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December 8, 2014

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLVII No. 52

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Verge):

Order, please!

Admit strangers.

Before we begin proceedings today, I would like to

welcome to the public gallery members of the Gospel Folk seniors' choir.

Welcome to the House of Assembly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

Statements by Members

MR. SPEAKER:

Today we have members' statements from the Member for the District of

Exploits; the Member for the District of Harbour Main; the Member for the

District of Conception Bay South; the Member for the District of Grand

Falls-Windsor Green Bay South; the Member for the District of Burgeo La

Poile; and the Member for the District of St. John's North.

The hon. the Member for the District of Exploits.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. FORSEY:

Mr. Speaker, we are all aware of the commitment of volunteer firefighters.

They give their time unselfishly to their community; however, to

serve for forty years is certainly an amazing act of passion and dedication

as a volunteer firefighter.

At the annual banquet of the Bishop's Falls Volunteer

Fire Department two of their members reached this milestone: Hedley Harnum

and Onnie Balsom. Mr. Speaker, these two firefighters were always prepared

to answer the call twenty-four hours a day, always ready to respond to

emergency situations, volunteering for community events, and helping those

in need.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members to join me in

congratulating Onnie Balsom and Hedley Harnum for their forty years of

dedicated service to the Bishop's Falls Volunteer Fire Department.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the District of Harbour Main.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. HEDDERSON:

Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure I rise in this hon. House to

congratulate Petty Officer 2 nd Class Jason Sparkes, from my

hometown of Georgetown, on receiving the Star of Courage on December 5, 2013

from the Governor General of Canada.

The Star of Courage recognizes acts of conspicuous

courage in circumstances of great peril.

On November 6, 2010 volunteer firefighter, Jason Sparkes, of the

Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Services, who was a Master Seaman at the

time, rescued a police officer from a possible drowning in Peggy's Cove,

Nova Scotia.

The officer was responding to a call about a man who

had been pushed off the rocks by a huge wave.

As he searched, the officer was also pulled onto the rocks where he

lay unconscious in the turbulent waters.

Master Seaman Sparkes jumped in to the surf and threw himself on the

injured officer, securing him against rocks to keep him from being pulled

out to sea. Despite the severe

weather conditions and the constant pounding of the waves, two other

firefighters were able to pull both men to safety.

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

in recognizing Petty Officer 2 nd Class Jason Sparkes for a

courageous act of heroism.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the District of Conception Bay South.

MR. HILLIER:

Mr. Speaker, at this time of year many individuals and groups go out of

their way to ensure that no one is left out during the Christmas season.

Today, I stand in this House to recognize the Leo Club of Conception

Bay South as one representative group that is doing great work in our

communities.

The Conception Bay South Leos, a group of young people

sponsored by the Lions Club, recently held a wake-athon to raise money for

local charities. After a period

of collecting pledges and a sleepless night, these young people were able to

donate $500 to the Long Pond Salvation Army Corps to replace toys that were

stolen earlier in the fall.

In addition, they donated $300 to Ronald MacDonald

House to assist in providing a home away from home for families with

children at the Janeway.

I would like to congratulate Leo President, Emily Howe,

Vice-President, Ashley Mills, and Secretary, Tara Thistle on their

successful endeavour.

Please join me in thanking all the Leos who took

part

in this project, as well as their adult advisors and all those who volunteer

to ensure that everyone gets to enjoy the Christmas season.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the District of Grand Falls-Windsor Green Bay

South.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. HUNTER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to

recognize a long-time resident of Triton.

Sidney Roland Winsor Uncle Rol was born in 1921, and was raised

and still resides in Triton. On

November 11 he celebrated his ninety-third birthday.

In 1941, at the age of nineteen, Roland was one of

thirteen young men from Triton who enlisted in the services to fight for

their country. Roland enlisted

in the Royal Navy where he served as a seaman.

After the war, Roland married Marie Wiseman, and together they raised

their family in Triton.

Roland is very proud of his experiences as a Royal Navy

Seaman, and he likes to tell of his adventures while in service such as

crossing the equator in February of 1942.

Mr. Winsor is now the sole survivor of the thirteen

young men who left Triton seventy-three years ago to fight for their

country. He believes that his

long life is due to hard work and dedication to his family.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of this hon. House to

join with me in recognizing Mr. Winsor's contribution to his country and to

wish him well in his ninety-third year.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Todd Strickland of Port aux

Basques, who received the Chair's Commendation award in recognition of his

exemplary leadership and commitment to ensuring advanced first aid training

to volunteer ambulance services in rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

This award was presented to him at the St. John Ambulance first aid

symposium in Corner Brook.

Todd has been involved with St. John Ambulance for

approximately seventeen years.

He is a member of the Port aux Basques Volunteer Fire Brigade; a trained

volunteer HazMat technician; Deputy Mayor of the Town of Channel-Port aux

Basques; a committee member with the Port aux Basques and Area Chamber of

Commerce; Port aux Basques Historical Society; St. James Anglican Men's

Christmas choir; the Marine Atlantic and Disaster Committee; a Heart and

Stroke CPR and AED instructor; chair of the Recreation Committee; wellness

rep. at LeGrow Health Centre; and coach of the boys high school softball

team; and, Mr. Speaker, I would add that he is thirty-five years old.

Todd and his wife Sherry reside in Channel-Port aux

Basques with their two daughters, Robin and Rebecca.

He is employed as an LPN at the Dr. Charles L. LeGrow Health Centre.

I ask all members of this House to join with me in

paying tribute to Todd Strickland upon receipt of this prestigious award.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. John's North.

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a group of role models for seniors'

active living and healthy aging who are making a difference in our

community.

The Gospel Folk Seniors Choir is a multi-denominational

choir for seniors who love to sing gospel music.

It was founded by my constituent Mrs. Daphne Benson in October 2013

and in a short time the choir has grown to thirty-five permanent members

ranging in age from fifty-two to eighty-eight years of age.

The Gospel Folk Seniors Choir emphasizes fun and

fellowship. They provide their

participants and audiences with opportunities for social interaction and a

lively way to improve both memory and mobility.

They prioritize performances and concerts at senior's residences,

church services, and community events.

The choir has added an additional dimension to their

performances by including teenage musicians who accompany them from time to

time. This inter-generational

interaction has enabled participants and audiences from both age groups to

enjoy, understand, and respect their many differences and similarities.

It has also seen seniors and youth joining together in the harmony of

music and fellowship to bring happiness to our community.

I ask all hon. members to join me in recognizing the

harmonious contributions of all of the members of the Gospel Folk Seniors

Choir.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Statements by Ministers.

Statements by Ministers

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am certainly pleased to rise today to congratulate

SubC Imaging on its graduation from Memorial University's Genesis Centre.

The Genesis Centre is a vital resource for

entrepreneurs, offering mentoring and guidance in many forms, as new

ventures work through the vital first stages of growth.

On December 4, I was honoured to attend the centre's

graduation ceremony for SubC Imaging, a local company that develops

underwater imaging systems.

Mr. Speaker, SubC is a true success story.

Its founder, Chad Collett, a graduate of the College of the North

Atlantic Electrical Engineering Technology program, had experience working

with remotely operated vehicles as a pilot and a technician, when he started

the company in his basement in February 2010.

He believed in a better way of doing things, and set his sights on

realizing his vision.

SubC was accepted into the Genesis Centre in September

of 2010. From a basement to a

5,000 square-foot facility, SubC has prospered under the guidance of the

Genesis Centre and currently employs eleven staff members.

Chad's success is not only a result of his drive and work ethic, but

I would add that it is a testament to the quality of the College of the

North Atlantic's technology programs.

Mr. Speaker, this company is truly world class.

Serving various sectors, including offshore oil and gas, ocean

observatories, aerospace and defence, deep sea mining, hydrographic

surveying and ROV manufacturing, SubC works with clients around the world.

The company has been successful in establishing contacts and

generating sales with clients in Canada, the United Kingdom, the United

States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Singapore, and Italy.

I am proud to say, Mr. Speaker, our government has

supported SubC from the beginning.

When staff in my department talk about SubC, they do so with

excitement and enthusiasm indeed, they are all so proud of what this

company has accomplished in such a short time.

SubC has travelled to Province-led trade shows with the former

Department of Innovation, Business and Rural Development in the Ocean

Technology sector and have been successful an every single venue.

The underwater cameras this company creates are

in-demand tools for the Ocean Technology sector, and are changing the way

multiple industries do business.

Mr. Speaker, I would like this hon. House to join me in

congratulating SubC Imaging and the entire team on their most recent

success.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for The Straits White Bay North.

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for an advance copy of his

statement. On behalf of our

caucus, we also congratulate Chad Collett and the SubC Imaging team on their

graduation, their success, and their growth.

On more than one occasion, it was suggested that SubC's

base be built up in St. John's, not Clarenville; however, they opposed this

and their base is firmly in Clarenville.

The company just hired its eleventh employee.

One of the greatest comments from Adam Rowe, one of the

three co-managers, was that, We're just getting started. This is just the

beginning and we plan on continuing and growing and the sky is the limit

really. We commend them for

their dedication to the Province.

With respect to the Genesis Centre, entrance to this at

MUN is a competitive process but accepted start-up businesses are provided

everything from office space and networking events to advisory boards and

technical resources at Memorial University.

In all, thirty-six companies have graduated from the Genesis Centre

since 2000, including Celsius Game Studios, Verafin, and Virtual Marine

Technology. So, they are joining

a real elite team of locally grown success that we have here in Newfoundland

and Labrador.

With the caucus, we certainly join government in

congratulating them and wish that they have lots of success in the future.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. John's East.

MR. MURPHY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would also like to thank the minister for the advance

copy of his statement here today.

Congrats to SubC for all the work that they do.

A little known fact about SubC, Mr. Speaker, when I

received the statement, SubC also participated in a search for the wreckage

of the flight of Amelia Earhart.

They went down and used their camera technology to do some work off

Kiribati, which is in the Southern Pacific.

I would also like to thank the MUN Genesis Centre,

which I guess you could say has mothered a lot of businesses, particularly

in the technology businesses.

One interesting fact not only about the Genesis Centre, but about Memorial

University in general, whatever it is that we do over there at Memorial

University, whether it is in medical or whether it is in the technology

fields, we exceed.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. MURPHY:

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the provincial government's ongoing

commitment to athletic excellence in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Our elite athletes continue to achieve success on

regional, provincial, national, and international levels, Mr. Speaker, and

we want to ensure them that our government is committed to supporting their

dedication and passion for sport.

