Newfoundland and Labrador Hansard — Members' Statements; Statements by Ministers — 13 December 2012 (47th General Assembly, 1st Session, Vol. XLVII No. 69)
2012-12-13
Newfoundland and Labrador — Debates (Hansard)
December 13, 2012 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS Vol.
XLVII No. 69
The House met at 1:30 p.m.
MR. SPEAKER (Wiseman): Order, please!
Admit strangers.
Statements by Members
MR. SPEAKER: Today we will have members'
statements from the Member for the District of Mount Pearl North; the Member for
St. John's North; the Member for the District of Mount Pearl South; the Member
for the District of Bonavista South; the Member for District of Port de Grave;
and the Member for the District of Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.
The Member for Mount Pearl North.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. KENT: Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to
congratulate the Mount Pearl Minor Hockey Association for being recognized by
Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador as Club of the Year during its Annual General
Meeting this past spring.
This award is presented to a hockey association that
makes significant contributions to the sport within the local community and
across the Province. Many volunteers with the Mount Pearl Minor Hockey
Association were recognized during the AGM as well.
Denise Fagan was elected as Eastern Zone Co-ordinator
for Hockey NL. Gerry Taylor received the President's Award for his ongoing
support to Hockey NL President, Mr. Jack Lee. Ms Bonnie Evans received a Gold
Stick Award for her many years of service to Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador.
Last, but not least, Mr. Gerry Evans was named Honourary Life Member of Hockey
Newfoundland and Labrador.
It is evident that volunteerism is certainly alive and
well in the City of Mount Pearl.
Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of this House to join
me in congratulating the Mount Pearl Minor Hockey Association, along with these
outstanding volunteers. As we have recently begun a new hockey season, I wish
the best of luck to everyone.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. John's North.
MR. KIRBY: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute a
resident of St. John's North who was recently recognized with a Seniors of
Distinction Award.
Ted Blanchard has a long record of service to the
people of this Province, including serving one term, in the 1980s, as the MHA
for Bay of Islands. Born in Gillams, he worked as a teenager in the Bowater mill
in Corner Brook for a short time before training as a teacher.
Ted and his family settled in St. John's, where he
spent most of his career working for the provincial government. A labour
mediator, Ted is known in other circles for his contributions to music in the
Province with Don Randell, he released the first-ever commercial recording of
Newfoundland music in 1957. They received the St. John's Folk Arts Council
Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.
Ted also spent years with the Royal St. John's Regatta
as a rower, coach, coxswain, and committee member. Since his retirement, he has
been able to focus on his hobbies and passions, and our community is much better
and much richer for it, Mr. Speaker.
I ask all hon. members to join me in congratulating
Ted Blanchard on receiving the Seniors of Distinction Award.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Mount Pearl South.
MR. LANE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to rise in
this hon. House to recognize an individual for her tremendous contribution to
the City of Mount Pearl.
Lucy Stoyles is a long-time resident, city councillor,
and community volunteer. She has served on all standing committees of council,
the Regional Water Committee, Municipal Assessment Agency, and the Northeast
Avalon Joint Councils. She has also served the past two terms as Avalon Director
of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador and at the recent Municipalities NL
Annual Convention, received a sixteen-year long service award.
This former Mount Pearl Citizen of the Year has
volunteered with Lupus NL, the Kidney Foundation, Literacy NL, Learning
Disabilities of NL, School Lunch Program, St. Peter's Parish, and the Mount
Pearl Frosty Festival. She has also raised thousands of dollars for residents of
the community dealing with medical challenges.
They say volunteers are the heart of the community.
Lucy is the heart, the soul, and a true representative of human kindness,
compassion, and love for her community.
I would ask all hon. members to join me in
congratulating Lucy Stoyles on her many accomplishments and thank her for
exemplary service to the citizens of Mount Pearl and to the Province as a whole.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Bonavista South.
MR. LITTLE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Honourable colleagues, I rise today to congratulate
Edith Samson on receiving the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal. Ms Samson was
recognized for the countless volunteer hours she has contributed towards the
betterment of Trinity Bay North Region.
Edith is currently the executive co-ordinator for the
Sir William Ford Coaker Heritage Foundation. Her latest accomplishment at this
site is the restoration of the retail store and the salt fish plant.
Through great vision, determination and teamwork, this
site is one of the greatest tourist attractions for the district and the
Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is certainly worth a visit to the
historic community of Port Union.
Ms Samson serves as the co-chair of the GEO Park
Committee, another wonderful project in the works, guaranteed to attract both
tourists and residents of the Province. She is a member of the Community Sector
Council, the Rural Secretariat, the Emergency Response Committee, and was chair
of the Local Home & School Committee. If this does not keep Edith busy enough,
she is also a member of the Cabot Loop Voluntary Clusters Project and the
Leadership Advisory Committee.
Mr. Speaker, it is certainly evident that Ms Samson is
deserving of this prestigious medal; so please join me in recognizing Edith
Samson for her continued hard work and dedication.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District
of Port de Grave.
MR. LITTLEJOHN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I stand today in this hon. House to recognize and
congratulate the Upper Island Cove Volunteer Fire Department on forty years of
service to the Communities of Upper Island Cove, Bryant's Cove and Bishop's
Cove.
Much has changed in those forty years but much has
stayed the same, says Chief Harvey Mercer. Those first years when a call was
received the first member at the hall rang the bell. Today, members using
technology and pagers go and answer the call as well.
The twenty-two members train each Tuesday evening in
preparation for the call. Fire departments today not only respond to house fires
but in many cases are first responders to vehicle accidents, medical emergencies
and pet rescues. This year alone they have responded to 115 calls, which
demonstrate their ongoing dedication and commitment to their communities.
The fire department played a major role in the
development and implementation of the Town of Upper Island Cove's new emergency
response plan. As well, I would like to congratulate Assistant Chief Darren
Mercer on being named firefighter of the year.
I ask all members to join me in congratulating the
Upper Island Cove Volunteer Fire Department on forty years of loyal service.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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.
I rise today to recognize an innovative development in
my district. The Quidi Vidi Plantation is a wonderful example of good things
that happen when people work together.
The Quidi Vidi Village Foundation, incorporated in
1999, has the mandate to preserve and protect the character, culture and
historical significance of Quidi Vidi Village, while developing the tourism
industry and promoting economic and social growth for residents.
The Foundation now has offices in the 4,600-square
foot Plantation building, formerly the Eli Tucker fishing premises. Judy
Ryerson, current, and Barb Mallard, the first president of the foundation,
worked tirelessly to achieve the dream of preserving a piece of our cultural
history.
The vision and support of St. John's city councillors
and staff, and funding from ACOA, brought the dream to reality.
Today, the Plantation is a craft incubator, a
beautiful and functional studio space where visitors can watch, interact with,
and support craftspeople who produce unique handmade items.
Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. members to congratulate
the Quidi Vidi Village Plantation and all the people who worked so hard to put
it in place, and I encourage everyone to take time to visit this wonderful spot.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Statements by Ministers.
Statements by Ministers
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of
Transportation and Works.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. DAVIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I rise today to announce the annual launch of the Snow
Means Slow winter road safety awareness campaign.
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Transportation and
Works endeavours to reach drivers with the Snow Means Slow message every year at
this time to remind them to adjust their driving habits to road and weather
conditions.
Driving safely is vital at all times of the years,
however, with the weather we experience here in Newfoundland and Labrador it
places extra emphasis on safe driving practices as we head further into the
winter season. Snow can create highly dangerous driving conditions with
whiteouts and reduced visibility.
The Department of Transportation and Works maintains
more than 9,000 kilometres of highway Mr. Speaker, that is longer than the
entire distance of the Trans-Canada Highway from St. John's, Newfoundland and
Labrador to Victoria, British Columbia. Our staff maintain more road than the
Trans-Canada spans from coast-to-coast, and they are committed to keeping each
and every metre of our roads as safe as possible.
With 567 pieces of equipment, including plow trucks,
graders, loaders, snow blowers, brine tankers, and backhoes, Transportation and
Works staff work to keep our roads clear of snow and ice. In the last five
years, we have invested in 101 new pieces of snow clearing equipment, which
replaced older machines; and every year, Mr. Speaker, we invest $65 million in
our winter maintenance program. Our staff work in the most treacherous of
weather, and at times putting their own safety on the line to keep the public
safe themselves.
Mr. Speaker, the Snow Means Slow message is an
important one, given the high speeds at which drivers sometimes travel on our
highways. Department of Transportation and Works road crews do their best to
keep the Province's roads safe, but drivers must also do their part as well by
adjusting their speed to suit road and whether conditions.
Mr. Speaker, as we enter further into the winter
season, I ask drivers to adjust their speed and make our Province's highways
safer for everyone. Remember, Mr. Speaker, Snow Means Slow.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Bay of
Islands.
MR. JOYCE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the minister for an advance copy of his
statement.
We also on this side, as the Opposition, do thank the
staff for keeping our roads safe throughout Newfoundland and Labrador throughout
the year. Snow Means Slow is a great concept that we must adapt across all of
our highways, Mr. Speaker, to make them safe. They ensure that people are very
conscious of the winter conditions, the snow conditions, and our highways.
Mr. Speaker, I have to bring up the twenty-four hour
snow clearing. I know my colleague, the Member for Burgeo La Poile has brought
it up and presented petitions on many occasions the stretch of highway from
Port aux Basques to Stephenville. Many nights, people cannot even pass it. That
is our gateway to the Province, but yet we cannot get twenty-four-hour snow
clearing.
I ask the minister once again, if you are going to
keep your highways safe and Snow Means Slow, we have to ensure that our highways
are safe. I know, Mr. Speaker, the twenty-four hours do not include the Bay of
Islands. On many occasions last winter, I know in three, the school buses could
not even go; they had to wait for the snow plows to come through. It is a major
safety concern.
I agree with the minister on Snow Means Slow. We
definitely have to ensure that the roads are clear so that people can at least
drive slowly on the roads when there are winter conditions.
I thank the minister for making it aware for all the
Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is all incumbent on us to make this
idea more public awareness for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. To the
people: drive slow; it is your life we are talking about.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's
East.
MR. MURPHY: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
I would also like to thank the minister for the
advance copy of his statement and as well, to thank the highway staff,
particularly, who are out there working the roads, sometimes around the clock.
We know that there are going to be changing conditions. Thanks to the staff for
keeping on top of that.
Outside of that, besides what the highway workers do,
Mr. Speaker, there also has to be recognition amongst the general public that
conditions can change relatively quickly. In my twenty-three years of commercial
driving, the one rule that I came to understand was that if you were in doubt
about the road conditions, do not do not travel. It is as plain and simple as
that sometimes.
Another word, Mr. Speaker, on that is a word of
caution, as well, to drivers. The one thing that I found in my twenty-three
years of commercial driving: make sure that your braking systems on your cars
and everything are in good operational order. It does not take much to throw a
car out of control if the brakes are working unevenly. As well as that, Mr.
