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March 13, 2018

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLVIII No. 1

The

House met at 2 p.m.

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS:

All rise.

MR. SPEAKER (Trimper):

Order, please!

Admit strangers.

Please be seated.

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

arrived.

MR. SPEAKER:

Admit the Justices of the Supreme Court.

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: Mr. Speaker, His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor has

arrived.

MR. SPEAKER:

Admit His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor.

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: All rise.

(Mr. Speaker

leaves the Chair.)

(His Honour the

Lieutenant-Governor takes the Chair.)

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

that all present be seated.

HIS HONOUR THE LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR (Frank

F. Fagan, CM, ONL, MBA):

Mr. Speaker and Members of the House of

Assembly:

I am very pleased

to open the third session of the 48th General Assembly of the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador.

Our Government's

priority is to ensure Newfoundland and Labrador

remains an ideal place to

live and raise a family; a place that has the conditions necessary for economic

growth and job creation; and a place where people are supported by responsive,

innovative and efficient programs and services.

The Way Forward is our vision for

sustainability and growth; a roadmap guiding our future to a province that is

diversified, prosperous and with a high standard of living.

Our

Government's plan is focused on the future and on making choices now that are

necessary for the betterment of this province for our children and our

grandchildren.

We have

been steadfast in our commitment and today we reflect on the progress that has

been made over the past two years and to chart the course for the year to come.

An ambitious plan will encounter challenges, and such challenges are amplified

when the circumstances are difficult. We recognize these challenges as

opportunities to do better. Our Government will bring the perseverance and

commitment that is so characteristic of our province to bear as we tackle our

immense fiscal difficulties.

Our

answer to these fiscal challenges continues to be balanced. We strike a balance

with strong fiscal management while supporting sustainability and growth through

the responsive, innovative and efficient delivery of programs and services,

advancement of provincial infrastructure and focus on creating new jobs.

Our

Government is committed to creating long-term conditions for growth in the

province. The path we set out in The Way

Forward will encourage and elevate the talents of our people, ensure

responsible development of our abundant natural resources and support innovative

industries to promote economic growth and build for our future.

Our plan

has been strengthened through the ongoing engagement with the people of this

province. We have listened attentively and learned much. We have forged new

relationships and we are working to reconcile with others.

INDIGENOUS GROUPS

Reconciliation with Indigenous people of this province is of fundamental

importance to our Government.

To that

end, our Government convened the first provincial Indigenous Roundtable last

year, which included all Indigenous governments and organizations in the

province, including Indigenous women's organizations and friendship centres. Our

Government is committed to holding the second Indigenous Roundtable this year.

As we

reconcile with Indigenous people, we must learn from and atone for the mistakes

of the past, so that all present and future generations in our great province

can grow in the spirit of reconciliation.

Therefore, we will continue to strive to have the remains of Beothuks Demasduit

and Nonosabasut returned to the province from Scotland.

As well,

our Government will undertake its own apology to residential school survivors,

in consultation with the survivors of the former residential school system and

the leaders of Indigenous governments and organizations in Newfoundland and

Labrador.

Our

Government remains committed to implementing the calls to action from the Truth

and Reconciliation Commission, in collaboration with Indigenous governments and

organizations and the Federal Government.

There

must not only be atonement, but there must be action to achieve a lasting

reconciliation.

ADVANCING THE STATUS OF WOMEN

Raising

standards and expectations for how our society treats women is an important

focus for our Government. Violence against women and girls is one of the most

serious issues facing society today. Unfortunately, many women continue to

experience violence. Fifty per cent of women over the age of 15 have experienced

or will experience at least one incident of sexual or physical violence in their

lifetime. The likelihood of experiencing violence is tripled for Indigenous

women. Violence, in any form, is unacceptable.

Tragically, the victimization of Indigenous women and girls remains a national

scourge. Our Government issued an Order in Council to fully establish the

National Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls in the

province. We were encouraged that the National Inquiry held sessions in

Labrador, and we will continue to fully cooperate with the National Inquiry to

finally halt the violence against Indigenous women and girls in this country.

Our

Government will continue to work in collaboration with community stakeholders to

find long-term solutions to eradicate violence. To complement the work of the

Minister's Committee on Violence against Women and Girls, a committee of

ministers representing multiple departments has been tasked to address the issue

of violence in our province. Ending violence is not the work of any one

committee, community group or government department; we recognize that it

requires a collective response. While government is taking a strong stand

against violence and harassment, the prevention of violence and harassment in

our homes, schools, workplaces and communities is everyone's responsibility.

Victims

of violence must be well informed about their legal rights. In collaboration

with the Public Legal Information Association and the Newfoundland and Labrador

Sexual Assault Crisis and Prevention Centre, our Government is developing a

program to offer legal support to victims of sexual violence. Trained staff will

assess and work with an individual's particular needs and experiences, provide

general legal information, supportive referrals and trauma-informed responses to

help people who have experienced sexual violence.

Our

Government will introduce amendments to the

Family Violence Protection Act to

better support adult victims of family violence and their children as Bill 1 for

this new session. These amendments will expand the current definition of family

violence to clearly include acts of psychological, emotional or financial abuse.

These changes will send a strong message that all forms of violence are

unacceptable, while supporting victims who are experiencing family violence to

obtain an Emergency Protection Order to help protect them and their children.

Our

Government will strengthen the capacity of departments and agencies to

understand and apply gender-based analysis to policies, programs, services,

legislation and budgets in order to ensure equitable outcomes for women in our

province.

As part

of Government's commitment to provide safe learning and work environments for

everyone, but especially girls and women, legislation and policy including the

Safe and Caring Schools Policy, the

Residential Tenancies Act and the

Municipalities Act are currently being reviewed using gender-based analysis.

While

some progress has been made to recruit and retain women in male-dominated

occupations, there is considerable work still needed to reduce systemic

barriers. Our commitment to advance the economic status of women and reduce the

gender wage gap remains steadfast. To improve the economic status of women, we

will continue to develop Women's Employment Plans for new infrastructure

projects. Later this year, we will invite women leaders to a forum to help

develop initiatives aimed at increasing the number of women in Newfoundland and

Labrador in leadership roles. We will continue to require Gender Equity and

Diversity Plans for all large resource development projects. These plans improve

training and employment opportunities as well as business access for women

across a wide range of occupations.

Our

Government values diversity in the workplace and is an equal opportunity

employer. We recently announced a harassment-free workplace policy to ensure all

employees are safe at work. We will continue to work towards gender equality by

evaluating our workforce practices to ensure that we advance the social,

economic, legal and cultural status of women and girls.

FISCAL SITUATION

As we

strive to improve economic conditions in the province, we cannot ignore the

province's fiscal situation. Quite simply, we must continue to do better with

less and build on the work that we have undertaken over the past two years. The

challenges are real and we must make every fiscal decision by balancing the

provision of critical programs, services and infrastructure that our residents

need and deserve with the requirement to eliminate our deficits, return to

surplus and pay down our debt.

Our

Government is committed to getting Newfoundland and Labrador on a solid

financial footing. That involves new and innovative ways of doing things,

smarter investments and stronger partnerships with community groups, industry

and other stakeholders.

Improving our fiscal position is also dependent on establishing a stronger

economic foundation. Through the continued implementation of

The Way Forward and the Cabinet Committee on Jobs, our Government is

committed to improve the conditions necessary for private sector investment, job

creation and sustainable economic growth. While our economy remains moored to

the development of renewable and non-renewable resources, the growth of our

knowledge resources through innovation and technology presents one of our

greatest opportunities.

We look

forward to providing specific details on our fiscal and economic development

approach when we release Budget 2018 on March 27.

INNOVATION AND BUSINESS

DEVELOPMENT

The

economy of Newfoundland and Labrador is being driven by an innovative and

export-focused business community. In a world where location is not a limitation

for developing new business ideas, we are growing a diversified economy where

entrepreneurship and innovation are flourishing.

November 2017, our Government released a Business Innovation Agenda with a goal

to expand the pool and capacity of innovation and growth-focused businesses in

the province. Last month, we released The Way Forward on Technology - A Sector

Work Plan that contains concrete actions to grow the technology industry and

stimulate new private sector employment. Our Government is committed to

providing 40 high-performing technology firms with the supports required to be

more productive, competitive and successful in international markets over the

next two years. Furthermore, the creation of InnovateNL last year will promote

more efficient delivery of provincial innovation programs and services.

We know

that partnership with industry is key to our future success. Last year, our

Government established a Regional Trade Network for Newfoundland and Labrador as

a forum to share information, identify potential initiatives and improve

collaboration among resource and support providers.

Economic

growth and environmental sustainability must go hand-in-hand. Our Government is

working to ensure that Newfoundland and Labrador's carbon pricing system and the

Federal Government's legislative changes to environmental assessment and other

regulatory review progresses support opportunities for economic growth in the

province while ensuring growth occurs in a sustainable manner.

We are

committed to undertaking a review of our environmental assessment process and

legislation to provide certainty for industry and stakeholders about process

requirements while ensuring protection of the environment.

Our

commitment to environmental protection is based on a close relationship with our

land and marine environments. This relationship is reflected in our music,

theatre, art and films. Indeed, it is reflected throughout all aspects of our

culture.

CULTURE

Newfoundland and Labrador is home to some of the world's finest artists and

performers. For centuries, we have made music, told stories and created images

that have moved millions of people to laugh, cry and just want to be like us. It

has been said that culture is our greatest export and our people are its

currency. Through this wealth of artistic expression, we have brought the world

to our shores.

Our

breathtaking scenery, pristine landscapes, talented artists and professional

workforce have successfully attracted film and television productions to our

province. This attraction is demonstrated in the success of the television

series, Frontier . Conceived, written

and produced by Newfoundland and Labrador company, Take the Shot,

Frontier is now in its third season of

production. Including the current season, this high-end production has generated

more than $73 million in total production activity and more than $45 million in

expenditures on goods and services.

CBC

recently premiered Caught , which stars

our own Allan Hawco and is based on the award-winning novel by one of the

province's most beloved authors, Lisa Moore.

Other

local companies such as Pope Productions, Morag Loves Company, Rink Rat and

Spring Water Productions continue to create exciting film projects in this

province.

These

film and television productions are contributing to a stronger economic

foundation for our province through the growth of the provincial film and

television industry, which exceeded $50 million in expenditures for the first

time in 2017-18 and employs an estimated 640 full-time equivalent positions.

Our

province's artists continue to receive well-deserved national and international

recognition.

The

Broadway smash hit, Come From Away ,

displayed to an international audience the unparalleled kindness and welcoming

nature of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. The show received seven Tony Award

nominations, winning for Best Director of a Musical, and was also nominated for

music's most prestigious honour, a Grammy Award.

literature, local author Joel Thomas Hynes was the recipient of the 2017

Governor General's Literary Award for his novel,

We'll All Be Burnt in Our Beds Some Night.

Recognizing and supporting professional artists is a priority for our

Government, as outlined in The Way Forward .