Last year, we announced the Athletic Excellence Fund,

which is a streamlined program that encompasses funding support under the

Premier's Athletic Awards, Team Gushue Awards, Elite Athlete Assistance

Program, and Sport NL Scholarships.

We want all of our current and future athletes to have the best

opportunity to access the support they need as they strive to accomplish

their athletic goals.

Since their inception, these programs have provided

about $835,000 to support athletic excellence in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, we are seeing the benefits of this

continued support through the recent accomplishments of some of the

Province's top athletes, such as cross-country runner Jillian Forsey, who

most recently won the right to compete for Canada in the World Cross Country

Championship in China next March.

Then there is Paralympic swimmer Katarina Roxon, who just last week

broke three new national swimming records.

Many of us are following the career of rugby player Ciaran Hearn, who

continues to be a key member of Canada's men's senior national team.

These are just to name a few of the exceptional athletes who have

received support through the Atlantic Excellence Fund.

We continue to encourage more active, healthy

lifestyles among our citizens, as outlined in the Province's recreation and

sport strategy, Active, Healthy

Newfoundland and Labrador .

In fact, Mr. Speaker, our investment in sport in our Province in 2014-2015

Budget year will be just over $5.2 million.

Since the launch of the strategy, approximately $192 million has been

committed to recreational and sport infrastructure, programming, and athlete

development throughout the Province.

Mr. Speaker, I invite all members of this House to join

me in congratulating Jill Forsey, Katarina Roxon, Ciaran Hearn and the many,

many other athletes and emerging stars who are pursuing athletic excellence

and setting an example for future generations.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Conception Bay South.

MR. HILLIER:

I thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement.

The Official Opposition joins with government in congratulating Jill

Forsey, Katarina Roxon, and Ciaran Hearn on their remarkable achievements.

Such accomplishments come only with support, hard work, and endless

dedication. I might say that

Ciaran is a resident of the beautiful Town of Conception Bay South.

Newfoundland and Labrador has seen many athletes who

have met with tremendous success.

Athletic success does not just happen, it begins with programs that

allow individuals to develop at an early age.

With this in mind, I urge government to grow programs that allow new

coaches easier and cheaper access to coach training.

Mr. Speaker, instead of being hidden somewhere in the

Department of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development, I urge government to

give amateur sport the profile it deserves on a daily basis, and not just

during the Olympics or when we are looking for medals at the Canada Games.

We encourage government to support active and healthy

lifestyles for all citizens, ages young and senior alike.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.

MS ROGERS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I, too, thank the minister for the advance copy of his

statement. How wonderful to

celebrate the excellence of Jillian Forsey, Katarina Roxon, and Ciaran

Hearn, and all our athletes both amateur and professional who make us so

very proud. Having programs that

support excellence in sport and that ensure all citizens are able to

participate to the best of their ability is a sign of a healthy and a

prosperous community.

It is the duty of all of us in this House to make sure

we distribute our resources in such a way that supports and allows all of

our people of Newfoundland and Labrador to be the best they can.

Bravo Jillian, Katarina, and Ciaran, and to all those

athletes who work so hard with dedication and passion.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CORNECT:

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today in this hon. House to recognize the

launch of the Project Red Ribbon campaign.

Project Red Ribbon is Mothers Against Drunk Driving's longest running

and most well-known public awareness campaign.

This morning I had the honour and privilege of attending the launch

with the Premier.

For the past twenty-seven years, the red ribbon has

been a prominent, two-fold symbol.

When you tie one on, it is a symbol of your commitment to stay

sober when driving. This is

especially important to remember when commuting during the busy holiday

season. The red ribbon also

serves as a highly visible tribute to those killed and injured due to

impaired driving crashes.

Mr. Speaker, the greatest tragedy of all is the fact

that these impaired driving crashes are preventable.

Each year, almost 1,500 Canadians are killed and more than 63,000 are

injured in impairment related crashes.

I commend Mothers Against Drunk Driving in their

continued efforts to make our roads and highways safe and sober, and to help

create a culture of safe driving.

When you take the wheel, you take responsibility not just for your

own life, but the lives of those on the road with you.

Mr. Speaker, it is up to each and every one of us to

play an active role in reducing these statistics.

Never drive impaired, or with an impaired driver.

If you plan on drinking, arrange for a designated driver or call a

cab and if you suspect someone is driving impaired, call 911 or your local

police detachment and report it to the police.

These are important messages which we cannot repeat too often.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to take this opportunity

to remind all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians that it is not just alcohol

that impairs. Illegal drugs,

prescription or over-the-counter mediation, and even fatigue can impact

one's ability to safely operate a motorized vehicle.

Project Red Ribbon will continue until January 4 and I

ask all members in this hon. House to join me in promoting Project Red

Ribbon.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl South.

MR. LANE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for an advance copy of his

statement. Mr. Speaker, myself

and a number of my colleagues, the Official Opposition, we had the

opportunity to attend this morning's launch of the red ribbon campaign as

well. We certainly want to

commend Mothers Against Drunk Driving for the great work they are doing in

terms of bringing awareness to such a serious issue in our communities as it

relates to people operating vehicles while impaired.

We, too, want to encourage our citizens, certainly not

just around the Christmas season but throughout the year, to please practice

good judgement and not get behind the wheel if you are going to be drinking.

There are options, as the minister has already outlined, such as

taking a cab or having a designated driver.

We certainly encourage people to do that and to be safe, to create a

safe environment for people who are operating on our roadways.

We support that wholeheartedly, and again, we thank

MADD for all their great work.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. John's East.

MR. MURPHY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would also like to thank the minister for the advance

copy of his statement here today.

Congratulations to Mothers Against Drunk Driving for

all the work they are doing and, in particular, thanks to all the emergency

services for having to answer the call.

Sometimes it is not a pretty scene when the guys and girls of our

security forces and ambulance services happen upon a scene of an impaired

driver. It is completely

avoidable, Mr. Speaker.

In spite of the statistics, impaired driving seems

almost epidemic. The education

program has to continue, whether it is public education, PR campaigns, the

news story, it still happens. It

is going to be a constant fight to stop the problem.

People have to remember, Mr. Speaker, if in doubt about their

impairment levels, they should not be getting behind the wheel of a vehicle.

Thank you very much.

MR. SPEAKER:

Oral Questions.

Oral Questions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

When the provincial government announced the CETA

fisheries fund on October 29, 2013, they claimed the federal government

would provide $280 million. Now

over a year later, the federal government will only say that their

contribution will be up to $280 million.

I ask the Premier: Why did you claim the amount to our

Province would be exactly $280 million when the federal government has

suggested that it would be something less?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

A year ago there was an announcement that an agreement

had been reached an agreement in principle with the federal government for

a $400 million Fisheries Innovation Fund.

Mr. Speaker, that Fisheries Innovation Fund is the result of our

support for CETA, and also in the discussion of minimum processing

requirements and our agreement to remove minimum processing requirements as

part of the CETA agreement.

Mr. Speaker, since that time, we have been having

discussions with the federal government on how we administer that fund.

Myself and the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, in particular,

and other ministers, have been having discussions with counterparts in

Ottawa. We continue to have

those discussions, but I will be clear, Mr. Speaker, the Fisheries

Innovation Fund is directly related to our discussion and our support for

CETA. I can tell you that the

minimum processing requirements are important to the Province, and we are

doing everything to protect the best interests of Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Since you are doing everything you can to protect the

best interests of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, why did you say it would

be $280 million when we know now that it is going to be something less?

Why did you say that, and what is that amount going to be?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, our agreement is clear.

Our agreement is a 70-30 split fund up to $400 million, $280 million

by the federal government and $120 million by our government.

Mr. Speaker, that fund is about the future of the

fishery. It is about maintaining

a fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador in rural parts of our Province that

is going to be beneficial to the people of our Province for decades to come.

It is about marketing, Mr. Speaker.

It is about marketing opportunities and marketing great products that

come from our Province. It is

about fishery science. It is

about research and development.

It is about infrastructure. It

is also about workplace adjustments.

Those are the five pillars around this deal.

That is what it is about and it is directly attached to our support

for CETA.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Interestingly enough, back at the time of the announcement this government

was not talking about job losses in the fishery.

Just over two weeks ago the Premier spoke to the Prime Minister on

the CETA fisheries fund and told the House that they had a very good

discussion. Now we hear that the

federal government wants to split the $280 million with other Atlantic

Provinces.

I ask the Premier: During your good discussion with the

Prime Minister, did he then say that the fund would be split with other

Atlantic Provinces?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker, I can tell you, what the member opposite has in his

preamble

today is certainly not reflective of discussions I have had with the Prime

Minister or Minister Moore, who I had the pleasure of meeting with this

morning and had a discussion about the Comprehensive Economic Trade

Agreement, and also about the $400 million fund.

We worked very hard with the federal government to reach an agreement

on that. We are working through

the process now of crossing the t's and dotting the i's of the

administration of the fund.

Despite what the member opposite may have heard, I can

tell you very clearly that for me as the Premier, for us on this side of the

House, we are committed to this fund in the best interests of

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

We are working towards a conclusion of the fund.

Mr. Speaker, it is about the pillars and it is about the future of

the fishery. That is what is

most important to us right now.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to assure the members opposite, we are committed

as well. What we want to know,

however, will we be getting $280 million for the fisheries fund or not?

Is it $280 million or will it be something less?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, our involvement in those negotiations was

quite clear. There were $280

million committed to by the federal government.

With our $120 million we would leverage that $280 million.

That was a fund that was committed of $400 million in totality.

We have not moved off that.

What we agreed to in terms of what we thought was

important under CETA in regard to the fund and other things that we wanted

to see in that comprehensive trade agreement, we still stand by those.

There is no change in that for us.

We are looking forward to administering the fund as we move forward

through ACOA and through DFA, but certainly it positions us in what we

negotiated has not changed and will not change.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, I ask the minister: Are you saying now that the

federal government is committed and the Government of Newfoundland and

Labrador will receive $280 million from the federal government?

Is that what we are hearing?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, when this announcement occurred,

obviously, we were quite pleased in terms of what was achieved in the

Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement.

Certainly, industry and what we heard is they wanted to have

immediate access to that large European market and what it meant for our

seafood. In addition, as the

Premier has indicated, we were able to negotiate the $400 million fund to

help grow the fishery into the future in terms of research and technology,

marketing, all of those components that make us more competitive in the

world and can grow our industry in Newfoundland and Labrador, in rural

Newfoundland and Labrador.

Our commitment, as I said again, we would invest $120

million. We expect the federal

government to invest $280 million.

