tell you

there is much to be proud of in terms of the work that our public service is

doing in this Province.

I met with many people who are serving communities and serving this Province

just this past weekend as I participated in the Municipalities Newfoundland and

Labrador Conference on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It was an incredible

success. I met municipal leaders from every corner of the Province. I am not

sure if it was a record turnout, but it certainly felt like one. The sessions

were full, the plenary sessions were full. The evening festivities were full of

enthusiastic people, many of whom have served in their communities for many

years, and many of whom are brand new to local government in our Province.

We had an opportunity to talk about many issues of concern. We talked about

the new fiscal framework. My officials provided an update on the work we have

been doing in that regard, and there was real enthusiasm about the process we

have embarked upon to date, and real excitement about what is to come as well.

We have been working very closely with Municipalities Newfoundland and

Labrador as we have embarked upon a review of the provincial-municipal fiscal

framework in this Province. In fact, I have already had a couple of meetings

with the President of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador. Our officials

are meeting quite regularly with various stakeholders to continue to advance

this work.

It is important work, and it is going to take some time to conclude. We

suspect it will take eighteen months to two years to work through the entire

process. We want to take the necessary time to ensure that we get it right.

A really important part of this review, as we outlined this weekend at the

MNL conference, is the consultation piece. We are going to be talking to various

stakeholder groups. We are going to be talking to the general public. We want to

hear the views of municipalities. We want to hear the views of local service

districts. We want to hear the views of people in the Province who live in

unincorporated areas. Anybody who avails of municipal services in this Province

is welcome to have their say in this important process.

Our goal is to look at every aspect of the relationship between the Province

and our communities. We are going to look at efficient and effective ways to

deliver services. We are going to look at the structure of local government. We

are going to look at how services are paid for and how services are shared in

this Province.

There are a large number of public servants at the municipal level in this

Province delivering critical services to the residents of our communities each

and every day. It is an important process. There was real enthusiasm, as I said,

this weekend when we met with municipal leaders from around the Province and we

definitely look forward to continuing that dialogue.

Another hot topic at the convention was Municipal Operating Grants. Our

department has had a really strong relationship with Municipalities Newfoundland

and Labrador and with municipal leaders from around the Province. We have really

listened to the requests from municipal leaders to arrive at a new formula for

Municipal Operating Grants, or MOGs.

The new formula which we presented in detail to municipalities this past

weekend is transparent, it is equitable, and it is sustainable. We have

presented it in a way that makes it easy to understand for all stakeholders.

There was an enthusiastic response to the new Municipal Operating Grant formula

as well. Many communities in Newfoundland and Labrador are receiving an increase

in their Municipal Operating Grants. The other piece of the good news is that

none are receiving a decrease. We are getting positive feedback all the time.

I received a note just last week from the mayor of a small municipality who

said that he is more than delighted with the great increase in their MOG. This

increase in their MOG, along with the building of their new municipal building

and government's continued support for industry in their community, will see a

great future for their town and their whole region. That is the kind of feedback

we are getting from municipal leaders right across Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENT: As usual, I am being heckled by the former Minister of

Municipal Affairs who certainly did some great work working with stakeholders in

the municipal sector in this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENT: Did you like that? That is for you.

MS JOHNSON: Did you tell him about your first announcement?

MR. KENT: I am now getting heckled by my colleague. It is coming at me

from every direction today. It is hard enough having to answer questions from

across the way, but then you have to put up with the heckling on your own side.

The new Minister of Innovation, Business and Rural Development wants me to

tell you about one of my very first announcements. In fact, I think it was the

very first announcement. We were announcing municipal capital works funding for

three communities in her district, very important water treatment projects and

waste water treatment projects. Those are a really high priority for our

department. We want to ensure that all residents of this Province have access to

clean and safe drinking water. So anything that we can do to improve our water

infrastructure in this Province, those are the projects that will be of high

priority when it comes time to make decisions about future funding.

We talked about capital works funding as well this weekend. Of course, the

entire fiscal relationship with municipalities will be reviewed as part of the

fiscal framework, but we continue to recognize the need for more

infrastructures, both in communities large and small.

I had some good discussions with the urban summit, with the urban

municipalities group at Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador, and this was

one of many issues that we touched upon. Certainly, as we look ahead to the next

round of municipal capital works funding, we are very aware of the fact that

communities large and small each have unique needs that need to be addressed and

we are going to continue to invest in needed municipal infrastructure.

Mr. Chair, I also had an opportunity at the convention to provide an update

on the provincial basic 911 service that we are working to implement. I was

pleased to report to everyone at the convention that we are on track to deliver

a Province-wide basic 911 service to everybody in Newfoundland and Labrador by

the end of 2014.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENT: A lot of progress has been made on this file. Implementing this

service is an important priority for our government. We have a team in place. We

are currently working on legislation, which I hope to introduce here in this

House in the spring, and we are well on our way to have the Province-wide basic

911 service in place by the end of next year.

Mr. Chair, I see that I am out of time. There is lots more that I could talk

about and I will probably get up again, but I certainly am pleased to rise and

support Bill 8 today in the House.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

CHAIR: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. JOYCE: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I just stand to have a few minutes to speak on this Bill 8 and recognize the

work. Of course, I think everybody on both sides here, and the Independents

also, agree that this is a good bill, Bill 8, to have the bonuses for the civil

servants and the others involved.

My question is: Why are we still debating it? Let's bring in something that

we need to bring in. We all agreed that this bill will pass, so we should bring

this in now and let's pass this bill so that we can just move on to some really

important legislation, Mr. Chair. Everybody is in agreement of this bill. Of

course, government, with the lack of legislation to bring forth, they are just

dragging this on and getting up, pounding their chest but there is so much

important –

MR. KENT: (Inaudible).

MR. JOYCE: I hear the Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental

Affairs. I say to the minister, I never said one word while you were speaking.

Mr. Chair, do you know what the minister should do? Go look on the $600,000

that his department just wasted on the western regional land management group.

Go ask. I said three years ago when it was set up that the person they gave it

to was the Minister of Finance's co-campaign manager, a retired professor of a

university. I said it had no legislative authority – $600,000 of wasted

taxpayers' money. Here is the Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental

Affairs over there now, Mr. Chair, bawling and shouting at me when his

department has wasted $600,000.

That is the kind of stuff that we should be discussing here. How can we stop

this waste? The minister stands up – it is in a draft form. It was in his

department two-and-a-half years still in a draft form. Do you know something,

Mr. Chair? That is going to collect more dust now than what is on The

Munsters show. It is going to be dust on that now. You are never going to

see that report again. You will never be able to find it. That is how bad this

is, Mr. Chair.

I asked the minister if he could stand up. He said he was going to stand

again. I ask him to stand up and explain how you can give out $600,000, have a

report in on his desk for the last two-and-a-half years, all the municipalities

– and I spoke to some councillors recently who spend a lot of volunteer time,

spend a lot of energy, spend a lot of town resources into trying to develop this

plan just to find out it has no legislative authority – it has no legislative

authority.

For the minister to stand up here today and say it is only in the draft form,

two-and-a-half years – I think it was April 2011 the last cheque that was made

out to this committee and I think the report was sent down in April 2011. Those

are the kind of things we should be discussing in this House, not something that

we all agree on, the civil service and this building.

It is going to pass; it is unanimous it is going to pass. Everybody in this

House agrees what the civil service has done for this Province. Everybody agrees

with this Bill 8. Everybody agrees with this bonus. We are still going to

discuss, yet we do not want to talk about the other issues that is happening

here in this Province where we could save money, Mr. Chair.

I go back on numerous occasions where I brought things in this Legislature of

how we can make improvements. I asked the Premier just last Thursday, I think it

was: Will you commit to have a new fiscal arrangement with the municipalities in

Newfoundland in 2014? She would not make that commitment.

Now, Mr. Chair, what would you do as a mayor of a town? Just put yourself as

the mayor of a town when you are having financial restraints and you are having

a hard time meeting your payments and you are going after the Province since

2008 saying listen here, we need some help here; we need a new fiscal

arrangement. You as a mayor, Mr. Chair, do you think that is fair? After the

Province committing and committing to it. The former minister brought this

along, no doubt, yet the commitment is not there to have it done in 2014. That

is just some of the issues.

I look at transportation and works out in the Bay of Islands, some major

safety hazards, some major safety concerns that I have been raising. I have been

writing on numerous occasions, Mr. Chair. Take Copper Mine Brook out there, I

have been writing now for six, seven or eight months. It has gotten so bad now

that traveling – it is eighty kilometers and now it is down to thirty

kilometres; hazard signs on both sides, Mr. Chair.

That is the kind of stuff that we should we trying to figure out how to find

funds to get it fixed. This is not a luxury. I look over in McIver's; it is

another prime example. Over in McIver's there is a dip in the road, again with

schools buses traveling over it. It is dangerous. I have been bringing it to the

government's attention for at least eight or nine months, probably even up to

last year when it started moving again, Mr. Chair. That is the kind of things

that we need discussed here, not a bill that everybody agrees with. Let's find

some ways how we can solve the problems of the Province and let's find some ways

how we can make our roads safer for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

That is the kind of things that we have to be looking at.

Do I look and say there are some good initiatives by government? Yes, I would

be the first to admit it. I said it on numerous occasions that there are

positive initiatives that were made.

Mr. Chair, I have to respond to a comment. I think it was the Member for

Mount Pearl North who last week was talking about Clyde Wells and the nurses.

MR. KENT: South.

MR. JOYCE: Sorry about that. I apologize to the minister. It was St.

John's South.

He was talking about how Clyde Wells rolled it back. Yes, he did. I was not

part of it, I was his assistant, but he did do it. I give him credit. The nurses

CHAIR: I ask the Official Opposition Leader to speak to the Chair.

MR. JOYCE: Sorry, Mr. Chair.

CHAIR: Thank you.

MR. JOYCE: The nurses – I was a part of the government. I did not vote

that day, for personal reasons. I was not in the vote that day, but I have to

tell the Member for Mount Pearl South, when I stood in the House at that time

and spoke about the nurses and legislation back to work, I did it as a man. I

stood up. I did not go on the computer and start stacking polls. I stood up in

this House of Assembly and I voted, Mr. Chair, not like the Member for Mount

Pearl South out admitting how he is stacking polls against all the different

groups – out stacking polls around. That is what I do.

That is what we have to discuss, Mr. Chair. That is the kind of thing we have

to discuss. Let's discuss important issues instead of trying to take personal

attacks at me because we did it. Yes, we did it. I admit I did it. I stood up in

this House of Assembly and I spoke about it. I did not go behind a closed door

with a computer. That is the difference. If you are going to say something,

let's get up here and let's discuss it. I did it, and that is the kind of open

discussion we need here.

We cannot just stand up here and say everything is rosy. Let's get up and

give credit when credit is due. I will be the first to believe. When you need to

give credit, I will be the first one to give credit. I can tell you there are

ministers across the way at public events who I gave credit to because there are

some great initiatives.

You will not see me hiding behind a computer with a fictitious name stacking

polls, Mr. Chair. You will not see that, because if I am going to say something

it is going to be upfront. It is going to be for the benefit of the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador, and in benefit for the people of Bay of Islands, Mr.

Chair, which I am elected to do.

MR. LANE: (Inaudible).

MR. JOYCE: The Member for Mount Pearl South, I am sorry if I hit a nerve,

but I hope you learned your lesson about stacking the polls.

Mr. Chair, we should move on from this. Let's bring in some good legislation

here that is going to benefit. Apparently the government says they have lots of

legislation. We are ready to debate some meaningful legislation that is going to

be brought in that is going to make positive changes around the Province, and

that is what we need.

From my understanding, Mr. Chair, the long-term care facility, that extra

wing will open up next month, I think, I say to the Member for Humber West, and

that is a good thing. It took a while. We all fought for it, but that is a good

thing. That is opening up. That is another fifteen to eighteen beds, I think.

That is a good thing for