November 21, 2005 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS Vol. XLV

No. 33

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Hodder): Order, please!

Admit strangers.

Before we begin routine proceedings this afternoon, I would like to observe

an old parliamentary tradition. I have the pleasant task of formally introducing

a member who was elected in the by-election held on June 23. He is Clayton

Forsey in the District of Exploits. I have been advised by the Clerk of the

House of Assembly that Mr. Forsey has taken the Oath of Allegiance to the Crown

as required by the Constitution, and has signed the Members' Roll. The hon.

the Member for the District of Exploits.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER WILLIAMS: Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present to you, Mr.

Clayton Forsey, the Member for Exploits who claims the right to take his seat.

MR. SPEAKER: Let the member take his seat.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: This afternoon I would like to welcome some visitors who are

in the Speaker's gallery. They are family members of Mr. Forsey. I would like

to introduce Mrs. Rose Forsey, Mrs. Josephine Budgell, Mrs. Josephine Morgan, Ms

Jenny McGrath and Ms Melanie Mercer.

Welcome to the House of Assembly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: While we are doing introductions, I would like to introduce

as well - some of our personnel have changed and we have some new Pages.

I would like to introduce Ms Kara Warr, Mr. Matthew Sheppard, Mr. Shannon

Tobin and returning we have Ryan Kelly. These young people are students at the

university and we are honoured to have them as our Pages for this Session.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

Statements by Members

MR. SPEAKER: The Chair has notice of the following member's statements:

the hon. the Member for the District of Fortune Bay-Cape la Hune, the hon. the

Member for the District of Terra Nova, the hon. the Member for the District of

Grand Bank, the hon. the Member for the District of St. John's North, the hon.

the Member for the District of Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair and the hon. the

Member for the District of Trinity North.

The hon. the Member for Fortune Bay-Cape la Hune.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. LANGDON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Rev. Roy Simms of my district on

his recent ordination to the ministry.

Rev. Simms was a long-time resident of Milltown-Head Bay d'Espoir where he

was a well-respected educator at the local school, lay reader and community

volunteer. Upon retirement from his teaching career, Rev. Simms decided to

further the ministry of his church. He enrolled at Memorial University where he

began his theological studies.

Mr. Speaker, upon completion of his studies, Rev. Simms returned to the area

and assumed parish responsibilities in the community of Belleoram. On November

1, over 300 people gathered in St. Lawrence Anglican Church to celebrate with

Rev. Simms as the Right Reverend Edward Marsh from the Diocese of Central

Newfoundland conducted the ordination service.

Visitors gathered from the Coast of Bays region and from other areas of the

West participated, and Bishop-Elect Rev. David Torraville delivered the sermon.

Rev. Simms was presented to the Bishop by his wife, Sheila, Rev. Neal Buffett of

Harbour West, Lenus Lawrence of St. Jacques, and Sadie Lawrence of Mose Ambrose.

Mr. Speaker, I wish Rev. Simms and his wife, Sheila, a very rewarding

ministry and much happiness as they share in the church life of our region.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. ORAM: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to congratulate the organizers of this year's Agriculture Day

located at various farms across the Province.

Agriculture is one of the fastest growing industries in Newfoundland and

Labrador. It employs approximately 6,200 of our Province's people and has

primary and value-added production worth over $500 million.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that my district has played a vital role in the

development and preservation of the agricultural industry in this Province.

Mr. Speaker, I was honoured to be a part of the opening of a new beef-raising

facility in Lethbridge, owned and operated by Mr. George Greening, a local

farmer from Musgravetown. He has invested, along with the Department of

Agriculture, hundreds of thousands of dollars for a first-class facility. He is

just one example of the many success stories in the Province's agricultural

industry.

Furthermore, I attended the annual Musgravetown Dairymen's Association Gala

this past Saturday, and I am happy to report that the industry is thriving, and

will see further expansion in the coming years. Also, the Eastport Peninsula

held an agriculture exhibition this past October showcasing the contributions

made to this industry by the people of the area. It is through such events that

people can see and gain a real appreciation of this industry and the positive

impact it has on the Province.

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

involved in the agriculture industry of this Province, and recognizing their

contribution.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Grand Bank.

MS FOOTE: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend sincere congratulations to

the staff of The Southern Gazette , the local paper serving

residents of the Burin Peninsula. The Southern Gazette , a member of the

Robinson-Blackmore Printing and Publishing-Transcontinental Media family

recently celebrated its thirtieth anniversary. The Southern Gazette first

hit the street on May 29, 1975, and through the support of local readers and

businesses the paper has thrived.

The Southern Gazette has won a number of Atlantic and Canadian Newspaper

Association awards. To mention just a few, in 2005, the Gazette was third

overall in Atlantic Canada for a General Excellence Award. In 2003, the Gazette

was acknowledged for its Advertising Content with a first place in General

Excellence Award. The pinnacle of the Gazette's awards came in 1997 when the

newspaper was recognized at the Atlantic Canada Newspaper Association Better

Newspapers Competition as the winner of the Bowater-Mersey Award, symbolic of

the Best All-Around Newspaper, with a circulation of less than 6,500. In 1996,

the Gazette received three Blue Ribbons. Individual writers of the Gazette have

also received recognition during the paper's three decades in existence.

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

staff members of The Southern Gazette on their thirtieth anniversary, and

wish them many more years of providing such an important service to the

residents of the Burin Peninsula.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDGLEY: Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize a team of

students from high schools in the Eastern School District and the Marine

Institute who, this past summer, were the winning entry at an international

underwater robotics competition at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas.

This was no second-rate competition. Our team competed in the top division

against more than forty other teams from highly regarded institutions across the

United States. As a point of reference, the team from the famous MIT in Boston

placed ninth. Our team came away with five first-place wins, including the gold

medal for first overall.

These students worked since last December designing and building a remotely

operated vehicle, or ROV, that operates underwater. One of the judges described

the Newfoundland and Labrador ROV as "...a fabulous piece of

engineering".

Imagine the scene in Houston, Texas - top students from across the United

States - the gold medal being presented to the winning team, our team, and they

break into a spontaneous rendition of the Ode to Newfoundland . Fantastic!

Through these students, we have again demonstrated that we in this Province

can compete with anyone in the world.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of this House to recognize team co-ordinator

Mr. Clar Button, team mentors Ms Corrina Mercer and Mr. Dwight Howse, and all

the gold medal team from Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The people of the communities of Port Hope Simpson and Williams Harbour were

very proud to accept the designation and preservation of Gilbert Bay as a Marine

Protected Area on October 5, 2005.

Mr. Speaker, this past weekend I was able to celebrate with these

communities, and today I want to congratulate the residents who were involved in

the work over the past ten years. The local people formed a steering committee,

and partnered with the science community of Memorial University and the

Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Mr. Speaker, I want to point out that Gilbert Bay is one of four Marine

Protected Areas in our country, two of which are in Newfoundland and Labrador,

the second being in Eastport, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Gilbert Bay is known for its genetically distinct species of Northern cod

fish. While Northern cod, unto itself, is a fish species that still poses many

questions to the people of our Province in terms of its genetics, the Gilbert

Bay stock has proven to be distinct and also a reproducing fish stock. The work

of Dr. Joe Wroblewski and Dr. John Greene of Memorial University into this rare

fish species has attracted the attention of the science community from all

across the North Atlantic Rim. They have spent the past ten years studying this

unique breed of Northern cod and has now successfully worked with the federal

government to have the region protected.

With this new Marine Protected Area designation also comes the potential for

economic opportunity, especially in the eco-tourism industry. Gilbert Bay is

adjacent to the tiny community of Williams Harbour which has no road connection.

In celebrating this designation, I want to ask government to turn its attention

to the needed infrastructure of Williams Harbour. I am confident that government

will see the real benefit in having this Marine Protected Area of our Province,

and the real benefit in connecting the community to the Labrador Highway. In

doing so, Mr. Speaker, we will be connecting Gilbert Bay to the scientific minds

of our Province and of our country.

I would like to ask hon. members today to join me in congratulating the

steering committee, their co-chairs Margaret Burden, the Mayor of Port Hope

Simpson, and George Russell, the Mayor of Williams Harbour, and all those who

were involved both from federal Fisheries, Memorial University, and provincial

Fisheries.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Trinity North.

MR. WISEMAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to inform this House that, since we last sat, a former member of

this Legislature, Mr. Sam Drover of Hodge's Cove, passed peacefully away at

Clarenville Rest Home on June 19, 2005.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Drover had an impressive career to his credit including

seven years as an MHA for the District of White Bay. Mr. Drover was first

elected to the House of Assembly for the District of White Bay in 1949 in the

29th General Assembly, which was the first election held in Newfoundland and

Labrador after Confederation. Mr. Drover was re-elected to represent the people

of White Bay again in 1951.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Drover left the party that he was first elected with, on

principle, in 1956 to sit in this House as a member of the Cooperative

Commonwealth Federation. He became the first member of our Province's history

to hold a seat for the party that later became known as the New Democratic

Party.

Prior to his election in 1949, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Drover had already

established himself as a leader in his community as a teacher, a member of the

Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, and as an Officer of the Newfoundland Ranger

Force. Mr. Drover's contribution to Newfoundland and Labrador has spanned a

period of time in our Province's history where there was great change, and he

was a significant part of that change, Mr. Speaker.

I ask all hon. members of this House to join with me today in remembering and

celebrating the life of Mr. Samuel Drover, a true patriot and a great

Newfoundlander.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Statements by Ministers.

Statements by Ministers

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. OTTENHEIMER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise in this House today in recognition of National Child Day, which took

place yesterday, Sunday, November 20, 2005.

This year's theme is Children Have A Right To Play. The importance of play

to a child's well being is well highlighted in the United Nations Convention

on the Rights of Child.

Mr. Speaker, children are among the most vulnerable members of society and we

all have a responsibility to protect and nurture them. National Child Day serves

as a reminder of the importance of guarding the rights of children and providing

them with safe and appropriate environments for healthy development.

Mr. Speaker, a child's play time during the early years sets the stage for

healthy cognitive development. Research has proven that it is through playing

that children naturally learn skills that will last throughout their lives.

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to improving the quality of life for

children and families in this Province. To better meet the needs of children,

our government has made several strategic investments in early learning and

child care over the past year. Mr. Speaker, our government has provided some

$6.5 million in Budget 2005 to improve services in regulated child care, child

protection and victim services for children.

Furthermore, we recently signed an agreement in principle with the federal

government to enhance early learning and child care services, and we also

established a ministerial consul on early childhood learning to focus on the

learning needs of children and their families.