That is the $400 million fund.

That is what we agreed to in the negotiations and that is what we

expect them to honour.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Just for the record, and to be clear for people who are

following this today, we know what your commitment was.

We know what you announced over a year ago.

Are you saying now that the federal government has not moved off the

$280 million and they are still committed to paying that to the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Mr. Speaker, we reached an agreement in good faith.

As I have outlined and I will say again, we will invest $120 million.

The federal government committed to invest $280 million in the

Fishery Investment Fund. To

date, I have no reason to believe they are moving off that $280 million.

All I can say, if he needs to speak to the federal government he can

speak to them and see where they stand on it.

From our perspective, we negotiated a $400 million

fund. We are going to administer

that $400 million fund for the benefit of Newfoundland and Labrador and for

the fishery. That is what we

negotiated. That is where we are

today, and that is what we expect in the future, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Today oil is trading at around $67 per barrel, $38

lower than this government forecasted in last year's Budget.

Eleven days ago, the minister said government would update the people

of the Province in a week or ten days on what this means, what the impact is

to Newfoundland and Labrador.

I ask the Premier: When will the people of Newfoundland

and Labrador see the mid-year fiscal update?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As members opposite and all members of the House are

quite aware is that when OPEC met recently, we were all looking forward to

listening to the decision and the course of action they would take or not

take. We saw the results of

that. We also anticipated that

over the coming weeks there would be volatility in the oil prices.

We know that we have seen that in a way never seen before, in the

prices going up and down day after day.

Mr. Speaker, it is very hard to nail down where that

price is expected to level out for the long term

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

PREMIER DAVIS:

or even in the short term, in the next several months.

The minister and I are continuing to monitor I know

the minister and his staff are continuing to monitor oil prices.

They are looking at the trends as oil prices move around.

We are looking forward to them settling down so we can have a clearer

picture for the future.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official

Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I take it from that the Premier does not know and there

are no plans for this year's mid-year update.

We did not get the answer.

I thought it would be simple.

When we hear a minister say that it would happen in ten days or so,

we would expect to honour that commitment.

Last week, the minister said that the Small Claims

Court is a very inclusive process and very simple to follow.

However, he did not answer my question if government would cover

legal costs for the companies that now have to go to court to collect the

money that they are owed for work that they have done because of the

cancelled Humber Valley contract.

I ask the Premier: Will you cover the costs, these

legal costs? A simple question:

Will you cover the costs, just yes or no?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As I outlined last week, this is an inclusive process

within the court system. We hold

the mechanics' lien in trust, Mr. Speaker.

We have the ability, after the courts have accessed who they feel is

indeed entitled to remuneration from their claims, to release the money to

the courts. That is how the

process works. The courts have

the ability to decide if there are any other additional costs that can be

added to that claim itself, Mr. Speaker.

That is the process; I have outlined it, how it works

in the legal system. We have the

money in trust to ensure that those who have a legitimate claim against

Humber Valley Paving and 1-12 contract will indeed be rectified, Sir.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My question for the minister was around a legal cost

for those small companies.

Really, they do not want to be in Small Claims Court.

If government did not cancel the contract and release

the bonds, there would be no cost for these companies to collect their

money. It would be normal

business. Any claims over

$25,000 need to go to the Supreme Court, which can be very costly.

So I ask the Premier: What, if any, process do you have

in place to help these companies collect their money, not Small Claims

Court, but indeed the Supreme Court?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We have a responsibility to protect all subcontractors,

and we do that with a mechanics' lien.

We hold that in place with the hundreds of contracts that we have put

in place every year. What we

have done in this case is to maintain that mechanics' lien and hold that in

trust. The court system is what

it is, Mr. Speaker. It is open

so that people can make claims, can justify exactly why they feel they are

entitled to certain monies from the contractor.

Then, once that has been determined, we will release the monies to

the court so that those subcontractors can be paid.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, maybe the minister can explain to people in this

House and Newfoundlanders and Labradorians: What people were you protecting

when you cancelled that contract?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, the mechanics' lien is in place to

protect the people, particularly the subcontractors.

What we did in this case was hold the money.

We have opened it up for individuals, and we have explained to go

through the court system to put a claim.

What we will do then is release the money once the courts have

determined that there are subcontractors entitled to that money, Mr.

Speaker. That money is held in

trust until we are satisfied that the subcontractors have been taken care

of, or the courts make a ruling so that we can release the money.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.

MR. JOYCE:

Mr. Speaker, the functional plan outlining services to be provided at the

new hospital in Corner Brook has been in the hands of government for some

time now. People are concerned

because they hear services like obstetrics and ultrasounds are being

reduced.

I ask the minister: Will you now table this report

publicly so the people of the West Coast can be assured of the services to

be provided in this new regional hospital?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, as I have said in the House previously, the functional plan for

the new West Coast hospital is still being finalized.

I can assure members in this House and the people of the West Coast

of the Province that when that functional plan is finalized, it will be

released and there will be plenty of communication, plenty of discussion.

We want to ensure that members of the public are engaged in the

process and that they are well aware of our plans for the state-of-the-art

hospital that we plan to build in Corner Brook.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.

MR. JOYCE:

Mr. Speaker, Minister, you announced last week in this House that obstetrics

is cut from eleven to six beds you announced it in this House.

The plan has to be completed in order for you to make those

announcements. So we are doing

this in piecemeal, bit by bit, service by service?

Mr. Speaker, the people in Corner Brook are asking:

When will this functional plan be released to the people of Western

Newfoundland? Will you honour

the commitment, as the former minister made, that when the functional plan

is ready it will be released to the people of Corner Brook, not bit by bit

as you did last week, Mr. Minister?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, last week members of the Opposition posed a question about the

draft functional plan and I answered the question.

I provided all of the data we presently have available on that draft

functional plan. I will continue

to answer whatever questions I am asked related to the new West Coast

hospital.

The functional plan, as I said in my last answer, will

be released when it is fully completed.

There will be opportunity for the public to ask questions and to

address any concerns they may have.

We want to ensure everybody on the West Coast of the Province has a

good understanding of what this new facility is going to do to move health

care forward in that region of the Province.

The new hospital campus will consist of 323 beds.

That is a major increase from what presently exists, and it is going

to lead to a major improvement and expansion of services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.

MR. JOYCE:

What they expect, Mr. Minister, is a bit of respect instead of having

piecemeal of a functional plan, which you are saying in this House of

Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, the Province's 272 towns are waiting

anxiously to hear from this government regarding a new fiscal framework

agreement, a framework that MNL has been working on for over three years.

Government has committed that it would be dealt with as a part of the

2015-2016 Budget.

I ask the minister: Can the minister provide the

assurances that the fiscal framework will be addressed in the next

provincial Budget?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In 2013, in the Speech from the Throne on the Budget

Speech, we recognized we had to come together collectively, municipalities

and communities in Newfoundland and Labrador, and look at a new fiscal

arrangement. We committed to it

at that time. Since that time,

there have been over 500 consultations with municipalities, municipal

leaders, business groups, and all the stakeholders in terms of Newfoundland

and Labrador and looking forward.

With that information, we have received a report from

MNL. I was happy to be at their

annual get-together in the fall and had discussions with municipal leaders

there, as well as the executive.

We are certainly looking forward to next year's Budget to see what we can do

in terms of moving out those initiatives, those good recommendations that

have been made by MNL. We look

forward to working with them as we move forward.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. George's Stephenville East.

MR. REID:

Mr. Speaker, Memorial University recently released a report on the

conditions of rural drinking water systems in our Province.

The report made eighteen recommendations calling for improvements

that would reduce health risks.

With 150 boil orders in this Province, I ask the

Minister of Environment: How will he address the issues raised in this

report?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CRUMMELL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I welcome the question.

We worked actually with that group to develop that study.

We provided all the information.

Other departments worked with them as well.

We assisted them through that.

The information out of that study is not new to us.

What we need to understand and get the facts on the table of where we

are now and where we were back in 2001.

Mr. Speaker, back in 2001, the national watchdog

Ecojustice graded us as a D when it came to quality of our water supplies.

In 2012, they graded us at a B.

We have come a long way after inheriting a problem that has existed

for a long, long time.

Mr. Speaker, we are listening to what the stakeholders

out there are saying about the situation.

We are certainly taking it under advisement.

We are reviewing that report as we speak.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. George's Stephenville East.

MR. REID:

Mr. Speaker, I remind the minister that there are currently 150 boil orders

in place.

Is he prepared to implement mandatory certification of

water system operators as the authors of the report recommend?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CRUMMELL:

Mr. Speaker, again, I like talking to the facts.

There are no boil order water advisories out in the Province today.

There are boil water advisories, not boil order.

There is a vast difference between the two.

That is a cautionary advisory to let the people know there might be

some issue with your water supply.

Mr. Speaker, we have gone from 300 back in 2001 to

around 200 now today. There are

various reasons why those boil water advisories are out there.

Yes, we are committed to training the operators of

water supplies in this Province.

We have actually had 140 on-site training sessions in the last year alone.

We do a conference every year and 300 people attend that.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MS DEMPSTER:

Mr. Speaker, the Coalition of Persons with Disabilities has been operating

on a shoestring budget of $34,000 per year since they lost a $55,000 grant

from the federal government three years ago.

When the coalition's counterparts were cut across the country, NL was

one of only three provinces not to step up and fund that shortfall.

I ask the minister: Given that you have underspent the

budget for the Strategy for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities, will

you utilize some of that funding to fill the gap for the coalition?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN:

Mr. Speaker, I think we had a wonderful week in the Province last week in

recognizing the ongoing work that is happening around persons with

disabilities. I think as a

Province we have moved in leaps and bounds.

One of the things the Disability Policy Office wanted was the

development of an action plan, and through consultations, Mr. Speaker, I can

say that plan will likely be ready very soon into the new year.

We have had wonderful input from that and, as a result, Newfoundland

and Labrador is a better place for it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MS DEMPSTER:

Six and a half million dollars, Mr. Speaker, in 2012, and just over a

million spent.

Mr. Speaker, the minister responsible said just last

week that the disability community is an untapped labour pool.

Outlook 2020 said two-thirds of new job openings will require some

form of education. I draw your

attention to Jennifer on the cover of

The Telegram today

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

I ask the member not to use props.

MS DEMPSTER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Jennifer is a Memorial University graduate who is deaf.

She is currently under-employed.

