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April 27, 2016

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLVIII No. 18

The

House met at 2 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Osborne):

Order, please!

Admit strangers.

Statements by

Members

MR. SPEAKER:

For Members' statements

today we have the Member for the District of Exploits, the Member for the

District of Cartwright L'Anse au Clair, Torngat Mountains, Stephenville

Port au Port, Burin Grand Bank, and Terra Nova.

well, it is my understanding that the Leader of the Opposition has leave by

all sides of the House to present a statement as well.

The

hon. the Member for the District of Exploits.

MR. DEAN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

is with honour and pride that I recognize two Special Olympians from Botwood

and Grand Falls-Windsor for their recent success at the Canada Special

Olympic Winter Games in Corner Brook.

Stacie Woolridge of Botwood overcame icy game-day conditions, 13 bruises,

and bitterly cold temperatures to capture one gold and two bronze medals in

skiing for Team Newfoundland and Labrador. Her teammate, Melvin Hanhams,

overcame similar challenges in the 200-metre snowshoe race to capture

bronze.

Both

athletes showed grit and determination by starting a training regime that

included regular workouts and nutritious eating. Stacie had stopped skiing

for three years to attend college, but after qualifying for the national

games last winter, she buckled down and gave it her all. Meanwhile, Melvin

credits his coaches for helping him reduce his times by pacing himself from

start to finish.

Both

athletes are looking forward and ahead to the Newfoundland and Labrador

Summer Games in Marystown. Stacie plans to focus on swimming while Melvin is

prepping for the track events.

Hard

work and dedication pays off, and you need look no further than the

performances put on by both Stacie and Melvin.

ask all Members of this hon. House to join with me in congratulating these

two fine athletes.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Cartwright L'Anse au Clair.

MS. DEMPSTER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Benjamin Disraeli once said the legacy of heroes is the memory of a great

name and an inheritance of a great example.

rise to pay tribute to an amazing individual, Hazel Thomas of L'Anse au

Clair. Hazel recently passed away at the age of 94 leaving behind a

tremendous legacy.

L'Anse au Clair, Hazel was what you would call the go to person. If you

needed anything, you could always count on her. She was young at heart and

everyone's friends. She owned the first general store in town and that also

included a basement for youth to hang out, watch movies and listen to their

only jukebox. My colleague, the Member for Labrador West who grew up in

L'Anse au Clair, has many fond memories of his own of hanging out at this

place.

She

owned the first phone in the community and was an amazing volunteer. She was

a leader of ACW for years. She organized community concerts, was a

tremendous cook, baker, quilt maker and the list goes on.

Hazel had four children, 14 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren and 2

great-great grandchildren. She was a large part of the fabric of the

community who will long be remembered for her kindness, and her knowledge

will be passed on through many generations.

ask all hon. Members to join me in celebrating the life of Hazel Thomas a

true lady of Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

the District of Torngat Mountains.

MR. EDMUNDS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

rise in this hon. House today to congratulate Phillip Earle and the good

people at Air Labrador for their creative approach in bringing awareness to

mental illness.

Air

Labrador has copied the words Create a good day on one of its aircraft in

memory of Dorothy Angnatok.

Dorothy Angnatok, or Duru as we most fondly called her, was a vibrant young

Inuk from Nain who inspired both young and old through her dynamic

personality, as well as through the work she did in the Going off, growing

strong program a program that teaches young people traditional culture

and provides seniors and other Members of the community with nutritional

wild food.

the sadness of us all, Duru lost her battle with mental illness this past

winter. Duru coined the phrase that we have all adopted: Create a good day.

ask all hon. Members to join me in thanking Air Labrador for bringing

awareness to mental illness and for honouring Duru's memory.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

the District of Stephenville Port au Port.

MR. FINN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the 2015 Stephen award recipients,

having attended the 37th Stephen Awards banquet this past weekend in

Stephenville. Junior athletes of the year, Ryan McNeil Lamswood and Olivia

Heneley were acknowledged for their tremendously successful years in various

sports, while Special Olympian Josh Harper was named the town's senior

athlete of the year.

Christine O'Brien was named Citizen of the Year as a result of her countless

hours of volunteer work with the Rotary Club in which she serves as vice

president. Christine has also generously given her time to the Sir Thomas

Roddick Hospital Foundation, Stephenville Winter Carnival and also as an

active member of her parish volunteering with the Salvation Army Kettle

Campaign and Toy Drive.

Stephenville High student Radhika Verma was named Youth of the Year. In

addition to earning first-place honours in her studies and receiving

numerous academic awards, Radhika is an active member of her student council

and humanitarian club. Further, she spends time volunteering with a number

of organizations including the Community Youth Network, the YMCA, Red Cross,

Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Lions Club among others.

ask all Members to join me in congratulating the 2015 Stephen Award

recipients.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The Member for the

District of Burin Grand Bank.

MS. HALEY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

When

Justin Dodge of Grand Bank left for the Special Olympics Canada 2016 Winter

Games, which were held in Corner Brook in March, family, friends and

especially fellow members of the Grand Bank-Fortune Seahawks Club, all had

high hopes for him. Justin did not disappoint, Mr. Speaker. He brought home

gold and silver in the snowshoeing competition.

Justin has learned that his prowess in the sport has earned him a chance to

try out for the national squad, and potentially an opportunity to represent

Canada at the World Winter Games, taking place in Austria in 2017.

His

success in snowshoeing is especially remarkable, considering the conditions

for training are often less than ideal in the area of the province where

Justin lives. Only an athlete totally devoted and determined could do so

well on the national stage, Mr. Speaker. Justin is the son of proud parents

Ron and Cecilia Dodge of Grand Bank who support him in every challenge he

takes on.

Mr.

Speaker, I ask all Members to join me in congratulating Justin Dodge on his

wonderful showing at the 2016 Winter Games, and indeed in wishing him good

luck in his quest to gain a spot on the national team.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The Member for the

District of Terra Nova.

MR. HOLLOWAY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

rise in this hon. House to recognize the Beaches Arts and Heritage Centre in

Eastport. The Beaches Arts and Heritage Centre is home to a thriving arts

community. It was opened in June 2001 under the stewardship of the Eastport

Peninsula Heritage Society which has a mandate to preserve the natural and

cultural heritage of the region.

Constructed in the early 20th century, the property originally served as a

school for many years, but has evolved as a key venue for cultural arts and

entertainment shows, from summer drama festivals to a privately operated

movie theatre. In 2012, the society received two prestigious awards for its

role in developing tourism: the Doug Wheeler Award for Tourism and the

Adventure Central Pinnacle Award for Tourism Ambassador of the Year.

Each

year, from May to October, a large suite of events, tours and festivals are

hosted at the Arts Centre, including those on the Canada Day weekend and the

Annual Roy Babstock Beaches Accordion Festival.

The

Beaches Arts and Heritage Centre is a gem for the Eastport Peninsula.

ask all Members to join me in congratulating the board of directors for

continuing to be great ambassadors for this exciting industry.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

the District of Topsail Paradise.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, I rise in this House today to pay tribute to Dr. John Collins who

passed away on Saturday at the age of 93. Dr. Collins was born in 1922 in

what was then known as the Dominion of Newfoundland. Coming of age during

the height of the Second World War, he served here at home as a radio

officer and also on the Merchant Marine fleet delivering valuable supplies

across the very dangerous waters of the North Atlantic to the Northern

Russian port of Murmansk. He was honoured with medals from the Russian

government as a result.

graduate of St. Bon's and Memorial University College at the time, he

travelled, after the war, to Scotland where he attended the University of

Edinburgh for five years to earn his doctorate in medicine. As a physician

specializing in pediatric cardiology, he engaged first in medical research,

then next as a general practitioner in private practice and then as the head

of cardiology at the Janeway Hospital.

would go on to serve as the National Chair of the Canadian Medical

Association and in the late '60s, he also served on the Child Health

Commission, in the early '70s as President of the Canadian Pediatric Society

and Chief of Neonatal at the Grace General Hospital.

1975 he decided to run for office on the Frank Moores's team and was elected

as the PC MHA for St. John's South. From 1975 to 1979 he held the post of

Deputy Speaker, while concurrently heading to the Grace Hospital's

Department of Neonatology. In 1979 Premier Brian Peckford appointed Dr.

Collins to serve as the province's Minister of Finance and the following

year as President of Treasury Board as well.

Dr.

Collins later served as the province's Minister of Health and for a year, in

1988, as Deputy Premier until his retirement from political office in 1989.

Even after his retirement, and working privately in property management, he

continued to take an active interest in political life on the province's

stage and that he served so diligently for, for so many years and he

thoroughly enjoyed it.

Dr.

Collins was known and admired provincially, nationally and internationally

for his many enduring contributions. One can only estimate the impact of his

service, not only as a legislator and a minister, a merchant mariner, but

also as a cardiologist saving the lives of children. It's an incredible

legacy that he's left us, and a fine example to follow.

Mr.

Speaker, I respectfully ask that we honour his memory collectively as

Members of this hon. House and send our heartfelt sympathies to his family.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

The Commemoration

of the First World War and the Battle of Beaumont-Hamel

MR. SPEAKER:

Today for Honour 100, we

have the Member for the District of Exploits.

MR. DEAN:

I will now read into the

record the following 40 names of those who lost their lives in the First

World War in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, the Royal Newfoundland Naval

Reserve, the Newfoundland Mercantile Marine or the Newfoundland Forestry

Corps. This will be followed by a moment of silence.

Lest

we forget: Edmund James Higgins, Silas Hilliard, Llewelyn Hillier, Alfred

Hiscock, Edmund Hiscock, John Hiscock, Samuel Hiscock, Edward John Hoare,

Charles Hobbs, Eliol Hobbs, John Hobbs, John Herbert Hockley, Stewart

Hodder, Ludwig Duncan Hoddinott, Samuel Hoddinott, William Hoddinott, Gerald

Hogan, Lucas Holden, Patrick Holden, Joseph Hollahan, Michael John Holland,

George Hollett, George Hollett, Albert Holloway, Robert Palfrey Holloway,

Aubrey Holmes, Samuel Mayo Hooper, Albert Horwood, Henry Horwood, Edgar

Hoskins, James Patrick Houlahan, Japheth Hounsell, George House, John House,

James John Howard, Arthur Howell, Thomas Howell, Joseph Hoyles, Obadiah

Hoyles, George Hudson.

(Moment of silence.)

MR. SPEAKER:

Please be seated.

Statements by Ministers.

Statements by

Ministers

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Health and Community Services.

MR. HAGGIE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'm

pleased to rise in this hon. House to recognize today, April 27, as Daffodil

Day.

we know, April is Daffodil Month an important national fundraising

campaign by the Canadian Cancer Society. The campaign presents a tremendous

opportunity to raise funds and awareness to support individuals and their

families struggling with cancers and to fund research for a cure.

