April

26, 2010 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLVI No. 10

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Fitzgerald): Order, please!

Admit strangers.

Today the Chair would like to recognize three recipients of the URock

Volunteer Awards and the three recipients are present in the gallery today; Ms

Emily Elliott of St. John's, Ms Kristina Roche of Torbay, and Maggie Hynes of

Dunville.

Welcome to the House of Assembly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

Statements by Members

MR. SPEAKER: The following members' statements will be heard: the hon.

the Member for the District of Exploits, the hon. the Member for the District of

Terra Nova, the hon. the Member for the District of The Isles of Notre Dame.

The hon. the Member for the District of Exploits.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. FORSEY: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mr. Elmo Waterman

on being inducted as a honourary firefighter in the Botwood Volunteer Fire

Department.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Waterman was a member of the Botwood Fire Department for

over thirty years. On February 9, 1983 while he was serving as fire chief, Elmo

was seriously injured while fighting a fire that destroyed the Botwood

Integrated Junior High School. Elmo was named outstanding firefighter for that

year and also received the Arthur Johnson Memorial Citation.

Mr. Speaker, the citation noted that after the ceiling of the school

gymnasium collapsed, Elmo fell sixteen feet from the ladder. Despite having a

compound fracture to his right leg, he managed to warn six members below, giving

them time to flee from the area. A seventh member, Len Mills was caught halfway

up the ladder and trapped underneath debris.

Mr. Speaker, despite the severity of the injury, the Chief dragged himself

out to the exit and continued instructions to members and made sure that his

colleague was rescued before he was taken to the hospital.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of this House to join me in recognizing

hometown hero Elmo Waterman.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Terra Nova.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. S. COLLINS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to recognize the significant milestone in the life of one of my

constituents, Mr. Charlie Waye who recently celebrated his 100 birthday. Mr.

Waye was born in Bonavista on March 17, 1910 and resided there until the age of

seven. After the untimely separate deaths of both his parents, a ten-year-old

Waye was taken into the foster care of Archibald and Melina Simmons of

Lethbridge. Shortly after the age of twelve, Mr. Waye went to work for the AND

Company in Terra Nova where he would remain for many years.

Mr. Waye and his late wife, Vera Keats of Bloomfield, had ten children,

sixteen grandchildren and eighteen great-grandchildren.

In 2009, Mr. Waye moved into Greenwood Senior's Home in Musgravetown. He now

spends his days contently watching his favourite TV programs and interacting

with family and friends.

When asked what his secret to longevity is, he simply replied hard work. His

birthday celebration was held at the Salvation Army Youth Hall in Lethbridge on

March 17 and was attended by over 200 people. This was certainly testament to

the admiration he has from others.

I kindly ask all members of this hon. House to join with me in wishing Mr.

Charlie Waye a very happy 100 birthday.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of The Isles of Notre

Dame.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY: Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in this hon. House today to

recognize a former student of mine, Mr. Ian Froude, an outstanding young man

from Twillingate, in the District of The Isles of Notre Dame.

Ian always had a great passion for the outdoors and the health and welfare of

those less fortunate. This became more apparent when he joined Engineers Without

Borders at Memorial University. His leadership and devotion to Engineers Without

Borders was evident through participating roles as Vice-President of

Communications, Director of Overseas Programs, Coordinator of Outreach Events,

MUN

Chapter President and Co-Chair of the successful Engineers Without Borders

National Conference held in St. John's recently.

During his tenure as President, the MUN

Chapter was selected as the Volunteer

Club/Society of the Year at MUN as well as the recipient of the Engineers

Without Borders

Chapter of the Year award among thirty-four chapters across the

country. During this period, Ian also travelled to Ghana, Africa, to share his

knowledge and to offer himself as a volunteer to help with water access, hygiene

and sanitation.

As a result of his outstanding volunteer contributions, Ian was honoured as

the Canadian Red Cross Youth Humanitarian of the Year for 2009. This distinction

is awarded annually to an individual who has demonstrated the spirit of humanity

through volunteer efforts.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of this House to join with me in

congratulating Ian Froude as the Canadian Red Cross Youth Humanitarian of the

Year and wish him well as he continues his work with the Engineers Without

Borders in the future.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Statements by Ministers.

Statements by Ministers

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

Minister Responsible for the Volunteer and Non-Profit Sector.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DENINE: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the recipients of

the inaugural year of the URock Volunteer Awards. This past Saturday night we

had a fantastic awards gala where we presented the eight recipients with their

awards while enjoying some of this Province's finest musical acts.

The URock Volunteer Awards was developed to acknowledge the unique and

creative ways young people are volunteering in their communities. Nominations

could be made in two categories: Mr. Speaker, individuals and organizations that

are non-profits. Individual nominees must have made outstanding voluntary

contributions, be thirty years of age or under and a current or past resident of

Newfoundland and Labrador. Organizations or non-profit groups nominated must be

led by young people or have made an outstanding contribution for the betterment

of youth.

Mr. Speaker, when nominations closed, sixty-five nominations were received.

The volunteer work of all these nominees was exceptional and everyone has made a

difference in the lives of someone else. If those nominated are any indication,

Mr. Speaker, the future of this Province of Newfoundland and Labrador is bright

and exciting. In the end, eight deserving recipients who have done extraordinary

work in their communities received these awards.

The recipients of the URock Volunteer Awards for 2010 were: for the group's

category, the Allied Youth of Newfoundland and Labrador; individuals: Andrea

Andersen of Makkovik; Kayla Carroll, St Lunaire-Griquet; Emily Elliott, St.

John's; Maggie Hynes, Dunville; Kristina Roche, Torbay; William Short,

Marystown; and Kendra Warford, Point Leamington.

Mr. Speaker, in honour of their unique creative volunteer activities, we

presented the winners with the equally unique and creative award. Each recipient

received a custom designed Garrison electric guitar. They really loved those

guitars, I have to tell you.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. DENINE: No, my hon. member is not getting one.

They were quite surprised to receive such an incredible piece of art and it

was a privilege to be there to present them with this prestigious award.

These remarkable young people have gone above and beyond the call of duty.

They have had a positive impact on their community. I would like to thank those

who took the time to nominate these young people. Having the support of family,

friends and mentors and getting this recognition from them is vital to these

volunteers continuing their great volunteer work. The recipients of the URock

Volunteer Awards are leaders in their communities and I hope by recognizing the

amazing work that they have done will encourage other young people to get

involved in their communities and in non-profit organizations.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

I thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement. The Leader of the

Opposition commented that everybody should get a Garrison guitar. Apparently the

government owns the company now, after some time ago.

Anyway, Mr. Speaker, it is certainly proper and appropriate to acknowledge

the contributions of volunteers, whether they are senior volunteers, middle-aged

or youth of course. A lot of the associations in our Province could not function

minor sports programs, for example, just could not exist and function if we

did not have volunteers involved coaching and at every level. It is great to say

congratulations to the three recipients who are in the gallery today, as well as

those other recipients who cannot be with us today.

It is not only rewarding, of course, to the person who does the volunteering,

but also to the person who receives the benefit of those volunteers, and it is

very much appreciated. Particularly if you see it in hospital settings and so

on, that is when you really see the benefits of volunteers. Of course, there are

not very many people who start volunteering at the age of fifty or sixty; most

people started when they were young. It is great to see that we have an

initiative here in the Province that encourages the people to get involved at

that young age, because when they do, they normally stay involved for the rest

of their adult life as well.

So hats off to these recipients. I hope they enjoy their guitar and all the

best to them. We look forward to hearing the recipients again next year.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi

Vidi.

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

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

This was really a wonderful initiative and I am glad to see it developed. I

want to use the opportunity to congratulate the winners, those who are here in

the House with us today and those who are not.

As somebody who has been involved in the volunteer sector for most of my life

all of it, I guess, from the time I could volunteer I am really happy to see

a program that emphasizes the benefits of volunteering but also recognizes the

work of young people in volunteering. It is really important that we continue to

support young people, because every now and again we hear that numbers of

volunteers are going down. The loss of volunteerism in our society would be

detrimental to our society because of all the ways in which volunteers support

the work in our society and the life of our communities.

So it is important to keep up that spirit of volunteerism, and things like

offering awards for volunteers, especially for youth volunteers, is one way to

do that; and to continue making sure that there is adequate money out there in

the not-for-profit sector to support the work of the volunteers, through core

funding as well, is also important.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity.

MR. SPEAKER: Further statements by ministers?

Oral Questions.

Oral Questions

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, today people from the St. Anthony region held a demonstration on

the steps of Confederation Building as well as in the St. Anthony area. The

concerned citizens group came here today to meet with the Premier; they came to

deliver the message that moving the air ambulance from one location to another

will not necessarily improve the services.

I ask the Premier today: Will he commit to meeting with these people who have

come so far from the Northern Peninsula and hear their issues and hear their

concerns? Mr. Speaker, we are of the understanding that there was a refusal to

meet, and in fact his office had instructed them that they should send a letter,

request a meeting, and when they get to it they would get to it.

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, over the last period of weeks I have met with the Town Council

of St. Anthony on a number of occasions. I have also met with the MHA for the

region.

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition stated today that the moving of the

plane will not necessarily improve services. I can indicate that the moving of

the plane will improve services to the people of Labrador especially and will

not result in a diminished service to the people on the Island portion of the

Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, it is also important to recognize how this issue came about. On

December 15, 2009, the Leader of the Opposition presented a 3,000-name petition

to this hon. House asking to establish a medevac team and a medical flight in

Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, we have two airplanes in this Province. We were in a situation

where we had to look at providing the best possible service. A consultant

prepared a report and, based on a number of factors, it was concluded that the

best centralized service is in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The minister knows full well that the request was for a third air medevac

service for this Province to be based in Labrador to serve the people of the

Province better. Mr. Speaker, we are getting no answer from the Premier today as

to whether he is prepared to meet with these people from the Northern Peninsula

who have come here to bring their message to government.

Mr. Speaker, a week ago the air ambulance team that works with this service

in the Province took the opportunity to review the report from the minister's

office and to counteract a number of things that they felt needed to be

counteracted in it. That information was given to the minister, and what was

evident was this: Both the consultant's report in the minister's office as well

as the one by front-line workers indicated that the most critical issue was the

availability of a medical flight team.

I ask the minister today: Why was there no further investigation into the

lack of such a team being based at St. Anthony?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Yes, Mr. Speaker, in relation to the petition, again it

stated quite clearly: to establish a medevac team in Labrador, and there was no

reference to a third airplane.

Mr. Speaker, I have reviewed the report prepared by the Labrador-Grenfell

employees and I have also had an opportunity to meet with one of them when the

town council came to St. John's. Mr. Speaker, what is interesting is that the

Opposition jumped up and down when the report first came out questioning the

numbers, questioning the recommendations.