Speaker, watch the roads for hazards and watch out for flat tires. Always make
sure that you are carrying the appropriate safety equipment.
With that, thanks again to the minister and the staff
for the Snow Means Slow awareness campaign.
Thank you very much.
MR. SPEAKER: Does the hon. the Member for St.
John's South have leave?
AN HON. MEMBER: No.
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Tourism,
Culture and Recreation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. FRENCH: Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House
today to highlight the provincial government's commitment to providing citizens
of Newfoundland and Labrador with opportunities to engage in regular physical
activity, an essential part of healthy living.
More specifically, I would like to focus on the
benefits of the recreation grants provided by the provincial government,
including the Community Recreation Development Grant Program and the Capital
Grant Program.
These recreation grant programs help town councils and
local committees develop, promote, and maintain recreation, sport, and physical
activities in their communities. Upgrades to local recreation and sport
infrastructure such as playgrounds are funded to ensure residents have safe and
accessible facilities. As well, a variety of community-based recreation
activities are supported through these grants, such as recreational sports,
seasonal programs for citizens of all ages, and active living initiatives for
the entire community.
The provincial government's support for recreation and
sport in this Province has included an investment of more than $70 million since
the launch of Active, Healthy Newfoundland and Labrador, which has been
committed to recreation and sport infrastructure, programming, and athlete
development throughout the Province.
One of the numerous communities that will benefit from
the recreation grants is Little Burnt Bay. I will be there tomorrow to announce
details on the extensive funding provided through the latest series of
recreation grants. I look forward to visiting Little Burnt Bay and seeing
firsthand how funding under the Recreation Grant Program impacts their
community.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Bay of
Islands.
MR. JOYCE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the minister for the advance copy of his
statement.
Mr. Speaker, myself as a former athlete and still a
coach of basketball, I know how much a lot of these grants and funds help out
kids for recreation. It is all of our responsibility to ensure that we promote a
healthy living style.
Mr. Speaker, the former Minister of Tourism, Culture
and Recreation helped me obtain a grant for the Town of York Harbour and Lark
Harbour this past summer and with grant we started a new soccer program the
parents did with fifty-eight kids in the new first-year soccer program. The
minister helped with the $15,000 for the fencing and to develop the soccer
field. That is a great endeavour, which shows how much this program does work in
Newfoundland and Labrador and in rural Newfoundland and Labrador.
We all know the high incidence of obesity in
Newfoundland and Labrador and we as all parliamentarians must find some way to
help out. We also must make the education program more available and try to
promote healthy living, which I know we all do as people in the Legislature.
Mr. Speaker, I just continue: if there is any way that
we can expand the program to help, anything that we can do to help with active
lifestyles, with more education on fitness, more education on sports, it is
going to help in the long run in our health care bill.
I will thank the ministers, the former minister for
his assistance and this minister for some work that was done in the Bay of
Islands through this grant. I can assure you: if you want to know a prime
example of where this grant works, I say walk down to York Harbour and see the
soccer program that they have next summer.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for The Straits
White Bay North.
MR. MITCHELMORE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I, too, thank the minister for an advance copy of his
statement. These two grant programs are essential for communities, especially
rural communities with limited funds. In my own district, communities are able
to repair their facilities and build new ones to respond to changing recreation
needs of our population.
We have to continue to do more to access healthy
lifestyles and to better manage our high levels of obesity and diabetes.
Government must continue these investments in recreation and sports
infrastructure programs. It is more critical now than ever that we maintain a
healthy population. This is good investment in people, and I certainly thank the
minister for all the good work he has done.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER: Does the Member for St. John's South
have leave?
AN HON. MEMBER: No leave.
MR. SPEAKER: Oral Questions.
Oral Questions
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official
Opposition.
MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Last week we heard of a $100 million clean up for the
Premier's expropriation mistake in Grand Falls-Windsor. We are now pushing $15
million on legal fees for this botched expropriation, $30 million to cover Emera
if they want out of Muskrat Falls, and now a projected deficit of $725 million.
I ask the Premier: Have you now lost complete control
of the financial matters of this Province?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and
President of Treasury Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, this government, since
we have gotten in office, has had cumulative surpluses of over $5 billion. We
lowered the net debt by $4 billion.
Mr. Speaker, the economy of this Province remains
strong. It is strong right now and it is going to continue to be strong. We have
capital investment the highest in our history. The rate of growth is highest in
the country. It is driving employment. Employment is higher. There is a new
record in employment and the people are getting higher wages.
Average weekly wages in this Province are now the
highest they have ever been. For the first time in our history, they are higher
than the Canadian average. Mr. Speaker, that is leading to business confidence
and consumer confidence. We are seeing it in retail sales, we are seeing it car
sales, and we are seeing it in new records in car sales and housing stats that
are the highest in our history.
The economy is strong and confidence is strong.
Unfortunately, we have a fiscal problem caused by the slowdown in the world
global economy.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Official
Opposition.
MR. BALL: (Inaudible) a lot about the past but,
Mr. Speaker, what he has done this year is actually projected oil pricing to be
at what we consider to be exaggerated levels. The minister, as I said, is now
projecting a $725 million deficit and this largely due to an exaggerated price
per barrel that government budgeted for this year.
I ask the Premier: How did you and why did you budget
$124 a barrel when you know prices have not been close to that for this year?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and
President of Treasury Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, when we budget for
mineral prices and when we budget for oil prices, we rely on the best experts in
the world. That is who we rely on. We get their numbers and we follow up, and we
get additional forecasts and we have to adjust accordingly.
What has happened is that the anticipated improvement
in the world economy coming out of the recession was not as fast as people had
expected. It is much lower. As a result of that we have a recession in Europe.
There is a slowdown in the US. They are not buying from China; China's exports
are down. India's are down even more. Therefore, demand for commodities is down.
If demand for commodities is down, prices are down, which means royalties go
down and taxes go down.
It is not just us, Mr. Speaker. Alberta has the same
thing. BC has the same thing. Canada has the same thing. It is a world economy,
but our own economy is doing very well.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition.
MR. BALL: Mr. Speaker, what was really ironic in
that response was that the same experts which was really about seven, eight
months ago had the inputs into this budget at $125 a barrel, and they have not
been right once. These are the same experts we are going to use for a fifty-year
projection, Mr. Speaker. I would have to question those experts.
Before government can borrow with the federal loan
guarantee, they must put up billions of dollars in equity for the Muskrat Falls
Project. This money has to come from somewhere, but with the $725 million
deficit, cash reserves, as we know, are drying up.
So I ask the Premier: Are you now going to borrow
money for your equity investment in Muskrat Falls, not covered by the federal
loan guarantee?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and
President of Treasury Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, we have always said
that we would finance our equity investment in Muskrat Falls by the Province. It
is about $2 billion that we will put in, and we will invest it out of our cash
that we have on hand, out of borrowings, depending on the cash flows at the
particular time.
We have $1.4 billion in the bank today, Mr. Speaker.
Based on the future, we have other projects we are going to do as well lots of
infrastructure projects we are going to be doing. We are going to need cash for
that, and if we have to borrow, we will borrow. The difference is that our
equity investment will put $2 billion into this project, but over the next fifty
years we will get $20 billion out of the project.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, this is the right thing
to do, because as oil revenues go down, we are replacing those revenues with
renewable revenues from a renewable source of revenue Muskrat Falls, and Gull
Island to come after that.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition.
MR. BALL: Well, Mr. Speaker, we know, too, that
there will be no revenues until past 2017, and that is not including the
overruns. So we must be very careful, because there could be significant costs
left on this project yet.
It is inaccurate for the minister to say that Muskrat
Falls will not add 1 per cent to the provincial debt. The money for government's
$2 billion in equity has to come from somewhere. If it is taken out of cash
reserves, we must borrow for other things, like the hospital in Corner Brook,
Mr. Speaker. So, it is easy to govern when the purse is full.
How much money will we have to borrow to make ends
meet, and at what rates?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and
President of Treasury Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. MARSHALL:
Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition knows that our
investment in the Muskrat Falls Project will not increase our net debt by one
cent not one cent. We will use our cash and we will use borrowing if we have
to, to finance our equity investment in a project that is going to not increase
our net debt, because we will have our borrowings on the one side, but we will
have an asset on the other side.
It is an asset that is going to kick off cash to this
Province starting in 2017 at $15 million. At the end of fifty years, it will be
$900 million; it is an average of $450 million a year that will pay down that
debt. Mr. Speaker, if we have to do some borrowing in the future we have not
borrowed for eight years. That government never can say anything like that.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
The Speaker has not recognized the member yet.
The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I will say what this government has done is they have
taken the benefits from a lot of good projects from the Liberal government and
they know it.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. BALL: They know that. They should admit it.
Give credit where credit is due, Mr. Speaker.
The Minister of Finance said that cuts were coming
from public service and government programs.
I ask the Premier: What programs
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
MR. BALL: are you planning to cut, and how many
people will be issued pink slips because of your poor planning?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and
President of Treasury Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, the money that comes
into the government comes from the people of the Province and comes from
business in the Province. We use that money and we give it back to the people.
It is the people's money, Mr. Speaker, it is not ours.
Mr. Speaker, when the money is gushing in and there
are times when it is gushing in we are very happy to pay our public servants
more, we are very happy to build infrastructure, and we are very happy to add
progressive social programs to the people of the Province. When the revenue
stops coming in because of what is going on in the world economy that we do not
control, we are takers of those prices. When the revenue goes down we obviously
have to lower our expenditures to match our revenues.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
MR. MARSHALL: Families have to do that, businesses
have to do that when their income is down, governments have to do that. It is a
responsible thing to do.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official
Opposition.
MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
What we call responsibility is sustainable planning,
Mr. Speaker. That we have not seen. The Premier has increased the costs of
government
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
MR. BALL: with no sustainability planning for
the future. Now she has realized that she has to take it all back.
I ask the Premier: How can you expect the people to
have confidence in your government when they are obviously mismanaging the
public purse today?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and
President of Treasury Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, when the friends of the
hon. member were in office, how many surpluses did they have? You would have to
search pretty far to find them.
Mr. Speaker, we have had six surpluses in the last
seven years. We have lowered net debt
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
MR. MARSHALL: by over $4 billion.
Mr. Speaker, we are off equalization. Our credit
ratings have gone up. Mark Carney says that this Province has been a model for
the rest of the country.
Mr. Speaker, we take our responsibilities to the
people of this Province very, very seriously. It is their money. We will never
forget that and we will be responsible insurers of the taxpayers' money.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official
Opposition.
MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It is obvious now that this government wants to take
credit for everything that has been done before 2003 as well. They forget the
great projects that have been done that they are now taking full advantage of.