Mr. Speaker, I would ask all my colleagues to join with me in recognizing the

efforts of all those who care for our Province's children by wearing a blue

ribbon to mark this special day.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am pleased to join with the minister today in marking this occasion. I

think every day in this Province we should celebrate our children and the

valuable contribution that they make to our society.

Mr. Speaker, I feel that children should have a right to play, and they

should have a right to play in an environment that is free of poverty. I would

suggest to the minister that, even still today in our Province, we have a large

number of children who live in poverty. I think the report of CTV last year,

just a year ago, indicated that over a million people in this country live in

poverty, of which over 24,000 was in our own Province, I think, of Newfoundland

and Labrador; I know over 20 per cent.

Mr. Speaker, I think the child care money that was passed down a few months

back from the federal government to the provincial government, when Prime

Minister Martin was here to sign the $50 million agreement, that money has to be

invested directly into the children in our Province. It has to be invested to

not only deal with the levels of poverty that exist in our society, but also to

deal with the fact that there are very few child care facilities available.

There is something like 49,000 children under the age of twelve in Newfoundland

and Labrador of which only 4,500 of these children actually have an opportunity

to attend a child care program, and I think that needs to be addressed. I also

think we need to look at the fact -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The member's allotted time has expired.

MS JONES: May I have a couple of -

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: Leave has been granted to make some concluding comments.

MS JONES: Thank you.

Indeed I will, and I will be brief, Mr. Speaker.

I think it is important to point out that many of the people who work in our

child care facilities as well are well-educated young people, most of them are

women, and they are being paid at a wage that is less than adequate. I think

that needs to be addressed as well in the broader scope of a child care program

within our Province.

So, I join with the minister in celebrating today, and I encourage him in the

work that he has been doing to continue to address the problems of our child

care centres and child poverty in Newfoundland and Labrador.

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

MR. HARRIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Given the length of the comments, perhaps I should ask for leave before I

start.

I am pleased, Mr. Speaker, to join with the Minister of Health and Community

Services and the Member for Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair in recognizing the

United Nations National Child Day and respectfully, the United Nations

Convention on the Rights of a Child.

Of course, world wide children are at risk; in fact, in some countries even

being kidnapped and conscripted into armies to fight in various countries. We

have to be concerned about that throughout the world. In our own country, of

course, we have significant child poverty, as the previous speaker has

mentioned, but I want to focus on one thing today -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. member's allotted time has expired.

Does the member have leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: Yes.

MR. SPEAKER: Leave has been granted.

MR. HARRIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I was hoping to avoid that very thing.

But, what I do want to focus on, Mr. Speaker, in our own Province - and we

have a very significant and serious problem. In fact, I would call it a crisis

in childhood in this Province. I am referring to the results of a study done

earlier this year by Dr. Patricia Canning showing that more than 25 per cent of

children, preschool children, are in fact overweight or obese. That, to me, is a

signal of big trouble, Mr. Speaker, in the future of this Province and our young

people. In fact, the Ontario Medical Association has said that perhaps we are

raising, as parents, the first generation of children whose life expectancy will

be less than their parents. I regard that as a crisis, Mr. Speaker, a crisis for

all of our children. A crisis in our education system, and the child's right

to play should also be worked on from the point of view of making sure that

there is an opportunity for children to play; that we have physical education.

That we have good nutrition in our schools, better nutrition programs and all of

the things that have to happen in order that our young children growing up today

have an appropriate and healthy environment for them to develop their physical

and mental and educational well-being.

I recognize that the minister has raised these matters here today but he has

a very important, big job on his hands, and so do we all, Mr. Speaker, to ensure

that our children growing up today do not suffer the kind of consequences that

are being predicted by studies of this kind.

MR. SPEAKER: Further statements by ministers?

The hon. the Minister of Government Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to inform

my colleagues of the first provincial-territorial conference on e-government

which I attended earlier this month in Quebec City.

This conference was an important step in determining how each region of the

country is approaching the use of the Internet and information technology. As

more and more people have access to the Internet, many want the convenience and

Government Services already provides a number of services online, including

driver's licence and vehicle registration renewal.

This fall, we established our Registry of Lobbyists with a focus on making it

a user-friendly online service whereby people can register themselves as

lobbyists or seek information on who is lobbying government. Last year, we

introduced the Registry of Companies and Deeds On-line, or CADO, and provided

more on-line features to the system this year.

Mr. Speaker, providing services on-line is an important initiative for this

government. We have a widely dispersed population over a large geographic area.

With the advent of e-government, many of our rural residents can now access

services right from their own homes instead of travelling to larger centres. It

is a goal for this government to bring more services on-line. The goal is

ambitious, and is one of the reasons our government established the Office of

the Chief Information Officer. In co-ordination with that office, the Department

of Government Services is working on a number of initiatives and we are

developing a new Mechanics Lien system to enable on-line searching of liens

against real property. We will convert our paper deeds documents dating back to

the1800s into digital format and post them on-line.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS WHALEN: We have a number of other initiatives as well, which are still

in the early planning stages and will be brought forward in due course.

While in Quebec City for this conference, I also had the opportunity to

participate in the Crossing Boundaries forum called "Service, Economy and

Democracy: Leading Government into the Information Age". Representatives

from government and the IT sector attended this forum to discuss the development

of Canada as an information society, and I had the pleasure to be one of three

people on a panel which discussed service improvement and citizen-centered

service delivery.

Mr. Speaker, e-government is the way of the future. At the conclusion of the

e-government conference, my counterparts and I committed to work together to

ensure that e-government initiatives and services are based on citizens'

expectations, while at the same time respecting the social and cultural values

of Canadians.

Finally, I would like to thank the Office of the Chief Information Officer

for the support they provided to me for this meeting.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BUTLER: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

First of all, I want to thank the minister for a copy of her statement and to

congratulate her, I guess, on attending the first conference on e-government in

Quebec. I have to say, for rural Newfoundland, it is earth-shattering.

Mr. Speaker, I agree with technology, and all of the advances that we are

having, but let me say this. I understand fully it is an initiative of this

government -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. BUTLER: - and we learned it all too well, Mr. Speaker. We learned it

all too well when technology was brought into the system with the Department of

Human Resources, Labour and Employment. Technology came in, and over a period

while this House is in session we will get to know the problems that the people

are encountering out in rural Newfoundland because of the technology that was

brought in.

I am not against the advancements that this can do, but I fully understand

and hope that the minister, when she sat on that panel, did explain to her

counterparts across this country the problems that have been encountered in this

Province since it went on-line.

Sure we should advance, but you cannot throw the baby out with the bath

water. They are moving too fast with it, people are left behind, and I hope that

over a period of time the minister will be able to review what happened here in

this Province and relay the information to her counterparts so that changes can

be made for the betterment of the people of this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Labrador West.

MR. COLLINS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for a copy of her statement. I want to say, it does not

sound like the minister or her counterparts have much faith in this system

themselves or they would not have all jumped on a flight and went to Quebec

City; they would have done it over the Internet.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. COLLINS: Mr. Speaker, I caution the minister to go very carefully

down this road. The Province of Ontario has spent over $300 million on a program

that did not work, to deliver the same services. I think the minister should be

aware that other provinces started this system of e-mail and Internet services

for social service clients, only to find out that the vast majority of the

clients they set it up for did not own computers. So we need to add an -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The member's allotted time has expired.

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: Leave has been granted.

MR. COLLINS: We have to add an air of legitimacy to this, to make sure

that the services we target are indeed reaching the people for whom they were

intended.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: Further statements by ministers?

Oral Questions.

Oral Questions

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My questions are for the Premier.

Mr. Speaker, Fishery Products International has recently announced that they

will be undertaking a review of its operations in the Province. Many people in

this Province, including those in Marystown, Fortune, Burin, Bonavista,

Catalina, Triton and Port au Choix, are now fearing that this review could mean

the closure of their fish plants and the loss of their jobs.

I ask the Premier: When were you advised of this review, and what actions do

your government and you plan to take to monitor FPI during this review process?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the hon. Leader of the Opposition for his question.

We certainly have been on top of this matter now for the last several weeks.

I have had an opportunity to meet already with the senior officials from FPI,

and we are informed as to what their intentions are. We hope that we will have

the result of their work pretty soon.

The government is committed to working with FPI, Mr. Speaker, to try to

mitigate any problems that -

AN HON. MEMBER: Oh, oh!

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, the people on the other side never even had the

intestinal fortitude to ask FPI questions when they were the government.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: That is not the way we operate on this side of the House,

Mr. Speaker. I am on top of the matter, the Premier is on top of the matter, the

whole government is on top of the matter, and we will do what we can to lessen

any problems in rural Newfoundland where FPI operates, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am glad to see, as the Minister of Fisheries said, that the Premier is all

over this file, but I can tell you, the Premier said he was all over the file on

Harbour Breton and look what happened there, the Premier said he was all over

the file on Abitibi and look what is happening in Stephenville today. To tell me

that the Premier is all over this file, doesn't give me any confidence, I say

to the minister.

Mr. Speaker, FPI made commitments to the people of this Province in an effort

to get the Income Trust approved in this House of Assembly back in June. These

commitments, including money for Harbour Breton, rebuilding the plant in

Fortune, and building a new plant in Bonavista, are just some of these

commitments. While this company says they do not have the money today to honour

these commitments, they just spent over $40 million in a processing company in

Great Britain.

I ask the Premier: Did FPI discuss this planned acquisition with you and with

government before making this deal?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We are not in the business of expecting the Leader of the Opposition to be

clapping his hands because of answers that we give him on this side of the

House, but the people in communities in this Province, Mr. Speaker, were FPI

operates should know that this government and this Premier and all of us, as a

government, are very concerned about the future operations of FPI in this

Province. We will stay on top of that file, Mr. Speaker, and we will work with

the company to do the best we can for the people in the communities where they

operate. Where the Income Trust will go at the end of the day, well we will wait

until the review is completed, Mr. Speaker. When the review is completed the

people of this Province will know what that is and we will make it known to the

communities and to the people involved.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I say to the minister, when you give us reason to applaud we will have no

problem doing it.

Mr. Speaker, hundreds of jobs have been eliminated at the FPI operations in

this Province while the company expands its operations in Britain. I ask the

Premier: Did the government ask for any details as to what this expansion in

Great Britain would mean for its operations in Newfoundland and Labrador?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I suppose it is a bold leap of faith to expect the Leader of the

Opposition to be responsible, but that is an irresponsible statement. There have

not been hundreds of jobs eliminated in this Province because FPI acquired a

business in Great Britain. It is through the strategic advantage of FPI and its

marketing plans to have this particular firm in Britain. They could sell it

tomorrow. They could turn it around tomorrow and make a profit on it. That is

the kind of business we hope that FPI does and that is the kind of business we

hope that they build in the long term because that is good for people in

Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I say to the Minister of Fisheries, let's look at the strategic plan that

FPI had for buying that processing facility in Great Britain. Mr. Speaker, in

the October 21 edition of the Eastern Daily Press , a British newspaper -

and you can have a copy of it. If you do not have one, I will send you over a

copy - it states that: New jobs will be created in Great Britain as a result of

FPI's purchase of the British seafood company and their planned investment.