In the past year, our Government brought forward a new

Status of the Artist Act to recognize the important role artists

play in contributing to the cultural, social and economic well-being of the

province.

further reinforce our support for the arts and heritage, our Government will

renew the cultural plan, Creative Newfoundland and Labrador, by January 2019. We

will engage cultural stakeholders to discuss opportunities to collaborate,

provide better services and support better outcomes for the cultural sector over

the next five years.

LABRADOR

Labrador is a distinct and integral part of our

province's culture, history and identity. Labrador plays a crucial role in our

vision of building on a strong economic foundation in the mining, agriculture,

fishing, tourism, forestry and other renewable resource sectors.

Our Government will continue, through the Labrador

Affairs Secretariat, to coordinate and implement a focused and innovative

approach to improve service delivery in the region as well as to continue to

prioritize strategic infrastructure needs.

Transportation remains a critical focus for the

development of the region. Our Government is proud to proceed with the

completion of the Trans-Labrador Highway, in partnership with the Federal

Government. We also continue to support safe winter trail access to isolated

Labrador communities through the Labrador Transportation Grooming Subsidy.

TOURISM

Labrador's stunning landscapes, vast wilderness and

unique wildlife create an irresistible pull for adventure-seeking people from

all over the world. The Big Land was the only Canadian destination to make

National Geographic Magazine's Places

to Visit in 2018 list, helping to spread the news that the Akami-Uapishk U -KakKasuak-Mealy

Mountains National Park Reserve offers a tourism experience unlike any other in

the world.

The undeniable attraction of the Labrador wild was

recently showcased in the running of the Cain's Quest snowmobile endurance race.

Characterized as the world's longest and most extreme snowmobile race, the 3,200

kilometre event

attracted contestants from Ontario, Quebec, Finland, United States and, of

course, Newfoundland and Labrador. Following a circuit from Labrador City to

Nain and L'Anse au Clair and back to western Labrador, 41 teams fought for the

glory of winning this exceptional event. Team Maine, an international duo from

Wabush and Maine, repeated their 2016 victory while local team, the Innu Hawks,

finished in second place. Since its inception in 2006, Cain's Quest has

continued to grow in popularity in response to the beauty and hospitality of

Labrador. We look forward to welcoming the next challengers for Cain's Quest in

With the

world's attention on Newfoundland and Labrador, our tourism industry continues

to be a driver for our economy. Last year more than 553,000 people travelled

here and have spent an estimated $575 million. This was the highest non-resident

spending we have ever seen.

Spurred

on by such growth and potential, our Government is committed to reaching $1.6

billion in resident and non-resident visitor spending by the year 2020.

IMMIGRATION

Our

province proudly offers a welcoming, safe and supportive environment for people

from around the world who choose to live, study and work here.

Increasing the province's population through immigration not only benefits us

economically, but also strengthens us socially and culturally. In The Way

Forward on Immigration, our Government

has committed to position our province to become a destination of choice for

prospective immigrants looking for a new place in which to work, settle and

raise a family. In collaboration with our Atlantic and federal colleagues, we

launched the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program, a new way to assist employers

to recruit talent internationally. We also took steps to enhance the recognition

of foreign qualifications of newcomers, and to aid international students and

graduates in attaching to the local labour market. And there is more to come.

Our Government plans to launch new International Entrepreneur and International

Graduate Entrepreneur categories under the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial

Nominee Program to further encourage economic growth in this province.

RENEWABLE NATURAL RESOURCES

Guided

by The Way Forward and the Cabinet

Committee on Jobs, our Government is working to revitalize and develop

traditional and emerging industries – on land and on water – that will support

and sustain a better future for Newfoundland and Labrador.

The new

Department of Fisheries and Land Resources brings together a singular focus on

renewable resources, including agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, forestry and

lands. This consolidation has supported our Government's objective of a more

efficient public sector and introduced new, streamlined client service that

aligns program delivery with our Government's priorities. Since the formation of

the department, we have held summits on agriculture and aquaculture, initiated

diversification efforts in the forest industry, established the Fisheries

Advisory Council and launched the Atlantic Fisheries Fund in partnership with

the Federal Government. These actions have set the groundwork to realize true

and substantive progress in these industries.

Having a

safe and secure food supply is paramount for the people of Newfoundland and

Labrador. We face significant challenges in this province, especially when it

comes to access to healthy fruits and vegetables. Our Government has committed

to double provincial food self-sufficiency by 2022. To accomplish this, our

Government decided to open more Crown land for agricultural purposes. In 2017,

approximately 64,000 hectares of land was made available for agriculture.

Further actions under the Agriculture Sector Work Plan will support the growth

of agriculture and security of food supply in the province.

The

fishery has been the backbone of Newfoundland and Labrador for centuries, and it

remains a critical industry for the province. We must continue to focus on

strategic research and cutting-edge innovation in the fish and seafood industry,

both in our wild fisheries and aquaculture sectors, to optimize the value of

these resources for the benefit of our present and future generations.

compete in the global marketplace, our Government will continue to support the

fishery and aquaculture industries to achieve efficiencies and to produce the

highest quality, sustainably sourced products

NONRENEWABLE NATURAL

RESOURCES

Ove the

past 30 years, our economy has benefited from opportunities brought through the

development of our petroleum resources. The Way Forward on Oil and Gas: Advance

2030 – A Plan for Growth in the Newfoundland and Labrador Oil and Gas Industry

sets an ambitious path forward, in partnership with industry, the Federal

Government and other stakeholders, to nurture continued growth.

By 2030,

our Government envisions more than 100 new exploration wells drilled. Multiple

basins will produce over 650,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. Our

commitment is to enable industry to accelerate progress from prospectivity to

production. By 2030, more than 7,500 people will be directly employed by this

industry. We envision a world-class energy cluster built upon the integration of

a robust, innovative global supply and service sector, commercial gas production

and new oil developments. Modern and fair benefit agreements will secure the

province's ability to realize enduring economic and fiscal returns.

Newfoundland and Labrador was recently ranked as the most attractive Canadian

province for oil and gas investment, and fourth globally by the Fraser

Institute. We have a strong track record of success, with our most recent major

production achievement occurring with the Hebron project. Our Government will

build on these successes with continued support in oil and natural gas

exploration and development. It is our commitment to position this province

globally as a preferred location for oil and gas development.

Our

province continues to receive wide-ranging benefits from our mining and mineral

riches. Mining is a significant contributor to the Newfoundland and Labrador

economy, with a forecast in 2018 of 6,000 people employed in the industry and

$3.4 billion in mineral shipments. We will continue to grow opportunities,

particularly in rural areas of our province, by advancing public geoscience,

improving service delivery and promoting exploration. A new mineral strategy for

the province will be developed, in consultation with mining industry

stakeholders, to identify new opportunities and guide future growth.

MUSKRAT FALLS

As we

grow our economy, we are faced with some challenges. Our Government has worked

hard with Nalcor to get the Muskrat Falls project on a better path. This hard

work has paid off, as we witnessed the achievement of unprecedented progress

with several important milestones reached over the past year.

Construction of the project is now 90 per cent complete and most recently, the

transmission link with Nova Scotia was finished, marking the first time in

Newfoundland and Labrador's history that we are connected to the North American

power grid. This allows us to import electricity at a cheaper rate than it costs

to produce at the Holyrood Generation Station.

While

the past cannot be changed, our Government took action to ensure that the

Muskrat Falls Project is better managed. It is important that we examine why

this project received sanction in the first place and ensure that the

circumstances that led to that sanctioning never occur again. That is why our

Government launched a public inquiry into the Muskrat Falls Project led by

Justice Richard D. LeBlanc.

That

inquiry, which began its work in January, will examine whether all options were

considered at the time of sanctioning the project. It will look at why there are

significant differences between the actual cost of the project and the estimated

cost at the time of sanction. The inquiry will also explore whether it was

justified and reasonable for the project to be excluded from oversight by the

Public Utilities Board.

expect the final report from the inquiry by December 2019.

CONSUMERS

Building

on our commitment to consultation and responding to the concerns of our people,

we are listening to consumers who are concerned about high automobile insurance

rates. Our Government has launched a review to examine why these rates are so

high with the aim of identifying ways to lower them. This comprehensive review,

led by the Public Utilities Board includes an independent closed-claim study as

well as public consultations. We expect to receive the PUB's findings by June of

this year and plan to introduce legislation this fall.

Later

this year, the use of cannabis for non-medical purposes will be legalized. This

is one of the most significant policy shifts in Canada since the province joined

Confederation in 1949.

We will

promote public health by keeping cannabis out of the hands of our youth and

encourage low-risk use by those adults who choose to use it; promote safety on

our roads, in public places and in our workplaces; reduce the burden on our

criminal justice system and support new business opportunities.

Our

Government has announced policies around the legal age to purchase, place of use

and the retail model. We have guaranteed a safe and secure supply of cannabis

through an agreement with one of the country's leading producers. This agreement

will result in the construction of a multi-million dollar production facility in

the province as well as the creation of 145 new, full-time jobs. Our Government

remains open to entering into agreements with other licensed companies.

We will

launch a comprehensive public education program to ensure that residents, and

particularly parents, youth, employers and employees understand the health and

safety risks associated with cannabis use.

While

much work has been done, we still have to make important decisions on this issue

and our Government will introduce legislation in this session of the House of

Assembly to address matters related to public safety and health.

MUNICIPALITIES

Municipalities in our province play an important role, not only in town planning

activities, but also in economic planning and development. Our approach to

engagement has been innovative and collaborative.

Our

Government has listened to municipalities, and heard about the need to improve

the legislative framework for local governments in Newfoundland and Labrador to

enable them to improve their decision-making and address important issues such

as conflict of interest. A preliminary round of consultations has concluded and

targeted consultations will soon begin. We expect recommendations for

improvement to be announced later this year.

The

second annual Premier's Forum on Local Governance was held on November 1, 2017.

Through forums like this, our Government receives significant insight into what

municipalities need and they allow us to better collaborate with municipalities

to reach our shared goals. Feedback allows us to adjust our programs to support

community needs. Last year, we focused on building a more sustainable

infrastructure program that supports sharing of services and prioritized

projects that provide valuable water, wastewater and disaster mitigation

infrastructure.

INFRASTRUCTURE

As we

look at the broader infrastructure requirements of our province, our Government

is taking a new and innovative approach to the way we build critical

infrastructure that serves the needs of residents, creates jobs and generates

economic activity.

Infrastructure is a long-term investment that requires a long-term outlook.

Planning one year at a time is not sufficient. This is why our Government has

taken a five-year approach to infrastructure planning.

Last

March, we released The Way Forward: A Multi-Year Plan for Infrastructure

Investments that outlines infrastructure projects across all sectors of

government, such as education, health, justice and transportation. Similarly, we

introduced five-year plans for the development and maintenance of road and

marine infrastructure.

Long-term planning provides certainty and predictability for the construction

industry. Enabling contractors to see projects that are on the horizon will help

them to make investments in their own companies, plan their expenditures and

business opportunities and position themselves to be competitive in public

infrastructure procurement.

With

almost 10,000 kilometres of road and more than 1,300 bridges and large culverts,

it is simply not possible to enhance our entire highway infrastructure in a

single construction season. Developing a continuous five-year roads plan allows

residents and motorists to know when highways important to them will receive

upgrades. In 2017, more than 508 lane kilometres of highway were paved, more

than 365 culverts replaced and 18 bridges repaired. Our Government will continue

to issue all tenders for road construction projects well in advance of the road

construction season. This ensures contractors are more prepared to start work

and take advantage of Newfoundland and Labrador's short construction season.

Our

province's physical environment presents unique challenges for transportation

infrastructure. Deteriorating asphalt on our roads is a hazard to travellers and

costly to replace. Our Government is working with industry to test different

asphalt mixes to determine the best types of asphalt for our traffic volumes and

our environment. In 2017, we paved five sections on the Trans-Canada Highway

with different types of asphalt. Beginning this spring, we will analyze the wear

of this pavement annually and use this information to improve roads for the

future.

Our

Government is taking an innovative approach to infrastructure procurement by

partnering with the business community to deliver long-term care facilities in

Gander, Grand Falls-Windsor and Corner Brook, as well as the new hospital for

western Newfoundland. Taking this different approach to infrastructure

development is saving in excess of $100 million across these projects. Our

Government remains committed to ensuring that critical health care services are

provided by public sector employees.

Everyone

has the right to access services and participate fully in their communities

without restrictions. Persons with disabilities should not have to experience

barriers or overcome obstacles in their daily activities.

We are

eliminating barriers in numerous areas. New regulations under the

effect in April. Changes to the Designated Mobility Impaired Parking Regulations

took effect in January, which include significantly increased fines for those

who illegally park in blue zones. Changes to the Provincial Wildlife Act and

Regulations and the Hunters and Anglers with a Disability Program have enhanced

equitable access to hunting and big game by increasing the allowable distance

between a disabled licence-holder and their designated hunter, and changing

policies to provide priority access to big game for people with disabilities.

We are

working to develop a new Individualized Supports Funding model. This will

greatly enhance how individuals access government services by introducing a

single point of entry with flexible services that respond to individual needs.

Our

Government will continue with a collaborative approach as it moves forward with

other initiatives, such as the review of the

knowledge and experience together in an Inclusion Symposium to inform new

legislation focused on equitable access by people with disabilities.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Supporting Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to lead healthier lives will help

our province achieve better health outcomes. Recognizing that our health and

well-being are shaped by social determinants of health, our Government will

continue to use a Health-in-All-Policies approach in decision making.

Our

Government recognizes the importance of promoting participation in sport and

recreation, and the importance of healthy active living. In

The Way Forward , we committed to supporting all residents of

Newfoundland and Labrador to live healthier lives. By 2025, the goal is to

increase our physical activity rates by seven per cent and to reduce our obesity

rate by five per cent.

Better

health outcomes lessen stress on our health care system. Healthier

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians will pay dividends for our province as optimal

health enhances quality of life, improves productivity and increases capacity

for learning.

Our

Government will release a Healthy Active Living Action Plan in 2018. Through

this initiative, we will increase awareness and public education, introduce new

policies and practice, build on existing programs and create environments to

support healthy active living.

Our

Government recognizes that strong public health legislation is vital to promote,

support and protect the health of our population. Our province's public health

legislation is more than 50 years old and has not been kept pace with the

current and changing needs of our population. During this sitting of the House

of Assembly, our Government will introduce a new

Public Health Act to drive improvements in population health.

Given

that one in five of us will experience a mental health issue, it is of the

utmost importance to continue the public conversation about mental health.

Together with community partners, health professionals and people with lived

experience we are working to address the significant challenges associated with

mental illness and addictions.

Recognizing the serious impact of such conditions in the workplace, our

Government has directed WorkplaceNL to modernize its approach to providing

coverage for work-related mental stress, including post-traumatic stress

disorder (PTSD). In February, WorkplaceNL announced a review of PTSD coverage in

the workers' compensation legislation. This review will help ensure workers'

compensation coverage responds appropriately to issues in the modern workplace.

Our

Government values our partnership with the Mental Health Commission of Canada

and together we are working with communities to address suicide prevention.

Newfoundland and Labrador is the first province to implement Roots of Hope, a

suicide prevention project, in collaboration with community partners on the

Burin Peninsula. This project represents a significant step forward in

overcoming the stigma associated with suicide and allows for communities to come

together, as they have on the Burin Peninsula, to address suicide in our

communities.

Our

Government is committed to the full implementation of

Towards Recovery . In the near future, we will announce plans to

redesign the mental health and addictions services system across the province

beginning with the replacement of the Waterford Hospital and initiation of best

practices in community support services to allow people to be supported closer

to home.

We are

committed to the continued implementation of the Opioid Action Plan. Opioid

abuse is a significant problem in our province. As outlined in

The Way Forward , our Government will

open a drug treatment court for offenders with serious drug addictions, who

commit non-violent, drug-motivated offences, as an alternative to the

traditional criminal justice responses. The new court will address the

underlying issues that lead to addiction by offering court monitored treatment,

random and frequent drug testing, incentives and sanctions, clinical case

management and social services support.

Our

Government will ensure that our health care system meets the changing needs of

the population. We spend significantly more than the Canadian average on health

care, but we need to get better value from our health care expenditures. We will

focus on enhancing services in our communities.

continue to improve access to primary health care and home care services. Our

community- based interdisciplinary team approach, involving doctors, nurses and

other health care professionals will increase access to the right care, from the

right health care provider, in the right place. To this end, we will establish

more primary health care teams across the province, invest in electronic medical

record systems and implement a home-first approach to seniors' care.

Seniors

continue to make significant contributions to our communities. We have a

collective responsibility to ensure seniors receive the support they need to

lead healthy and productive lives. Our Government has appointed the first

Seniors' Advocate, Dr. Suzanne Brake, to collaborate with seniors, service

providers and others to identify, review and analyze systemic issues affecting

seniors.

CHILDREN IN CARE

Our

Government also has an obligation to provide the children in our care with every

opportunity to grow and prosper in a safe and caring environment. In 2017, we

amended the Child and Youth Advocate Act ,

in consultation with the Advocate, so that it is now mandatory for the

Departments of Justice and Public Safety and Children, Seniors and Social

Development to report child deaths and critical injuries.

Our

Government continues to work with the Innu Nation on an inquiry into the

treatment, experiences and outcomes of Innu in the child protection system. The

overrepresentation of Indigenous children in care is a national crisis. In

January, our Government reaffirmed its commitment to collaborate with our

federal, provincial and territorial partners and Indigenous governments and

organizations on this issue. Working together, we must do better for all

Indigenous children.

EDUCATION

Our

Government is steadfast in its commitment to better engage all students in

learning, fostering skills and competencies development and ensuring an

accountable education system through regular reporting.

In 2017,

the Premier's Task Force on Improving Educational Outcomes released its report,

Now is the Time . Our Government will

use this report's recommendations to support children and youth in Newfoundland

and Labrador to achieve their full potential. We will release an Education

Action Plan to guide implementation of the report's 82 recommendations. A number

of recommendations will be ready for the upcoming school year, including a new

student support services policy that will address issues stemming from inclusive

education implementation, and supports for reading and mathematics.

Our

Government will also review legislation and make amendments to support students

and teachers and ensure a safe learning environment. During this sitting of the

House, amendments to the Schools Act, 1997

will be brought forward to address the provision of alternate instruction where

someone's presence would be detrimental to the well-being of others.

Our

Government will continue to provide children and youth with modern and engaging

learning environments in which they can learn, grow and prosper. Five new

schools opened in 2017 and the major development of three others has progressed.

Construction of new schools in Gander and Paradise will begin this year.

The

earlier that Newfoundland and Labrador's children can develop the skills

required for today's high-tech economy, the more prepared they will be to adapt

to future entry into the workforce. Our Government will implement a

comprehensive technology plan for the K-12 school system, including the addition

of coding to the curriculum.

The

priority our Government places on high quality education continues beyond the

high school years. A strong and prosperous Newfoundland and Labrador requires

well-educated and well-trained adults. Some Newfoundlanders and Labradorians may

become disengaged from the educational system before realizing their full

potential and may require additional support to assist them in achieving their

employment and educational goals. Recognizing this, our Government will develop

a new adult literacy action plan with the input of multiple stakeholders,

including post-secondary institutions, community organizations, adult learners

and business and labour groups.

Our

support for Memorial University and College of the North Atlantic is unwavering.

We will continue to ensure that tuition at both institutions is affordable and

among the lowest in the country.

Our

tradespeople have long been recognized for their skills and strong work ethic.

Our Government is focused on the skilled trades and, in partnership with other

provinces, will develop a new apprenticeship management information technology

system to streamline the steps in completing an apprenticeship program to meet

the needs of today's tradespeople.

ATHLETICS

Our

athletes have also been recognized following great success on the national and

global stages and are finishing on the top of the podium.

Kaetlyn

Osmond, from Marystown, has seen her hard work and dedication pay off as she won

gold and bronze medals at the 2018 Winter Olympics. This follows Kaetlyn's 2017

national title and a silver medal at the 2017 world championships.

Paradise's Sarah Davis captured a silver medal at the 2017 Women's World Hockey

Championships. Stephenville's Katarina Roxon won two gold medals at the World

Para Swimming World Series and nine medals at the Can Am Para-swimming

Championships. We wish Ms. Roxon continued success as part of Team Canada at the

Commonwealth Games next month in Australia.

Avondale's Angel Hiltz-Morrell captured a silver medal in wrestling at the 2017

Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg. Rigolet's Brooklyn Woolfrey joined Paradise's

Nicholas Quinn to win a combined eight medals at the 2017 World Dwarf Games in

Guelph.

Liam

Hickey from St. John's won a gold medal at the 2017 World Para Ice Hockey

Championships and is currently in PyeongChang competing at the 2018 Winter

Paralympics. And not written here is that he scored five goals and a bunch of

assists and doing quite well for our province. Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

HIS HONOUR THE

LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR:

Liam is a phenomenal

multi-sport athlete who also competes internationally for Canada in wheelchair

basketball including at the 2016 Summer Paralympic Games in Rio, Brazil. We wish

him nothing but the best as he goes for gold with Team Canada in South Korea.

Team

Newfoundland and Labrador took home 34 medals at the 2017 North American

Indigenous Games last summer in Toronto.

After

winning the 2017 Brier, Team Gushue wore Canada's colours to capture the 2017

World Men's Curling Championship. They wore those same colours last week to once

again, win the Brier, becoming one of only eight teams to have won back-to-back

Briers since 1927. Brad Gushue was also recognized as the skip with the most

wins in the history of the Brier. Team Gushue will be representing Canada at the

World Curling Championships later this month.

Joanne

MacDonald, a native of St. Mary's Bay and three-time Paralympian, and

Trepassey's Mel Fitzgerald, a two-time Paralympian, have both been inducted into

the Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association Hall of Fame.

compete for the St. John's Edge in its inaugural season in the National

Basketball League of Canada. He has been a standout for the team all season,

most recently setting a new league single game scoring record of 58 points. We

are fortunate to have such a wonderful role model and community ambassador for

our young people.

This is

an exciting time for the west coast of the province as the 2018 Newfoundland and

Labrador Winter Games are underway in Deer Lake. Hundreds of young athletes from

across the province are in the area competing in sports such as alpine and

cross-country skiing, curling, hockey, gymnastics and figure skating. We wish

all competitors good luck and hope they enjoy the camaraderie of their fellow

competitors. Events like the Winter Games would not be possible without the

dedication of volunteers. Our Government extends its congratulations and

gratitude to the 500 volunteers for their passion and commitment to both sport

and their community that ensures the success of these games.

Our

Government is so proud of all these athletes. Their accomplishments inspire the

next generation of athletes to chase their dreams.

SUMMARY

summary, our plan to strengthen the economy, improve our fiscal situation and

ensure a healthy, safe and welcoming society is working. We have made

significant progress in the past two years, and we are continuing to implement

our plan.

It is

imperative that we stay the course. The

Way Forward is our roadmap to achieve fiscal sustainability and better

outcomes for our province. We remain committed to realize our vision for

sustainability and growth, and we are honoured to continue to serve the people

of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Estimates of expenditure will be laid before you in due

course and you will be asked to grant supply to Her Majesty.

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

Session.

May Divine Providence guide you in your deliberation.

Thank you very much.

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS:

All rise.

(His

Honour the Lieutenant-Governor leaves the Assembly Chamber.)

(Mr.

Speaker returns to the Chair.)

MR. SPEAKER

(Trimper): Please be seated.

Order, please!

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I ask leave to introduce a bill entitled,

An Act To Amend

The Family Violence Protection Act, Bill 1.

MR.

SPEAKER: Is there

leave for the hon. the Government House Leader to introduce the said bill?

Leave is

granted.

The hon.

the Government House Leader.

MR.

A. PARSONS: Mr.

Speaker, I move, seconded by the by the Premier, that Bill 1,

An Act To Amend

The Family Violence Protection Act, be now read a first time.

MR. SPEAKER:

Is it the pleasure of the

House to adopt the motion?

All

those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay.'

This

motion is carried.

CLERK (Murphy):

A bill,

An Act To Amend The

Family Violence Protection Act. (Bill 1)

MR. SPEAKER:

This bill has now been read a

first time.

When

shall the said bill be read a second time? Tomorrow?

MR. A. PARSONS:

Tomorrow.

MR. SPEAKER:

Tomorrow.

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

MR. SPEAKER:

His Honour the

Lieutenant-Governor has been pleased to make a Speech to the Members of this

General Assembly. We shall take a few moments now to distribute the speech to

the Members.

(The

Pages distribute the speech to all Members.)

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon.

the Member for Harbour Grace - Port de Grave.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS. P. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Welcome

to everybody, of course, and our viewers at home. It is certainly with great

pleasure that I rise in this hon. House today to represent the people of the

strong District of Harbour Grace - Port de Grave.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS. P. PARSONS:

I would like to begin by

thanking the Lieutenant-Governor for delivering the Speech from the Throne this

afternoon. I'm sure all Members in this hon. House would agree that His Honour

and his wife have been very dedicated in their roles. I thank him, on behalf of

all Members in this House of course, for his service to our province.

Mr.

Speaker, the residents of my District of

Harbour Grace - Port de Grave face the same

challenges experienced by people living in the more rural parts of our province.

They are hard-working people who deserve access to quality health care and they

want their children to receive the best education in the best quality

facilities.

When we formed government two years ago, the future

appeared quite bleak. Our fiscal situation was dire. Our Premier, our Cabinet

and our government as a whole were left with very little to work with, to put it

politely.

Today's Speech from the Throne outlines our

government's vision for a better Newfoundland and Labrador. A place where people

want to live, where they want to raise their families and where they want to

work in good jobs. Our Way Forward is an ambitious plan, Mr. Speaker, but our

plan is working because we are listening to the people of Newfoundland and

Labrador and including them in the process.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS.

P. PARSONS:

a female MHA, I am proud of the work our government is doing to advance the

status of women in this province. Violence against women and girls is indeed a

serious issue. As a society, we simply have to do more to stop this behaviour.

We heard in the Speech from the Throne that 50 per cent

of women over the age of 15 have experienced or will experience at least one

incident of sexual or physical violence in their lifetime. The likelihood of

experiencing violence is tripled for indigenous women. We can all agree, Mr.

Speaker, that these figures are much too high.

Our government issued an order-in-council to fully

establish a National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and

Girls in this province. As well, just last week all Members of our hon. House

unanimously committed to supporting the Moose Hide Campaign, which is focused on

ending violence against women and girls, in particular, indigenous women and

girls.

Last week, the National Inquiry into Missing and

Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls held sessions in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. We

will continue to fully co-operate with the inquiry and end violence against all

women and girls in our country.

The Minister of Justice and Public Safety has initiated

the Minister's Committee on Violence Against Women and Girls. Our government, in

collaboration with the Public Legal Information Association and the Newfoundland

and Labrador Sexual Assault Crisis and Prevention Centre, is developing a

program to offer legal support to victims of sexual violence, in particular those who

cannot afford legal counsel.

In this

session, we will also be introducing amendments to the

Family Violence Protection Act to better support adult victims of

family violence and their children.

Mr.

Speaker, we are very aware that a wage gap still exists between women and girls,

not just in this province but globally. Here in our province we have made

progress in the recruitment and retention of women in male dominated occupations

but we also recognize much more needs to be done.

Our

government has committed to two important initiatives focused on women in the

workplace, women's employment plans for new infrastructure, projects and gender

equity and diversity plans for all large resource development projects to help

improve training and employment opportunities.

As a

female MHA, I'm very aware of the low number of women who decide to run for

public office, whether it be municipal, provincial and at the federal levels.

Statistics from our last provincial election show that only 28 per cent of

nominated candidates were women. And if you look around the House, 10 elected

Members are women and three of 10 Cabinet ministers are female. So I'm very

pleased that our government will invite women leaders to a forum this year to

help develop initiatives aimed at increasing the number of females in provincial

leadership roles.

Our

government is not only interested in protecting the interests of women and

children, but all vulnerable citizens. New regulations under the Buildings

Impaired Parking Regulations took effect in January, which includes

significantly increased fines for those who illegally park in blue zones.

Changes

to the Provincial Wildlife Act and

regulations and the hunters and anglers with a disability program have enhanced

access to hunting and big game by increasing the allowable distance between a

disabled licence holder and their designated hunter, and changing policies to

provide priority access to big game for people with disabilities.

Along

with protecting people with disabilities, we are committed to protecting

children in care. In 2017, we amended the

Child and Youth Advocate Act in consultation with the advocate so that it is

now mandatory for the Departments of Justice and Public Safety, Children,

Seniors and Social Development to report child deaths and critical injuries. We

are also committed to working with the Innu Nation in an inquiry into treatment,

experiences and outcomes of Innu in the child protective system.

Our

government recognizes the value seniors bring to our province. I can't help but

think about my grandmothers every time I talk about seniors. Seniors continue to

make significant contributions to our communities, and, Mr. Speaker, seniors

built Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS. P. PARSONS:

We have a collective

responsibility to ensure seniors receive the support they need to lead healthy

and productive lives. Our government has appointed the first Seniors' Advocate,

Dr. Suzanne Brake, to collaborate with seniors, service providers and others to

identify, review and analyze systemic issues. That's a first.

Our

government values our partnerships with the Mental Health Commission of Canada

to work with communities and address suicide prevention. Newfoundland and

Labrador is the first, as mentioned by His Honour, to implement Roots of Hope, a

suicide prevention project in collaboration with community partners on the Burin

Peninsula which is a service that will certainly be offered province-wide.

Recognizing the serious impact of such conditions in the workplace, our

government has directed WorkplaceNL to modernize its approach to providing

coverage for work-related mental stress, including post-traumatic stress

disorder.

February, WorkplaceNL announced a review of PTSD coverage and the workers'

compensation legislation. Our government is committed to the full implementation

of Towards Recovery , a report

detailing the work done by the All-Party Committee on Mental Health.

In the

near future, we will announce plans to redesign the mental health and addictions

service system across the province, beginning with a long overdue replacement of

the Waterford Hospital.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS. P. PARSONS:

In 2017, the Premier's Task

Force on Improving Educational Outcomes released its report,

Now is the Time . Our government will

use this report's recommendations to support children and youth in Newfoundland

and Labrador to achieve their full potential. We committed to releasing an

education action plan to guide implementation of the report's 82

recommendations.

During

this sitting of the House of Assembly, amendments to the

Schools Act, 1997 will be brought forward to address the provision

of alternate instruction where someone's presence would indeed be detrimental to

the well-being of other students.

Five new

schools opened in 2017, and the major development of three others has

progressed. Mr. Speaker, at this time it gives me great pleasure and I'm very

pleased to say there is finally a concrete, real plan in place for the long

overdue Coley's Point replacement project.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS. P. PARSONS:

I've met with our Premier

numerous times, we continue to meet. Of course, when I've stressed this problem,

because it indeed is a problem, with a 65-year-old structure, the Premier has

heard me and I am very grateful to say we received the people – the children of

Coley's Point Primary and the staff and the parents and the residents of our

district will be supported. Of course, I'll continue to work with our Premier

and our ministers on this. Needless to say, we can't wait until we turn the sod

on this project. Constructions of other new schools will happen in Gander and

Paradise and will begin this year.

Our

government will implement a comprehensive technology plan for the K to 12

system, including the addition of coding to the curriculum.

continue to support Memorial University and the College of the North Atlantic.

We'll work to ensure that tuition at both institutions remain affordable and,

again, remain among the lowest in the country.

Our

province is home to some of the world's most talented artists. They come right

from Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker; and, of course, we will certainly

invest and capitalize on our beautiful and unique culture.

Our

government brought forward a new Status of

the Artist Act to recognize the important role artists play in contributing

to the culture, social and economic well-being of the province.

We have

also committed to renewing the cultural plan, Creative Newfoundland and

Labrador, by January 2019. Of course, Mr. Speaker, everywhere we go we know we

always bump into talented Newfoundlanders and Labradorians all over the world.

One

example of how we are capitalizing on our culture is through the provincial film

and television industry, which exceeded $50 million in expenditures for the

first time this year. This employs an estimated 640 full-time positions.

Building

on the success of the popular Republic of

Doyle , and of course we're encouraging everyone to tune into CBC's new

production to watch Allan Hawco's new series,

Caught , which was written by the award-winning author, Lisa Moore.

Also, don't forget to tune into Little Dog ,

featuring our very own Joel Thomas Hynes and our female strong producer Sherry

White.

As we

know, the stories of Newfoundland and Labrador can captivate audiences all over

the world, and look no further than the success from

Come From Away on Broadway featured in New York, telling the story

of the beautiful people of Gander and surrounding communities, how they opened

up their hearts and their homes and they helped during that major terrorism

crisis of 911.

While we

recognize the importance of our traditional Newfoundland and Labrador culture,

our government also recognizes the benefits of embracing cultures from all over

the world. In 2017, our government launched The Way Forward on Immigration where

our goal is to welcome 1,700 new immigrants to the province by 2020. As well,

our government is committed to the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program, which is

a new way to help employers recruit talent internationally.

We will

also launch a new International Entrepreneur and International Graduate

Entrepreneur categories under the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee

Program to further encourage economic growth in our lovely province. Our

province has much to gain by welcoming more immigrants. Newcomers provide fresh

ideas which our province can embrace to grow and diversify our economy. This is

very important in light, of course, of our aging demographics and our workforce.

Mr.

Speaker, also we must always work with our harvesters in our fishery, our

inshore and offshore harvesters and all players in the industry. As mentioned by

His Honour, the fishery certainly is the backbone of our province and we must do

everything we can to work with those players for our natural renewable

resources.

I am

proud to be part of a government focused on the needs and the priorities of

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Mr. Speaker, I am confident in this team and I

am confident when I say that this Premier, our Cabinet, our government as a

whole will continue to be honest and to work with and on behalf of the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador, as we were elected to do.

conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I now move that a select committee be appointed to

draft an Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the

District of

Labrador West.

MR.

LETTO:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am pleased to rise today on behalf of the

constituents of Labrador West and second the motion that a select committee be

appointed to draft an Address in Reply to this year's Speech from the Throne.

I have to begin by first thanking His Honour the

Lieutenant-Governor for delivering the Speech from the Throne today and like my

colleague, the MHA for Harbour Grace - Port de Grave, I would like to thank the

Hon. Frank Fagan and his wife, Patricia, for their dedicated service to our

great province.

Mr.

Speaker, I am one of four Members of the House of Assembly who represents the

diverse and distinct area of the province known as the Big Land, Labrador, along

with my colleagues, the Members for Torngat Mountains, Lake Melville and

Cartwright – L'Anse au Clair. Under the leadership of our Premier, who is also

the Minister of Labrador and Indigenous Affairs, reconciliation with indigenous

people is a priority.

Last year, our government convened the first provincial

indigenous round table with representatives of indigenous governments, women's

groups and friendship centres. We will be holding a second indigenous round

table later this year. Our government is working to ensure that future

generations will grow in the spirit of reconciliation.

In November, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized

to former students in Newfoundland and Labrador residential schools, calling the

treatment of indigenous children in residential schools a dark and shameful

chapter in our country's history. As mentioned in the Speech from the Throne,

our government will offer our own apology to residential school survivors.

We are all aware of the ongoing National Inquiry into

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. While there have been delays,

and we hear heart-wrenching stories from families impacted by violence, it is

important that this process occurs. I want to thank my colleague, the MHA for

Torngat Mountains, for attending hearings last week in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Last week, all Members of this hon. House supported the

private Member's resolution introduced by the MHA for Torngat Mountains in

support of the Moose Hide Campaign – and I know, Mr. Speaker, you were a great

part of that – a grassroots movement of indigenous and non-indigenous men who

are taking a stand against violence targeting women and children. I am proud to

say we are the fourth Legislature in Canada to support the Moose Hide Campaign.

Mr. Speaker, it is my intent during my brief response

today to highlight some of the great initiatives in Labrador that will

contribute significantly to the sustainability of our province. When it comes to

tourism, our future is bright.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

LETTO:

There are big opportunities in the Big Land. Labrador's beautiful landscapes and

vast wilderness make it an incredible destination for tourists.

Just last week, 41 teams from Newfoundland and

Labrador, Ontario, Quebec, the United States and Finland competed in Cain's

Quest, one of the world's toughest and most extreme snowmobile races; 3,200

kilometres across the

snow and ice of Labrador in 118 hours and 28 minutes on snowmobile. That's the

time it took Team Maine to repeat as winners of Cain's Quest 2018, followed an

hour later by Team Innu Hawks and Team Southern Sno Riders. With over 400

volunteers from all corners of Labrador involved, Cain's Quest 2018 was a

tremendous success.

Labrador

was also the only Canadian destination to make

National Geographic magazine's Places to Visit in 2018, helping to

spread the news the Mealy Mountains National Park Reserve offers a tourism

experience unlike any other in the world. The beautiful and majestic Torngat

Mountains offers a spiritual experience that cannot be matched anywhere else on

this planet.

The

national historic site of Battle Harbour and UNESCO's Basque whaling site in Red

Bay are on many tourists bucket lists. As the Trans-Labrador Highway is more

developed each year, access to the untapped and beautiful interior of Labrador

becomes more achievable.

Not only

is tourism a great way to showcase Newfoundland and Labrador to the world, it is

an important economic driver for the province. Last year, more than 553,000

people travelled here and spent an estimated $575 million. This was the highest

non-resident spending we have ever seen.

Mr.

Speaker, we certainly cannot forget the benefits of our mining industry. Mining

continues to be a major contributor to our provincial economy. It is forecasted

that 6,000 people will be employed in the industry this year and $3.4 billion in

mineral shipments. I am pleased that a new mineral strategy will be developed

for the province in consultation with the mining industry stakeholders to

identify new opportunities and guide future growth.

Labrador's natural resources have been, and will continue to be long into the

future, a major contributor to this province's economy. From the iron ore mines

of the Labrador Trough in Western Labrador, to the rich nickel deposits of

Voisey's Bay in Nunatsiavut, to the potential of rare earth minerals in

Southeastern Labrador, Labrador is poised to capitalize on both those existing

and emerging developments.

Mr.

Speaker, although we are far from the production stage, the oil and natural gas

deposits off the shores of Labrador will play a huge role in the future

development of our offshore resources in this province. This is certainly

recognized in through The Way Forward on

Oil and Gas: Advance 2030 – A Plan for

Growth in the Newfoundland and Labrador Oil and Gas Industry .

Guided

by The Way Forward and the Cabinet

Committee on Jobs, our government is working to revitalize and develop

traditional and emerging industries. The new Department of Fisheries and Land

Resources brings together a singular focus on renewable resources including

agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, forestry and lands. Since the formation of

this department, we have held summits in agriculture and aquaculture, initiated

diversification efforts in the forest industry, established a Fisheries Advisory

Council and launched the Atlantic Fisheries Fund in partnership with the federal

government.

Mr.

Speaker, we cannot underestimate the important role the fishery continues to

play on the Coast of Labrador. Over the years, the Labrador Fishermen's Union

Shrimp Company in the south and Torngat Fisheries in the north have and

continues to contribute significantly to the sustainability of the communities

in which they operate. To compete in the global marketplace, our government will

continue to support the fishery and aquaculture industries to achieve

efficiencies and to produce highest quality, sustainably-sourced products.

Mr.

Speaker, our government inherited many challenges but we remain committed to

turning things around. One of the biggest fiscal challenges our government is

facing is undoubtedly Muskrat Falls. We have worked diligently with Nalcor to

get this project back on track. A project that was only 48 per cent complete two

years ago is now 90 per cent complete. The transmission line with Nova Scotia

was finished, connecting our province to the North American power grid for the

first time.

There

were many questions and answers and concerns about the Muskrat Falls Project

when we took office. We have launched a public inquiry into the Muskrat Falls

Project which is being led by Justice Richard D. LeBlanc and we look forward to

receiving a final report from the inquiry by December 2019.

Mr.

Speaker, municipalities in our province play an important role, not only in town

planning activities but also in economic planning and development. Our approach

to engagement has been innovative and collaborative, and the second annual

Premier's Forum on Local Governance was held on November 1, 2017. It's through

forums like this, our government receives significant insight into what

municipalities need and they allow us to better collaborate with communities to

reach our shared goals.

Our

government is committed to engaging with Newfoundlanders and Labradorians on

issues that impact them. We will work closely with Municipalities Newfoundland

and Labrador, the Professional Administrators association and the Combined

Councils of Labrador to ensure that our municipalities remain sustainable for

years to come.

Last

March, we released The Way Forward: A

Multi-Year Plan for Infrastructure Investments that outlines infrastructure

projects across all sectors of government such as education, health, justice and

transportation. With almost 10,000 kilometres of road and more than 1,300

bridges and large culverts, it is simply not possible to enhance our entire

highway infrastructure in a single construction season. In 2017, more than 500

lane kilometres of highway were paved, more than 365 culverts were replaced and

18 bridges repaired.

Mr.

Speaker, transportation remains a critical focus for the development of

Labrador. Our government is proud to proceed with the completion of the

Trans-Labrador Highway, in partnership with the federal government. We will not

stop until all sections of the Trans-Labrador Highway are paved from the Quebec

border in the south, to the Quebec border in the west.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. LETTO:

Until we have a year-round

road connection to the Inuit communities in Nunatsiavut and the Innu of

Natuashish, we will continue to ensure they receive the best marine service that

they rightly deserve.

We also

recognize the vital role the Strait of Belle Isle plays in our province's

economy. Whether it is by marine travel or through a fixed link, it is

imperative that we maintain a service that is reliable, sufficient and effective

for the people who use this valuable service. We will also continue to support

safe winter trails, access to isolated Labrador communities through the Labrador

Transportation Grooming Subsidy.

Mr.

Speaker, I was born and raised in Labrador and it is an honour for me here today

to serve the residents of Labrador West as their MHA, and I take it very

seriously. The improvements I have seen since we formed government are

undeniable. Under the leadership of our Premier –

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. LETTO: –

Labrador has flourished and continues to be a major economic driver for this

province.

Mr.

Speaker, I have talked about our natural resources, our great tourism potential,

our fishery resource, among many others, but, Mr. Speaker, our greatest resource

is our people and the diversity of the 27,000 souls we have in Labrador. The

Innu of the Innu Nation, the Inuit of Nunatsiavut, the southern Inuit of

NunatuKavut, the settler and, yes, Mr. Speaker, the immigrant are all part of

the fabric that make us so proud to call Labrador home.

If we

are to be successful on The Way Forward ,

it is then our duty to ensure that the diversity of our people is an opportunity

and not a barrier. That is our hope for the future.

Mr.

Speaker, once again, it's a great honour to second the motion that a Select

Committee be appointed to draft an Address in Reply in response to the Speech

from the Throne.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon.

the Leader of the Official Opposition.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, on behalf of the Official Opposition, I thank the Lieutenant-Governor

for delivering the Speech from the Throne here today.

Mr.

Speaker, in recent history, Lieutenant-Governors in this province have served

for five to six years. His Honour was appointed in March 2013, making this his

fifth year in this post. Whether or not we're privileged to hear him deliver

another Throne Speech next year, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank him

for his service and also for the service of his wife, Mrs. Fagan, for their

exemplary service to the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. P. DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker, I also thank the

mover and the seconder who just spoke here in this hon. House, and I would also

like to commend the Third Party Leader and the Premier who will get to speak.

All Members who are here today serve the people of our province, including my

own colleagues here in the Official Opposition caucus.

Mr.

Speaker, what a privilege we have to serve the people. As elected Members we

have a responsibility, and no greater honour can bestowed upon us than to be

elected and to represent our peers and our communities.

I thank

the judges and the leaders of the various sectors of our province; leaders in

business, labour, in academia, faith, culture, leaders in public service, the

community sector, municipal governance, students and youth who are paying

attention to these events today. I thank the people of our province for

attending or for watching at home.

Mr.

Speaker, as referenced by others earlier today and in the Lieutenant-Governor's

delivery as well, but I suspect there are other televised events which probably

have a little bit higher ratings than this one here this afternoon.

For

example, the recent gold medal skate by Kaetlyn Osmond and the beautiful

performance that she provided. I don't think anyone could every do anything to

make Newfoundlanders and Labradorians more proud than the beautiful performance

delivered by Ms. Osmond.

This

month we're watching, as referenced earlier, Liam Hickey, completing the in

Paralympic sledge hockey. I think in the first two games with him as part of

Team Canada – I know there have been three games now – they outscored their

opposite by 27-0.

As also

referenced, Mr. Hickey has also previously competed in Paralympic wheelchair

basketball. A very rare feat of having a Paralympics athlete, especially from

this province, to perform in both summer and winter games, I think speaks

volumes for his efforts.

We'll be

cheering on Katarina Roxon again in the near future at the Commonwealth Games in

Australia in April. As referenced earlier, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention

as well, Team Newfoundland and Labrador brought home 34 medals at the North

American Indigenous Games last summer.

I'll

reference my own district very briefly, Sarah Davis, who's a world-class hockey

player that we are all so very proud of. Nicholas Quinn from my district as well

was joined by Brooklyn Wolfrey and they provided, I think, a first-class

representation of Newfoundland and Labrador at the World Dwarf Games last

summer.

be preforming here at home, back here in Newfoundland and Labrador and being the

star of his team in so many ways.

Mr.

Speaker, just this past weekend and during the past week, we watched very

carefully as we had two teams really representing Newfoundland and Labrador. One

led by Skip Gregory Smith, who has captured the imagination and interest of

young and old from coast to coast and was duly rewarded and recognized for that

this past weekend. While they're a new team, we know we haven't seen or heard

the last of them. We wish Greg Smith and his team all the very best in the

future.

course, the reference to Team Gushue with their second back-to-back Canadian

championships at the Brier, which we all stayed up late to watch and enjoy his

past weekend.

Mr.

Speaker, if it isn't sports, it's academics and innovation where Newfoundlanders

and Labradorians are leading and showing up and doing great and wonderful

things. Memorial and the College of the North Atlantic students recently placed

second last year in the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Speed Competition in California. We

have so many people of our province and young people in our province who are

high achievers and doing wonderful things. Mr. Speaker, this is our future, our

people are our future and nothing is more valuable.

Mr.

Speaker, the Throne Speech today, as we've seen traditionally, is some time for

stepping back and also a time for being specific about the short-term future,

less so for the long-term future, but being specific for a short-term future but

also a chance to look at the big picture.

Today's

speech says the government's plans are working. Well, Mr. Speaker, sadly we're

at a time when we have a province with so many people with so much to offer, so

many young people with so much to offer; the most significant story in our

province right now is a story of loss, lost income from the crushing burden of

taxes imposed by the Liberal government, loss of jobs, a loss of homes and

businesses in an economy that's shrinking, a loss of opportunities gone to other

jurisdictions.

Mr.

Speaker, not that many years ago we believed we were the best and the brightest,

and had the greatest future. We had a spring in our step and we believed in

ourselves. Well, Mr. Speaker, we've lost hope. We've lost hope that there's a

plan for better things to come. As I mentioned earlier, there's nothing more

important than our people. The loss of people is devastating our province.

Mr.

Speaker, it's interesting to see that the speech today refers to immigration and

attracting people while we're the only jurisdiction in Canada with an economy

that's going in the wrong direction. I recently spoke to someone in the moving

business, who has been in the moving business for many, many years and he's also

in the business of moving families out of this province. That company alone,

from 2015 to 2017, has seen a 30 per cent increase in the business of moving

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians out to other provinces – a 30 per cent increase

since 2015.

Mr.

Speaker, government has just allocated a significant sum of money to conduct a

survey to find out why people are leaving; 2½ years into office, we wished that

they had of been listening because they would already know the answer. For the

last 2½ years, if they had of spent more time listening, thinking about the

future, thinking and considering the impacts of their decisions, I think today

the picture would look different.

In 2015,

the current government ran on a long list of promises, including a commitment to

deliver on an economic plan developed by some of the best minds in the province,

they said. They said a plan that the people would like. As it turns out, there

was no plan, Mr. Speaker. Even though we've seen plans and discussion of plans

such as we've seen LEAP, we've seen the Road Ahead Tour, we've seen

A Stronger Tomorrow and now the talk

is The Way Forward .

The Way Forward

document, Mr. Speaker, a thinly worded document of 12 long-range goals, I think

what it really does is lower the expectations that people should have for this

government. But it does include things like increased physical activity, fruit

and vegetable consumption and decreasing obesity and smoking. The history and

the past of this government is when their plans don't work, however, they like

to blame somebody else. They like to blame citizens or someone else when they

fail.

Where

are the commitments, Mr. Speaker, to deliver on actions that a government can

make? Choices like cutting taxes or reducing poverty, creating the conditions

for economic growth and diversification, or standing up for our fair share in

the federation.

Some ask

why doesn't the government hold itself to a commitment that depends on its own

choices. That takes real courage and can be difficult to do. We do know that

leading and governing is not easy, but just setting up people to take the blame

for failure is not acceptable. Even the ministerial mandates, some have been

rewritten. It appears to be lowering the bar on expectations.

Mr.

Speaker, people in our province, especially our young people in our province,

are tired of excuses and are tired of having others being blamed for the failure

of what was promised to the people of our province back in 2015. Keeping our

young people here should be a priority for our government. Not just simply a

priority to talk about, but a priority to deliver on.

The

government has to inspire our youth to stay here in Newfoundland and Labrador,

not give them reasons to leave our province, Mr. Speaker. The government ought

to focus, first and foremost, on securing Newfoundland and Labrador's future.

They talk about that from a long-term perspective. They should also be looking

at the current day and the short term ahead.

Mr.

Speaker, Quebec is busy fighting for Quebec. To be frank, they're doing a good

job of it. Ontario is fighting for Ontario. In the meantime, the question is:

Who's standing up for Newfoundland and Labrador?

Mr.

Speaker, we know that the government has referred today in the Speech to

consumers being concerned about automobile insurance rates, and the government

has indicated a willingness to fix that. Well, the high cost of insurance rates

is impacting hard-working families in our province. It's impacting the

transportation industry, it's impacting taxi businesses and it's increasing

costs for everything else.

We won't

have to wait long, because tomorrow we will be debating taxes on insurance in

this very House, and I look forward to the government Members supporting our

motion to encourage the government for change. It needs to change, Mr. Speaker,

the taxes are hurting so many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Mr.

Speaker, we also heard in the Speech from the Throne reference to a February

announcement, an invitation for submissions regarding post-traumatic stress

disorder that's impacting workers here in Newfoundland and Labrador. It's

actually the second time government announced asking for submissions, because in

2017 they sought submissions with an earlier deadline, and now they've asked

again for a second round of submissions. Wording is slightly changed, but I hope

the goal is not changed in the end.

Mr.

Speaker, the truth of it is that first responders and other classifications of

workers in our province are suffering because our government has not yet

identified and accepted an accumulation of exposures can cause illness for

workers. If a worker today cannot identify the place and the time for the

illness, they're not entitled to workers' compensation benefits. Their families

are paying for that.

Someone

in our province – I'm glad it's there, but we're going to continue to push to

see changes in the future. But, Mr. Speaker, someone has to make Newfoundland

and Labrador the number one priority. Someone has to make Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians the number one priority. It certainly won't be Quebec or Ontario,

that's for sure. That job is supposed to fall to the province's government. For

the last 2½ years the government has not lived up to the responsibilities and to

the many promises they made during 2015.

Mr.

Speaker, the clock is ticking down on this government and an election is

approaching. We're entering the dying days of a mandate that's too late to undo

the errors of the past 2½ years. It's been nothing but one giveaway after

another.

The

fisheries fund, minimum processing requirements are gone. We don't know what we

got in return. A fair deal on equalization is gone. The ocean technologies

headquarters is gone to Nova Scotia, a partnership with the federal government

that our current provincial government says is a good thing; principles of

Atlantic Accord. Most recently, we see the surf clam quotas and the potential

for full-time jobs on the Burin Peninsula to be impacted by this partnership

with the federal government.

Mr.

Speaker, at some point the Liberal government are going to have to make the

connection that maybe these losses of opportunity have something to do with why

people are leaving our province; but, Mr. Speaker, people are not going to stand

for this. People are too smart in our province, they see through it. They know

what's happening because the clock is ticking down.

Mr.

Speaker, our party right now is going through a leadership process. The New

Democratic Party is going through a leadership process as well. Before this

sitting ends at the end of May, our parties will be freshly focused on the

election that looms for 2019. In the meantime, we intend to be relentless in

holding the government to account for its actions and for what people see as

their failures to act. Its choices good and bad, broken promises and poor

judgment.

As an

Opposition, Mr. Speaker, as a sitting Opposition, we are all Members of the

House elected by the districts that we represent but we all have a job to do.

That's our job as an Opposition. We'll continue to propose solutions, we'll make

suggestions to strengthening legislation, look for new legislation provisions

and opportunities that will protect people and be to the benefit of our province

and we'll make suggestions for doing things a little differently to seek better

results.

As I

said, Mr. Speaker, that's our job as an Opposition. We are not going to back

away from the responsibilities that we've accepted. We'll be holding this

government to a higher standard. We'll point out how badly accountability and

openness has slipped under the current administration.

Mr.

Speaker, we'll continue to point out and ask questions as to why is the

government not being open and forthright as they promised to be? Why do they do

things such as hide information on Nalcor's CEO contract and if there is a

concern for potential conflict of interest? They say it's up to him, it's not

their responsibility.

What

about hiding information about electricity rates and their ability to mitigate

those rates, versus creating a higher level of fear in the province than is

necessary? How about hiding talks with Quebec on energy? Or how about hiding the

cost of moving the Crown Lands division from St. John's to Corner Brook? What

are the real impacts of those moves? While the minister stood here in the House

yesterday and talked about the positives, we also need to understand what the

negative repercussions of that move are.

What

about hiding the rankings for the roads from the Transportation Department? In

the Throne Speech today they talked about their five-year plan. What they won't

disclose, Mr. Speaker, is what about the roads that didn't make the cut, why did

they not make the cut and how far down the list are those roads? How about the

fact that they hid their plan to eliminate the Research & Development

Corporation during the 2017 budget Estimates Committee?

What

about their move on the legalization of cannabis and how they hid some of that

information? We stood here, and I stood here in the House last fall, while the

government denied that a sole-source contract decision had been made when, in

fact, it had been made. We stood in the House here last fall when the government

denied that they were about to announce the sole-source contract when, in fact,

the plans were in place to announce just that.

What

about details on our College of the North Atlantic and programs on probation?

intention on the generic Royalty Regime when they very quietly, without

announcement, without anyone knowing – they very quietly passed it and posted

without any announcement or without any knowledge to the general public.

What

about the Medical Association when they called for an inquiry into the health

system that's clearly in crisis? Mr. Speaker, what about their Clerk of the

Executive Council who was appointed when he had a clear conflict of interest? He

was suing the government that he then led.

Mr.

Speaker, bad governance produces bad results. The facts speak for themselves.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. P. DAVIS:

The government will not tell

all of the facts when it doesn't benefit them. They try to hide behind them, Mr.

Speaker. Those are just some examples. I can assure you, I've shortened the list

before I came to the House here today.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. P. DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker, the government

will deliver its budget on March 27. Just a couple of days before Easter

holidays when this House takes an Easter break, when schools in our province

take an Easter break, while families take some time away from the daily routines

and spend some time with their own families and their own children.

Mr.

Speaker, during that Easter break we'll be digging in to the details of the

budget. We'll be searching for the facts that lay beneath the top pages because

people have a right to see beyond the varnished truth, and we'll be doing our

job to expose that – the same job we were elected to do.

Mr.

Speaker, while other Canadian economies are growing and the greatest economies

in the world continue to grow, our province can grow as well but only if we turn

away from the happenings of the past and we work together to drive our economy,

and not drive it into the ground but drive it forward.

Today's

speech says we cannot afford the fiscal situation, but so far we've seen little

done by the government to deal with it, other than taxes and fees on the people

of our province – the people who are now leaving Newfoundland and Labrador.

It's not

a time for government to have a knee-jerk reaction. It's a time to maintain

assets, not to sell assets off; to maintain what is powerful and important to

our province, not for any short-sighted and not well-thought-out plans. The time

now is to stabilize the province and to turn our province from believing the

best opportunity is to leave and turn that into the best opportunity is to stay.

We want nothing more than for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to stay here,

raise their families here and to contribute back to our province. Mr. Speaker,

for 2½ years, before excuses and blame, it's time for that to stop because the

clock is counting down.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Third Party.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

I'm very

pleased this afternoon to stand and to recognize the Speech from the Throne and

to thank the Lieutenant-Governor for being here with us today and bringing the

speech to us. I also want to thank visitors who have been here with us, some who

are still here with us, those who are watching us on television, and I want to

thank all my colleagues here in the House as we start a new session of the 48th

General Assembly.

With

this Speech from the Throne, Mr. Speaker, it's a well-written speech, I have to

say, and there are some good things in it. We have a piece on women's

employment, especially in the resource development sector in our large projects,

which is good. We have some growth in the Provincial Nominee Program, which will

be good for immigrants. We have government talking about its five-year road

infrastructure plan, something which I've always applauded and glad to see it

there.

The

government does a great job of recognizing – and rightly so – all of our stars

in culture, in tourism and in sports. We all applaud them. But while I'm really

proud of them – I don't want to name them all because I'll miss somebody. We

have our huge stars, our Olympic winners and we have the Brier winner, the world

winners on both levels in skating and in curling. We have tremendous stars and I

am so proud of them. I wish I could be just as proud of this government as I am

of those.

understand why government honoured them. I understand why the Leader of the

Official Opposition honoured them because we don't have much to honour with

regard to this government.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS. MICHAEL:

With a government, Mr.

Speaker, in this Speech from the Throne –

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS. MICHAEL:

– we have a stay-the-course

speech; business as usual from this government. I find that very disappointing.

Probably one of the most disappointing phrases in the Speech from the Throne for

me was, under the Fiscal section: “… we must continue to do better with less ….”

I just find that, Mr. Speaker, such a weak, defeatist attitude.

What I

want from a government, what I want for our people is: How can we build

together? What is the plan we can work on together to build our economy? An

economy that is not there just to make money for business but an economy that's

there to take care of our people; an economy that's there to keep our young

people here; an economy that knows that everybody here is important and

everything we do has to be there from them.

What I

miss from this government, Mr. Speaker, what I miss from their planning is that:

planning. What I would like to see and what I would do if I were in the position

that the Premier is in, is put together a plan that brings together all the

pieces, that looks at culture, that looks at tourism, that looks at agriculture,

that looks at our educational system and every other piece of government all

together in how do all of these pieces fit together to move forward. Not silos,

not paragraphs on this and paragraphs on that, but how does it all fit together?

How do we plan in putting our infrastructure together? How do we plan to make

that work for the people? Where is the plan that brings all the pieces together?

It's one

thing to talk about you giving Crown land for agriculture, but the big picture

is what is needed to make agriculture grow to the point where, number one, it

does give us food security and, number two, it increase our economy.

Where

does tourism fit in that picture of our fiscal planning? What is government's

role in sitting together with people? Not saying we have a plan, we're going to

consult you, but let's work out the plans together, Mr. Speaker. This is what we

need.

We have

had, over the last decade and more – more than that – all kinds of

consultations. We had a Rural Secretariat. We had our RED boards. We had so many

structures in place where people came together. I'm absolutely certain that if

we went through all of those discussions, their recommendations – I've read some

fantastic papers that came out of those discussions, especially during the Rural

Secretariat days.

If we

put it all together, we would get a cohesive plan. We would get a plan that

shows how everything fits together and how our fiscal reality has to be done in

that cohesive way. That's what we're missing. There's no vision for how that can

be done. It can be done because other places do it. Why can't we do it here?

Why

can't we, for example, in looking at our plan, we put all the overlays –

sometimes we call it gender lens but it's overlays, so the overlay of gender.

Why is there no child care plan? Why is there no plan for child care? We have to

ask the question.

How will

our economy grow? It will grow with more people employed. If more women aren't

employed, what is going to happen? We need more women employed.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS. MICHAEL:

They've proven it in other

places. So you take that overlay and you do your economic planning with that

overlay there.

You do

the same thing from a disability perspective. You do the same thing from an

immigration perspective. It's not immigration is over here, child care is over

there and education is over there; it's all together. This government has not

yet – and that's why I'm so disappointed with what I said I was disappointed

with – shown to us, shown to the people of this province that it knows how to do

that kind of analysis and how to do that kind of planning and putting pieces

together, Mr. Speaker.

It's not

just let's sit down with municipalities, where do municipalities fit in the

overall plan of keeping all of this province vibrant and alive? Where does that

fit? It's not: we have rural issues here and urban issues here. No. How does it

all work together? How does tourism, for example, work with the growth of our

rural communities?

Just

like other places in the world, we're not the only ones we know with wonderful

history and wonderful landscape. You can go everywhere in the world to get it.

We do have our own, but do we promote it? When I think of the places you can go

to on the Island and in Labrador, which are just magnificent, but do we promote

it?

Government has to sit with everybody in all the areas, with industry, in tourism

and plan together and show how government can work with them. Not just say,

isn't Cain's Quest wonderful? Government has nothing to do with Cain's Quest. It

is wonderful, but – well, I wouldn't do it – government has nothing to do with

it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS. MICHAEL:

Government has nothing to do

with most of the things. They put a few bucks in here and there, but they don't

sit and plan and say: What is government's responsibility as we move forward?

That's

what I miss. That's what I miss from this government. That's what I miss again

from the Speech from the Throne, because as it said, it's a stay-the-course

speech. We just keep going as we are. We just keep cutting and doing with less.

No build for the future. You don't say because we are where we are that we just

stay here. No, you build for the future and that's not here. There's no vision

for that, Mr. Speaker.

So, yes,

it's very, very disappointing. Economic development, there's none. There's

nothing in there for economic development. We have to put the economic and the

social together. So in looking at social infrastructure – I remember once using

the phrase here in the House and somebody said: What did you mean by social

infrastructure? That question in and of itself is a mouth full.

Look at

our social infrastructure and see how that connects with the economic. I've said

this before in this House and I'll say it again, I've mentioned child care.

Child care is taking care of a social need, and it is economic growth. That's

the kind of putting together of concepts that we have to do in our planning.

That's the kind of integration that has to happen in our planning, and I don't

see any of that integration in this plan, Mr. Speaker.

It's the

same way; let's bring the social and the economic together again. It's the same

way with home care. Our home care needs to be part and parcel of our public

health care system. It isn't. Here in this province it is not part of our public

health care system.

In doing

that, not only will you have better paid people working, better trained and

better paid people working, not only will you have seniors and those needing

long-term care being better taken care of, you'll have more people employed. The

more people you have employed and making better money, the better that is for

the economy. So it all goes together. That's the kind of planning that has to

happen, and that's the kind of planning that we don't have.

This

document, as well, our Speech today does not recognize the demographic reality

of who we are. It doesn't recognize that we are losing our young people. Whether

the government wants to acknowledge it or not, we are. It's happening on a

regular basis. And at the same time, our numbers of senior people are growing.

The

government says it has a home – home first is their goal, or it is their policy,

or it is their vision, and saying home-first they do cuts to home care hours.

Now where does that fit? Where is the plan for putting home care up front and

understanding its needs socially and economically?

Mr.

Speaker, government also said they're supporting Memorial University and the

College of the North Atlantic – and that's it. That's the statement they made,

that their support is unwavering. Well, is it really unwavering? MUN is

crumbling. As a physical infrastructure, MUN is crumbling. Again, the lack of

integration, the lack of looking at what is the role of our post-secondary

institutions in the economic growth? What is it? We have it happening. I mean a

lot of the research that's going on at MUN, a lot of the work at the College is

part of our economic growth but it's not happening because government has the

vision.

How do

we work with the institutions to continue to create the opportunities for our

young people and the opportunities for business that will make sure our young

people are getting educated in a way that will give them jobs? And not just jobs

outside of this province, but more important, jobs in this province.

So, Mr.

Speaker, we have a long ways to go. I'm quite disappointed that government is

still not showing the kind of vision that we need in this province. I have to

say, am I looking forward to the budget? Well, it's going to be very interesting

to see how some of the things get played out in the budget. If it's all based on

we got to do better with less, than I'm not very hopeful.

Thank

you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon.

the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'm

certainly pleased to be able to rise and speak to the Speech from the Throne. I

will say right from the outset, I really wasn't expecting riveting speeches from

the Opposition and they certainly delivered on that.

I do,

before I begin, want to say a big thank you to Their Honours, the

Lieutenant-Governor and his wife, the Fagans. They've been a pleasure to work

with, Mr. Speaker, and it's really too early to tell what the future will hold

for this couple but I will tell you they have done a remarkable job representing

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and opening up Government House. I want to

mention that, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER BALL:

We've had judges, we've had

clergy, we've had movers and seconders. Mr. Speaker, we've had Opposition

Leaders that have spoken to the Speech from the Throne so far today, and I will

tell you over the next few months I guess we will hear many more speeches in

Address in Reply that will relate to how we feel about this government and how

we feel about the direction we've been taking it in.

When you

think about it, it's something like a compass for this government. It speaks

about the social and the economic responsibilities we have in really trying to

find what that balance is all about. That is what today's speech was all about,

Mr. Speaker. It sprinkled in, to a large degree, the initiatives we've done over

the last few years and where we see where the future initiatives will be.

Mr.

Speaker, I find it quite surprising to some degree, as I listened to the Leader

of the Third Party I actually was expecting an endorsement from

The Way Forward as she was speaking,

because everything she talked about is exactly what

The Way Forward is all about.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER BALL:

We only released that I would

say in November of 2016. It speaks to the growth and sustainability of

Newfoundland and Labrador.

She

talked about bringing people together in this umbrella. Well, we call that

summits. We've had three since September. We've done it with technology – maybe

you missed that, I say to the Leader of the Third Party. But we've done it with

technology and aerospace, we've done it with aquaculture. We actually done it

from the very industry that she spoke so much about, the agricultural industry.

