PRELIMINARY UNEDITED TRANSCRIPT House of Assembly For the period: 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. February 23, 1977

February 23, 1977 Tape 496 IB-1 The House met at 3:00 P.M. Mr. Speaker in the Chair. MR. SPE.AKEP_: Order, please! The bon. me~er for Twillingate. ~ MF_. SYALLWOOD: ~r. Speaker, I rise to a point of personal privilege. I do it not in anger but with genuine person~! regret. Last night on Here And Now on the local CBC,tbe han. member for St. John's East -(Mr. Marshall) was interviewed and he devoted virtually all of his time to what was in fact an attack on me.

Now the attack on me was in connection with speeches that I had made here in the full hearing of the House, speeches that are in Hansard and nothing secret about them. Mr. Speaker, in those speeches I have talked about party funds, contributions to political party funds, election campaign funds - and other party funds,and the vray in which the contributors, the donors of those funds reco?ped their contributions, namely, through contracts and the sale of supplies and materials to the government. I said that this bas gone on ever since Confederation up to the present moment, I said in my speech.

Up to the present moment it has not ceased. But it also went on before Confederation and it also went on all across Canada and continues to go on all across Canada. I made it abundantly clear it vYas not Liberal, it was not Tory, it was not NDP, it was just straight party funds. I said that today - not referring to twenty-five or twenty-eight years ago - but ~oday,I said,it could run to $8 million or $10 million a year out of the public chest as the contribution made back to the contributors.

The hen. member last night having fancied, having imagined some figure of $400 million -.:_ not $4 million, not $40 million but $4.00 million - as having,according to me - he said, "According to Smallwooc:l having been passed out to the contractors not in payment fo~ the work they did,but excess payment, $400 million." Hts whole statement was to the effect that what I had said I had said only about the t~~nty- three years during which I was the Premier of the Province, that I was dealing only with my term in office.

Whereas in fact the whole House understood,and Hansard will show,that I was talking about parties 1354

February 23, 1977 Tape 496 IB-2 MR. S~f.ft~LWOOD: and politicians and elections in general right up to date. ft~d Your Honour may remember~because when I said it I said it with a certain amount of fear and trembling, Your Honour may remember my saying that every hon. member of this House, not excluding Your Honour, is in here because of secret and private financial contributions to the political parties.

I went on to say that even an hon. member, who as a candidate went out to election and paid his own expenses out of his own pocket, even he benefited from those contributions that were made to the party because the general overall effort and propaganda of the party- .benefited each candidate,even those who might have defrayed their own immediate personal expenses out of their own personal pocket.

It was so non-partisan that it was with the deepest regret I heard the hon. gentleman make those astounding statements last night~because I thought that he and !,more than any two members of the House,were in intellectual agreement since I came back into this Chamber. I have grown to respect him. I am sorry he is not here. I have to do it today according to the rules of the House,or I lose my opportunity. So I have to do it now. But it so happens he is not here. I am sorry about that. I had come to admire him and respect him.

And last night on the air every last scrap of respect I had just disappeared, went down the- drain. It is astounding. I do not propose to move any motion or anything,but I must repudiate absolutely, categorically, virtually everything the hon. member said on television last night. Because if I do not repudiate it, then I am admitting the truth of what he said. And what he said was absolutely untrue. MR. NEARY: It was low. 13S5

February 23, 1977 Tape No. 497 MR. SMALLWOOD: It might or might not have been low, With~ made me sad and disappointed,and still does to this moment,is the difference, the contrast between the statesmanlike position he has taken here while I was here, and the unstatesmanlike, rather cowardly position he took last night when I was not there to answer. And I feel very sorry about that, very sorry indeed. STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS: MR. SPEAKER: The han. the Premier. NM- 1 PREMIER MOORES: Mr. Speaker, I have two statements.

First of all I would like to ask this House to unanimously go on record in congratulating our Prime Minister for the positicn he so ably put forward before the American Congress, SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear! Hear! PREMIER MOORES : The speech by the Prime Minister was a thoughtful and inspiring message to both the people of Canada and to the people of the United States.At a time when the-unity of our country is being threatened, I,and I know every member of this House,feel that partisan politics should be put to one side. Yesterday's speech by the Prime Minister capably dealt with the separatist issue in Quebec.

I agree entirely with his analysis and assessment and I, as I am sure are all other members of the House, am dete~ined in any way that w~ can to keep Canada united and are proud of the manner in which the Prime Minister presented this position. SOME. RON. MEMBERS: Hear!. Hear! PREMIER MOORES: It is critical that the s~~aratist element in Canada be given no credibility by politicians .. in Canada when the aim of that group is to destroy the very country which means so much to so many of the people in our country. In my opinion, Sir, the Prime Minister's speech to 135f) --

February 23, 1977 Tape No. 497 PREMIER MOORES : the American Congress was one of the great speeches. I agree wholeheartedly _ ~i~~_ ;he . Prime Minister's stand on a united Canada and I have no hesitation in saying so. SOME RON. MEMBERS : Hear! Hear! MR.. SPEAKER: The bon. Leader of the Opposition. MR. ROBERTS: Mr. Speaker, if I might, the Premier said he had two statements, perhaps he could make the second one and I might then be allowed to reply to both, Sir, in the normal way. MR. SPEAKER: Th~ hon. Premier. NM- 2 PREMIER MOORES: Yes, Mr.

Speaker, As Premier and on behalf of the government I would like to take this opportunity as well to offer our sincere congratulations to Mrs. Edith Mary Manuel who was selected last night as the St. __ John 's citizen of the year. She is indeed a very gracious lady, and I know I express the feelings of both sides of the House when I . say that the St. John's JC's could not have made a better choice. Edith Mary Manuel made a tremendous contribution . to education in our Province during her years as a teacher.

I understand that some three books of geography are to her credit, and I understand she is working on the history of her native Twillingate now. And she is an example to, I would suggest, Sir, all the citizens of this Province when it comes to sacrifice, dedication and a good citizenary. SOME RON. MEMBERS: Hear! Hear! MR. SPEAKER: The bon. member for Twillingate. MR. SMALLWOOD: Mr. Speaker, by gracious permission of the Leader of this Party I am privileged to reply to what the Premier has said,and to ~ay that his words were gracious, and generous and true and that all of us who are in any way associated 13~7

February 23, 1977 Tape no. 497 NM- 3 MR. SMALLWOOD: with the great, beautiful and histo~ie district of Twillingate are grateful to him for what he has said and I speak for everyone on this side. SOME RON. MEMBERS : Hear! Hear! MR.. SPEAKER: The bon. Leader of the Opposition. MR. ROBERTS: Mr. Speaker, my friend from Twillingate has spoken with eloquence of Miss Manuel and I should say personally he has spoken for our group. It is a distinct pleasure to second the -- ~!'eini-er's words and I would hope that a letter or resolution will go forth from the Clerk in the normal way.

On 8: pe):."sonal note r could add that among Miss Manuel's many pupils was my wif_e, and I think my wife spoke for all the ladies or women who have gone through Spenc~r when they say that Miss Manuel's influence at Bishop Spencer College was immence and beneficial. With respect to the Premier's first statement, Sir, I think I could take the words used by the gentleman from Twillingate (Mr. Smallwood), it was a gracious statement. I know it was one from the heart. I think it is one that we all would endorse happily and strongly.

The separatist government of Quebec, and it is a separatist government in Quebec, Sir, is the Government of Quebec. They have won office by the rules, but Sir, their main ~olicy must be ~athema to .all of us who care about Canada, all of us who love Canada, and all of us who believe that Canada is a great country and can be a greater country but that, Sir, to be Canada,Quebec must be a part of that country. I, as is well known, have recently met with the Premier of Quebec and at a proper time I will have more to say about it. But, Sir, let me 1358

Tape 498 AH-'1 MR. RQJ;SERTS: _ _ __ _ say that there is a threat) ~~ : -Levesque, a very able man, committed to an idea in which he believes strongly. I think it is incumbent, Sir, upon all of us who believe in Canada to take a stand and to do what is right and proper to insure that Canada survives and that Canada prospers and that Canada becomes the .country we want her to become and that she can become.

Sir, I think the Prime Minister's speech yesterday in Washington was a brilliant performance , an absolutely brilliant performance, Sir, and I know he spoke for each and every Canadian,and not only do I want to agree with the Premier but I want to -congratulate him.

The Premier and the Prime Minister are of different political parties._!h~Y_ may not have agreed from time to time on major issues, they do agree ~n this one , Sir, and I think it is both gracious of the Premier and I think entirely proper, Sir, as Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador that he should move that motion and I for one , Sir, on behalf of all my colleagues, heartly second it. SOME HON. MEMBERS : Hear, hear! MR.. SPEAKER: Hon. minister of Mines and Energy. MR. PECKFORD: Mr.

Speaker, His Honour the Lieutenant-Govenor made reference in the Speech from the Throne earlier this month to -------- --- -- government f;-- intention to introduce a Mineral Acreaste Tax Bill. 'T'hP ~ - . .... ~ purpose of the proposed new legislation ~ould be to encourage mineral exporation in areas of the province to which mineral rights are held in perpetuity or for long periods of time.

I am pleased to say that a draft of the bill,which is in titled " The Mineral Holdings (f#ost _ ·_ _· - · Bill'; has been completed,and in keeping with governmen_t; '_s _ c:;C!J!~D~itment to make it available to all interested parties,it is now ready for viewing. I am therefore tabling ~erewith a copy of the draft bill so that the hon.members of the House may have an opportunity to examine it. 1359

February 23,1977 Tape 498 AH-.--2- t ... ~----- · MR. PECKFORD: It is our intention to follow the proceedure that is customary in the case of a white paper. Copies of the draft 'are available immediately to all persons who hold mineral rights that will be affected. They will be invited to summit their comments to me in writing not later than March 23,1977. In addition,an announcement will be carried in the provincial news media informing the general public of the availability of the draft, stating the deadline for re~ponse.

As soon as possible after the March 23rd deadline , a final draft of the bill will be prepared and I expect to introduce the final draft in the House in time for passag~ during the current session. I hereby table this. SOME RON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! MR. SPEAKER: Ron. Leader of the Opposition. MR.. ROBERTS : Mr.

Speaker, there is not a great deal that I need to say at this time because , of course, the minister has not made a substantive statement in that he has tabled a bill,and the bill itsel.f is a substantive matter and we do not know what is in it- .. __ I . can say ~ things , Sir; first of all that we welcome the government•s- - iti:Lti 'ative ·in acting on this matter.

It is an inportant matter and one that cuts very deeply to the very heart of the question of the mineral resources of ~<is province, because is is well known there are large areas of this province that are held in various forms of ; -tenure - that are not, I think it is fair to say, being developed at sufficie.~t speed. And if the bill will help to achieve that desirable goal , then , Sir, we.shall welcome it. Secondly, Sir.

I think the minister should be congratulated for his - and tlie ' goveimnenf; - the minister is acting on behalf of government, for tabling ... .... . ----- · - - .. ---- - . --- . the bill because it will enable all concerned to look on it, and to study it,and not only to provide the minister and the government with reactions and advice,which 111a.y very well be c he~I?.f~- ~ . but also, Sir, 1360

February 23,1977 TApe 498 AH-;_3 __ ) --- -- - MR. ROBERTS: we on this side will be , as a result~a little better prepared for the public debate;. B~caus~_' as so often happens, Mr. Speaker, the members of the House by and large are -not expert in a great T • • • • . - - - • • - - • • · - deal of the business that comes before the House.

I do not think we have any mining engineers in the House at present,or anybody particularly knowledgable , unless he happens to have served as minister-~ndeed ~ all the previous ministers of Mines and Energy have met a ~-fi!'te , of one sort or another,, a~ -a result they are no longer in the House-and being able to get outside input of this nature in this way is I think a very, very valuable thing.

I hope , Sir, that the minister is expressing a new policy of the administration and that the Minister of Health willrshortly ' be tabling a draft of the denturists legislation, where I think, Sir, exactly the same principal will apply and I think , Sir, that the public input there will be just as welcome as it will be in the case of the bill which the minis .ter has today tabled. SOME RON. MEMBERS :: Hear, hear! 1361

February 23, 1977 Tape 499 PK - 1 PRESENTING PETITIONS MR. SPEAKER: The hen. Leader of the Opposition. HON. E. M. ROBERTS: Mr. Speaker, it is my turn today to present a petition from my district. I would like, Sir, to table a petition signed by 530 residents, citizens of the area along the St. Barbe Coast in my district of the Straits of Belle Isle. This petition, Sir, was sent to me last week.