I ask the Premier: Why is FPI permitted to close plants, eliminate jobs and

break their commitments to the people of this Province while increasing their

investment and their employment in Great Britain?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, it would be an understatement to say that the

hon. Leader of the Opposition is out of touch. He is out to lunch. He does not

know what is going on.

This acquisition in Great Britain is a bridgehead for FPI to launch itself

into the most lucrative shrimp market in the world. Now, Mr. Speaker, that is

good for the company. That is good for their operations in Newfoundland and

Labrador. That is good for this Province and that is why we support them doing

it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. REID: Mr. Speaker, he talks about being out to lunch, he is certainly

out to lunch with regard to that answer he just gave.

Mr. Speaker, what is most disturbing about the media report, this media

report, is that it states that the expansion and growth in the British seafood

company will take place as a result of Canadian fish that FPI will ship to

Europe for processing.

I ask the Premier: Is any of the fish in this report, that will be sent from

Canada to the UK for processing, was any of this fish that was normally

processed in towns like Harbour Breton or Fortune?

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

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman does not get - duh, boy.

What is wrong with the hon. gentleman?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: We are talking about -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. RIDEOUT: This is not a British seafood company now, Mr. Speaker. This

is a Newfoundland seafood company owned by Fisheries Products International. It

is a shrimp operation, a s-h-r-i-m-p operation, Mr. Speaker, duh.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. REID: Mr. Speaker, I hope the people from Harbour Breton, Fortune and

Bonavista are listening today and I am sure that they will feel comforted by the

minister's response. Getting up here today and actually laughing at the

questions that we are asking, which will mean the livelihood to many of these

towns.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. REID: I know that he has been there before and he practiced old style

politics, Mr. Speaker -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair recognized the Leader of the Opposition who is posing a

supplementary question. I will ask him to get to his question now.

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the previous Minister of Fisheries, the now Minister of

Transportation, stated in the media on November 6 that plants could close and we

would still harvest and process the same amount of fish in this Province. We

would get the same return in the marketplace and that the amount of money that

would go into the provincial economy would not change at the end of the day.

I ask the Premier: By making such comments, wasn't your minister, in

essence, giving FPI the green light to close plants in our Province during this

review process?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the hon. the Leader of the Opposition ought to know, if he does

not, he is a former Minister of Fisheries, he ought to know that shrimp going

into the European community from this Province faces a 20 per cent tariff. By

going the route of acquiring a seafood company in Britain, or some other place

in Europe for that matter, the shrimp is subject to a 6 per cent tariff. Now,

Mr. Speaker, that is a 14 per cent advantage for producers and FPI in this

Province that we did not have before. That is why the acquisition makes sense,

Mr. Speaker. It is why it makes strategic sense and why it makes sense for

people living and working with FPI in this Province. It is a good investment,

Mr. Speaker. It can be flipped tomorrow and sold off if they want to, but for

shrimp producers - and remember, FPI markets shrimp for a lot more than itself,

Mr. Speaker, in this Province. A lot of companies they market shrimp for. So,

this is a good investment for people living and working in FPI plants in this

Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. REID: Mr. Speaker, I would suggest to the Minister of Fisheries that

he talk to his colleague who just got up and talked about the Internet and go in

on the Internet and get this

article and see where in this

article it mentions

shrimp, because it does not. The only place it mentions shrimp is warm water

shrimp and that does not come from Newfoundland and Labrador -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I caution the member about using displays when posing your question. I

recognize him, however, to place his question now.

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, in light of what is happening with FPI and the proposed Income

Trust and the company's overall operations, I ask the Premier: Are you willing

to delay the proclamation of this legislation pertaining to the Income Trust

until we have a clearer picture of what direction this company is headed?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, first, in terms of the

preamble, we are going

to have to do something about the research capability of the Opposition. One

British newspaper is not what it is all about. I am telling the hon. gentleman

that FPI is planning to market shrimp for not only itself but a lot of other

producers in Newfoundland, in the European community, and that is one of the

strategies of being able to reduce the tariff problems that you have in that

particular community.

In terms of delaying proclamation of legislation, the government is willing

to consider all kinds of things, Mr. Speaker. We will review that. When we have

the results of the internal review of FPI before us, we will take all those

strategic decisions and they will be taken with the overall good of the people

of this Province in mind. That I can assure the hon. gentleman.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am glad that the minister said the Premier was all over the file, but the

fact of the matter is that I have just asked the Premier seven questions and he

has not responded to one, so I will ask him the eighth and final one.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: In light of the many questions that are

unresolved about FPI, will you initiate a public inquiry into FPI to find out

exactly what is happening to this company so that the people who work for that

company in this Province can sleep a little easier knowing what their future

holds for them?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, I do not know what kind of reputation I will

have when I clue up my tenure as Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, but I

will tell you one thing, I will not be known as the peep-a-boo minister. I will

not be known as the fellow who comes out of the closet when there is good news,

and hides away when there is bad news, Mr. Speaker.

I will face the challenges that this industry is facing, that FPI is facing,

that others are facing, and this government will face them, Mr. Speaker.

Will we commission an industrial inquiry into FPI? Inquiry if necessary, but

not necessarily an inquiry is an appropriate answer.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My question is for the Premier.

The first question relates to the mill at Stephenville. Premier, yourself and

Minister Byrne announced a framework agreement on October 26 at Stephenville.

The press release issued referred to - and I quote - the highlights of the

framework agreement.

Would you undertake to provide the Opposition with the complete file on the

Abitibi negotiations, and the complete agreement?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. E. BYRNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we have committed to, if there is an agreement reached, that we

would provide that to everybody, but what we are not going to do is what the

Opposition have done. For example, on August 4, the Opposition Leader said that

Abitibi may not be looking for as big a handout as they thought we were

thinking. On August 2, he said that the government should do everything possible

to ensure that Abitibi in Stephenville survives for the communities and for the

people in Stephenville. On October 27, when we announced the framework

agreement, he has a distasteful taste in his mouth because we were helping a big

corporation.

The fact of the matter is this, Mr. Speaker: that framework was designed with

one objective in mind, to ensure that on the power side it met the objectives of

the company and, in doing so, kept 250 people directly employed and about 914

people directly employed as a result of that. That is what the government did,

and we are not ashamed of doing what we did.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is good to see the Minister of Natural Resources back on the file, because

it seems as soon as a deal goes south the file is given back to the minister and

not dealt with by the Premier any more.

This framework agreement was touted in the media as the solution to keeping

the mill open; yet, Abitibi was not at the table when the announcement was made.

Dozens of workers have left Stephenville since October 26. The mill is in idle

mode, more like life-support mode, and the anguish, the torture and the

uncertainty continues for the workers, their families, and the surrounding

communities in Bay St. George. What has government done since October 26 to

bring this deal to a conclusion?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader and Minister of Natural

Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. E. BYRNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am under no illusion that the Opposition House Leader would make the

comments he has made. The fact of the matter, so we are clear on all of this,

this file has consumed this government legitimately so. Both the Premier,

myself, our own officials, have been engaged in this file for good reason.

Now, what have we done since October 26? We have said to Abitibi that we

believe we have met your objectives. We have met with the union, we have met

with the town leadership, and they support strongly. I would suggest to the

member that he talk to people in Stephenville because the union leadership and

the community leadership support strongly the framework that we put forward.

We have also said to Abitibi that we will not accept and will not be part of

stripping a unionized contract, and that we will not accept being part of

shoving an agreement down the workers' throats that they do not wish to have.

From our point of view we have done our job. We continue to support the

workers, we continue to support the community. What else should we have done? I

ask the Opposition House Leader.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I say to the minister, you cannot pride yourself, or you should not pride

yourself, with being great deal makers if you cannot close them. Leaving the

people in that area in turmoil does nothing to resolve it.

Mr. Speaker, the government threw $150 million of taxpayers' money at this

problem; yet, there is no solution. The uncertainty continues, there is no deal,

the company is still beating up on the union and asking for concessions, there

is no long-term power solution, there is no long-term fibre solution. Is this

what we call being all over a file and great negotiating? What, and when, is

government going to do to get a satisfactory resolution to this serious issue,

or are you washing your hands of the file now that it has been made a mess of?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. E. BYRNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

First of all, Mr. Speaker, let me correct some statements that are not

factually correct. Number one, the challenges that face Abitibi Stephenville's

operation have nothing to do with fibre. The company have already expressed

that. They have never expressed that to us. They have indicated that the fibre

issues are manageable. That is what they have said to us from the beginning of

our negotiations.

Mr. Speaker, what have we done? We have put forward an option that will keep

that mill running, that will provide employment for the people in Stephenville,

and that meets the objectives of the company.

I can tell you what we will not do: what that government did, or what the

Opposition did when they were in government - the Member for Windsor-Buchans,

the Leader of the Opposition himself, the former Minister of Justice. We will

not be signing power contracts and giving to Abitibi or any other company in

perpetuity without tying it to milling and logging and to jobs in the Province.

That is what they did, Mr. Speaker. We will not be doing that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Grand Falls-Buchans.

MS THISTLE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I wonder, what is $150 million? Think about that.

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier, the Minister of Natural

Resources or the Deputy Premier, whoever wants to answer it.

The people of Grand Falls-Windsor, and forty-six other communities in Central

Newfoundland have been facing an uncertain future for the past seven months,

ever since Abitibi said they were going to shut down number seven paper machine.

Can the minister tell the House and the people of Central Newfoundland what is

the current status of negotiations regarding investment by the company and the

government to ensure the future of both number seven and number three stays in

Grand Falls-Windsor?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. E. BYRNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, first of all, the Member for Grand Falls-Buchans says: that is

$150 million, think about that. Now, we have thought about it a great deal and

it is tied to employment levels, it is tied to production levels and it is tied

to -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. E. BYRNE: I will say to the members of the Opposition, if you want to

ask a question, fair enough, would you like to hear the answer? You can get up

and criticize it or congratulate it after.

The fact of the matter is this, Mr. Speaker. That when you look at what we

have put forward with respect to the issues in Grand Falls, the six locals at

the mill in Grand Falls support strongly government's position. The Mayor of

Bishop's Falls, the Mayor of Botwood and the Mayor of Grand Falls-Windsor

support strongly government's position. The Concerned Citizens Committee in

Grand Falls, in Central Newfoundland, support government's position. The

question is: Why doesn't the member support government's position when all

of her constituents do?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Grand Falls-Buchans.