I ask the minister: Why are you underspending your

inclusion budget when disability organizations are struggling to survive,

when persons with disabilities remain under represented in the workforce?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN:

Mr. Speaker, it is only about a month or so ago I met with members of the

disability community, and one of the things they recognized and they pointed

out is that untapped ability that many disabled people have.

That was part of what this conference was that we supported last

week. The message from that, Mr.

Speaker, and key to that was tapping into the employers out there.

That was their first conference of this nature.

We supported it. We will

continue to support it because we do truly believe in an untapped labour

source in the disability community.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl South.

MR. LANE:

Mr. Speaker, after asking many questions on this issue and a great deal of

lobbying from interest groups that represent the disability community, a

partnership with CODNL was announced three months ago to promote education

awareness of blue zone parking.

I ask the minister: Can you provide an update on the

status of this initiative?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CORNECT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the hon. member for his question.

Mr. Speaker, education is an important aspect to ensure compliance of

blue zone parking. Yes, and that

is why we entered into a partnership with the Coalition of Persons with

Disabilities.

Mr. Speaker, they are working on educational materials

and will make presentations to public groups and promote awareness.

This education material will include the correct installation of

signage. The coalition will also

be making presentations to municipal organizations and other public groups.

Advisory Board, which reports to the Minister of Service NL.

So, Mr. Speaker, I can tell the hon. member that they

are doing good work.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl South.

MR. LANE:

Mr. Speaker, according to advocates in the disability community, education

results in a higher level of blue zone compliance.

While this partnership is targeting businesses, municipalities, and

the general public, many provincial government buildings are still not blue

zone compliant.

I ask the minister: Why are you not showing leadership

by ensuring timely blue zone compliance in all provincial government

buildings?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The report that was released recently shows that most,

if not all, government buildings are compliant.

We do have some challenges around some schools and some medical

buildings itself, but we are working very closely with those associations

and those entities to ensure the blue zone regulations are being followed.

We take this very seriously, we work very closely with

the industry to make sure this is done, and our officials are making sure we

are compliant and we are getting the message out to people.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Carbonear Harbour Grace, time for a quick

question.

MR. SLADE:

Mr. Speaker, over a year ago the government announced it intended to update

its obsolete aquaculture strategy.

I ask the minister: Where is the long-overdue

aquaculture strategy that your government promised over a year ago?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. GRANTER:

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question.

I can say to the House and say to the hon. member that we have been

working diligently over the last number of months, over the last year, to

produce a new aquaculture strategy.

The first aquaculture strategy was developed in 2000.

We had over 100 consultations last year with people in

the industry. I can say to the

hon. member that the aquaculture strategy will be ready and released very,

very soon. The aquaculture

industry to this government is a very valuable resource.

We have grown the industry from where it was just a few years ago to

a $197 million industry. That is

where we stand on the aquaculture industry.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

The mines of Wabush have provided the people of the

Province with fifty years of wealth.

We are told that Cliffs will soon be turning off the power to the

mine they have leased from MFC, the actual owner and potential future

operator.

I ask the Premier: What has this government been doing

to try to stop the closure of this mine?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY:

Mr. Speaker, it is an obviously very difficult situation in Wabush,

difficult for the people of Wabush, and obviously with the commodity prices

of iron ore, it is having a significant impact within the entire region.

We became aware of it some time ago, as did the public,

that Cliffs resources not only idled the mine but a few months later made a

decision to close the mine.

Since that time, we have been involved working with the town, working with

the union. We have significant

discussions with Cliffs resources as well as with a private company, MFC,

who have expressed some interest.

We continue to have those discussions, but there has

been no deal in terms of re-operating the mine.

Subsequent to that, Mr. Speaker, the Department of Advanced Education

and Skills, as well as the Department of Municipal Affairs, have been

working with the town and with employees of the mine to certainly help

alleviate the circumstances in which they find themselves in.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

The fate of hundreds of families is in the minister's

hands. So, could he outline for

us what he has been doing to try to get these two companies back to the

table?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY:

Mr. Speaker, we have been fully engaged with the companies and with the

people of Wabush, the leadership of Wabush.

I commend them; they are doing a good job in, obviously, very

difficult times and high anxiety for sure.

Mr. Speaker, we have spoken directly to Cliffs

resources about what their plans are and their obligations under the Mining

Act, and their financial obligations are protected with respect to the

closure and rehabilitation of mines so that we can protect the environmental

side, as would be expected by the people of Wabush.

We spoke to MFC, as well as Cliffs, about the potential

for them to come together to an agreement that we will help and facilitate

and support if they were to come forward; but, at this point, Mr. Speaker,

we have no business plan, no production plan, no development plan, no rehab

closure plan, no assurances that anybody would be rehired in the mine, not

even assurances that the mine would open.

Mr. Speaker, we do not have a lot to work with, other

than what is happening out on the ground versus what we need in our hands as

a government.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. John's East.

MR. MURPHY:

Mr. Speaker, last year the Province's electronic recycling project

overcharged people, making $886,000 profit in about five months.

Fees have been lowered a little since, but I ask the minister: It is

the Christmas shopping season; can the minister guarantee people will not be

overcharged on electronic recycling fees again?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CRUMMELL:

Mr. Speaker, we all realize that there is a cost to make sure we take care

of our hard waste, our solid waste.

The electronic environmental fees that are put in place to handle

that solid waste from electronics is an important piece to our transition

into moving solid waste away from our dumpsites.

This system that we have in place is a not-for-profit

organization that is running this system.

They have vast experience in other jurisdictions on what the costs

are associated with handling that waste and how to deal with that waste.

Understanding that there is waste out there that was purchased many

years ago and, over time, has accumulated in people's basements, then there

is a cost associated with that when you start up a program like this.

Mr. Speaker, we make sure

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. John's East.

MR. MURPHY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

What is the minister's plan for people in rural

Newfoundland and Labrador who are forced to pay these fees, but they have no

real hope of being able to actually recycle the product in their

communities?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CRUMMELL:

Mr. Speaker, last year we removed or redirected over 1,000 tons of

electronic waste from our landfills, and we are very proud of that.

So, the system is working.

We have forty-four permanent drop-off sites in the

Province, almost double what it was this time last year.

We had twenty-six mobile collection events last year alone, Mr.

Speaker. We are looking to set

up more permanent sites. We are

looking to do more annual events.

We realize that access to recycle electronic waste is a

challenge in rural Newfoundland and Labrador, but we are committed to this

process. This is the right thing

to do, Mr. Speaker. It is good

for the environment and it is good for the people who are coming behind us.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The time for Question Period has expired.

I would like to bring to all members' attention that on

three different occasions now in this session, members have attempted to use

props when they are speaking.

Each time, the Speaker has reminded members that it is against the rules in

the House.

To be fair to all members, I want to let you all know

that if any member attempts to do it again, the Speaker will remind them,

but I will stand and whatever time is left on the clock for that member I

will not recognize him to continue.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Tabling of Documents.

Notices of Motion.

Notices of Motion

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MR. WISEMAN:

Yes, Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will ask leave to introduce a bill

entitled, An To Amend The Pensions Funding Act And The Public Service

Pension Act, 1991, Bill 39.

Mr. Speaker, I also give notice that I will ask leave

to introduce a bill entitled,

An Act To Modify Eligibility For Other

Post-Employment Benefits, Bill 40.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further notices of motion?

The hon. the Member for Port de Grave.

MR. LITTLEJOHN:

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will move the following private member's

resolution:

WHEREAS the provincial government announced in the 2014

Budget, and in greater detail on November 4, 2014, that it will invest in

two venture capital funds, Venture Newfoundland and Labrador and Build

Ventures;

BE IT RESOLVED that this hon. House supports the

provincial government's decision to help further diversify our economy, and

further strengthen the business climate of our Province by investing in

venture capital funds.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and that will be the notice

given on Wednesday.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I give notice that the motion just brought forward by

the Member for Port de Grave will be the private member's motion debated by

government in the House on this coming Wednesday, Private Members' Day.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I give notice that I will ask leave to introduce a bill

entitled,

An Act To Amend The Social Workers Act, Bill 38.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further notices of motion?

Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.

MR. JOYCE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to present a petition on behalf of the

residents of Western Newfoundland and Labrador.

We wish to raise concerns regarding the recent delay on

the construction of the new hospital in Corner Brook.

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the government to commit to

the planning and construction of a new hospital in Corner Brook as

previously committed to in a timely manner as originally announced without

further delay or changes.

Mr. Speaker, I was amazed today.

When I stood in this hon. House today to ask questions about the

functional plan for the hospital and the health care committee I spoke to

them earlier today and when the minister stood up in this House and said

it is not completed, yet he stood in this House last week and announced that

the obstetric beds will be cut from eleven to six.

Is the plan complete, and is that a guarantee the cut will be made to

that area? I was amazed,

absolutely amazed, and you wonder why the people of Corner Brook are

starting to feel despair about this hospital, why they have no confidence in

this government.

I know the Member for Humber West, Mr. Speaker, for the

minister to stand up and make a commitment, and the former minister made a

commitment before, that the functional plan will be released once it is

reviewed. Yet they are making

cuts, confirming cuts to the hospital because of the functional plan, but

stand in this hon. House and say the plan is not complete.

Mr. Speaker, one of it cannot be correct.

Either the functional plan is complete and it is not being released,

or the minister has the plan and just will not release it.

One of it cannot be correct.

I was astonished today, Mr. Speaker.

The Member for Humber West, Mr. Speaker, I know when

the Premier was there he was standing up trying to get answers.

It is time for the Member for Humber West because the people in

Western Newfoundland are going to have cherry picked what is cut, what is

not cut? Mr. Speaker, I will

stand in this House at every possible opportunity to say, now are

ultrasounds cut? Tell us.

We have to go step by step to find out what the functional plan is

for the hospital. It is

disgraceful. Today it was

absolutely disgraceful to stand in this hon. House and say the functional

plan is not complete, but we can tell you to keep asking questions.

We can tell you what is done in it.

Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely disgraceful.

I urge the government, Mr. Speaker, to treat the people

of Western Newfoundland and Labrador with respect.

At least have the honesty and the courtesy to say here is the

functional plan, here is what we are doing, and here are the services you

are going to have. I urge the

government to do that. Today I

was astonished to say the functional plan was go out to the

Western Star and say it is being cut.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for The Straits White Bay North.