What has happened is that the numbers are correct that we have provided.

Also, this Labrador-Grenfell report prepared by employees of Labrador-Grenfell

indicates agreement with Recommendations 2 to 7. Essentially, they elaborate -

and there are some good points raised. Essentially, Mr. Speaker, they disagree

with the placement of the plane.

So at the end of the day, we have Lab West in a very heartfelt plea last week

asking to have an air ambulance. We have Happy Valley-Goose Bay and we have St.

Anthony. We had to make a decision. The Leader of the Opposition asked us to

make a decision. She put the petition before the House and we acted on it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The minister knows the difference. Even in briefing notes in his own

department going back to September, it was noted that the Official Opposition

were asking for a review to enhance services in this Province, adding a third

air ambulance.

Mr. Speaker, the consultant's report that was used to justify this move has

been shown to be flawed, incomplete and did not consider the needs of the entire

Province as a whole.

I ask the minister today: Why wasn't the location of all air medevac aircraft

part of this full review?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Yes, Mr. Speaker, the petition presented by the Leader of

the Opposition stated: We, the undersigned residents in Labrador, call on the

Newfoundland and Labrador provincial government to establish a medevac response

team and aircraft in Labrador. Mr. Speaker, there was no reference again to a

third airplane. We have done what the Leader of the Opposition asked us to do

and now we are being criticized for it. So is she saying that there should not

be a plane in Labrador? Is that what I am hearing today?

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition in a letter to me - and I replied

to her letter - outlined a number of concerns with this report. She referred to

diminished service in the rest of the Province. Mr. Speaker, the statistics

indicate that outside of St. Anthony, 74 per cent of the flights on the Island

portion of the Province are responded to by either St. John's King Air or the

charter flights. Mr. Speaker, there are twice as many flights out of Labrador.

The population of Labrador is twice that of the St. Anthony, Port au Choix

region. We have heavy industrialization in the Labrador area.

Mr. Speaker, the arguments against this report are based on what might

happen, but what I would suggest to the Leader of the Opposition: You should sit

down with the Best family in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, sit down with the Mitchell

family in Lab West and sit down with the Perry family (inaudible) -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is quite obvious that this minister hears what he wants to hear and the

plea has always been from the people in Labrador for a third air ambulance

for this Province, and that is the part minister that you ignored. The reality

is this, Mr. Speaker, the decision is based on a study that has been flawed,

that does not encompass the full air medevac services for the Province, and

neither does it look at the response times to every single region of this

Province, including the West Coast of Newfoundland.

I ask you today, minister: Will you not conduct another review that is all

encompassing and looks at the full air medevac services for this Province,

including those communities in Labrador that have to use a chartered Twin Otter

aircraft?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we have conducted the review of the statistics as to the Island

portion of the Province and we have looked at Lab West. I met last week in Lab

West, we had some good discussions. Well, Mr. Speaker, there appears to be a

group that in the leader's mind are forgotten, and that are the people on the

North Coast of Labrador, the people of the Nunatsiavit government, the people of

the Innu Nation. I received, Mr. Speaker

MS JONES: (Inaudible).

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

An important question is asked; an important answer is given. I ask members

for their co-operation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

MR. KENNEDY: Mr. Speaker, we received a very nice letter today from the

Mayor of Rigolet stating: this is a forward move for our people, and I commend

you for it. I would ask you to not bend to the pressure to move the services.

You made a good decision.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the hon. minister not to go reading from correspondence and just to

paraphrase.

The hon. the minister, to complete his answer.

MR. KENNEDY: So, Mr. Speaker, what we have looked at is all of the

factors. We have looked at the recommendations by Mr. Drodge; we will improve

the dispatch times. Last week, when I met with the doctors in Lab West I

indicated, Sir, that we would

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. KENNEDY: Mr. Speaker, I indicated last week, when I met in Lab West,

that we would utilize Quebecair if necessary; we would utilize charter services

as necessary, and what I am told by the experts in the area, Mr. Speaker, is

that two dedicated King Air, along with charter services, allow for the services

to be provided to this Province as a whole.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for the District of The Straits & White Bay North.

MR. DEAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, a medical flight servicing from St. Anthony hospital was used up

until two years ago when government implemented a new flight service program and

discontinued the regular use of the team out of St. Anthony.

I ask the minister today: Why was this policy not re-evaluated and a flight

team re-established at St. Anthony when problems were identified in the air

ambulance services?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Difficulties with the air ambulance certainly came to the forefront in July

of last year with the incident in Labrador West on July 15. Then on September

18, Mr. Speaker, we had a very unfortunate incident in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

What we did, based partly on the petition presented to the House and also on the

meetings I have had with the Town Councils in Labrador West and Happy

Valley-Goose Bay, we decided to commission a report. That report looked at all

aspects of the air ambulance service in terms of the improvements necessary. We

will improve dispatch times, Mr. Speaker. We have made a significant investment

with a new airplane and also with a second medical flight services team.

What we are looking at, Mr. Speaker, is not the provision of services to one

area. We are looking to the provision of services to this Province as a whole to

best protect the interests of the residents of this Province. When you look at

that, Mr. Speaker, we will now have a second airplane with a medical flight

services team in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. We feel that, Mr. Speaker, the

interests of all residents of this Province will be better protected and not of

an individual town or region.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. Member for the District of The Straits & White Bay

North.

MR. DEAN: Mr. Speaker, fatalities are very unfortunate, obviously, and my

fear is that in the move we are going to have fatalities in my region instead of

in Labrador, and we do not want it in either.

Recommended by the air ambulance staff, again I would ask: Is the government

prepared to conduct a full investigation into all the fatalities with any

connection to past air ambulance services and flights and determine the reasons

for the fatalities, both in Labrador and the Island, in order to really identify

the gaps in the system and make the necessary changes to improve them?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, one of the advantages of the plane being placed in Happy

Valley-Goose Bay is that now all areas of this Province will be within sixty

minutes of air ambulance service. That did not take place while the plane was

stationed in St. Anthony. Also, Mr. Speaker, with the utilization of charter

planes, improved dispatch, hopefully partnerships with Quebecair or the Quebec

government, we will also be able to better serve the individuals of Lab West.

Mr. Speaker, what I would suggest to the members of the Opposition

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, what we are trying to do here is provide services to all

residents of the Province. The people in the North Coast of the Province, Mr.

Speaker, will be better served.

To the point from the Leader of the Opposition, we do have Fermont with

mining developments there. We met with all the mining companies, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. KENNEDY: What we are looking at are providing services that will

benefit all residents of this Province and that is what we will continue to do.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

Further questions?

The hon. the Member for the District of The Straits & White Bay North.

MR. DEAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for the District of The Straits & White Bay North.

MR. DEAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

That sixty minute policy is going to be difficult at times when 28 per cent

of the respondents that St. Anthony does today are being done by Goose Bay. You

cannot send a plane from Goose Bay to Gander in sixty minutes unless you really

improve the speed time over what it is today.

Mr. Speaker, the consultant's report is missing key variables as well, such

as geography, weather, services available, staffing levels and a host of other

issues. These issues are highlighted by front line workers again in their

submission to the minister.

I ask the minister: Why were these critical components not part of this

review?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

If I could just use a couple of examples here to highlight, Mr. Speaker, how

the service currently works. If you look at right now in terms of Stephenville,

for example, Mr. Speaker, 59 per cent of the calls were serviced by St. John's

air ambulance and 17 per cent by a charter aircraft. So 76 per cent of the calls

to Stephenville were out of St. John's or by charter. In Deer Lake, Mr. Speaker,

68 per cent of the air ambulance transports originated from St. John's and 10

per cent were handled by a charter so again, 78 per cent.

So what we are seeing, Mr. Speaker, is a response time that is coming out of

St. John's, in any event. Also, Mr. Speaker, the forty-five minute drive to the

St. Anthony airport will certainly now no longer be necessary as a result of the

proximity of the Goose Bay airport to the hospital. So what we will see, Mr.

Speaker, overall at least I am informed by the experts in the air ambulance

is a very significantly improved service that will look after all residents in

this Province.

Mr. Speaker, last week in Lab West I heard story after story of people with a

plaintive cry to have an air ambulance in their area. Mr. Speaker, we have three

areas now saying they want an air ambulance. We have resources that we have to

try to use as efficiently, as effectively as possible to produce results and to

protect all people in this Province, and that is what we are trying to do, Mr.

Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for the District of The Straits & White Bay North.

MR. DEAN: Mr. Speaker, the air ambulance staff, who could certainly have

helped significantly improve the air ambulance service, were never questioned or

never consulted in the whole process. Have they provided the minister with an

expanded terms of reference that would clearly improve the air ambulance service

and ensure the best possible for all of our Province?

So I ask the minister: Have you reviewed the fourteen recommendations put

forward and are you willing to undertake a broader review that addresses these

concerns?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Mr. Speaker, I have reviewed the report prepared by the

Lab-Grenfell employees, and it is important to recognize that these employees do

work with Lab-Grenfell in the air ambulance, either as pilots or at the airport.

Now what we are doing here is attempting to provide the best possible

service. It is interesting to note - and if you go back through Hansard, you

will see all of the references to inaccurate numbers; you will see the

references to an incomplete report. The report certainly elaborated on some of

the recommendations made in the Drodge report, but at the end of the day, they

agreed with Recommendations 2 to 7, and the only recommendation they did not

agree with was the placement of the airplane.

What I said to the people of Lab West last week in a meeting with

approximately 500-600 people there at least, and what I will say to the people

here today, is our decision is made, there will be no review, the air ambulance

will be transferred to Happy Valley-Goose Bay as soon as possible.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

[Disturbance in the gallery]

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask the hon. visitors in the gallery here, while you are always welcome,

you are not to show your pleasure or displeasure for anything that happens on

the floor, and I ask you to immediately refrain from interrupting the

proceedings here in the House of Assembly.

The hon. the Member for the District of The Straits & White Bay North.

MR. DEAN: Mr. Speaker, during the by-election last fall, the Premier

travelled to the Northern Peninsula and reversed the decision on the Flower's

Cove clinic because he heard first-hand from the people of the region. So the

Minister of Health, as he just mentioned, held a public meeting just a few days

ago in Lab West regarding health care concerns in that region.

I ask the Premier: Will he and his minister commit to coming to St. Anthony

to hold a similar meeting, so that he can meet with our people in the district

and fully understand the impact their decisions are having on them and the

health care delivery of our region?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Mr. Speaker, during the by-election, the Premier and myself

and other ministers were present in the area; we heard the concerns of the

people in relation to the health care system. I met extensively, Mr. Speaker,

with the Town Council of St. Anthony; I have heard their concerns.