I got it on Friday, and of course I was absent from the House yesterday and Monday, and thus this is the first chance which I have had to present _ ~t. _ Mv Sl)_an:trut _.mate,the Minister of Transportation and Communications, I have sent him a copy of the petition. I propose, of course, to table the original. The minister I hope will say a word or two on it, but in any event I have sent it to him as I believe that is the wish of the petitioners.

Sir, the prayer of the petition is quite long. · I think I can sum it up succinctly by saying that the petitioners, and, Sir, this is a very large proportion of the people who live between the communities of Blue Cove and Anchor Point in the Southern part of the St. Barbe area, and the community of Cook's Harbour and the nearby communities of Wild Bight andNorth Boat Harbour in ·the Northern part of the area concerned.

Sir, the prayer of the petition is that these people ask the government not to relocate the main road, the Northern Peninsula Highway,or alternately,if the government wish to relocate it,as in fact has been done, the prayer of the petition is that the present road~which we know now as the Northern Peninsula Highway,that that road be maintained, upgraded and, in fact, paved. Mr. Speaker, I do not want to get into the discussion as to whether the road should be relocated or not.

The minister has taken that decision, and I may say, Sir, he did so only after exhaustive consultation with people in the area; his decision was not necessarily -the on~ which many of them wanted, although many of them did want it, but the _minister,very much to his credit, Sir, did come to Cook's Harbour and heard the people concerned. They stated their case, and in due course the minister made his decision, taking into· account the factors and the information which he had. 1362 --

February 23, 1977 Tape 499 PK - 2 Mr. Roberts: The prayer of this petition, Sir, does not necessarily criticize that decision, so much as it _as~~the minister to make the further decision to maintain the road and to upgrade it. The people cbncerned, Sir, feel that there are many points in favour of this, and I think they have some very good points.

They talk about the fact that the community of Big Brook will be completely withou~ publicly maintained road connections, and I believe the result of that will be that most of the people of Big Brook will be offered the opportunity to move with the government, in effece, buying their houses at, I hope, true market value,enabling the people to settle in new homes elsewhere. The people of Big Brook, Sir, a small but a viable community, they do ·not want to leave, Sir.

In addition, there is the fact that this particular stretch of road, Sir, about thirty or forty miles between Eddies Cove East and the Cook's Harbour junction, a little to the East of the Cook's Harbour junction, that this particular stretch of road, Mr. Speaker, is used extensively in the Summer by people from the Eddies Cove area who use it for fishing.

There is also the fact that the petitioners believe the government will not save a great deal of money by relocating the road, and they also feel that the present road is more attractive to the tourist industry in that it runs along the shore instead of going inland to the bottom of Hare Bay and then Northwest to come· back into the Northern Peninsula Road by the airport and Pistolet Bay. And then finally, Sir, the petitioners give it as their, view that the proposed route will have a drastic effect on the ecology of the whole area. Mr. Speaker, I support the prayer of the petition, and I do so whole-heartedly.

The minister, in my view, made the best decision- · or made what ' he believed to be the best decision, and I do not quarrel with it,on the information which he had, and I do not think at this stage 1363

February 23, 1977 Tape 499 PK- 3 .Mr. Roberts: we can change that decision. Indeed I believe the minister has already called tenders for some stretches of the new route of the road. And I do not quarrel with the minister's decision, I have not quarrelled with it here in the House, nor have I quarrelled with it in my district or elsewhere in the Province. I do feel though that if the prayer of the petition could be granted as an addition . to the road it would be a very valuable thing.

I do not know if we could get the road paved at this point, Sir, but certainly if that road ~ the stretch of road, it is now there, it is the main road, it has been used since the early 1960s, it is the main highway of the Northern Peninsula- if that road can be continued to be maintained and made driveable, and if it can be perhaps not.upgraded significantly at this point, but if it could be given the care and the attention it needs to make it a motorable road that, Sir, would be a very great benefit to people of the area. And so I 1364

February 23, 1976 Tape no. 500 Page. 1 - mw Mr. Roberts. say to the Minister of Transportation, whom I· hope will say a word or two on this petition, Sir, that I support the prayer of the petition.And in so doing I would say to h±m that I interpret the real point of the petition as being not to abandon the new route, which I think ~s now;- fait accompli, for right or for wrong, but instead, Mr.

Speaker, to say that the government will do what needs to be done to ensure that the prese~t route of the road is maintained and continued ~:to use as a motorable road and one which will contine to serve the people of the area. I think there is a very real need for it, Sir. I think the case is justified, and I hope, Sir, that the government, speaking through the minister, will commit themselves to do that. I support the petition, Sir. SOME BON. MEMBERS: Bear, hear! MR. SPEAKER: The hon. Minister of Transportation and Communications •.. -: MR. MORGAN: Mr. Speaker, I fee~ I have to say a few words on this petition.

First of all,I am wondering where the petitioners are· ·residing. It does not sa"'( in the petition. I have a copy of it -w!re.

The last year when the decision was made to relocate the main highway on the Northern Peninsula, prior to that decision being made there was considerable consultation with the people in the area by means of writing to all of the councils in the area, and the citizens' groups and committees, and indeed prominent citizens as well of these communities asking their views with regards to the proposed location as outlined by the engineeri~g staff of the Department of Transportation and Communications .-, -aii-a-tlifi was -being done, the proposed route in consultation with the Federal/Provincial DREE Committee , because the funds for -the building .-o£ that new-section of road is mainly from that source of funding,from DREE.

Also, I travelled to the area, accompanied by the member for the area, and we met with the citizens of the Boat Barbour, Cook · Barbour area, at a public meeting, and outlined the position of the department and also obtaining the views from the people. So upon these methods of consultation . ~ decision was finally made by myself- 1365 ..: -..

February 23, 1977 Tape no. 500 Page 2 - mw Mr. Morgan. as th~ minister responsible, a decision was to reroute the road by means of a new construction across the Northern Peninsula, from Eddies Cove across towards the St. Anthony airport, just South of the airport location. That decision is a final one. It was approved by the Federal/Provincial Committee, and tenders have been called for. the new construction, at least - sections of that new construction~ across the peninsula.

With regards to the concern of the people of Big Brook, which is mainly the only 'community directly affected by the change - I say, directly affected - the community of Big Brook ' is located between Eddies Cove and on the road towards Cooks Harbour and Boat Harbour. There are approximately, I think~ fourt·een families residing there. So what will be done is that after the new construction is complete~ the matter will be assessed by means of negotiations between the officials of the Department of Transportation and the residents of the area with reg~ds to possibly relocation.

And if this is not acceptable or satisfactory, we will then reassess the situation, looking at the possibility - and I repeat,the possibility - of keeping that old

section of road open as well. But I would like to mention one thing~ _ _ it was brought to the attention of the House yesterday, the bon. Bouse of Assembly, by the member for LaPoile QMr. Neary) who rightly or wrongly so brought forward the worries and concerns of people in the ~on~ - Lea~er of the Opposition's district with regards to the problems of snow ploughing that same

section of old road, that old section. The

section in the Anchor, Point, Big Brook area, is a

section of road that is open to the environmental conditions as on the coast. There is a very _ severe problem in keeping that

section of road open in Winter, and we feel that this problem will be overcome by means of the new road being built across the peninsula awav from the coastline, and will offset the problems as out forward yesterday by the bon. ~entleman for LaPoile (Mr. Neary). So taKing - ail these factors into consideration, Mr. Speaker, the situation will be assessed after the new construction 1J66 --

-l!ebruary 23, 1977 Tape no. 500 Page 3 - mw Mr. Morgan. is completed, and then a decision will be made by the department concerned. SOME BON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! MR. SPEAKER: The hon. member for Naskaupi. MR. GOUDIE: Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to present a p~tition·on behalf of a number of residents and property owners in the community of Mud Lake, which is a part of the district of Naskaupi. There are fifty-three signatures on the petition, Mr. Speaker. It is a joint petition,more or less, I suppose, since the elementary school got involved in this one as well. There are fifteen additional signatures from that school. 1367

February 23, 1977, Tape 501, Page 1 -- apb -MR. GOUDIE: -~_4'· to explain, anyone who is familiar, particularly the member for Eagle River ·:_ (Mr. Strachan), who is familiar with the community of Mud Lake will realize that out of a total population of ~bout ninety-four or ninety-five people, fifty-three signatures would seem to be a little out of ratio, but as they indicate in the prayer, which I am about to read ~n just a moment, it involves residents and property owners in Mud Lake. · The pYayer of the petition, ~I.

Speaker, is that, "The following residents and property owners of ·Mud Lake, in the district of Naskaupi, hereby declare that they are united in opposing any national park development in this area. We have used and respected the land·without need of boundaries for generations and we· will not support any development plans which threaten the traditional use of this land." -The other part of the petition from the elementary school, "We the ~tude~ts of Mud Lake heard that you might place a park here in Mud Lake. We protest strongly against having a park here.

We do not mind as much if you just put it in the Mealey Mountains as long as it does not interfere with us in our living, homes and hunting." I might add that this is an elementary school. Most of the students who are involved in their part of this petition are very young children and perhaps they do not have · the proper concept of where the park may go, but they wish to express their opinions. That is a total of sixty-eight signatures from the community of Mud Lake.

Just speaking in support of the petition, a bit of brief background: Last Fall, in November I believe, a gentleman was contracted by Parks Canada to come in to several communities in Labrador to get feedback from the people on their feelings about the idea of a national park. Two areas had been selected, two geographic areas had been selected in Labrador for national parks, one is the Torngat 1368 -..

February 23, 1977, Tape 501, Page 2 -- apb MR. GOUDIE: Mountain area in Northern Labrador and the one which is concerned,bere, the Mealey Mountains. A number of questions were raised by -the communities and individuals. They bad asked for feedback in written form and to be given a month to deliberate on that information so that they could sit down with Parks Canada and, I would assume, Provincial Parks people as well, to discuss the implications of a park. To my knowledge, that information has not been forthcoming and that I would suspect is why the residents of Mud Lake have taken this stand at this time.

So ·I just wish to add my support to the petition, Mr. Speaker, and ask that it be placed on the table of the House and referred to the · department to which it relates. MR. SPEAKER: The bon. the member for Eagle River. MR. STRACHM{: Mr. Speaker, I have no question in supporting the prayer of the petition by the people of Mud Lake as presented by the member for Naskaupi (Mr. Goudie). I have had a good deal of experience in the last four or five years with the National Parks of Canada in their attempt to create national parks within Labrador.

I may say there is no issue in Labrador which gets so close to the people as the issue of land and hunting rights. The people there, as witnessed by this petition here in which even children take

part in the petition and will be prepared to give their comments on it, the people there will not often pass comment or remarks on economic development o~ developments of many sorts, but when it comes to the use of the land, the traditional use and rights, then they very often become very emotional and become very often hardheaded,as the Minister of Tourism has often witnessed. I feel in this petition there is the very basis in Labrador,which we have been trying to bring up for a number of years, the question of economic versus social values. It may seem strange to some people that 1369

February 23, 1977, Tape 501, Page 3 - apb MR. STRACHAN: people will turn down a park: ·which may economically benefit them. i~t-~ the people . in Labrador, many people .. who~~e know ,are questioning economic value. They question the values that a great number of tourists would bring in to the area, they question that they themselves may change. They are in a cash economy and no one is a~guing __ any foolishness of being anything else but a cash economy, but they are concerned about trying to preserve a little of what they have left.

We are living in North America,and the ·great North America is encroaching at a great pace,and people in .Labrador are concerned that 'what we are going to set aside are very small areas, because that is what these national parks would be, very small areassand all other areas in Labrador would therefore be open for development, mineral __ , __ _ development or any other form of development. The people are very suspicious.

I have expressed to National Parks that we would fight the idea of the park, initially on the basis that if there was a park ever created _ the people must have their traditional rights protected. That was a very big step compared to the Gros Morne National Park where peo~le did not have these rights protected at all. Later the 1370

February 23 ~ 1977 Tape 502 IB-1 MR.. STP.ACHAN : · people have opposed this, I think the second park in the T~~~~t- Mountains may see the same reaction. I will not state here that I am prepared to say that that is what people will do around the Nain and Davis Inlet area. But certainly the people feel that way, that they do not wish to see such national parks, that they are concerned with _Eourists -being dumped on them in large numbers and creating a difference in the way of life,and exploitation they feel. I have no hesitation whatsoever in supporting· the prayer of this petition.

I do not wish to add a sour note.but I must state that the member for Naskaupi must feel sometimes very pained to hear his minister and his government, the ~inister of Tourism, state some of his feelings in what can only be regarded as a very hardheaded 19th century Tory attitude about . people's rights. · MR.. SPEAKER: Order, please! I must ask the hon. gentleman and require that he stick to the allegation of the petition. ~ffi.. STRACHAN : Mr.

Speaker, if I can only say then, there must be some real problem in trying to resolve the situation within government circles as to how you are going to handle the situation, how you are going to value the people's rights. And I hope that in future ..:. negotiations with the federal government that the ministers and the government will take a strong attitude and defend the rights qf the people of Labrador. SOME HON. MEMBEF.S : Hear, hear! MR. SPEAKER: The hon. Minister of Tourism. MR. HICKEY·: Mr. Speaker, there is a little information I should provide on this matter.

I want to say first of all that the people of ¥ud Lake, their views are appreciated. I think it might well be said that their concerns are probably a bit premature inasmuch as one gets the i~pression, not so much from the petition but from the releases to the media, that the people of ~ud Lake and indeed many other people in Labrador area are of the opinion that the decision with regards to · national park development in Labrador is all but taken. 1371

February 23, 1977 Tape 502 IB-2 MR. HICKEY: Now I want to clearly state today on behalf of the government that this situation is not necessarily correct, that no decision has been made with regards to national park development in Labrador.

That the statement also with regards to the gentleman who went to Labrador representing Parks Canada and that no one heard from him, I find that a little bit hard to understand because I hav~ in my possession a report which was completed by this.gentleman which was released to the media on his trip and all that went with that,and views and feelings of the people as expressed so as to indeed not only request involvemen ,t but to provide the vehicle or facility,as it were,to see that total public involvement was maintaineq. I also want to say, Mr.

Speaker, that the policy of this administration insofar as the development of those two po~ential parks is a complete departure from the past. We have taken the position that the people of Labrador should have input and should be involved and should have an opportunity to express their views as to the land use and what is best for themselves and the people in the Province generally. I can say further in clos,ing that I hope that this report has reached the people in Labrador. If not,I w~uld certainly be glad to make it available. I want to say further that my colleagues have been consulted on this matter.

I can say too that there is a long way to go before any ·final decision · is taken, before this government will ' pass over to Parks Canada and through them to the federal government one inc~ of land for park development. And furthermore that only when it is clearly stated that it is in the best interests of the people of Labrador will that kind of decision be made. SOME HON. MIDAJ3ERS: Hear, hear! PRESENTING REPORTS BY STANDING .AND SPECIAL COMITTTEES : MR. SPEAKE F.: The hon. Minister of Forestry and Agriculture. MR. ¥AYNARD: Mr.

Speaker, I would like to table the Livestock Health Amendment Regulations, 1976; Blueberry Regulations; Livestock Insurance Regulations, 1976; and as well the Report of the Farm Development Loan Board as done by the Auditor General for the year - 1372

February 23, 1977 Tape 502 IB-3 MR. SIMMONS: A point of order; Mr. - Sp_~-~~r. ____ _ MR.. SPEAKER: A point of order has come up. MR. SIMMONS: I am sure what the minister is saying is immensely interesting,but we cannot hear a word. I do not know if his mike is not on or if he is a bit shy but if we could hear, have the benefit of his wisdom,we would be most appreciative. MR. MAYNARD: The mike probably was not on. AN HOB~ MEMBER: The light is on. MR. MAYNARD: The light is on,so that is all I know about it. MR. SIMMONS: We would like to hear you. Speak up. MR.

MAYNARD: It is not very heavy reading and I am sure you will get a chance to have a look at it, Mr. s_peaker. The reports of the Farm Development Loan Board for the year ending March 31st., 1975, and for the year ending March 31st., 1976. AN HON. MEMBER: Heavy stuff that is. MR. MAYNARD: It will keep you up all night. 1373

February 23, 1977 Tape No. 503 NM- 1 ANSWERS TO . QUESTIONS FOR WHICH NOTICE HAS BEEN GIVEN: - MR. SPEAKER: The hon. Minister of Transportation and Communications. MR. K>RGAN: '· Mr. Speaker, I want to give a reply to a question placed orally in the House of Assembly a few days ago by t~e hon. gentleman from Windsor-Buchans {Mr. Flight). He was enquiring of whether or not the Buchans Mining Company had intentions or plans to divert their shipments of ore from rail onto the road.

The situation is presently that the mining company ships from Buchans to Millertown Junction by means of their own rail facilities ,and from Millertown Junction to Bishop's Falls they use the CNR rail facilities, and from Bishop's Falls to Botwood they are using the facilities owned by Price (Nfld.) Limited. This is of a major concern to us, the Department of Transportation, in fact to the provincial government,because so far over the past couple of yearsobulk shipments have seemed to be going from rail onto the road.

We see pulpwood now _ shipped from the Glenwood area all the way to Corner Brook by road and prior to now was going by rail. And the asphalt manufactured in Clarenville is now going onto the _ road instead of rail. And gas and oil,for example~anded in Lewisporte normally went by · rail is now going by road. Gypsum manufactured in St. George's is going by road instead' of rail. These bulk shipments are naturally having a very serious and-deterloratiltg-- effect- an_ the- Tra~s-Canada Highway because it means more heavy vehicle typetraffic on _the_ highway.

So that the answer to the question is we- will -be cont acting the company concerned at Buchans to determine what their plans are, and hopefully arranging a meeting with the CNR to arrange a rate which they can find economical to them as a mining company and retain their present means of shipping their ore on rail instead of going to road. 1371t

February 23, 1977 Tape No. 503 ORAL QUESTIONS : MR. SPEAKER: The hon. Leader of the Opposition. MR.. ROBER'tS : Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Sir, it is with reference to Mr., I am not sure if it is Weber or Veber, Mr. Franz Vebe~ or Weber, the gentleman from I believe it is Switzerland,who is,I gather, coming to Newfoundland tonight.

And yesterday in the House of Assembly the Minister of Fisheries in reply to a question said that he had declined to meet with Mr Weber,_ I think I am quoting the minister correctly, it is what Hansard says- and I received a similar invitation this morning which I declined. I mean I _thin~ __ the man is a fanatic and half-cracked and we should noc pay any attention to hfm. But my question is this, Sir; Mr.

Webber's lawyer informed my staff that he had arranged meeting with - - either a member of the government i.e., a political member, a minister, or a public official, and my question to the Premier, Sir, is whether he is aware of any such meetings NM- 2 having been arranged and if so whether he will take - if I may, I know you can only ask one question but they are all you know, one slice of the applies -!f so whether steps will be taken to forbid such a meeting,and alternately if no such meeting has been arranged to the Premier's knowledge,will he issue instiuctions, only the Premier can do it, that no public official and no minister of the government will meet with this gentleman?

I think the best · way to treat him, Sir, is just to ignore him, and show him what we think of him. MR.. SPEAKER: The bon. the Premier • PREMIER MOORES: Mr. Speaker, there is no question whatsoever about the ignoring of Mr. Webe;- , or whatever his name is. The - -fact is that the man, in my opinion, is an opportuni~t, out to_ look after himself as opposed to the seals; and I think the man is playing a publicity campaign,that we have seen done by others 1375

February 23 • 1977 Tape No. 503 NM- 3 PBEMIER. MOORES: in th\ past~' I think he is doing nothing but a disservice to the Province and the traditions that have gon~ before. As far as I am concerned myself, I will not be meeting with Mr._~~~~ under any circumstances. I suggest that none of the ministers will be as well, And certainly our _o~fic~als Wi~l be advised accordingly. because, SiJ;", I could not ~gree more with the Leader of the Oppos~ti~ __ nor __ c:o~ld this side of the House. People like Mr. Weber·. a:ae most undesirable t.o have in this Province at this time. SOME RON. MEMBERS: 'oW . h- ., __ n~ar, . ea;-:. 1376

February 21, 1977 Tape no. 504 Page 1 - mw &. SPEAKER: The boL member for LaPoile, followed by the bon. gentleman for Terra Nova. MR. .. ~: ' Mr. Speaker, a question for the hon. Premier. Would the Premier tell the House now what is happening, as far as this Province is concerned, in connection with wage and price controls? MR. SPEAKER: The hon. Premier. PREMIER MOORES: At the present time, Mr. Speaker, to the best of my knowledge - and I think it i~ correct - that we are going along with the federal position, that we have supported from the beginning, and we intend to support it until the phase out period comes.

And when that comes, we will be looking at it and establishing -our position.then. MR. NEARY: A supplementary question, Mr. Speaker. MR. SPEAKER: A supplementary. MR. NEARY: Is the hon. Premier aware that meetings have taken place in Ottawa this week in connection with phasing out the wage and price control programme? Minsiters of Labour, I think, from all across Canada have been at these meetings. Does the Premier know anything about the formula that is going to be used ? And if so, would the Premier tell the House just how they plan on doing it. PREMIER MOORES: Mr.

Speaker, there has been no date ~et to our knowledge, and I know that there has not been a date set~as j to when the post control period will be entered into. I can also say that the method of how. the post controls will be regulated or adopted has not been decided. Of course, there has to be ongoing meetings between Ministers of Labour and other people regarding the various ideas that people have as to which way i~ should be done. It is going to be a very difficult period, but a very .important period. But there have been no firm decisions made as to when or the exact procedure. MR. NEARY: A supplementary, Mr.

Speaker. M&. SPEAKER: A supplementary. MR. NEARY: Will the hon. Premier indicate whether or not his government will go along with the plan to terminate wage and price 1377 --

February U. 1977 Tape no. 504 Page 2 - mw Mr. Neary. controls for various groups as their union contract expires? Is this the · plan? ---=--- PREMIER MOORES: Mr. Speaker, there has been no decision made on that. And, as I say, these ongoing meetings that we are having with the federal government and !h~ other prov~ncas~ evolving from thos~~ m_e~t~gs will be ~~e pasit:f.~_ t~t this gove111Dient will studv and·then announce our position on it. MR. NEARY: A supplementary, Mr. Speaker. MR. SPEAKER: One further supplementary. MR. NEARY: Mr.

Speaker, could the Premier indicate to the -House then when the Premier thinks that the wage and price controls. as a result of the discussions, the wage and price controls · will terminate in tliis Province? Could the Premier give us a ball-park idea of when they will terminate'Z MR.. SPEAKER:· - The hon. Premier. -. ---- --- -· - PREMIER MOORES: I have absolutely no idea, Mr. Speaker. There have been various dates mentioned, the late Fall of this year, the early Spring of next year.

But at the present moment it would be totally incorrect to hazard a .. guess at the particular time, because I do not think anybody, including the federal authorities, know. MR. SPEAKER: The hon. member for terra Nova. · MR. LUSH: Mr. Speaker, in the absence of the hon. Minister of Manpower and Industrial Relations, I would like to direct this question to the Premier, and ask if he is in a position to be able to inform the House as to what might be the latest developments with respect to the strike in Labrador City? MR. SPEAKER: The hon. Premier.

PREMIER MOORES : At the present time the Minister of Labour is involved in that particular dispute. And until such time as his meetings are over, and . he has reported-oacK., I- think-;- it: ·wouid ·wrong for me to hazard a guess as to what I hope is happening, Sir. MR. SPEAKER: The hon. member for Windsor - Buchans. MR. FLIGHT: Mr. Speaker, a question to the Minister of Tourism. 1378

February 2i,l977 Tape no. 504 Page 3- mw Would the minister advise the 'BOU.e as to what increases in the level of either facilities or services that the public of Newfoundland can expect as a result of the dollar increase imposed last year on the daily fees in the parks? What improvement in services or facilities, as a result of that dollar per day increase, can the public of this Province expect? MR. SPEAKER: The hon. Minister of Tourism. MR. HICKEY: Mr. Speaker, that is a rather interesting question. I do not know the exact amount of money. I would have .to c:heck that.

I c:an tell my hon. friend that we cannot even see any light in the tunnel yet in terms of balancing out the I c:ost of operation of provincial parks _in this ~rovinc~ with the amount of revenue c:ollected. Five years ago or six years ago I when the last inc:rease was affec:ted, at that time we had something like forty-eight per cent revenue as opposed to the total c:ost of operation. At least we felt that we could sort of live with that situation.

It dropped to something like twenty-four per c:ent, and the dollar that was imposed only brought us somewhere,or was projected to bring us somewhere like thirty-three to thirty-five per cent. So really the 1379

February 23, 1977 Tape 505 IB-1 MR:. HICKEY: increase in park fees was not affected to provide additional facilities or anything of that nature but to arrive at some kind of a reasonable situation with regards to operating expenditures and the costs that go with those. MR. FLIGHT: A supplementary. MR. SPEAKER: A supplementary. MR. FniGHT: Would the minister confirm or deny that the increase was intended to keep mainland or non-resident tourists out of our parks as indicated by the· minister's statement that accompanied the increase? MR. HICKEY: That is not what he said, 11r. Speaker.

The minister's statement,as it seems to happen occasionally,was just taken out of context by a'would-be member of the media who was stuck for a subject on Open Line that morning and decided that he was going to have a little fun. The minister very simply said this,in justifying the increase when asked what this was going to do to out of Province people coming in to use our parks,I simply said that the park system in this Prqvince was developed for use first and fore~ost by Newfoundlanders.

Now if gentlemen on the opposite side want to quarrel with that, then they are quarrelling with a policy that they themselves enunciated for some fifteen ye~rs. I do not really quarrel with it at all,because I agree with .that policy, that the parks of this Province should be ' developed ·for our· own people first. SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! MR. HICKEY: We should share our resource, of course. We should share our environment with our visitors,but we should first and foremost take care of our own people, Mr. Speaker. That was the purpose of the park policy.

That is still the purpose,and my remarks with regards to people out of the Province came as a result of that. And my remarks were simply this, that our parks are bursting at the seams. We have the lowest rates in any part of Canada. We are not even keeping abreast of the increases that are being affected in other parts of Canada, and we do not want to have the rates so low that it is going to 1380

February 23, 1977 Tape 5os IB-2 MR. HICKEY: be a place for pe~ple to flock and destroy the environment. That is all. That is all I said. Now any irresponsible Newfoundland member of the media who wants to take that out of context and use it, I would say 'is pretty cheap. I should say that he also lacks a little bit of patriotism. _ }i~ might even lack common sense. }1R. FLIGHT: Mr. Speaker, a supplementary. MR. SPEAKER: A supplementary. MR.

FLIGHT: Would the minister agree,though,that a statement saying that the increase by a dollar a day - would the minister agree that a statement made in the middle of the Summer that an- increase in- our park rates of a dollar a day, it 't•?aS hoped that that increase l¥ould be • the means of mainland and non-resident tourists not living so much in our · parks, not putting that much pressure on our parks ~wo~~ he admit that that in itself would hurt the tourist potential of . this Province, that they would say, "To heck with you. If you do not want us in your parks, we will not come." :MR. HICKEY: No, Mr.

Speaker, certainly not. Artd I will offer·some facts to counteract that. The gentleman who used this issue as a little bit of a hot issue and got a few people upset that one day said that he went out and took a survey,and the survey showed to be very one-sided .. as the people being opposed to the increase.

The ~ Daily News the following day went out and did a survey-and I suggest that whoever did the survey for The Daily News asked the questions in a fair and just way and a proper way - and they· came·· back and said that the result of the park increases, the fees, or the increase in fees,had absolutely no effect; that the people questioned,including out of Province tourists,said it l~s reasonable, it was to be expected, the cost of everything else was rising, why would not an increase in fees in parks be something that one should look forward to or could look forward to. So really it had no effect. MR.

SPEAKER: The bon. member for Baie Verte-White Bay. MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, my questio~ is for the Minister of Transportation 1381

February 23, 1977 Tape 505 IB-3 MR. RIDEOU!: -and Communications. ·--- By way of' a short - peraiilble the minister will recall that early last ·summer a preliminary report from ~he Mount Sinai Scheol of Medicine indicated that road dust on certain roads on the Baie Verte Peninsula may be hazardous to health, and the minister visited those roads shortly thereafter. I wonder if the minister could tell the House whether or not his department has in fact carried out any dust sampling on, particularly, the Fleur de Lys-coachman' s Cove Road and Seal Cove...: Wlld Cove Road?' The bon.

Minister of Transportation and Communications. MR. MORGAN: Mr. Speaker, the tests that were carried out by the department upon obtaining samples from the two roads mentioned, the Seal Cove Road and the Coachman's Cove Road, -- 1382

February 23, 1977, Tape 506, Page 1 -- apb - MR. li>RGAN: ---,~hQ-~~_!y_ _ after my visit to the area these samples had been tested and the reports from these tests indicate there is no asbestos dust in the road dust. However, before making any definite decision on the matter we are awaiting the report of Dr. Selikoff,which I assume · ' will be made to my colleague,the Minister of Realth,in the very near future.

So therefore, the only information we have- to date , .there '._!s_ 110 concrete evidence showing tl;la,t: __ there -- -- - -- is asbestos dust in the road ~us;_ q_n ~~~e- ~o- ro_!lds mentipned. _____ _ MR. SPEAKER: A supplementary. MR.· RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the minister is in a position, or if not he could probably get the information, to indicate where in particular,the exact locations that those dust _samples were taken from on those two roads? MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Communications. MR. MORGAN: Mr.

Speaker, I do not know the exact location, the exact mileage or the footage in the sections of road, but the information can be obtained from the engineering s t aff of-my -department who obtained the samples, and also, I can give the information with regard to the test carried out. MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition. MR.. ROBERTS : Mr. Speaker, my question is for th~ Minister of Finance, who seems to have slipped out of his seat for a . moment. Perhaps in his absence the Premier can answer it.

I would like to know, Sir, to begin with, and I do have a supplementary or two, whether there are any negotiations currently underway between the Treasury Board officials on the one hand,and on the other hand Fepresentatives of the NAPE bargaining unit currently on strike at the Waterford Hospital? MR. SPEAKER: The bon. the Premier. PREMIER MOORES: I would suggest, Mr. Speaker, it is - bet ter for the President of Treasury Board, who is not very far away, when he comes back, if the Leader of the Opposition could wait, I will get him in here to answer that question. 1383 --

February 23, 1977, Tape 506, Page 2 -- apb MR. SPEAKER: A supplementary. MR. ROBERTS : A supplementary, if I might, Sir. Mr. Speaker, could the Premier tell the House whether the campaign currently underway to recruit senior civil servants to go to the Waterford during their regular working hours and work there instead of at their regular duties here in Confederation Building, or wherever they may be, whether . - -- - that.campaign is being carried out with the knowledge and approval of the government? MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier. PREMIER MOORES: Well, Mr. Speaker, I did not know of any campaign as such.

I certainly kno~ that there are some people in the service who have volunteered to go and carry on the serv,ices so that -thes~ peo~le in this hospital who cannot help themselves,but must have assistance in keeping the hospital going, keeping it operating - there have been many volunteers, not just in the public service, but a great many citizens as well. And if people want to volunteer to help their ·fellowmen in this regard, yes, Sir, the government is for it. SOME RON. MEMBERS : Hear, hear! MR. SPEAKER: . A supplementary. MR. ROBERTS.: Mr.

Speaker, is the Premier aware that officials of the Treasury Board have visited at least one depar .tment to invite the senior officials of that department, ~ho ~er; gathered together for this purpose, gathered together for the purpose of hearing the Treasury Board representatives . , to invite them to go to work at the Waterford during their regular working hours!

Now I am not speaking of the need, there is obviously a need for staff at the Waterford Hospital with the employees on strike, but what I want to know is the Premier,or the Minister -now that he has returned to his seat, aware that what .. seems to be a recruiting campaign, far beyond volunteers, but a recruiting campaign saying, '~e need people between seven in the morning and six in the evening.. In other 1384 --

February 23, 1977, Tape 506, Page 3 -- apb MR. ROBERTS : words, instead of coming to work at Confederation Building for · the day you can go to work at . . Waterford because the' need is there; would you do it1" That is going.on,and all I ask at this stage is whether the Premier or the minister is aware of it? MR.. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance. MR. DOODY: Mr. Speaker, I have no doubt that some-of the senior people in many of the departments have had discussions along that line.

I know that there are volunteers from Treasury Board and from He~~~ _ll~d from others who are -- ·- - . -- doing absolutely remarkable things at the Waterford Hospital. I know of officials who leave their beds at five o'clock in the morning to be on call in there for the early morning rises, for the six o'clock shaving and washing and breakfasting thing. These are volunteers from the departments who are willing to go in and do this sort of thing. SOME RON. MEMBERS: Rear, hear! MR. DOODY: I can only say, thank God! we have people like that in the Province of New£oundland. SOME RON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! MR.

DOODY: If one were to call this recruiting, if it means that somebody from Treasury Board has gone to a particular department and outlined the need and stated the circumstanees and said that this opportunity is available, then I .say, congratll;lationa to that member of Treasury Board and : I am proud to have him on my staff. AN RON. MEMBER: You leaned on them! MR. DOODY: I would also say that I have leaned on nobody, I will not lean on anybody.

The only people who are being leaned on right now, unfortunately, are the 400 inmates of the Waterford Hospital, and thank r~n there are people, as I have said, in this ' building and in other parts of the public service who take their responsibilities seriously enough to go in and look after these people. SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! 1385

'Febmaty · 23, 1977, Tape 506, Page 4 - apb 'l'he lion. the member for LaPoile a supplementary. Ml. NEARY: A supplementary question to t~e bon the Prem:f.er, Sir. As a result of the strike at the Waterford - ·- R()~pi_ta_L the Premier was prompted to make a public statement about having second thoughts on strikes in essential services. Would the Premier care to elaborate on that statement and tell. the House what the govertDDent has in mind along these lines? MR. SPEAKim:: The hon. th·e Premier. PREMIER HJORES: As 1 said at that time, Mr.

Speaker, ~e whole business of strikes in the essential service I think should be looked at. We have no plans to bring in any speci.fic legislation at this time, -- 138n

February 23, 1977 Tape 507 PK- 1 Premier Moores: J?~t: . certainly there has got to be something wrong, Sir, with a system where a strike is used in institutions that can not possibly help themselves. It is something that, I think, unions and management, in this case government,should be very aware that in our public duties, and everyone has a duty in this regard, that there has to be some mechanism or . some method better than the c_~n!ronl_a_~io_n _pro~ess __ that we have at the present time. SOME HON. MEMBERS: Rear, hear! MR. NEARY: Mr. Speaker, a supplementary. MR.

SPEAKER: I will allow one further supplementary. MR. NEARY: Would the Premier, Mr. Speaker, indicate to the House if it is wise to be making these kinds of statements at a time when there are difficulties rather than to think about it when there is industrial peace, labour peace in this Province? MR. SPEAKER: The bon. the Premier. PREMIER MOORES: Mr-. Speaker, ·the matter when these announcements -- ·~ - --- ---- should be made I think it is really academic.

Surely any government worth its salt~or any people in the position of gove~ing this Province,will make statements whether the timing is right or not if the statement is correct. SOME RON. MEMBERS: Rear, hear! MR. SPEAKER:. The bon. Leader of •the Opposition. MR.

ROBERTS: Now that the minister has returned to his seat I wonder if he could answer the original question out of which - no, the minister was not in his seat- -my questi.im was simply whether any negotiations are currently underway between the Treasury Board staff or officials on one hand, and on the other hand representatives of the NAPE bargaining unit at the Waterford Hospital? MR.. SPEAKER: The hon. Minister of Finance. MR. W. DOODY: No, Mr. Speaker, to the best of my knowledge there are no ongoing conversations between the two groups.

As I have stated on various occasions, and will state again, and I am grateful for the opportunity of stating again,that Treasury Board and the Hospital J ·

February 23, 1977 Tape 507 PK - 2 Mr. Doody: Association at Waterford are quite willing and anxious to sit down at any time with the unit and try to resolve the problem that is in the~e. There is no problem,I am sure,that cannot be ironed out by reasonable people who can sit down reasonably and try to get at the root· of the problem .and work it out. I might take this occasion. Sir, to call the Rouse's attention to the fact that while 1 was out 'of the Rouse a minute ago I was in conversation with Mr.

Wheeler of the NTA and with our Treasury Board people who tell me that they have come to a tentative agreement on the teachers' dispute. But Mr. Wheeler is bringing that tentative agreement to his executive, and hence to his Branch President, and he sounds very optimistic as though - SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! MR. DOODY: - an agreement has been reached. SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! MR. SPEAKER: The hon. member from Eagle River. MR. I. STRACHAN: A ques .tion for the Minister of Health, Mr. Speaker.

Could the minister tell us whether there are plans for the utilization of the Paddon Memorial Hospital at Happy Valley- Goose Bay! MR. SPEAKER: The bon. Minister 1of Health. MR. H. COLLINS: Mr. Speaker, certainly there are no plans in terms I of a health nature to utilize that building, because we have moved to the new USAF Hospital in Goose Bay. MR. STRACHAN: Mr. Speaker, a supplementary. I could not quite hear the answer from the minister. MR. SPEAKER: A supplementary. MR. STRACHAN: You said there were no plans for medical reasons. MR.

SPEAKER: From our point of view there are no plans to use the building because we have moved to the new.USAF-not the new, but the USAF institution at Goose Bay. MR. STRACHAN: Mr. Speaker, a supplementary. 1388

February 23, 1977 Tape 507 PK- 3 MR. SPEAKER: A supplementary. MR. STRACHAN: Could the minister tell us if there are any plans for it to be used as an old aged home,or a senior citizen home,or a home for children from the Labrador Coast who need care? MR.. SPEAKER: The hon. Minister of Health. MR. H~ COLLINS: Mr. Speaker, it is my un~erstanding, and this is as a result of several con~ersations with the member representing the area,that a move is now ~~ot to determine the very ~~st way to establish a senior citizen facility in that area.

I believe that some of my officials will be going into Happy Valley-Goose Bay to meet with some people there, I believe , it might be the Ministerial Association, to try and determine what is the best approach to take to providing those services. MR. STRACHAN: MR. SPEAKER: MR. STRACHAN: is saying. But - Mr. Speaker, a final supplementary. A supplementary. Mr. Speaker, I am not quite sure,what the minister MR. ROBERTS: Neither does the minister. MR.. STRACHAN: Nor can I hear him··-very well.

Is the minister stating that there will be consultation with the Town Council of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, and with the Health Council on the utilization of the building in the near future, is that what he is stating? MR. SPEAKER: The hon. Minister of Health. MR. H. COLLINS: Mr. Speaker, the bon.. member is referring- to the need, I presume, unless I misunderstood his question, for a senior citizen's facility in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

And my response to that was that in conversation with the member for that particular region, the officials of my department will be going in there within a few days to sit down and talk with whatever groups are interested, whether it is town council, whether it is the Ministerial Association, or a combination of all of them to try to figure out the best approach to adopt in a provision of a suitable senior citizen's complex for the area. 1389

February 23,1977 Tape 508 AH-1 MR. SPEAKER: Hon. member for Lewisporte followed by the hon. member fo~ ·Burgeo-Bay D'Espoir. MR. WHITE: The question for the Minister of Transportation and Communications. just as a

preamble , Mr. Speaker, this is in connection with the Chan2e. Island's ferry operations. ;For over a year there attempts have been made to have the Federal Government construct new ferry terminals and while I realize it is their . responsibility , I would like for the Minister of Transportation and -Communications to tell me whether or _f!.O.t. ther~ are_ any ne_gotia~ions undrr. way at the moment between 6ttawa and the provincial government with respect to responsibility for ferries. MR.. SPEAKER: The hon. Minister. MR. MORGAN: Mr.

Speaker, in reply to that que~tion, fi~st of all . may I state that we have in this province, we have seven ferry services operated to remote parts of the province, mainly the island communities, looking at,for example, St Brendans_i_n __ Bonav;f..sta Bzy-,and Greenspond, Change Islands, Fogo, across the Straits from , _,~lanc Sab_lon which is really an interprovincial ferry service,and the one from Portugal Cove to Bell Island. MR. NEARY: Hear, hear!

MR.MORGAN: These seven ferry services since 6onfederation has been subsidized by the federal level of government, Rece~tly, as of recent months,we have got an indirect indication ~ there has be~n no direct communications from the minister to the minister level -but indirect indication from the official level at Ottawa of the Ministery of Transport, that they intended to no longer continue these subsidies after the end of existing contracts.

Five of these ferry services, one of th~-b~ing -Change Islands, five of these ferry service contracts with the operators, between the federal government and the operators, expire the end of March 1977. The indirect indication is that the 13'l0

February 23,1977 Tape 508 AH-2 MR. MORGAN: federal government will not participate in these subsidies . - after these expiry dates. Indication was more· t~~!~~y evide~~ in _ the fact that in British Columbia .. the federal governments policy . h~;- being put forward to the point that the ferry services have been removed in many cases because of the fact that subsidies were removed on the servicing of a number of remote communities in British Columbia. MR. ROBERTS: Iona Campagnola had something to say about "that. MR. MORGAN: A cabinet minister, Ion~_ C~pa~ola, the -· hon ..

Iona Campagnola.,did have something t .o say. , I understand. but the policy still existsr Andthe policy exists to the, point that they have removed the subsidization of these ferry service operations. In this province, our position as a government is quite firm; we feel that the federal government does have responsibility to maintain these subsidies. They have maintained them since Confederati"on,and we are firm that these subsidies should remain in affect and continue in the future. SOME BON. MEMBERS : Hear , hear! MR.

MORGAN: With regards to the need for improved facilities , Change Islands being one in a desperate ' situation, a desperate condition. MR. lVHITE: The worse one. MR. MORGAN: I went down and saw the conditions of these landing facilities lastFall and they are really desperate · to a poin4 where the ferry service could very well be stopped, based on the fact that the landing facilities can no longer be used.

The federal governments procrastination on calling tenders for to carry out reconstruction or repair and modification of the ferry terminals is beyond me, I do not know the reason for it • I am hoping that the federal minister will clearly indicate to this government in the very near future what the official policy is with regards to these 1391

February 23,1977 Tape 508 AH-3 MR. ·MORGAN: ~· ferry services . and whether or not they inttend, -~tJ.mbe:r;:_one,to_continue the subsidies and,number two,to maintain the facilities. . .. MR. lmiTE: Mr. Speaker, I have a number of· suppleme~taries but t am going to give notice that I want to debate it on th~ late show tomorrow. MR. SPEAKER: Ron. member for Burgeo-Bay D'Espoir. MR. SrnMONS: A question for the Minister of Finance. I wonder if he could indicate to the House when we might expect to have the budget brought down? MR. DOODY: Yes., Mr.

Speaker, the budget will be brought down· just as soon as it is ready, and I would hope that that wou14 be as quickly as it can possibly be prepared, hopefully within the next several weeks,but I certainly cannot put an exact date on it as much as I would like to. I would love to have it down yesterday. MR. SPEAKER: A supplementary. MR. SIMMONS: I did hear the minister indicate in a statement two or three weeks ago, he did then put a couple of possible dates on it.

One of which~I believe,was February 24th, today, and I appreciate that he perhaps cannot nail it down to a day, but could he give us some indications as to whether it is within a couple of weeks,or is it beyond that? MR. DOODY: I just said that I hoped that it would be within a couple of weeks but more than that I cannot say. If ~_try to pu~ ~ down a tentative date,as I did the last time, obviously I would have been perhaps wrong again. 1392 --

February 23, 1977 Tape 509 IB-1 MR. DOODY: February 24 seems like such an admirable date; jusf two days short of my birthday. I thought that might be an appropriate one. Obviously that has not worked out. _ A~h Wednesday, Sir, that would have been an appropriate day. Perhaps Good ~r~day may'be rnore appropriate. But we will do what we. can. We will get it down as quickly as we can for the edification to the Rouse and for the aJ!lUSement· of __ t_l!e kind of gentleman. MR. SPEAKER: The hon. member for Stephenville. MR. MCNEIL: Mr.

Speaker, in the ' absence of the Minister of Forestry could I ask the Minister of Finance~ Since the chief concern for the survival of Labrador Linerboard mill is the economic wood supply, could the hon. minister tell the House what efforts the government have made if any in trying to rationalize the wood cutting rights on the Island? MR.. RIDEotrr: ' A point of order, ¥I. Speaker. I really do not know if the minister knew that the question was supposed to be addressed to him because he was talking to his colleague,but maybe he could be so instructed. SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MP_. ~CNEIL : lvell in the absence of the minister ,8.re you not the Chairman of the Board of Directors? }!R. DOODY: Yes. Carry on. :¥.F .• MCNETI.: Could the hon. minister tell the Rouse what efforts the government have made if any in trying to rationalize the wood cutting rights on the Island? MR. SPEAKER: The hon. }!inister of Finance. MR. DOODY: That is a very long and involved statement and I think it could be a very debatable one. I think to give a reasonable answer to that would take quite a long period of time. I do not think the Question Period is the place for it.

The Min:i.ster of Forestry, I am sure,ldll be only too happy to get involved in it in a large area, in a large way1 and give quite a detailed answer. Certainly the Minister of Finance is not going to get into it at this point in the day's proceedings. 1393 . -

February 23, 1977 Tape 509 IB-2 :MR.. MCNETI. : A supplementarj. Could the minister tell me if any effort has been made in trying to rationalize the wood cutting rights or is it a dead issue? MR. DOODY: Oh.,.no! There have been fantastic efforts made,and there have been tremendous strides in that direction accomplished. And I think that there will be furtherprogress shoWn in the future. Hut, as I say,it is not really my area as acting minister to get involved in that at this point. You know,it is an area that is more properly handled by the minister.

As the acting minister - the minister is in the building, is he not? The minister is in the building. I am not the acting minister. ~- . SPEAKER: The hon. member for LaPoile. MR. NEARY: Mr. Speaker, I have a quickie for the hon. Minister of Finance in connection with the Linerboard mill. Is the Linerboard mill going down again on the twenty-seventh? How long will it be down? Do they have any markets now for linerboard? Just what is the situation now in connection with the immediate future of the Linerboard mill? MR. DOODY: My indications from the management, . Mr.

Speaker, is that the Linerboard :~ll might very well be closing down shortly for at least another two week period because of the market conditions. As I have said in this House on many occasions,and outside the House when asked, the niarket conditions for linerboard are absolutel7 deplorable. The mill is doing the best it can to cope. As I understand it they are just about exhausted in their order book right now.

And it_. ·was announced in the local paper today by some of -· - . - - ' the management people tliat the ·possi]ifiifi~s of -another close-down :In the imminent future for at least two weeks is a very, very real possibility. OPDEP.S OF THE DAY: MR. SPE~~P.: It being Private Members' Day, the adjourned debate on motion 1: The hon. member for LaPoile (Mr. Neary) adjourned --the debate. MR. NEARY: Mr. Speaker, the House will -remember--that I do not know whether they do or not - this is the third Wednesday now in a row, Sir,

February 23, 1977 'rape 509 IB-3 MR. NEARY: ebae we- are debating a Private Melllbers' resolution, a resolution moved· by the bon. member for- Ea.gle River (Mr. Strachan) -in connection with the setting up of a select committee of this hon.

Rouse to concern itself"with the state and se~timent of public: opinion in Labrador and realizing that this has most serious implications for the future of this Province~' Then it goes on, "Be it further resolved", "Be it further resolved", and then the last, "And be it further resolved that the Committee be authorized to sit from place to place throughout the Provine:~ and that it be d1..:rec:ted to sit in sufficient places in Labrador so as to enable any of the residents <lf Labrador to appear before it: 1395

February 23, 1977, Tape 510, Page 1 -- apb MR .. NEARY: if they so wish - ~t;hout ___ incurring expenses or inconvenience!' Now, Mr. Speaker, I am going to support my hon. friend's resolution and I am going to make~ in the process of supporting the resolution _and making a few remarks to the House, generally about Labrador, and about the attitude of this administration, of this House towards Labrador, I have also one or two suggestions that I might - - throw out that ~y be _useful to the House if it decides to set up this Labrador Select Committee. First of all, Mr.

Speaker, I want to come down hard, I want to come down like a ton of bricks·, on the administration, Sir~ especially two ministers in the administration and I do this to illustrate the attitude and ~~e contempt and the arrogance of this administration towards Labrador, and towards the people of Labrador. I use this example, Sir, of an illustration;to illustrate just why we"are in difficulties with the thirty or forty thousand residents of Labrador, and I speak, Mr. Speaker about the Winter Games. The Winter Games, Sir, were carried on in Labrador City for the last several years. They did a magnificent job.

They had the facilities, they had the right attitude and they carried on the Winter Games down there without any problems, without any fuss, without any great handouts from the administration. They did a magnificent job. Then all of a sudden, Mr. Speaker, the people of Labrador West woke up one morning and they discovered that the Minister of Health, the member for Gan.der (Mr. H •. Collins), and the Minister of Industrial Development, the member for Grand Falls (Mr.

Lundrigan) - these two urban centres okayed it on the Island - had taken away the Winter Games, had taken it away from Labrador West, from Labrador City, without any justifiable reason, Sir. "AN RON. MEMBER: -Without tellina them. MR. NEARY: I beg your pardon? AN RON-_ ME:MRF.'R: Without telling them. 1396

February 23, 1977, Tape 510, Page 2 apb MR. NEARY: Without te~ing them~- . They heard. it on the news in Labrador City. MR. MORGAN: They did not take it away. They did not have it to take away. MR. NEARY: They did have it, Sir. It was taken away. Mr. Speaker, it was taken away, they did have it, and I would not mind so bad, Sir, if Gander or Grand Falls had made an application for the Winter Games, but they did not. MR. H. COLLINS: What do you have against Gander and Grand Falls? MR. NEARY: I have nothing, Sir. I do not begrudge it to Grand Falls or Gander.

I do not begrudge it and the minister can twist what I am saying all he wants, that is not the point. Grand Falls and Gander and all the other urban centres on this Island are entitled to everything they can get 1 but not at the expense, Sir, not at the expense of any other community,especially if you are down in Western Labrador. Mr. Speaker, can you imagine the devastating effect that that had on the morale of the people in Western Labrador?

And so far - I heard, I think it was the hon .. minister, I am not sure if it was this minister or his colleague one morning on radio trying to weasel his way out of it, not offering any justification at all for this slap in the face to • the people of Western Labrador who had worked so hard and who had done such a magnificent job on the Canada Winter Games. And that is .the kind of attitude, Sir, that is the kind of contempt, the kind of arrogance that has caused all this talk abo~t separatism in Labrador. Mr. Speaker, that is one example.

Does Your Honour want me to give the House a more recent example of the kind of arrogance that this administration and people in I authority show towards Labrador, and I am speaking nqw particularly of Western Labrador? All we have to do, Mr. Speaker, i~ just 1397

Fe1mlaey23, 1977, Tape 510, Page 3 - apb MR •. NEARY: look at the recent labour difficulties in Labrador City. And9. Mr. Speaker, here you had an industrial cOIIilllunity in Newfoundland of about 7,_0!)0_or __ 8,QOQ_p~~~~--i~ very ·serious difficulties. The employees were at loggerhe~ds, -·- ~--- ····-- -- ... -- ... there was a confrontation between the employees of roc· 139R

F"ebruary 23, 1977 Tape No. 511 MR. NEARY: and the company. And, Mr. Speaker, where were the negotiations .where ~were- ~e_ tal_!c~ taking p~ace to try and resolve the difficulties in Labrador City? They were taking place right here in St. John's, in St. John's, on foreign land, foreign soil. MR. MORGAN: They are not now. MR. NEARY: No, Sir, they are not now because I went down and dragged the minister behind me,and I laid the foundation,and ~ and my colleagues while we were there laid the foundation for settling that dispute. MR. MORGAN: Are you going to settle the strike. NM- ~ MR. NEARY: Mr.

Speaker, if I had to have the time I would have settled it. But there was a little bit of·politics,and I am coming to that. Mr. Mulrooney and Mr. Premier on the phone, Mr. Mulrooney who ran for the leadership of the Tory Party of Canada is Vice-President of IOC. I will come to that in a few minutes. But, Mr. Speaker, the point that I am maki~g is the fact that these talks and these negotiations were going on here in St. John's. And, Mr.

Speaker, to add insult to injury,the member for the district was also the Minister of Manpower and Industrial Relations, who should have better sense and who have went down to Labrador City and conducted these talks. Mr. Speaker, I spent a weekend in Labrador City last week, well I spent Friday night and part of Saturday there with two bon. colleagues from this side of the House. We had very frank discussions with the employees of the Iron Ore Company of Canada,and although I could not arrange a face to face meeting with Mr.

Brian Mulrooney, the Vice-President of Iron Ore Comany of Canada, I talked to the gentleman on the phone Friday night past for one hour~and·a half an hour on Saturday morning, and I cam to the concl~ion, Mr. Speaker, that the basic underlying cause of the problems in Labrador City 1J99 --

February 23, ·1977 Tape No. 511 NM- 2 MR. NEARY: was the poor relationship between the first level of supervision and the rank and file employees of the company. And I believe my hon. colleagues will support my assumption. In my opinion, Mr. _Speaker, in the first place there need not have been any disruption of work at all had the first line supeffisors __ had any experience in supervision or handling men.

Not only, Sir, were the rank and file employees of that company frustrated by the incompetence and the arrogance and the contempt that the front line supervisors, not all of them,but a good many of them, held for native Newfoundlanders by the foreman, but they were also quick to note, Mr. Speaker, the apparent discrimination against native Newf~undlanders in the apparent policy of that company to .appoint outsiders, and come-from-aways to their board of directors and to the bulk of the managerial positions of that company.

And I would submit to this House, Sir, that until the company changes its attitude and eliminates this policy, this apparent policy of discrfmination,and gives proper training to their respective first line supervisors,and get-them to change their attitude towards the workers then I am afraid that this situation is going to continue, Sir, and it will continue to smoulder and we will have periodic explosions during the months ahead. Now, Mr.

Speaker, if there was a breakdown in communications between the front line supervisors and the rank and file employees,then what in the name of God did the Minister of Manpower expect to accomplish here on the Island, here in St. John's, in conducting these negotiations and these talks? -AN HON. MEMBER: Remote control. MR. NEARY: With remote control. Would he had not been better off if he had gone to his district, gone to Labrador City man-fashion and sat down. He did not have · to cross any --- ------

February 23, 1977 Tape No.Sll NM- 3 MR.. NEARY: picket lines, ___ did not have to get involved in - ' - ~ - ~9~te"!P!_ ~f Court, ____ did not have to g~t involved in the illegal strike, but could have held informal discussions, carried on telephone diplomacy, have his picture taken - because Mr.

Speaker, the moment we stepped ashore, just to show you how arrogant and how vicious this company has become in Labrador West, the moment we stepped ashore, stepped off the plane, several friends of mine came out to meet us and here was this photographer hovering in the background taking pictures, not for a newspaper, taking pictures for the security people of the company, so they could get them in after and go over them and put a red circle around the faces to se·e who was there to meet us. And I told Mr •. Mulrooney if -- 1401

February 23, 1977 Tape no. 512 ' Page 1 - mw Mr. Neary. the picture that his photographer had taken of me was not satisfactory to ~!~~ ~~a~o~d. ~a~~=d~y morni~~-' and r~ul~~ose' ,_ for one, and have _!t autographed a~d send it over to ~. Mr. Speaker, these people are not living in a concentration camp, • and they should not be treated like white niggers. And, Sir, if the - ~- ' . ·- minister had _no~ __ gone_doWl'l_ __ th~:r:~~-~his -~01J~d hav~ been a p_retty bad __ situation. If the minister had gone down there, the whole thing possibly could have been avoided.

I do no.t know if it is due to inexperience in industrial relations or just plain stupidity that caused the minister to make this gross error in judgement. And finally we went down and we got the minister on the move, and we got the government on the move, and I am hoping that as a result - the thing should have been settled yesterday~ Mr. Speaker, the irony of it all, the absolutely startling part of it all, is that I talked to both sides, and there is no disagreement. Both sides agree to the formula for going back to work, both sides, one hundred per cent agreement.

And yet the problem, the big problem,was that the company would not communicate this in~ormation , the formula for settling tne strike, they would not communicate their feelings to the union executive either formally or informally • Up to the time that I got on the phone, and told Mr. Mulrooney • _off ~ 1:,_echnicolour, in good. Newfoundland stvle, good, frank, honest talk, with no beating around the bush, and no playing games.. And -~ I think Mr. MUlrooney understood the sincerity of the words that I expressed to him.

If there had been any violence, Sir--and there may still be --if there_is, I know where to lay the blame. And I think my colleagues probably will too. And it is not what the employees of that company, who contrary, Sir, to that headline in The Daily News, and contrary to what the company's lawyer said down before the court--when presenting the company's case, that everybody in Labrador West was in a drunken stupor. That, Sir, was a ~l~;_ious -. it was ma-r!etous.· lies. It was an attempt to justify a court injunction. 1402 -.

February 23, 1977 Tape. no. 512 Page. 2 - mw Mr. Neary. It was dec:ei.t of the worse kind. And the lawyer, Si~, Mr. Wells, Mr. William Wells, who made that presentation before the court, should have been barred. I could have gotten 2,000 signatures of people who were prepared to come down and give evidence in court, Sir, that that was untrue. MR.. STRACHAN: MR. NEARY: including the RCiP. Including the ~CMP. That it was untrue. It was misc:hevious .. It was a blatant attempt to smear all the workers and all the people of Labrador West. And the evidence should not have been allowed to stand on the public: record.

The gentlemen owes tha people of Labrador City an apology. And as far as r am concerned, Sir, he should have been barred. That lawyer acted in an irresponsible. manner, and he should have been asked to retract. If I was in the union's place I would have taken action against him for slander and libel. Mr. Speaker, the people in Labrador West were hurt when they saw that headline in The Daily News, statements made before Judge Mahoney or Justice Mahoney - is it? - Justice Mahoney in order to present the company's case. Mr.

Speaker, I do not know if hon. members of this House are aware of it or not, but this same Mr. Wells has been involved in three major strikes. in this Province in the last year. The time the trawlermen were loc:ked out of Confederation Building,Mr. Wells was representing Fishery Products. The strike the other day with the City Council, Mr. Wells was representing the City Council. And this very same gentleman is the one who represented the Iron Ore Company of Canada in the current dispute down there. Obviously, Sir, anti-union. The gentleman is anti-union, and he should be left out of these negotiations.

The man is obviously a troublemaker, and it is going to cause damage. There are going to be people hurt as a result of his 140:-J :;

February 23, 1977 Tape. no. 512 Page 3 - DLW Mr. Neary. irresponsible behaviour. And these are pretty stroug words, Sir.. But if hon. members had been with me the other night in Labrador City, - · --

February 23, 1977 Tape 513 PK - 1 Mr. Neary: when I talked to dozens and dozens and dozens of members of that union, both in the Union Hall and on the picket lin~! ~and . on t~e _______ _ street, . and I never met such a civilized crowd of people in my life,decent Newfoundlanders,most of them.

They would have got their eyes open by these kind of wild accusations, and wild statements made by this irresponsible - but can the Minister of Justice tell oe if ~~ _is_ e~bical, moral,for a lawyer to go down before the court and try to mislead the court- · and the people of this Province . with such irresponsible statements- as everybody is tn Labrador City is J -- •. • --- · - - - - - •• - - • in a drunken stupor. Is that permitted? Is there any Code of :-· . . -- ... Ethics?

Is there anything that can bar that gentleman from ever again going into the courts and trying to fool the people who sit on the Bench, and the people of this Province? Is there anything against that? Can this lawyer be allowed to say what he pleases? You cannot say it in this House, Sir; you wo~ld soon be brought to task. You have · to follow the rules. Are there any rules? Any standards in the courts? MR. HICKMAN: There are. MR. NEARY: There are.

Well then, Sir, I would submit to the Minister of Justice that in the interest of _honesty and decency that the minister check into that, and that this gentleman be disciplined, and if . necessa~-- barred, and apologize· to the people of Labrador West for tarring everybody with the same brush and smearing their reputation and their character. That · is the kind of thing,Sir, that is turning residents of Labrador against this Island part of the Province. Now, Mr. Speaker, enough said about that.

I do hope that the dispute will be settled today; the foundation has been laid, and I am hopeful, Sir, that the thing can be settled sometime before the day is over. Now, Mr. Speaker, I do not know if I can put my finger on anyone thing that is causing this talk now of separatism in Labrador. I can make a· casual observation that it is probably a good thing that 14-05 -.

February 23, 1977 Tape 513 PK- 2 Mr. Neary: there is not a bigger population in Labrador; if there was we would probably have a lot of trouble. There are only 35,000 or 40,000 residen~· there scattered over 110,000 square miles at the present time. It is_a good thing there is not a bigger ___ __ population Jammed in or we would have a lot of difficulties(and ---· a lot of problems. But, Mr. Speaker, there appears to me to be a breakdown in communications between the people in authority in Labrador and the people in authority on this Island.

I had an example recently ·, Sir, down in the Straits of Belle Isle~ down in the hon. Leader of the Opposition's district, in the community of L'Anse~u-~oup, where four gentiemen were hauled into · -· . --. ....:. ..... -- .. - ..,.. . . ·- - . Court for. shooting a wolf. They shot the wolf, Sir, with the blessing of the wildlife officer in the area. The wolf was hanging around there. It was treacherous. It had already eaten I think seven or eight sheep. lt had eaten a calf and all the people were scared of f~om L'An~e-au-L~~p~t~ Red Bay that it -~~s ~ ~~ing to eat one of their children.

And so they were told by various and sundry authorities to get rid of the wolf. Well, Sir, they could not catch up with the wolf on foot, so they chased it one day on a ski-doo, that is the . only way they could corner the wolf, and they cornerd the wolf and they shot it. And,lo and beholdtthey were - . -- dragged into court for shooting a wolf_Jr~ a machine. What does the law say from -a- AN HON. MEMBER: All terrain vehicle. MR. NEARY: All terrain vehicle.

I brought the matter to the .J attention of the Minister of Justice and unfortunately the minister took it up with the deputy minister,who is now a judge of the court,and the matter was eventually resolved. Well it just . - . . goes to show, Sir, how communications can break down. I will just read the letter.from these gentlemen. I sent a copy to the 1406

February 23, 19n Tape No. 513 I want to now publicly thaJ:Ik the minister for his co-operation and help on behalf of these gentlemen. One time I have to_· · 8_!!~~ t.~!:.~min~s~er full:- marks fo~ resolying the injustice that was being done. "Dear Mr. Neary," they said, "Concerning this wolf that has been roaming our area since early last Fall . we all know it is a wild a fierce animal." That is not the member they are talking about. NM - · 3 MR •. NEARY:· "It was first . sighted at L'"Ans.e Amour where~~-- ------- 1407 --

February 23, 1977 Tape No. 514 MR. NEARY: killed eight sheep belonging to one family:' On another occasion it was on a hill;'and the Minister of Finance should pay attention to the last paragraph of this letter. I thought it was really put in typical Newfoundland style. The minister will see what I am coming to shortly. "'Belongip.g __ to _one- family. On another occasion it was on a hill overlooking several children playing at NM- 1 Capstan Island. Many times its footprints was out among the houses and al ~o _:; i~~ed.

Many people along our shore was hoping and praying that someone would kill it before it killed somebody. It was not safe to walk anywhere after dark. Children and grownups were both scared. Neither was- it safe to go in the woods to cut wood. USo one evening with my licence in my pocket I went to hunt for the dreadful enemy myself,and three others, tracked the wolf and I shot it." MR. MORGAN: A big bad wolf story. MR. NEARY: "I; was told by Constable So.-and-So that I was not supposed to track it. But so far as I could see there was - no other way.

Some_pe9ple had traps se~, but a wolf is too keen, also too strong for traps. He measured S·ix and a half ~eet skinned long. Not a small animal to come to your door _ some moming. 11 So-and-So and So-and-So was not at the spot when we killed it. They saw it approximately a half to a mile distance, about ten minutes before it was shot. They were also charged $125. In all,we have , been charged $500 • .( I think it is downright ridiculous to be charged such a fine when one is trying to do our coast some service.

I also think our magistrate and poiice officers should be able to use a bit of common sense in such a case. Our constable would not tell us in Court who reported us to him. We would very much like to find ' out." I daresay they would. "I would say 1408

February 23, 1977 Tape No. 514 NM- 2 MR. NEARY: they did not have much respect for the elderly or the young either in these _ cpmmunities. ''I agree that our Province needs a law but we also need MEN to run it. I hope they do not get the idea that we, the people of Labrador South, are all green- horns. We definitely are not." And listen to this. Here is the punch line, the crunch. "We hope, Mr. Neary, that there is something in your power you can do for us. If so you will never be forgotten by we four men. If a wolf could eat the .gingerbread man I guess he could eat me too." So, Mr.

Speaker, there is another illustration - MR. MORGAN: Fantastic yarn. MR. NEARY: - another illustration, Sir, of the breakdown in communications between the people of Labrador and the authorities here on the Island. Mr. Speaker, I spoke the other day in the House about the bureaucracy, about the Vic Youngs, maybe I should not mention any names, but about the officials of Treasury Board and about the crowd that were brought over from Memorial University running this Province. They have a stranglehold, the bureaucrats run this Province, not the government, Sir.

And i people on the Island have a most difficult time getting their message through, getting through to bureaucracy, people who have talked~ t he--government, the administration, the ministers, into expanding their authority, branching·· off into all kinds of other fields. · rt is bad enough for the people on the Island here, ~ir, to have to fight that bureaucracy, to try to get through it to get their message through, to get things done, and to air their grievances with the ministers and with the administration. ·- Can you imagine, Mr.

Speaker, how hard it is then for residents of Labrador who cannot come to the Island because -.

February 23, 1977 Tape No. 514 NM- 3 MR. NEARY: of the t1:emendous transportation costs? They have to do their business by telephone or by letter, and letters s.ometimes, as ministers and members lq:J.ow, can be left on the desks. They can be pawned off. The procra~tination can go on sometimes for weeks and weeks, and the people who are trying t .o get through to the minister, or through to their . . memb~.'-~~through the bureaucracy, become completely frustrated - ---~ - - in the process. And so, Mr. Speaker, these are just a couple of example& af why people in Labrador are getting turned off With the administration and with the bureaucracy and wi.th the authorities here on the Island. 1410

February 23, 1977 Tape No. 515 NM- 1 MR. NEARY: You know• Mr. Speaker, before this debate started I heard one bon. gentleman say, '~ou know,this will probably collapse this afternoon because what else can you say? Everything has been said about this matter of the problems of Labrador." MR. H. COLLINS: No one is telling you that. MR. NEARY: No, Sir, it has not all been said • . It has not all been said. It wil~_- n~t - _ ~lo~_~e _down as far as the ·-' strike at the Waterford is _c_o_n-ce-rned either; or the public -- --- - a debt, or the member for Kilbride (Mr.

Wells) who stood up the other day and said we shoUld restrict our debates to twenty minutes and we should ,start today. This would be a good day to start. Well that gentleman has not been in his seat yet today. That gentleman made hi~ little,;_ well -maybe he was there for five minutes~ That gentleman can make his little speech, get his name in the news and then go• downtown to practice law. But I have to stay in the House. AN RON. MEMBER: He does not do that. MR. NEARY: Oh, Mr.

Speaker, the hon. gentleman does do it and if the bon. gentleman was sincere why does he not volunteer his services to the Minister of Finance, instead of collecting $10,000 or $12,000 off of that $50 million bond issue by signing his name. If the gentleman -is--so -~incere ahd so worried about the cost, the extravagance and the waste . of money in this House, _ why does he not say to the Minister of Finance, "I volunteer my service." Why not? MR. DOODY: He is not working for the Minister of Finance. MR. NEARY: Oh he is recommended by the Minister of Finance. MR. DOODY: He is working for the syndicate. MR.

NEARY: Recommended by the Minister of Finance. MR. DOODY: He is working for the Association of MR. NEARY: Mr. Speaker, that is the kind of sincerity that I would like to see, Sir. That is the kind o·f patriotism 1411

February 23, 1977 Tape No. 515 NM- 2 MR. NEARY: that I would like to see. People stand up and say, "Sure,cut your speech on Labrador down to twenty minutes; cut it down to twenty minutes so we can get the House closed up." ''More members would speak," that is what the hon. gentleman told us the other day. Mr. Speaker, it does not make any difference if it 'is twenty minutes, thirty minutes, forty-five minutes, what is the hurry? If members want to speak they do not have - ·-- - - - -- -· . to go the maximum time, the forty-five minutes,!£ they do not want to.

But are more members going to speak if you cut it down to twenty minutes? Nonsense~ Half the time the lawyers are not here anyway to speak. They are downtown practicing law, and down in the Court. So, Sir, I am not going to restrict myself to twenty minutes. I am going to take my time because I have got a few things to say about Labrador _ ~nd_I think they are quite important. It has not all been said yet. If we were here until Christmas Eve you probably would not have it all said. Mr.

Speaker, these two illustrations I just gave are,I think,good, clear indications to the House of why the people in Labrador are getting turnec off. Just before I 2et off the IOC situation, Sir, I want to say this, and if I did not know it before I certainly had it confirmed for me over the weekend. There was a time i~ Wabush that the Wabush Mining Company was having far worse labour troubles than they are having right now in Labrador City. And all of a sudden the situation is reversed. You have - got more labour difficulties now, more labour problems in Labrador City than in Wabush. Why?

Well, Sir, the Wabush Mining Company was smart enough 1412 . '

February 23, 1977 Tape No. 515 NM- 3 MR. NEARY: to realize that they were bringing in foremen who were arrogant, who did not understand the local phychology, who were causing all kinds of trouble because they could not communicate with the employees. And now, Sir, fifty per cent of the foremen,! would say,working for Wabush Mines are Newfoundlanders. Well the situation just reverses itself. MR. SMALLWOOD: Di:Stinct from - ~r()n Ore Company of Canada. MR. NEARY: As distinct from Iron Ore Company of Canada.

The Iron Ore· Company one time had pr~tty well all their supervisory people, their foremen and so forth were Newfoundlanders,but over the last few years they have gotten away from that and they brought in ~ crowd of come-from-aways.

I have nothing against com.e-from-aways :, Sir, but they do not understand the lacal psychology and until they change that attitude, Sir, and until they put a Newfoundlander or two on the Board of Directors, and until they establish a purchasing office in this Province, in Labrador, and until they do a lot of other things that they should be doing,because it is our natural resource, then · ! am afraid, Sir, they are on a collision course. MR. DOODY: That is true of the union as well as the company. ' MR. NEARY: True of the - as far as I know the union president is in Labrador.

Now, Sir, we had another situation, I believe the member who introduced the resolution referred to it, about the pellet plant a few years ago. Was it the pellet plant was supposed • 1413

February 23, 1977 Tape No. 516 NM- 1 MR. NEARY: to be built in Newfoundland ·Labrador? The bon. the former Premier will remember. The bon. the former Premier took a position, took a ~tand\and said that that pellet plant will go to Point Noire, I think it was. over my dead body. Well I think we probably all admired and respected tne-hon. gentleman at the time for taking ~ch.a stand for Newfoundland, prepared to lay down his life for Newfoundland and Newfoundlanders.

But, Sir, the hard reality, the hard, cold facts of the matter are this; that when the vicious lobby started, when the high mucky-mucks up ' in Montreal, in their posh board rooms, in their skyscrapers in Montreal, the fellows that contribute and manipulate the political parties of Canada, when the big shots~ the money bags got a hold of it they said, "Little Newfoundland and little Joey can go jump in Smallwood Resevoir if they want to.

We are building that pellet plant in Quebec Labrador." ' I do not know what transpired behind the scenes, but I must say it was a tremendous let down for me when a decision from a Montreal skyscraper~ by the establishment of Canada, was crammed down our throats and we had to eat humble pie and allow that pellet plant to be built on the Quebec North Shore instead ~£ in Newfoundlacd where it should have been built. Now if I felt bad about it, if I felt miserable about it,can you imagine how the people of Labrador felt about it - in Labrador West? Some day I hope that the former Premier will tell the story.

I have never heard the story of why. MR. SMALLWOOD: May I? MR. NEARY: Certainly I would yield just for a question, Sir. MR.. SMALLWOOD: The fact of the matter is that the company was situate not in Montreal but in Ontario - MR. NEARY: Oh well,worse again.

February 23, 1977 Tape No. 516 MR. SMALLWOOD: - in Hamilton,. Ont~rio~ _ ~~ _co!ltrol _!.!-ng interests were in Hamilton, Ontario.An~- they swore to me NM- 2 in meetings that we held in Ottawa, attended by Robert Winters, whom they enlisted to help in the negotiation, they swore that if they were prevented from building the pelletizing plant at Seven Islands,they would build it in the United States. They would ship the ore to the United States and there the mills that would going to consume the iron ore in pellet form, they would ship it to a point near their mills and do the pelletizing in the United States.

The choice that faced the Government of Newfoundland at that time was either to let it be built at Point Noire near Seven Island, or for Canada to- lose it • We would be banishing out of Canada altogether. This of course we could not endure. We could not possibly take that responsibility on us. Now in addition to that we got back as a gift all of NALCO, and that was something of the order of $2.5 million, I think it was,at the time. The title of that came back to the Newfoundland Government. We really had no choice in the matter. MR.

NEARY: Well, Sir, I thank the hon. former Premier for giving me this information. It was rather unfortunate -at - ' the time that there was such a grandstand play made because then we had to backtrack. And the same thing happened ·eo the chip mill in Goose Bay and so, Sir, all these things just add up,and not only are the people of Labrador frustrated over these kind of decisions,but certainly the people here also on the Island of Newfoundland. Now, Mr.

Speaker, I said I would make one or two suggestions to the House for the guidance of a select committee if the House decided to establish one ,and I would suggest, Sir, that preceeding any hearings or any other action of the Committee that a survey be undertaken by mail of a statistically ----· ---- . -·- --- --------- -- --

February 23, 1977 Tape No. 516 MR. NEARY: selected sample of people of Labrador in which geographic:al. considerations would be reflected and in nmnerical proportion to the population of Labrador. NM- 3 --

February 23, 1977, Tape 517, Page 1 -- apb MR. NEARY: The difficulty with hearings, Mr. Speaker, is that first of all they have a tendency to be very expensive, and secondly, that they rarely secure a representation of the grass-roots people themselves. A properly conducted survey,on the other hand,can reflect grass-roots tho~ghts and feelings. It can show, Mr. Speaker, what people themselves consider to be the problems faced by all the communities in each and every part of Labrador with all its variations and demographic patterns. Mr.

Speaker~ a survey of this nature could show what the ordinary people themselves think about legislation, government services, educational opportunities, social security, transportation and other matters that would give the House an overall and precise view of Labrador as seen by its citizens, Sir, and an indication as well to the Rouse as to the priorities that should be followed in dealing with the problems of Labrador. Mr. Speaker, the hon.

House may remember a few months ago I did a survey - well I have done a number of surveys,but the most recent one that I did was done last Summer to determine reasons for so many resignations among municipal leaders. Mr. Speaker, if the House would agree to set up this select committee I would volunteer my services,personally, Sir, to set up a study, a survey of Labrador, of a carefully selected random sample of people of Labrador, to determine their reaction, Sir, to the problems that are confronting them. Mr.