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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 Route 430, the Viking Trail, is the primary

highway on the Great Northern Peninsula; and

WHEREAS the current road condition of approximately

sixty kilometres between Plum Point and Eddies Cove East have sections that

are in dire need of resurfacing and/or repaving; and

WHEREAS it is government's obligation to provide basic

infrastructure to all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians; and

WHEREAS an improved road network on this primary

highway is needed to enhance road safety and help with local commerce, as

well as deal with increasing passenger traffic levels in this

section of the

highway;

We, the undersigned, petition the House of Assembly to

urge the government to allocate funds under the Provincial Roads Program to

pave this

section of Route 430.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, when you are travelling the Great Northern

Peninsula highway going north from Deer Lake to Gros Morne National Park,

which sees about 180,000 tourists in season, you get all the way up to

L'Anse aux Meadows there. There

is another UNESCO heritage site that sees 30,000 visitors.

Then you have the Town of St. Anthony at the very tip there as well

that has the Grenfell legacy. It

is also the place of international containerized shipping.

The second largest actually in Newfoundland and Labrador occurs in

St. Anthony.

There is lots of transportation of goods and services,

whether it is from the forestry, or fishery, or commercial goods, or

industrial goods taking place with the Muskrat Falls development, the subsea

crossing, as well as transferring goods to Labrador.

The ferry system from the Strait of Belle Isle going to Labrador

connecting to the Island crosses this

section of highway in St. Barbe, my

colleague's district, the Member for St. Barbe.

We present this petition acknowledging that a major

main highway that brings significant economic benefits to the people of the

Province does need some attention from the Minister of Transportation and

Works, therefore I present this petition on behalf of my constituents.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. Barbe.

MR. J. BENNETT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

A petition to the hon. House of Assembly of the

Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition

of the undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS there is no cellphone service in the Town of

Trout River which is an enclave community in Gros Morne National Park; and

WHEREAS visitors to Gros Morne National Park, more than

100,000 annually, expect to communicate by cellphone when they visit the

park; and

WHEREAS cellphone service has become a very important

aspect of everyday living for residents; and

WHEREAS cellphone service is an essential safety tool

for visitors and residents; and

WHEREAS cellphone service is essential for business

development;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of

Newfoundland and Labrador to partner with the private sector to extend

cellphone coverage throughout Gros Morne National Park and the enclave

community of Trout River.

As in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, this is yet another petition from the Town

of Trout River. In fact, I

recognize virtually all of the names on the petition starting with the town

clerk, continuing on with a former mayor, and the person who is the

maintenance person for the town.

Mr. Speaker, there are a number of locations where it

looks like at least geographically it would be very feasible to do a

cellphone tower. In fact, if

government were to partner with the private sector and look at locations

where a cellphone tower might go, the private sector entity might well

conclude that a mountain on the other side of Trout River toward the ocean

projects enough out to sea that it would likely provide cellphone coverage

northward and many communities that receive very poor service would in fact

receive better service.

In addition to the Town of Trout River and Trout River

Gulch receiving cellphone service, which would be a safety benefit

particularly in the wintertime with snowfall and travel going back and forth

through the gulch, it would also improve the service in other communities,

particularly to the north. These

communities are Rocky Harbour, right on down through Cow Head.

Mr. Speaker, this is not a request even for funds at

this point, but it is a request that government would partner with a private

sector entity and try to determine if it is possible to have cellphone

coverage. Mr. Speaker, it needs

to start somewhere, and really it needs to start with government showing

some initiative, taking some action that would extend cellphone coverage

into the Town of Trout River and throughout a greater part of Gros Morne

National Park.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. John's East.

MR. MURPHY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS Tordon 101 contains the chemicals 2,4-D and Picloram; and

WHEREAS the chemical Picloram is a known cancer-causing carcinogen; and

WHEREAS the provincial government has banned the cosmetic use of the

pesticide 2,4-D; and

WHEREAS safer alternatives are available to the provincial government

for bush clearance such as manual labour, alternative competitive seeding

methods, and/or the mechanical removal of brush; and

WHEREAS the provincial government is responsible for ensuring the safety

and well-being of its citizens;

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

the House of Assembly to urge government to cease the use of chemicals

covered under its own cosmetic pesticide ban and begin using safer methods

of brush clearance that will not place its citizens in harm's way.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, I have risen a number of times on this

particular petition. I still ask

government every time I am up on my feet, on behalf of the people of the

Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, to cease and desist the use of

chemicals that are covered under the cosmetic pesticide ban.

There is a reason why we have the cosmetic pesticide ban in place,

and those reasons are many.

One of the more extreme reasons that I can think of,

not only the simple fact that it is cancer causing now, it is cancer causing

in the future as well. These are

chemicals that are known to be harmful to people.

Why we keep adding to our environmental liabilities, Mr. Speaker,

every time we talk about the use of chemicals in this Province, I will never

know. It is of deep concern to

the signatories on this petition.

They come from Mount Pearl, St. John's, areas of the Northeast

Avalon. I am looking at Torbay,

Paradise, and back again through St. John's.

Mr. Speaker, this is important for a lot of people

here. I ask government to

consider this, not only as a step to making our environment a little bit

healthier but, at the same time, to keep other people at work by using

mechanical means of brush clearing.

We can save an awful lot on chemicals.

We can do a little bit more brush clearing at the same time.

It gives a chance for ground personnel, for example, to look at what

condition our roadsides are in, and to see if any maintenance is needed on

our highways.

Besides the dangers of using these chemicals and the

savings, I guess you could call it, Mr. Speaker, down the road to our health

care costs, we ask government to look at this simply for the mechanical

reasons of being able to look at our roadsides and make sure our highways

are going to be in good condition.

Mr. Speaker, I ask them to consider that.

Not only do we have other methods besides mechanical, but we can have

others such as a combination, if you will, of competitive growing methods as

well for them to consider.

I thank you very much for the time, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Carbonear Harbour Grace.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SLADE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the

undersigned humbly sheweth:

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. SLADE:

WHEREAS a non-consumption advisory was issued for number three well

(drinking water) in the Town of Freshwater on June 20, 2006 due to exceeded

levels of arsenic; and

WHEREAS this well services forty-four residents in the

Town of Freshwater and remains their only source of drinking water; and

WHEREAS any consumption of water from the well will

pose a significant health hazard to the consumer;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge Government of Newfoundland

and Labrador to provide the necessary resources to the Town of Freshwater in

order to provide for clean and safe drinking water to the residents affected

by the well.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, I am just going to give you some facts on

this. To date, there are 150

towns and communities on boil orders in Newfoundland and Labrador.

A number are on a do-not-consume order; this is the case in

Freshwater. Arsenic levels in

this well are four times the allowable Canadian limit.

We discovered this week that people are still using this well because

they did not know it was still a non-consumption order.

The study by Memorial University just released on rural

drinking water systems go to the heart of the problem.

We are going to make people sick if we do not soon so something, Mr.

Speaker. In Freshwater, at well

number three, the problem is arsenic.

It can be fixed for under $60,000 and we need to provide these

forty-four residents with clean drinking water in that community.

Mr. Speaker, I am going to tell you something, if it is

one thing that we should do as MHAs in the Province of Newfoundland and

Labrador, we should make sure that there is good, clean, safe drinking water

for our residents. That is one

thing that we should do.

I listened to the Minister of Environment over there

today and it does not seem like it is a big concern here.

I can assure you, Mr. Speaker, it is a concern for the residents of

Freshwater and it is my concern as the Member for Carbonear Harbour Grace.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, for allowing me to

speak.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. George's Stephenville East.

MR. REID:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have a petition today on health care in Heatherton to

Highlands area. It reads: To the

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS there has not been a permanent doctor at the

clinic in Jeffrey's for almost a year; and

WHEREAS this absence of a permanent doctor is seriously

compromising the health care of people who live in the Heatherton to

Highlands area and causing them undue hardship; and

WHEREAS the absence of a doctor or nurse practitioner

in the area leaves seniors without a consistency and quality of care which

is necessary for their continued good health;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of

Newfoundland and Labrador to take actions which will result in a permanent

doctor or other arrangements to improve health care services in the

Heatherton to Highlands area.

Mr. Speaker, this situation has gone on for over a year

now, without a doctor in Jeffrey's, and people are having to travel long

distances. They are not able to

get the services they need of a doctor in the area.

There is no nurse practitioner there in Jeffery's as well, so people

are left without being able to get prescriptions filled and things like

that. They have to travel to

Stephenville to the outpatients there to get medical care, and that is

blocking up the doctor's offices at the hospital in Stephenville causing

people to wait long times there as well.

The situation is getting worse in the area.

I think it is a crisis situation that is developing there, as the

doctor in St. George's is about to leave as well, the fifteenth of this

month. Very soon, St. George's

will not have a doctor as well unless something happens soon.

That will add to the waiting line at

the hospital in Stephenville.

This is a serious situation and I am calling on the

government to act on this petition that I am presenting today.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have a petition to the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the

undersigned residents humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS we wish to raise concern regarding the recent

delay on the construction of the new hospital in Corner Brook, Newfoundland

and Labrador;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the government to commit to

the planning and construction of a new hospital in Corner Brook as

previously committed to and in a timely manner as originally announced

without further delay or change.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Now, Mr. Speaker, this is an issue that affects many

people in this House and the constituents in which we represent, and it is

quite unfortunate the turn that this process has taken.

We are here asking questions in the House about the services and we

keep getting told about a functional plan, that it was out there and it is

gone back for reference; it keeps coming and going.

The problem is that the minister announces cuts to the hospital in

Corner Brook and at the same time they are not allowing for us to see the

entire plan.

Just last week, upon our questioning, we hear that they

are cutting obstetrics beds. The

minister used a stat from that day saying only two were full.

Well, I can go back to two weeks before where eleven beds were full.

All eleven of the obstetrics beds were full.

What are we going to do in a situation when we are cut down to six

and we have those days? I guess

what we have here, number one, is an admission of failure of the Population

Growth Strategy of this government, because if they are building a facility

that they are expecting to serve us for years down the road, they obviously

do not expect us to need these obstetric beds.

We are already hearing word that the ultrasound units

are going to be cut. I think it

is fair that the people of the West Coast of this Province have full access

to the entire functional report that this government is quoting from to make

the cuts. They are saying there

is going to be discussion. Well,

I doubt that very much. I have

been to the Premier's summits. I

can guarantee you there is certainly no room for discussion right there.

All you get the chance to do is to click on a button.

We deserve full opportunity, and I am talking about

everywhere on the West Coast. We

are all relying on this service.

I can get to the fact you have to travel three hours to have a baby if you

live on the Southwest Coast of this Province.

They are announcing these changes here.

Let's see the entire plan and let's have some public meetings on the

West Coast so the people who have been hearing these promises for years now

can have full access to what is going to go on here, because this hospital

has to serve us for decades to come.