The

daffodil is a symbol of hope. It represents the strength and courage of

cancer patients and their loved ones, as well as the compassion of

volunteers and the commitment of researchers dedicated to eradicating these

diseases. The vibrant yellow colour also reflects the importance of optimism

in finding a cure.

2015, the Canadian Cancer Society estimated that there were 3,500 newly

diagnosed cases and 1,510 deaths due to cancers in Newfoundland and Labrador

alone. The daffodil serves as a strong reminder to those with cancer that

they are never alone in their struggle and that family, friends and

communities are always there when help is needed most.

Mr.

Speaker, I encourage all residents to get involved and to purchase and wear

the daffodil pin to show their support. Anyone who wishes to learn more

about Daffodil Month can visit the society's website at

www.cancer.com .

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

want to thank the minister for providing an advance copy of his statement

again today. We join with the government in recognizing April as Daffodil

Month, particularly the 27th of April as Daffodil Day.

can tell you I'm very pleased and proud to wear a daffodil through most of

the month of April. We know that cancer has touched so many of us, each of

us in a different way. The daffodil is a representative and it's a symbol

that means something different to everyone.

Mr.

Speaker, statistics tell us that for women in Newfoundland, breast cancer is

the most frequently diagnosed type of cancer in 2015. An estimated 360 women

were diagnosed with breast cancer in that year, and approximately 100 lost

their battle with breast cancer.

while we recognize Daffodil Day and all the good and hope that it

represents, I'd be remiss if I didn't take the opportunity to urge

government to reconsider its change in the provincial breast cancer

screening program.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. P. DAVIS:

These are cuts I'm sure

that cancer survivors would all agree is a step backwards.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

too thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement. Daffodil Day

is indeed an important fundraiser for us to support and it reminds us of the

tireless work of the Canadian Cancer Society, as well as reminding us of the

many people who support family members and others battling the disease.

remind the minister and his government that cancer patients suffer not only

from their illness but also from the financial burden of travelling for

treatment because of an inadequate medical transportation program, and now

they have the added burden of an extra cost of fuel.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further statements by

ministers?

The

hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

MR. HAWKINS:

Mr. Speaker, our

government is investing $62 million this year in the Provincial Roads

Program, and this past Friday we announced the full list of projects for

this year and began to issue our tenders.

I'm

also pleased to inform my hon. colleagues, Mr. Speaker, that our government

has been successful in negotiating with the federal government changes to

eligibility criteria for cost-shared funding. Minimum traffic volumes for

example, have been reduced to better reflect the needs of our province and

allow a greater number of road projects to receive federal funding. Eligible

projects will be announced in the coming weeks.

Mr.

Speaker, the safety of our roads and highways is of a primary importance.

Our crews undertake critical work year-round through both the winter and

summer maintenance programs.

Our

government's budget ensures funding for these programs is maintained, along

with brush cutting and brush-clearing funding to help mitigate moose-vehicle

collisions, and we are making the necessary investment of $61.6 million to

support our heavy equipment fleet and snow and ice control operations on our

highways.

Mr.

Speaker, all of this represents a robust year for road construction and

maintenance that will benefit the construction industry and communities

throughout the province, while encouraging economic growth.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement. It's good news to

see we're getting more funding from the Building Canada Fund, I guess coming

from the cost-sharing ratios, the criteria being relaxed to get more

roadwork done. It's good to see someone over there lobbying the federal

government to try to get our fair share. Hopefully the Premier and the rest

of Cabinet will follow suit of the Minister of Transportation and Works.

Another point on the roadwork, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Transportation

and Works released their road project last Friday with a list of roads to be

done and associated scores. We've been calling them on it, still calling for

the entire list, to see the scores for all the roadwork. Not just the ones

that were took from the master list and scored and then done. I'm looking

forward to getting some more details on the entire roadwork projects and

their scores.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement. His announcement

is all well and good but I say to the minister, is the safety of roads

really of primary importance to him? Why then choose a band-aid solution to

fixing the Conche Road his government is forcing children to travel twice

every school day? Why end 24-hour snow clearing which places people who are

forced out in storms to get to their work in harm's way? Primary importance?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further statements by

ministers?

Oral

Questions.

Oral Questions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, the Minister of Finance has provided no less than three different

explanations on how the Liberal levy will be collected from the citizens of

Newfoundland and Labrador. Most recently she is saying that the levy will

begin to be collected on paycheques in July, but as well she said the annual

expected levy amounts that the government will take in is only half this

year as what has been expected in a full year.

Mr.

Speaker, the message continues to change. I've received several requests

from citizens who are confused by the changing discussion, the changing

comments by the minister.

ask the Premier: The minister has confused people, can you clarify once and

for all how this levy will be collected?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, for the

Member opposite who I offered yesterday, and I'm sure he's going to take me

up on it after today, a technical briefing on how the deficit levy will be

collected. As I said yesterday, the levy will be collected

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS. C. BENNETT:

through the

personal income tax collection process, the personal income tax process. It

is collected through withholding tax, as people pay their regular personal

income tax. Tax tables are issued July 1, and those tax increases are for

annual years.

the Member opposite, or any Members on the opposite side, would like to have

a technical briefing with officials we can certainly provide that. As we are

continuing to provide details and answers to our constituents' questions, we

can certainly help them provide those answers too.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Opposition.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It's

the people of the province who are looking for answers. We're asking the

questions on their behalf, Mr. Speaker. It's the people who want to know

what the facts are. Maybe if they listened to the people of the province

they'd just scrap the levy like the people of Newfoundland and Labrador are

asking them to do.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. P. DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker, on NTV

Issues and Answers just a few days ago, last week, the minister said

that people will pay it next spring when they file their income tax returns.

Very different from what we're hearing from the minister today.

Surely she has analyzed the impacts on ordinary, hard-working, low- and

middle-income Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. People are at a loss of why

the message keeps changing. People believe they're making it up as they go

along.

wonder, Minister, can you answer the people of the province. Do you really

understand the impacts of your budget increases, your levy, your tax and

fees that people are being burdened with, the low- and middle-income

hard-working Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are being burdened with? Do

you really understand the impacts on their lives?

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, I

believe the person who doesn't understand, quite frankly, how the tax system

works and the budget, and who, I guess, continues not to be wanting a

technical briefing is the Member opposite.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS. C. BENNETT:

This government has

made

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS. C. BENNETT:

With your permission,

Mr. Speaker, after the heckling from the Members opposite, I will provide

the answer to the question.

Our

government undertook in this budget to implement the Newfoundland and

Labrador Income Supplement which makes sure that those individuals making

$40,000 or less actually have an offset to the tax increases. The Member

opposite clearly understands, as somebody who has been somebody who filed

taxes for many, many years, I'm sure, in his former careers that

individuals, when they are remitting personal income tax, can do it on a

weekly basis through withholding tax or they can pay it when they file their

tax return. They have those options as employees, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker, the

condescending tone that continues to come from the minister opposite is

astounding. It's shameful the tone that comes from the minister opposite.

It's

people of the province who are asking for clarification. We're asking on

behalf of the people. I don't think she understands that, Mr. Speaker.

Today, we heard the Premier on province-wide radio this morning. He said he

will not listen to the people of the province.

say to the Premier, while you and your minister may live in a bubble, you

may be out of touch with the realities of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians

and the difficulties and challenges that they will face because of the

levies and fees that you're burdening with them. I can tell you, Mr.

Speaker, maybe the Members opposite don't understand that, but people are

struggling with the concept of the fees that they're going to have to pay in

the upcoming year.

MR. SPEAKER:

I ask the Member to get

to his question.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Why did the Premier and

his caucus choose to attack hard-working lower- and middle-income families

leaving his friends alone? Mr. Speaker, what's your message to them who

can't afford to pay those fees and taxes?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, we have listened to quite a few Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and

what they are telling us is the future of our province is extremely

important to them. The former premier just mentioned about listening to

people. Well, I want to remind the former premier that it was the people of

this province he was willing to leave the next and future generations $2.7

billion more in a deficit this year.

if you want to talk about management and misplanning and poor planning in

our province, you need to reflect on some of your own decisions, I say. Our

job right now is to clean up your mess, that's what we're about to do, and

we will get this province back on track, right for future generations.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

Before I recognize the Leader of the Opposition, I'm asking all Members to

respect the order and decorum in the House, especially during Question

Period.

The

hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

appreciate that, and I wonder how many people during their consultations

told them to overburden the low- and middle-income hard working

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians in our province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. P. DAVIS:

How many of them said tax

us so far you're going to run us right out of town. Tax us so hard you're

going to run us right out of the province. How many Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians told them to do that, Mr. Speaker?

Well, yesterday the Premier talked about his relationship with the federal

government. He talked about his relationship with Ottawa. He said there's an

agenda of things that they're reaching out for. He said Newfoundland will

get its fair share. Well, that's contrary to what he said before when he

just said well, it is what it is. That's the approach this government has

taken when it comes to our federal government.

So I

ask the Premier: Will you table your agenda in the House and tell the people

of the province don't tell me once and for all give a straight answer,

what do you believe is the fair share for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, I want to address the early comment he made as he prepared for his

question. This is making sure we set and we put the province back on track.

2007 it was a previous administration that made a decision to reduce taxes

to the highest income earners in our province. That was your decision. You

had an opportunity to take care of low-income earners then, and you ignored

it. You took care of your buddies back at that time; let's not forget. Those

tax decreases cost this province nearly $4 billion, I say to the people that

are watching this today.

These are the things just last April when you missed and you just kicked the

fact that you owed over $300 million down the road on an equalization

overpayment. That is what you missed, and you signed an agreement for the

next 10 years. You did not ask the people of this province about that. That

was a decision you had made when you were the premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The

rhetoric continues, because again he didn't answer the question, Mr.

Speaker.

Yesterday he talked about 2007 well, Premier, this is 2016 and you're the

Premier today and the people of the province want to know what you're going

to do for them.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. P. DAVIS:

Where's the stronger

tomorrow that you promised? Where are the no losses in jobs that you

promised? Where are the no tax increases that you promised? Now, you also

said you got a great relationship with the federal government.

So,

I'll ask you again, and for once, give a straight answer: What do you

believe to be the fair share that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians should

receive?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

is 2016, and in 2016 and 2017 we will start cleaning up the mess that you

left this province in. I would say, Mr. Speaker, $27 billion in debt if we

did not take action. You should be ashamed to get up and tell the people of

this province and defend your actions.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

I'm

going to recognize the Premier to finish his question. I've stopped the

clock on the Premier's time to respond order and decorum.

The

hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Given the actions that we've taken in this budget, this puts us back to

really 2006 and 2007 tax levels in our province right now, back when you had

changed the tax levels too on the high-income earners in our province. So we

have gone back there. By the way, that includes the levy. We're very proud

that we've been able to put in place a $76.4 million Income Supplement so we

can help the most vulnerable.