MS THISTLE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I say to the minister, he has done nothing for Grand Falls-Windsor. He has

been sitting on his heels.

Minister, your Premier has been touted as a great negotiator and he has been

all over this file, too. Tell me, how did Abitibi hoodwink this Premier? How did

Abitibi hoodwink this Premier? You are dealing with a multinational company here

and seven months later our Province is no better off, our people are no better

off.

When will the real negotiations start to save our mill and what is government

willing to put on the table to save both machines, enforce Bill 27, and

guarantee that any power development on the Exploits goes for the benefit of the

Grand Falls mill? Answer that question.

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. E. BYRNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I am going to respond with three very quick points. The Exploits

Valley partnership on the Exploits River which was developed by and signed by

and negotiated by the former government, which runs to 2022, which provides

profits to Abitibi and the Star Lake power development which runs to 2032,

respectively, those developments do not guarantee a single job. They do not

guarantee that the mills continue to operate as they do. And, guess what, Mr.

Speaker? They provide a net benefit of in excess of $10 million a year to

Abitibi; much more than what we committed to with Abitibi.

Secondly, Mr. Speaker, the member stands up and asks me this question: What

is it that you are going to do to ensure that the power on the Exploits goes

towards Grands Falls and Grand Falls only? I suggest she talk to her leader who

said, Mr. Speaker: They have a problem with power and, you know, they want to

develop a power generation facility on the Exploits River. Maybe if we can find

some way of doing that, then it could solve the problems, not only in

Stephenville. So, I would ask her to ask her own leader, Mr. Speaker. Finally, a

very quick point -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I am asking members to keep their questions and their answers within the

sixty second limit.

I recognize the Member for Grand Falls-Buchans.

MS THISTLE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, fifty-six jobs have already been lost in the mill following the

arbitration ruling last week, and there are 400 more jobs on the line, both in

the mill and the woodlands division. Mr. Speaker, the economy of the central

region has been in a holding pattern for seven months and still no answers. It

is crunch time. Towns are preparing their annual budgets and it is high time for

government to lay their cards on the table and get the matter settled.

Minister, how long are you and your government going to leave this matter in

limbo? What is your next step?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. E. BYRNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, our next step is the one that we have been consistent upon, that

our position with respect to Grand Falls is simply this: we support strongly the

maintenance of Bill 27 which guarantees a two-machine operation and which

guarantees production levels near at current levels. That is supported by the

entire Central Newfoundland region, it seems now, with the exception of the

member.

Secondly, that if Abitibi were to come forward with a proposal that was

acceptable to all in the community and the government that would see a

reinvestment in Number 7 or Number 3 or a reinvestment in the infrastructure, we

would look at it seriously. But, I will tell you this, Mr. Speaker, what we are

not going to do. We are not going to roll over and let Number 7 roll down

without some commitments from Abitibi in the process.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. HARRIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My question is for the Premier and it concerns the issue of pay equity for

women in the public sector.

Mr. Speaker, since the Budget came out last spring this government now has $2

billion in the bank, and, in fact, a revenue projection of more than $490

million than it had last spring. Is it now not the time for this Premier to sit

down with the Newfoundland Association of Public Employees and negotiate a

settlement of the outstanding pay equity deal that was made, first by Premier

Peckford in 1988 and overturned by the Liberal government in the 1990s?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury

Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, our government currently, without one-time counting of money, is

showing a deficit. This year we are projecting a $132.1 million deficit. In 1988

to 1991, there was period that the member speaks about that went to court and

the court rendered a decision. I would like to say that pay equity is

implemented in this government, fully implemented in this government, and has

been for a number of years. As to our fiscal situation, we still haven't

stopped adding to our debt, Mr. Speaker. We added $124.5 million to our debt in

this fiscal year.

Government is committed, it is concerned, with equality of women. We are

treating them and paying them fully in line across gender. There is no

discrimination occurring in government. Back in 1992, there was action taken

also that rolled back negotiated collective agreements. There are dozens of

incidents in the previous history of government. These ones go back from

fourteen to seventeen years ago, some go back twenty years. Do we go back over

twenty years, fifteen, twenty-five -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. SULLIVAN: (Inaudible) at the time with a different fiscal situation.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair recognizes the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MR. HARRIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the shame of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Supreme

Court of Canada held that the legislation rolling back pay equity for women was

contrary to the Charter of Rights, was discriminatory against women. Mr.

Speaker, this government has the means to fix that problem. The only reason the

Supreme Court of Canada didn't overturn the legislation was because of the

fiscal circumstances of the day. This government and this minister are sitting

with $2 billion in the bank, almost $500 million better off than it was last

spring, and will not, according to the minister, solve this problem.

Will he do that, Mr. Speaker? Will he show respect for the women of this

Province, and the women of the public sector, to honour this agreement made by

the previous government?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury

Board.

MR. SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This government is treating women in this Province with respect, and it has

fully implemented wage equity.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. SULLIVAN: If the members on that side of the House, when they were

there, didn't implement it, they should answer for what they didn't do. We

have fully implemented it, Mr. Speaker. We don't have, as the member indicated

- $322.3 million of that Atlantic Accord money has been used and factored into

our fiscal situation. He might look at where we are. This year isn't over yet.

We are projecting, depending on the price of oil that it is at a level now

around the same as we budgeted - any change in those revenues could put us even

deeper than the $132.1 million that we projected now in our budget, Mr. Speaker.

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

MR. BUTLER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Premier is well known for his statement, not on my watch, but my question

today is about the infamous watch.

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Education. You predecessor

was shuffled for embarrassing you leader and mishandling a gift he received

while in Qatar.

Is the current minister in possession of the infamous watch or did it move to

Tourism, Culture and Recreation to become a culture heirloom or a tourist

attraction?

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

MR. E. BYRNE: I think the member said the Minister of Education,

referring to the watch. I believe what he really meant to say was the Minister

of Tourism, because there was an announcement last week that -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

In posing the question, the member said the Minister of Education. Therefore,

the Chair assumes that the question was to the current Minister of Education.

The hon. the Minister of Education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to say that any positions within this Cabinet are certainly done

at the Premier's prerogative at any time he wishes to make changes.

In respect to the watch that the hon. member mentioned, that matter had been

dealt with appropriately. The person who received the watch did declare it,

asked for guidance on how to proceed, and I think policy was followed. That is

all I have to say on that, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BUTLER: I ask the minister, I think the former Minister of Education

stated very clearly that when he left the department he would dispose of the

watch. I am asking the minister -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. BUTLER: He also said that the value of the watch was at $2,000 and

increasing in value every day.

I ask the now Minister of Education: Will she retrieve the watch, have an

independent assessment done and report to this House on the value, Mr. Speaker?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, obviously there is a lot of interest from the

other side of the House on this particular watch that was given to the former

minister. As I said, Mr. Speaker, that gift was accepted, it was declared

appropriately, policy was followed on that and, Mr. Speaker, there are no other

further issues in relation to that watch.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The time allocated for Question Period has expired.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

Presenting Reports by Standing and Special Committees.

Tabling of Documents

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury

Board.

MR. SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I wish to table a document relating to one special warrant amounting to $18

million pertaining to the Crab Workers' Assistance Program.

MR. SPEAKER: Further Tabling of Documents?

Notices of Motion

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Human Resources, Labour and

Employment, and Minister Responsible for Labrador Affairs.

MR. SHELLEY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

"An Act To Amend The Workplace, Health, Safety And Compensation Act."

(Bill 45)

MR. SPEAKER: Further notices of motion?

The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of the Treasury Board.

MR. SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

"An Act To Amend The Insurance Companies Tax Act." (Bill 49)

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

"An Act To Amend The Income Tax Act, 2000, No. 2." (Bill 48)

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

"An Act To Amend The Municipal Financing Corporation Act." (Bill 47)

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

"An Act To Amend The Financial Administration Act." (Bill 46)

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

"An Act To Amend The Pippy Park Commission Act." (Bill 42)

MR. SPEAKER: Further notices of motion?

The hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. T. MARSHALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

"An Act Respecting Protection Against Family Violence." (Bill 50)

I further give notice that I will on tomorrow ask leave to introduce a bill

entitled, "An Act To Amend The Electoral Boundaries Act." (Bill 43)

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will on tomorrow ask leave to introduce a

bill entitled, "An Act To Amend the Provincial Court Act, 1991." (Bill

44)

MR. SPEAKER: Further notices of motion?

The hon. the Member for Grand Bank.

MS FOOTE: Mr. Speaker, I want to introduce a private member's motion to

be debated on Wednesday, November 23.

WHEREAS a substantial amount of tax dollars were invested in the

establishment of Fishery Products International; and

WHEREAS the operation of the company is of critical importance to the future

of the economy of this Province; and

WHEREAS the management of this company promised to make investments in

production facilities in this Province and create jobs; and

WHEREAS these promises have been broken while the company borrowed money to

make substantial investments in other parts of the world; and

WHEREAS other fish companies that face the same challenges as FPI continue to

operate successfully in this Province; and

BE IT RESOLVED that this House of Assembly calls upon government to conduct a

public inquiry into the operation and management practices of FPI and the

resulting crisis situation being faced by communities throughout this Province

who rely on the company for their economic and social well-being; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this House of Assembly calls upon government to

postpone proclaiming recent amendments to the FPI Act until the company commits

to using the proceeds from an income trust for the benefit of the people

Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Further notices of motion?

The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Pursuant to Standing Order 63.(3), I give notice that on Private Members'

Day, this Wednesday, November 23, the motion put forward by the Member for Grand

Bank will be the motion to be heard.

MR. SPEAKER: Further notices of motion?

Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Labrador West.

MR. COLLINS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to present a petition on behalf of a number of residents of

Labrador West. The petition, Mr. Speaker, is:

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 hunting on Sunday is not permitted in our Province; and

WHEREAS there are many people in our Province who work Monday to Friday

leaving them only one day a week to hunt; and

WHEREAS hunting is probably the only activity now that people of our Province

are prohibited from doing on Sunday; and

WHEREAS not being able to hunt on Sunday has a negative impact on local

hunters and outfitters;

We, the undersigned residents, petition the House of Assembly to direct the

government to change the laws and regulations of this Province to allow hunting

to take place on Sunday.

Now, Mr. Speaker, many of the people who live in this Province take advantage

of the opportunity to hunt big game, and many of them, as the petition speaks

to, are not able to do that on Sunday. A lot of them work from Monday to Friday,

leaving them only one day. Many of them incur great expense to travel to faraway

regions in order to hunt on a Saturday.