Let's make sure it is the hospital that we need, not the hospital

they want to give us.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.

MS ROGERS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the

undersigned residents of Newfoundland and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS mental health programs and services are crucial

to the health of individuals, families, and communities; and

WHEREAS despite mental health services being delivered

by government, community-based organizations, and informally by families and

friends, there are still large gaps in services and programs in the

Province; and

WHEREAS despite these efforts, stigma remains a

significant barrier for people needing to access mental health services and

participate in society; and

WHEREAS new directions and priorities are needed for

mental health programs and service delivery, especially for unique groups

such as youth, Aboriginal peoples, immigrants, and refugees; and

WHEREAS recent budget cuts have placed a great strain

on organizations delivering mental health services in the Province;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge government to immediately

strike an all-party committee on mental health which, through extensive

public consultation, will review the current state of provincial mental

health services, receive expert testimony on best practices in mental health

care delivery, and report their findings with the intent to provide guidance

and oversight in redesigning mental health programs and services to better

serve the needs of all the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, I am sure I will continue to get more and

more signed petitions coming to my office because people of the Province

know that our mental health services are in a state of crisis.

It is undeniable. We have

that anecdotal information from people suffering from mental illness, or

their loved ones calling on their behalf.

We also hear from mental health service providers who are saying the

system is not working, the system is broken.

It was interesting in the House last Thursday, Mr.

Speaker, to hear everybody on all sides of the House from all parties

scrambling to speak about the issue of mental health.

We know it is important.

We know it affects every single person in this Province.

It is crucial that we attend to this problem with immediacy and in a

thorough, comprehensive way.

Mr. Speaker, this petition is calling for an all-party

committee, a select committee.

It is a valid tool that is available to us through this House of Assembly.

The Minister of Health on Thursday said that he is listening.

He is willing to listen to the Community Coalition 4 Mental Health.

The Community Coalition 4 Mental Health clearly stated what they

want, and that is a select committee, all-party committee on mental health.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Orders of the Day.

Orders of the Day

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

At this time I call from the Order Paper, Order 1,

Address in Reply.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.

MS ROGERS:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, on Thursday I had the privilege of

standing in this House to talk about the wonderful District of St. John's

Centre, which I say is smack dab in the heart of the City of St. John's, our

wonderful city, and is surrounded by other wonderful districts as well.

I did have the opportunity to speak for a few minutes before the

House was closed.

What I did was I talked about St. Johns' Centre, really

what are the characteristics of St. John's Centre.

I talked about some of the services and organizations that are in St.

John's Centre, and the people in the centre and what kinds of work they do.

We have a lot of people in the arts.

That is an interesting group of people, Mr. Speaker,

because people in the arts in Newfoundland and Labrador in 2010, the

median income of people in the arts in Newfoundland and Labrador, the annual

median income for people in the arts, people in the arts who sing, who write

songs, who make films, who do visual art, who write books, who write plays,

who perform plays, who are actors, who are musicians, who are writers.

People who reflect back to us our values in who we are as a

community. I know everybody in

this House benefits from the work of artists.

All of us do. The median

income actually for people in the arts in 2011 in Newfoundland and Labrador

was $10,200. That was the median

income in 2011.

The annual median income in Canada for people in the

arts is $25,000. That is over

twice what artists in Newfoundland and Labrador bring in.

You cannot survive on $10,000 a month.

It simply is not possible.

The median income in Newfoundland and Labrador for

artists is $10,000. Annually,

for other people it is $25,000.

For other people in Newfoundland and Labrador the median income is $25,000.

These are the numbers, Mr. Speaker.

I am making a bit of a correction there.

In Canada, across the country, the median income for

people in the arts is $19,600.

The median income for people in all categories across the country is

$29,878. Newfoundland is

considerably behind half of what artists across the country make.

Mr. Speaker, I am not so sure this is what we want as a

community. The concept of the

poor, starving artist is a fallacy.

Living below the poverty line does not enable you to make better art.

It simply means you are precariously housed, you cannot feed your

children, and you cannot afford the basics in life.

When we look at some of our great artists, whether it

is Great Big Sea or Allan Hawco, a lot of these people started off there,

but very few move beyond that.

Particularly people who are making art that is really cutting edge.

That is just a little sidebar that I wanted to speak about.

One of the things I really wanted to speak about, Mr.

Speaker, in terms of St. John's Centre is the number of young working

families we have. Working

families, people trying to raise children, people trying to help out with

the Population Growth Strategy here in Newfoundland and Labrador.

We know that it is very difficult.

The poverty line in Newfoundland and Labrador is around

$22,000. Do you know that in

Newfoundland and Labrador 69,000 people live below the poverty line?

We would like to see that we are a have province, we are no longer a

have-not province, and we would like to claim that we are in a time of great

prosperity. We may have a few

bumps right now in terms of the price of oil, but basically I remember the

former Premier talked about that we were in our golden era.

Well, 69,000 people living below the poverty line does not look like

a golden era to me.

What can we do about that?

I think there are a few things that we have to look at.

One of the things that have been very interesting is that we see

there is a growing inequality in our Province, that those in the lowest

income are actually losing more ground while those in the highest income are

gaining. We had a very

prosperous resource extraction business here in the Province and many people

have benefitted, and that is great; but the resources that are extracted

from our oceans, from our grounds, they are resources that belong to all the

people.

So how do we make sure we do not have a scenario where

those in the lowest income are actually losing ground where 69,000 of our

people, people in Newfoundland and Labrador, are living below the poverty

line? It is certainly not

something that we are proud of.

That is over 10 per cent of our population.

So what do we do about that?

We know that housing and mental illness are two of the strongest

social determinants that can push someone into poverty.

I am seeing that a lot in St. John's Centre, the issue of affordable

housing. Many of the residents

in St. John's Centre are struggling with the high cost of housing, whether

it is a single person making minimum wage, which is still among the lowest

in the country now. We had made

great gains a few years ago, but we stagnated.

That is the problem.

Government comes up with these promises and with these initiatives and then

things stagnate. We have so many

people living on minimum wage and they cannot afford the housing that they

need, just basic shelter. So

they become the working poor.

Mr. Speaker, I was in Stephenville during the spring

working on one of the by-elections and within two days, three different

young moms, not related to each other at all, told me they just had to quit

work because the price of child care was too high.

They could not afford to work.

That was in two days; three young moms.

How sad is that?

That is not a sign of prosperity.

That is not a sign of a fully engaged community, nor is it a sign of

a fully engaged government making sure those kinds of things do not happen.

Because they do not have to happen; there are ways we can take care

of these issues. When I look at

the people in St. John's Centre, how many young moms have said to me that I

cannot afford child care?

I was at a Christmas dinner this afternoon.

It was put on by my little brother; his name is Richard.

Every Christmas season, he puts on a Christmas dinner for 200 people.

It is at the Knights of Columbus.

The Knights of Columbus donate their hall and they also volunteer.

Also, the two head chiefs and all of their kitchen staff from the

Sheraton Hotel come and volunteer and they cook a Christmas dinner.

The workers from Labatt's, who were on strike last year, they

volunteered last year and they volunteered this year.

There are presents for all the kids.

Santa Claus comes. There

are a lot of seniors, a lot of people who are having a really hard time

making ends meet.

I keep thinking this is so wonderful that this can

happen and we can all celebrate together, but I keep asking why, Mr.

Speaker. Why are there so many

seniors at this dinner? Why are

there so many young families with young children at this dinner who talk

about not being able to afford proper food, who have to go to food banks?

We know the use of food banks in Newfoundland and

Labrador has grown. The

population who uses food banks that have grown the most, in terms of the

proportion of people using food banks, are seniors.

I looked around that room today because there are over 200 people

that come and they enjoy a fantastic turkey dinner, I looked around and I

kept thinking that it does not have to be this way.

It really does not have to be this way.

That is the hard part.

What can we do?

Well, I think government has to get in there and do something about

the housing crisis that we have.

Building the odd unit is not enough.

We are still waiting from the report from the OrgCode on housing and

homelessness in Newfoundland and Labrador; that is almost two years overdue,

and the review of that landlord and tenancy act is two years overdue.

I bet you within those two reports there are very, very clearly

identified problems with potential solutions to some of these issues.

I want to look again at the issue of young working

families, because I know that we had a Population Growth Strategy.

Well, the only way to deal with a low population is to make sure that

we have a growth in population.

That is either through immigration or through birth of children but how

many young people are telling us that they cannot afford to have children?

Imagine in 2014, in a Province of prosperity, when people cannot

afford to have children, and they cannot afford to have children because of

the high cost of housing and because of the absolute prohibitive cost of

child care.

We know from evidence in other jurisdictions, and also

from evidence within our own Province, that it does not have to be there.

We can enact a fully public administered and delivered child care

program so that it is possible for our young working families to be able to

have children. It would be

possible, then, for our young moms to be able to be in the workplace where

they want to be, where they want to be fully participating in the commerce

and in the well-being of our Province.

Mr. Speaker, there is no reason for this not happen.

Government has dragged its heels, and I believe they can do better.

I believe together we can all do better so that people are housed in

a safe, secure manner, and that we have a child care program that enables

young working families to have the children that they need, because that is

what we need. We need that as a

Province, and the solutions are so clear.

All it takes is a political will and absolute clear planning and a

commitment by government to put all these pieces in place so that our people

can flourish.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER (Littlejohn):

The hon. the Member for Bonavista North.

MR. CROSS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is always nice to hear that: the hon. the Member for

Bonavista North. I have to think

when I stand here that I am always appreciative of the great historical

District of Bonavista North that I am representing the people there, and I

appreciate that trust they have placed in me.

I also appreciate, I guess, the devotion my family has given me to

enable me to carry out a life-long dream for however long one may wish to do

this.

Before I get into my comments today, there is one other

person in Bonavista North I really need to speak to, and this person is

celebrating today, Mr. Speaker.

It is the aunt of the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

Mrs. Neta Woodland, in Greenspond, is celebrating ninety-six years of

enjoyment on this planet today, Mr. Speaker.

So, I send out a very, very happy birthday to Aunt Neta.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CROSS:

In my comments today, Mr. Speaker, I want to start talking about things that

are happening around the district and in the district, some of the visits,

some of the conversations I have been having with people in the last few

months. The conversations we are

having are at events that are showing the dedication of the type of people

from Bonavista North. Two or

three of these events I have to speak to for a moment.

A couple of weeks ago I attended the Musgrave Harbour

Fire Department annual banquet.

They do not have a dance or a ball with their banquet, Mr. Speaker.

The Musgrave Harbour Fire Department is a little different.

They are a little more unique.

They start their annual celebration at a church service.

The community that do not go to the banquet the banquet is

sponsored by the town, but the church is full of people out in support of

the fire department. The spirit

there is very, very rich.

The devotion these people have for the fire department,

the firettes who back them up, is very, very important in that community, in

all of our communities. I would

just like to recognize, this year at that banquet Keith Guy and Curtis

Hicks, two longstanding members of the fire department, celebrated

thirty-five years of devoted service to the group.

The other thing that is sort of unique in that

community, Mr. Speaker, is what I call after visiting now for four

firemen's events at the end of the evening the parade of cheques from the

community. Most of the groups in

the community, most of the businesses, most of the other social and service

groups in the community, at the end, the fire chief says, okay now, I heard

someone wanted to make a presentation.

Then the Lions people, the town and businesses.

The one I mentioned last year, Mr. Speaker, Elaine's

Grocery, they run a 50-50 for the fire department.

They presented a cheque at the end of the night this year for $22,000

to the fire department for monies made at a 50-50 draw that the community

all takes

part in through the whole year.

It is a very, very phenomenal event.

It was touching and very heartwarming to be there.

I also recently, Mr. Speaker, attended and I spoke a

little on a member's statement about this one the fortieth anniversary of

the Centreville-Wareham-Trinity and Indian Bay recreation commission.

That one committee has been together and when I say one committee,

I do not say it is a committee and the members have changed and changed and

changed and there is no continuity.

This committee, Mr. Speaker, has four people who have

been with the committee since it started forty years ago.

In fact, before it started Roland Button was a member of the Wareham

recreation committee. Wilfred

Wiseman was a member of the Trinity recreation committee.

The other two gentlemen, Winston Button and Gordon Hunt in Wareham

and in Centreville three to four years before they amalgamated in their

committee to form the one commission, long before the towns of Centreville,

Wareham, and Trinity joined together, these gentlemen got together to bring

a regional service to recreation.

They committed quite a bit, Mr. Speaker, in all these years to that

community.

They have a little arena in Centreville, right in the

middle, the Central Arena. I

just have to mention one little thing about that one today too, and it is

sort of timely. They had an old

Zamboni off one of the old rinks in Newfoundland and Labrador.

They had it for several years.

The Zamboni rusted out and they did not have much success with it.

What did they do?

They sort of pooled their resources in the community.

They got a hold of a gentleman in St. John's, believe it or not, Don

Johnson. He was here with the

recreation in St. John's and has done a lot of coaching over the years.

Through a meeting this is a gentleman who Roland Button and a

couple of these other gentlemen came to St. John's and met with Mr. Johnson.

They found out about the NHL retired players

association and they wrote a letter to Le Gros Bill, Jean Bliveau.

He was in there at the time, Mr. Speaker, as part of that

organization. He came through

for them to the tune of about $35,000 towards their new Zamboni about

fifteen years ago.

Mr. Speaker, they have a picture of Jean Bliveau in

the arena. The fact that

statesmen of hockey will be laid to rest tomorrow, it is sort of timely that

we mention him here today too, and his commitment not only to les Canadiens

but to hockey throughout the entire country.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. CROSS:

We recognize his passing, Mr. Speaker, here in talking about Indian Bay

recreation and Centreville-Wareham.

I also attended a Lions Club fortieth charter night at

Indian Bay Lions Club last weekend.

They had a complete ceremony there in honour of their founding

president, forty years ago, Mr. Fred Green, and the vision he had and how he

saw the need in his community.

The volunteerism from that is very, very strong.

They honoured King Lion Fred Green, their founder.

Every time we attend Lions events in Centreville, we see how much

service they do to the community, the cadets and their worldwide vision.

They are a part of that worldwide organization of 1.35 million people

due to a vision forty years ago of Mr. Fred Green in their town.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to kick into a couple of

other things about Bonavista North for members here and for people on the

airways, shall we say, about things that are happening in our district that

are really worthy of making notice and being a part of.

I heard the member who spoke last talking about child care strategies

and her vision. We all have a

vision, Mr. Speaker. We all have

a different vision of how we can help with our children, our young working

families in our region.

The Cape Freels Development Association, everybody

thought they were down and out with all the changes in AES and EIS in the

last couple of years but they have mustered forward, Mr. Speaker.

When they latched onto the child care strategy the government

expounded and passed out, then they applied at the early levels.

They got through the first introductory stage of child care.

Their proposal went in, it was reviewed, it was accepted.

The second stage, Mr. Speaker, they have gone through

now where they have been accepted in their main proposal towards their

vision of a child care strategy as a not-for-profit group in our region.

They have been approved to the point that now they are expanding on a

small building they took over in the community.

In two or three months the building will be ready for access for up

to thirty spaces for child care.

Potentially seven to nine part-time, full-time jobs in the community for

people in child care.

That is a vision from that small group that used the

strategy and the supports from this government, Mr. Speaker, took that idea

forward, and now they are ready to step forward again, a big step, into

assisting young families with smaller children be able to avail of child

care for their children very, very humanitarian, if not great activity

from this group.

There is also tourism in Bonavista North.

We talk about tourism in lots of ways.

There are some people across our great Province and in other parts of

the world who do not really understand the wealth of what we have to offer.

We have the natural beauty, Mr. Speaker, on both ends of the

district. We have the Indian Bay

waters with all of the fishing and all of the hiking you can do, with the

trails and the skidooing trails and ATV access.

The whole wild country of the Indian Bay region very famous

worldwide is in our district.

It is still vitally untapped in lots of ways, but there are groups who are

interested in doing just that, and developing and promoting it.

There is some vibrancy in that area of the industry this year, Mr.

Speaker.

Also on the other end of the district, some 160

kilometres away by road, you come to the Gander Bay riverboat country, I

call it. It is a very, very

scenic, rugged, great sport fishing and hunting area of the Province.

Again, there are people there who are wishing to develop that area.

In the middle of the district there is what was the

picturesque component of the tourism strategy from two years ago when you

saw all of the dory buff houses on the cover of the tourism brochures and in

the tourism booklets and the ads you see the colour of the Barbour Living

Heritage Village in Newtown. It

is still a very, very big gem.

The Venice of North America, it is referred to the seventeen islands and

how they connect and what is to offer there in that little picturesque

village, Mr. Speaker.

Well, in the last year or so they have developed part

of it now to the point they had an endowment from this lady, Mrs. Rita

Love, and they converted $20,000 that she left behind to create something in

the community to stay and to remember.

So what has happened is they have turned that into with some leverage

from our Department of Industry, Business, and Rural Development the name

has changed now, but when the first grant came out it was the IBRD component

of that as well as some ACOA funding, and they have really created this

picturesque restaurant as part of the scene.

It is sort of the hidden link to help a tourism facility be able to

make it on its own, shall we say, in its existence and to be able to stay

active.

In that little restaurant, in that little room now, it

can seat about ninety people.

You walk in one place and you look they brought in a local artist, a girl,

Kathy Stratton. She was

originally from Brookfield.

Kathy now lives in Lumsden. Her

married name now eludes me, but I always refer to her as Kathy Stratton.

As you sit there, she painted on the wall the entire panoramic view

outside of Newtown of Pinchard's Island.

So when you sit in the restaurant, you can image the walls do not

even exist.

There are a couple of windows there where you see how

the wall connects, but it takes you there the other side of the restaurant

is a big mural of the entire side of the Barbour's Tickle.

So you can look up the tickle and see the historic way the community

looked. So, these two big murals

are there. They brought together

the whole attraction of bringing people in for good food at a good event.

A good place to come to see about our history and our culture, yet

you sit in a very, very remarkable atmosphere.

Now, on top of that, Mr. Speaker, inside the centre of

that restaurant, they have a kitchen.

It is like a house planked in the middle of the restaurant and you

can look in through windows and view two or three ladies, all summer long,

even into the fall now and up to the Christmas season, making pastries,

making jams. People can actually

come there and buy the experience of putting on an apron and getting in the

kitchen and getting their hands into the pastry and into the jams.

It is an experience that you just cannot get anywhere.

It really attracts people to come in.

Now, what we need to do to add on to that, Mr. Speaker,

as another component of all of this in the district, is for accommodations

and other attractions to connect together, to stay together, with all of

that.

Accompanying that site last summer, we had one other

very successful event happening.

There was a void in the site with theatre.

So last summer, a youth theatre was created with a local play.

The students from Grade 4 to Grade 12, some of them are back home now

writing a play for a production over Christmas, but it is building bridges

again, connecting our youth to our past.

It is part of what is going to make that a very strong tourism draw

in the near future.

The play that was written last summer, the leadership

was by Flo Cross she just happens to be my sister, but she took her talent

in retirement and she used the students to write the play.

It sort of encaptured what the past story was of this region.

Mr. Speaker, they did nine productions, I think, last

summer of the play and eight of them were sellouts, so much so they had to

add on extra shows at the end of the year.

The buzz around the community now is the youth and the theatre, and

what they are going to be and how vibrant it is going to be for next year.

We all hear them in this House, Mr. Speaker, all want a

way to attract the youth in our Province, to get them involved, to get them

to want to be a part, but if you give them a chance, we trust them, and we

pass things on to them that is what we should be doing anyway in getting

ready then what happens is that we do know that our Province can be in

successful hands with our youth.

We just have to give them the best that we can and hope that sometimes not

only from our skills and our strengths but, in spite of us sometimes, they

succeed and they do things in spite of what we do for them and the way we

like to hold them. Mr. Speaker,

I would just like to recognize that, that our future is great as long as

that point goes.

I had two or three other things I wanted to talk to

about the infrastructure and other things happening the district, but I talk

about that with the town council so I will get into that idea when I get

back to council chambers and some of the meetings that we will be having

there.

I do want to mention a couple of what I consider

mentionable moments that are Province-wide that have happened recently that

I just want to allude to. One

was when our former Premier and Minister of Finance met and announced that

they had succeeded in reaching an agreement in the pension plan reform.

That was a big watershed moment this year for an accomplishment when

people believed it could not happen or did not have the vision or the plan

to make it happen, in some cases, but were in awe when it did.

For us to have a sustainable pension plan now to allow

for a reasonable retirement for our public employees and protection for

future financial pensions in this Province, Mr. Speaker, is phenomenal.

On that day when we met for the announcement, it was a big day and

there will be bigger days coming in that area, I say, just wait.

The other big memorable moment that I would like to

refer to happened a couple of weeks ago when the hon. Member for The Isles

of Notre Dame, as Minister of Natural Resources, joined with the hon. Andrew

Younger from Nova Scotia and they broke ground on the connection between the

link on this side for that link for energy that we can send from our

Province.

Also, it is a big day for us, Mr. Speaker, because

after this we are no longer not connected to other parts of the world for

our power. We are no longer that

Island isolated plan, Mr. Speaker.

That is a big, significant event, the groundbreaking on that, and the

fact we are now moving forward with that project the way it should be and

the connection that it brings for everything else.

My final comment is last Wednesday night I attended the

health care meeting in Mount Pearl, and a great place, Mount Pearl.

I must say the meetings that were taking place there, if they are an

indication of what the attendance is all around the rest of the Province

what I found about it, it is not just a clique, as the hon. member from the

other side said today, but it seemed everyone had an equal chance to have a

voice. One or two or three

people did not get up to a microphone and take over the whole afternoon.

In winding up, Mr. Speaker, I would just like to say

that it is a big process, a commitment was made, and we are trying to gather

the information for the health care summit that is coming up later on which

will be very important for health delivery in our Province.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the time today.

I had much more but I can go on, and I will leave.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I move, seconded by the Minister of Fisheries and

Aquaculture, that we adjourn debate on Address in Reply.

MR. SPEAKER:

It is moved and seconded that we adjourn debate on Address in Reply.

All those in favour, 'aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay'.

Carried.

On motion, debate adjourned.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to call from the Order Paper, Motion 3,

and ask leave to introduce a bill entitled,

An Act Respecting Missing

Persons, Bill 36. So moved by me

as House Leader, seconded by the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, that

the bill be now read a first time.

MR. SPEAKER:

It is moved and seconded that the Government House Leader shall have leave

to introduce a bill,

An Act Respecting Missing Persons, Bill 36, and that

the said bill be now read a first time.

Is it the pleasure of the House that the said bill be

read the first time?

All those in favour, 'aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay'.

Carried.

Motion, the hon. the Government House Leader to

introduce a bill,

An Act Respecting Missing Persons, carried.

(Bill 36)

CLERK:

A bill,

An Act Respecting Missing Persons.

(Bill 36)

MR. SPEAKER:

The bill has now been read a first time.

When shall the bill be read a second time?

MR. KING:

Tomorrow.

MR. SPEAKER:

Tomorrow.

On motion, Bill 36 read a first time, ordered read a

second time on tomorrow.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you again, Mr. Speaker.

I now call from the Order Paper, Motion 4.

I move, seconded by the Minister Responsible for Service NL to ask

leave to introduce a bill entitled,

An Act To Amend The Highway Traffic Act

No. 2, Bill 37, and the said bill be now read the first time.

MR. SPEAKER:

It is moved and seconded that the hon. Government House Leader shall have to

introduce a bill,

An Act To Amend The Highway Traffic Act No. 2, Bill 37,

and that the said bill be now read the first time.

Is it the pleasure of the House that the minister shall

have leave to introduce Bill 37 and that the said bill be now read the first

time?

All those in favour, 'aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay'.

Carried.

Motion, the hon. the Minister of Service NL to

introduce a bill,

An Act To Amend The Highway Traffic Act No. 2, carried.

(Bill 37)

CLERK:

A bill,

An Act To Amend The Highway Traffic Act No. 2.

(Bill 37)

MR. SPEAKER:

This bill has now been read the first time.

When shall the said bill be read the second time?

MR. KING:

Tomorrow.

MR. SPEAKER:

Tomorrow.

On motion, Bill 37 read a first time, ordered read a

second time on tomorrow.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I call from the Order Paper now Order 1, Address in

Reply.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.

MR. JOYCE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am going to stand for a few minutes to have a few

words on Address in Reply. I say

to the hon. member, yes, it was a great night, Mr. Speaker, breaking the

ground for Emera. Nova Scotia is

going to get cheap power at cost while we are here paying right through our

nose on the power. It is going

to be a great night for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

That is a great night. I

cannot wait.

You must have relatives in Nova Scotia who are up there

celebrating the big power they are going to get, Mr. Speaker.

I hear people already in talking about already in their seats.

They had their opportunity to speak.

You had your opportunity.

Everybody has their opportunity.

Mr. Speaker, I am going to speak to a few things that

happened in the last year or so concerning a lot of the Bay of Islands and

concerning other things that affect the district and in government itself.

I have to bring up, back in 2002 and I always try to live by this

policy in government was when Clyde Wells was the Premier and I was

working for Clyde Wells. People

know that I was his executive assistant and I stepped aside for Clyde Wells

at the time.

There were budget cuts coming up in 1992 for the

election in 1993. Everybody

around the Liberal Party were all upset and concerned that we are going to

get people upset. I remember

speaking to Clyde Wells going to Gillams and all about the cuts.

He looked at me and said: Eddie, I would rather lose with honesty

than win with dishonesty. That

is what Clyde Wells said to me.

He announced it then. He said it

then. He stood up in front of

the people and he was honest with the people.

Here is what we have to do and here are the reasons why.

Mr. Speaker, that is something this government should learn.

I heard the member over there from Baie Verte

Springdale last week going on talking about all the money.

The Member for Exploits was also talking about how people should vote

for him. How condescending.

You are doing your job.

You are up there and we do not know why people do not appreciate I say to

the Member for Baie Verte Springdale, the people from Little Bay Islands

are looking for you. They have

been trying to get hold of you for the last year about resettlement.

They are looking for you.

Why don't you go down and have a meeting with the people down in that area?

They are looking for you.

I have another e-mail saying they cannot get hold of you.

All you are saying, I do not know what government is doing.

I do not know.

Instead of harping on me, why don't you go down and

meet with the people who elected you?

Go down and meet with them.

That is what you should do.

For God's sake, here he is harping on me when people are looking for

him for a meeting. Mr. Speaker,

that is the difference. That is

where you lose respect for people, when you stand up in this hon. House and

you go on about why people will not vote for you.

Mr. Speaker, I will go on to capital works out in Lark

Harbour. I will go on to

amalgamation and the Member for St. John's West who was the Minister of

Municipal Affairs, and the Member for Mount Pearl North who is the Minister

of Health now.

The Town of Lark Harbour-York Harbour went through

amalgamation. It went through

the whole amalgamation process, paid for by government for regionalization

of services in those two communities.

They do most of it anyway already.

They wanted to do it formally.

They met with the minister on May 9 in Corner Brook.

The study was done and completed.

The town put in a request.

On May 9 they said in two or three months we will get back to you.

The town up to then, three or four months later, wrote the former

minister, the Minister of Health.

The Member for Mount Pearl North could not get a response.

I could not get a response, Mr. Speaker.

Then the Minister of Environment, now the Member for

St. John's West, he came over as minister.

He committed to go to a meeting.

He never showed up.

AN HON. MEMBER:

What?

MR. JOYCE:

He never showed up.

I walked out in his respect, and I said the minister is

coming out. It was when they had

a fire truck, they fought a fire, the fire truck broke down.

I said to the minister, I called him.

I will give him credit, he called me back.

He said: Eddie, I will try to speed up the truck but I cannot

guarantee it, but we will be out Thursday.

He never even showed up.

That is the kind of respect, Mr. Speaker.

I wrote the minister three times, the Member for St.

John's West three times. I could

produce the documentation here, not one response.

The town wrote him, not one response, Mr. Speaker.

Then you wonder why you lose the respect of the people in this

Province.

I have to give the current Minister of Municipal

Affairs respect and give him credit, Mr. Speaker.

When I contacted him out in Corner Brook during the MNL convention,

he met with the two towns. He

met with the two towns. He said

here is what I will do. To this

date, Mr. Speaker, he said I know the part on the fire truck, there was

nothing done to it up to this date.

He said I will see what I can do.

There was a truck announced for York Harbour-Lark Harbour.

Mr. Speaker, there was a truck

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.

MR. CRUMMELL:

Point of order, Mr. Speaker.

I spoke to the hon. gentleman a couple of times, three

times over that time period. The

first time I spoke to him there was a fire truck delivered two days later to

replace the one that was there.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

There is no point of order.

The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.

MR. JOYCE:

Mr. Speaker, how that member could stand up and say he spoke to me about a

new fire truck after the time Mr. Speaker, here is the chance, call the

people from York Harbour-Lark Harbour.

Call them and ask them how many times they spoke to the minister.

Go ahead, Minister, go ahead, call them.

Easy for him to stand up here I spoke to the minister.

Yes, but you never showed up to the public meeting because you did

not have the intestinal fortitude, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Excuse me, hon. Member for Bay of Islands, I ask the hon. member to withdraw

a previous remark. I think he

used a

MR. JOYCE:

Intestinal fortitude?

MR. SPEAKER:

I thought you used the F word, Sir.

MR. JOYCE:

No, intestinal fortitude, I used.

MR. SPEAKER:

I am sorry, okay. I apologize.

MR. JOYCE:

Intestinal fortitude is someone with guts; that is what it is, Mr. Speaker.

So that is why people in this Province feel they are

being left out by this government, the reason why they are being

condescending. So if the

Minister of Environment St. John's West wants to stand up here and say

that he did, it is absolutely not true not true.

I challenge anybody here, ask the people in York Harbour how many

times they wrote that minister he never even had the courtesy of a

response. Not even a response,

Mr. Speaker.

This is very upsetting.

I can produce the three copies of the letters that I wrote the

minister not a response, Mr. Speaker.

So I can go on, and the Member for Mount Pearl North when we talk

about municipal capital works I think the Bay of Islands got $245,000.

One hundred thousand or eighty thousand, I am not sure, but in that

high range, was work that was already completed, was cost overrun the work

was done. I remember the

minister said, you are going to get $1.2 million for the water and sewer in

Lark Harbour. I said: Oh, well

that is fair enough. So I was

being fair, Mr. Speaker. He

never even contacted the town after never even contacted.

So, all the commitments that are being made by this

government, I can tell you I do not believe it.

I honestly do not. There

are some ministers, I have to say, who treat a lot of people with respect,

and I give that credit and I always have.

I know the minster for Lab West, Mr. Speaker and I know the Humber

Valley is one thing but when I contacted him about Route 40 over in the

Bay of Islands, which was a hazard, guess what?

He said: Eddie, I will see what I can do.

Guess what? It is a safer

place today because the minister took the time and energy to go out and look

at that spot, Mr. Speaker, and say it is a hazard.

So, Mr. Speaker, there are ti