Why do they not give credit for that, Mr. Speaker?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
MR. BALL: Government is playing with the lives of
the hardworking people of Newfoundland and Labrador. They are not only planning
to issue pink slips, but they are planning to strip pensions.
I ask the Premier: What exactly have you planned for
pension stripping, something the Minister of Finance says needs to happen?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and
President of Treasury Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, pension plans in this
Province, the Public Service Pension Plans, are simply not sustainable. That is
a fact. We have not put any proposals on the table to strip away any pension
plans. We are not going to do anything to hurt any people who are presently
retired and receiving pensions, but the pensions are not sustainable, so we have
asked the unions to come in and meet with us to discuss what we are going to do
to reform that and how we are going to make those pensions sustainable.
Mr. Speaker, New Brunswick has made changes. They came
up with a shared cost program. England is making changes. We have to work
together or there are not going to be pensions left. It is very important that
the pensions are there, that they are protected, and they are strong for the
people who work for this Province, to look after them in their retirement.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official
Opposition.
MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Nurses' Union has
publicly stated: hands off our pensions. This morning the minister replied and
responded by saying: hands off our pensions means you will not have a pension.
I ask the minister: What did you mean by this comment?
Is this a threat to the nurses and other public sector workers?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and
President of Treasury Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, the President of NAPE,
the President of the Nurses' Union, said hands off our pensions. If we keep
hands off of their pensions, the pensions are going to go broke. If we are going
to stop that from happening, we have to do something.
I have invited the unions to come in and meet with me.
We had a meeting set up today but they could not make it today. We had a meeting
set up earlier which NAPE could not make.
The idea is to get together, to look at the problem
and come up with solutions. The public sector unions can bring expertise to that
discussion. They have people working for them who are experts in this area. I
was on the phone last week to the Secretary Treasurer of the Canadian Labour
Congress and we talked about that. Working together we can do something but if
we take hands off, those pension plans are going to go broke.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official
Opposition.
MR. BALL: Making a better recipe to go broke, Mr.
Speaker.
Two ATIPPA requests from our office to the Department
of Natural Resources show legal costs for Abitibi court cases in 2009-2010 to be
over $7 million. Yesterday, the Premier's office sent an e-mail to some media
stating that the legal costs for the Supreme Court for Abitibi case was $2
million.
I ask the Premier: Since these are just the costs for
one department in one fiscal year, can you confirm that there are other costs to
the Department of Justice as well as Nalcor, and how much are these expenses?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, we were specifically asked by the
Opposition and others, what were the legal costs associated with the Supreme
Court case, and the legal costs are $2 million. Were there other costs incurred,
Mr. Speaker, absolutely, but they inform other pieces of work that need to be
done.
We need to know the scope of the remediation. There
was other information that was required, not only for the legal cases, Mr
Speaker, but for a government as we move forward in terms of the scope of work
that will need to be to done to remediate these properties. Legal fees on their
own, Mr. Speaker, associated with the expropriation of Abitibi are $2 million.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official
Opposition.
MR. BALL: Mr. Speaker, from the information that
we have, we think those expenses are a lot higher.
I ask the Premier one more time: If you can include
all the Abitibi costs, the costs from all departments, how much is the total
bill for the legal fees for the Abitibi expropriation?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, I can only give
the same answer I have already given.
Mr. Speaker, the legal fees for government in the
Supreme Court of Canada case on the expropriation, all of the legal fees come to
$2 million. Now, I would suggest that everybody in this House of Assembly get an
oversized calculator, and maybe, Mr. Speaker, we can come to some agreement on
the numbers.
There are other pieces of work that were done that
informed the legal case but they are not specific to the legal case, Mr.
Speaker. It is to develop the understanding and the expertise that are going to
be required within government to remediate these properties.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. Barbe.
MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, after an agonizing year
and extensive lobbying, parents and students will know tonight if their schools
will get the death knell as the Eastern School District Board Trustees meet in
Spaniard's Bay.
I ask the minister: Is it true that these boards were
asked to save your fiscally-incompetent government money on the backs of
children and communities, even though the schools may be viable?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, we know what an
emotional issue this is. There is no doubt about it, tonight will be a difficult
night for all involved. These trustees we have at the board level, Mr. Speaker,
are volunteers and they are very genuine.
Mr. Speaker, it is quite irresponsible for the member,
I will say this, who made a statement just a couple of days that there were
amendments in reference to the Schools Act and said there were changes. Mr.
Speaker, people have asked me: Have there been changes made? Mr. Speaker, that
is now, I have to get this right factually incorrect. This is simply
factually incorrect. It is irresponsible of the member to be putting incorrect
information out there, Mr. Speaker. The parents, the students, and the trustees
deserve better than what the hon. member is (inaudible).
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. Barbe.
MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, schools boards in this
Province only make recommendations to the Minister of Education, who has the
final say on whether to close a school or not. The people of Catalina,
Whitbourne, Swift Current, Colliers, and Heart's Delight are not well served by
this government.
I ask the minister: Will he do the right thing and
stand with the parents and communities, and keep the schools open until his
government carries out a proper review of school closure processes in this
Province?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. JACKMAN: Mr. Speaker, one of the reasons we
have elected school boards is that they are at arm's-length. These are not
political decisions.
Here is a member, Mr. Speaker, who goes on a radio
talk show and says for politicians to stay out of it. Now, he is asking the
exact same irresponsible, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. Barbe.
MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, while displaced workers
from the OCI plant in Marystown are working community projects, Burin plant
workers will receive a severance from High Liner who is closing the plant this
month. We now know two separate deals were negotiated between the Province and
these two companies.
I ask the minister: Why did your government require
High Liner to compensate Burin workers while allowing OCI to sacrifice workers
in Marystown?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries
and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. DALLEY: Mr. Speaker, this is another
situation, I guess, where the facts would certainly help clarify for the member
what happened.
Our government, as we stated many times, is firmly
committed to the fishery of this Province and working with communities. In the
case of Marystown and Burin, they were operated by companies, Mr. Speaker, who
determined that their businesses were not viable; therefore, not sustainable.
In the operations of Marystown, there was an
obligation by the company. If they did not meet the obligation, they had to pay
a financial penalty. As determined by Deloitte, Mr. Speaker, the company met
their obligation; therefore, there was no financial penalty.
In the case of Burin, the company did not meet their
obligation. There was a financial penalty. Through the support of this
government for the people in Burin, this government decided that that financial
penalty could be into a trust to support the workers in the event of closure.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Third Party.
MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Today, in the same press release, government claimed
it was unable to predict the provincial economy nine months in advance, but then
also claimed that the benefits of Muskrat Falls will still be flowing fifty
years from now.
Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: How can this statement
be seen in any way as being a responsible statement on fiscal stewardship?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Natural
Resources.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the prediction of oil in
the short term, it is very difficult as a result of the volatility as my
colleague pointed out earlier, we have the question of what happens in China and
India, it affects the demand for oil in the world. We have had shale oil, Mr.
Speaker, that is having an impact.
In the short term, volatility is difficult to project.
Mr. Speaker, in the long term, the basic principles, the fundamental principles
of supply and demand still apply. Even though we know there will be increased
production in the United States, we also know there is an increased demand in
the world.
What we are told by the experts: It is, in fact,
easier to look a decade out in terms of the projection of the cost of oil than
it is in the short term. Mr. Speaker, with Muskrat Falls, we know how much is
going to be produced, and electricity bills will be paid.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Third Party.
MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
This government has had nine years and eight Budgets
to get the Province's finances on solid ground. It has known all along about the
volatility of oil.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
MS MICHAEL: It has known all along about the
volatility of oil. This government has celebrated the surpluses, yet made no
provisions for the downside.
So, Mr. Speaker, how can Premier claim her government
is practising good fiscal stewardship?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, we have used the same methodology in
determining the revenue of the Province, predicting the revenue of the Province,
in the last nine years. It was only a few short months ago when the NDP House
Leader was on in the media accusing us of deliberately underestimating the
revenue from oil so that we could have the joint surpluses.
Mr. Speaker, I would suggest that the Leader of the
Third Party confer with her House Leader and at least they try and get their
story right.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Third Party.
MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
I assume the government is now going to recognize that
our House Leader should be separate from the leader of the party. I am going to
be pursuing that one, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance says this year's
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
MS MICHAEL: Budget shortfall has tripled his
spring prediction reaching $750 million.
Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: Does that sum include
the $100 million-plus cost of the bungled AbitibiBowater paper mill cleanup you
brought on the people of the Province?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and
President of Treasury Board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, expenses that are
incurred are included of course in the expenses of the Province. Some of the
environmental cleanup that has to be estimated. The engineers and the
scientists in the Department of Environment will go out and do an inventory and
do an analysis. As the Minister of Environment said the other day, they will do
an analysis.
That contamination that is harmful to public health
and public safety that will be done. Then an estimate will be provided for in
the public accounts and that is based on the recommendation of the Auditor
General.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Third Party.
MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The fall financial update shows the Premier is caught
in a vice. Huge cash demands for her Muskrat Falls Project vying with the first
of what will likely be many serious cash shortfalls in the Province's Budget.
The Province's finances are a mess.
Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: Will she choose to
download her mismanagement onto the backs of the people through cuts to services
in order to bankroll her Muskrat Falls Project?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, as the Minister
of Finance has outlined in this House a number of times, Muskrat Falls will not
add one penny to our net debt. We have had responsible governance. We have
reduced our debt by over $4 billion in the last nine years, Mr. Speaker.
Daily, daily, daily in this House we hear requests
from the Third Party, Mr. Speaker, for hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of
millions of dollars of new spending in this Province. Why don't they tell us how
they intend to fund it, Mr. Speaker?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Third Party.
MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
It is one thing whether or not Muskrat Falls will
affect our debt. One thing is certain: It is going to take over $2 billion of
cash out of our income. Mr. Speaker, when things are going well
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
MS MICHAEL: Mr. Speaker, when things are going
well this government always is quick to take credit, holding themselves up as
competent stewards of the public purse, but now when things are not going so
well, are they taking any responsibility? No, Mr. Speaker, it seems somebody
else is to blame.
Will the Premier stand up and take responsibility for
the massive deficits that will be racked up by her government beginning this
year?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, we have always understood our
responsibility to the people of the Province. They are foremost in our minds and
in our planning, and everything we do. We remember who hired us, Mr. Speaker,
and why.
Mr. Speaker, when we developed our Energy Plan in
2007, we talked then, very specifically, about how important it was to get away
from basing over 30 per cent of our revenues on the volatility of commodities
and why we decided to use some of the money from our non-renewables to
transition to a renewable economy to get rid of that volatility and have a
sustainable financing platform foundation for the Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's
Centre.
MS ROGERS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, families are under extreme financial and
emotional stress trying to find reliable home care or respite care for their
disabled children. Under the current system families can pay $2,000 to $3,000,
or more a month.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
MS ROGERS: Mr. Speaker, the minister has already
said government spends $161 million on seniors and people with disabilities, but
home care must be an integral part of our public health care system.
Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister of Health and
Community Services: When will this government stop charging families for home
care for their disabled children?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I cannot let this opportunity go and not
be able to draw attention to the contradiction we hear everyday in this House
from the Third Party.
We had the Minister of Finance this morning talking
about a $725 million deficit this year. We have the Leader of the Third Party
standing up and critiquing government, and asking what we are going to do to get
out of the mess, and immediately on her heels, Mr. Speaker, we have a request
for the Province to spend more money. That is what we deal with everyday in this
House.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's
Centre.
MS ROGERS: Mr. Speaker, these are expenses
directly on the backs of some of the most vulnerable people in our society.
Mr. Speaker, sixteen-year-old Courtney of Little
Catalina is severely disabled, cannot speak, is developmentally delayed and can
barely walk. Her mom has been a home care worker for fifteen years. Every
morning her mom bundles her up and takes Courtney to a respite worker and then
goes off to work to take care of someone else. The Steads are waiting for
government to fulfill its election promise of family paid home care workers
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
MS ROGERS: - however, this program can only work
if family care workers are part of a comprehensive home care program.
Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: When is she going to
honour her promise to help the Steads and other families like them by creating a
real home care system?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, all of us can come to this House on a
daily basis and put forward very sad stories about the reality of people's lives
in this Province. When we hear the call to spend more, spend more, spend more
from the other side of the House, Mr. Speaker, we recognize that what is being
asked is in no way illegitimate. We do not argue that people do not deserve
these services, Mr. Speaker.
We absolutely understand that people have needs in
their lives and we as a government have to do the best we can to meet those
needs, but we have to operate within an envelope, Mr. Speaker, in order to be
responsible and sustainable. So every need cannot be met, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's
East.
MR. MURPHY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The purchase of the Battery Hotel by Memorial
University means that the City of St. John's stands to lose close to $300,000
every year in taxation. Other government purchases of buildings like the two
Johnson Insurance properties at Portugal Cove Road and Elizabeth Avenue, for
example, has also short changed the city and impacted the city's bottom line and
to put taxpayers on the hook for the difference.
Question: Will the minister change the present
government policy and start paying its share of municipal taxation to
government?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, we now have the third person from the
Third Party speaking and requesting that we spend money.
Now, Mr. Speaker, government only has two ways to find
revenue. We either get it from royalties and taxes, Mr. Speaker, paid by
industry, business, and the people of the Province, or we have to raise taxes.
There are only two ways, Mr. Speaker.
The NDP seem to think that we have a money tree
growing in the backyard. There is only one taxpayer in this Province, Mr.
Speaker, and they are the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. If we do not have
the money from royalties and other sources of income, from our natural
resources, Mr. Speaker, then we can only go to taxpayers, whether the
municipality does it, the provincial government does it, or the federal
government does it. That is the reality.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's
East.
MR. MURPHY: Mr. Speaker, it is obvious this
government is not using its imagination and using a little bit of creativity on
the part of municipalities. The Province is looking at some sort of new funding
arrangement with municipalities so they can help them meet their future
financial obligations. Government could release Crown lands within town
boundaries, barring the environmental concerns, and let them realize their full
potential.
Question: Will government consider the release of any
Crown lands within city boundaries that could allow towns and cities to generate
their own potential revenue and help government solve its own problem in having
to fund municipalities?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Municipal
Affairs.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. O'BRIEN: Mr. Speaker, as the Premier just said
in referencing our fiscal update that was given by the Minister of Finance
today: nothing sinks in, I guarantee you, and I do not think it ever will. We
have been hearing it now over a year and a half and it is not going to sink in.
It has not sunk in and it is not going to.
In the meantime, we have had some meaningful and I
mean meaningful meetings with municipalities in Newfoundland and Labrador over
the last number of months and we are moving forward. One of the things we will
consider is Crown lands and whatever it may be to make a more
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
The time for Question Period has expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.
MR. KING: I am standing on a point of order, Mr.
Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER: A point of order.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of heckling
that goes on back and forth in this House, and we all generally accept it. From
time to time, barbs occur, and people get excited.
I very clearly heard, though, Mr. Speaker, the Member
for St. John's North shout at the member opposite to, quote: sit down and shut
up. Mr. Speaker, I would ask you to consider that is very unparliamentary and
out of order for this House.
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's
North.
MR. KIRBY: I withdraw the comment, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER: Presenting Reports by Standing and
Select Committees.
Tabling of Documents.
Tabling of Documents
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
In accordance with
section 19
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
I would ask the members from the gallery: as they
leave the gallery, could they do so quietly, please?
In accordance with
section 19(5)(
a) of the House of
Assembly Accountability, Integrity and Administration Act, I hereby table
minutes of the House of Assembly Management Commission meeting held on September
18, 2012.
Notices of motion.
Notices of Motion
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.
MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, I give notice under
Standing Order 11 that I shall move that this House not adjourn at 5:30 p.m. on
Monday, December 17, 2012; and I further give notice that under Standing Order
11, I shall move that this House not adjourn at 10:00 p.m. on Monday, December
17, 2012.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of
Treasury Board.
MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, I give notice I will
ask leave to introduce a bill entitled,
An Act To Amend The Services Charges
Act, Bill 58.
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Service
Newfoundland and Labrador.
MR. MCGRATH: Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I
will ask leave to introduce a bill entitled,
An Act To Amend The Highway Traffic
Act, No. 2, Bill 59.
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Natural
Resources.
MR. KENNEDY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I give notice that I will ask leave to introduce a
bill entitled,
An Act Respecting The Use And Expropriation Of Land For The
Purpose Of the Muskrat Falls Project, Bill 60.
Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will ask leave to
introduce a bill entitled,
An Act To Amend The Electrical Power Control Act,
1994, The Energy Corporation Act, And The Hydro Corporation Act, 2007, Bill 61.
MR. SPEAKER: Answers to Questions for which Notice
has been Given.
Petitions.
Petitions
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Bay of
Islands.
MR. JOYCE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I stand today, Mr. Speaker, on the family caregivers'
petition.
To the hon. House of Assembly for the Province of
Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, this petition of the
undersigned residents humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS home care allows the elderly and people with
disabilities to remain within the comfort and security of their own homes; home
care also allows the people to be able to be discharged from hospital earlier;
and
WHEREAS many families find it difficult to recruit and
retain home care workers for their loved ones; and
WHEREAS the PC Blue Book, 2011 as well as the 2012
Speech from the Throne committed that government would develop a new model of
home care and give people the option of receiving that care from family members;
and
WHEREAS government has given no time commitment for
when government plans to implement paying family caregivers;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners humbly
pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the government of Newfoundland
and Labrador to implement a new home care model to cover family caregivers in
the 2012-2013 Budget.
As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr. Speaker, I rise again and I am after presenting
many petitions on this family home care. I know the Minister of Health I think
it was in April or May, Mr. Speaker said there is a new one coming very, very,
very, very soon, and we are still waiting for that very, very, very soon. As we
are waiting for that very, very, very soon from the minister, there are still
people out there who cannot get care for their loved ones.
I know a lot of times in this House we barb back and
forth, but this is such a serious issue, Mr. Speaker. This was committed in
2011. We hear in this House of Assembly and we hear in the media just about
every day about how we need family caregivers to take care of the loved ones in
their home, and they feel it is the best care. On many occasions people cannot
find caregivers to take care of their loved ones, and the only ones left are the
family, who must go through financial hardship, quit their job, and move back
home to take care of their loved ones.
Mr. Speaker, this was a commitment that was made by
the Premier of the Province in 2011.
AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).
MR. JOYCE: I hear the Minister of Health saying it
is going to be honoured; Minister, you stood up six months ago and said it was
very, very, very soon. You stood up a month ago and said within weeks, and we
are still waiting. We are still waiting.
Mr. Speaker, I am sorry to say to the minister I
have all due respect for the minister; when it is done, what was committed in
2011, this Member for the Bay of Islands will be the first one to stand up and
say: government, you fulfilled your commitment; you did a good service to the
people of Newfoundland and Labrador. Until that is done, Mr. Speaker, until that
commitment is made and lived up to for family caregivers that was committed to
in 2011 I will be presenting petitions and I will be fighting on their behalf.
Thank you.
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
Your time is expired.
The hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.
MS ROGERS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of
Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the
undersigned residents humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador,
Kathy Dunderdale, made a promise during the 2011 general election campaign that
home care clients will have the option of receiving that care from family
members
We, the undersigned, respectfully petition the House
of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to honour their
election promise by the Premier to allow family members to provide home care to
their own.
As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to present this petition that
was started by the Stead family in Little Catalina and they had a hard time
getting anybody else to present this petition in this House on their behalf and
so I am happy to be able to do it for them.
At this point, Mr. Speaker, they have 892 signatures
that they have collected on their own in their region of Bonavista. There are
people from Little Catalina, Clarenville, Snook's Harbour, White Rock, Milton,
Shoal Harbour, Hickman's Harbour, Lethbridge, Milton, it goes on it just goes
on and on, people all over that community: Southern Bay, Charleston.
Mr. Speaker, these people are really concerned about
the current state of home care, and particularly care for families with children
who have physical disabilities and who need a lot of assistance, who need help.
For two reasons, Mr. Speaker, the whole issue of paid family caregivers; we know
that, for instance, in the case of the Steads' daughter, she is severely
developmentally delayed, has severe physical disabilities, and is not able to
speak.
Her mother, Louise, has been a home care worker for
fifteen years. What she has to do is bundle up her own daughter, take her to a
respite care worker, and then go off and take care of someone herself. We know
how difficult this is for this particular family. The Steads, as a matter of
fact, are not the only family in this kind of situation; there are families all
over Newfoundland and Labrador who are facing the same problems.
Aside from having paid family caregivers, we must not
leave them on their own. Family caregivers need to be part of a comprehensive
home care program, a public home care program that takes care of our most
vulnerable.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. DAVIS: A point of order.
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of
Transportation and Works, rising on a point of order.
MR. DAVIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I would like to point out that during the presentation
of this petition by the Member for St. John's East
AN HON. MEMBER: Centre.
MR. DAVIS: St. John's Centre, my apologies, Mr.
Speaker. She addressed a member of this House by their proper name. Mr. Speaker,
we know it is not appropriate in the House of Assembly to address members by
their proper name. The member opposite did during the delivery of her petition.
I would ask that she correct that, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's
Centre.
MS ROGERS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I cleared the petition exactly as it is with the
proper channels and it was approved. I could withdraw the name.
MR. SPEAKER: All members would recognize that in
referencing members who sit in this House, they are to be recognized by their
title or their district. We do not use individual names in referring to any
member who sits in this House, and that would include any presentations and
submissions from documentation, including petitions. I would remind all hon.
members that it is not appropriate to refer to individuals by their names.
The hon. the Member for St. John's North.
MR. KIRBY: Thanks, Mr. Speaker.
To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of
Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the
undersigned residents of Newfoundland and Labrador humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS strikes and lockouts are rare, and on average
97 per cent of collective agreements are negotiated without work disruptions;
and
WHEREAS anti-temporary replacement workers laws have
existed in Quebec since 1978; in British Columbia since 1993; and successive
governments in those provinces have never repealed those laws; and
WHEREAS anti-temporary replacement workers legislation
has reduced the length and divisiveness of labour disputes; and
WHEREAS the use of temporary replacement workers
during a strike or lockout is damaging to the social fabric of a community, the
local economy, and the well-being of residents, as evident by the recent use of
temporary replacement workers by Ocean Choice International and Vale in Voisey's
Bay;
We, the undersigned, petition the House of Assembly to
urge government to enact legislation banning the use of temporary replacement
workers during a strike or lockout.
As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr. Speaker, I have presented this petition a number
of times in the spring sitting and received quite a number of additional
submissions. Some of them are written on the front and back, and are well-worn,
from all around the Province.
I know we did have a discussion when legislation was
being considered and in fact was passed here in, I believe, June of this year.
It was unfortunate at the time that both the governing party and the Official
Opposition opted not to support our motion to enact this anti-replacement worker
legislation. The fact that we have these additional petitions shows there is
still an appetite out there in Newfoundland and Labrador amongst workers to have
such a law.
I will submit this for I do not know who has the job
these days over there. Whoever is the Minister Responsible for the Labour
Relations Agency should give this some consideration and hear the pleas of these
petitioners.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Before I call Orders of the Day,
there was a point of order raised in the House yesterday by the Member for St.
John's North. I indicated I would review Hansard to see if there had been any
comment made that was unparliamentary. I conducted that review and the records
do not reflect any such comment.
Orders of the Day.
Orders of the Day
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.
MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I move, seconded by the Minister of Transportation and
Works, Motion 4 on the Order Paper, pursuant to Standing Order 11, that this
House not adjourn today 5:30 p.m. Thursday, December 13, 2012.
Further, Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Minister
of Transportation and Works, Motion 5, pursuant to Standing Order 11 that the
House not adjourn at 10:00 p.m. today, Thursday, December 13, 2012.
MR. SPEAKER: It has been moved and seconded that
this House do not adjourn today, Thursday, at 5:30 p.m., nor at 10:00 this
evening.
All those in favour, aye'.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.
MR. SPEAKER: All those against, nay'.
Motion carried.
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.
MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, Order 2, third reading of a bill,
An Act
To Regulate The Practice Of Pharmacy, Bill 50.
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.
MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Minister of
Health and Community Services that Bill 50,
An Act To Regulate The Practice Of
Pharmacy, be now read a third time.
MR. SPEAKER: It is moved and seconded that the
bill be now read a third time.
Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?
AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).
MR. SPEAKER: I am sorry.
The Opposition House Leader, speaking to Bill 50 in
third reading.
MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I am speaking to the bill, I guess, just because I
want to make sure that it is on the public record that there were concerns
expressed to us by community pharmacists in the Province with regard to a couple
of sections in the bill.
It is my understanding that the Minister of Health and
Community Services has undertaken with her officials and with the people who
brought the complaint forward to clarify that particular information.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
MS JONES: Mr. Speaker, some of the concerns that
were brought forward had to do with the make up of the actual board that would
be put in place. It is my understanding that the board will multifunctional. It
will not just have one single role. As a result of that, it is necessary for the
board to be made up in such a way.
It is also my understanding, Mr. Speaker, that
concerns that were raised around privacy fall in line with other legislation and
other regulations and acts that are in place within the health care system for
the protection of privacy for individuals.
Mr. Speaker, I guess for our
part in it we would just
want to ask the government to be cognizant of the concerns that are being
raised, to work with these individuals as the act comes into force to ensure
that their issues and their concerns are addressed adequately.
Other than that, Mr. Speaker we have no objection with
the bill and will be supporting it in third reading.
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. John's Centre.
MS ROGERS: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
It was also brought to my attention by some concerned
pharmacy owners about the whole issue of review of files, when there is a review
of practices of some pharmacists by the appropriate board within the act, but
that the review of files may have to do with patients, and that patients, in
fact, may not know that their files are being reviewed.
I feel that is a very valid concern, considering as
well the history of some of the reviews we have had over different mistakes
within our health care system. Patients need to be notified if, in fact, any of
their files are being reviewed, or there must be some kind of system put in
place to protect the privacy of patients, and also, a very, very clear explicit
process and procedure that would be undertaken in the review of any files that
pertain to people's names, their health issues, and their pharmaceutical issues.
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and
Community Services.
MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, just to respond to that particular
question or issue that was raised. I want to point out that this is a public
protection statute we are referencing here, and it is simply meant to detect any
practice concerns that might and detect that at a very early stage.
The legislation will be very carefully crafted, but it
will reflect PHIA. PHIA, which is the Personal Health Information Act, clearly
has regulations in place that permit the accessing of these files, but
confidentiality of those who are accessing the files is required, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER: I remind the Member for St. John's
Centre, we are in third reading. This is unlike committee, once you have spoken
once in third reading, your time will be limited.
Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion
that Bill 50 be read a third time?
All those in favour, aye'.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.
MR. SPEAKER: All those against, nay'.
Motion carried.
CLERK: A bill,
An Act To Regulate The Practice Of
Pharmacy. (Bill 50)
MR. SPEAKER: This bill is now read a third time
and it is ordered that the bill do pass and its title be as on the Order Paper.
On motion, a bill, "An Act To Regulate The Practice Of
Pharmacy", read a third time, ordered passed and its title be as on the Order
Paper. (Bill 50)
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.
MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the hon. the Premier,
for leave to introduce a bill entitled,
An Act To Amend
An Act To Amend The
Enduring Powers Of Attorney Act, Bill 56, and I further move that the said bill
be now read a first time.
MR. SPEAKER: It is moved and seconded that the
hon. the Minister of Justice will have leave to introduce a bill,
An Act To
Amend
An Act To Amend The Enduring Powers Of Attorney Act, Bill 56, and that the
said bill be now read a first time.
Is it the pleasure of the House to introduce Bill 56
and that the said bill be now read a first time?
All those in favour, aye'.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.
MR. SPEAKER: All those against, nay'.
Motion carried.
Motion, the hon. the Minister of Justice to introduce
a bill, "An Act To Amend
An Act To Amend The Enduring Powers Of Attorney Act",
carried. (Bill 56)
CLERK: A bill,
An Act To Amend
An Act To Amend The
Enduring Powers Of Attorney Act. (Bill 56)
MR. SPEAKER: This bill is now read a first time.
When shall the bill be read a second time?
MR. KING: Tomorrow.
MR. SPEAKER: Tomorrow.
On motion, Bill 56 read a first time, ordered read a
second time on tomorrow.
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.
MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the hon. the Premier,
for leave to introduce a bill entitled,
An Act To Amend The Workplace Health,
Safety And Compensation Act, Bill 57, and I further move that the said bill be
now read the first time.
MR. SPEAKER: It is moved and seconded that the
hon. Minister of Justice shall have leave to introduce a bill,
An Act To Amend
The Workplace Health, Safety And Compensation Act, Bill 57, and that the said
bill be now read a first time.
Is it the pleasure of the House that the minister
shall have leave to introduce Bill 57, and that the said bill be now read a
first time?
All those in favour, aye'.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.
MR. SPEAKER: All those against, nay'.
Motion carried.
Motion, the hon. the Minister of Justice to introduce
a bill, "An Act To Amend The Workplace Health, Safety And Compensation Act",
carried. (Bill 57)
CLERK: A bill,
An Act To Amend The Workplace
Health, Safety And Compensation Act. (Bill 57)
MR. SPEAKER: This bill has now been read a first
time.
When shall the bill be read a second time?
MR. KING: Tomorrow.
MR. SPEAKER: Tomorrow.
On motion, Bill 57 read a first time, ordered read a
second time on tomorrow.
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.
MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I call from the Order Paper, Order 3. I
move, seconded by the hon. the Premier, that the House resolve itself into a
Committee of the Whole to consider Bill 54,
An Act To Amend The City Of St.
John's Municipal Taxation Act.
MR. SPEAKER: The motion is that the House resolve
itself into Committee of the Whole and that I do now leave the Chair.
All those in favour of the motion.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.
MR. SPEAKER: Against.
Motion carried.
On motion, that the House resolve itself into a
Committee of the Whole, Mr. Speaker left the Chair.
Committee of the Whole
CHAIR (Verge): Order, please!
The Committee of the Whole will now consider Bill 54.
A bill, "An Act To Amend The City Of St. John's
Municipal Taxation Act". (Bill 54)
CLERK: Clause 1.
CHAIR: Shall clause 1 carry?
All those in favour, aye'.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.
CHAIR: All those against, nay'.
Carried.
On motion, clause 1 carried.
CLERK: Clause 2
CHAIR: Shall clause 2 carry?
All those in favour, aye'.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.
CHAIR: All those against, nay'.
Carried.
On motion, clause 2 carried.
CLERK:
Be it enacted by the Lieutenant-Governor
and House of Assembly in Legislative Session convened, as follows.
CHAIR: Shall the enacting clause carry?
All those in favour, aye'.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.
CHAIR: All those against, nay'.
Carried.
On motion, enacting clause carried.
CLERK: A bill,
An Act To Amend The City Of St.
John's Municipal Taxation Act. (Bill 54)
CHAIR: Shall the title carry?
All those in favour, aye'.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.
CHAIR: All those against, nay'.
Carried.
On motion, title carried.
CHAIR: Shall I report the bill without amendment?
All those in favour, aye'.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.
CHAIR: All those against, nay'.
Carried.
Motion, that the Committee report having passed the
bill without amendment, carried.
CHAIR: The hon. the Government House Leader.
MR. KING: Mr. Chair, I move that the Committee
rise and report on Bill 54.
CHAIR: The motion is that the Committee rise and
report Bill 54.
All those in favour, aye'.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.
CHAIR: All those against, nay'.
Carried.
On motion, that the Committee rise, report progress
and ask leave to sit again, Mr. Speaker returned to the Chair.
MR. SPEAKER (Wiseman): The hon. the Member for the
District of Lewisporte and Deputy Speaker.
MR. VERGE: Mr. Speaker, the Committee of the Whole
have considered the matters to them referred and have directed me to report Bill
54 carried without amendment.
MR. SPEAKER: The Chair of Committee of the Whole
reports that the Committee have considered the matters to them referred and have
directed him to report Bill 54 without amendment.
When shall the report be received?
MR. KING: Tomorrow.
MR. SPEAKER: Tomorrow.
On motion, report received and adopted. Bill ordered
read a third time on tomorrow.
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.
MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I call from the Order Paper, Order 8,
second reading of a bill,
An Act To Amend The Churchill Falls (Labrador)
Corporation Limited (Lease) Act, 1961, and The Electrical Power Control Act,
1994. (Bill 53)
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I am rising to speak to Bill 53. I spoke to this bill,
actually, on Tuesday, and I am just going to conclude my comments today. I had
some time left on the clock, and I am happy to do so, Mr. Speaker.
This particular bill will certainly facilitate some
necessary infrastructure in terms of power agreements for industry in Labrador.
Mr. Speaker, this is something that we all know; those of us who are familiar
with what is happening in Labrador will all know how important this is.
I am very proud, Mr. Speaker, to say that we have
reached a point in our history in Labrador where we start realizing that the
future for the whole Province rests in what happens in the Big Land and how we
facilitate development infrastructure over the next few years.
Mr. Speaker, Labrador right now is seeing an abundance
of investment. These investors, Mr. Speaker, are coming from all around the
world. There are people who are coming with very deep pockets, with huge amounts
of money that they want to invest not in the millions, but in the billions
because they see extreme potential for opportunity for the long term in
Labrador.
Mr. Speaker, I have had the opportunity to meet some
of these financiers and their representatives. When they come and they are ready
to invest in the mining industry in particular in Labrador they are not
doing so because it is going to be an opportunity that will turn over revenues
or profits for them for a couple of years. They are doing so because it is going
to be a contributor for many, many years to come. They are looking at longevity,
they are looking stability, and they are looking at good return for the dollars
that they are investing.
Mr. Speaker, these investors, some of them are
Canadians, a lot of them are from China, in India in particular, but of course,
there are investors there from all over the world.
Mr. Speaker, what Bill 53 is actually doing is setting
out the frame for which prices for industrial power will be negotiated with
these companies. It is allowing the government to establish power purchase
agreements. It is allowing the government, through the consent of the Public
Utilities Board, to bring these agreements into play. It is also allowing the
Public Utilities Board to regulate the transmission of power for all of these
industries in Labrador.
It is important to explain that because what will need
to happen in order to facilitate this and in order for these companies to plug
in to the line, they need to have a line to plug into. Transmission lines will
have to be built. There are people out there in the Province who will say: Why
should the government and why should we be paying to build transmission lines
and bring power to the mining companies? That is not what is happening here, Mr.
Speaker. What is happening is that government is facilitating a process. That
process, Mr. Speaker, will allow for the recovery of cost on the infrastructure.
These companies at the end of the day will not only
get a competitive rate, be offered a competitive rate for their power, but the
people of the Province will get a return on any investment they have. Mr.
Speaker, the transmission and the generation will all be built into the price of
power. That is what has to be looked at. It will be built into the price of
power that will be provided to the companies.
People out there who think this is a free ride it is
not a free ride. Mr. Speaker, there is an opportunity here for all of us in the
Province, an opportunity to build the revenues of the Province for the long
term. There is an opportunity here to secure industry for the Province for a
long time, far beyond creating jobs for four or five years, but creating jobs
for the next fifty and 100 years. There is an opportunity to generate more
revenue, taxation, and corporate return, Mr. Speaker returns for the Province.
That is what this is all about.
Mr. Speaker, we support the fundamental principles of the bill that will allow
for this happen. We also see an opportunity for the government here to take it a
little bit further. We would like for them to look at certain amendments within
the bill. We will bring forward those amendments as we get into the Committee
stages. We have already provided the government with advance copies of those
amendments for their review. We hope they will consider incorporating them into
the legislation. We hope they will incorporate them into the legislation.
One of the amendments, Mr. Speaker, basically says
that there would be an incentive for economic development. We will certainly
bring that up in Committee, as we propose it, and we will seek the input of the
government in terms of whether they are prepared to look at that direction.
Basically all that means, Mr. Speaker, is that government, right now, is doing
this so they can promote the development of industrial activity in Labrador.
What we are saying is that we want you to promote the
development of industrial and economic activity, and we want you to allow for an
incentive a negotiated incentive. Maybe government feels it does not need to be
legislated. We think it does. Maybe they think it is something they can do
without having anything within the act, but we think it is important, and I will
tell you why.
A lot of these companies that are investing are
looking at where we can get the best return on our investment. Is there
something more that we can do? If they are going to come in and they are going
to extract 25 million metric tons of ore in Labrador, they might not want to
rail all of that out and take it out, they might want to do pelletization or
another form of secondary production. I think the opportunity to provide an
incentive on power rates for companies that want to do secondary production is
important. I think it gives them something to think about and consider, but at
the end of the day it gives us a far greater return on our investment.
I am going to use the Iron Ore Company of Canada as an
example. IOC's power contract will expire by 2015. That is when you are going to
see the new agreements under this legislation coming into force in the Province.
Mr. Speaker, IOC is one of the few mining operations currently in Labrador that
have invested in secondary processing. They have a pelletization operation I
am not saying that 100 per cent of the ore they extract is pelletized, because I
know that it is not. I know that their pelletization is based on market demands.
Mr. Speaker, all I am saying is that when we have companies that want to make
that further investment, create those extra jobs, provide that extra revenue to
the Province, let us see if there is a better deal that we can work with them to
stimulate that economic development piece.
Let us talk about another project, a project that
government has out to tender now on Julienne Lake. Julienne Lake, Mr. Speaker,
will be the second largest iron ore development in Labrador, next to IOC. It is
even bigger than the Alderon project, Mr. Speaker, in terms of what the
potential capacity is. We know that government is already out calling proposals
for it right now. I think the deadline may have passed; the minister can clarify
that for me. Mr. Speaker, we know for sure there is interest, I would think, in
that project.
AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible) you know.
MS JONES: I know, Mr. Speaker, there is interest
in that project, I say to the Premier. Mr. Speaker, I know there is interest in
the project. I know there are submissions in or being worked on. I also know,
Mr. Speaker, there is a potential there for government to secure secondary
processing around Julienne Lake, because they will be at the negotiating table
on Julienne Lake.
They own, right now, the reserves. They are asking for
companies to submit a proposal to develop it. When they sit at the table to
negotiate those proposals, government now has the option to say to whoever that
company is, company X, company O: listen, we want you to do secondary production
of ore. We can give you an incentive on your power rate to be able to do that in
order to create extra economic development and benefits in Labrador. Government
has the option to do that specifically in the Julienne Lake case, Mr. Speaker.
There are other mining operations, as we know, that
are not into secondary processing that are ongoing in Labrador right now. I
talked about one yesterday, the Labrador Iron Mines. The minister kept telling
me that I had it wrong, they were across the border.
Mr. Speaker, I had to go back in Hansard and check to
make sure I was right, and I was right in what I said. I said Labrador Iron
Mines, and it is in the Hansard I say to the minister. You thought I was talking
about Bloom Lake, but I was not talking about Bloom Lake at the time.
AN HON. MEMBER: No, you were talking about
Sept-les (inaudible).
MS JONES: No, I was not. I was talking about the
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
MR. JOYCE: I was talking about Labrador Iron
Mines, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
I remind members not to engage
MS JONES: The minister must have misinterpreted
what I said.
MR. SPEAKER: in conversation across the floor.
MS JONES: The minister must have misinterpreted
what I said because he continued to correct me. Then I thought maybe I had said
something wrong, so I could not sleep last night, Mr. Speaker. I could not
sleep. I rushed in this morning to get the Hansard so I could have a look and
make sure, Mr. Speaker. Sure enough, I was right.
Mr. Speaker, the point I am trying to make is that
right now in Labrador there are so many opportunities that are there. I just
hope the government is recognizing that. I hope, Mr. Speaker, they are not going
to stop at trying to put in place the right power purchase agreements but rather
they are going to continue to look at the other infrastructure needs, like
railway that I talked about yesterday, and how they can meet and deliver on that
for the people of the Province.
One of the things I did observe in this bill, Mr.
Speaker, is that Muskrat Falls power would be exempt from Bill 53. Meaning that
although they are going to reach agreements with the mining companies on the
power purchase of the TwinCo block, the 225 megawatts, however, any agreements
that they have on Muskrat Falls power will not be handled in the same way.
In other words, Mr. Speaker, the Public Utilities
Board will not be an overseer, an arbitrator, or a rate setter when it comes to
Muskrat Falls power going to the industrial companies. That will be negotiated
solely between government, or Nalcor or their subsidiaries, and the company in
question. We have some concerns with that, Mr. Speaker. Our concern is we feel
that bringing the PUB in, in the TwinCo block is the right way to do it, why
would government exempt them in all the other power requirements like Muskrat
Falls power?
Maybe the minister can answer that when he stands up.
I think the Minister of Labrador Affairs is going to rise. Maybe he can explain
to us why we are going to regulate the TwinCo block of power for industrial
customers and the mining industry but we are not going to apply the same
regulation to those customers who might be getting Muskrat Falls power.
Mr. Speaker, I hope they are not exempting it because
they have no intentions of giving Muskrat power to customers in Labrador. I
understand they have all intentions of allowing customers in Labrador to have
Muskrat Falls power, but it looks like, Mr. Speaker, what government is looking
for here is a mandate that they themselves can set the rate on that power and it
will not go through the Public Utilities Board like the other blocks of power.
Anyway, Mr. Speaker, I just want to talk a little bit
in general about what is happening in Labrador right now with regard to the
mining industry. Some people might think because the price of iron ore is down
that we are not going to see a lot of these things materialize. I am very much
the optimist when it comes to what is happening in Labrador and the future of
the industries there. I think we are into a hiatus period, but I think it will
also be short lived.
I really believe, Mr. Speaker, that over the next five
to six years you are going to see tremendous activity happening within the
mining industry. I think Mr. Locke's predictions will be achieved far earlier
than the period he predicted. I think that we will be into production of up to
80 million metric tons of iron ore long before 2020. I think that we could be
there as early as the next five to six years, depending on what happens to
projects like Julienne Lake, Mr. Speaker, and whether the investors are prepared
to move forward quickly to get that operation in place and government can reach
the right agreement.
I certainly have a tremendous degree of optimism
around what is going to happen there, but I hope, Mr. Speaker, that government
is gauging this activity, because right now in Labrador we are into a real
crunch when it comes to housing in particular, when it comes to the
affordability of housing for people.
I talk to people on a regular basis who have the
opportunity to go and work in Labrador West and would love to go and work there,
but because they cannot take their families or they cannot find affordable
housing it has become very difficult for them to accept those positions.
We are not going to be a much different position in
Happy Valley-Goose Bay over the next two or three years. I actually heard
Sterling Peyton on the radio this morning, from the Chamber of Commerce up
there, talking about the amount of activity that is being generated in the local
economy in Happy Valley-Goose Bay right now, and how people coming into Goose
Bay need to start booking their hotel rooms well in advance if they are going to
be able to secure accommodations. That has been the case in Labrador City for
the last number of years.
Those are very good indicators of where we are going
in Labrador. I do not know if people around the Province actually realize the
tremendous amount of activity that occurs in Labrador. I would invite all the
members of the House of Assembly the NDP members, the government members; all
of our caucus have already been there to go to Labrador, go to the Coast of
Labrador, go to Lake Melville, go to Labrador West, and see what is happening in
your Province just see what is happening in your Province.
You drive by Long Harbour, so you know what is
happening there. You have been to Marystown when they have been in the peak of
activity, so you know what is happening there. You take that and you double it,
you triple it, and you quadruple it in a smaller area, and you see the kind of
traffic that is occurring.
Mr. Speaker, it is amazing amazing what is
happening, and it is all good. It is good for the Province and it is good for
the people, but when we have all of this development we have other challenges
that we have to address. Those challenges are around looking after people who
cannot always afford to look after themselves in societies of growth like this,
ensuring there is affordable and proper housing, and ensuring the infrastructure
is there to meet the demands, meaning that there are good public services and
there are good transportation networks. All of these things are critical to
large-scale development projects.
Mr. Speaker, I have to say that the mining industry
has been good to Labrador. Not only have they contributed greatly to the people
of the Province, but they contribute to our communities and they give back. That
is worthy of noting.
Mr. Speaker, if we can treat them fairly, if we can
offer them competitive rates that are competitive with Quebec, if we can entice
them to do secondary economic development in our Province, in Labrador, creating
those jobs and creating those opportunities, then that is exactly what we have
to do. All of it at the end of the day will make for a better quality of life
for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. It will help us to give a hand to
those who need it in our society, but also to be able to create stronger
government services and programs for everybody at the end of the day.
Mr. Speaker, there are great things happening in
Labrador. I am always happy to rise in my place, talk about it, and support it.
Mr. Speaker, I am frankly quite impressed with the minister who brought forward
this bill. For a long time I have been standing on my feet in the House of
Assembly asking him what he is going to do in terms of meeting the power needs
for industry in Labrador and if, in fact, there would be any power for the
mining companies at all.
When the initial term sheet on Muskrat Falls was
signed, there was no talk about Labrador. In fact, we were not even mentioned
other than in the name of the Province: Newfoundland and Labrador. There was no
commitment to the people of Labrador no commitment on power, no commitment on
industrial rates, and no commitment on transmission capacity. None of these
things were included, Mr. Speaker. It was not even talked about. It has taken a
couple of years to get there, but finally we are getting there. The more and
more it seems, Mr. Speaker, they are able to put their feet on the ground in
Labrador, more and more they tend to understand about what is happening and the
need to address some of those issues.
I am happy today, Mr. Speaker, to see that
government's mindset has changed and that they are more focused towards what the
real opportunities are in Labrador and how they can play a role in seeing those
flourish into the future. One of those roles is in ensuring that there is a
block of power for industrial customers in Labrador, that there is going to be a
line for them to plug into, and that there is going to be a competitive rate
regime so that they can run their operations, mine their ore, produce any kind
of production that they want on a secondary level, and do it competitive with
everybody else in the country, Mr. Speaker, but more importantly with the people
on the other side of the border in Quebec.
I think that is important. I am sure, Mr. Speaker, I
talked to a number of the mining companies in the last number of days myself. I
think over the last little while, like the minister, I have talked to almost
every company that has an interest in Labrador from exploration to development.
I have met with them all at one point or another. It is always interesting to
see the energy and the drive that they have, and the encouragement and the
enthusiasm that they have for the potential developments that exist in Labrador.
Mr. Speaker, we will continue to work with them. We
will continue to work with government any time that there is an opportunity to
create more jobs and build on the revenues of the Province, and to ensure that
there is long-term economic growth that we are able to pay for the services that
we have the privilege to have in this Province for many years to come. I think
that is what it is really all about.
Mr. Speaker, on those notes, I will certainly say that
I will bring forward some amendments to the bill as we move into Committee,
whether that be today or on another parliamentary day. I am sure that the
minister will be very keen to respond to those amendments, Mr. Speaker. I am
sure he will be very interested in looking at if there is a need to strengthen
the bill, and if there is a need to strengthen it, how we can do that to achieve
the objectives that I am sure we all want to achieve and maximize the results
for the people of the Province.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Service
Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. MCGRATH: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It certainly is a pleasure to rise here in the House
today and speak on the industrial rate policy for Labrador and the mining in
Labrador. This is something that the people in Labrador have been waiting for a
long, long time.
I just want to say that two of the mines that are
affected by the old regulations that we were talking about and that many people
have mentioned in the last couple of days the Iron Ore Company of Canada and
Wabush Mines are both in my district, so I have a very close relationship with
the mines. Being in Labrador West for thirty-five years, I have seen the
benefits that those mining companies have brought to the district. I have often
been in arguments where they say it is a one-industry town, or a two-industry
town.
So, I am very pleased to say that the mining industry
is certainly the main industry in Labrador. As we are witnessing now with a lot
of the projects that are happening now in Labrador, we are realizing that mining
is certainly the forefront of the industry all throughout Labrador, whether it
be on the North Coast of Labrador, on the South Coast, in Central Labrador
which I am sure my colleague for Lake Melville will be talking about later and
certainly in Western Labrador. In Western Labrador, some of the projects we have
seen happen for the last fifty years, and I am sure we will continue to see
happening for the next fifty years.
Unlike the Member for Cartwright L'Anse au Clair who
spoke and said that she did not feel that there was any conversation or any
inclusion of Labrador in the conversations that have been happening, I have been
MS JONES: (Inaudible) initial term sheet.
MR. MCGRATH: Well you talk
MS JONES: (Inaudible) years ago in the initial
term sheet.
MR. MCGRATH: In the initial term sheet there have
been conversations and consultations. Sitting on the side of the government, Mr.
Speaker, I have been privy to those conversations and consultations. So, there
has been an awful lot of conversation and inclusion of Labrador, and all of
Labrador within the preparation of the term sheet. We will see, as we are seeing
here today, a lot more papers coming forward showing the inclusion of Labrador
within these rates.
Now, the whole thing that we have here now for the
whole purpose of this paper that we have coming forward, to me, what I see in
it, the word that comes out to me is stability. I think for many, many years,
even though there was an agreement between Churchill Falls and the mining
companies in Labrador West they had an agreement and it was an agreement that
went back to the TwinCo project that when Churchill Falls took over that
project, there was an agreement there that the mines would get a low rate. So,
it is no secret, or this is not a surprise to IOC and Wabush mines that this was
going to come to an end. They have known for a long, long time now that that
contract would be up, and I think they have prepared themselves.
Now, nobody likes to see a change when it is going to
cost you money, but I have to look at a company such as IOC, for example, who is
looking at expanding now. One of the main things with the conversations that I
have had with IOC is they want to be able to say: if we are going to do a
multi-billion-dollar expansion, where are we going to be with our rates
because they are going to need more electricity. I think that is one of the good
points with this here.
Alderon certainly is a great example of what is
happening with this policy coming forward. Alderon is looking they are ready
to move; Alderon is geared up, ready to get their mine into an operation stage,
but the one card that is holding them back, the one thing that they are waiting
for is they need a stable, concrete electrical rate. They need to know: this is
what it is going to cost us to put that mine into operation. That is the one
thing. I think putting this policy in place now gives them that last piece of
the puzzle so that they can take their mine now and put it into an operational
stage.
When you look at the Labrador rates now where they
are, the electrical rates now and compare them to the rest of the world, we
are by far the lowest in the country, for sure, and I would think throughout the
world. The rates that we have are certainly the envy of a lot of people. For the
companies that have been there for the last fifty years, they have certainly
enjoyed paying that very low rate, but I think what we are doing now with the
expansions that are coming is we are giving them there are going to billions
of dollars; again, I heard the Member for Cartwright L'Anse au Clair talking
about the billions of dollars of investments that are going to be coming in, and
not just in Labrador West, but all of Labrador. These people want the stability
of saying: we can now forecast where we are going. They want to be able to say:
we are forecasting, and this is how we build this into our rates now. This is
how we build it into the price per tonnage when we sell our product.
I have been talking to people and we are looking
just in Western Labrador alone: over $10 billion in investments in the next few
years will be realized just to prepare them to get into an operational stage.
That is an awful lot of money we are looking at being spent in an area.
I want to talk about some of the economic benefits
that come, and not just in the mining industry. If these expansions happen and
Julienne Lake is just now into an interest stage; within the next ten years, you
will see Julienne Lake being developed. The amount of jobs that will create in
the Julienne Lake project alone is unbelievable.
Then you have Tata steel and you have Vale Inco if
they go underground. You have Alderon, like I said, ready to go now, and Grand
River Iron Sands, which is in Lake Melville. I am sure the Member for Lake
Melville will elaborate on that. All of these projects are going to need power.
One of the blocks they were looking at is: okay, we are going to need the power;
where are we going to get the power from and what is it going to cost us to get
that power?
The rates we have proposed are very comparable and competitive with the rest of
the country. To me, that shows Labrador as a strong point of interest: here is
where we can go. I am sure when people are out exploring they are comparing
Labrador with other places they can do business. This policy now puts us into a
very competitive stage.
I have to mention our neighbours just across the
border in Quebec. The mines we are dealing with look at Quebec as another source
of power. We have to be competitive with the rates that are in Quebec. The rates
we have put forward are very competitive with Quebec. There are two mines, Tata
Steel and the Labrador Iron Mines; the operation Labrador Iron Mines has
presently is on the Newfoundland and Labrador side of the border.
I was there this past summer and I did a tour of
Labrador Iron Mines. They are looking at an expansion. Already, they are looking
at an expansion. If they do expand, their expansion in the Labrador Trough
brings them in on the Quebec side of the border. That is an option they would
have. They could get their power from Quebec also, their electrical power. So we
have to be competitive with Quebec.
I was doing some research on the amount of jobs that
would be created if some of these projects move forward. Here in my notes I was
talking about some of the positions. In Julienne Lake, for example, I mentioned
that is almost as big, once the project is up and running, as the IOC project.
You are talking thousands of jobs in that one. Alderon is talking probably 1,500
hundred jobs permanent, full-time positions. Tata Steel and Vale Inco will be
hiring more people if they go underground. Labrador Iron Mines are constantly
already recruiting for new positions.
These are all big things for the economy, not just for
Labrador, but for all of Newfoundland and Labrador. It will bring in an awful
lot to our economy. In tax dollars, we are talking about $343 million that would
come in tax dollars coming into the revenue for the Province.
The indirect benefits come outside the mines now. If
the mines come into production they need suppliers. With these supplies and
goods that they are going to need, they need people to service them in that
industry, in the secondary industry. You are going to need your hotels; you are
going to need your restaurants. You are going to see your roads built. You are
going to see the transmission lines being built to get the power to these mines.
All of those create extra jobs that we will see there.
We talked about consultations with the customers that
we already have. In the summer 2011 to the spring of 2012, I know customers that
I talked to, one of the main concerns they talked about was being competitive in
the rates. They were saying we need to see the rates that are going to come out.
Are we going to be competitive with the other jurisdictions? The one
jurisdiction we heard a lot about was Quebec. As I mentioned earlier, our rates
are very competitive with Quebec there.
I want to touch a little bit on the workforce that is
in a lot of these large projects. Again, I will go back to Wabush Mines. I will
go back to IOC, Labrador Iron Mines, Tata Steel. These are all unionized
employees who are in these mines.
I heard the Leader of the Third Party stand up on a
point of order two or three times the other day talking about she was upset
because someone said she used the word subsidized. She did not use the word
subsidized, she used the word protect. I was a little bit baffled because I
needed to find out, what is the difference in subsidizing and protecting in the
context of how the word was used? It was monetary protection we were talking
about. If you think of what a subsidy is, it is normally a monetary gift. There
is not a big difference.
What really bothered me the most, I guess, and what I
was upset with was when I heard the Leader of the Third Party stand up and
could not understand it. I had calls from my constituents
MS MICHAEL: A point of order, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER (Verge): Order, please!
The hon. the Leader of the Third Party, on a point of
order.
MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
I would like to point out that the Member for Labrador
West is once again interpreting words. I did not talk about taking protection
away from the workers at the mines in Labrador. I would once again ask that if I
am going to be quoted, what I say exactly be quoted, not
interpretations of what
I said.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
There is no point of order.
The hon. the Minister of Service Newfoundland and
Labrador to continue.
MR. MCGRATH: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Again, the complaint was that government was
protecting the industries by giving them special rates, and the protection was a
financial protection. That is what I was hearing, and I do not see where the
doing what governments are supposed to do.
What we are doing here today is we are not protecting
just individuals, we are protecting the economy of our Province, and that is
what we are supposed to do. All of these unionized workers I had calls, as I
was saying before I sat down for the point of order, from some of my
constituents asking what the issue was and asking me to raise that issue in the
House of Assembly. So, I am speaking on behalf of my constituents, but I think
it is very important we realize that the whole issue with the rates we are
putting here now, this policy we are bringing forward, is to protect the people.
We are protecting the economy of Newfoundland and Labrador.
When you look, .06 cents is what the power is being
supplied for now. For thirty-five years I have enjoyed that rate. I think it is
very important, and I know the Minister of Natural Resources clarified it and
made it very clear, because it is a question that the residents in Labrador
West, and all of Labrador, are worried about. Is this going to affect the
residential customers in Labrador? This is not. This is an industrial rate
policy. It is not a residential rate policy. The residents in Labrador were very
concerned.
I look twenty-seven kilometres away from Labrador West
and you have Fermont, Quebec. Quebec Cartier Mining is the main and only
stakeholder and industry in Fermont, Quebec. When you look at what they are
paying now, in Labrador West it is between $6 and $11, in Fermont now, at Quebec
Cartier Mining, it is $47.
We are giving away what belongs to the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador. We are actually giving it away now. What we are going
to do is we are going to stabilize it. All of the money that we are going to
stabilise it with, where is it going? It is going back to the people of
Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. MCGRATH: Mr. Speaker, I hear often, every day,
there are asks. You heard the Minister of Finance talk about it today. You heard
our Premier talk about it today. Every day people are standing up in the House
of Assembly: We need more, we need more, and we need more. We need our roads, we
need our schools, and we need our hospitals.
Every day we hear petitions on the hospitals, but
where are we getting the money to provide all of those infrastructural needs for
the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador? Stabilizing these rates is going to
put money back into the coffers of the Provincial Government of Newfoundland and
Labrador, and that way it will be able to provide what we need to put in our
communities.
The other thing that I like about these rates is that,
quite often, you hear nothing goes over the so-called overpass. This is
something that is good for all the rural areas because we are stabilizing what
we are doing here is we are giving a very fair and equal opportunity to bring
new businesses and large industry into the Province of Newfoundland and
Labrador.
That is something that when the industries were
looking at it, they would get to a stumbling point where they would say: Well,
we are ready to go. We have gone through the exploration. We have no where to go
now because we know we need the power, but we are not sure what it is going to
cost us. So, they could not do their forecasting as to where they were going to
go. They could not forecast how much they had to charge. Anyone who is in
business, when they are in business, what the profit line is going to be is the
main thing people worry about.
I was in business for many, many years and I wanted to
get a return on my investment. These large corporations are no different; they
want to get a return on their investments. It is very important to them that
they be able to say: What is it going to cost me to get the power to produce my
product? Once they have that cost, with these new industrial rates, they can now
forecast exactly what their cost is going to be and they can build that into
their sale price.
Whereas before, they were always wondering: Well, if the power
is coming through, where is it going to go?
Again, I go back to the Iron Ore Company of Canada
that is doing a huge expansion right now. Right now, they are at 18 million tons
per year. They are going to 23 million tons per year with phase one of the
expansion that they have already done. They are hoping when their expansion of
phase two is finished that they will actually go to 50 million tons a year. So
that is more than double what they are already producing.
The Iron Ore Company of Canada is the largest open
mine pit in North America. So, that is actually going to double in their
production. They could not forecast and in a lot of the deliberations and
conversations I have had with the Iron Ore Company of Canada, it was always
wondering: Well, we cannot forecast what it is going to cost us. After 2015, we
do not know what it is going to cost us, because we do not know what our
electrical rates are going to be.
I have to say, living in Labrador West, I am not
hearing a lot of negativity with these rates. People are comfortable, they are
saying do they like an increase? No, nobody likes to see things cost them more
money, but they have realized that this is reality, this is the way it has to
be, and in the long run and that is what these companies are looking at. They
are not investing billions of dollars because they are in it for a short term.
It is long-term investments they are making, and they want to see long-term
returns on what they are going to get.
So, Mr. Speaker, I realize I am running out of time,
and I will be supporting this bill.
Thank you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
The Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It is my privilege to actually stand in this House
today to speak to Bill 53, the Act to Amend the Churchill Falls (Labrador)
Corporation Limited (Lease) Act, 1961, and the Electrical Power Control Act,
So, the importance, Mr. Speaker, today to actually
stand and speak to this is because it speaks about a Labrador power supply and
about how we actually supply power for industry in Labrador. I think it is
important that we get an understanding of the way the power is currently
supplied in Labrador. It happens in a variety of ways, Mr. Speaker.
For instance, Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Lab West,
which includes, of course, Labrador City, and Wabush these communities and
those industries, those residential and those commercial customers are supplied,
really, from what we know from the Upper Churchill block of power, through those
areas, as we know, and they have been there for quite some time now.
So, Mr. Speaker, this has provided, as you know, over
the last number of years tremendous benefit to both the people who live there,
as it should, and for the industry both commercial and the industrial users
over those years. So, this is important to know.
Then on the South Coast in Labrador, it happens a
little bit differently. There are two options there; one would be through diesel
generation and one would be through the purchase of power from the Robinson Lake
Project, which is in Quebec. This would be the South Coast; as we move to the
North Coast, it is still primarily through diesel generation. There is a small
I think it is eighteen megawatts in Menihek that supplies some power as well. We
have a variety of options right now in Labrador when you look at the source of
electricity.
All of those, for some reason this patchwork is what
we use today. What this particular bill is doing is really not to change much of
that; really, it will not change a whole lot of that. What it will change is the
way that we price industrial power in particular to Labrador West, Labrador
City, and Wabush and how we use that to either generate economic activity or
the mining industry in Labrador West.
We all know that in this particular area there are a
number of significant opportunities that we have seen. I had the experience last
February just after becoming leader of the party and Leader of the Official
Opposition, I did take some time and I went to Labrador West. It has been quite
some time since I had been there, and it was really good to get on the ground.
Even though the weather was extremely cold in late February, I must say the
economy down there and the welcome that we had was very warm.
What I heard there was indeed that there were many
people down there, and not just the industrial customers, I would say, Mr.
Speaker. We often hear of what we would do for the Rio Tintos of the world and,
for instance, the Wabush Mines; how do we support those industries? It is
important to realize that even though sometimes we have to be very patient and
it is very difficult to understand, sometimes it may be seen as we are giving
those large industries some benefit that we are not prepared to give to our
smaller commercial ratepayers or our residential ratepayers. What I see here is
that we have so many of the residents in that area, so many of the smaller
businesses in that area who depend on the viability and the sustainability of
the larger industries.
This is not about, in my opinion, giving large mining
extra benefits or subsidizing large mining. What it is about is keeping a
sustainable and a viable economy for all the people, all the residents, in
particular Labrador West and in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. What it speaks to is how
we maintain viable and sustainable economies in this important part of our
Province.
What this particular bill does, Mr. Speaker, is it
mentions a sustainable and predictable industrial rate; what happens there is
people can actually plan. This is important. No matter what business you are in,
you can actually plan for your future expenses. The fixed cost that is
associated with energy in this particular case is a huge component of the cost
of doing business.
I will repeat, Mr. Speaker, this is not about this
being subsidized by the people of the Province. We must recover our cost here.
This is the premise of this particular bill and this particular amendment. This
is not about subsidized power. This is about cost recovery. As we deal with
that, and of course the economic benefit that comes layered on top of that
getting our cost back then the overall economic benefit comes with that. All
of us as a Province, in particular the people in Labrador, will be able to enjoy
the benefits of that.
One of the things, too, for people who are listening
and people who will read this at some point is: what is industrial power? What
makes industrial power different than, let us say, what we see in our own homes
and in our smaller businesses? That is why we have some questions about this.
The industrial power is not about, for instance, the
amount of power you actually purchase. The industrial power is about how you
actually take that power. For instance, we were told in this particular case
we have a few, for instance, industrial customers within the Province. Corner
Brook Pulp and Paper would be an example and Vale would be an example. These are
industrial customers in the Province who actually take power in a different way.
It actually goes directly. We do not need substations. We do not need
transformers. They are able to take high-voltage power.
What it means is there is less cost in getting that
power directly from, for instance, someone like Newfoundland Hydro, to the
industrial user. In this particular case, there is a different rate applied
simply because there is less cost to maintain the power supply and less cost to
get it to the industrial customer. This is what we know now to be the industrial
block, which we talk about in Labrador. Indeed, we do have customers on the
Island as well that would be considered industrial consumers.
I know this because even in my own district, for
instance, living in the community of Deer Lake, we see an industrial block of
power used by Corner Brook Pulp and Paper. Actually, this has been something
that has been very significant over the years in keeping that mill alive. If you
speak to people who have worked with Corner Brook Pulp and Paper, they will tell
you on