These are difficult decisions, but these are decisions that are required

because you have left this province in a financial mess. It's just shameful

to listen to some of the comments that you hear defending your actions over

the past 12 years.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, the courthouse closed, the medical laboratory sciences program at

the college cancelled, upgrades to the hospital in Grand Falls-Windsor

shelved indefinitely, MCP and Home Heating Rebate office in Grand

Falls-Windsor restructured with many losing jobs; the residents and council

of Grand Falls-Windsor are outraged.

ask: How does the Minister of Transportation and Works justify

disproportionate cuts to his hometown, to the town he was hired to fight and

represent?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Transportation and Works.

MR. HAWKINS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you for the question and representing the people of Grand

Falls-Windsor. We do have two MHAs who represent that area.

One

of the conditions of this particular budget, Mr. Speaker, that we've had to

face are tough decisions. The part of the decisions is trying to rectify

some of the, I guess, overspending that has happened in this province.

Mr.

Speaker, all of us, every Newfoundlander and Labradorian is going to be

faced with a challenge with this budget, and we understand that. However, I

think it is incumbent upon us as Members to make sure that we position this

province going forward not behind, going forward.

said before, Mr. Speaker, it's a sad situation. I have two grandchildren and

when we're spending more money on interest than we are on education, it's a

problem for me as a grandparent.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, 24-hour snow clearing has been eliminated, even though just a few

years ago Liberal Members opposite were asking for the program to be

expanded. Last night was a preview of what's in store for next winter for

people travelling at night on our provincial highways.

ask the Premier: Was this decision to put lives in danger made in

consultation with the entire caucus?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Transportation and Works.

MR. HAWKINS:

Mr. Speaker, I think the

Member opposite should know quite well what happens and how it works in

Transportation and Works when it comes to winter maintenance. We do have a

program in place. As of April 19, the Member would be quite aware of the

fact that our winter maintenance

schedule finished for the year.

As a

result of that, Mr. Speaker, the normal course of action we do have

adverse weather conditions periodically in the spring. So what we have done

yesterday before I left the office, we were engaged in discussions because

we knew of the pending storm. What happened last night was the fact that we

did have a crew on this morning at 4:30 that we would have if there was not

the 24-hour snow clearing, which he would know would have ended about a

month actually before the regular winter

schedule was over.

Mr.

Speaker, we were aware of it and we had our crews out this morning, and

we'll continue to do that on a needs basis.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

remind the minister I am quite aware of the policy. It's a good example of

what is in store for next winter, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. PETTEN:

What we seen last night

will be next winter. If Members opposite would have turned the radio on this

morning, Bull Arm workers were irate, four hours to get to St. John's from

work, and they were very upset and very vocal about the state of our roads.

This is an example of what we have in store for next year, Mr. Speaker.

ask the Minister of Transportation and Works: What's changed? Why are you

now prepared to put lives at risk?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Transportation and Works.

MR. HAWKINS:

Mr. Speaker, I'm appalled

at that type of response or question from the Member opposite. Nobody on

this side of the House wants to put people's lives at risk. We are safety,

number one, Mr. Speaker, and we are making sure

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. HAWKINS:

that we put safety number one;

however, there are certain restrictions in which we have to work with and

one of these is that there is a winter

schedule in place that ended on April

19. What we are doing

AN HON. MEMBER:

Next year.

MR. HAWKINS:

Next year is another

year, Mr. Speaker; it is not right now.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. HAWKINS:

We will address the

situation as they arise, Mr. Speaker, and we will keep safety in mind as a

priority for us.

Mr.

Speaker, again, last night, we prepared yesterday afternoon to make sure

that there was a winter crew in place this morning. That's what we did. We

will continue to look after that for the people of the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition

House Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, the Liberal 2016 budget included 650 full-time equivalent positions

would be eliminated. The Liberals are talking FTEs; we like to talk about

people. We are getting a lot of calls from public servants.

Can

the Minister of Finance let the people of the province know how many people,

actual positions, are impacted in core public service, how many Crown

corporations, boards and agencies by the reduction of the 650 full-time

equivalent positions in Budget 2016?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

we said when we announced the budget on April 14, the number of positions

and people inside the core government workforce was 125 people that would

have been impacted directly. Approximately 30 per cent of those would have

been management or non-union positions.

the agencies, boards and commissions, as we have continued to say, 450 of

those full-time equivalents would be affected. As we have said in the House

over the last number of days, pinpointing the exact number of people that it

might impact will be dependent on when the agencies, boards and commissions

operationalize those decisions.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition

House Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Let's be clear, Mr.

Speaker, the people of the province want to know. You've indicated 450

full-time equivalents.

I'll

ask you: What does that equate to in job losses and reduction overall in

government? What's the number?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, I'm sure

as people listening at home would certainly appreciate, if the Member

opposite doesn't, there's a normal process in the collective bargaining

process that requires there to be bumping and other things to happen.

There's also when you look at what a full-time equivalent job is, when it's

actually scheduled, it can impact as little as a half-time position and it

can also impact a full-time position.

this point, until the agencies, boards and commissions implement the

decisions that have been made as part of Budget 2016, it would be

irresponsible of me to reflect any other number than the number we are

reflecting. Until the work is done and we know the exact number, we can't

provide information that is factually inaccurate.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition

House Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Mr. Speaker, how many

people, to date, has gotten notice that their position is terminated out of

650 full-time equivalents that you announced in the budget?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, the

numbers that were referred to in Budget 2016, the individuals that would

have been impacted in core government, they would be notified under the

normal notification process when the decisions were being operationalized in

each of those departments.

can certainly provide a number to the Member tomorrow of the exact number to

date, but as the decisions roll out over the next coming months, as the full

fiscal year unfolds, those decisions and notices would be communicated.

Certainly, we've been very transparent about the decisions that the

government is making and when those will be implemented with our employees

in the core public sector. Those individuals that work in the agencies,

boards and commissions, it would be the responsibility of those

organizations to let their teams know when they operationalize things.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition

House Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

the minister doesn't know the answer. There will be more confusion, much

like the levy yesterday. Today, they've announced 650 full-time equivalent

positions. They don't know what position that equates to, how many it

equates to and they don't know who's been notified. So, again, confusion in

terms of executing a budget that she brought down.

Mr.

Speaker, in Estimates for Human Resources Secretariat the minister

indicated, as I said, 650 positions. The minister then stated that she

wasn't sure if they'd been notified.

ask the minister: How many of those folks have been notified in regard to

termination of their position to date?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, the

Members opposite continue to say things that are quite factually inaccurate.

I said to the Member in Estimates the exact same answer I'm giving him

today. If he chooses not to listen to it or he can't comprehend it, I can't

explain that to him.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition

House Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

We have it right

there, Mr. Speaker. The answer she gave in Estimates made no more sense than

the one she gave today. She's answering questions for the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador that deserve to know. It's disgusting the tone.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Mr. Speaker, more

confusion. In Natural Resources Estimates, while the Minister of Natural

Resources acknowledged a reduction of staff in her department, she was

unable to confirm if those positions were part of the 650 full-time

equivalents that the minister announced. Here's more confusion.

ask the Minister of Finance: Are there cuts going on in line departments

over and above the 650 you announced in the budget, because no one over

there seems to know what's going on with it anyway.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, I'll

attempt to answer this question very slowly for the Member opposite. Budget

2016 impacted 125 people in the core government. In agencies, boards and

commissions there will be an impact on 450 full-time equivalents.

The

Member opposite last year in their budget made actions around attrition.

They're having difficulty understanding the attrition of their plan

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS. C. BENNETT:

and the clarity of

the actions we've taken. Mr. Speaker, the actions that we've taken in this

budget, the 450 full-time equivalents, as well as the 125 people in core

government, we have been consistent and clear on.

Mr.

Speaker, I'll look forward to continuing to answer his questions.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition

House Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

Well, let's talk about attrition, Mr. Speaker.

I'll

ask the Minister of Finance: Does she have a plan for attrition in 2016-2017

in the fiscal budget? If so, are the positions being removed or is just a

budget salary being removed for this fiscal year? I ask the minister.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, the

attrition program that was announced by the former administration and the

dollars that were taken out as part of that program continue to be removed

from the salary program. This year, that represents $91.4 million. Those

salaries were removed last year and they remain removed this year because,

quite frankly, this government can't afford $91 million to re-inject in

salaries.

What

is missing from the attrition discussion and the attrition plan that the

former government had in place was a full and comprehensive workforce plan

which we intend to build as part of our zero base budgeting, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The

MHA for Bonavista let it slip at a NAPE rally in Bonavista that the CNA

campus may close and that he is engaged with a committee to do everything he

can.

ask the minister: Can he provide clarity on what your Liberal plan is for

CNA Bonavista campus?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

need to recognize for the Broadcast Centre, the hon the Minister of Advanced

Education and Skills.

MR. BYRNE:

Mr. Speaker, I can

certainly clarify what the Member said because what he said in front of a

group of people, as he said constantly to me and to others, is that he wants

to make sure that Bonavista, his constituency has access to full services,

whatever can be done, and that the college is performing at its full

strength.

Mr.

Speaker, this hon. Member understands that when you work with a caucus, you

work with a government, you can get things done even in difficult times.

Now

I have conducted I have stated publicly that we will be conducting a

review of the college system because as we know, Mr. Speaker, on this side

we did not cut over $17 million from the budget of CNA as did the Members

opposite when they were in government while they were enjoying huge

surpluses.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. BYRNE:

What we did is we said,

do you know something? We're going to make sure that this college works to

its top function and that students

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

from that response I now realize that there are cuts coming to the Bonavista

campus.

What

I do ask the minister: Can you tell me what other cuts you're planning to do

in other campuses in rural Newfoundland and Labrador?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The

hon. the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills.

MR. BYRNE:

Mr. Speaker, what we will

not do is cut over $22 million from a budget of over just approximately $85

million. This is what this government did, it cut and do you know what? We

did not close Springdale, as that government did.

One

thing we will not do is we'll not take erratic decisions without any

evidence. We will plan for a successful completion of academic studies for

all of our students. We'll make sure we use an evidence-based approach. What

we will not do is we will not spread innuendo, as this Member did on

Open Line saying I have received information that there are big cuts

coming to CNA, and then when I challenged him and said: You know something,

if you know there's big cuts coming, why don't you come on

Open Line and you talk about it?

was silent, because just as he's silent now

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. BYRNE:

he was silent back then

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. BYRNE:

and he has nothing to

say.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island, for a very quick question.

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, I hope CNA doesn't get cut as much as the libraries did today.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

So, Mr. Speaker, taxes on

books are going up, libraries will close, schools are being closed and

teachers' jobs are gone.

ask: What is the Liberal plan for literacy and education in this province?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Advanced Education and Skills.

MR. BYRNE:

Mr. Speaker, literacy is

a very, very important foundation to education. That's why we are investing

in adult literacy, that's why we are adopting the new technologies, making

sure that those that want to advance their literacy skills have access to

the programs and services that are required.