Mr. Speaker, in the last number of years, I think between 2004 and this

Budget, we have invested, as a government, approximately $12 million to $13

million in capital equipment alone in the hospital and the long-term care

facility in the St. Anthony area. We have also invested money in Roddickton, and

we have announced that the new health centre in Flower's Cove will proceed.

We are aware of the issues, and we are acting on the issues as outlined in

the Budget. There is, at this point, no need for a meeting with anyone in the

St. Anthony region.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I guess they said a lot of things in the by-election they do not mean now.

Mr. Speaker, the government opposite continues to pour money down the drain

in this Province; yet, they refuse to buy things like a third air ambulance for

the people of the Province, or address the issues in the fishing industry.

My questions today are for the Minister of Fisheries. The crab fishery in our

Province is affecting thousands and thousands of people. Their incomes are about

to be lost; yet, the government is continuing to insist that they have no role

to play in providing solutions or leading any solutions to the problem.

I ask the minister: Given the most manic approach with respect to the

development of the oil industry, the assistance that your government has given

to the forest industry recently, why have you not been more active in heading

off the crisis in the fishing industry to date?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, I think we have been more than active in

leading this process.

I have to remind the Leader of the Opposition that the first meeting of both

sides in this negotiation was on March 30 - at my request. The first proposal

that we received from either side was not this Saturday but the Saturday before.

Again, that was at our request. If you look at the offers that we have made

around buying the marketing arm, getting into marketing, getting into the MOU

process whereby we have committed money, we have committed over and over again.

The issue here, Mr. Speaker, is if we want to make a change for the long

term; that is what it is all about. There was a model put forward Tuesday by the

processors; I would call it the Alaskan model. It is a model that is used in

this Province around the sale of shrimp, off-shore shrimp and lump roe.

Mr. Speaker, I think there are merits of that program that can be worked in

this Province. As a matter of fact, both the FFAW and the processors work

together to bring it forward. The processors say they can get it working this

year, and the union has some issues with it. I had my staff call both the FFAW

and the processors to say that we are willing to help out in this. We are

willing to bring the licence fees in line with Atlantic Canada; that means a

commitment of $1.1 million from us. We are willing to put in cost association

with the administration of this model.

Mr. Speaker, we are doing whatever we can to get this process through and get

this fishery started.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Mr. Speaker, the meeting the minister talked about must have

been the famous ten-minute meeting that lasted on the crab fishery and then it

ended. Mr. Speaker, the reality is, for the past six months, the only thing that

government has done is called on unions and processors to sit down and to have

discussions. Mr. Speaker, what we are hearing is that they are bringing nothing

to the table, only an empty briefcase.

I ask the minister today to lay out for the people of the Province what his

government is prepared to do for investment in the fishing industry to get this

industry going for this season.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, I have just outlined some of the finances that

we are willing to put forward. Mr. Speaker, just listen to this: We have had the

Dunne report; we have had the Vardy report; we have had the Jones report; we

have had the Cashin report. These are reports that people have gone out and

looked at why we find ourselves in this situation every year.

Mr. Speaker, I suppose we could issue another report, but it does not solve

the problem. Two questions that need to be asked of the people of the Province:

Why is it that every other jurisdiction can start their fishery on a timely

basis? Why is it that the price of crab in this Province seems to be lower than

in other jurisdictions?

Mr. Speaker, if we are going to find a solution and get this fishery started

on an annual basis, we have to answer those questions. There are the three

parties that were involved in finding that solution: That is us as a government

- and I outlined some of the initiatives - the processors and the union.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Mr. Speaker, that is about the best admission I have heard from

the Minister of Fisheries: that they have no solutions and there is nothing that

they can do.

Mr. Speaker, the fishermen, through their union, are asking for about $10

million or $12 million in bridge financing for this season. The government

continues to insist that they cannot do this because they would be in violation

of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Again, I think it was on Friday the

minister stated this in a press release, and he also said that he had an

external legal opinion.

I would like to ask him today if he is prepared to table that legal opinion

in the House of Assembly, and has his department even evaluated what assistance

they can provide to the industry without constituting a Free Trade risk.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, about the issue of inventory financing, we

think there is merit to it we really do - but we cannot put ourselves into a

situation of countervail.

I will invite the Leader of the Opposition to come over to my office, to sit

down and let us go through that legal opinion and then see if she is willing to

lay it on the line that she is willing to take the chance of some of the

inherent issues that arise out of that.

Mr. Speaker, this legal opinion is simply not wishy-washy, maybe, if. This

legal opinion is very, very clear. Mr. Speaker, the solution to this is not to

debate that. The issue is finding the longer-term solution that makes this

fishery better for this Province, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Mr. Speaker, the violation of the NAFTA agreement did not hold

this government back when they expropriated the assets from Abitibi that could

cost the Province upwards to $500 million, Mr. Speaker.

Having said that, I ask the minister, why all of a sudden the NAFTA agreement

is such an impediment to doing anything in the fishing industry, the very

industry that could save 20,000 people in rural communities all across this

Province?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, maybe she needs to be aware that we have

stepped in. The reason that Arnold's Cove is up and running and doing so well,

we as a government stepped in and bought the quota of High Liner. We will invest

in measures such as that, Mr. Speaker, but we are not willing to put ourselves

at risk, and simply making the decision could put the industry at risk for the

future, Mr. Speaker. We are not willing to do that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi

Vidi.

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

Mr. Speaker, this government based their decision to move the air ambulance

from St. Anthony to Happy Valley-Goose Bay based on the report that people who

work in the delivery of air ambulance services call flawed. Mr. Speaker, people

from Labrador West turned up to a meeting by the hundreds last Thursday, and

people from St. Anthony came in protest to the steps of the Confederation

Building today, at their own cost. Mr. Speaker, this government is dividing the

people of the Province without looking at the implications of its action. The

minister even stood here today and read from a letter from one of the

communities in Labrador, from the mayor.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: Will this government admit that it has made a

mistake in not putting a third air ambulance in place and show respect to the

people of St. Anthony and meet with them as they have done with others?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Yes, Mr. Speaker.

When this report was commissioned there was urgency to the situation. That

urgency, Mr. Speaker, was further outlined with the incident that occurred in

Lab West, the unfortunate incident on March 18. What we are trying to do, Mr.

Speaker, is to address the health needs of all the people of this Province. The

numbers, Mr. Speaker, show that there are twice as many flights being picked up

out of

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi, on a point of

order.

MS MICHAEL: The minister is looking at me as if I spoke. I did not say a

word.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MS MICHAEL: Sorry.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

There is no point of order.

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services, to complete his

answer.

MR. KENNEDY: Sorry, Mr. Speaker, I thought I interrupted her question. It

is hard sometimes to determine.

Mr. Speaker, what I indicated was that we looked at the numbers that were

present over the last number of years by accessing those numbers. We looked at

the way the service is provided. We looked at flight times, Mr. Speaker. The

report is not flawed. The report may not be as comprehensive as the Lab-Grenfell

employees would like it to be and there are certainly some good suggestions in

that Lab-Grenfell report.

Mr. Speaker, what we have to look at is the advice being provided by experts

which say that two dedicated aircraft, in conjunction with charter services, can

suffice. The two dedicated aircraft, Mr. Speaker, are best located in St. John's

and in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. We then have to utilize a charter aircraft as

necessary. We look at the other recommendations, Mr. Speaker, made in the report

that were confirmed by the Labrador-Grenfell employees, such as the operation of

the twenty-four seven service, Mr. Speaker, and what we have done here is made a

decision that I would suggest just accords with common sense.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the minister indicated earlier in Question Period that he had

been touched by meeting with people in Labrador West and by the experiences that

they have had. Well, if he had bothered to come to the steps of the

Confederation Building today, Mr. Speaker, he would have seen the stories of

people who were helped by having an ambulance and a medevac team in Happy

Valley-Goose Bay, or in St. Anthony.

So I ask the minister: Why wouldn't he come and hear the stories of the

people from St. Anthony and been affected by their stories as he was last week

by the stories in Lab West?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. KENNEDY: Yes, Mr. Speaker.

In a meeting in Lab West last week there were numerous issues discussed. It

was not simply air ambulance. We looked at the need for diagnostic equipment. We

heard from the residents, Mr. Speaker, in terms of the need for hospital

services. We looked at all of the issues that affect the people in Lab West. The

issue here today, in terms of the people of St. Anthony, is to review a

decision, which I have indicated, has already been made and will not be

reviewed.

We feel, Mr. Speaker, that the decision which is made is the right one. We

have not heard earlier, I think it was around December 16, the Member for The

Straits referred to the fact: What about the 603 other flights? Well, we have

broke down about 603 other flights and showed that the majority of them, Mr.

Speaker, are responded to by the aircraft out of St. John's or by the charter

aircraft. So again, to reiterate, two dedicated aircraft with charter services,

I am told, are sufficient to address the needs of this Province, and if and when

a need for a third air ambulance is required we will look at that and even then,

when you look at the report, Mr. Speaker, the numbers indicate that Deer Lake

would be the spot for a third air ambulance and not St. Anthony.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The time allotted for questions and answers has expired.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Tabling of Documents.

Tabling of Documents

MR. SPEAKER: In accordance with

section 19.(5) paragraph (

a) of the House

of Assembly Accountability, Integrity and Administration Act, I hereby table

minutes of the House of Assembly Management Commission meeting on February 17,

Further tabling of documents?

Notices of Motion.

Notices of Motion

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

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

Today being Monday, preceding Private Members' Wednesday, under Standing

Order 63.(3) it is the Opposition Private Member's Motion, and the motion for

this week will be moved by the Member for The Straits & White Bay North,

seconded by the Member for Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of The Straits & White

Bay North.

MR. DEAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My private member's motion is around air ambulance:

WHEREAS air ambulance service is critical to the health and lives of

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians; and

WHEREAS government commissioned a consultant to complete a review of air

ambulance services in northern Newfoundland and Labrador; and

WHEREAS this report did not include all regions of the Province or all

aspects of the air ambulance service; and

WHEREAS the consultant and government did not consult with local stakeholders

including air ambulance staff and Labrador-Grenfell health board members during

the process and before the decision to move the air ambulance was made; and

WHEREAS air ambulance staff have identified a number of problems with the

consultant's report; and

WHEREAS the report only looked at a few aspects of air ambulance service and

missed keyed variables such as geography, weather, services available and

staffing levels; and

WHEREAS there is a CF(L)Co plane in Churchill Falls owned by the people of

the Province that could serve as an air ambulance, but was not considered in

this review; and

WHEREAS a more comprehensive review of the entire air ambulance program would

ensure a more effective service for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador;

THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that this House of Assembly calls upon the

provincial government to place on hold the current decision to move the air

ambulance out of St. Anthony until a complete and comprehensive review takes

place that includes all regions and all aspects of the air ambulance service.