People in my district, Mr. Speaker, it does not make sense when they travel

on Ski-Doo for three or four hours, covering 150 miles away from the nearest

settlement, get there at 12 o'clock on a Friday night, hunt all day Saturday

unsuccessfully, and Sunday morning, on their way home, they run into a herd of

Caribou, but because it is Sunday they are not allowed to take their gun out of

the case. Now, that does not make sense at all. You know, you are 150 miles away

from the nearest person. The only other people who may be around you are other

hunters but, still for all, because of this ancient law, hunting on Sunday is

not permitted in this Province.

Other jurisdictions, Mr. Speaker, have provided the right to hunt on Sundays

and we are requesting that this be reviewed in our Province so that people can

take full advantage, when they buy a licence, to utilize the opportune time

during the season to hunt. We feel very strongly, the people who signed this

petition feel very strongly, that they should have the right to hunt on Sundays.

Now, Mr. Speaker, they are also hoping to - of course, there are areas or

regulations that may restrict that right in certain areas if conditions warrant.

The old argument about berry pickers does not add up to scrutiny because berry

pickers are in the woods from Monday to Saturday alongside people who are

hunting as well. But there are certain areas, like cottage country, places like

that, where there may be regulations to curb hunting activities, as there are

now from Monday to Saturday. So, I think that this is a subject whose time has

come to be investigated and to change, and I ask the minister responsible to

take the appropriate action, have the officials look at this, change the law

that exists now and allow Sunday hunting to take place.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: Further petitions?

The hon. the Member for Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am pleased today to stand and present a petition on behalf of my

constituents in the District of Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair. I will just read

the

Be It Resolved

section of the petition, Mr. Speaker.

The petitioners request that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador

reconsider their decision and reinstate marine services for Labrador to the Port

of Cartwright whereby increasing the frequency of crossings between Cartwright

and Goose Bay to three trips per year.

Mr. Speaker, this is not the first time the people of my district have

petitioned the government, through this Legislature, to have changes made to

that particular service. They obviously have felt that moving the Sir Robert

Bond out of Cartwright as a main port to Lewisporte has had a significant

impact on the local economy. It has actually driven business downward. It has

affected the tourism industry. It has affected the retail sales in that

particular region. Mr. Speaker, they are really, at this point I would think,

begging government to have another look at this particular service. Is there a

way that you can increase the number of trips that are being provided between

Cartwright and Goose Bay?

Last year, again, we seen record numbers of users on that service as it

compares to the Goose Bay to Lewisporte segment but, at the same time, people

could not get reservations when they wanted it. They did not have the

availability of the service when they needed it. These things cause a downward

trend in things like the tourism industry and in the transportation industry,

itself. I think what they are asking is that government look at this from a more

holistic perspective. Is there a way that we can accommodate a greater service

in that particular area? Is there a way that we can have a more frequent service

in that particular area so that we are not compromising the economic revenues

that are coming into the region or compromising the amount of people who are

visiting the region from a tourism perspective?

Mr. Speaker, you only have to drive through my district - which I know some

hon. members in this Assembly have done in the past year - to find out that the

combination effect of changes in marine services and the decline in the fishery

is actually having a very significant economic impact in that region. I think if

you stopped into any of the businesses there they will tell you that the

decision of government to move the Sir Robert Bond to Lewisporte as the

main port and the main leg of service has definitely compromised that particular

region in being able to grow and move forward.

So, what they are doing is they are saying to the government, they are saying

to the new Minister of Transportation: have another look at this service. Is

there a way that we can provide a greater link between Cartwright and Goose Bay

on the Labrador segment? Is there a way that we can have more services and more

trips per week to allow people to be able to travel and book reservations when

they need them and not be placed on a wait list for extended periods of time,

which has obviously been the case in the past two years?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Further petitions?

Orders of the Day.

Orders of the Day

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

MR. J. BYRNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Before I move to Orders of the Day - I guess I have to seek concurrence. I

think we have leave from both parties and ourselves, that if we could - we have

given notices of motion on a number of bills, under a

section doing with notices

of motion. If we could give first reading to each of those notices, by leave, so

that we can get the pieces of legislation distributed in the House. I think we

do have leave on that. I seek concurrence from my colleagues.

MR. SPEAKER: Is it agreeable that the Chair will call the procedure once

only for all of the bills that were given notice of today?

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. SPEAKER: It is moved and seconded that the hon. the ministers gave

notice today. So I am pleased to introduce their bills, and we will list out all

the titles in the official Hansard.

Is it the pleasure of the House that the hon. the ministers shall have leave

to introduce said bills?

All those in favour, aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

MR. SPEAKER: All those against, nay'.

Carried.

[Introduction of Bills]

A bill,

An Act To Amend The Workplace, Health, Safety and Compensation Act.

(Bill 45)

Motion, the hon. the Minister of Human Resources to introduce a bill,

"An Act To Amend The Workplace, Health, Safety and Compensation Act,"

carried. (Bill 45)

A bill,

An Act To Amend The Pippy Park Commission Act. (Bill 42)

Motion, the hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board to

introduce a bill, "An Act To Amend The Pippy Park Commission Act,"

carried. (Bill 42)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Insurance Companies Tax Act." (Bill

49)

Motion, the hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board to

introduce a bill, "An Act To Amend The Insurance Companies Tax Act,"

carried. (Bill 49)

A bill,

An Act To Amend The Income Tax Act, 2000 No 2. (Bill 48)

Motion, the hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board to

introduce a bill, "An Act To Amend The Income Tax Act, 2000 No 2,"

carried. (Bill 48)

A bill,

An Act To Amend The Municipal Financing Corporation Act. (Bill 47)

Motion, the hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board to

introduce a bill, "An Act To Amend The Municipal Financing Corporation

Act," carried. (Bill 47)

A bill,

An Act To Amend The Financial Administration Act. (Bill 46)

Motion, the hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board to

introduce a bill, "An Act To Amend The Financial Administration Act,"

carried. (Bill 46)

A bill,

An Act To Amend The Electoral Boundaries Act. (Bill 43)

Motion, the hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General to introduce a

bill, "An Act To Amend The Electoral Boundaries Act", carried. (Bill

43)

A bill,

An Act Respecting Protection Against Family Violence. (Bill 50)

Motion, the hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General to introduce a

bill, "An Act Respecting Protection Against Family Violence," carried.

(Bill 50)

A bill,

An Act To Amend The Provincial Court Act, 1991. (Bill 44)

Motion, the hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General to introduce a

bill, "An Act To Amend The Provincial Court Act, 1991," carried. (Bill

44)

MR. SPEAKER: It is moved and seconded the said bills be now read a first

time. Is it the pleasure of the House the said bills be now a read first?

All those in favour, aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

MR. SPEAKER: All those against, nay'.

Carried.

[First Reading of Bills]

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Workplace, Health, Safety and Compensation

Act." (Bill 45)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Pippy Park Commission Act." (Bill 42)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Insurance Companies Tax Act." (Bill

49)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Income Tax Act, 2000 No 2." (Bill 48)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Municipal Financing Corporation Act."

(Bill 47)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Financial Administration Act." (Bill

46)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Electoral Boundaries Act." (Bill 43)

A bill, "An Act Respecting Protection Against Family Violence."

(Bill 50)

A bill, "An Act To Amend The Provincial Court Act 1991." (Bill 44)

On motion, Bills 45, 42, 49, 48, 47, 46, 43, 50, 44 read a first time,

ordered read a second time on tomorrow.

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

MR. J. BYRNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Order 1, Address in Reply.

MR. HICKEY: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The member should wait until he is formally introduced and has the permission

of the Chair.

The Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for Lake Melville.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HICKEY: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

As you can tell, I am glad to be back in the hon. House, and I am glad to be

back here with my colleagues, and I am glad that we are back in the House to

conduct the business of the Province.

By the way, before I continue on with some of my other remarks, I want to

congratulate my colleague from Exploits on his election and his coming into the

House, to the party, and to sit with us on this side of the House.

I also want to congratulate the three Pages, Mr. Speaker, who have been

hired; the new Pages this year. I am particularly pleased to see Mr. Shannon

Tobin. I want to congratulate Shannon on his successful bid. I believe Shannon

is the first -

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. HICKEY: He is not the first? Well, I am glad to hear that we have a

representative from Labrador as a Page in the House, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, this has been a very busy year in the District of Lake Melville.

It has been a very busy year, certainly summer, in particular, in Labrador. I

want to report to the House, and to my constituency in the great District of

Lake Melville, some of the good things that have happened over the this past

summer.

In particular, I want to talk about the Lower Churchill; a very important

file for this government, a very important file for the Premier, very important

file for me because it sits in my district. I will say, that on November 14 I

was pleased to be part of this government's delegation in which the Premier

and key ministers met with Aboriginal people, met with Aboriginal women, met

with the community, the stakeholders of Labrador, as we discussed, in the very

preliminary stages of this particular development, the Lower Churchill project

with the people of Labrador.

I want to say, Mr. Speaker, that this government is doing it differently than

what has been done in the past. We have taken a new approach, and that is to

consult Labradorians on the front end and not on the tail end of the

development. I want to commend the Premier and I want to commend the Minister of

Natural Resources and members on this side for that new approach as we continue

on to consult with Labradorians, with Aboriginal leaders and with all the

communities of Labrador on the very important issues of the Lower Churchill.

This project, Mr. Speaker, is a great project. It has been on the go for many

years. It has been talked about by past governments. It has been started, it has

been stopped, but I believe, Mr. Speaker, that the Lower Churchill project will

be, certainly, one of the great accomplishments of this government as we move

into the future. When I say into the future, Mr. Speaker, I mean we will not see

this project producing first power before 2015.

I also want to say that the meetings that took place in Labrador, they were

frank, they were open and I can tell you that the Premier and my colleagues were

listening. The message was clear, Labradorians want to be part of the

development. They want to see benefits from the development. I can tell you, Mr.

Speaker, that message came across loud and clear. I am also happy to report, Mr.

Speaker, that this government will ensure that Labradorians get the first

benefit from the Lower Churchill project, to bring industry into the District of

Lake Melville, to bring industry into Labrador West.

The other point that I want to make, Mr. Speaker, is for the people on the

Coast of Labrador. I want to say that my good friend and colleague, the Member

for Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair was also at the meeting. I was happy to see

that she was wearing her blue that night.

MR. E. BYRNE: (Inaudible) referenced it.

MR. HICKEY: And then referenced it. Yes, I say to my colleague.

I must say, the points that were raised about opportunities to get cheaper

power to the people in Coastal Labrador is a huge issue. It is a huge issue for

this government. It is an issue that is being addressed by Newfoundland and

Labrador Hydro. I can tell you, there are some great opportunities on the South

Coast of Labrador to develop hydro projects down there that will meet the needs

of the people and provide cheaper rates for the people in Coastal Labrador.