She actually talked about silos, how unique that is when you mention

agriculture; but, indeed, it wasn't a silo that day.

We had

industry leaders there who gave endorsement to our agriculture summit and where

we are. As a matter of fact, even the Member for Mount Pearl North endorsed our

agricultural sector, I would say, Mr. Speaker, as well as many other people

across this province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER BALL:

Do I speak with passion about

those industry summits that we've done? Of course I do, Mr. Speaker, because it

is about the future of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

PREMIER BALL:

It is about job creation. It

is about putting in place a good economic footprint for the people of our

province, as well as a social footprint, Mr. Speaker. As the Members rose and

did speak to that, I certainly was reminded of the very successful summits that

we've had. It's unfortunate because it was about preparing.

By the

way, I will want to remind people that are listening that what the Member

opposite said, talked about no overall plan. Well, there are actually

initiatives in place, targets that will be reported to the people of this

province. All I'd say to Members opposite is pick it up because they're

initiatives with targets in place that address agriculture, aquaculture,

technology and aerospace, Mr. Speaker.

I will

say that just a few weeks ago when we did the technology summit, it was a large

room, a lot of people from industry there. So it really wasn't a silo, a lot of

people from industry there. We had some of the brightest minds in this province

in attendance that day.

Near the

end of that session, Mr. Speaker, we asked people in that room if you're less

than 30 years old to stand up. There were a lot of people that stood up. Many

people stood up in that room. There was a loud round of applause for those young

people because they didn't see the future in our province like the Leader of the

Opposition sees the future of this province. They did not see the future of this

province like the Member for the Third Party sees this province. They saw

themselves in the future of this province. They were there.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER BALL:

Mr. Speaker, I will speak a

bit on the Speech from the Throne, but I cannot let two Members opposite in this

House today stand up and give a doom-and-gloom approach to the future of our

province.

Just a

few weeks ago, we had an ex-Finance minister, an NDP Finance minister from

another province had stepped in here and said that Newfoundland and Labrador –

an NDP Finance minister now, from another province, stepped in and said

Newfoundland and Labrador is going bankrupt. I can assure people that are

watching this today, I can assure her colleagues in another province that this

province is not going bankrupt, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER BALL:

The Leader of the Opposition

made mention about hiding things. He talked about taxes by government, about

increasing fees by government. Mr. Speaker, the biggest single tax on the future

of this province that was hidden from the people of this province is the Tory

tax on electricity. For today, I say to the Member of the Third Party, it's the

only thing that you and I will agree on because you sat in this House and you

saw and you heard the debate. The Tory tax on electricity is the most

significant impact – people who are looking at our province, it is the biggest

single challenge that we have facing us.

Just a

few days ago, the Leader of the Opposition said: Well, that's an asset. Well,

Mr. Speaker, let me tell you what an asset is. An asset has a value, if it can

actually generate an amount of money to actually even pay for itself. So in this

particular case, an asset is determined by our electricity rates. For

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, seniors and people in our society and the

business community in our society will be exposed to this.

actually even mentioned today about doubling the rates, as if that wasn't going

to happen, as a result of the decisions that they made. Mr. Speaker, I want to

remind people in this province, when it comes to hiding things, it was the

former PC administration in this province that refused to put that project

through the PUB process. They cut it off when they were 90 days away from their

review, Mr. Speaker. That is what happened.

So when

people opposite stand up in this House and talk about hiding things – he talks

about blaming things. What I talk about is accept the responsibility for the

decisions that you made. It is not about blaming others. It is about accepting

responsibility for the decisions that you made.

Mr.

Speaker, I also want to talk about 10 years, when $25 billion in revenue that

came into this province. This is not blaming anyone. These are just facts. This

is history. This is about the money that was available to prepare for the future

of our province. In 10 years, seven deficits that the former government with $25

billion coming from the oil royalties and from that industry. Mr. Speaker, seven

deficits and they talk about the fiscal situation of our province today, after

living that, posting deficits, not preparing for the future when you had the

opportunity. Given the opportunity to prepare this province for the future, they

walked away and decided not to do it.

Today,

they talk about the situation this province is in. This is a group that nearly

bankrupted this province, Mr. Speaker. A $2.7 billion deficit was what was

facing us when we took government in 2015. So yes, we had a lot of work to do.

No, I will agree, this is not a perfect job, this is not a perfect world but we

have made decisions to put in place a firm foundation to rebuild this province.

We are

rebuilding it with the vision that we put out there in November of 2016 called

The Way Forward . The initiatives are

there to include every single Newfoundlander and Labradorian. When the Members

say that we do not include municipalities, this is the first government that has

ever sat down with municipal leaders. They are coming out loud and clear

endorsing what happens as we have those round tables on an annual basis, Mr.

Speaker.

So yes,

we have put in short-term measures, Mr. Speaker, to correct where we are today.

We put in mid-year measures because we also realize that we have a population

that needs to be taken care of today. They rely on services that are often

delivered by governments, and we are mindful of that too. But we also must put

in long-term goals so that we can protect the future of young Newfoundlanders

and Labradorians.

I also

want to address who is standing up for Newfoundland and Labrador. Mr. Speaker, I

can assure you, you have Members on this side of the House that are standing up

for Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER BALL:

And we have partners with this government that are standing up for

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. We have seven MPs in Ottawa that are standing

up for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER BALL:

We have not shut them out. We are proud of the work that they've been able to

do, working in collaboration with Members on this side of the House. There is no

doubt, Mr. Speaker, that we will not always agree on every single issue, but I

can point to the Muskrat Falls loan guarantee, the extension on that, that

brings nearly $2 billion worth of value to this province because of the

relationship and the work that is being done.

Mr.

Speaker, what about the Oceans Protection Plan that will bring investment into

Newfoundland and Labrador? What about long, sought after and the failure of the

previous administration to get search and rescue reinstated in this province?

Why is it that Members opposite conveniently forget all of this what I'm talking

about?

What

about superclusters, just a few days ago with the announcement of superclusters,

when, in collaboration with four Atlantic provinces, a joint effort with the

federal government which will bring hundreds of millions of dollars to our

province, working with energy, working with our fishery, working with oil and

gas? Why, Mr. Speaker? Because the ocean, it's kind of natural to us. We've done

it in partnership with four Atlantic provinces and the federal government.

Mr.

Speaker, guess what? There is zero – zero – provincial dollars into that. We're

laying that on top of the investments that have been made in our province,

leveraging the investment from the federal government and with our private

partners that we have in our province.

Mr.

Speaker, I think they once again conveniently forget about the nearly $100

million in the core science building which will bring tremendous benefits to

Memorial University, our post-secondary education. No one is talking about that

from the other side of the House today, Mr. Speaker.

What

about the Trans-Labrador Highway and the investments that's been made in the

Trans-Labrador Highway? Getting criteria changed because doors were opened in

Ottawa to get the criteria changed so we can continue the investment that the

other government was willing to walk away from.

These

are the kinds of things, when you build on a relationship, that really matter.

Just a few days ago investments in broadband, early childhood education.

Mr.

Speaker, what about infrastructure? No one on the other side today even brought

it up. We have an infrastructure deficit in our province, and every day on a

regular basis we get Members opposite – Members opposite will get up and talk

about: What about the road in my district? What about the ferry in my district?

People always talked about.

Mr.

Speaker, the problems we face with our infrastructure was a generation in the

making. This did not happen overnight. This did not happen in two years. Can we

at least agree on that, that this did not happen in just two years? We're

dealing with ferries that were made in Romania, not because we made that

decision, because Members opposite.

If there

was anything that was glaring today, if there was anything at all that was

glaring to me when I listened to Members opposite when they spoke today, there

were no solutions. No solutions. All they said was, don't go blaming us. Don't

go reaching back in history and blaming me for things like Muskrat Falls and

seven deficits and spending of $25 billion. Don't go blaming me for any of that,

it's your job now.

It's

like a marathon, or it's like a relay, I should say, Mr. Speaker. When you take

that baton and you enter that race, you pick up from where another group left

off. I can tell you what, we were a long ways from the finish line when we

started that relay, Mr. Speaker.

talked about announcements, too. The Leader of the Opposition talked about

announcements. Interestingly enough, one announcement he didn't mention was the

announcement he made on Statoil at a conference just a few years ago, when

Statoil didn't even know about it. They weren't even party to this announcement.

They knew nothing about it. It was a surprise to the province and it was a

surprise to the company too, I say, Mr. Speaker.

Just

like the fisheries fund that was announced at The Rooms. It was a surprise to a

lot of people because it was supposed to be a co-operation or signing agreement

with the federal government. Again, it was a party of one.

Mr.

Speaker, there is no doubt that the history of our province over the last 10 or

12 years has been built on the oil industry. Just in recent years when you look

at all of this, we have an industry that provides great benefits to our

province.

Our

budget was based on, just a few short years ago, 35 per cent in revenue from

oil. Mr. Speaker, today it's less than 10 per cent. So we have a lot less to

work with. When I say we must do better with less, we have to do better with

less.

We have

to be mindful that we have to do things efficiently. We have to look at the

evidence and where the evidence guides us. We must do the evaluation for money

and what value can we get, because if there is anything that's important for

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians it is this: they do not want to waste their

money. They do not want to waste their money, and it's important for us.

Our

responsibility is to make sure we use those taxpayers' money wisely. We have

that responsibility. That is how we put in better social programs with better

outcomes. That is how we invest in more infrastructure in our province, Mr.

Speaker.

I get

the opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to go around this province quite a bit, and I do

it a lot. When I talk to people they reflect as well, like many of us do, and

they think about how it could have been, how it should have been. What

opportunity did we have, was there a missed opportunity? Yeah, there was, but I

will also tell you this. It's a courageous bunch we have living in this

province, and they are willing to work together.

That is

what I'm finding when I go around this province. A willingness to work together,

because they see this place as an ideal place to live, to work and raise a

family. We will continue to find a balance, strike that balance between the

social responsibility and the economic responsibility we have. It will be about

partnerships, and those partnerships will be strengthened with our federal

government, with other communities, with our educational institutions, with

organizations. Sometimes even, yes, with individuals, but also with other

provinces. We have provided and we will continue to work together.

When we

came in government in 2015, I will tell you, Mr. Speaker, and I said this

publicly many times, when you sit in a room and you're told the province is

facing a $2.7 billion deficit if you don't do anything, it was very clear there

had to be immediate action taken. I believe anyone in this room would understand

that. I think any reasonable person would understand that. Immediate action had

to be taken, Mr. Speaker.

Layered

on to that, we also knew that in a few short years we had to deal with

electricity rates; and, yes, we have rate mitigation that will be included. We

accept the responsibility that we know we had to be competitive in electricity

rates in our province. We have to be competitive for the people that live here

and for the businesses that employ Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Phase 1 of

that vision that I talked about of The Way

Forward was making sure that we established a strong fiscal foundation for

our province.

When we

came into government, Mr. Speaker, we had the same number of deputy ministers in

our province as the province of Ontario. These are the things we had to deal

with. You asked yourself: How did this happen? How would a province the size of

Newfoundland and Labrador find itself i