[Disturbance in the gallery]

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

Again, the Chair would like to remind the audience that they are not to show

approval or disapproval of anything that happens here on the floor of the House

of Assembly, and for the final time I ask the galleries for their co-operation.

Further notices of motion?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

MR. F. COLLINS: Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will ask leave to

introduce a bill entitled,

An Act To Amend The Small Claims Act. (Bill 11)

MR. SPEAKER: Furthers notices of motion?

The hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.

MR. FRENCH: Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will ask leave to introduce

a bill entitled,

An Act To Amend The Grand Concourse Authority Act. (Bill 12)

MR. SPEAKER: Furthers notices of motion?

The hon. the Minister of Government Services.

MR. O'BRIEN: Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will ask leave to

introduce a bill entitled,

An Act To Amend The Consumer Protection And Business

Practices Act. (Bill 13)

I also give notice that I will ask leave to introduce a bill entitled,

An Act

To Amend The Private Investigation And Security Services Act. (Bill 14)

MR. SPEAKER: Furthers notices of motion?

Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of The Straits & White

Bay North.

MR. DEAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I present a petition again today on behalf of our air ambulance service in

the District of The Straits & White Bay North. It is addressed to the hon. House

of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament

assembled.

The petition of the undersigned residents humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS it has been brought to our attention that Air Ambulance service is

being removed; and

WHEREAS St. Anthony Airport can provide the most optimal service to the whole

of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador;

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

House of Assembly to support and maintain the Air Ambulance service in the St.

Anthony area and furthermore will proceed with strengthening the service with

the placement of a Flight Specialist Team located in St. Anthony.

And as in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray. It is dated April 11,

Mr. Speaker, government's recent decision to relocate the air ambulance

medevac service from St. Anthony to Happy Valley-Goose Bay continues to be very

disconcerting. It continues to be unacceptable to the people of The Straits &

White Bay North district in particular, the district which I represent. I

believe, as people across the Province get to understand the implications and

the short-sightedness of doing what we are doing, I believe that it also is

getting support across the West Coast in particular of people who realize that

it does impact them negatively. Regardless of the statistics that want to be

presented, of what the minister wants to say and so on, the reality is that the

response time will be longer on the air medevaces that are requested out of

Goose Bay compared to St. Anthony. I have said before and I would say again,

just so people understand: you can fly from St. Anthony to Deer Lake much

quicker than you can fly from Goose Bay to Deer Lake. So, I do not know how you

can provide that same level of service when that second aircraft has to be

involved.

A lot of assumptions are being made in numbers. You can make numbers do what

you want them to do, and so on. As the MHA for the region today, these are

people of the Province. These are people who have a voice, these are people who

deserve to be heard, and these are people who deserve to have the same services

as any other district in this Province.

So, I would call upon government again today to talk to the people, to listen

to the people, to place this decision on hold. That service has been there for

fifty-five years. It does not need to go away in the next three to four months

or next year or two years, whatever the case might be. We can take the time, we

can reassess this, and I believe that logical thinking and level-headed

decisions and so on would bring us to a point where we would understand that,

yes, perhaps we have missed some vital information. Perhaps, again, we have gone

and made a decision kind of prematurely, and hopefully we would have the

wherewithal and the willingness to accept the fact that this decision needs to

be again looked at, and just changed.

I looked in particular at government policies and government structures the

Rural Secretariat and the rural lens - and I have read the vision and the

mandate and so on of the rural lens and the Rural Secretariat. I have asked the

question, and I have gotten the answer that in this case the Rural Secretariat

was not engaged at all, so the decision that was made certainly flies in the

face of what government is trying to do in the Province. On the one hand, they

want to understand, they want to hear from stakeholders, they want to hear from

people in the regions, and they want to hear from the local people and the local

bodies and the councils and so on. On the other hand, they have gone and made

this important decision, one that cannot be overemphasised and one that cannot

be misunderstood, and they have made this decision with no consultation, with no

Rural Secretariat involved, with no rural lens looking through that process and

so on. So, again today I ask that government would reconsider this, and that

they would look at it. Let's put the brakes on, and let us understand that what

we are doing is what needs to be done.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Further petitions.

The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I stand today to present a

petition, as well, on behalf of residents in the Province, with regard to the

air ambulance services.

Mr. Speaker, many people in this Province are unhappy with government's

decision to not improve service but rather to relocate an aircraft from one

tarmac in the Province to another. People feel that this is inadequate in

meeting the needs that are out there, and the gaps in the system.

[Disturbance in the gallery]

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair is after giving two warnings already to the visitors in the

gallery. I have asked visitors to respect the traditions of the House, and not

to show pleasure or displeasure with what is happening with the proceedings here

on the floor. Obviously, people in the galleries have seen fit not to adhere to

our Standing Order 22. If there is one more interruption, the Chair is not going

to ask a single person to leave, but the Chair is going to ask that the

galleries be cleared. That is the final warning.

[Disturbance in the gallery]

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask that the galleries be cleared and that this House be recessed.

Recess

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to present a petition on behalf of the people in the Province

with regard to the air ambulance services. This petition is signed by people

from the West Coast of Newfoundland.

Mr. Speaker, the issue around air ambulance in the Province goes back to the

last two years in particular. I think the first time I asked one of the health

boards and the department to do an investigation into a case stems back about

two years. In fact, last year, in July, a full month between July and August,

there were three particular cases in which we asked for an investigation because

we were recognizing that there were tremendous gaps in the air ambulance

services in the Province that were not going to be fixed by moving an aircraft

from one tarmac to another, but only by adding more flight medical specialists

and by adding a third air ambulance.

Mr. Speaker, we did not come to that conclusion out of the air. We came to

that from talking to people who deliver the services on the front lines in this

Province, people who operate it every single day. We came to that conclusion as

well by talking to families that were impacted.

Mr. Speaker, what has happened here is that government went out and hired

some consultant. We do not know how he was hired, where he was hired from, or

how much he was paid, but obviously he did not do very good work. It was a very

shoddy piece of work. The terms of reference were inadequate. They were not

broad in scope and they did not cover the premises of the full air ambulance

services within the Province. Mr. Speaker, in fact, it did not look at even

one-half of the variables that should have been considered in reviewing a

service of this critical nature for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, today we had the people on the Northern Peninsula come to the

House of Assembly to try and plead their case to government on the front steps.

We had the people in Labrador West, on Thursday night, 700 people in a room

trying to plead their case to the minister that their services were still going

to have a gap as a result of all of this; because, not only in Labrador West do

they not have an air ambulance, but they do not even have the basics of

diagnostic equipment in their community to provide services to their people, and

there is more urgency than ever, I guess, for people to be medevaced out and to

have a reliable air ambulance.

Mr. Speaker, the people on the steps of the Confederation Building today,

from the St. Anthony area, came here scraping together all the resources they

can to try and bring their issues to government, to the House of government;

and, Mr. Speaker, the Premier's Office and the Premier refused to meet with

them. They were told over the telephone, by people in the Premier's office, to

go home; to write us a letter; that we would put the letter on file in our

office; it would be on the bottom of the pile; we would get to it in about so

many months down the road.

This is what people were told when they were out there trying to save a

service that affects the lives of people every single day.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I remind the hon. Leader of the Opposition that her time for presenting the

petition has lapsed.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Further petitions.

The hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.

MR. BUTLER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is a pleasure today to be able to stand and present a petition on behalf

of the residents of Twillingate, Triton, Brighton, Durrell, Summerford, Grand

Falls-Windsor, Port Anson, Cottlesville, Parkview, Shoe Cove, Boxey, Springdale,

St. John's and Placentia. Mr. Speaker, I will read the prayer of the petition

again:

WHEREAS we the people of Newfoundland and Labrador have always built cabins

or tilts away from our homes for hunting, fishing, berry picking or just

spending time up in the country or places around our shores, sometimes just to

get away from the stress of everyday living, a place to relax and enjoy the

great outdoors; and

WHEREAS your government has come down hard on the thousands of cabin and

trailer owners that are out on our land with eviction notices, and forcing them

to move without providing them with an alternative; and

WHEREAS Kruger Inc. has timber rights to approximately one-third of all

forest land on this Island and is refusing the vast majority of applications for

cabin development;

WHEREUPON your petitioners call upon all Members of the hon. House of

Assembly to urge government to have compassion on the citizens of this fair

Province and allow them the right to enjoy what is rightfully ours. We were born

on this land and should have the right enjoy it, Mr. Speaker.

I have many petitions, and I know when I was presented with those petitions

recently I was asked why I was presenting them and not some of the members,

probably, that represent those towns that I mentioned. Well, I said, all you

have to do is to give them copies of petitions as well and I am sure whenever

they get up in this hon. House to speak, regardless of what the topic is, they

will stand and bring your concerns forward.

Mr. Speaker, where those people are coming from, it has been a long-standing

tradition, I guess, forty or fifty years, or probably beyond, right throughout

this Province, where people would go out in the countryside; they could take

their trailers or they would have a cabin or whatever. I have stated before that

the majority of those people agree that whatever has to be done to be

environmentally friendly should be done, but they also want government to listen

to their concerns.

A lot of those people are seniors. I know a lot of them personally, and they

just cannot afford to go into our parks. Our parks now, I have to say I know,

I do a lot of camping myself. Last year, whether it was in Trinity Bay, here on

the Trans-Canada or here in St. John's, the parks were full. Many of those

people - I mean, everyone cannot afford it. I am not downing the price at Pippy

Park, because it is a wonderful facility, but a lot of people in this Province

cannot pay $40 to $45 a night to go camping on a weekend. That is $130 or $150,

and generally our other parks cost anywhere from $21 to $25. That is why a lot

of those people are carrying out a tradition that they always had, to go out and

enjoy the great indoors.

All I am doing, Mr. Speaker, is calling upon the government. Without any

long-term solutions to the problems, I just ask government to sit down with

those people in the various areas and hopefully they will come to some

successful conclusion to the problem that is there, and to the advantage of

everyone: that it would be environmentally friendly and also a place those

people could continue on. I mean, they have reared their families in some of

those sites.

Then again, I know all too often we hear about the Whiskey Pit, and I stated

the other day that the minister is dealing with those people. I know they have a

couple of pieces of land, and hopefully they can come to a conclusion that those

people can continue to enjoy the great outdoors.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Further petitions?

Orders of the Day.

Orders of the Day

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

MS BURKE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to call from the Order Paper, Motion 1.

MR. SPEAKER: Motion 1, the Budget Speech.

The hon. the Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am certainly happy to stand today in response to the 2010 Budget, and in

particular to the amendment that was laid down, a vote of no confidence by the

Opposition. I am happy to stand today to express my concerns about that

particular amendment that was laid down, and speak from the perspective not only

as the Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment but also to speak from

the perspective of my district.