I can also tell you, Mr. Speaker, that on the North Coast of Labrador - I

have had talks with people from Natuashish and there is an interest to look at

some hydro developments up in that particular region of Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, this was a great meeting, I believe, in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

I will say to you that as the Premier and key ministers met with the Aboriginal

people, it was good to have the dialogue. I can tell you that the support for

this project in Labrador is overwhelming. That is certainly the message that

came out of the meetings we have had.

I want to commend the Premier also, Mr. Speaker, on the meeting that he had,

the very first time that we have seen a Premier meet with aboriginal women. It

was a touching, it was an emotional, meeting in which aboriginal women from

Labrador had the opportunity to sit down with the Premier and key officials, key

ministers, and talk about some of the challenges they are facing in their

communities, challenges, Mr. Speaker, regarding violence against women,

challenges with health care and dental care. These are all pressing issues, Mr.

Speaker, and I will tell you that it came across loud and clear to the Premier,

that this is indeed a huge issue. I know that as the Premier goes to Kelowna,

British Columbia, over the next few days to a First Ministers' Meeting, many

of the issues that were talked about at the aboriginal women's meeting will be

raised by the Premier at that First Ministers' Conference in British Columbia.

Mr. Speaker, when we had the meetings in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, I am happy

to report that communities from all over Labrador were represented. That means

that they were brought in at the expense of government, to come in, to sit down,

and to partake in the discussions with the Premier and key ministers, to add

their expectations, Mr. Speaker, on the Lower Churchill project.

I can tell you that just today, just this morning, I received an e-mail which

was a copy of the transcript of an interview that was done with Bill Rowe and

Waylon Williams, the Executive Director of the Combined Councils of Labrador,

who expresses the view that these were exceptional meetings and that the

Combined Councils of Labrador were very pleased with the dialogue that took

place between the Premier, ministers and the Combined Councils of Labrador. A

very positive step, Mr. Speaker.

I can tell you that we won't be doing what was done in the past. We have

learned from the mistakes of the past, Mr. Speaker. We won't be sending the

Premier, or the Premier won't be going to Churchill Falls with the Premier of

Quebec and trying to sign off a deal in Churchill Falls without letting anybody

know about it. We won't be coming in at the eleventh house, the fifty-ninth

minute, and bringing everybody in from all parts of Labrador when the press

releases are made, are already done, when the brochures are already done, and

the video tapes are already done. We don't be doing that, Mr. Speaker. We are

doing it on the front end of this project. We are consulting on the front end of

this project.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HICKEY: I can tell you that we will continue to consult with the

people of Labrador and we will continue to address the issues of the people of

Labrador as we continue on with this project, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, there have been great things happening in the District of Lake

Melville, and there are great things happening in the region of Labrador. I know

some members on the opposite side may not like to hear me say that, but that is

just too bad because that is the way it is. I will say that we are making great

progress and I am happy to report to this hon. House today that the auditorium

that has been long sought after by the people of Labrador - and I want to

congratulate Minister Paul Shelley on the great work he has done in Ottawa with

Minister Frulla as we make this project happen in the course of the next -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I remind the hon. the member that, when we refer to members of the House, we

refer to them by their title, if they have a title, or refer to them by their

district name. We avoid using their regular personal names.

The hon. the Member for Lake Melville.

MR. HICKEY: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I will certainly continue on here with my statements.

I am particularly happy with the projects that are happening in

infrastructure in Labrador, and this government is working hard to improve those

projects. I will say to you, the auditorium is well underway and I hope that we

will hear positive news and positive announcements on this issue in the near

future.

I am also happy to report to the people in my district, the people of the

Province and to this hon. House, that the long-term health care facility is well

underway, Mr. Speaker; some $250,000 this year spent to look at the study for

the long-term health care facility, a facility that has been long needed for the

people of Labrador. I want to emphasize, this is for the people of Labrador;

this is not for John Hickey in the District of Lake Melville. This is for all of

the people of Labrador, as we ensure that our seniors get the benefits of a

long-term health care facility, and I am happy to say that project is moving

forward very well.

Another huge issue for Labrador that this government is working hard on, Mr.

Speaker, is the extension to the College of the North Atlantic. I can tell you,

past Administrations have failed the people of Labrador, they have failed the

District of Lake Melville, when it comes to the infrastructure. I am happy to

report that we have had the Minister of Education, the Minister of

Transportation and Works, in Happy Valley-Goose Bay to look at this facility,

and we are moving forward to ensure that an extension goes on to the facility so

that we can meet the post-secondary needs of the people of Labrador.

There are also issues not only in my district but in other districts. We are

working on a new school in Southern Labrador, in L'Anse-au-Loup. I can tell

you, Mr. Speaker, that is another huge issue for our government, to ensure that

education facilities in Labrador are brought up to an acceptable standard.

Along with the hospital, a new facility, we are looking at it; it is being

studied right as we speak. I must say, when I spoke to Mayor Jim Farrell just a

little while ago he congratulated our government on the work that we have done

to address some of the issues of a new hospital for Labrador West.

Infrastructure is the biggest single issue that this government has faced

since we came in office in Labrador. It is because of neglect from those on the

other side of the House, and past Administrations, that we have gotten ourselves

into the mess that we are in, but we are working at this. We are going to clean

this up, Mr. Speaker. We are going to ensure that Labradorians and Labrador

communities get the infrastructure that they need, that everybody else in the

Province has so long taken advantage of.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to talk about the good work that has been done by

the Department of Justice in Labrador. I want to congratulate the Minister of

Justice on his recent visit to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, and also the work that we

are doing when it comes to legal aid, when it comes to additional police

officers in Labrador. I can tell you, we are working hard to get a community

tripartite agreement so that we can ensure more funds are put into the justice

system in Labrador to provide more justice services for the people of Labrador.

It is the goal of this government, and in particular the Minister of Justice, to

ensure that we do get the appropriate justice services that are taken for

granted in the rest of the Province and the rest of the country.

Mr. Speaker, my last point I want to talk about today is 5 Wing Goose Bay. I

want to say that I cannot report as good news on the 5 Wing file. I want to also

say that recently myself and the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, the

Minister of Labrador Affairs, met with the Deputy Prime Minister with a

telephone conference, and I have to say that I came away from that meeting

really disappointed - disappointed that there is no plan yet for 5 Wing Goose

Bay on behalf of the federal government, Mr. Speaker. I hope that Mayor Leo

Abbass today, over the next couple of days, will meet with General Hillier, and

I hope that his discussions with the General will have fruition on that

particular file.

Mr. Speaker, we are sick and tired, the men and women of 5 Wing Goose Bay are

sick and tired, of listening to the same old, same old, coming out of Ottawa.

Basically what that is, Mr. Speaker, is: We are working on the file. We are

doing everything we can on the file. Yet, there is nothing happening on the 5

Wing file.

The night exercise that was planned for next year is cancelled, and it is

time for the federal government to come on board and give the people of Happy

Valley-Goose Bay and the men and women who work at 5 Wing Goose Bay an

opportunity to know what investment the federal government is going to put into

this base.

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, we

supply 10 per cent of the men and women for the Canadian Armed Forces. We get

less than half a percent of the budget of the Department of National Defence. I

can tell you, Mr. Speaker, this Province deserves better than that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HICKEY: I can tell you that this is going to be an election issue. I

put the member, Mr. Todd Russell, on notice that this is going to be a battle

coming up in the next election, I tell you, in Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HICKEY: We are not going to be pushed aside while other provinces get

major, major, defence spending. I will say to you that we are going to make this

a huge election issue. This is a huge election issue coming up in the federal

election.

I say to the people of Labrador, the time has come to send a message to

Ottawa that we are not happy with the way the federal government is dealing

particularly with some of the Aboriginal files they are responsible for. We are

not happy in particular with the defence files on 5 Wing Goose Bay. We are not

happy. We deserve better than that.

The Prime Minister of this country promised me, when I was then mayor of

Happy Valley-Goose Bay: Hey, don't worry, John, don't worry. We are going to

look after it. The Dutch will be here. The Germans will be here. The British

will be here.

Let me say, Mr. Speaker, they are not here. They are gone. Guess where they

are gone? They are gone to Alberta, the richest province in the country. It is

not acceptable, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the last topic - and it just came to mind - is a very important

topic for me. I want to congratulate the Minister of Transportation and Works,

the then minister, now the Deputy Premier, on the work that was done this past

summer by his department and by our government to ensure that the federal

government makes the Trans-Labrador Highway part of the national highway system.

I will say to you, this is great step forward. This provides us with the

opportunity to ensure that we see a paved highway from the Quebec Labrador

border in the west to a paved highway all the way down to Red Bay down in

Southern Labrador. A ten-year project we would like to see.

I say to the federal government, it is time to come to the table with your

money. It is time for the federal government to come to the table with their

money, to make a commitment, make a financial commitment. It is not good enough

to tell us yes, it is going to be part of the national highway system, but you

do not come with any money. It is time for the federal government to come with

some money and let's see if we can get an agreement to get this project

moving.

Mr. Speaker, this has indeed been a very, very interesting summer. We have a

number of interesting projects happening in my district, particularly the

mineral sands development by Markland Resources and the Churchill River,

particularly when it comes to some of the upgrading that has been done on the

Trans-Labrador Highway, and certainly upgrading infrastructure that has been

done in the Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Mr. Speaker, as we move forward - I have said this many times in this hon.

House - the resources of Labrador will be the future of our Province. I am

looking forward to the way in which this government, this Premier, has taken a

new approach to the development of these resources. I can tell you that these

resources will, and must, be for the benefits, first and foremost, of the people

of Labrador.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Just when the people in the coffee shop in Goose Bay thought their member

wasn't going to say anything else, he gets up in the Legislature today and

blows us all away with the great speech from Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JONES: Mr. Speaker, he is putting Ottawa on notice, he is putting the

federal member in Labrador on notice, that they had better deliver or else, but

I suggest that the hon. member put his own government on notice. It is time for

him to put his own government on notice and to deliver for Labrador, I say to

the hon. member. When that happens, I can guarantee him that he will get the

praise and the glory of his coffee shop friends back again. There is no doubt

about that.

Mr. Speaker, I never thought I would see the day in the Legislature when a

member on the other side could upscale the Minister of Finance. I never thought

I was going to see it, but I witnessed it today when the Member for Lake

Melville got up. There is not one surprise left in the Budget right now for

Labrador. We know exactly what the Minister of Finance is going to announce the

day he stands in his place, because the Member for Lake Melville just upscaled

him and announced every single initiative.