Speaker, this -survey could be done at a very minimal expense to the provincial treasury in these times, Sir, when we are told by the Minister of Finance that we should be studying every possible means of curtailing handouts to individuals and firms, most of whom, Sir, have small chance of producing the kind of information that could possibly show a true and reliable guide to any select committee 1417

February 23, 1977, Tape 517, Page 2 -- apb MR. NEARY: that may be set up. Mr. Speake~~ I support whole-heartedly, Sir, and endorse the resolution submitted by the hon. the member for Eagle River (Mr. Strachan). I consider it, Mr. Speaker, to be a sound, sensible, positive approach to a situation which, if ignored and neglected, Mr. Speaker, could become as serious a problem to St. John's as Quebec now is to Ottawa.

And as I said-a few moments ago, Sir, as a token of my sincerity and my support, I freely offer, Sir, my services to conduct any research project, like the one that I just ·outlined, Sir, as a basic foundation for the deliberations and procedures of such a select committee. SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear! MR. SPEAKER (Young): The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Communications. MR. MORGAN: Mr. Speaker, in saying a few words to this resolution I hope not to be too long and hopefully what I have to say to say in. a period of approximately twenty minutes·.

I think if you cannot say something in twenty minutes you do not say it at all: Mr. Speaker, the suggestion put forward by the hon. gentleman from Eagle River (Mr. Strachan) is maybe a good one and maybe not a good one. First of all~I would like I to say a sincere thank you to the hon. gentleman who introduced the resolution for a gift that was given to me as well, a . similar gift as was given to my colleague the Minister of Tourism, a black bear skin. It was given to me when I was in Labrador and I travelled the Labrador Coast last Summer.

I appreciate the hospitality shown to me by the hon. gentleman from Eagel River and particularly the hon. gentleman, my colleague, the hon. gentleman from Naskaupi. The points made by the hon. gentlemen in their speeches unfortunately I did not have the opportunity to listen to their speedhes.I was away from the House for a few days because of illness -but I read the speeches of the two hon. gentlemen -w~, represent parts of Labrador. 1418

February 23, 1977 Tape No. 518 NM- 1 MR. MORGAN: ~olllt! of the points of -infoi:mation- put forward ---- - - - - - were unbelievable. The hon. gentleman r s information as relayed to the House of · ~semblY with regards to what is happening on the purchasing of goods in Western Labrador was indeed a surprise to me, and I think to most hon. members of this Assembly~_whe~eby the purchasing for the Wabush and Labrador -_ Cit_y_operat:lOIJ.!J_a!"e __ pu~chased in Ql1ebec. _through a purcha.s.imt a~tent - - in Quebec. That I think is an intolerable situation and something should be done to correct it.

The speech made by the bon. gentleman, my colleague from Naskaupi (Mr. Goudie) was spoken I think more from the heart than from the mind. Be-:ing a native Labradorian I think that everything he says with respect to the Labrador part of our Province is said in a very genuine and ~incere way. And these are reasons I am firmly convinced, as a member of the Cabinet,that each and every member of the.Cabinet, all my colleagues,and the Premier,are going to listen very attentively to any problems put forward by these two bon. gentleman, in particular our own colleague on the government side.

They are not going to be laughed at and scorned at in any way or form. They are going to be listened to very attentively and action taken. That is the key of all this debate. ' There are a number of serious problems in the Labrador portion of our Province. Some of these problems are in connection with the Department of Transportation and Communication~, serious problems. Before I get involved in talking about these problems and what this department intends to do,I want to talk about the

section of the resolution which deal with the opinions and the viewpoints of people living in Labrador. I found in my travels last Summer that the people I talked to were skeptical of, first of all,of my visit there, what I was doing there as a Minister of the Crown. There was a 141H

February 23, 1977 Tape No. 518 MR. MORGAN: feeling of skepticism, of reluctance in some cases,to even discuss their problems, because they felt I was there not in a sincere way. And that feeling of skepticism has to· be overcome. We have to, as a government and as politicians, whether we be on the Opposition side NM- 2 or on this side, we have to somehow or other regain the con~idence of people living in Labrador that we are concerned about them and their problems. Maybe it reflects the past representations. Maybe.

But I am not saying it does,and I am not saying it does not. maybe it reflects the past representations in this House of Assembly of people in Labrador. MR. SMALLWOOD: Would the bon. minister yield for a moment? Be says somehow we have got to restore the Labrador people's confidence in Newfoundland and in the government • Has he got any suggestions as to how that - MR. MORGAN: Yes. If the hon. gentleman would allow me to continue ~y speech, Mr. Speaker. MR.. SMALLWOOD: Well of course, I am listening eagerly. But I hope the minister will not miss that point. MR. MORGAN: Mr.

Speaker, I am talking about the lack of confidence in politicians in governments · per se in Labrador. MR. SMALLWOOD: Yes, quite so, yes. MR. MORGAN: And that is mainly,I think, mainly because of -- --- -- -- - - - ---------- ' ~ the- ~nd it reflects la~elv on the pa~~ - ~epresentations. For example,I recall a situation no longer than just prior to my getting involved in politics where a man could be sent down from St. John's, parachuted into Labrador,and become the offici~! representative in this Assembly for these people • .

He would sit in the House of Assembly and speak up for Labrador without even visiting the area that he represented in the House of Assembly. That went on for approximately a four year period and ~ - - -- 1420

February 23, 1977 Tape No. 518 NM- 3 MR. MOR(;AN: if I reeal:l correctly, looking at the letters to the editor, etc. ·, and the comments~ in the news media by va-rious spokesmen in the Labrador area, particularly on the -­ coast, t;h_~ the bon. gentleman did not visit his district for year on end. He did not travel to the area. Now there is a good obvious. reason to me why the people are skeptical of politicians, skeptical 142t

February 23, 1977 Tape 519 IB-1 MR. MORG~N: of their sincerity. So it does reflect on past representations. But I am convinced and I have to say that the hon. gentleman who put forward this resolution in my travels with him is genuinely concerned. There is no question of the sincerity of my hon. colleague on this side from Labrador, in fact both hon. colleagues. And the hon. Minister of Manpower and Industr'ial Relations is genuinely concerned for Labrador and the problems.

But we have to regain the confidence,- and I think in my view one way of doing it is to have them parti.cipate with us not in carrying out studies, not in going in getting surveyed by mail as the last speaker recommended. People do not want studies in Labrador any more. They want us, as p'oliticians, they want us in this case as the administration, .to prove our sincerity, to prove our concern by taking action to alleviate 1 the existing problems in the Labrador

section of our Province. That is exactly what they want. Over the past number of years that action - has not been taken. Now, Mr. Speaker, I listened attentively to the Opposition member for Twillingate (Mr. Smallwood) and he made a point which said that there is a feeling of discontent, of discouragement and dissatisfaction in Labrador. And he felt it was not because of a lack of services.

If I can quote him correctly, I refer to his statement,'~ou can spend I millions even billions in Labrador .to provide services and H would not alleviate the feeling that they have at the present time. 11 I take strong -exception to that statement. I think that is the main reason for the present-discontent in Labrador. Over the past number of years we have not shown a genuine interest, we have not shown a genuine concern, we have not gotten them involved in their own problems. ~\l'e have not gotten down to the level of talking to the councils in their own areas.

We have not gotten down to the level of having them participate and make recommendations to us as an administration, and the past administration, or as politicians in making their recommendations. Not going in and studying,as the bon. gentleman for Naskaupi (Mr. Goudie) mentioned 1422

February 23, 1977 Tape 519 IB-2 MR. MORGAN: in ·h!~~peech, even the outline or the profile of their noses, down to that level; not going in and studying the habits of watching television as was studied in Nain. They do not want that kind of thing in Labrador any more. They do not want Select Committees going in asking their views on the problems. Politicians should know the views of the people on the problems. They want action to resolve them.: They do not want further studies and surveys. And furthermore, ¥r. Speaker, I am convinced the people of Labrador do not want special consideration.

They only want consideration for their isolation with regards to transportation problems, with regards to co~ications problems and others. So the lack of attention is not the key issue. It is the lack of action in overcoming the problems that they have in Labrador. That is the main reason for the present discontent. M.r. Speaker, the hon. gentleman for Twillingate ' 0-~r. Smallwood) in speaking mentioned the fact that my colleague, the Minister of Tourism, almost got into the· point of talking about what we done in Labrador. Well I would say, Mr.

Speaker, that.we should never be ashamed - and when I say we, this administration - we should never stand and be ashamed to say what we are doing for Labrador~because we are taking more action in the past four years, we are taking more action to· overcome the problems than was taken in the prior f~teen. Mr. Speaker, the main problem area of Labrador _is the Coastal area~ Western Labrador enjoys a different way of life entirely from the coastal communities. I would say discontent along the Labrador Coast is primarily because of the lack of services.

I am not ashamed at all, as one minister of this administration, of the department's record, the administration's record in overcoming these problems. I am wondering why the former Premier of the Province,who seems to be concerned now for Labrador, why he did not point out ~7hat was done by his · administration for Labrador. Maybe it is because he is ashamed of the record of the previous administration. We should not be ashamed of our record, what we are doing. 1423

February 23, 1977 Tape 520 IB-1 MR. MORGAN: __ Mr. S~eaker. ! ~~~-·r travelled last Summer,! travelled and I visited the community of Nain first of all, and the hospitality shown by the bon. gentleman's good wife was really appreciated in Nain, the hon. gentleman for Eagle River (~r. Strachan). I travelled Nain to Hopedale to Charlottetown, Makkovik, Rigolet, ~ary's Harbour, Fox Harbour, travelled to these CJ?!J!IIlUilities, talked with the councils and got their views with regards to what they felt should be done in their communities.

I am convinced if every hon. gent~eman on this side of the - or every hon. gentleman as colleagues of mine in the Cabinet,who are dealing with problems in Labrador, if we took that step and that approach, if we go into _Labrador and sit down and get their views, not ·the views of what the problems are, the views as what they want done to overcome their problems. AN RON. MEMBER: You should go down there. 'MR. MORGAN: And upon the consultation of that type, then if ~ve take the action - that is exactly what is being done.

For example, I recall last Fall the prime example to me of how we can change the attitude or the feel~ng of people living in Labrador. Some groups in Labrador would rather call up the national press, the CP or CBC National News and go across the nation saying, !'The Newfoundland Administration is ignoring us down here. We are in Cartwright and we are isolated and we cannot get our school children to school." They prefer to do that than to get on the phone and call the minister resp~nsible,or to send a delegation in and sit down with the minister - -responsible accompanied by the member for the area.

They prefer to go on national press or national media and complain about the isolation in Labrador, how they feel there should be a separatist movement because of the way the Newfoundland administration, Newfoundland and Labrador administration is treating them in that part of the Province. That is totally wrong and fortunately the people who have that attitude are at a minority. The right approach is the approach that was taken,for example,by the council delegation from Rigolet. I recall quite vividly we had a 1424 --

February 23, 1977 Tape 520 IB-2 MR. MORGAN: little problem with regards to moving equipment from Black Tickle - -··· - - -- where last year we built a new road around the community of Black Tickle. And this was an ongoing programme of building roads along the coastal communities in places lvhere no roads exist. ~·!e have a special unit set up with a special type of equipment, a smaller type heavy equipment,and we go in there and we build up or reconstruct existing roads or build new roads. That is an ongoing programme. It is a firm commitment from this administration.

It was commenced by this administration and it is a firm commitment to carry on that kind of work along the Labrador Coast. We had a little problem ~nth regards to moving the equipment from Black Tickle,where we had finished the job of building the of movin2 it intn 1 Rigolet. And we had to use a barge which was owned by the Rural Development Department. And the skipper of the barge, etc. was of the opinion the tides were too heavy and we could not move the barge. There was a possibility of losing the barge and losing the equipment.

So a delegation from the community of Rigolet came in and sat down in my office accompanied by the MHA, the hon. gentleman for Eagle River (Mr. Strachan),and we sat down and we discussed a means and ways of getting that equipment into P.igolet,because it was of major concern to them because not only were we going to reconstruct,which we are,the roads in the community of Rigolet,but we are building an airst~ip in Rigolet.

And when I say•we' I must reaffirm that it is the Newfoundland provincial dollars,the taxpayer~ dollars of this administration which is building that airstrip in Rigolet strictly, no funds or no assistance whatsoever from the federal level of government. So the delegation was quite concerned about getting the equipment moved in last Fall so they can .commence work on this road reconstruction job and the building of the airstrip. They came in and sat do~.m,and with their recommendations and with our discussions,and with the initiative taken by the council and by the member,we arranged to fin