Unlike that former government, which just unilaterally cut Adult Basic

Education out of the College of the North Atlantic, we'll take a very

reasoned strategy. Things are changing, adaption to new technologies, people

are adapting to new technologies, times are changing. We'll adapt to those

times, but, Mr. Speaker, this former government adapted to the times by just

simply cutting while times were very, very good.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

The

fallout from the provincial government continues unabated as people of the

province realize the cumulative impact it will have on their household

finances.

ask the Premier: If prior to finalizing the budget, did this government

analyze the cumulative impact of all taxes, fees and levies on individuals

and families at various income levels?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes,

there was an analysis and information that was part of the budget process

that we adhered to. These were very tough decisions, and I'm sure the Member

opposite realizes, as has been already mentioned, with the climbing debt

servicing that was required in this budget.

Because of the tax measures, we are currently back to 2006 and 2007. That

includes the levies. We understand the impact of this. We've put in place

$76.4 million to help the most vulnerable in our society right now, in

particular our seniors, people with disabilities and low-income families. We

put in mitigating supports to help those people, Mr. Speaker.

These are difficult decisions that we had to make. I assure you we will

continue to monitor what's happening. This is a temporary levy. I will say

this again, it's temporary. When we roll this back, we will start with the

low-income earners.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The Member for St. John's

East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

is shameful that the Premier is admitting that they he's saying that they

know how bad the impact was going to be in saying to people it's okay if

it's only temporary. You have a broken leg, don't worry, it doesn't get

fixed yet because it's temporary. That is shameful, Mr. Speaker. I cannot

believe the Premier admitted that in this House.

ask him: Did government do an analysis of the impact of the loss of over

half the libraries on the rural communities affected, as was announced

today. What was that analysis?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Education and Early Childhood Development.

MR. KIRBY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'd

like to first thank the public libraries board for their difficult work.

These are people who have a passion for reading and for literacy. They're

volunteers. They voluntarily sit on the board and do the work that they have

to do.

became fairly obvious to me, shortly after being appointed to Cabinet, that

the library system in the province was undergoing a slow 'atrophication'. As

a result of the previous administration's tinkering and cutting and cutting

and cutting around the edges year after year, the system wasn't able to keep

up with wage increases and the sorts of expensive leases to the tune of

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. KIRBY:

hundreds of thousands of dollars that the previous administration foisted

onto the system. So we worked with the public libraries board

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. KIRBY:

to come up with a new regional model.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

ask the Premier: How many jobs will be cut by the library closures? Are they

included in the 650 public sector job cuts already announced or are they

additional?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Education and Early Childhood Development.

MR. KIRBY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

There are approximately 60 positions affected in the libraries throughout

the libraries system. Over the next two years, as we transition to the new

regional system of libraries, that's how many positions will be affected.

They were reflected on the numbers that were provided to the public on

budget day.

These libraries that are now going to be closing because of the cutbacks

and the lack of investment in libraries over time were open an average of

about 18 hours a week, frequently between 9 to 5 when people who are working

were unable to access them. We're moving to an increased level of service on

a regional level where libraries will have a minimum level of service of 30

hours a week

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. KIRBY:

and additional

investment beyond that.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Mr. Speaker, can the

Premier explain why he is choking the life out of rural communities of the

province through the closure of libraries, on top of the closure of AES and

CYFS offices, schools and courts?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Before I speak the answer to the question to the Member opposite, I want to

address what her colleague mentioned about waiting for broken legs. Mr.

Speaker, I will tell you that is fear mongering at its best I have to say to

the Member opposite. That had nothing to do

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

PREMIER BALL:

with the decision or

the question that you were asking. I would say to the Member opposite

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

PREMIER BALL:

making suggestions and

fear mongering like that doesn't belong here.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

I've

stopped the time on the Premier for order and decorum.

The

hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

are concerned about rural Newfoundland and Labrador. Many of the decisions

that have been made are to protect the future of our province. We will see

unprecedented amounts of debt servicing actually strip this public service

if we do not make those critical decisions that we've had to make today.

are concerned about what's happening in this province. I ask all Members

here to actually properly reflect what's in that budget and please stop the

fear mongering amongst Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The time for Question

Period has expired.

Before we move on with the proceedings for the day, there was a comment made

by the Member for Bonavista during Question Period. I ask the Member to

withdraw the statement.

MR. KING:

I withdraw, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Presenting Reports by

Standing and Select Committees.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

Tabling of Documents.

Notices of Motion.

Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

being Private Members' Day, we have time for one petition.

Petitions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay South.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. PETTEN:

Bad back and all, Mr.

Speaker, I beat her. It's not easy to beat her to her feet.

Mr.

Speaker, I bring a petition to the House, I've brought it here on numerous

occasions and I'll bring it again today.

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 policing is vital to the protection and service of our province's

communities;

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

House of Assembly to urge government to increase the presence of law

enforcement in Conception Bay South area.

And

as in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, I've brought this up on numerous occasions. Many of my constituents

have very big concerns on policing and police presence in the district. Like

I said before, there is nowhere to show the RNC are anywhere near the

community, only when a police vehicle passes by. We used to have an office,

that was closed I believe last year or the year before.

I've

spoken to the town, and a lot of residents keep encouraging me to keep the

fight going. I think it's something we could work on to get some presence in

the community. It would be great to see a dedicated office with some

dedicated officers for my town. I know the residents are calling upon with

the level of crime. The need is there and I'll keep advocating for them.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

do have time for another petition, very quickly.

The

hon. the Member for Mount Pearl North.

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, I thank you

for the opportunity to present a petition in the 90 seconds remaining.

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of

Newfoundland and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS the seniors of our province deserve the greatest level of respect

and care; and

WHEREAS the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has a responsibility to

act in the best interest of our seniors; and

WHEREAS the government has decided to shut down Masonic Park Nursing Home

and reduce long-term care beds in the region;

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

House of Assembly to urge government to reverse its decision and not bring

undue hardship upon the residents of Masonic Park and find alternative

measures that will allow them to continue to stay at the place they call

home.

And

as in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, I know I literally have a moment here. The issue is not about the

state of the building at Masonic Park. In fact the real savings here is

going to be about operational savings because we are eliminating 18 jobs

from the long-term care system.

is really unfortunate for families and for residents, and I ask the

government once again to reconsider its position.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

Orders of the Day

Private Members'

Day

MR. SPEAKER:

It being Private Members'

Day, I call on the Member for Bonavista to proceed with the motion.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'm

sure I won't have to withdraw any statements I make in this and (inaudible).

bring forward a motion today, seconded by the Member for Terra Nova:

WHEREAS the First World War was a significant event in the history of

Newfoundland and Labrador; and

WHEREAS Honour 100 represents the provincial government's commitment to

commemorating Newfoundland and Labrador's First World War story and will

focus on significant anniversaries, legacy, education, provincial outreach

and research; and

WHEREAS as a province we will honour the sacrifices made by our veterans and

come together to commemorate the anniversary on July 1, engaging our young

people to learn more about the history that has shaped the place we call

home;

THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that this House of Assembly calls upon all

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to join with the Government of Newfoundland

and Labrador to mark this centennial day and commemorate those brave men and

women participating in planned events at the National War Memorial and

community memorials throughout our province.

Mr.

Speaker, as all my colleagues here in the House of Assembly are aware, from

both sides of the House, many ideas come forward on the caucus meetings on

Wednesday. We all have our motions that we want to get forward. Not

everything can come to the table and this one here, I think, is very

appropriate. With July 1 and the 100th anniversary of Beaumont-Hamel quickly

approaching, it was decided that this PMR would come forward to mark the

significant part of Newfoundland and Labrador's history.

As a

14-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Navy, including deployments to

Afghanistan and off the coast of Libya, it's an honour for me to be asked by

my caucus colleagues to bring this PMR to the floor of the House of

Assembly. I'll just give you a little background on the First World War.

War

broke out on July 28, 1914, with the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand.

From the time the first 107 Royal Naval Reservist left St. John's on

September 6, to the end of the war in November 1918, nearly 12,000

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians enlisted in the Newfoundland Royal Naval

Reserve, Newfoundland Regiment, Newfoundland Forestry Corps and the Flying

Corps, as well as the Canadian Expeditionary Force.

With

a population of less than 250,000 people, this represented 35.6 per cent of

men between the ages of 19 and 35. Another 505 were known to have served in

the Merchant Marine. You take 35.6 per cent of Newfoundlanders between the

ages of 19 and 35, I mean that's a lot of the workforce that we had back

then; the fishermen, the farmers, the foresters. That was the heart and soul

of every community here in Newfoundland and Labrador. As well, many women

volunteered in nursing units for the Canadian and British forces.

So I

mentioned 107 Newfoundland Royal Reservists left St. John's on September 6,

and I'm very proud to say that my grandfather, Archelaus King, was one of

those 107 that left St. John's, September 6, 1914. He had joined the

Newfoundland Royal Reserve in 1913 and he was immediately called up.

So,

of those 107, all of them went to HMCS

Niobe , which was a Canadian ship. So Newfoundlanders, because we were

our own sovereign state at the time, stepped up and helped Canada fulfill

her complement. The Niobe being

the first Canadian ship patrolled the Eastern Seaboard protecting our

coastlines. After that, he served the rest of the war with the British Royal

Navy.

was going to talk a little bit about the recruitment of the first 500, but

my colleague here for Virginia Waters Pleasantville is going to speak much

more on that because he's got a distinguished background with the Church

Lads' Brigade here in St. John's. So I'm going to leave that up to him.

One

stat I want to take, and I'm not going to get into the details because

you're going to do a good job on that, but within four days of the war being

called, the Newfoundland and Labrador government committed to raise 500

soldiers. So that's what we call the first 500, the Blue Puttees. On August

22, 1914, the call for volunteers went out. Within days, 355 showed up,

two-thirds from the cadets brigades. By September 26, a month later, we had

over 1,000. So that's amazing in that short an amount of time to get them

all from all over the place.

What

we're commemorating this year on July 1 is the Battle of the Somme at

Beaumont-Hamel. So the Battle of the Somme occurred from July 1, 1916, to

November 18, 1916. Allied forces were spread way too thinly for the initial

offensive, and on the first day of battle the British army suffered 57,000

casualties, and 20,000 were killed. So as part of the British Empire, the

Royal Newfoundland Regiment was part of those forces.

Over

1 million casualties were suffered on all sides over the course of the

battle. So you take a four-month battle, a million people's lives were gone.

That's a staggering statistic that I hope we never see again and being

someone who's been in foreign countries and seen the devastation of war, I

certainly don't want to see it again.

there's no clear winner. You fought for a metre here, a metre there, but the

plurality of historians believe that the battle gave the allied leaders

confidence that they could beat the Germans with their new tactics.

Noteworthy within the Battle of the Somme, this is the first time that

armoured tanks were used. Cars were only prevalent within the last 15 years

to having an armoured tank which can fire a weapon, that's a big milestone.

Getting back to the Newfoundland Regiment, on the first day of the Battle of

the Somme the Newfoundland Regiment faced a devastating loss. We've all

heard the stories that affect every community here in Newfoundland and

Labrador. One hundred and eight members of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment

went over the top, marching on to German lines. Only 68 answered the roll

the next morning; 324 men were killed or missing; 386 were wounded; all

officers were either killed or wounded.

was an officer in the Navy and the officer is where you give all your

commands, and that's a big loss of leadership that we had there. That caused

us as the Royal Newfoundland Regiment not to be able to return to battle

until October of that year. At the time it was just the Newfoundland

Regiment, after the battle, a few years down the road, it was given the

royal designation which it currently holds today.

Within the District of Bonavista there are a couple of things I want to

mention. I want to talk about the Coaker's Recruits and I also want to talk

about the Great War Living History Committee, which is formed out of

Elliston and does numerous events throughout the year.

Everyone knows that William Ford Coaker was the founder of the Fishermen's

Protective Union in Port Union. He was antiwar, but he saw the need to

provide soldiers for the battle to protect our realm, I guess, England's

realm.

I'm

going to read a quote: Let England's hour of necessity come, and she will

find in Newfoundland 20,000 of the primest warriors ever born, ready to do

or die. That day is yet far off and the Colony's chief duty now is to put

her house in order and arrange things so that in event of the hour of

necessity arising Terra Nova's sons will be strong and healthy and prepared

to meet the foe. Half-starved men will be useless as fighters. Thousands

through the failure of the fishery will have to fight starvation, an enemy

fifty times more dreaded than the Germans on the field of battle or the

seas. That was Coaker's concern, if we take too many people from our rural

population that it would have a devastating effect on the long-term

sustainability of rural Newfoundland.

What

he did was he decided that he will recruit soldiers. They'll play their part

and keep rural Newfoundland active, providing the fishery that was vital to

long-term sustainability for Newfoundland and Labrador, keeping our families

supported. in 1917, he voted for a conscription (mandatory enlistment)

bill. He even went so far as to actively recruit from the Fishermen's

Protective Union. Sixty-nine young men, who became known as 'Coaker's

Recruits .'

Every Remembrance Day the Coaker Foundation of Port Union tends to have soup

and sandwiches after their Remembrance Day ceremony in Catalina. The Coaker

Recruits are highly prevalent there.

also want to talk about the Great War Living History Committee. That was

formed locally by some interested parties in the Elliston area, but it's

grown outside of that. The purpose of the Great War Living History Committee

is to raise awareness of World War I on the Bonavista Peninsula, from

Bonavista to Port Blandford, in the Member for Terra Nova's district.

What

they have is a Mobile

Interpretation program. They have recreated a history

and weapons display. They have a replica trench on the Elliston Highway.

They educate people on symbolism and identification through their displays,

and they have old equipment.

They

are very, very active in the community. They're dressed like World War I

soldiers. They go out on Remembrance Day and Memorial Day. They're busier

than anyone else on the peninsula. They will drive from one end to the other

just to raise awareness of World War I and to commemorate the 100th

anniversary.

time is winding down here now, but I just want to talk a little bit about

what's going on here in Newfoundland and Labrador in the upcoming weeks and

months as we mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme at

Beaumont-Hamel. At The Rooms and I would suggest that everyone go there

and I'm looking forward to actually going up and seeing the display they

have an Honour 100 exhibit.

We're encouraging people to attend memorial services, including the National

War Memorial here in St. John's. I'll be attending and presiding over a

ceremony in Catalina. We have a visit which the Minister of Business,

Tourism, Culture and Rural Development brought forward yesterday. We have a

visit from Her Royal Highness, the Princess Royal. She's the Royal

Newfoundland Regiment's Colonel-in-Chief and she's going to be participating

in the commemorative events for the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the

Somme on July 1.

can speak, because I've met her in Afghanistan. She's a wonderful person,

very supportive of troops, and very supportive of the history of the First

World War and our contributions to that at the Battle of the Somme and

Beaumont-Hamel.

spoke briefly on it. I'm sure other people are going to talk quite a bit

more, but I would encourage all of my colleagues here today to give

unanimous support to this initiative. I think it's important we recognize

the sacrifices made in the past by those who lost their lives during the

World War. We do it every day that the House is open. My friend from the

District of Exploits read 40 names of the roll of the 1,600 who lost their

lives.

I'm

going to finish up, Madam Speaker, and I'm going to let someone else take

over. I encourage everyone to support this private member's resolution.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MADAM SPEAKER (Dempster):

The hon. the

Member for Conception Bay South.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

It's

a pleasure to get up, actually, and speak on this private member's motion. I

thank the Member for Bonavista for bringing it forward.

had the fortune in being part of when Honour 100 was established in my

previous work with the former minister of that department. So it is a

pleasure to get up, and I commend the government for continuing on with this

Honour 100. As we all know, it's something we can never forget. It's a part

of each and every one of us right across the world.

Newfoundland has a special there's something special about Newfoundland

when you come to what happened in Beaumont-Hamel, the Royal Newfoundland

Regiment. We have a great history of service in the war and it's something

that we should never forget.

Madam Speaker, speaking of World War I, I had the pleasure of actually

travelling to Beaumont-Hamel in 2010. I attended the July 1 celebration we

shouldn't say a celebration, but it is, I guess. Now it's become it's a

very sombre event, but it is honouring the dead. It's honouring what our

Newfoundland did in the Battle of the Somme.

While there, I had the privilege of travelling on the Trail of the Caribou,

which was a great experience. July 1, I read on the news the other day it's

a school trip for one was cancelled but my daughter is planning on still

attending the July 1 celebration, and I encouraged her to do that. It's very

important I think for those who never had the privilege to do it

if you ever have the opportunity, everyone should try to do it. It's

a very moving experience.

didn't know how it would affect you; you go there and you say well, this is

a yearly thing. You know it's a somber moment but when you do actually

attend, it moves you in a different way. It affects you. It's all roped off

out there. I mean those people never ever got a burial. They were battling.

They were fighting at war. It just shows you the casualties of war and how

brave these people were and how big a tragedy Beaumont-Hamel was for

Newfoundland and Labrador.

During our time there we did travel to the Trail of the Caribou, so you went

to the various monuments. Once again, I had the privilege of going into

Belgium. There is an archway there and it commemorates all the war's dead

who were never given a proper burial. The King of Belgium I guess it's

pretty well been ongoing now since World War I. His words apparently were

that these people were never given a proper burial and they come from all

over the world to defend us, so

the only way for us to show our thanks is 8 o'clock every evening and this

is something that I guess it is job to fathom it, but it's true. I believe

it was interrupted one time, one day.

Every day, 365 days a year, 8 o'clock every evening there is a ceremony in

this archway. It is an archway right through the main street through the

city in Belgium. Every name of every person that they could look up is

etched into this concrete, it is engraved, their name and their rank and

whatever country they were from. I took pictures. There is no one would

believe you; it is mindboggling, the names, there is that many people. It's

incredible.

went there. It started at 8 o'clock and we looked at the thing and it said 8

o'clock it starts, so it was about 7:40. When we went in, there were

probably four or five people around there and I was thinking this starts in

15 minutes. I was kind of lost. I didn't understand how it worked. Vehicles

were going back and forth. At 8:00 o'clock I actually took another picture

because it was incredible. There were about 1,500 people there, everything

stops, the traffic stops and the buglers start playing. I have to say I've

talked to others, Beaumont-Hamel is very moving and special because it's

Newfoundland and it's a very big part of who we all are.

That

was arguably one of the more moving experiences I've ever experienced in my

life. Can you imagine anywhere else in Canada and Newfoundland, for us to

stop our daily events every evening for 20 minutes to celebrate something

that happened 100 years ago? It's sad, but I think we'd have trouble finding

the dedication of doing anything repeatedly, seven days a week, 365 days a

year. It was an incredible experience. I've talked to others that have

actually gone there and witnessed that. They, too, said the same thing. It

was quite a moving experience.

The

former curator, he used to work at Beaumont-Hamel for years. His father

before him is just a friend of mine. Actually, it was recently discussed. He

always used to make the reference, that's just as moving but it's from

soldiers all over the world, Britain, the US, everywhere. For everything to

stop, I think that's the thing. This city is just a very busy, beautiful

city and you stop everything. Everyone stops and respects. It lasts about 20

minutes and there is a wreath laying every evening. Then when they finish,

by 8:30 everyone goes back to normal. Their life goes on until 8 o'clock the

next evening.

So I

felt very privileged to have that opportunity to actually go there and

experience and witness that. In the following years after our government,

the former government decided to through the hard work of people within

the Department of Business, Tourism, Culture and recreation, I think that's

the name anyway. They're a great group of staff over there that are working

on this Honour 100.

was a great privilege to actually have that experience. It gives you a

different, unique feeling for it. They're doing great work and I want to

commend them as well because sometimes they get lost in the shuffle. We say

the word Honour 100 and sometimes we forget about the people that are behind

the scenes that are making this happen. I think they're doing fabulous work;

they're a great bunch. This July 1, the 100th anniversary of Beaumont-Hamel

coming up, I'm expecting it's going to be quite the event.

Madam Speaker, we talk about Honour 100 and we tend to go back to

Beaumont-Hamel, which is fair enough. It is 100 years that we're

celebrating. There were a lot of other wars that happened outside the Battle

of the Somme. We sometimes forget I go to Remembrance Day ceremonies. I go

to one religiously up in my own district. I've said to my daughters we go

down there on November 11 and we pay tribute, or if you go July 1, of

course, it's to honour Beaumont-Hamel.

think people go down and pay their respects but they never really

understand. It's sad that people don't we do that once a year. We should

be thankful pretty well every day of the year because our lives would be

probably totally different if not for those people who fought for our

freedom years past.

think our schools are doing a great job on educating our students of the

importance of the war and our history. They can only read about it in books

but I've noticed there has been a lot more change in our curriculum to

include and to teach our children how important it is to never forget. As we

all know, a lot of veterans from those wars are getting less and less every

year. We should never forget. We should keep their memory alive for as long

as possible.

Events like Honour 100 is a great example that we can do that. I encourage

government, and I encourage everyone, when we get through the Honour 100

celebrations we should continue on. We'll have a celebration and we'll

remember but I think there's something, some little thing we could do.

always say we do things, but I think we sometimes miss the point of just how

important and how tremendous what those men did. You look at 68 people

answered the roll call the next morning. You go down and you see all their

names engraved on a plaque, it's amazing. Sixty-eight answered, that's

incredible.

all know the history. It was a miscue on a flare from the German forces. It

was miscued thinking the British said that it was good to go. It was a

terrible tragedy. It's something that is carried with us for a long time.

you go there, go into Beaumont-Hamel, it's a piece of Newfoundland in the

South of France. It's incredible, actually. It's maintained impeccably. It's

all Newfoundland. Like I said, I can't say it enough. It was a great

experience. It was something I'll cherish for the rest of my life and

hopefully I'll get around to doing it again.

Madam Speaker, the Royal Newfoundland Regiment earned its royal description

encouraging blood, I guess is the best way to describe it. Again, how could

you ever forget something like that?

Speaking of forgetting, I'd probably be remiss not to make note, up in my

district we had a war memorial. It was down in the Topsail area. You would

get small groups go every year. It was kind of just tucked away off a road,

it wasn't really kept well. A local group, the Legion and Mr. Wayne Miller,

spearheaded to building a new war memorial. He was a veteran and he felt we

weren't honouring our veterans in an appropriate manner.

Madam Speaker, if you ever come to CBS now and you go to Long Pond, you'll

see one of the most beautiful war memorials anywhere to be found. It's

incredible. Every November, May, or any special events of provincial

remembrance, we get anywhere from probably 2,000, 3,000 people go to attend

these. That was never the way before. It's a real tribute. It's a tribute to

them and their commitment. It wasn't easy to get funding for that sort of

thing. It's not a dedicated funding pot for that sort of thing, so I need to

commend Mr. Miller and the Legion for their commitment to it.

One

point I'll make about that memorial. Last year they had it, they have

soldiers there but they have a female soldier, which brings us to the

reality of today's war battles. It's no longer all men; we have women in our

forces too. It was a great addition. If I'm not mistaken, I wouldn't be

quoted, but I think it's one of the only memorials around that has an actual

bronze statue of a female soldier. So I thought that was a great addition

and it was well thought out by the committee.

Also

in my district, Madam Speaker, the Kiwanis Club are presently doing a Tommy

Ricketts Park. It was news to me actually. I only found out a couple of

years back that the land the Kiwanis Club of Kelligrews actually occupies

was owned by the Ricketts Family. I've lived there all my life but I never

knew that story. I guess they did their research and whatnot. That was

donated to them for a swimming pool and playground.

They've started it and they're doing a lot of good work. They're getting

federal funding. They have a small bit of provincial. They're going to turn

it into the Tommy Ricketts Park. I think it's going to be a great addition

to it. I'm proud to have it in my district, but I think it's a great

remembrance to what as we know, Tommy Ricketts, everyone in this room

should know Tommy Ricketts and what he did. He's a great soldier.

look around that's just in my district and we can go right across. All

hon. Members have, I'm sure, in their districts they have their way of

remembering.

AN HON. MEMBER:

The Rooms.

MR. PETTEN:

What?

AN HON. MEMBER:

The Rooms.

MR. PETTEN:

The Room, yes. The Rooms

are a great example.

There's one thing too you say, because we could tell the story of war, but

we all know what the end result was. It's tragic. I want to focus my time

more on the effects the Royal Newfoundland Regiment had and our

Newfoundlanders had and the effect of the war.

While in France, Madam Speaker, I went to this church. I am not really the

religious type, but it was kind of this massive church. I said I must go in

and have a look. Curiosity led me it seemed a lot of tourists were going

in there. I was amazed. We walked down. Again, it was massive it's an

actual crypt. I don't know what the size was, but fairly big and it is all

(inaudible). It's a monument to the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. So when you

go down to Arras, I believe is the name of the town anyway

AN HON. MEMBER:

Amiens.

MR. PETTEN:

Amiens it is, actually.

It's this church tucked away. It's a beautiful, beautiful building and you

got a monument, you got a

section there for the Royal Newfoundland Regiment

down in France. It kind of goes, wow.

When

you travel on the Trail of the Caribou, there is respect, that's them

Newfoundlanders, that's their way of thanking you. I know we went to

again, I'm lost on the name of the community. I shouldn't be, but it's

outside of Belgium. One of their

AN HON. MEMBER:

(Inaudible).

MR. PETTEN:

You got her.

Anyway, one of their highest ranking officials came out to take

part in that

moment, those prayers at that monument, and they're still so thankful. You

go there, almost like you're walking they have so much appreciation and

honour for the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and for Newfoundlanders and

Canadians alike, but a special place for Newfoundlanders.

my time is winding down now, Madam Speaker, I just want to say, once again,

I want to thank the Member for Bonavista for his private Member's motion. I

want to encourage all Members of this hon. House to never forget the

importance of what our ancestors did for us to make our lives what they are

today. Outside of November 11 and any other day, we should always remember

and never forget the important value of what they did, and we shall always

be very thankful and remember that.

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MADAM SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member

for Virginia Waters Pleasantville.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. B. DAVIS:

Madam Speaker, the events

of the First World War have left a permanent stamp on Newfoundland and

Labrador society. Every region of our province, every community lost people.

We celebrate their memory and sacrifice each year, and we are justifiably

proud of them.

From

community to community young men enlisted, many of whom were too young to

enlist but answered the call for king and country. They travelled across the

Atlantic Ocean; many travelling abroad for the first and the last time. They

gave their lives in the service of the greater good, for the freedom of our

province. These men helped secure the future for all who reside in our

province, and we are forever thankful for their sacrifice.

Even

though the province has not possessed any formal military organization since

1970, 538 men soon volunteered, which enabled them to enlist a whole

battalion to be formed and later maintained throughout the war. It was our

great moment. It was a moment when we showed the entire world our courage,

our willingness to stand alongside our allies and fight. It was a moment

that defined Newfoundland and Labrador, the character we have, and it is a

moment that we will continue to look back on for inspiration and guidance.

I'm

pleased to rise in this House today to speak to the private Member's

resolution brought forward by my hon. colleague regarding the Honour 100.

It's important that we continue to remember the sacrifices of

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians during the First World War and it is

equally important that we pass these memories on to future generations.

That's why initiatives like the Honour 100 are so, so very important.

The

list of programs funded by the Honour 100 span the entire province. Each

project is uniquely suited to commemorate the province's role in the First

World War in a diverse and meaningful way and create a legacy that reaches

long beyond the commemorative period.

Applicants like municipalities, community groups, arts organizations,

not-for-profit and heritage organizations and performing arts companies, all

applied for funding. This is truly a diverse cross

section of the many

organizations that helped make Newfoundland the vibrant community it is.

The

list of funded projects include I'm not going to go through them all

because there is a lot the Bowring Park Foundation, Lighting the Way here

in St. John's; Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador, Memorial Show in Cow Head;

the Church Lads' Brigade, Where Once They Stood show for Beaumont-Hamel in

St. John's; the Town of Gaultois, Storyboards in Gaultois; Conception Bay

Museum, the First World War Commemorations in Harbour Grace; Trinity

Historical Society, Exhibit: Honouring Our Own in Trinity; Stephenville

Cultural Development, a play production

The Christmas Truce in

Stephenville; as mentioned previously by the Member for CBS, the CBS Parks

Commission, the Tommy Ricketts Memorial Park in CBS. I'd like to add also

he's a former CLB boy and the youngest Victoria Cross recipient in our

province's history.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. B. DAVIS:

The Town of Carbonear,

Legacy Musical Drama piece in Carbonear. Those are just a few of the

highlights right across our province and there are many, many more.

stand in this House and read a list of names into the historical record, but

they are much more than names, they're a reminder of these individuals'

immortality. Our province lost nearly a full generation of young men. They

died fighting for king and country. It's easy for us to remember them in a

poetic and idealized way, but it's important that we also recognize the

horror and misery of trench warfare in Europe.

These brave Newfoundlanders and Labradorians had to endure poisonous gas,

toxic living conditions, mechanized death and destruction on a scale the

world had not yet seen at that point. Their deaths were horrible and almost

unimaginable, but that's the important part of remembering. We have to

believe that by remembering the horror these soldiers experienced, we

improve the chances of avoiding a repeat of a global conflict of that scale.

That's why I'm glad that we are serious about commemorating their sacrifice.

That's why I'm pleased to speak to this resolution today. I'd like to

recount some history for you here today, just so we remember the extensive

sacrifice these men made.

September 20, 1915, the regiment landed in Suvla Bay on the Gallipoli

Peninsula where the British Corps and the Australian and New Zealand Army

Corps, or ANZAC, had been attempting to seize control of the Dardanelle

Strait from Turkey since they first landed on the 25th of April. Thirty

soldiers of the regiment were killed or mortally wounded in action. Ten died

of disease, while 150 were treated for frostbite and exposure.

Despite the terrible conditions, the Newfoundlanders stood up well. When the

decision was made to evacuate all British Empire forces from the area, the

regiment was chosen as part of the rear guard finally withdrawing from

Gallipoli with the last of the British troops on January 9, 2016.

mentioned by my colleague from Bonavista, and mentioned so eloquently well.

The regiment suffered great losses on the 1st of July, 1916. This is when

they attacked in Beaumont-Hamel and the Battle of the Somme. Some 790

officers and men of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment were called into action.

Of these, no fewer than 272 lost their lives. A further 11 officers and 427

men were wounded, making in total, in all 710 of the 790.

When

you think about numbers like that, it is absolutely amazing the contribution

Newfoundland has made to the war effort at that point. In recognition of the

unit's valour during the Battles of Ypres in 1917, King George V bestowed

the Regiment with the prefix Royal, and on the 28th of September, 1917,

renaming them as the Royal Newfoundland Regiment.

is interesting to note that Sir Douglas Haig, a Commander-in-Chief of the

British forces, said of the Newfoundland Regiment, Newfoundland may well

feel proud of her sons. The heroism and devotion to duty they displayed on

the first July has never been surpassed.

As I

mentioned, the CLB was part of the Honour 100 program with the Spirit of

Newfoundland company performing the play

Where Once They Stood. The CLB

actually played a role in the forming of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment.

The

former building that burned down in 1992 was headquarters for the

recruitment training of the command, given free of charge to the government

of the day. The existing archway, which was saved after the fire, was

preserved as a memorial for all those that marched underneath headed off to

war.

The

first man that enlisted in the Regiment was Leonard T. Stick, a CLB boy. Of

the first 500, 108 CLB Members answered the call.

colleague from Bonavista also mentioned that they were called the Blue

Puttees, and that's an interesting story as well. They didn't have the

khaki-coloured puttees, as they're called, to outfit them but the CLB had

blue coloured ones. We gave them to the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. So they

became known as the Blue Puttees. It's a fitting piece of history that we

had the opportunity to be part of.

The

Trail of the Caribou and the ambassador's program, for example, are ways we

pass on these memories to our next generation. There's no substitute for

actually being there in France and seeing those overgrown trenches and

mortar craters, and looking across no man's land at the exact spot where

those Newfoundlanders and Labradorians died. The hon. Member for CBS

mentioned that earlier as well.

All

of the children who have been lucky enough to go on this pilgrimage will

bring back these experiences and memories. They'll keep them for a lifetime.

This will ensure that the flame of remembrance stays alive in our youth. I

can't applaud this initiative enough.

also applaud the initiative to create a permanent addition to The Rooms

collection. The Royal Newfoundland Regiment Gallery will be a tremendous

addition to what is already a vital institution of preserving and promoting

our cultural legacy.

I'm

looking forward to taking

part in the events leading into the July 1

anniversary at The Rooms. I think it's a testament to how important events

of 1916 were that Her Royal Highness, the Princess Royal will be here to

unveil this permanent exhibition. The United Kingdom does not forget the

sacrifices that we made on behalf of them some 100 years ago. I'm glad they

continue to demonstrate that.

I'll

wrap up my remarks by again stating that our participation in the First

World War was our defining moment as a people. When war broke out, over

6,000 individuals enlisted. Just think about what a huge percentage of our

population that would have been at the time.

Almost 12,000 answered the call to serve in the war in various regiments;

too many of those never came home. We owe it to their memory and to the

collective memory at this moment in our history to remember their sacrifice

and to commemorate it every way we can.

That's why I'm happy to stand in this House to support this private Member's

resolution, Honour 100. I ask my hon. colleagues on both sides of the House

to do the same.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MADAM SPEAKER (Dempster):

The hon. the

Member for Conception Bay East Bell Island.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

is, indeed, an honour to get up and speak to this private Member's

resolution. I do want to thank the Member for Bonavista for putting this

forward.

This

is very significant, not only because it's the 100th anniversary of the

battle of Beaumont-Hamel, but because it's an opportunity for all of us in

this House to acknowledge all of those who serve in any level in the

military. It also gives us an opportunity to reflect on how Newfoundland and

Labrador became internationally known for people who stand up for the rights

of individuals, people who put their own safety forward first for the

protection of their citizens. This is a great opportunity for us to get up

and talk about the Honour 100 celebration.

This

whole focus is around education. It's around identifying our culture. It's

around paying homage and respect to particularly those who signed up during

World War 1. Those young men who decided they were willing to sacrifice

their lives in a lot of cases, and going to a foreign land, having no real

understanding of exactly what it was they were facing. Taking the adventure

that was part of it, no doubt about it, but obviously it had to be a very

fearful situation.

Unlike my hon. colleague over there, I never served in the military, and I

have the utmost respect for those who do and some regret, one day I would

have hoped that I had been able to do it. But no matter what level you

served in the military, no matter to what degree you travel around this

world, homage and respect has to be paid to every veteran that ever served.

I've

had the privilege of knowing hundreds of friends of mine, even members of my

family who I'll talk about later on, who have military backgrounds, and the

ultimate respect around their ability to stand for what's right. Their

ability to say I will do what has to be done. Their ability to conform to a

set of rules and regulations that are put there so not only the public's

safety is in the best interest, but their safety when they serve.

So I

want to note that, because I know from our own caucus here the respect for

all veterans is very important. As we look at

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

As we look at the Honour

100, it's a great opportunity in this province for us to acknowledge exactly

what's gone on. I think what's happened over the last couple of years and

I know what will happen this year and go on until the commemorative service

to 1918 to 2018 is completed is about educating our young people, giving

them a real understanding and a real move forward to not letting it die

after a 100th anniversary.

Centennials are always important, we can always play them up, but the

importance here is to remember what went on. We all know the sacrifices that

were made were about trying to prevent war. This wasn't about going out to

fight; this was about trying to prevent future conflicts.

many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians at the time, young men, signed up for

that ultimate purpose. Some, unfortunately, gave the ultimate sacrifice with

their lives. Others lived a life of turmoil afterwards because of the

anguish they had faced and the things they had seen.

Most

came back, if you talk to a lot of them and I know, and I'll talk about it

a little bit later. My family members who came back didn't want to talk

about it all. It was something they did because it was the right thing to

do. It was something they had to do. But at the end of the day, there was no

glory in it. There was no honour in having to take the life of another

individual, or seeing your buddy die unfortunately. What it was about was

doing the right thing. So many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians did that.

have the ability this summer, particularly on July 1, to pay that homage. I

know many schools that I've dealt with in my district are putting programs

in place around the education process. They've had fairs around Honour 100.

They've selected students who are going to go to Beaumont-Hamel for that

anniversary. It's a great opportunity to really educate our young people

about what this is all really about.

When

we look at exactly where our province has come from, somebody once said

while it may not have been our finest hour in a military battle, it

definitely was our defining one because the men who sacrificed that day knew

what they were sacrificing for. They knew they were standing up for

something that was important, for their families at home, for their

comrades, for their commonwealth and for the freedom of people in this great

world of ours.

want to acknowledge, too, while this is the 100th anniversary of the

Beaumont-Hamel it's also the 90th anniversary of the Legion movement in the

world, particularly the Canadian Legions also. We need to reflect on the

reason why Legions were established; 90 years ago, a group of

community-minded individuals and some veterans had come back and realized

there were some veterans coming back with some issues that needed to be

addressed, some supports they needed. There were other veterans who didn't

come back, yet their families needed some supports and needed to have a

place where they could go and feel wanted and feel secure.

The

Legions were set up 90 years ago to do a multitude of things: to address

people's health issues; people came back wounded and still needed health

issues. Those days there wasn't a big process around pensions. There wasn't

a lot of notoriety given from a medical point of view for the veterans

themselves. So the community came together, a community of veterans came

together and their families and their friends and the municipal leaders and

came together and said we need an organization that supports those that gave

so many sacrifices for the people here.

I am

happy to say that the 90th anniversary is this year and in June, an

international conference will be held here in St. John's to acknowledge the

Legion's participation in supporting veterans, their participation in

educating all of our citizens about what veterans do and what they

sacrificed and the importance of supporting them. They also look at ensuring

that veterans are included within the community and that the community are

included in the activities that veterans themselves take a leadership role

on.

It's

an honour particularly in this year to have the 90th conference being held

in Newfoundland and Labrador and here in St. John's. I know the new

Convention Centre will be open and a thousand-plus delegates from all over

the world will be here to look at exactly what the Legions have done. No

doubt, there will be heavy discussions. I know our delegation here in

Newfoundland and Labrador will outline exactly what Beaumont-Hamel was all

about, what Honour 100 is all about and how we remember and acknowledge

those people who served from this great province of ours.

I'm

looking forward to attending that. I know a number of my colleagues in the

Legion and I have the honour of being an associate member of the Legion in

Newfoundland and Labrador because members of my family were ex-veterans. I

look forward to that and I know there's a great opportunity for all of us in

this House of Assembly to attend that, to attend the multitude of services

they're going to provide, the multitude of educational workshops they'll

have.

encourage anybody if you haven't, go on the Canadian Legion's website, look

at the offering there and if you want to register for it or if you want to

take in one of the workshops, what a great opportunity. I know the

Newfoundland delegation will be offering some great insight into veterans in

this province, particularly going back to the Honour 100.

also would like to talk a little bit about some of the other programs and

services that Legions are offering here to ensure that veterans are healthy.

There are a number of services around mental health. There are a number of

services about counselling for families. There are a number of services

about even employment initiatives. There are a number of services around the

skill sets, keeping in mind every veteran that comes back, who retires from

the military and gets discharged, they have an unbelievable skill set. They

were all trained in various components of whatever their skills may be. All

are leaders in their own right, so we need to tap that. We need to tap that

energy. We need to use that in our school system for educating our students,

for engaging them.

We've already started the process of Honour 100. Students are now very aware

of what the military is all about, what veterans are all about, what they

represent. We need to tap that. We need to use it better. We need to make

those partnerships between veterans and our young people in our communities.

I know we've come a long way and I want to give a hats off to Legions for

particularly doing that.

know we've paid a lot of acknowledgement to those who've served in recent

years, and rightfully so. In the last number of years our country has been

involved in a number of conflicts. If you look at it, the ratio of number of

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who are in the military are higher than any

other province. That's a testament to the quality of the people we have here

who serve, what they stand for and what they want to represent.

mentioned earlier about the whole process of those who left 100 years ago

and who signed up. These were people who came from every background. They

were business people in their own right. They were sons and daughters of

educators. They were sons and daughters of politicians. Don't forget, there

were females who may not have fought in Beaumont-Hamel who did obviously

have a very important role in the military battles that we had in World War

I and supporting those veterans, very much so. Families played a big role,

women played a big role and the soldiers themselves played a big role.

want to talk about some of the important things that are going on now that

we need to acknowledge. We need to acknowledge that our students now are

very aware of what's happening. We need to acknowledge we're sending

delegations to Europe. But I think what's going to be amazing, and I had a

close working relationship when a number of things happened, it's the

reception they're going to get in Europe. There's a reason they'll get that

reception. It's because of what our forefathers did. What they represented

over there and the spirit that people have and the respect they have for

Newfoundland and Labrador.

It's

going to be great to see so many students understand that connection. The

monuments over there are second to none, you'll see that. You'll see a lot

of these towns in particular areas that will acknowledge Newfoundland and

Labrador and the soldiers. You'll see the graves where they are taken care

of.

had the privilege of working with the Trail of the Caribou project team who

went all through Europe to identify all the gravesites of fallen

Newfoundland and Labrador soldiers from World War I. If you go to any of

those sites you'll see the Newfoundland flag there and you'll see a

Newfoundland dog pin. It's an acknowledgement of the sacrifice that people

made.

What

it does for Europe, it gives them an opportunity for everybody over there to

understand where Newfoundland is, where Newfoundland and Labrador is. What

it meant 100 years ago, but particularly what it still means today. That we

still serve in that same manner. We still serve with that same respect.

want to note for the last couple of minutes, that in my own family my uncle

was one of the first to sign up. He signed up on March 25, 1915. A single

20-year-old miner from Bell Island decided, I want to serve my country. I

want to serve the commonwealth. I want to ensure I do my part for safety. He

went overseas. He served in various components over there.

When

my grandfather and father were telling me stories about him sometimes they'd

say, tongue-in-cheek, he was a man who was shot three times. He was gassed,

he was burned, he was run over, he was caught on fire. He never once came

back; five different times in hospitals. He came back and went back to the

front again, very much so.

had the honour of receiving a number of medals, very important medals in

various battles over there. He had the honour of being Tommy Ricketts

commanding officer at one point. A man who when he came back here never

spoke about what went on but, no doubt, had the memories of his fallen

comrades and knowing that they did something that was instrumental in

keeping peace in our world.

It's

good to have that. Unfortunately, he died in his late 60s and never really

got an opportunity to be able to relax in life. He worked all his life when

he got back, even with his injuries. He never once complained about

anything, never once looked for anything. I think one of the

acknowledgements that he got and it was great for the family was if you

go to Spaniard's Bay, the Legion is named after him. So that's a testament

to what he meant to the people of that community. He was originally from

Spaniard's Bay and went back there after he left Bell Island. So that an

acknowledgement there.

also want to acknowledge what the government did in 1990 when the newest

vessel then, the Flanders , was

commissioned and built in Marystown and went to Bell Island to do the run.

The government first time ever that they named the lounge the Matthew

Brazil memorial lounge. So again, it was an acknowledgement that everybody

in this province has for those who served in World War I.

was a great opportunity to do it, and it was one of those rare times when

politics is out of it. The PC government of the day had commissioned the

ferry and had noted they'd like to do it; they had a number of names there

that they would want to start the process of naming it after something

military or somebody of significance. But it was the Liberal administration

I give them credit. I was there that day of the christening of the ferry

and the minister then was Minister Gilbert at the time, got up, and paid

very much respect to all veterans and paid total respect to my uncle and

what he had served. If you go on the vessel now, you'll see a picture of him

with his rifle and all his medals around the picture there.

it's an acknowledgement that we've been doing this for years to acknowledge

the veterans from World War I. It's a great opportunity to do it now through

Honour 100, and I might add I do again compliment the Member for Bonavista

for bringing this forward because it's a great opportunity for this House to

really show the respect for those veterans who went overseas, those young

men who went overseas, who paid the ultimate sacrifice in a number of cases,

but came back and still were very productive citizens in this great province

of ours.

So,

Madam Speaker, it will be more than an honour to vote for this private

Member's resolution.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MADAM SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member

for Harbour Main.

MS. PARSLEY:

Thank you.

I am

pleased to rise in this hon. House to speak in support of the private

Member's resolution on Honour 100. In August, 1914, when the German troops

marched into Belgium on their way to France, the war began.

refer to it as the war because the war never ended. Thirty-two nations

across the globe, including all the world's great powers, had entered the

conflict. Considering the number of people mobilized around the world, it

was a short war, lasting a little over four years. Yet because of the

tremendous advance in weapons technology, it caused a greater loss of life

and more widespread destruction than any conflict that came before it in

history.

The

amount of resources and men committed to fighting was so huge that for over

two years there was a deadlock in the European theatre. Millions were killed

and wounded, yet neither side was forced to acknowledge defeat.

Britain blocked Germany to cut off supplies. Germany responded and sent

submarines to sink all the ships approaching the British Isles. On sea and

on land no upper hand could be gained and no decision could be reached.

Gradually, after a long and bloody struggle, the conflict turned into the

favour of Britain and its allies. On November 11, 1918, the fighting ceased.

The

Great War was over but the suffering and damage caused by the fighting is

left with us today. It is critically important that we remember the cost of

this terrible war. It is estimated that over 10 million people lost their

lives. Many millions were wounded and faced a lifetime of disability and the

trauma of horrific experiences.

The

loss among the civilian population from disease, famine and fighting reached

even greater tolls. The conflict resulted in staggering national debts among

the great powers. It wiped out empires and redrew the world map. Twice in

the first years of the war, our troops into the fighting land were almost

wiped out, once by battle and disease in Gallipoli and once in display of

valour against great odds at the Somme.

These four years would go to shape and define the rest of the 20th century.

We still feel the impact even today, 100 years later. Let's bring ourselves

back to those times here in our own districts. Let's imagine our ancestors

travelling from rural communities across the ocean to foreign battlefields.

This was a time when our province had few roads, few hospitals and only

one-room schools.

Our

soldiers went on foot from their communities to the recruitment centres in

St. John's, Grand Falls and Corner Brook. When they signed up to fight for

their country, they left their homeland to fight in the services of peace in

other homelands across the Atlantic Ocean. Their sacrifice caused a long

shadow in our history. We were a small but proud nation of the British

Empire that stood tall and shouldered the burden of defending the realm.

the war progressed the reputation of the soldiers from Newfoundland and

Labrador were starting to make a mark. The recruits wanted to be wherever

the Newfoundlanders and Labradorians were. They fought their battles with

courage and dignity. Their graves are scattered throughout our countrysides

of our neighbours far across the sea. They lay at rest in villages in France

and Belgium, where their contribution will never be forgotten.

This

year we are proud to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the

Somme. We celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Royal Newfoundland

Regiment's participation at Beaumont-Hamel in France. Because of the

endurance of our ancestors, because of their sacrifice, we will continue to

stand with pride at the cenotaphs and war memorials across the province on

this July 1.

truly believe we are a better province today because of this sacrifice. Yes,

the war was horrific, but it defined Newfoundland and Labrador as a proud

nation.

continue to mourn the loss of our young men who were cut down in the prime

of their lives. We ponder sadly what contributions could they have made in

peace time here in their homeland where they had lived. I do believe we do a

great job of preserving their memory.

There are many books by Newfoundland and Labrador authors memorizing the

subject. There are songs and stories, there are legends and icons. I'm happy

that we have government initiatives like Honour 100, so that we can do our

part as a Legislature in preserving the memory of their sacrifice.

district, Harbour Main, does its part too in glorifying and celebrating the

heroism demonstrated by our soldiers a century ago. Only a week ago, I

attended the annual installation of officers at Branch 64 of the Royal

Canadian Legion in Holyrood. The strength of this branch was well

demonstrated by the attendance, leadership and dedication through

(inaudible) and decorum that was shown by members. This Legion branch is

sending a World War II veteran to attend the ceremonies at Beaumont-Hamel

this year.

well, a book launch will take place at the end of July honouring all those

who signed the attestation papers to serve in World War I, covering the

communities from Holyrood to Colliers. We just celebrated volunteer week. I

would like to congratulate those working on that project.

The

book serves the same purpose that Honour 100 does. Memorizing the sacrifices

made in the First World War, preserving their courage, passing it on as a

legacy to our future generations so that we can remember our defining

moment. We can pass the spirit of commemoration to our young people as we do

already through initiatives like the heritage fairs.

conclude, Mr. Speaker, I recall many stories. One of Michael Carney Ezekiel

of Harbour Main. He was the grandfather of my sister Jenny's husband. While

overseas at a dance one night the soldier met the love of his life, Grace

Darling from Scotland. Their encounter was brief, as he was called to the

frontlines. Carney, as he nicknamed, was wounded in the thigh on the 23rd of

March 1916. He was transported to Unsworth Hospital in England where he

underwent surgery which resulted in a leg amputation.

After months of recovering from the surgery, he traced Grace back to her

hometown in Scotland, married her and brought her home to Harbour Main.

Grace was possibly one of the first war brides to come to our province,

certainly to Harbour Main. Carney and Grace had hard times and good times.

Although she survived many years after his death in 1941, she remained

devoted to him, his family and to her new homeland, Newfoundland.

From

my district, Mr. Speaker, on Memorial Day, July 1, we especially remember

those who paid the supreme sacrifice a hundred years ago on July 1 at the

Battle of the Somme. From Avondale: Private James Joseph Pike, aged 19;

Private William Joseph O'Brien, aged 21; Private Allan Lyons, aged 23. From

Conception Harbour: Corporal William Patrick Costello, aged 19. From Harbour

Main: Private Bernard Cleary, aged 19; Private Lucas Holden, aged 21. From

North Arm: Private Augustus Penney, aged 22.

Remembering the sacrifice is something we do well. It's something we will

continue to do and something we must continue to do. For that reason, I am

pleased to stand here and speak in support of the private Member's

resolution on Honour 100.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am

in support of the bill from my fellow colleague and from the opposite side.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER (Lane):

The Speaker

recognizes the hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

one in this place, people with families who lived here at the turn of the

century, or people who have moved here since, needs reminding of the

terrible price this place paid in the First World War, known to many at the

time as the war to end all wars.

How

sad that phrase sounds today. How gallant were those young men to fight and

often die for that cause. How gallant for the young women to also be side by

side with their brothers.

While young men died, young women saw sacrifice as well. Many worked as

nurses, many worked to support the war effort. Many lost fathers, brothers,

uncles, husbands, lovers; beautiful men, often young men who just never came

home.

The

cost, as we've all heard here today, a total of 8,707 men enlisted in the

Dominion's three services: the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, the Royal

Newfoundland Naval Reserve and the Newfoundland Forestry Corps. Another

3,296 joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force, the CEF. That's a total of

11,988 men, nearly 10 per cent of the Dominion's total male population or

35.6 per cent of all men of military age between 19 and 35 years old, young

men.

Smaller numbers also served in a variety of other forces such as the Royal

Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force, and at least 505 sailors from

Newfoundland and Labrador were part of the Merchant Marine, as was my

grandfather, and worked on commercial vessels shipping passengers and cargo

to allied ports. There were also about 175 women who served overseas as

graduate nurses or with the Voluntary Aid Detachment, the VAD, a core of

semi-trained nurses.

Even

more sobering than the following numbers, Mr. Speaker, 1,281, some accounts

say 1,305, of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment were killed; 2,284 were

wounded. That's about 9 per cent of those who enlisted died in the war,

almost one in 10.

The

long-term effects of the loss of so many young lives compounded by the

number of those wounded, diseased, disabled physically and mentally were

substantial. The far reach of the war was felt here at home; it did not stay

overseas.

the most famous battle the Newfoundland Regiment fought at Beaumont-Hamel in

the Battle of the Somme on July 1, 1916, the Newfoundland Regiment went into

action 753 strong and only 68 answered the roll call the next day. We all

know those numbers. Those numbers are burned into our collective

consciousness. They have become a very part of our DNA.

The

events of that day were forever seared into the cultural memory of the

people of Newfoundland and Labrador. There was no Internet in those days, no

radio, no satellite TV. Casualty lists appeared in local newspapers, but

information came in slowly from the front lines and it was often incomplete.

Families had to endure agonizing weeks of wondering whether their loved ones

were alive or dead, whether they were coming home.

people pieced together the enormity of the loss, the news plunged

Newfoundland into a period of mourning. The enormity of the loss has

reverberated through this place ever since. It continues to echo off our

very shores, our mountains, our cliffs.

There are those who claim Newfoundland's struggle economically is because we

lost so many young people. Young people killed or wounded. Young people who

were never able to contribute to the future of our Newfoundland and

Labrador.

The

young women who went to war, they, too, returned from war only to find it

difficult to readjust to the lifestyle that awaited them. Many were

frustrated because their families and communities expected them to return to

their domestic roles. Through the war they had taken on more roles, working

side by side with their brothers. They, too, were courageous and effective

and committed. Many joined the suffrage movement which won Newfoundland

women the right to vote in April 1925.

The

sacrifices of that war changed everything in this place, our home, and on

July 1, again, we will be reminded of what happened. We will be reminded of

the sacrifice of that poor, doomed generation. These ceremonies are so

important because they remind us of the terrible price we have paid in the

past. They remind us how important it is that tragedies like the First World

War or any armed conflict really must never happen. It must be avoided.

Canada is a country of peace and these occasions serve to reinforce our

commitment to peace at home and to peace around the world. I would like to

highlight some of the work that many of our artists have created to h