Mr. Speaker, the long-term care facility for Labrador is on - going to be in

the Budget. The auditorium for Happy Valley-Goose Bay is on - going to be in the

Budget. Not only that, but a school for my district that two years ago they put

on hold because there was no need to build it, is now going to be built. I am

going to go up and put out a press release now and announce all of that, because

all of those things were started by a Liberal government. They were initiatives

started by a Liberal government two years ago, put on hold two years ago because

the Province was finding itself in a position of bankruptcy; but, Mr. Speaker,

two years -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

It is very difficult for the Speaker to hear the presentation, and I am sure

the speech is rather eloquent. I ask members for their co-operation.

The Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair.

MS JONES: Mr. Speaker, I think you may have to call in the guards because

I am going to need protection here this afternoon, trying to have a few words on

the Throne Speech.

Mr. Speaker, I want to talk a little bit about this Lower Churchill file that

is ongoing. The hon. member opposite likes to get up and talk about negotiations

that were ongoing in the past. I say to the hon. member that the Lower Churchill

has been an ongoing negotiation for the past thirty years in Newfoundland and

Labrador. He likes to talk about negotiations of previous governments.

I want to remind the members of this Legislature, and remind the people of

the Province, that there never was a Lower Churchill deal signed - never was,

Mr. Speaker - and there were a number of reasons why there was never a Lower

Churchill deal signed.

Mr. Speaker, I can tell you one reason right now. I cannot tell the hon.

members what happened during the Tobin and Bouchard negotiations because I was

an Opposition member at the time and I was not privy to the information, and I

do not know what the negotiations were, but let me tell you this, Mr. Speaker: I

was privy to information on the negotiations between Grimes and Landry. Yes,

indeed, I was privy to it. Mr. Speaker, I will tell you something: there isn't

a deal today because members did not support what was negotiated.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MS JONES: Mr. Speaker, this is one member who did not support the

Labrador initiatives that were negotiated into that contract. Mr. Speaker, I had

the guts to stand up to my government and make sure that it was not done.

Do you know something, Mr. Speaker? I do not have the same confidence in the

members opposite. I do not have the same confidence in the members opposite, and

I will tell you why. If the Lower Churchill negotiation does not measure up to

the expectations of Labradorians, who will stop the deal at that time? Who will

stop the deal the next time? It will not be in the inner circle, because the

Labrador voice is not in the inner circle to make sure that it happens. It will

not be in the backbenchers in the caucus room, because thus far we have not

heard them get up and speak against any particular deal.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MS JONES: I say to the hon. member, just calm down; I am explaining a

little bit of history to him now, and the I am going to get to the current file.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS JONES: Mr. Speaker, I do not have that confidence that I knew was

there when the last deal was being negotiated, but what I will say is this. I

will say that the public consultation that was held in Labrador was a good first

step as it relates to the Lower Churchill development. It was an opportunity for

the voices of Labrador to come together and to lay upon the table, to government

and to the Premier, what we expected to see from this development. I have to

say, of the more than thirty speakers who went to the microphone on that evening

in Happy Valley-Goose Bay at the college, all of them were articulate, all of

them were forceful and strong in their comments, but, more so than, that they

were fair. They were fair in laying out the agenda for Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, this is what people want. I am going to tell you, there are very

few people I know of in Labrador at all who are opposed to a Lower Churchill

development. I am going to tell you, most of the people I know want to see this

go ahead, they want it done properly, and they want to see benefits for the

region.

Mr. Speaker, one of the major benefits they want to see - and this was

articulated very well to the Premier when he was there, and he listened very

attentively, I will say to you, to what Labradorians had to say. One thing that

was articulated to him was the need to have available, affordable, electricity

in all regions of Labrador.

In the North and South Coast of Labrador right now that is definitely not the

case. Not only is there not an availability of good, clean energy, but there is

also very expensive diesel-generated power. In this day and age we do not need

to burning bunker C in a region like Labrador where we have a wealth of hydro

resources. Even in the Upper Lake Melville area and in Labrador West there is

still the need, the pressing need, to have more availability of low-cost energy.

I think those were the major points that were driven home to the government, to

the Premier and his Cabinet ministers at that meeting, that we need to have

these things dealt with first and foremost if there is to be another development

of 3,500 megawatts of power in Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, people are frustrated, obviously. People in Labrador are

frustrated for many reasons over developments of resources, okay? But I guess we

do not have to look too far to see where the frustration comes from. I mean,

when you have an aluminum smelter right now in Quebec that is being fed off

Labrador hydro power generating 800 or 900 jobs, Mr. Speaker, that in itself is

very frustrating for Labradorians. We do not want that to happen again, and that

is why the pressing arguments are being made to have affordable, low-cost,

accessible energy to communities in Labrador. I think that was the priority, and

it was a unanimous priority, coming out of that.

There are several ways that could happen. It does not necessarily mean that

you have to run a transmission line from Churchill Falls to every single

community in Labrador. There are other ways that you can achieve that agenda

part and parcel to this particular deal. Mr. Speaker, I have believed that for

the last fifteen years. I have spoken on it on more than one occasion. I have

tried to impress it upon other negotiators who have been involved in this deal.

For me, that is the least that has to be done in order for this to be

acceptable.

The other thing that has to happen here is, there has to be a negotiation

with all Aboriginal groups involved, especially the Innu and Metis. Mr. Speaker,

I understand that the Innu are at the table, have been at the table for some

time as part of this negotiation, but the Metis are not at the table and they

have a legitimate right to be there. Mr. Speaker, they are the users of this

land for more than 300 years. They are the people who still today have an

attachment in that area for culture and heritage reasons. They are still very

much relying upon that river. So, Mr. Speaker, they are the people who need to

be dealt with as well; not just because they file an Aboriginal claim in that

area, but out of respect - out of respect for the people who use the land and

use the river and use the area.

I am not going to outline what the context of any negotiations should be with

the Labrador Metis, but what I will say is this. This is an opportunity, an

opportunity for the government and for the Premier to give some profile to Metis

claim in Labrador. As you know, the claim itself has been in the Department of

Justice for five years federally, awaiting a response, and we have still not

gotten it. How do you push that file ahead? How do you get the federal

government and the Department of Justice to make a firm ruling on it? You do it

by lifting them up, by joining your voice with theirs, by being a partner with

them as an Aboriginal group who has a legitimate claim. I think there is a real

opportunity for government there, to include Metis people in this Lower

Churchill development discussion, to give them a table themselves where there

can be meaningful discussion with them as an Aboriginal entity, just like they

have done with the Innu Nation.

The other thing, Mr. Speaker, that people want to see in Labrador out of this

development is, they want to see a heritage fund developed. I guess we have

heard for many years about heritage funds that exist in Alberta, in Alaska, and

in the territories, and how those funds are administered for the economic

diversification of regions and for the benefit of people who live there. Well, I

think people in Labrador want to grab on to that concept as well. How can we

have a portion of money that would be set aside for a revenue or for a heritage

fund or whatever the case may be that can be used in Labrador communities? I

think that is something that government will undertake to look at as they move

forward in this negotiation.

It was a lot harder to do it with the Voisey's Bay deal, because the Voisey's

Bay deal, in essence, was negotiated between the LIA and the Innu Nation and the

companies. That was basically the premise, and the royalties on Voisey's Bay

go to the LIA and to the Innu Nation; it does not go into a broader fund for all

of Labrador. Maybe it should have gone into a broader fund for all of Labrador;

but, because the LIA had the legitimate land claim, it was in their land claim

area, it was in their new Inuit Central Government area, and they negotiated a

royalty fund that would go directly to their people, and not a royalty that

would go directly to all the people of Labrador.

Now, the Member for Lake Melville says that was wrong and it should not have

happened, but at the present time you cannot support a land claim for Aboriginal

people and then not allow them to negotiate royalties on that claim. That was,

in essence, what happened. When the Innu and the LIA signed off on royalties

under Voisey's Bay, it was not a fund that was going to apply to everybody

else in Labrador. So, maybe this time there will be an opportunity because you

are not dealing with an Inuit Central Government like you were in the North. You

are not dealing with the same kind of circumstances in this negotiation as you

were with the Voisey's Bay negotiation, so there might be an opportunity to do

something a little bit differently around this than has been done before.

Mr. Speaker, in essence I think that was the major issue that was brought

forward by the people in Labrador as it relates to this development. People also

expressed their concern from an environmental perspective. Like any development

in Labrador, we have always wanted to have good environmental assessments and

studies done and allow for those who are interested to have intervener status

into those environmental assessments. I certainly hope that would be done as

part of this project as well, because they are the watchdogs of our environment,

they are there to look after the protection of that resource and to make sure

that development is done with as relatively little impact negatively on the

environment as can possibly happen.

Mr. Speaker, I talked a little bit about the Lower Churchill piece, and I

want to move on and talk about a couple of other issues, because there are a lot

of issues in Labrador right now that need to be dealt with and need to be

addressed. If I get into transportation I could be here all day, so maybe I will

just leave that for another day and another discussion, because it is a very,

very lengthy piece, let me tell you that.

I would like to talk about some other things, Mr. Speaker. In a district like

mine, which is one of the most rural districts in the Province, I guess, rural

and isolated to a large degree, we have been through a very difficult time this

year. While a lot don't want to see it and don't want to recognize it and

would rather turn a deaf ear to it, the reality is that when the fishery starts

to crumble in many of these rural areas, so does the whole foundation of the

economy. That is the situation that we are in right now. In my area there are

all of these small communities that are built around the fishery. The end of

June this year, when you think the fishery is getting started and gearing up for

season, I had four fish plants close down in my district, and had over 400

people who were put out of work.

Mr. Speaker, I didn't hear anybody in the Cabinet talking about the 400

jobs that were lost up in my area due to the fishery, like we have heard about

Stephenville with Abitibi and like we have heard about some other industries

that are downscaling. I can guarantee that 400 to 500 jobs in a district of less

than 6,000 people are every bit as important as they are in one community of

6,000 people. It has had an overwhelming impact, to the point, Mr. Speaker, that

for the first time in a very long time I have seen people leaving my district

this year. They were leaving for places like Fort McMurray. While it was

heartbreaking to watch them go, you knew they had no other choice. When your

entire industry shuts down the end of June, there is no other job to go to,

there is no other employment in the region, you have to make some difficult

decisions, and they were forced to make those difficult decisions,

unfortunately.

Mr. Speaker, there has to be a plan to rejuvenate and to diversify in those

industries, and I really believe that it can be done. I have seen a lot of

small-scale manufacturing businesses start in this Province, and even in my own

area, that have generated eight, ten, twelve jobs, which have been a great

contribution to the region and to the community, but I have seen them do it

through very innovative and creative ways of being able to take what they have

and work with it to create opportunity for themselves.