Before I get into any of that, Mr. Speaker, I would certainly like to take

the opportunity to welcome to the fold, to our caucus, the Member for Topsail. I

am certain that he is very aware that he has entered into a partnership with a

party that is very forward looking, which is very much a can-do attitude party.

We certainly welcome you and we are happy to see you in our ranks as well; and,

no doubt, your experiences both professionally and your experiences in the

community service in which you have been involved over the last several years

will be very helpful to us as we continue our mandate, which is to serve the

best interests of every Newfoundlander and Labradorian. I welcome you to the

folds of the PC Party.

Mr. Speaker, in speaking to the Budget today, what I would like to do first

of all is just provide a little bit of background, talk a little bit about where

we have come from as an explanation to the particular decisions that we took in

relation to the Budget.

This year, Mr. Speaker, has been a very difficult year, not only for

Newfoundland and Labrador, not only for Canada but worldwide. The economic

global recession that happened over the last year or so has certainly impacted

all of us. Here in Newfoundland and Labrador, we were certainly not immune to

that particular recession, especially in terms of real GDP. We acknowledged

upfront that GDP in this Province was reduced by some 8.9 per cent due to a

number of things, certainly industry closure. In my district, particularly, we

were very aware of that with the closure of AbitibiBowater. Certainly, the

slowdown of various other industry pieces, oil and gas for example, the mineral

industry and so on.

This government's response, Mr. Speaker, to the economic recession and the

global slowdown was what I would consider to be one of the best responses

throughout the country. It was a very swift response, it was a considered

response and it was a successful response by all accounts.

We survived the brunt of the recession here in this Province, again because

of the forward thinking of this government, because of the swift action of this

government and because of the leadership of this government. Particularly in the

sense of putting forward infrastructure spending. The first announcements with

regard to infrastructure spending that I recall were in the area of $800

million, Mr. Speaker. I believe in the end we arrived at a figure of almost $1.3

billion in terms of the spending of infrastructure that took place in this

Province.

Mr. Speaker, we did that because we have a clear understanding in this party,

in this government, of economic policy led by the leader of finance, led by the

Premier of this party and of this government and of this Province. We understand

that in times that are difficult economically, the solution is not in holding

back, but the solution is in spending.

Mr. Speaker, that is precisely what happened when we put forward $1.3 billion

in infrastructure spending. We were able to meet the problem head on and to

provide some solutions - some solutions in the sense of job creation for

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Although the export sector of our economy

suffered somewhat, consumer confidence in the tactics taken by this government,

Mr. Speaker, were extremely strong. I would make reference to such things and

they are noted here in the Budget highlights that have been received in every

household in Newfoundland and Labrador. I would note, particularly, in terms of

retail sales. At a time when things were difficult worldwide, retail sales

increased by some 2.6 per cent in this Province last year. Personal income grew

by 3.9 per cent. In fact, it is projected that it will grow to about 4.7 per

cent over 2010. Our residential construction increased by 11.4 per cent to $1.5

billion. Again, huge confidence is shown in this Province.

Our population increased this year, Mr. Speaker. For the first time since

1983, we were able to show, in this Province, an increase of 0.5 per cent in net

migration. That is something that we are certainly very proud of. Though I

recall that the House Leader opposite made reference to our strategies when he

spoke at one point last week and questioned the efficacy of our strategies, the

efficiency of our strategies, I would like to point out that our immigration and

multicultural strategy is one that is certainly working. The proof is in the 0.5

per cent increase in population that we saw last year in a very, very difficult

year.

Our capital investment in 2009 was $5 billion; again showing great confidence

in this Province. It is particularly due to expenditures in oil and gas and the

Vale Inco nickel processing facility that is in the process that is being built.

Certainly it is true, in terms of recovering mineral production, and the

aquaculture industry, about which I cannot say enough, and hopefully before I am

done this afternoon, I will get a chance to make some reference.

Mr. Speaker, the other area in which consumer confidence was certainly very

apparent had to be in the sense of our tourism numbers. Last year, it was

phenomenal, we saw increases of 0.7 per cent in 2009 in our tourism numbers to

this Province. That is expected to increase, as well, over the next year. Again,

we need to remember that the backdrop for all of this was global recession. In

all other areas of the country, people were reporting issues in these same areas

that I have just identified. Newfoundland and Labrador, however, came through

all of this, I would suggest, better than many other economies, better than many

other jurisdictions across this country. Not only I, but economists around the

world have pointed to that.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take the opportunity this afternoon to address

two specific concerns as it relates to Budget 2010. First of all, I would like

to be able to have an opportunity to talk about my district; and secondly, I

would like to be able to talk about my Department of Human Resources, Labour and

Employment.

Let's start with the district. If we talk about difficult years and coming

through difficult years, I suspect that there is no district that has

encountered the challenges that my district has in the last year or so. We lost

a 100-year-old industry when we lost AbitibiBowater. It was certainly a very

difficult period in our history, and it was a difficult period emotionally, if

you can imagine 100 years of attachment to a particular industry, and the

emotions that are felt when that particular industry went down. It was a very

difficult year socially as well. It is a loss of our identity out there in

Central Newfoundland as well. If you say Grand Falls-Windsor, generally the

identity that is associated with that is that pulp and paper mill. So, it was a

loss in that sense as well.

It was particularly challenging, Mr. Speaker, on a personal level for the

workers to have lost their sense of self-reliance, to have lost a job, to have

lost a way of life that they had known for a long, long time. It was certainly

very, very challenging, not just for the 660 people who were laid off - and

again recognizing that more than 130 of those people were eligible for

retirement - but for their families as well it was a very, very difficult time,

and certainly, economically, it was another challenging year.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I think what is important to point out is that our

government's reaction and action taken was the same as happened during that

global economic slowdown. Our action was swift, it was considered and it was

successful.

There are many things I could point out, but I want to talk first of all

about the fact that our initial reaction was care for the workers, care for

those people in Central Newfoundland who lost their jobs, care for their

families. I would point to the first initiative that I think was particularly

important and that was particularly significant, and it was certainly an area

that the people of my district are very grateful for.

In fact, just recently I had the privilege of bringing to the Premier and to

other members of Cabinet some gifts that were prepared for them by many of those

workers who have lost their jobs and who were grateful for the severance that

were paid out to them. There is a great sense in Grand Falls-Windsor that this

government has surrounded them; it has been there to support them and help them

through this very, very difficult time. Though I sometimes hear members opposite

speak to the fact that we have not done enough or that people in Grand

Falls-Windsor and surrounding areas are still not satisfied with what government

has done, I would sometimes like to be able to share the e-mails, share the

phone calls, share the cards that are in my offices and many offices of people

among Cabinet members here and others for the work that we have done,

particularly in securing severances for them and other allowances for the

affected workers.

The expropriation piece as well was very much appreciated by people out in my

area. As well, in terms of the workforce itself, workforce adjustment payments

that were made and the workforce adjustment team that was put in place by my

department, by Human Resources, Labour and Employment, to help these workers

find their way, to find another way, to transition to different jobs, to find

another career or to find other opportunities for education, whatever it was,

people were certainly very, very appreciative of it.

I recall that I heard an interview several months back now when the Leader of

the Opposition said it was nauseating to hear me stand in the House and talk

about such things. Well, again, I want to point out that that was a means of

support that these workers needed, wanted and are very grateful for; not

nauseating at all. When people were in need we were there to sit with them, to

talk with them, to counsel them, to offer whatever advice and whatever support

we could, and there are many, many people who are very grateful for that

support, Mr. Speaker.

I would also like to point out that our concern, while it was for the workers

and their family, was for the overall economic situation in the area itself. So

we focused also on diversification in the area, and, Mr. Speaker, the task force

that was put in place and chaired by my colleague, the Minister of Innovation,

Trade and Rural Development, is a very integral part of that piece of work that

we are doing out there, as well as the CDC, the Community Development Committee,

chaired by Mr. Cyril Farrell. We are doing tremendous work in finding

opportunities to diversify that economy, to strengthen that economy to ensure

that it is bolstered.

I am going to name just a few of the initiatives that we have undertaken.

First of all, there has been a $5.8 million investment in the cranberry industry

out there. For those of you who have never been out to Central Newfoundland or

who have never taken the opportunity in particular to go to Wooddale and see the

particular facility that we have out there, the facility that in actual fact did

the initial work on validating the importance of the cranberry industry could

have to this Province, the viability, the sustainability of that industry, I

would encourage you to take opportunity to do that. Mr. Dick Oram and other

people out there, who are involved in those particular studies and pilot

programs and so on, do a great job on guiding people through and showing the

real value of that. So we are working now on developing an extra 120,000

additional acres of land out there in the cranberry industry and I have no doubt

that that particular investment will pay off long term.

Also, $5.5 million, Mr. Speaker, has been invested at the College of the

North Atlantic in Grand Fall-Windsor. That is for the construction and the

expansion of a convertible trades program. Again, I am sure we will see great

pay off from that over the years.

There has been a $5 million announcement for the construction of a new

residential treatment centre for youth addictions; one, again, that the

Opposition objects to but certainly a great need. We have a number of services

and supports already in place in Central Newfoundland that will lend themselves

to that particular addiction centre. I have no doubt, again, that this will be a

centre that will service greatly the needs of youth who are addicted throughout

this Province.

There has been a $9 million commitment, both from Natural Resources and the

Department of Environment and Conservation dedicated to the clean up of a mess

left basically by ASARCO and AbitibiBowater in Buchans, particularly around the

tailings dam area and also around the tailings spill area. That is something

that the people of Buchans have been asking for, for more than thirty years now,

Mr. Speaker, and finally this government has seen that need, has responded to

that need on first hearing it, and I am very happy that that particular

announcement has been made.

Also, $800,000 for the expansion of the Mary March Museum; $30.1 million for

the redevelopment of the Central Newfoundland Regional Health Centre, Mr.

Speaker, other ways that we are looking to continue to strengthen the economy of

the area; $3.9 million for the downtown development of Grand Falls-Windsor for

the maintenance and redevelopment of that area; $500,000 to commence the

redevelopment of Exploits Valley High, the high school in the district. It is

the largest school in the district and it is timely that we are now going to

invest money in that. Again, sending the signal that this government is holding

fast, that this government is there to support a region and an area in need;

$350,000 was just spent on the Newfoundland 2010 Winter Games held in Grand

Falls-Windsor and we were so happy with the support that was received.

Economically, the community received a great boost as there were more than 1,500

people in town over the period of that week, and in the sense of a boost in our

own confidence, our ability to be able to host events like that. It was just a

great event all around.

Now, Mr. Speaker, these are just a few examples. I only have twenty minutes

to speak and I am fast running out of that time, but I can tell you that I could

go on and on and on; $100 million last year. Tens of millions again in this

Budget this year, Mr. Speaker, to sustain an area that was hard hit. The reason

we do that is because this is a government that is able to see the needs of

particular areas and respond, and respond in ways that will stimulate that

economy and that will make a difference.

Mr. Speaker, my colleague, the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural

Development spoke last week and made some comments with regard to reaction from

the Mayor of Grand Falls-Windsor, from another councillor out there, but I can

tell you that those are just a couple. I am hearing responses as I go home every

single weekend from people in the area who say to me that they are so happy that

this government was the government in place when that mill went down because

they have felt so supported. They have the very keen sense that this government

knows how to make a difference and that this government will continue to support

them.

Economic indicators in our region, Mr. Speaker, are very, very good. The

retail sales sector is still extremely strong; retail sales have been very, very

good out there. Housing starts are extremely encouraging. In fact, people tell

me that there is not another lot of land to be bought for this year. I have not

checked that out in any detail but I have heard that time and time again. The

housing market is exceptionally strong. The business community, particularly in

the sense of what I hear from the Exploits Valley Economic Development

Corporation and the chamber of commerce, are all very happy with what is

happening in Grand Falls-Windsor. When we talk about budgets and not being

confident in budgets, Mr. Speaker, that is not what I am hearing in my district

at all. People in my region are very, very happy with this Budget. They are

very, very happy with what this government is doing to support them in a time of

need.

Now, Mr. Speaker, I am going to turn my attention for a few minutes - and I

see I only have about three-and-a-half minutes left. I would like to be able to

speak with regard to my district as well because there are a number of issues

there that I think bear some looking at through this particular Budget. Again, I

want to go back to the fact that we heard last week that strategies are not a

way to go; strategies are not effective. Mr. Speaker, in my department we have

many strategies that I am exceptionally proud of that the people of Newfoundland

and Labrador have hailed over and over again as being working strategies for the

people of Newfoundland and Labrador, who appreciate the fact that they were

consulted, who appreciate the fact that this government listens and responds

based on those particular consultations.

I want to talk, first of all, about the immigration and multi-cultural

strategies that we have. In 2007, Mr. Speaker, we launched our very first

immigration strategy here in this Province and it has been met with great

success. We also have put in place a policy on multiculturalism because we

recognize that cultural diversity stimulates economic growth in this Province

and is good for all of us. Mr. Speaker, guess what? Those strategies are

working. How do we know they are working? Well we have seen a 0.5 per cent

increase in our immigration numbers for the first time ever, Mr. Speaker, for

the first time since 1983 at least. That has to be proof of the fact that these

strategies and the monies that we are investing in them are working.

I want to refer to some other strategies in my department as well. I want to

talk about what we are doing particularly for persons with disabilities and the

inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of this society. Mr.

Speaker, I am particularly proud of the work that we are doing there,

particularly in the establishment of the Disability Policy Office and also the

establishment of the Provincial Advisory Council for Persons with Disabilities

under the chairpersonship of Ms Joanne MacDonald. I think we are doing

phenomenal work there. We are listening and we are acting. We are ensuring that

across government all programs, all policies, all services are being inspected

with the lens of: How do we ensure that persons with disabilities are being

totally included in all aspects of our society?

Mr. Speaker, there are some tangible aspects of that, that we can note right

away. For example, when we first went to make the announcement back in June of

this year, here in this House of Assembly, with regard to the Disability Policy

Speaker, thanks to your efforts, that was attended to immediately, and we now

have accommodation for ten extra wheelchairs in this House of Assembly, and I

certainly thank you for your work there in that area, Mr. Speaker.

There are other areas. We would have heard the Arts and Culture Centre here

in St. John's, for example, Mr. Speaker, was unable to accommodate a young

person who wanted to participate in a music festival. Immediately upon hearing

that, the Minister of Transportation and Works acted and saw to it that access

to that stage was put in place right away. As well, Mr. Speaker, we heard

reference by a young advocate of the difficulties of access to washrooms, both

in Eastern Health and in Western Health, and immediately, the Minister of Health

and Community Services met with these people, we had some discussions, and I was

for people at both the Health Sciences Centre and St. Clare's, as well as at

Western Health.

RDSPs, which I just announced over in my department, the Registered

Disability Savings Plans, where we allocated $300,000 for persons with

disabilities to be able to set up and start these savings plans; again, tangible

evidence that this government has strategies in place that work, that this

budget has attested to and sees the value of putting money into particular

strategies that work.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to talk as well about the Youth Retention and

Attraction Strategy, a strategy that is near and dear to my heart, that the

Premier and I announced in November of this year. That particular strategy is a

three-year commitment of $15 million, Mr. Speaker. It is a bold strategy, it is

a visionary strategy, Mr. Speaker, and I hear some of my colleagues on the other

side of the House giving recognition to that strategy as well. It provides some

opportunity for young people to stay in this Province, to live and work and

raise families in this Province, Mr. Speaker, which they very much want to do.

It provides opportunities for us, as well, Mr. Speaker, to create that labour

pool that we need for the many megaprojects that we know that we are bringing on

in this Province.

So, Mr. Speaker, it is a wonderful strategy that has great potential and that

is doing some wonderful work, and is a strategy that we are very, very proud of.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I remind the hon. minister that her time for speaking has expired.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: Does the hon. member have leave?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. minister, by leave.

MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We are already seeing some success, Mr. Speaker, from that program and that

strategy that we announced just in November of this year, early November of this

year, in that, Mr. Speaker, we have already implemented thirty-four initiatives

valued at $1.9 million. I made a Ministerial Statement here in the House just

last week that referenced that. In particular, Mr. Speaker, we are giving top

priority to what the young people of this Province told us through our extensive

consultations with them. The top priority that we are giving is in the sense of

providing job opportunities; it is in the sense of providing entry-level jobs

and work experience.

Mr. Speaker, I could enumerate a number of particular initiatives that we

have undertaken to do that. Eight hundred and seventy thousand dollars we

invested this year, Mr. Speaker. In the winter 2010 semester, 130 students have

benefited from expanded work-term placements. Our Graduate Employment Program,

which provides wage subsidies to young people who are just finishing either

their university degrees or college training certification and so on, we have

doubled that program, Mr. Speaker, from 120 participants to 240 participants.

Mr. Speaker, this year there was a particular problem identified at the

university in terms of placement of engineering students because there was a

double cohort that had gone through. Through some work that we did using LMDA

money, we were able to find, Mr. Speaker, opportunity for 130 of those

engineering students to have work placements this term.

There were many other areas within work placements and internship programs

that we have already implemented initiatives, far too many for me to enumerate

here, especially since my time has lapsed and I am working on leave time, but I

certainly appreciate the fact.

One that I would like to talk about, of course, is the internship

opportunities within the public sector. Mr. Speaker, we are leading here; we are

showing the way. We are simply not talking about making a difference for our

young people; we are putting in place a program that would do it. Through Public

Works, through Transportation and Works, through many of our departments,

through Health and Community Services, through the Department of Education,

through Government Services, we actually put in place particular internship

programs, or apprenticeship programs, I should say, so that our young people

could have opportunity to get started on their young careers. Mr. Speaker, we

are very proud of that work and we will continue to do more of it.

Over the next year or two, we will be investing more money in that

apprenticeship program. The Minister of Education and I, along with the Minister

of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development, will be conducting a labour market

review. I can assure you that apprenticeship will be a big piece of that

particular review, and finding ways to get young people more involved in

apprenticeship will certainly be something that we are looking at.

SIFE Memorial University, we certainly plan to expand that program, but not

only expand it, Mr. Speaker; we are looking at ways of providing new learning

opportunities, particularly for young people still in high school, around

financial literacy, because again that is an area of great concern for our young

people. It was highlighted to us. Many of them have told us that they know of

people who have gone off to university and been there for two or three years,

never really knew how to handle money, never knew very much about financial

literacy at all. So, through SIFE Memorial we are actually putting in place a

plan to teach and inform our young people about financial literacy.

Mr. Speaker, there are numerous other initiatives that we are exploring

through our Youth Retention and Attraction Strategy. Many of them I will

elaborate on over the next weeks in this House, and I am sure I will have

opportunity to do that.

Before I finish today, I want to spend some time talking about our Poverty

Reduction Strategy. This is perhaps the most talked about, the most scrutinized

and yet the most applauded strategy that this government has ever put in place,

in my opinion, Mr. Speaker. We are seeing accolades not only from this Province,

not only from the people living in and vulnerable to poverty, but from people

all over this country from as far away as Australia who are writing and asking

me for information and what it is that we have done in terms of our Poverty

Reduction Strategy, and how it is that we have made such significant progress.

Mr. Speaker, our initial mandate was to prevent, reduce and eliminate poverty

over a ten year period. Well, Mr. Speaker, we have come to the end of our first

action plan, and the progress report that I released in December of this year

shows that indeed we are making significant progress and that our achievements

have been lauded all over this country. I said at one point I am having

difficulty keeping my staff in the office because everybody wants to consult

with our staff in terms of the successes that we have had.

Mr. Speaker, since 2006 we have invested $482.7 million in poverty reduction,

almost half-a-billion dollars, in poverty reduction, Mr. Speaker; and, by all

accounts, we are seeing progress. We have, according to all national standards,

whether that be LICO, whether that be the LIM, whether that be the market basket

measures, whatever standards are applied to our Poverty Reduction Strategy, Mr.

Speaker, we are seeing significant progress. The incidents of low income have

decreased from 12.2 per cent to 6.3 per cent, a decrease of some 30,000 people,

Mr. Speaker, who are no longer considered below the poverty line. As well, the

depth and persistence of poverty in this Province has shown considerable

improvement. In fact, the depth of poverty in this Province, Mr. Speaker, is the

lowest in all of Canada as a result of our Poverty Reduction Strategy.

Mr. Speaker, in terms of our own income support caseload, we are able to see

huge differences. We now know that 4,000 fewer people are on our income support

caseload, primarily because of the many disincentives that we have worked toward

eliminating in terms of people going to work. As a result of our availability

and presence to these people in trying to help them find attachment to the

labour market force, many of these people have now gone to work. We are very,

very happy with the work that we have done there.

Mr. Speaker, I hear the little quips from the other side of the House and by

no means do we, at this point, stand up and say that we have done it all, that

we have gotten there. We have not, Mr. Speaker, and we are the very, very first

to acknowledge that, but we have made huge progress -

AN HON. MEMBER: The first government to (inaudible).

MS SULLIVAN: The first government - as my colleague reminds me, the first

government to take this kind of approach, a very, very integrated approach to

trying to solve the issues of poverty reduction. The federal government, Mr.

Speaker, made all kinds of promises about what they were going to do. They

accomplished very little, if anything, Mr. Speaker. This government made a

promise, is working on that promise and is making progress, Mr. Speaker. That is

our claim, we are making progress.

Do we acknowledge that there are still some areas in which we need to do some

work? Absolutely we do. Housing and homelessness; absolutely yes, we recognize.

Mr. Speaker, if I were to have a second or so to speak to that - and I do

realize that my time has lapsed, but if I had a second to speak to that what I

would like to say in terms of the homelessness issues is that if it were such a

simple fix then I expect that all of these other jurisdictions around the world

that have experienced homelessness issues for all of these years would have had

it solved by now. These issues have been worldwide and known for decades and

decades and decades. They are not solved yet, but I will tell you one thing, Mr.

Speaker, this government is going to tackle it. This government is going to find

a way forward.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Those particular issues require our attention. As we do the

consultations for the next phase of our Poverty Reduction Strategy to take us

through to 2014, I can guarantee you that those issues will be at the top of our

list. I invite the Leader of the Third Party, and I invite any of the people

from the Opposition to come over and speak to us and bring forward their ideas,

because this is about working together, this is about making a difference. This

is about seeing our mandate of eliminating poverty come to fruition, and we want

the help of all in that process.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, there are a number of things that we have

already done in terms of homelessness in this Province as a way to say that we

are not simply studying, we are not simply consulting. We are making some

initial investments in homelessness. The Supportive Living Community Partnership

Program is one of those areas, Mr. Speaker, and I am particularly proud of that

particular initiative because it has put some money into the hands of some great

organizations throughout this Province who are doing some wonderful work in

helping out the homeless within our Province.

We have invested, Mr. Speaker - well, we have doubled our investment first of

all. We had a $1.2 million investment last year. This year it is a $2.4 million

investment; $454,000 of that money is going to the Stella Burry Community

Services Centre, and we all know of the wonderful work that they do there.

Again, when we talk about homelessness, Mr. Speaker, we are talking complex

issues. For these people it is not a matter of simply bricks and mortar, the

supports that a lot of homeless people need has to do with providing more than a

home. It has to do with providing a job, it has to do with providing

counselling; it has to do with providing counselling for additions. There are a

number of issues involved in homelessness. The face of homelessness is very,

very complex.

We look to providing some of that support as well to Choices for Youth, and

this year we have given them $550,000. Recently, I made an announcement of

$95,000 toward the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing and Homelessness Network as

they do their part to help us out in this issue. Mr. Speaker, there are many

community advisory groups around this Province, and for those particular

organizations we are providing grants of $6,000 to $40,000 as they begin their

work to tackle the issue of homelessness and of housing in this Province.

The Minister of Transportation and Works could elaborate better than I some

of the initiatives that have been undertaken in the sense of social housing in

this Province and some of particular programs and services that they have put in

place through the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation. I am sure that

we will continue to see advances that are made there.

Mr. Speaker, the bottom line on all of this is that our strategy is making a

difference. We acknowledge that it is a journey and we are not at the end of

that journey but we are making a difference and we will see our mandate

fulfilled of preventing, reducing and eliminating poverty in this Province by

the year 2014, which was our mandate.

Mr. Speaker, I could speak at length about this program and about many other

of our strategies, but I know that I have been out of time for some ten or

twelve minutes, or longer than that now.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. SPEAKER (T. Osborne): Order, please!

MS SULLIVAN: However, having worked toward our next action plan I do

invite all of our stakeholders and our community partners out there to be ready

for the consultations because we certainly want to hear from everybody, we

certainly want to be making a difference in the right way. It is not about

simply throwing money out there, Mr. Speaker. It is about putting money in

places where money is needed and we do that best by responding to the needs of

the people who live in and are vulnerable to poverty.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, we will be relentless in the pursuit of our

mandate of reducing poverty in this Province. Having said that, Mr. Speaker, I

will conclude my comments, but I want to say that I very much support Budget

2010 and all of the positive work that we are doing for the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BUTLER: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I do not know if I will ever give leave again. I did not mean to use the full

afternoon, but I enjoyed her speech where she was patting herself on the back.

I am going to take a few minutes now, Mr. Speaker, and bring forward issues

that the people of this Province, even though we know and we have said it each

member in the Official Opposition have mentioned about the good things in the

Budget, but I want to bring forward some issues that people of the Province have

asked us to bring forward. That was why we brought forward an amendment

initially, and then a sub-amendment which was introduced by the Leader of the

Opposition this past week. In that sub-amendment, Mr. Speaker, it states, "and

that this House also condemns the government for its failure to present a budget

that reflects the possibilities which exist in terms of addressing the needs of

the people and dealing with the problems such as; retirement package for

fisherpersons and plant workers, crisis in the fishery, the extension of the 911

service, the public service pensioners, and the lack of economic development in

rural Newfoundland and Labrador."

Now, someone might say: well, why would you get up and bring in an amendment

and a sub-amendment if you think so much about all that is good in the Budget?

Well that is true, but then it gives us an opportunity to bring forward the

concerns that people express to us on a daily basis. I am sure hon. members on

the government side also hear from constituents, and they will also, when they

get opportunity to get up and speak, bring forward the concerns that they have

and want brought forward on the floor of the hon. House of Assembly. It give us,

I guess, by the amendment and the sub-amendment - if we only just spoke to the

Budget, our Leader would have a couple of hours, and each of us would only have

twenty minutes, but with the amendment and the sub-amendment we all get an extra

twenty minutes to bring forward concerns of our constituents and residents

throughout the Province. Mr. Speaker -

AN HON. MEMBER: There is no substance to the amendment.

MR. BUTLER: Oh, there is lots of substance in the amendment, let me

assure you, I say to the hon. member.

I just want to go back. I know the last day that I spoke, a lot of my

comments were related to the fishery, and I got out the Budget of 2004 and there

it said: In fisheries, we are moving quickly to implement the recommendations of

the Dunne report to strengthen our fish processing sector and the cost will be

fully offset by the industry. This year also, in the Budget of 2010, we read:

Our fishing industry is tremendously important to our Province and to our

government.

Those are very encouraging words, but then when we really size up the fishing

industry we know that there was a reduction last year of some 22 per cent, I

think, over the previous year, and we all know today what is taking place in

this Province. When I returned to my district this weekend and I attended two or

three functions, I have to say that the concerns of the people, there is a

desperate situation not only in my district, in every district. I am not blaming

all of this on government. I am not blaming all of this on the unions. I am not

blaming all of this on the processors, but it is a combination of everything

that has to come together to resolve this dispute before it is too late. I know

right now there are some fishing vessels from my district that are fishing and

travelling to Nova Scotia to offload their crab. That is happening as we speak,

Mr. Speaker, and maybe it is happening in other areas of the Province. That, to

me, is sad. They are not doing that because they want to do it, they have no

choice, they are trying to save their enterprises and do what they can, but then

again it is the outfall that is happening with the people who work in the plants

in the communities where those fishers come from. Mr. Speaker, it is a sad

situation there is no doubt about it.

It was only here yesterday I met a gentleman, a fisherman - not from my area

and he said one of the things I cannot understand - and I guess there are a

lot of things that we do not understand when it comes to the fishery. Some

members on the government side as well as the Opposition have said this is an

ongoing thing. It seems like every year when the fishery is to start we find

ourselves in this position.

Some people are asking how come the co-op in Fogo can buy the crab, they have

a market and they are buying the crab - it is my understanding, I was told

anyway - for $1.35

whereas our processors here on the Avalon and other areas are

saying we can only afford to give you $1.09 because we do not have the market. I

can understand someone might have a market over the other one, but I think this

is where government should be getting involved and just see what the situation

is, because the fishers are asking those questions.

Mr. Speaker, the industry itself, we know how important it is to this

Province. There is no doubt about it. Many people out in rural Newfoundland will

tell you that they feel that outport Newfoundland is on a slippery slope when it

comes to what is happening in our fishery, not only this year but in years past.

I do not care what Administration it was, this has been an issue that has been

ongoing for many, many years. If we are going to survive in this Province and

look after our renewable resources, something has to be done to bring the

parties together. I know government are saying we cannot get involved with them

to a certain degree, even though the minister is trying to arrange meetings and

he has done that.

Mr. Speaker, when you talk about rural Newfoundland - and I am not talking

about the divide between rural and urban Newfoundland and Labrador, I am talking

about you cannot separate the fishery from rural communities when you discuss

the future of this Province and when you discuss the future of our rural

communities; they go hand in hand together.

I have been told, and I have read it in the papers as well that for every

cent reduction in the price to fish harvesters we lose in this Province $1

million. That is a lot of money when you size up what has happened in recent

weeks. I do not know, people are saying that there should be equity stakes in

the fishery providing inventory, financing or possible guarantees and so on. I

do not know if that is the answer but people are suggesting it. People are

talking along those lines because they say in other jurisdictions this has

happened, in the auto industry in the past, the pulp and paper, the forestry and

the agriculture.

Mr. Speaker, it seems like while there is a division between the different

sides and what is happening, people are saying: Well, why isn't government

involved? It seems like, where they are in a dispute, they are opening it up and

government can walk down the middle with no obligation. I cannot say that is 100

per cent accurate, but I am hoping that the Minister of Fisheries can come to

some conclusion with regard to what is happening.

Another issue I have been told, Mr. Speaker, and I guess this can be

clarified by the fishers on the Northern Peninsula and on the Quebec side. They

are saying this year, like never before, that the seals are eating a tremendous

amount of the crab. That is becoming a concern for the harvesters. We all know

the stories that are being put around by the Humane Society International

Canada. They are talking about a buyout, how popular it is with the seal

fishermen in this Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. If you listen to, I

think it is Mr. Mark Small, he is telling us that the seal industry will

rebound, and hopefully, it is going to rebound next year and what those people

are spreading is not correct.

The other aspect of our fishery is the cod fishery. It is some eighteen or

nineteen years ago now that the moratorium came up on us here in this Province.

I think, I have said this before, the first year I was elected I brought in a

private member's motion on custodial management and other people have done the

same thing.

It is time for the feds and I think they are being let off of the hook. I

think the Province should force them more because for whatever reasons I do not

think they are taking any responsibility whatsoever with any aspect of the

fishery, but more so in protecting the cod stocks so that we could have a good

recovery.

Back at that time, there was an estimated 80,000 people who were involved in

the fishery, probably left this Province or moved to different areas. In

addition to that, there were some 25,000 direct and indirect service jobs, and

all of this came about due to federal mismanagement. If rural Newfoundland and

Labrador is survive into the future and I know from time to time we talk about

the royalties we have coming from the oil, and that is all very important, but

we have to look long range even though I think today the government should in

some way come to a I know the minister said that he would not get involved in

the financial end of it unless there was a long-term solution to it, but maybe

with the state of the fishery this year and what is going to happen - I am sure

we all saw the gentleman on the other day. He said: Look, there are enterprises

going to go bankrupt, people are going to lose their trucks, their homes and so

on. So I think we have to look at something in the short term as well, Mr.

Speaker.

The other thing we have to stop comes to the custodial management issue.

Fishing on the Grand Banks by foreign foreign overfishing has to stop outside

the 200-mile limit. We have talked about that for many years at both levels of

government. It has been talked about by various groups and organizations, by the

fishers and those who know the ins and outs of the fishery, but that has to

stop. The Nose and Tail of the Flemish Cap has to be protected if there is going

to be anything done to stop the overfishing and the resources to rebound like

they were in the past.

I can see it, how that affects us here in this Province. In Bay Roberts,

there is a service there where the foreign draggers come in and off-load.

Anyway, the federal government recently this is the second time they have done

this to Faroese ships and that, and they have stopped them from coming in and

off-loading because they say they are overfishing or they are breaking some of

the rules on the high seas.

Mr. Speaker, what they do not do, they do not stop them from fishing. They

stop them from coming into our ports or into that particular port. By that

happening, they are just travelling, whether it is to St. Pierre or probably to

the United States and offloading their catch. If they are overfishing, they

should be stopped on the high seas and that is one way of doing it, I believe,

by taking them down that way.

Mr. Speaker, when we talk about rural Newfoundland, and I know in the past

the Premier has mentioned growth centres. A lot of people consider it to be

something along the lines of a modern day resettlement, but I know he did

mention one time about rural development. I think it was in 2005, he used the

term regional hub. He said the government has to provide the infrastructure to

give such hubs a chance. Mr. Speaker, what a lot of people think in the smaller

rural areas of our Province and the message they are sending to us is that by

providing that service - and I will just use, and I do not want to be critical

to any particular area, but whether it be Corner Brook, Gander, Grand Falls or

Carbonear, whatever centre it might be, the people in the outlying areas are

going to be forced to move from the places they are, but what is keeping them in

there now is their involvement in the fishery. I have to ask: Will the Northern

Peninsula become a part of the Corner Brook hub if this should continue?

We saw here today, the people who were here referring to the air ambulance, I

am sure there is not one person here who was not touched when we heard the story

by the mother who had the little girl with her. Even though we know an outbreak

like that cannot take place in our galleries, and the Speaker did the right

thing by closing the House, but it sure sent a strong message to each and every

one of us. It is not just an issue that people are complaining and asking for

something just for the sake of having it, they know the service that they had,

they know how important it is to the lives of the people on the Northern

Peninsula.

Mr. Speaker, I believe, and many other people believe, that rural

Newfoundland and Labrador, as we know it today, has to be protected. If it is to

be protected for the long term it is totally directed to be in relation to the

sea and the fishery. The demise of our rural communities, I think it can be

reversed but it has to be a more positive attitude by government and by

residents alike. You cannot lay all the blame on government, but each and every

one of us has to share the burden.

We hear the Minister of Tourism from time to time and others within

government, talking about all the awards that we are winning through tourism.

That is all wonderful and it is good to hear that, but I can tell you one thing,

just about every photo or every picture you see and this is no disrespect to

the larger cities that we have in our Province, but the majority of that work is

taken in rural Newfoundland, in the little communities around this Province. We

have to protect it, because that is where it is all about, and that is not

talking about rural-urban divide either, Mr. Speaker.

The other thing I believe when it comes to the fishery, there has to be a way

where the fish that is being caught and I know we cannot process everything

here, but there has to be a means where most everything that we do catch should

be processed here in our Province. If it can be done in some other if we can

ship it to the States or Canada I know there was one gentleman a few years ago

in my district who worked in a fish plant on Yonge Street. Now I did not know

there was a fish plant there, but I am sure he could have worked just as well in

his own district as go to Toronto and work in a fish plant. Hopefully, over the

next few days we will hear from other MHAs as they speak out, because just about

everybody here represents rural areas of the Province that are with regard to

the fishery and so on.

The other thing I want to touch on in the few moments I have, Mr. Speaker, is

the in-migration, out-migration. We know we have seen that go from one extreme

to the other in leaps and bounds, and here recently we have seen a turnaround

that we can be very proud of. We also come to the when it comes to jobs and

the labour part of it, is the minimum wage. The minimum wage has been

increasing, and that is wonderful to know that people I think in July of this

year the minimum wage will be $10.

I tell you one thing that is happening. I do not know if it is happening

throughout the Province but it is happening in my area. As the wage goes up the

smaller businesses have to cut back on the hours that they are paying those

people, or some of them have laid off staff. That is sad to know that an

individual gets to a point some low-income earner, who all of a sudden is

going to be trying to get out of poverty by having an increase in wages, and lo

and behold, their hours are going to be cut back or they are going to lose their

job.

Mr. Speaker, I read an article, I think it was out of British Columbia, that

when their minimum wage reached $10 they estimated that they lost some 50,000

jobs. That is sad to know that a government would try to bring in an increase in

wages and the effect would be, I guess we will say, a reverse order than what

they thought. When it comes to jobs, Mr. Speaker, we know how many people are

affected in the fishery. We know today some 20,000 people, I would say

20,000-plus are affected. There are a lot of good jobs coming with the offshore

but the numbers will not make up for what we are looking forward to and people

who are looking for work.

I know only recently, we heard how government is saying we are going to try

and bring our young men and women home from out west to go to work. Well, I can

tell you now of two unions only recently - and maybe the figures have changed -

one is the Carpenters and Joiners Union of America, the other one was the

Labourers Union. Each one of those unions - even though people are saying come

home, there is lots of work here - they have 800 people on their wait-list

today; 800 people who are in the union who are waiting to go to work. Like they

say, it is wonderful for everybody to come home but there are a lot of people

here who have to go to work first, and those people are qualified tradespeople,

Mr. Speaker.

We hear recently that the net in-migration and increase in the Province's

population is up to 508,925, at 0.5 per cent, which says that we have an

increase

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair is having some difficulty hearing the individual who has been

recognized to speak.

MR. BUTLER: That equals to, Mr. Speaker, 2,484 people over the previous -

the largest increase of in-migration we have had since 1983. I do not know if

there is a breakdown or not, but I would love to see a breakdown of those 2,484

people. Are they residents who have returned from out west because they have

obtained employment here and just came home for that purpose, or are they people

who returned home because they lost their jobs and are back home now receiving

EI? The most important one I would like to know, how many people in this number

are people who have been away for most of their lives, people who are not even

from the Province, but who returned home here and want to call this place home

again in their retirement? I know during the last election, Mr. Speaker, I came

across twenty-six to thirty people in my district that just moved there out of

retirement. If you multiply that by the forty-eight districts - and I hope

everyone has the same number coming home - a lot of those people, those 2,400

did not come home because the economy has been turned around and there is lots

of work for them.

Mr. Speaker, I know that Memorial University and the Harris Centre, they

projected in the year 2018 that the population here in our Province will be down

to 500,000. I think they are taking into effect what we could see in the

fishery, because that is a tremendous amount, and they say that the rural areas

are the largest areas that will be affected.

Mr. Speaker, my time has elapsed; I will not be asking for leave in case I

would go on for half of the afternoon.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is indeed a pleasure for me to get up and speak on the Budget. I suppose

it more specifically gives me a chance to speak on some of the issues that are

so relevant to the fishery right now and to rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, there has been the accusation that the members, the MHAs, are

not concerned about rural Newfoundland and Labrador, that the Premier is not

concerned about rural Newfoundland and Labrador and we should be doing this and

we should be doing that. I just find it simply ludicrous for someone to say

that. I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, that with the ongoing debate and certainly

the hope that we can get this fishery open, the MHAs on this side are in contact

with me on a regular basis wanting to know what is happening, and more

importantly, to find a solution for the fisheries and this ongoing annual

debate.

The member who just spoke ahead of me, he knows what the fisheries issues are

about. He was part of making them I say to you, Mr. Speaker. He used to be Mr.

John Efford's EA. I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, that many of the issues that we

have today were there when he was there and passed on to us. The member, the

Leader of the Opposition, was a fisheries minister whose quote was: Short-term

measures are not the solution. I do not agree with her on a lot of things, but I

will agree with her on that because that has been the problem in our fishery for

far too long.

There has been much talk about us as a government investing and our talk

about the legal opinion and the possibility of countervail and the breach of

trade issues. Well, this is not something that is just a simple fly-by-night

recommendation. This is a legal opinion that came from an international trade

lawyer. I offered to the Leader of the Opposition today, if she wants to, she

can come over to my office, sit down and let's read this.

On Saturday, Mr. Speaker, I offered the same invitation to Mr. McCurdy, the

leader of the FFAW. I am saying to both of them: If you think that we are just

trying to avoid doing this, come in and read the legal opinion and then tell me,

with all sincerity and frankness, that they would recommend that we put this

measure in place. Mr. Speaker, the ruling clearly says, in their opinion, there

is the strongest of possibilities that you would get into countervail, and not

only that, whatever else comes up when that door is opened.

Talking about the process and negotiation well, Mr. Speaker, I will not

talk about the work that we have done in the MOU and how, on December 17, I had

to write a letter to both parties because up to that point we had received

nothing, and that ongoing issue. The MOU is one matter. The issue that we have

before us right now is the opening of this fishery. Well, we know that the FFAW

submitted a price to the panel, but the first time that both of these parties

met to get this fishery started on a common price was on March 30. This fishery

was supposed to start on April 1. The first time that they got together was on

March 30, and subsequently to that, the first proposal that we received from

them was on Saturday that was on Saturday past; that was on April 17. On a

Saturday, 2:30 in the afternoon, there was a three-page document that was

submitted to our department. We had to write back for clarification on Sunday

about what it was that they were proposing. Well, just to put it in financial

terms, they were asking for a line of credit for about $100 million that would

pay for about 35 per cent of the crab that is caught.

So the request is that we do that, and that we roll it out to get the fishery

started within the next week or so. Well, Mr. Speaker, anybody who has dealt

with financial matters and justice and so on and so forth will soon recognize

that you do not, by the flick of the fingers, ask for a 100-million-dollar line

of credit with a potential loss of $20 million or $25 million and roll that out

and have that out within a week or so

Mr. Speaker, you are talking about a subsidy here. Then, on the heels of the

crab, comes the shrimp industry, and the shrimp is not looking to be more

favourable. So, I am assuming that the same request would come forward regarding

shrimp.

Mr. Speaker, the thing that we have said is the legal opinion is one thing;

the second thing is that I think it is something that is very workable. I think

it is something that if we sit down, plan it and structure it, it is something

that can work. It just simply cannot be rolled out by the snap of the fingers

within a week or so.

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite raised: W