Mr. Speaker, there is a great deal of opportunity there in tourism. I am just

going to give you an example. When I was in the Yukon this year - and the Yukon

is not unlike Labrador in many ways, as you know. The Yukon Territory has about

30,000, Labrador has about 27,000 or 28,000. Mr. Speaker, when I was down in the

Yukon Territory, one of the major industries that they have developed there has

been the tourism industry. What they have been doing is bringing in tourists

from Germany on direct chartered aircraft. They have been allowing them to rent

vehicles and drive from Whitehorse right through the Yukon Territory, out

through Alaska and fly back out of Anchorage, which is a two-week trip.

Mr. Speaker, those kinds of marketing initiatives can work in an area like

Labrador. I am going to tell you, it is not unlike the Yukon, it is not unlike

Alaska in terms of its terrain, its attractions, its lifestyle, its culture, but

do you know what the biggest setback is, that we have in developing an industry

like that? We do not have the transportation mechanism. There has to be an

investment of capital by government to see that happen.

How could you possibly look at flying tourists into L'Anse au Clair, have

them drive right through Labrador and fly out through Labrador West? Mr.

Speaker, the gravel road would not even be the deterrent, but the ferry

connection between Cartwright and Goose Bay is not acceptable. It is not

conducive to promoting an industry of that scale. If you can only get a ferry

twice a week, you cannot bring in those hundreds of tourists, attract them to a

region like Labrador and have them take advantage of all of the services, the

culture and the opportunity that exists there, because the transportation

mechanism does not exist to allow you to create an industry like that.

That is where I think government has a role. They have a role to be able to

create the best possible services and the best possible infrastructure that they

can to support communities that want to broaden its industry needs. This is a

region that has been involved in the tourism industry for over thirty years. One

of the longest standing regions in the Province in developing tourism has been

in the Labrador Straits. We were bringing bus tours through there before they

even started to come into other parts of the Province. Even to date, we still

bring in 150 or 160 bus tours a year, but we could be doing so much more in that

industry. We could be bringing in so many more people directly from Germany,

from Ireland, from Iceland, bringing them in to be able to travel through that

particular area, but you cannot do it if you do not have the infrastructure and

the means to do it. You cannot go out and promote these things when there isn't

really the infrastructure in place to support it. Those are the kinds of things

that I really want to see changed, and some continuous effort being put on to

make it happen.

Mr. Speaker, I know that I am getting short of time but, before I sit down, I

do want to make a comment with regard to 5 Wing Goose Bay because my colleague

who was up earlier, the Member for Lake Melville, talked about 5 Wing Goose Bay

and he put the federal government on notice and he put the MP for Labrador on

notice. I am sure he is up there shaking in his shoes right now, frightened to

death, but -

MR. SPEAKER (Fitzgerald): Order, please!

I remind the hon. Member for Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair that her time has

lapsed.

MS JONES: Could I just, by leave, clue up, Mr. Speaker? It will take me

just merely seconds - minutes at the most.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

Does the member have leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. member, by leave.

MS JONES: Thank you, I say to my hon. colleagues. I will try and clue up

as briefly as I possibly can.

I was talking about 5 Wing Goose Bay. Mr. Speaker, I want to say this because

back only a year-and-a-half ago the Premier was out saying that we are all over

this file when it comes to 5 Wing Goose Bay. We are travelling to the UK, we are

marketing the base, we are meeting with the ambassadors, we are meeting with the

generals, and we are going to do whatever we can to revive the base in Goose

Bay; but, Mr. Speaker, I have not heard the Premier of the Province, I have not

heard him in the last year, putting the federal government on notice. I have not

heard him saying to Prime Minister Martin: You have to deliver on this and we

have to fix this problem.

I have seen the whole file shift right to the back rooms and the background

of the provincial government, and that is not right. Whether it is a federal

responsibility or not, it is still the responsibility of the government of the

Province to lead on files like this, and 5 Wing Goose Bay, I can guarantee you,

if it does not succeed, it will erode the entire economy of Lake Melville and

the entire economy of the Labrador region. That would not be acceptable, I am

sure, to any members in this House. So, while the Member for Lake Melville puts

the MP on notice, I would like to put him and his government on notice that they

have to do more as it relates to this file.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DENINE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am delighted to get up here to speak on our past history of this

government, of the two years that it has gone through. Two years of very, very

difficult times. We inherited, as we know, a significant mess from the previous

government. Mr. Speaker, we had to go and try to fix things that were done, and

try to add financial stability to this Province. We have now, I feel, as a

member of this government, turned a corner and are on our way to making it a lot

better for everyone in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, not too long ago, we sat at the Fairmont Hotel and there was a

signing of the Atlantic Accord. That, Mr. Speaker, showed leadership on this

side of the House that did not exist with the previous government. This

government took the lead, with the support - Mr. Speaker, with the support - of

all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Every one of them were behind us 100 per

cent, because what we did at that day, we turned the corner. We made things

happen. We made the future of Newfoundland and Labrador brighter. We gave it

hope, and we are going to continue on that road.

Mr. Speaker, some of the things that we have done I am very, very proud of.

One was the White Paper. The former Minister of Education initiated that, and it

will be carried on now by the present Minister of Education.

Mr. Speaker, in our term of office there will be no increase in tuition; no

increase in tuition fees at the University and CONA, none. Now, the Opposition

will get up and say, well, we rolled it back.

MR. BARRETT: That is right.

MR. DENINE: What they forget to tell you - the Member for Bellevue said,

right. I agree with him on that, but they forget to tell you that they increased

it significantly before they rolled it back. So, right now, Mr. Speaker, we are

going to go four years into the mandate of this government where there will be

no increase in tuition. That is a significant, significant milestone, I think,

for our university students and CONA. It is very significant because, as we

know, inflation occurs automatically on everything, but what we have done is, we

have frozen the tuition for those students. That is a very, very important thing

that we did, because we have frozen that and made the future brighter for our

students, a lot brighter than what it was previously.

Mr. Speaker, this is a very significant achievement. The other one - what we

did, we put $43 million into school construction and renovations. If you

remember just a year ago, some of the schools in the St. John's metro area

were dilapidated by lack of repairs and lack of funding to the school boards

from the previous government. We put in - there was $43 million. There was $16

million which we had to address what they call the envelope of the school, the

outside, because there were leaky roofs, leaky windows, and there probably still

are today as we speak, but we are on the road to help correct that situation.

Mr. Speaker, I can speak in my district of a couple of schools: Mount Pearl

Intermediate, St. Peter's Elementary on Ashford Drive. These two schools have

now had the roofs fixed. In the gymnasium there was water coming down where kids

had to run around. You know yourself just exactly how dangerous that is, when

they are playing games and there is water on the floor. If you happen to know

anything about basketball, it is very, very dangerous, so we had to make sure

the security of the building had to be looked after. We made sure of that by

doing an influx of money into that problem.

Mr. Speaker, we have also addressed health care in the Throne Speech. We put

in more money to help, $33.2 million, and that, when it is fully implemented,

will help reduce the waiting times on MRIs, CAT scans and cardiac surgeries.

This cannot and will not be solved overnight, but the first dip was to make a

commitment to see waiting times reduced. Now, there were reports that came out:

well, waiting times are longer - but, the full impact of the past budget is not

there. It takes a significant amount of time to implement all of these changes

to make sure that these facilities are given to our health care sectors. That is

what I call vision. That is what I call looking into the future and trying to

plan the road down the road.

Mr. Speaker, what I hear from the other side is that this was the Liberal

initiative, this was this, this was that. They try to cherry-pick everything and

take credit for what they think was good, but they never take credit for what

was bad.

Now, our hon. Member for Lake Melville mentioned the Lower Churchill, and it

is to be known that when this government was in Opposition we were a major force

in stopping the signing of the deal of the Lower Churchill, because there was an

organizational meeting at Mary Queen of Peace School on Torbay Road, MacDonald

Drive, where a significant number of people came and voiced their major, major

concerns over signing a deal. We did not have pamphlets done. We did not have a

video tape done - and a video tape was done, Mr. Speaker, and we stopped it

because it was a bad deal.

Now, what did this government do when we came to office? We opened up

proposals, not only in Canada, not only in North America, but global. We had

something over twenty-five proposals put forth to develop the Lower Churchill.

Mr. Speaker, information on that will come in due course because they will be

sorted out. We are down to a small number now and those, as the Minister of

Natural Resources, will come forward with the findings and we will make a deal

on that. That, Mr. Speaker, is the future of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is a

renewable resource. Now, how will we do that? That will come out in the

findings. Whether it is sold for royalties, whether it is done for our own

development of industries in Newfoundland and Labrador, that remains to be seen

- if we cannot take that and develop it on our own. So, all of this will be done

once everything is studied and a logical, equitable proposal is brought forward,

and the main function of that is that it be for the benefit of Newfoundland and

Labrador. That is the major thrust of any deal that we make on this side, is

that we maximize the benefits that will come from that project.

Mr. Speaker, the other thing I wish to speak about is the roads in

Newfoundland and Labrador. There were thirteen years of neglect by the previous

Administration. There was no road work. There was nothing done on the roads of

Newfoundland and Labrador that was any way significant, that would make any

impact at all. Take the Trans-Canada Highway, the ruts were from Whitbourne in.

They were neglected, neglected and neglected.

I see the Member for Bellevue looking at me as if he wants to jump up and say

something, but I know he cannot defend what he did. He certainly cannot.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. DENINE: I am sorry. Thank you very much. What he didn't do or what

they didn't do.

Mr. Speaker, as I speak now, the ruts from Whitbourne in are now being

repaired. That is because of the initiative of this government. We do not care

what district it goes through, we are making sure that it is done for the safety

of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Mr. Speaker, in three years from now there will be 260 kilometres of the

Trans-Canada Highway replaced; 260 kilometres of the Trans-Canada Highway

replaced and eight bridges. That is significant infrastructure, significant

increase in our transportation network in this Province. As we know, we live on

an Island. Most of our goods are transported by eighteen-wheelers. This will go

a long way to make it a lot better for goods to be transported in a very smooth

and acceptable method.

Mr. Speaker, I also wish to make mention of the multi-year program. Every

municipality - now, I have to give credit to the former Minister of Municipal

Affairs because it started in that area, and we just continue on with it, but we

put in $85 million in the multi-year program. Now, what does that do? Well, that

gives municipalities the right to plan for the future. It says to a

municipality: Here is your money for three years. Now you outline your

priorities and get them done. So people know from one year to the next what is

going to happen. What was happening in the past, prior to the multi-year

program, it was done in a hodgepodge manner, where: Here is your money. Go do

it, get it done and so on. Now, this government has put forward some planning,

has given municipalities the right to plan for their priorities, what they see.

The Minister of Municipal Affairs has to be congratulated for continuing this.

Mr. Speaker, some of the things that were done -

AN HON. MEMBER: