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June 1, 2015

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLVII No. 23

The

House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Verge):

Order, please!

Admit strangers.

would like to welcome all members back for another week in the House of

Assembly. I trust you had a good

weekend.

Statements by

Members

MR. SPEAKER:

Today we will hear

members' statements from members representing the Districts of The Straits

White Bay North, Signal Hill Quidi Vidi, Baie Verte Springdale, St.

John's South, Torngat Mountains, and Cape St. Francis.

The

hon. the Member for The Straits White Bay North.

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, I rise today to congratulate St. Anthony Basin Resources

Incorporated (SABRI), a visionary social enterprise that advances our

fishery, enhances transportation links, tourism, preserves our history, and

fosters economic development for seventeen communities on the Great Northern

Peninsula.

The

AGM highlighted a new twenty-year deal inked with Eimskip to acquire the

multi-million dollar cold storage that will enhance the Province's second

largest international containerized shipping port.

The company also invested to provide Broadband Internet for St.

Carols, Great Brehat, and St. Anthony Bight by partnering with Bell Aliant

and the Province. They will also

assist the Town of Goose Cove.

SABRI is a model for management of public resources where profits are

reinvested in community to create long-term employment, economic stability,

and significant infrastructure and social investments that help diversify

the regional economy.

extend gratitude to the staff Sam Elliott, Glenda Burden, Alicia Shears, and

board members Wayne Noel, Paul Dunphy, Roy Taylor, Todd Hedderson, Dale

Colbourne, Wilfred Alyward, Carl Hedderson, Sterling Dawe, Dean Patey,

Alvohn Pilgrim, Trudy Byrne, Eric Boyd, Lester Bessey, Jordan Mugford, and

Peter Hughes.

ask all members to join me in congratulating SABRI for its continuation of

outstanding accomplishments in the region.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

Nine

years ago, a gentleman phoned our office with news that his mother-in-law,

Frances Peddle of Stephenville Crossing, was 100 years old; her son-in-law

Ivan Bennett, married to her youngest daughter Margaret, hoped we could send

greetings.

was my pleasure then to speak with Frances on the phone and wish her well

and yes, for those of you unsure of your math abilities that means that

Frances is now at 109 years old, Newfoundland and Labrador's oldest

resident. My birthday

conversation with Frances this year was as delightful as ever, and we shared

a song again as we had done before.

She

was born Frances Harnum in Green's Harbour, Trinity Bay, on May 29, 1906,

moved to St. John's at fifteen and later to Corner Brook where she met and

married Loyola (Bob) Bernard.

The two had six children. In

1968, she re-married to Elijah Peddle of New Perlican, who had eight

children.

Today, she lives with Margaret and Ivan in Stephenville Crossing.

She still enjoys a good song and, I can attest, a phone conversation.

ask all hon. members to rise and join me in congratulating Frances Peddle on

reaching her latest milestone 109 years old.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Baie Verte Springdale.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD:

Mr. Speaker, on Friday,

May 22, 2015 I had the privilege to attend a very beautiful graduation

ceremony. All thirty-four

graduates of Copper Ridge Academy of Baie Verte looked very stunning as they

donned their cap and gown, putting many proud smiles on the faces of their

parents and teachers.

are young, we are one, let us shine was a very fitting theme for this class,

who exhibited enthusiasm, confidence, and unity as each graduate cheered

each other on during the presentations.

The

valedictorian, Lindsee Clarke, delivered an excellent speech as she captured

the personalities of the class and challenged them with nuggets of wisdom.

Reverend Erasmus Madimbu also delivered very timely and wise remarks

to the exuberant graduates.

The

communities, teachers, and parents are also to be commended for their

outstanding support. Without it,

no student would be able to excel; no school would be able to experience so

much success.

ask all hon. colleagues to join me in applauding the principal and staff of

Copper Ridge Academy of Baie Verte for organizing a very beautiful ceremony,

and especially congratulating the graduating class of 2015.

May you continue to shine as you each pursue excellence in your

chosen career.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's South.

MR. OSBORNE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This

past weekend I attended the forty-fourth Annual Fort Pepperrell Cadet

Inspection and award ceremony.

was impressed with the young cadets who displayed a great deal of

discipline, and I commend the senior officers of the Fort Pepperrell unit

who dedicate their time to help ensure those young people have an

opportunity to learn respect and discipline.

I commend the eleven new cadets who have chosen to get involved.

The

2014-2015 cadets are: Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class Jack King, PO 1st Class

Olivia Brookings, PO 1st Class Sarah Skinner, PO 2nd Class Damien Synard,

Able Cadet Anna Fitzgerald, Able Cadet Nicholas Hiscock, Able Cadet Adam

Komiak, Able Cadet Braedon Lamkin, Able Cadet Alison Rose, Able Cadet

Zachary Rose, and Able Cadet Belle Warford.

ask all members to recognize the Fort Pepperrell cadets who have won awards

this year.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Torngat Mountains.

MR. EDMUNDS:

Mr. Speaker, I rise in

this hon. House today to recognize the members of the Nain Brass Band who

recently attended a Moravian music festival in Herrnhut, Germany.

The

international festival brings together about 200 brass players in the

Moravian tradition including musicians from Labrador whose ancestors were

converted in the eighteenth century by missionaries with the Protestant

church.

Not

only is this the first time the Nain Brass Band has taken

part in an

international event, it is also the first time a Canadian band has ever

performed in the Moravian festival.

Members of the band include Michael Dyson, Darlene Holwell, Karrie Obed,

Gwen Dyson, and Devin Obed.

The

band performed at the Moravian Brass Band Festival, which takes place every

two years on May 22, 23, and 24th, performing a number of Moravian songs

that they actively prepared for in Nain under the guidance of Mark Turner,

who has been their facilitator for the past two years.

Mr.

Speaker, I ask all hon. members to join me in congratulating the Nain Brass

Band on their successful trip to Germany as part of the Moravian Brass Band

Festival.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Cape St. Francis.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. K. PARSONS:

Thank you very much,

Mr. Speaker.

rise in this hon. House today to recognize individuals who have dedicated

their time and expertise to their community.

Each

year, the Department of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs presents

Long Service Awards for outstanding community service to people who have

served on council in their communities.

the Town of Torbay three individuals were recently recognized; Robert (Bob)

Codner who has served the residents of Torbay for sixteen years, four as a

councillor and twelve as Mayor.

Mrs.

Peggy Roche has served the residents of Torbay for sixteen years; twelve as

a councillor and four as Deputy Mayor.

In 2013, she was re-elected again and still continues to serve the

good people in Torbay.

Mr.

Michael Byrne served the community for twelve years as a councillor and

dedicated countless hours as he was the head of many different committees.

Mr.

Speaker, I congratulate these three individuals for their Long Service

Awards and the efforts they make for making Torbay such a great place to

live.

ask all hon. members to join with me in thanking Bob Codner, Peggy Roche,

and Mike Byrne for their many years of service that they have committed to

their community of Torbay.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Statements by Ministers.

Statements by

Ministers

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Mr. Speaker, I stand in

this hon. House to proclaim the month of June to be Construction Education

Month. I was pleased to be

joined by Ms Rhonda Neary, President and Chief Executive Officer of the

Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Association, and Mr. Ed LeGrow, Chair

of the Board of the Association, as I signed a proclamation to officially

recognize the contributions and achievements of the construction industry to

provincial architecture, infrastructure, and economic growth.

Construction Education Month is also about the opportunity to

highlight educational programs such as the Gold Seal Certification, which is

supported by the Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Association.

Mr.

Speaker, the provincial government continues to partner with stakeholders in

the industry such as the Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Association.

We are fortunate to have many skilled tradespersons in our Province,

who bring their expertise and experience to the industry.

They support the growth of the economy in Newfoundland and Labrador,

and we all reap the benefits of their hard work and dedication to their

craft.

Through Budget 2015, our government is investing over $660 million on the

construction and maintenance of health care facilities, long-term care

homes, schools, transportation, roads, and municipal infrastructure

projects. This funding provides

services that are important to the people of the Province and generates

employment and economic growth.

Mr.

Speaker, Construction Education Month is an opportunity to recognize

innovation in environmental and energy efficiency and to support building

practices that will have a positive and enduring impact on the Province.

There are many examples of such standards being met by this

government, Mr. Speaker, such as the new long-term health care facility in

St. John's, in new schools being built throughout the Province, as well as

the Corner Brook City Hall, the MUN and Grenfell student residence, the

Summit Centre in Mount Pearl, and the Natural Resources Building in St.

John's. In addition, my

department is working towards BOMA BESt certification for two buildings this

year the Motor Registration building in Mount Pearl and the provincial

building in Grand Falls-Windsor.

hope that everyone in the industry will benefit from an informative and

productive Construction Education Month.

As a government, we look forward to maintaining a positive and

lasting relationship with the Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who work in

the construction industry.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's South.

MR. OSBORNE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

thank the minister for an advance copy of the statement.

We would also encourage the government to continue its partnership

with the Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Association because they do

great work in this Province.

Much

of what the minister talks about in his statement, regarding environmental

and energy efficiency, was contained in government's 2007 Energy Plan.

Much of what, I might add, they have failed to implement.

The minister also names a number of projects that have met

environmental standards, but missing from that list are projects that

government has promised but has failed to deliver, such as the Corner Brook

hospital, the new courthouse in St. John's, the Waterford Hospital, or the

penitentiary.

While proclaiming June as Construction Education Month may be great for the

industry, it does little for the residents of Corner Brook, for instance,

who have been waiting eight years for a promised hospital and there are no

foundations even in that site yet.

Mr.

Speaker, this just goes to show you do not have to spend $53,000 to tell

people what you are not doing.

Government can do that quite well.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

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

We all celebrate the contributions of the many talented people in the

skilled trades and what they have done in contributing to the economy of

this Province. In fact, from the

New York skyline to the smallest out port, the skilled tradespersons of this

Province have earned a truly international reputation.

That

said, many want to stay and work in this their home.

I hope government is developing continuity plans to ensure, as far as

government contracts go, that there is work over time to allow our skilled

workers to stay and live in this Province.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Environment and Conservation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CRUMMELL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise in this hon. House today to recognize

June 1-7 as Environment Week.

Since 1972, people worldwide have celebrated June 5 as Environment Day.

However, here in Canada, the entire first week of June is designated

as Environment Week a time to acknowledge accomplishments in protecting

the environment as well as to promote and educate residents about actions

they can take to help ensure a sustainable Province for future generations.

Just

last week, Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege of standing in this House and

speaking to the incredible contributions of the Conservation Corps of

Newfoundland and Labrador as well as the Stewardship Association of

Municipalities. Through their

work in educating about climate change and their commitment to protecting

wildlife habitat in and around municipal planning boundaries, both groups

are environmental leaders in their commitment toward a clean and sustainable

ecosystem. Later this week, I

will also have the honour of acknowledging another seven groups,

individuals, schools, and businesses at the twenty-sixth annual Newfoundland

and Labrador Environmental Awards.

Always a highlight of Environment Week, this event is a partnership between

my department, the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board and the Newfoundland

and Labrador Women's Institutes, and acknowledges the contributions of

environmental leaders in this Province.

It is a wonderful opportunity to recognize the important

contributions of individuals, schools, groups, and businesses that are all

doing their part to ensure a sustainable environment for all Newfoundlanders

and Labradorians.

Mr.

Speaker, I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the

incredible work of the staff of the Department of Environment and

Conservation. These dedicated

individuals make a difference every day through their work in natural

heritage, wildlife, parks and natural areas, pollution prevention, water

resources management, environmental assessment and sustainable development,

and the institute for biodiversity and ecosystem science.

As noted earlier, Environment Week is about celebrating

accomplishments in protecting the environment and I would like to thank the

more than 250 staff of my department for their daily accomplishments and

contributions in this area.

Mr.

Speaker, a healthy and sustainable environment yields healthy people, a

stronger economy and more vibrant communities.

This government is committed to working with all residents, groups,

communities, and businesses toward the protection of our natural areas and

the development of our resources in an environmentally appropriate and

sustainable manner. I am pleased

to say that we continue to make great progress in these areas.

Clearly, there is much to celebrate during Environment Week 2015.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

The Straits White Bay North.

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

thank the minister for the advanced copy of his statement.

World Environment Day was created forty-three years ago to stimulate

action on the environment and empower people from every corner of the globe

to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development.

The Official Opposition recognizes the importance and the message of

Environment Week and we congratulate the municipalities, the organizations,

and advocacy groups on the work they have done.

Unfortunately the government has failed miserably to take action as an

environmental leader, and the list of accomplishments clearly is not there.

The Budget ads are not listing the number of contaminated or impacted

sites that are not cleaned up in the Province, liability after liability;

cuts to Burnt Cape Ecological Reserve where dozens of rare plants are; the

weak stance on the Manolis L ;

decimated caribou populations; ineffective moose management; heel dragging

on the Natural Areas System Plan in the Mealy Mountains park; 219 boil-water

advisories; the climate change inaction; and greenhouse gas emissions.

Beyond recognizing the work of others, it is time for government to hear the

message of Environment Week and take real action to protect our Province.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

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

I am pleased to congratulate groups like Conservation Corps,

Stewardship Association of Municipalities, and the staff in the Department

of Environment and Conservation to name just a few great work.

Government must also live up to their environmental responsibilities.

have yet to see government's report on the state of the Province's

contaminated sites. I notice

there was an

article in the paper today about the refinery site.

Government must also understand it is a disservice to all the good

work so many people do in the name of environmental protection to sanction

the destruction of a pond and watershed like they did with Sandy Pond,

whatever the reason. These types

of practices must end, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today

to recognize June as Seniors Month in Newfoundland and Labrador and to

recognize the lifelong contributions seniors have made, and continue to

make, throughout the Province.

The

Department of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development was created, in part,

to focus more directly on seniors' issues and to reflect the changing

reality in Newfoundland and Labrador an aging demographic and the

opportunities and challenges that presents.

But our focus on seniors' issues did not begin here.

Mr.

Speaker, one of the first things our government did, in 2004, was to create

a Seniors and Aging Division within the Department of Health and Community

Services. Since then, we have

established a thirteen-member Provincial Advisory Council on Seniors and

Aging with representation from throughout the Province.

We have developed a Provincial Healthy Aging Policy Framework and

invested in a number of programs to enhance seniors' wellness.

We have made changes to the Newfoundland and Labrador Prescription

Drug Program which are of specific benefit to seniors, and we have

introduced a Low Income Seniors Tax Benefit which, in 2015, will see over

$42 million put directly in close to 45,000 senior households.

Mr.

Speaker, we continue to invest in programs and services and community-based

organizations which serve the needs of seniors, and others.

There has been a $6 million increase in the Provincial Home Support

Program, which last year provided support to about 9,000 clients, the

majority of whom are seniors. In

addition, there is the Provincial Home Repair Program; the

federal-provincial investment in Affordable Housing Program, and investments

made in support of age-friendly communities

MR. J. BENNETT:

(Inaudible).

MR. JACKMAN:

The Member for St. Barbe

is going to be one of them if he does not stop chattering, Mr. Speaker all

of which are of significant benefit to seniors.

And

I always feel good, Mr. Speaker, when I hear how community-based

organizations have used the recreation and wellness grants this government

introduced to improve the lives of seniors.

These investments get to the very heart of our communities, Mr.

Speaker, helping older adults to remain active and engaged in their

communities for as long as possible.

Mr.

Speaker, I invite my colleagues in this House to join me in thanking seniors

for the role they have played, and continue to play, in building our

Province.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. HILLIER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

also thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement.

We, as an Opposition, also recognize June as Seniors Month.

We know we have approximately 93,000 seniors in our Province.

We know that represents approximately 20 per cent of the population

of our Province, and we know it is the fastest growing group in the country,

the fastest growing by proportion in the country.

Mr.

Speaker, this government recognizes June as Seniors Month.

We feel this is important enough to recognize every month as Seniors

Month.

Mr.

Speaker, the minister talked about the Provincial Healthy Aging Policy, at

the same time his government increased pool rates for seniors well beyond

those in Mount Pearl, St. John's and Conception Bay South in this past

Budget.

Mr.

Speaker, the statement references the seniors' tax benefit, we have 93,000

seniors. We are told this

benefit will affect 45,000 households.

Mr. Speaker, do the math.

What portion of our population is forced to affect this gas tax benefit?

Mr. Speaker, we maintain every month is Seniors Month.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's Centre.

MS ROGERS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Our

prosperity is built on the very hard work of the seniors who have come

before us. I too thank them and

celebrate their achievements.

Far too many of our seniors live in poverty and isolation in our Province.

We all get calls from seniors terrified of losing their housing

because of uncontrolled rent increases or because the loss of a spouse means

their income is cut in half; seniors who live for months and months in

silence because they cannot get hearing aids or they cannot get dental work

done.

Having built our Province, seniors deserve and have earned better than this.

Only then can government toot its own horn.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Oral Questions.

Oral Questions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Last

week, the Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier said that the $400 million

CETA fisheries fund was money that was primarily intended to compensate for

any losses that may have occurred by eliminating MPRs.

These comments were made on the CBC program On Point.

Really, that sounds a lot like what Stephen Harper and the federal

Conservatives have been saying about this very fisheries fund.

ask the Premier: Do you now agree with your Parliamentary Assistant that

this fund was for losses incurred by eliminating MPRs?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker,

discussions with the federal government on CETA entailed and involved and

included the federal government coming to our Province looking for us to

relinquish our minimum processing requirements in the fishery.

There were five pillars that we had settled on.

One of those is certainly directly relevant to demonstrate a loss,

but there are four other pillars as well: research and development,

marketing, fisheries research, and fisheries infrastructure.

There is an aspect of the fund that is directly related to demonstrate loss

in being able to sustain communities when there is an impact on the fishery

and on processors as a result of that, Mr. Speaker.

This fund is about building a new fishery, building a new processing

industry, revitalizing it, and renewing it, having the infrastructure and

the research to make it sustainable for years to come.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

For

months and weeks the Premier and members of the government said that the

fisheries fund was not intended to be used as compensation for MPR losses.

Now the Premier's assistant, as already has been said, is saying that

is exactly what the fund was for.

ask the Premier: How do you expect to actually win an argument with the

federal government when even your own members, your Parliamentary Assistant,

are actually agreeing with the federal position?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker, the

fisheries fund, as I said, is important to the fishery.

It is about redevelopment of the fishery.

It is about sustainability of the fishery.

It is about renewing and revitalizing the fishery and processing,

which is so important to rural parts of Newfoundland and Labrador and those

communities who rely heavily on processing jobs and opportunities within

their own communities.

This

fund that we had agreed upon with the federal government was a $400 million

fund; $280 million being provided by the federal government, $120 million to

be provided by the provincial government.

Mr. Speaker, I ask a very simple question, if this was just about

demonstrated loss and providing funding because of loss to the Province, why

would we pay for our own loss?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The

Premier talks about the agreement that he thought he had with the federal

government, but he has yet to produce the agreement that has signatures of

both the federal government and the provincial government on it I say, Mr.

Speaker.

Hydro-Quebec continues to challenge on water management and the

interpretation of the Upper Churchill renewal contract, and we understand

that Hydro-Quebec was successful in their attempt to get senior Nalcor

officials under oath as part of this challenge.

The VP of Hydro was examined last Thursday and the VP of the Lower

Churchill project was examined on Friday.

I ask the Premier: If this challenge is not about water management and the

Lower Churchill, why is it the VP of the Lower Churchill project being

examined under oath?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY:

Mr. Speaker, it is in the

public and obviously there is a court case going on, but the court case

itself, with respect to the

interpretation contract, the 1969 power

contract, the renewal of that contract and the agreement with Hydro-Quebec

as to how the water will flow, how the power will flow, whether it will be

continuous or interrupted, that is exactly what the court case is all about.

is not about water rights. We

maintain water rights; that has been determined.

What it is about is the

interpretation of the 1969 renewal contract,

which is due in 2016. It is

being discussed in the courts, Mr. Speaker, and I do not have any further

details.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

question was more about as the minister said, this was about the

interpretation of the 1969 agreement or the extension of the 2016 agreement.

question is: As we have said in the past, this about being water management

rights, why is it that the VP of the Lower Churchill Project, the Muskrat

Falls Project, is testifying when this clearly is about what the minister

says, the

interpretation of the other agreement?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY:

Mr. Speaker, I cannot

speak for the other side I guess with respect to who they want to speak to

during this court case; but again, I think the member would understand, this

is a court case, a very important one for the people of the Province I might

add.

The

proper approach will be taken with this, and I will not be commenting on the

details of the case. As for who

the courts decide should be involved, then that will be a decision they will

make, Mr. Speaker, not one that our government would make.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The

proper process would have allowed those kinds of

interpretations to be done

before this project was started and putting billions of dollars of

Newfoundlanders' and Labradorians' money at risk.

the last three-and-a-half years, Nalcor has spent $48 million on legal fees.

I ask the Premier: Are you satisfied with this level of spending that

we are currently seeing on legal fees by Nalcor?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY:

Mr. Speaker, Nalcor is a

company that is owned by the people of the Province.

It does tremendous work with six major lines of business, with regard

to CF(L)Co, the Lower Churchill Project, Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro,

Bull Arm, energy marketing, and oil and gas.

I think the people of the Province would understand valuable

resources are being managed here, and there is tremendous amount of work

being done.

With

the $48 million, it is certainly a high number, but it points to a number of

things. They are doing an

incredible amount of work, Mr. Speaker.

Legal fees are high, but, as well, I think it speaks to the due

diligence that is being followed.

I think that is important for people to understand as well.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Speaking of spending money, after $10 million in taxpayers' money spent,

government has spent another $185,000 on the Roddickton pellet plant this

year. This money was not part of

any Budget line item and it was not approved in last year's Budget that is

Budget 2014.

ask the Premier: After saying that no more money would be spent on the

facility, why did you allow $185,000 that was not budgeted for to be spent

last year?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The

hon. the Minister Responsible for the Forestry and Agrifoods Agency.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. GRANTER:

Mr. Speaker, as was said

in the House last week, we have a considerable asset there on the Northern

Peninsula with regard to Holson Forest Products.

Holson Forest Products has designed and developed a new business plan

and are shopping around that particular business plan for future investments

in that particular property.

The

forest industry is incredibly important in the Province; incredibly

important on the Northern Peninsula.

There was an asset there that government felt we needed to apply some

funding last year to cover the cost of insurance on the asset, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Since 2013, government has not been budgeting any additional money for the

Roddickton pellet plant, but in the last three years they have decided that

after the Budget was approved to give more taxpayer money to this operation.

This total is now over $300,000.

ask the Premier: We understand that you do not have first charge on the

insurance for the kiln that is the only first charge you have is on the

kiln so if there is an incident, how much of the over $10 million in

taxpayers' money will government actually recover?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister

Responsible for the Forestry and Agrifoods Agency.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. GRANTER:

Mr. Speaker, we believe

the investments with regard to the pellet plant and forest products in

Roddickton is absolutely incredibly important for the Northern Peninsula and

the forest industry, as it is for the entire Province.

Again, we felt it was necessary to apply the insurance on an

incredibly important asset for the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

I do

not have the numbers in front of me that the hon. member was asking.

I will find the numbers for him and I will present it to him.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, it is more of a matter of a process: Why would this government insure

things that it does not have first charge on?

Why are you paying the insurance bill for this owner?

Why is it, I say, Mr. Speaker?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister

Responsible for the Forestry and Agrifoods Agency.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. GRANTER:

Mr. Speaker, again, I

will say that we invested heavily into that plant on the Northern Peninsula,

and it is an asset that is very important to the people of the Northern

Peninsula; it is an asset that is very important to the Province.

We wanted to make sure that there was insurance coverage.

The company at the time was not able to pay their insurance on that

particular asset. We felt

obligated that we needed to do so such that the insurance would be covered,

and that is why we did so.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

The Straits White Bay North.

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Mr. Speaker, in 2011,

Hydro sold the Roddickton wood chip power plan to Holson Forest Products.

Once again, the Province took responsibility for environmental

liabilities at the site. At the

time, Hydro committed to completing an environmental assessment while Holson

was allowed to sell off provincial assets to Quebec, saving a competitor

over $7 million.

ask the minister: How much did government take on in environmental liability

when it basically gave this facility away to a private company?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY:

Mr. Speaker, the facility

the member references was no longer of any use as a power generating asset,

and the PUB approved that it could be sold.

From 2000 to 2011 a number of processes were followed, and eventually

it was sold.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. DALLEY:

Within that, Mr. Speaker,

the land itself, there were some environmental responsibilities.

I do not have the exact number on the environmental responsibility,

but I do know that the land is currently being leased, and Hydro has

undertaken to complete an environmental due diligence.

I am not sure if that has been done, but I am happy to check into it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

The Straits White Bay North.

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Mr. Speaker, you can

see the bad management right there from the other side.

The costs of an environmental assessment and cleanup were supposed to

be offset by the sale of assets to Holson, yet we know the deal was made for

a nominal fee.

So I

ask the minister: Was the assessment ever completed which he confirmed he

does not know and if so, how much was paid for by the sale of the assets

to Holson?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY:

I am not sure how many

questions he is asking there, Mr. Speaker.

I do know, as I said before, that I would undertake to check into

whether Hydro has completed the environmental assessment, their due

diligence. I will check that and

report back to the House.

Mr.

Speaker, the details of the sale of the asset over a ten-year period, two

governments, it was basically divested to hopefully enhance some economic

value and opportunity in the region.

Some of the assets were sold off, others remained.

I do know the land is being leased.

Mr.

Speaker, those are the details I have with respect to the environmental due

diligence and what is done. I

will gladly check into it and gladly report back to the House.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's North.

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, students in

the child and youth care worker programs are being blocked from work terms

at child care centres because government refuses to provide the required

child protection record check.

Providing these record checks for child and youth care worker students was

not an issue at all in the past.

ask the minister responsible: Why are these students being blocked from work

terms in child care centres? Why

was this change made without any notice at all?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Acting

Minister Responsible for Education and Early Childhood Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. S. COLLINS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

would all agree, obviously, with regard to the importance of record checks,

particularly if you are working in an industry with youth, with children,

with vulnerable populations.

However, we are looking at making improvements with regard to that records

check. Upon coming into the

department, some things were brought to my attention, ways that we could

improve on that process. That is

the process we are engaged in right now.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's North.

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, the irony

here is that once these child and youth care worker students' graduate, they

will actually be eligible to write the Level II ECE exam and become

certified to work in the very child care centres where they are being denied

work terms right now. It is

another barrier to recruiting child care providers because this government

stopped giving students a needed record check.

ask the minister: Why is your department obstructing the training of child

and youth care workers? When

will you fix this and stop creating more problems for the child care sector

without any consultation at all?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Acting

Minister Responsible for Education and Early Childhood Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. S. COLLINS:

Mr. Speaker, it is

interesting, it was just a week ago, I believe, I met with AECENL, the

Association of Early Childhood Educators in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The tune they had and the information they provided to me is much

different than the member opposite, which obviously speaks volumes to me.

They

are very happy with the work that has been done.

They would like to have it done a little bit quicker and they

acknowledge such. It is a

ten-year strategy, Mr. Speaker.

The member is up on his feet every day talking about our ten-year strategy

is not done, it is three years in.

If it was done it would be a three-year strategy.

We have made great improvements in the system.

There are going to be fantastic improvements yet to come, but like I

said

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. S. COLLINS:

If I could please

finish.

When

I meet with people in the industry, I appreciate and certainly I take great

comfort in hearing from them and the remarks they have on this.

So if the member would like to have a full briefing on the

department, I would invite him over because I would like to educate him.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. Barbe.

MR. J. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, an

October 2014 study, commissioned by Newfoundland and Labrador Housing and

completed by OrgCode Consulting, found over 5,500 people in 2012 experienced

homelessness or hidden homelessness.

The study also found that homeless women and youth are particularly

vulnerable to abuse and sexual exploitation.

Today's Choices for Youth panel on youth homelessness echoed this

vulnerability.

ask the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services: How many of the

sexually exploited youth in the youth sexual exploitation report that you

commissioned and then kept secret four years ago were homeless?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

was very much an interesting panel discussion, Mr. Speaker.

Myself and the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services, and the

Parliamentary Secretary to Health, and several others who are in this House

were down there today. We heard

from some youth who spoke about their history and how they have progressed

through the system.

Mr.

Speaker, I think the message that came out of that session this morning,

loud and clear, is we all have to work together to find a solution here.

I can assure you, that we on this side are committed to being part of

that process.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. Barbe.

MR. J. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, the

question to the minister was: How many of the sexually exploited youth in

the youth sexual exploitation report commissioned by this government and

kept secret for the past four years were homeless?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. S. COLLINS:

Mr. Speaker,

obviously, it is a very important study that was done.

The sensitive group that was I cannot speak to how many were

homeless in it. By the very

nature of the study, it was an anonymous study.

the member would like to have a chat afterwards, I would be happy to have

that conversation, but the fact remains that there are obviously

sensitivities around that report.

There is anonymity that had to be done during that report, and for me

to identify how many were

AN HON. MEMBER:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. S. COLLINS:

If I could finish,

please how many were homeless, I obviously would not be able to provide

that data, but again, I would be more than happy to have a conversation

around it.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. Barbe.

MR. J. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, if the

report, in fact, was anonymous, there should be no harm in releasing it.

OrgCode reported that discrimination by landlords against young tenants put

them at further risk for homelessness and, by extension, sexual

exploitation. Housing options

for youth under the youth services agreements include bedsitting rooms.

Bedsitters are not covered under the Residential Tenancies Act,

meaning youth living in bedsitters have no legal recourse under the act.

Today we heard from the Choices for Youth panel that youth live in

fear in these rooms.

ask the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services: Does he think it is

responsible to consider bedsitters a safe and affordable housing arrangement

for vulnerable youth, especially given they are not covered under the

Residential Tenancies Act?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN:

Mr. Speaker, there is no

doubt about it; some of the youth in the Province find themselves in very,

very difficult situations. The

way forward, in finding suitable housing accommodations, finding a way

forward, as I said in my previous answer, is that we all work together.

like the Tweet that came out that said: ending homelessness will take many

hands; no single entity, organization, or level of government can do it

alone. It means we must work

together, and, Mr. Speaker, I am convinced that all of us working together

can find a solution here.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Cartwright L'Anse au Clair.

MS DEMPSTER:

Mr. Speaker, the Minister

of AES recently called the disability community an untapped workforce; yet,

last year government underspent their grants to organizations by over a

million dollars. Budget 2015 cut

$200,000 from grants to disability organizations under the Labour Market

Agreement for Persons with Disabilities.

In Estimates last week, they called it rightsizing.

ask the minister: How can you call cutting this budget rightsizing when

persons with disabilities are already under-represented in the work force?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Advanced Education and Skills.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN:

Mr. Speaker, I will be

cautious in my answer because the member last session got up and raised much

the same type of question, and, in fact, it was not correct what she said.

So, I will guard against that.

Secondly, Mr. Speaker

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. JACKMAN:

Secondly, Mr. Speaker,

look at the work we are doing in the disability community.

We have gone out; we have invested in transportation so that people

can more easily get to work sites.

We continue to work with that community, and, Mr. Speaker, we have

made major gains.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Cartwright L'Anse au Clair.

MS DEMPSTER:

He did not answer, Mr.

Speaker, why they underspent by a million dollars.

Statistics Canada has reported that NL is the worst performer amongst

provinces when it comes to persons with disabilities keeping work.

They indicated that 35 per cent of persons with disabilities employed

in 2011 were no longer employed in 2012.

ask the minister our workforce participation rate is dropping.

We need more people in the workforce.

How do you justify cutting a budget that bolsters diversity and helps

reduce poverty for persons with disabilities?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Advanced Education and Skills.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN:

Mr. Speaker, we continue

to work with the disability community.

The advisory panel, I have probably met with them, since I have come

into this office, probably I would say about four or five times.

continue to work with them and find ways forward, whether that be through

transportation, through establishing standards on our websites, meeting with

the larger community, the construction community so that we can improve

We are doing well and we will continue to work with that community

and to strive to find better ways for the entire disability community.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's South.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. OSBORNE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

December 2013, the Liberal Party put forward a private member's motion

urging government to implement a regional rental rate structure for Income

Support clients, as was suggested by their own consultant two years ago.

This motion passed unanimously.

Eighteen months later, when we asked the status of this motion in Estimates,

we were told that you are still working and reviewing the idea.

People who cannot afford to rent end up on the street, Mr. Speaker,

because without an address they do not qualify for Social Services.

ask the minister: How do you justify delaying making changes to rental rates

when this delay is putting people at risk of homelessness?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN:

Mr. Speaker, I have said

several times since I have risen in the House in this particular Question

Period, and throughout my answers, that we continue to work with

Newfoundland and Labrador Housing to find the best way forward to meet the

clients of Newfoundland and Labrador Housing.

Look at the gains that we have made to retrofitting Newfoundland and

Labrador Housing facilities. I

contend, and I have said it several times, the people who work in

Newfoundland and Labrador Housing

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. JACKMAN:

want to find the best way forward for their clients.

Mr. Speaker, I have no doubt that they will continue to do that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's South.

MR. OSBORNE:

My question, Mr. Speaker,

was about Income Support rates.

Government boasts, through their Poverty Reduction Strategy, that the number

of people on Income Support is dropping.

The rental allowance under Income Support is not enough to meet

today's rental rates. Some

people end up homeless because the allowance is not enough to pay for

housing.

ask the minister: Will you confirm that your Income Support caseload is

dropping because the homeless population is increasing?

Why is the minister delaying changing the rates for those on Income

Support and adding to the homelessness issue in this Province?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN:

Mr. Speaker, we have

invested $1.2 billion in our Poverty Reduction Strategy.

We have people who are coming off Income Support because they are

availing of our programs. Many

of them are returning to the workforce.

is through programs such as through AES and working with clients at

Newfoundland and Labrador Housing that we are making gains.

Recognizing there will always be a challenge, Mr. Speaker, but

working with Newfoundland and Labrador Housing, working with the Department

of AES, we continue to do well in that particular area.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

Last

week the Premier declared that the department, the minister, and government

have all looked at the experience with privatization of long-term care in

other provinces and they think P3's will save this Province money.

Auditors General in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario

report that P3 facilities have gone way over budget because of the high cost

of private borrowing and the need to build in more profits.

ask the Premier: Has he looked at all the evidence of the higher cost of

constructing P3 facilities, or just what P3 proponents want him to see?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, we have

clearly laid out a plan and we are confident in our plan.

In doing so, in preparing for this major announcement, we looked at

lots of evidence on all sides of the debate, all across the country, I say

to the hon. member.

What

is important to remember is that we are trying to address a real problem.

We have people waiting for beds in hallways on stretchers in our

hospitals. We have people

sitting in emergency rooms.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. KENT:

We have cancelled

surgeries occurring because there are people in acute care beds, that cost

about $50,000 a month to operate, that should not be there.

That is why we are adding 360 more long-term care beds in

Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The

hon. the Member for Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

ask the Premier: Is he aware of reports showing that new P3 hospitals in

Ontario are way over budget and the cost has to be borne by government?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, we are not

talking about a traditional P3 hospital.

That is not what we are talking about.

That may be what the House Leader of the NDP is talking about, but

that

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. KENT:

I cannot hear; she is

shouting at me, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. KENT:

Are you ready?

Okay, she is ready now, Mr. Speaker, and now I have lost my train of

thought.

What

we are doing here is not a traditional P3 model.

What we are doing is something that has existed in the Province for

over a decade. It exists in

every province in Canada. The

private sector is active in the delivery of long-term care in every

jurisdiction in this country, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

Just one more piece of

information: Are they aware of the fact that a facility in Montreal cost one

billion dollars more than if it had been built by government?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, once again,

the Member for Signal Hill Quidi Vidi is talking about large-scale acute

care facilities. She is not

talking about private sector involvement in long-term care, which exists in

every province in Canada, including right here in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The

savings, typically, is between 10 per cent and 20 per cent.

So the private facility that is operating in Newfoundland and

Labrador today is costing less than what it is costing us to operate the

public beds, and it is providing the same quality of care at the same

standards, providing the same service to seniors who need that care.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's Centre.

MS ROGERS:

Mr. Speaker, our youth

with complex needs are falling through the cracks at age sixteen when they

age out of care, become homeless, or end up in horrifying , unsafe boarding

houses terrifying for them, and very costly to society.

ask the Premier: Will he commit to develop a concrete plan to prevent and

end youth homelessness with actionable items, measurable targets, and a

defined budget, as they did in Alberta, and for it to be ready by June 2016?

Will he commit to this, Mr. Speaker?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. S. COLLINS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

will echo the words from the Minister of AES, who I joined this morning at

the forum that was held at City Hall, as well as the Parliamentary Secretary

to the Minister of Health. It is

a very important topic, and one that I take very seriously, as I am sure all

our colleagues do on this side.

made significant legislative enhancements back in 2011.

The CYCP legislation will be reviewed in 2016.

I can tell you, it is on our radar.

I can tell you from a personal standpoint, as well as Minister of

CYFS, and if I can be so bold as to speak on behalf of everybody on this

side, it is something we take very seriously.

I think there are some things that we can do to further improve that,

and that is exactly what we are going to do.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's Centre has time for a quick question.

MS ROGERS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

They

ask for a concrete plan.

ask the Premier: Will he freeze the sale of all public land and buildings,

including vacant schools, hospitals, Newfoundland and Labrador Housing

assets, until government comes up with a housing strategy based on

consultation

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS ROGERS:

with municipalities and

NGOs?

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The

hon. the Minister of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development for a quicker

reply.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN:

Mr. Speaker, I have to

point out to the member, she is not the only one who cares.

We all care about the youth.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN:

We all care about our

youth, and as I have said several times in this Question Period, Mr.

Speaker, we will work with the parties to find the best way forward.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The

time for Question Period has expired.

[Technical difficulties]

The

hon. the Member for Port de Grave.

MR. LITTLEJOHN:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

The

Social Services Committee have considered the matters to them referred and

have directed me to report that they have passed without amendment the

Estimates of the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services; the

Department of Education and Early Childhood Development; the Department of

Health and Community Services; the Department of Justice and Public Safety;

the Department of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs; the Labour

Relations Agency; the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation; and the

Department of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.

The

Estimates of the Office of Public Engagement are deemed passed in accordance

with Standing Order 75(2).

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Tabling of Documents.

Notices of Motion.

Notices of Motion

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government

House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

give notice under Standing Order 11, I shall move that the House not adjourn

at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 2, 2015.

Further, I give notice under Standing Order 11, I shall move the House not

adjourn at 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 2, 2015.

Further, Mr. Speaker, I give notice under Standing Order 11, I shall move

that the House not adjourn at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 4, 2015.

Further, I give notice under Standing Order 11, I shall move that the House

not adjourn at 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 4, 2015.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further notices of

motion?

The

hon. the Member for Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

give notice of the following motion:

WHEREAS following the imposition of the 1992 moratorium on Northern cod, the

federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans assured inshore harvesters of the

Province that upon the return of the resource the first 115,000 tons of

2J3KL cod would be allotted to the adjacent inshore harvesters; and

WHEREAS the Northern cod is showing a resurgence in numbers; and

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS the current federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans has shown

contempt for the principle of adjacency;

THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that this House urge government to call for the

federal minister to reaffirm the federal policy of returning the first

115,000 metric tons of Northern cod quota to the adjacent inshore harvesters

of Newfoundland and Labrador, seconded by the Member for St. John's Centre.

give notice, Mr. Speaker, this will be the private member's motion on this

coming Wednesday.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further notices of

motion?

Answers to Questions for Which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. George's Stephenville East.

MR. REID:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

have a petition on health care in the St. George's and surrounding area.

It is a petition that many members are quite familiar with because I

presented it here before.

The

petition reads: To the hon. House of Assembly in the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the

undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS there is not a permanent doctor in the Town of St. George's; and

WHEREAS this absence of a permanent doctor is seriously compromising the

health care of people who live in the town and surrounding areas causing

them undue hardship; and

WHEREAS the absence of a doctor or nurse practitioner in the area leaves

seniors without a consistency and quality of care, which is necessary for

their continued good health;

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

House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to

take action which will result in a permanent doctor or other arrangements to

improve the health care services in St. George's and surrounding area.

Mr.

Speaker, this petition is signed by a number of people from the St. George's

area. At one point, St. George's

had two doctors, now they do not have a permanent doctor at all.

It is causing the people of St. George's and surrounding area Flat

Bay, St. Teresa's, those areas who use that clinic in St. George's are

having problems getting a consistency of care that they would need for good

health.

Not

to blow the situation out of proportion to say that there is a health care

crisis in St. George's and the entire Stephenville-Bay St. George area.

Jeffrey's, just down the road a little ways, have not had a doctor in

their clinic for a year and a half now.

The

people in St. George's have been over a half year now.

They are looking at the situation in Jeffrey's and they are saying:

Is that the faith we are going to have to endure for that long?

They are wondering when this government is going to find a solution

that will help them get the health care services they need.

Mr.

Speaker, the hospital in Stephenville, the waiting rooms are overcrowded.

People from these areas travel to Stephenville and have to wait all

day to get services that they cannot get in their own communities.

Also, you are seeing a downgrading of the services that are available at the

hospital in Stephenville. Many

people have expressed concerns about the downgrading of services under this

government. It is a very serious

problem and I am looking forward to government working to address this, Mr.

Speaker.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Trinity Bay de Verde.

MR. CROCKER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS many communities in the District of Trinity Bay de Verde do not

have cellphone coverage; and

WHEREAS residents of the district require cellphone coverage to ensure their

safety and communications abilities; and

WHEREAS cellphone coverage on many portions of the highway in the district

is poor or non-existent;

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

House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to

work with the appropriate agencies to provide adequate cellphone coverage

throughout the entire District of Trinity Bay de Verde.

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, it is my pleasure this afternoon to stand and enter this petition

on behalf of the residents of Trinity Bay de Verde.

I have entered this petition many times in the past four or five

weeks, and I will continue to do so.

Mr.

Speaker, it is time the government realize they have a role to play in

cellphone coverage in our Province.

We always hear the same thing from government, that it is a federal

responsibility. There is no one

who disputes the fact it is a federal responsibility, but it is the

responsibility of the government to protect the safety of the travelling

public throughout our Province, in many regions of the Province.

I heard the Member for Burgeo La Poile time after time enter a very

similar petition, the Member for Cartwright L'Anse au Clair the same.

the District of Trinity Bay de Verde, Mr. Speaker, we have four

not-for-profit ambulance services that travel mainly on Route 74 and Route

70. On neither of these routes

is there adequate cellphone coverage.

have the newly implemented 911 system.

Every person in the Province with a cellphone today, when they get

their bill they are going to see a line, 911 service fee, seventy-five

cents. Mr. Speaker, we pay for a

service that most people with cellphones in my district, and many districts

throughout the Province, cannot avail of.

So we pay the seventy-five cents month after month after month with

still no ability to avail of the cellphone service.

Mr.

Speaker, we look at Bay de Verde and Old Perlican in the summer months, in

the fishing season. We have

hundreds of crews from all over the Province, not just Trinity Bay de

Verde or not just the Bay de Verde Peninsula, who are landing in Old

Perlican and Bay de Verde. They

come into these ports with no way to use their cellphones, to communicate

back home, and to communicate to the plants as they come in.

inhibits business development.

When you look at business development and rural economic development

throughout the Province, Mr. Speaker, without adequate cellphone coverage in

2015, it is an inhibitor to business and economic development throughout the

Province.

The

government just does not get.

Just last week, the Member for Lake Melville gets up and says it is fine for

the people in cities to have cellphone coverage, but

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

remind the member his time is expired.

MR. CROCKER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I will be back tomorrow.

MR. SPEAKER:

Orders of the Day.

Further petitions?

The

hon. the Member for The Straits White Bay North.

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

We,

the citizens serviced by Curtis Hospital located in St. Anthony,

Newfoundland and Labrador, petition the Government of Newfoundland and

Labrador and Labrador-Grenfell Health to retain the midwives and allow them

to continue to perform all of their duties at Curtis Hospital.

Our

midwives offer services that cannot be duplicated and which cannot be

replaced. The level of care they

offer and the knowledge and training they have in the area of obstetrics is

immense. It will be a great

disservice to the people of this area if our midwives are no longer

available to care for the people here.

Privatizing midwifery or waiting five to seven years for regulation,

as stated by the government, is unacceptable.

We have an operation model of midwifery here in St. Anthony that has

been delivering outstanding care for over ninety years.

urge the House of Assembly to implore the Government of Newfoundland and

Labrador and Labrador-Grenfell Health to preserve our midwifery services at

Curtis Hospital.

This

is signed by a number of constituents from Anchor Point, Sandy Cove, Eddies

Cove, Flower's Cove, Green Island Cove, and Forresters Point who are

speaking out on this matter. I

had the opportunity to go and connect with constituents door to door in St.

Anthony over the weekend, and a number of them raised concerns over health

care and how midwifery services have been cut.

This

is a government that has put more focus on harness racing and regulating

that than it has on midwifery, on obstetrics.

You talk about a government that wants to grow a population and talk

about providing the appropriate level of care for women and families when it

comes to midwives, it has been a proven fact that when it comes to low-risk

pregnancies that this whole process of the pre and postnatal care is a

direction that other provinces are taking and moving in regulation.

After meeting with the Parliamentary Secretary for Health and the

person who is responsible for midwifery, it is very clear that government

has prioritized privatization and that it will be five to seven years before

it is returned back to the public setting.

This

is completely unacceptable when what we had in St. Anthony has been working,

and it is just another service that the current government has taken away

from the residents of St. Anthony and the people of the Great Northern

Peninsula and Southern Labrador, and I say it is completely shameful, Mr.

Speaker.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Yes, Mr. Speaker, I

am standing on a point of clarification.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. A. PARSONS:

Just prior

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. A. PARSONS:

Sorry.

MR. SPEAKER:

There is no provision for

the member to stand on a point of clarification.

MR. A. PARSONS:

I will stand on a

point of order.

MR. SPEAKER:

What is the member's

point of order?

MR. A. PARSONS:

Just prior to the

petitions, the Member for

AN HON. MEMBER:

Port de Grave.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Port de Grave stood

and mentioned the Social Services Committee having been passed without

amendment, and I am looking at the Standing Orders here, specifically

Standing Order 75(2), which says All estimates not selected for

consideration by the respective Standing Committee on Estimates shall be

deemed to be passed by the Committee and reported back to the House at the

conclusion of the 15 day period.

Now,

specifically we are referring to the Estimates for the Office of Public

Engagement, which was listed and was supposed to be done here in the House,

and would fall under Social Services.

So, I would ask for the Speaker's consideration of why that

particular

section is not being done in the House of Assembly under Social

Services as it was listed, and can you report back on it.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government

House Leader, speaking to the point or order?

MR. KING:

Yes.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government

House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The

member references the referencing out of the Office of Public Engagement,

and he is correct; it was referred out.

A time was provided three hours was provided along with the

Department of Health to do those Estimates, but just to remind the member,

we have been very clear here that I am not sure what the process is, but

procedurally we are fine with leave to debate Office of Public Engagement

either through the Committee process or through open debate in the House

through the Executive Council debate at the end, if that helps clarify.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Burgeo La Poile, speaking to the point of order.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Yes, Mr. Speaker, I

appreciate the offer from the Government House Leader.

Unfortunately though, the purpose of Estimates is it allows an

opportunity to ask questions having all the staff of each department there,

which we would not be able to do if we do it in the normal Committee stage.

So unfortunately we would not be able to give leave for that

particular request.

The

critic, particularly, would like an opportunity to ask questions of that

department. Again, I appreciate

the fact that is was done during Health; but as we all know, Health took

three hours, and there was no opportunity for the critic to ask questions

under that particular heading, which he should have been availed the right.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

There is no point of order.

Orders of the Day.

Orders of the Day

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government

House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

move, seconded by the Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs,

Motion 7, pursuant to Standing Order 11 that the House not adjourn 5:30 p.m.

today, Monday, June 1, 2015.

MR. SPEAKER:

The motion is that the

House not adjourn today at 5:30 p.m.

All

those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

The

hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Further, I move, seconded by the Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental

Affairs, Motion 8, pursuant to Standing Order 11 that the House not adjourn

at 10:00 p.m. today, Monday, June 1, 2015.

MR. SPEAKER:

The motion is that this

House not adjourn at 10:00 p.m. today.

All

those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay.'

The

motion is carried.

The

hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you again, Mr.

Speaker.

would like now to call from the Order Paper, Order 3, Concurrence Motion,

and we will deal with (a), the Government Services Committee.

MR. SPEAKER:

The motion is that the

report of the Government Services Committee be concurred in.

The

hon. the Member for Exploits.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. FORSEY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

is nice to get the opportunity to actually speak about the Budget Estimates

and the exercise and the process that we go through because it is quite

lengthy. It is nice sometimes to

get the opportunity to explain it and let the people know a lot of the

things they do not see that actually happen here in the House of Assembly.

Mr.

Speaker, the Government Services Committee was made up of and I will thank

the Committee members. The

Committee members were: the Member for Trinity Bay de Verde, the Member

for Kilbride, the Member for Mount Pearl South, the Member for St. John's

East, the Member for Cape St. Francis, and the Member for Bellevue.

Mr.

Speaker, each department that comes under a certain heading, like Government

Services, we dealt with the Department of Finance, the Public Service

Commission, the Government Purchasing Agency, the Department of Service

Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Department of Transportation and Works.

is great we can sit in, we can review it, and questions can be asked of the

ministers and the staff, but also we would not be able to do it without the

Clerks. I just wanted to

publicly thank the Clerks for the work that they do and basically, I guess,

keeping us on the straight and narrow and making sure that we are doing it

the right way. I appreciate that

and I guess every now and then they look at me as Chair and wonder what I am

doing, but it does not take long and they straighten me out right away, so

it is not bad.

Mr.

Speaker, under Concurrence and the departments that we had to deal with,

there are quite a few issues, expenditures, revenues, and so on; but before

I do, I got a nice word today from the Botwood Collegiate for their robotics

team. Mr. Speaker, I know it is

probably near and dear to you as well because I think the present principal

of that school, you know him quite well.

They finished the twenty-first skills national competition in

Saskatoon. They took the silver

medal nationally.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. FORSEY:

As I was saying, just for

the information first before I get into some of the details, we reviewed the

Public Service Commission which came under Government Services.

Included under Public Service Commission are the Executive and

Support Services, Financial Planning and Benefits, Taxation and Fiscal

Policy, and Economic and Statistics Branch.

Some

of the things that come under the Public Service Commission Service NL.

A lot of people know about Service NL because we deal with it a lot.

The minister is always certainly in the public announcing one thing

or another for sure under Service NL.

There are quite a few lines that come under his department such as:

pensions come under his department, Motor Registration, Vital Statistics,

Queen's Printer, Occupational Health and Safety, and permitting and

inspection services. So it is

quite a few pieces of information, Mr. Speaker, to review under just the one

government department.

Two

of the ones that are really interesting under Government Services, Mr.

Speaker, are Transportation and Works and Finance.

Finance naturally takes in I guess encompasses all of the Budget.

Transportation and Works looks after many things as well.

They look after the purchasing of professional services.

They look after the cost of supplies and fuel.

They look after buildings and contract requirements for buildings,

snow removal, so many different things.

When

we were going through it, we were talking about somebody says, well, we need

to get this bit of road done, we need to get that bit of road done.

We need a ferry. We have

a problem with so they look after roads.

They look after ferries.

Just

listening to the minister when he was responding to some of the questions

10,000 kilometres of roads under his department in this Province that he has

to be responsible for, and this government has to be responsible.

It is not an easy task.

It is not an easy task for the minister.

It is not an easy task for the government, when you have 10,000

kilometres of roads and 1,300 bridges in the Province.

Then

he also has the air services, the water bombers, the marine services.

There are so many different expenses and so many needs from the

different people in the Province, and rightfully so, but sometimes it can be

a challenge, Mr. Speaker. That

is why, in the past few years, we have invested so heavily in

infrastructure, in ferries, in roads, and in bridges.

It is actually mind-boggling really, when you think about how much

money is required just to upgrade the roads, the bridges, the ferries, and

also the schools.

Everything comes under Transportation and Works.

All of the schools, the buildings.

When I sit back and I think about it, it was not that long ago when

we were standing up and listening to the Opposition and the people across

the way saying: What are you going to do with this school?

What are you going to do with that school?

There is mould in this one, there is mould in that one.

There is mould in the other school.

There were that many mould issues it is a wonder we got out of it as

well as we did, Mr. Speaker, but we were very fortunate.

We were able to make the investments.

recall, just in the District of Exploits, Mr. Speaker, we were very

fortunate to be able to bring in free textbooks, eliminate the school fees,

and then we had to upgrade the schools.

We brought in the skilled trades in all of the high schools.

Then we also had to do a lot of repairs and upgrades to the

buildings, and a lot of it with new schools, Mr. Speaker.

Just

in the District of Exploits alone in the past three years, I believe every

school in the district had to have roof repairs.

It cost anywhere between $300,000 and $500,000.

It is not cheap, but it had to be done.

We are going to give our students the proper facility and safe place

to go and be able to learn, and learn without having to worry about mould or

learn without having to worry about water coming in their classrooms and so

on, Mr. Speaker. I think our

government has invested, and invested wisely.

Some people may say differently, that it was a waste, but I cannot

see how it was a waste when our children are our best asset.

listened to the Minister of Seniors today.

He made a Ministerial Statement and he was also questioned on some

things. What is really

interesting is over the weekend, and not only over the weekend but for the

past several weeks actually, the Budget, of course, is probably not first

and foremost in people's minds, but it may be in the top five, and people

wanted to discuss it.

For

me, what was surprising was there were people saying: Clayton, what about

your Poverty Reduction Strategy?

You guys have a fantastic Poverty Reduction Strategy.

You really do not get that information out there enough and make

people aware of what is happening.

listened to the minister today when he made his statement; $ 1.2 billion in

our Poverty Reduction Strategy since 2006.

I said it earlier when I was speaking, either last week or the week

before, that back then I remember getting calls from a university in

Alberta, people I knew, and they were really interested in how we were doing

so well and what the strategy was all about and how we did it.

They were really impressed.

It put us second to none in the country, Mr. Speaker.

people get up and they say: What did you do with the money?

Where is the money? You

kept spending the money; $185 million for Poverty Reduction Strategy

initiatives designed to prevent, reduce, and alleviate poverty bringing the

total investment what I just said to $1.2 billion.

That $185 million was in this year's Budget, Mr. Speaker.

Included in that, of course, a lot of the funding under the seniors

department as well goes towards low income and seniors' benefits.

Mr. Speaker, 2015 increased the Low Income Seniors' Benefit by $1.7

million for a total of $42.1 million in this year's Budget.

The

drug program again, the NLPDP, provides financial assistance for the

purchase of eligible prescription medications under five different plans.

One such plan is the 65Plus Plan.

The plan provides coverage of eligible prescription drugs to

residents sixty-five years of age and older who receive Old Age Security

Benefits and the Guaranteed Income Supplement.

Individuals under this program may pay a maximum dispensing fee of $6

per prescription covered drugs, and about 3,000 people avail of this program

at the cost of $46 million, Mr. Speaker.

AN HON. MEMBER:

Money well spent.

MR. FORSEY:

Money well spent,

absolutely.

know I discussed the program for the Provincial Home Support Program, which

has not changed, and the low-income seniors' tax benefit, which has not

changed. Some people seem to

think that was changed somewhere along the way, but this is a maximum of

$1,059 which go to seniors. It

is a seniors' tax benefit. It

comes out every fall, Mr. Speaker, and it is certainly well received, but

also well needed by the seniors and at a good time in the fall of the year

when things start to get cold and they need some extra heating costs.

Also, what the minister was speaking on and I was at a volunteer

recognition night on Friday night in Point Leamington and they were talking

about the same thing as the minister was talking about today: the Healthy

Aging Policy Framework, the provincial advisory council on seniors, the

age-friendly programs, and the Healthy Aging Research Program.

The

age-friendly grants, over $1 million in the past five years our government

has invested more $1 million to promote the importance of healthy aging and

help create more age-friendly communities.

Mr.

Speaker, when you get out in the communities and sit down with the seniors

and sit down with the volunteers and they talk about what is happening and

the funds they are getting for these projects, it is really heartwarming

because they are getting out there and they are getting the exercise that

they need and they have been able to do it because of initiatives by this

government.

Newfoundland and Labrador Housing: I have to touch on that one as well while

I am at the Poverty Reduction Strategy.

Mr. Speaker, $68 million invested in an affordable housing agreement

for the next five years, which will provide $27 million over the next five

years to create 500 more new affordable housing units, the majority of which

will assist seniors. The

remaining $41 million will help fund the Provincial Home Repair Program.

About 86 per cent of people assisted under this program are seniors

with low incomes, Mr. Speaker.

are we doing things for seniors?

Of course we are, because seniors are near and dear to all of us.

I am sure everybody in the House here feels the same way and wants to

help as much as they can for seniors, without a doubt.

The

Rent Supplement Program, Residential Energy Efficiency Program, and the

Provincial Home Repair Program which I just mentioned there was $6.4

million last year through the Provincial Home Repair Program to help about

1,700 clients. In the past eight

years, 18,622 grants were provided to low-income homeowners to make needed

repairs to their homes. About 86

per cent of people helped under this program are low-income seniors.

Mr.

Speaker, when I got elected ten years ago I recall getting a lot of calls

and a lot of requests, people wanting to get their homes repaired.

They could get up to a $5,000 grant.

They could also get a loan for so much at a very affordable repayment

schedule. The calls were rather

disturbing sometimes because we could not get the applications all approved.

There was quite a few of them.

The same thing was happening with other issues with drug costs,

dental programs, and things like that.

I was getting a lot of calls.

Recently, in the past year or two, the calls are certainly much, much less

because our government decided we are going to invest in the Provincial Home

Repair Program. We want the

seniors to stay in their own homes so we want them to be able to upgrade

their houses, install new windows, get more insulation in them, and whatever

it takes for them to be able to afford to stay in their own homes.

Therefore, we were able to do that.

It was great, we all wanted to do it, and it was done.

It was not a waste I do not think it was a waste by no means, but

it was certainly a great investment for our seniors and certainly well

received by them as well.

Like

I said, the calls now are nowhere near what they were even, say, five years

ago because of the strategy that we had and the plan that we had.

The people out there know this, Mr. Speaker, and I think we have done

very well under a government to be able to pick the proper areas and places

to spend the money.

Yes,

there are always needs, there are needs for all kinds of things in the

Province, and it can range from health care right down to a piece of road;

but I can certainly say that if I had to go back just to the District of

Exploits and talk about the investments there, the need today is not like it

was ten years ago

MR. RUSSELL:

Not even close.

MR. FORSEY:

You are right, I say to

the Member for Lake Melville; it is not even close.

was mind-boggling when I was elected ten years ago; I looked at a request

that was there from the district and what needed to be done in roadwork.

I think it was something over $35 million or $40 million; what needed

to be done in municipal infrastructure was something like well over $30

million as well.

This

year, Mr. Speaker, certainly the amount of the requests and the total

requests are nowhere near that anymore.

Is it wonderful? Yes, I

think it is great because I think the people of Exploits benefitted by that,

and I am glad that I was one of the government members to be able to deliver

to the district the way that we have as a government and the way that I was

able to do it in the District of Exploits.

With

that, Mr. Speaker, I will take my seat and hopefully get a chance to talk

again, but this is under the Concurrence for Government Services and it is

great to be able to pass this without amendments.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Mount Pearl South.

MR. LANE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

is certainly an honour to stand in my place again today and speak on

Concurrence. In particular, I

want to speak to the Department of Service NL which falls under this, and

more specifically because we can speak to anything we want under there I

just want to go back to some of the things that I have raised in the past,

and actually last week even, the whole concept around blue zone parking.

I want to take an opportunity just to speak to that a little.

Mr. Speaker, specifically I want to reference a report that came out

it is dated April 22 of this year and it is report that was issued by the

Citizens' Representative. It was

based on a complaint around blue zone parking.

would say, first of all, I think it is a sad state of affairs that it takes

a citizen to have to bring an issue such as this in our so-called inclusive

society, our inclusive Newfoundland and Labrador, it is disappointing that a

citizen would have to bring this issue to the Citizens' Rep to begin with.

Certainly we do know that we continue to have challenges around blue zone

parking legislation. Legislation

which was brought before this House approximately three years ago and three

years later, we continue to be talking about it because we continue to have

non-compliance to the blue zone legislation.

continue to have non-compliance as it relates not just to private

businesses, which I am going to talk about in a little bit, but we continue

to have non-compliance in government's own facilities.

When we are talking government-owned facilities, we are talking about

facilities such as this, the Confederation Building, and places like Motor

Registration, Newfoundland and Labrador Housing, and the workers' comp

building. We are also talking

about schools. We are also

talking about clinics. We are

also talking about places like universities and College of the North

Atlantic and all those places.

are also talking about Crown agencies, like the Liquor Corporation and so

on. We are talking about

facilities, some facilities which government own outright, and we are also

talking about other facilities where government is leasing space from a

private owner of a facility and they are leasing that space and they have a

government office there.

Now,

Mr. Speaker, I have to say that I guess I was a little bit encouraged, to

some degree and I say that somewhat loosely that in terms of some of the

government facilities and government buildings, we did a little better than

I thought we would do.

Basically, in this report the Citizens' Rep, the investigator and so on

visited a number of government-owned facilities throughout the St. John's

metro region. Primarily St.

John's, pretty much exclusively St. John's no, that is not true.

Primarily St. John's, but there are a half a dozen here in Mount

Pearl of government-owned facilities.

The

compliance rate, in terms of full compliance to blue zone legislation when

we talk about full compliance we are talking about having blue zone spaces

as per the legislation, the guidelines, having blue zone spaces which are of

the appropriate width, having the appropriate curb cut-downs, having them

painted blue and so on, with the symbol on it, as we are all familiar with.

In addition to that, to have the permanent signage, to have a

permanent sign for every single blue zone space, which is the case within

the legislation and the guidelines that is what is required.

the sampling that was done here for government-owned facilities, in terms of

full compliance, there were forty-three checked and thirty were in full

compliance. So thirty out of

forty-three for compliance rate of 70 per cent.

There are some people who will say well, 70 per cent, that is not bad.

That is a reasonable number.

When you look at the fact that, first of all, the legislation was

brought in some three or three-and-a-half years ago, when you look at the

fact, the last couple of years for sure, the Official Opposition has

continued to ask questions and raise this issue about these non-compliance

issues, raise them in the House of Assembly and in the media and social

media and so on, and we have had disability advocates doing the same thing,

given the pressure that has been put to bear, we are still only at 70 per

cent.

while you might say 70 per cent is not bad, based on the fact that it is our

own legislation and this is government.

These are public facilities, we have to remember.

This is the government itself, their facilities, we are at 70 per

cent in St. John's, and that certainly is a problem.

It is a big problem. We

We should be at 100 per cent when it comes to having appropriate

access for our citizens to access our government facilities, to visit our

government offices and whatever the case, to do whatever business they have

to do.

What

is even more disturbing is that part of this report, the investigator with

the Citizens' Rep office actually checked a few places outside of St. John's

and there were only a few but of the sampling that was taken outside St.

John's, this was primarily Corner Brook, there was one there in Port aux

Basques, one in Stephenville, one in Happy Valley-Goose Bay do you know

what the compliance rate was for that, Mr. Speaker?

AN HON. MEMBER:

What?

MR. LANE:

Zero a compliance rate

of zero.

other words, of the sampling outside the St. John's area, every government

facility that they checked for compliance to government's own blue zone

legislation, to provide access for persons with disabilities to give them

appropriate parking space, zero compliance.

There was not one that was in compliance.

That is very, very disturbing to say the least.

Now,

Mr. Speaker, they also took a look at private facilities.

So these would be private businesses and again we have to remember

we are talking legislation here; we are talking the law.

This is not it would be nice to be in compliance, it would be great

if you actually had some spaces for persons with disabilities to park to go

into your business and so on.

This is not a nice to do; this is the law.

had in the greater St. John's area and in this particular case, there were

forty-three businesses. The vast

majority are St. John's, three in Kilbride, which is still considered St.

John's, three in Goulds, three in Mount Pearl, and the rest were St. John's

proper. Of those forty-three

businesses, in terms of businesses being in full compliance, eighteen, which

is 42 per cent. So only 42 per

cent of the sample of businesses in the St. John's area that were taken,

only 42 per cent were in full compliance.

Now

again, these are not my numbers.

This is the Citizens' Representative also known as the Ombudsman

appointed by government so that citizens have a vehicle in which to bring

forward concerns that are not being addressed by a government.

This independent investigation by this independent agency that we all

look up to, to deal with these types of matters, the Citizens' Rep indicated

in terms of full compliance, 42 per cent.

That is a shocking number in this day and age a shocking number.

This was in the St. John's area.

The

Citizens' Rep, as part of their investigation, did not go outside of the St.

John's area in terms of the private business piece.

If we were apply, I suppose, the same trending, if you will that in

the St. John's area, which is the seat of government, you could argue it is

where you would expect to have the highest levels of compliance.

When

you consider the fact we were 70 per cent compliant in terms of government

buildings and zero per cent compliant in the sampling taken outside of St.

John's, then I would think we can probably say, without the study being done

but I can tell you anecdotally, when I have been to Gander, Grand Falls,

Clarenville, and some of these places over the last year or so, a couple of

years since I have been raising this issue, I sort of took it upon myself to

drive around and check some of these places.

I would suggest the compliance rate is very low.

I would say, like the government one, if we were to actually go and

check outside the St. John's metro area, likely the 42 per cent is going to

be lower again than the 42 per cent.

This

is very troubling to say the least, Mr. Speaker.

We have raised this time and time again in the House of Assembly.

We cannot seem to get anywhere with it, and I do not understand why.

For the life of me, I do not understand why.

In the report, it just basically says in response to the low numbers

in government-owned facilities.

Basically, the response from the department is we are going to make it a

priority and we are going to send something out to all of the agencies and

so on to try to address this.

Mr.

Speaker, that is the same thing we have been told time and time again in the

House of Assembly, but nothing has changed.

It is very troubling when you look at some of the places that are not

in compliance, like the Health Sciences Centre is here.

The L.A. Miller Centre is here.

Eastern Health, Rowan Centre is here.

Some of these, when you talk about it, and I know for a fact I do

not see St. Clare's Hospital here, so maybe it was not part of that

particular sample. Obviously, it

was not, it is not here. I know

for a fact, unless it has been changed recently, that St. Clare's Hospital

is not in compliance either.

are talking public facilities, like hospitals, where people are going on a

fairly regular basis. A lot of

those people may have disabilities and so on.

They may be using wheelchairs or whatever the case might be.

Whether it is because they have a disability that requires it or they

are just sick, going through sickness and so on and they are not able to

walk and they require that. We

do not even have compliance there.

There is something not right with it.

I do not know why it is not as simple as getting it done.

I cannot understand why, for example, the Minister of Health cannot

simply say to the health authorities: boys, it is not rocket science.

Figure out how many blue zones you are supposed to have, paint them

It is really not that complicated.

The

Minister of Education, you are required to have a blue zone or a couple of

blue zones, paint a here is the diagram.

Here is how wide it has to be.

Here is how high the sign has to be.

It is all there. It is

clearly there. It is on the

government website. It is the

brochure, get her done. We have

been talking about it now for three years, get her done.

I do not understand what the big deal is.

When

it comes to the private businesses, the Citizens' Rep has made that

recommendation, and said it is a problem.

They said there are not enough resources, which we have said all

along. There is one person for

the entire Avalon Peninsula.

That person is dealing with the new builds in terms of permits and all that

kind of stuff when someone is building a new property as well.

Now they have to handle complaints and they also have to so

obviously the resources are not there, and the Citizens' Rep has said that.

The government's response is, basically, we do not have the money to

do it.

know we are going through tough financial times now.

We all recognize that, but this has been on the go since three years

ago when money was not an issue, so to speak.

It is always an issue, but before the oil rock bottomed we had been

talking about it, and it was not resourced then.

are talking about persons with disabilities.

When we talk about persons with disabilities, we have to recognize

that could be anybody. That

could be our relatives, our parents, our grandparents, or it could be some

people who are born with a particular disability, but there are other people

who develop a disability. They

have a stroke or they come down with MS, or whatever the case might be.

They are in wheelchairs or they have mobility issues, and that could

be any one of us.

All

this is about is ensuring we have proper access for these people.

I do not understand for the life of me, in this day and age, supposed

to be an inclusive society, why we would not get it done; why we would still

have government facilities that are not in compliance for people with a

disability who needs to avail of government facilities and so on, or

schools, or hospitals, or whatever the case might be.

I do not understand it.

I am

sure my colleagues across the way would agree.

They could have family members, or constituents, or friends, or it

could be them tomorrow. It could

be me tomorrow. I know they want

people with disabilities to have access to all of these facilities.

I know they do, we all do, but they are subject to, I guess the same

as we all are to some degree, that we have departments and ministers who are

making these decisions, or not making these decisions, to get these things

at rest. As a result, we are all

in the same boat in terms of it not getting done.

know we have constituents and so on who do not have access.

There are some people who would call it discrimination, and it really

is. We have a hospital or a

school or whatever, and my child can go to the school, not a problem, or

someone working at the school, but someone with a disability: boy, I am

sorry, tough luck; that is all you can do.

is not good enough, Mr. Speaker, and there is no big cost.

I am sure we can get a deal on some blue paint somewhere.

I am sure we can.

AN HON. MEMBER:

On what?

MR. LANE:

Some blue paint and put

up a few signs. It is not hard

to do. It is not expensive to

do. I do not understand why it

is not being done. It is just

not being made a priority, or it is not being communicated properly or

effectively or something. I do

not know. I do not understand

it, but we have to do better.

Mr.

Speaker, I only have a minute-and-a-half-or-so left, so just to stay on that

same topic, or a topic similar to it, and I raised this in Question Period,

is the fines. If somebody

decides they are going to disregard a blue zone and they are going to park

in a blue zone when they do not have a permit, they do not belong there, and

taking that space away from someone who requires that space, there has to be

a penalty. It has to be a strong

deterrent to make that happen.

passed legislation in this House of Assembly.

It was supposed to beef up those fines.

Instead of going with a $400 fine as was recommended certainly by

people in the disability community instead of doing that, no, we put in a

range of $100 to $400.

Thankfully, the City of St. John's was the first off the mark to show

leadership. They raised their

fines to $400 because now it is up to the municipalities to decide on their

own what they want to do, if they want to do it.

St. John's thankfully, $400.

Mount Pearl followed suit shortly thereafter and I believe Corner

Brook has now as well, but to my knowledge nobody else has.

you have $400 fines in those particular municipalities, but everywhere else

it is $100. Then if you get into

other places like MUN, they can set their own fines.

They are at $20. A

gentleman told me the other day there are people parking in blue zones

because it is cheaper to take a chance on a $20 ticket than it is to be

feeding the metre all day. That

is absolutely ridiculous and we are not doing enough to prevent it.

These things can be dealt with.

It needs to be dealt with. We

are going to keep on talking about it until government takes action.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER (Littlejohn):

The hon. the

Member for Trinity Bay de Verde.

MR. CROCKER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you for the opportunity.

It is my pleasure to stand in my place this afternoon and speak for a few

minutes about the Government Services Committee, and some of the issues

mainly from the Department of Transportation and Works as they affect the

District of Trinity Bay de Verde.

Mr.

Speaker, since becoming an MHA back in late 2014, one of the main issues or

some of the main issues that come through my office in Heart's Content daily

are issues surrounding road maintenance on the three main roads that we have

in the district: Routes 80, 70, and 74.

One of the huge issues surrounds summer maintenance or the lack

thereof in recent years. The

problems that summer maintenance creates become a much larger issue.

When we look back at storms, like Igor and we had roads and stuff

washing out and damages still in the district today from Igor that have

not been fixed.

Mr.

Speaker, it is important that government really take summer maintenance

seriously. I have calls daily

I responded to a gentleman just this morning in the community of New Chelsea

who called and has a ditching issue on his property.

This problem had been going on before Igor, still with no resolution

whatsoever.

the Town of Heart's Delight-Islington, the sides of Route 80 through the

community are treacherous to try to walk on.

There are washouts that have been there for years and years, with no

resolution to it whatsoever.

Post Office Road in Red Head Cove, Mr. Speaker, was another call I had this

morning from a constituent. That

road has not been graded for two seasons, with no ditching.

The

section of Route 80 from Hant's Harbour to Winterton is absolutely

deplorable. It is one of the

worst sections of road in my district.

I presented a petition last week from the residents with regard to

the condition of that road, Mr. Speaker.

It really needs some work.

The

other issue that has come to my attention, and it is an issue that the town

council of Old Perlican has raised for a couple of years now, deals with the

busy intersection where Route 80 and Route 74 come together in Old Perlican

with heavy traffic. The

crossroads going into Old Perlican, Bay de Verde, the North Shore of

Conception Bay, and the Town of Old Perlican is extremely busy this time of

year, with hundreds of tractor trailers on a weekly basis.

These tractor trailers, in lots of cases, are coming from out of

Province and they are going into Old Perlican late at night.

They are not being warned that they are coming to a crossroad.

It is very much a concern for the residents of Old Perlican.

I have spoken to the minister's staff and I have spoken to the

minister about it. I hope it is

something that we can have rectified this coming season.

Another issue that is arising now on the tip of the Bay de Verde Peninsula

with the heavy traffic we have hundreds of people working in Bay de Verde

in the processing industry, hundreds in Old Perlican, and they are working

twelve-hour shifts. They are

leaving work late at night or early in the morning, and anybody who is

familiar with the tip of the Bay de Verde Peninsula knows that fog is often

a concern. The lines, the road

markings, are gone, from the winter season.

Again, we encourage the government to get the paint crews there as

soon as possible to ensure that these lines are put back in place before we

have an accident.

The

thing is we have all this heavy traffic going through the district, often

late at night. It is when

tractor trailers seem to want to work because I guess they avoid the rest of

the traffic, so a lot of the heavy traffic in the district is late at night.

Mr.

Speaker, we look also at the Heart's Content Barrens and the government did

pave a

section of the Heart's Content Barrens last construction season, but

in that part of the construction season some of the shoulders of the road on

the Heart's Content Barrens were left kind of narrow.

That is another issue that I would hope that the government will

address this coming season.

The

issue of brush cutting, Mr. Speaker, there is quite a number of sides of the

roads throughout the district that still require brush cutting.

Even though it is not a part of the district the New Harbour Strait

is what we call it from the people who live on Route 80.

It is a part of Route 80 that is really known for moose, and the

brush there is absolutely terrible.

It actually falls in the District of Bellevue, I think, but people in

my district travel this portion of Route 80 on a very regular basis, and

brush cutting is long, long overdue.

Mr.

Speaker, when we talk about summer maintenance in the District of Trinity

Bay de Verde, if you trace it back, you go back through the years to find

out when the issues really started with summer maintenance, they lead back

to one thing. They lead back to

a decision of government, sometime back in the early 2000s, to close the

highways depot in Heart's Content.

Once that depot closed on a seasonal basis it still operates as a

winter depot, but the closure of that depot creates a situation where the

only other depot in the district is located in Flambro Head or very close to

the community of Lower Island Cove.

order for a crew to leave Lower Island Cove and to do summer maintenance in,

let's say, Hopeall, which is the upper limit to the south of the district,

you are looking at a ninety-minute drive for heavy equipment.

Maybe even a little longer if you are moving backhoes and other

slower moving pieces of equipment.

It makes it very hard for the crews to get out and get the work done.

These guys are hard-working men and women, but we need to give them the

equipment and the ability and the funding to get the work done, Mr. Speaker.

With the amount of roads and traffic on Route 80, 74, and 70, we can

certainly support two year-round highway depots.

Mr.

Speaker, this afternoon when you talk about transportation, I stood in the

House a while back this afternoon and presented a petition on cellphone

coverage, or the lack thereof, on the highways throughout the district and I

ran out of time; but I am never going to miss an opportunity in this House

to talk about cellphone coverage because I know how important it is to the

people in the District of Trinity Bay de Verde.

Mr.

Speaker, this afternoon when I ran out of time when I was speaking, I was

speaking about the idea of the federal government's role in providing

cellphone coverage in the Province and government's failure to recognize

that they have role to play as well.

It is time for government to realize they need to get to the table

with the feds on this issue.

There are many other issues we need to get to the table with, but this is

one that so affects the safety of the people travelling the roads in my

district and many districts throughout the Province.

Mr.

Speaker, I referenced brush cutting, I referenced Route 74.

The other issue that has arisen over the last couple of weeks in the

district is very much the amount of debris and stuff that has found its way

to the sides of the road over the winter.

I know this coming weekend Transportation and Works will have crews

on the Outer Ring Road cleaning up the garbage and the litter on the Outer

Ring Road, and I realize the importance of the Outer Ring Road being a

gateway, but, Mr. Speaker, coming in last night from my district to the

city, I counted two mattresses and I think it was three couches from

Whitbourne to St. John's.

MS DEMPSTER:

(Inaudible).

MR. CROCKER:

I say to the Member for

Cartwright L'Anse au Clair, you probably could move in.

Mr.

Speaker, we need a collective responsibility, not only on the Outer Ring

Road I realize the Outer Ring Road needs to be cleaned up but there are

other roads that fall under the responsibility of the Department of

Transportation and Works as well that need attention.

Mr.

Speaker, these are some issues I wanted to raise this afternoon when it

comes to my own district and the Department of Transportation and Works.

I will probably get an opportunity again later this afternoon to get

up, but for right now, thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I will take my place.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Cape St. Francis.

MR. K. PARSONS:

Thank you very much,

Mr. Speaker.

is indeed a privilege to get up here again today and speak to the good

people of Newfoundland and Labrador and represent the beautiful District of

Cape St. Francis.

Mr.

Speaker, what we are doing here today, we all sit on committees, most of us

here on the backbench sit on committees anyway.

We go to Estimates, and usually Estimates last for about three hours.

It gives opportunity I just want to let you know what we are doing

for the Opposition parties basically to question different departments in

government. For a person like

myself, I find it very interesting because there is a lot of information

that is passed back and forth.

is a time that you get into, we will say, the nitty-gritty of the Budget and

to see why there are increases in spending, why this has decreased, and the

reason for different things added on that were not there the year before or

whatever. So it is a time when

ministers really have to be on their Ps & Qs, we will say.

Do you know, Mr. Speaker, I have sat in on a lot of them and I really

have to say I am very impressed with how well versed our ministers are and

how they answer all the questions.

While they do have a great staff and most of them do.

They count on their staff obviously to do what they are doing.

It is pretty interesting when you watch the ministers do it.

They answer all the questions like they have because they are coming

for three hours. When you are

doing what they call line items, it is discussing why there was a change in

what was revised Budget to the actual Budget and stuff like this.

It is pretty interesting.

Sometimes when you are here for three hours in the nighttime you yawn a

little bit every now and then.

Not that I do, I saw a few other members do it.

It is very interesting.

What

we are doing here today is we are doing the service industry.

Our Chair was the Member for Exploits.

He did a great job. He

did a great job because he sometimes you can get into asking some policy

questions that really should not be asked at Estimates because it has

nothing to do with what we are doing there.

Sometimes that changes.

They are like yourself; you have to keep everything in order.

With

ours, we looked at different departments.

We looked at the Department of Finance and we looked at the Public

Service Commission. We also

looked at Government Purchasing.

We did Service NL, which is a huge department.

I am going to talk about each one of them a little bit now, and we

did the Department of Transportation and Works.

Mr.

Speaker, I am going to first start off with basically the Finance department

and talk a little bit and once you talk about the Finance department,

obviously you can go on and talk about everything that is in the Budget.

That is where the Finance Minister and his, I call them a team, put

the Budget together, which is the whole thing for all departments.

When you talk about the Budget, the Finance department basically

deals with everything that is in the Budget there and where we are spending

things and where we are not spending things.

This

year's Budget is a Budget of balancing choices and trying to make the

choices proper so that we can have a great future for our families, and

making sure that Newfoundland and Labrador continues on the path that we are

continuing on. It is a great

success as far as I am concerned.

Sometimes when you are a Finance Minister you really have a huge job to do

because obviously it is like the same as your household, you have so much

money coming in and you have so much money going out.

You have to be able to budget everything so at the end of the year

you are not in a dilemma that you cannot afford to do the things you want to

do. So, this year, if you look

at our Budget, obviously the oil prices had a huge effect on the amount of

revenue we have coming into our Province.

When

you go back and look at times in our history and this is not something

that just happens every now and then.

If you look in 2003, our finances were in rough shape, very rough

shape. The government at the

time I am not blaming anyone.

I am not saying anyone who is here or anything, but the government at the

time had to make some choices, and choices that could affect the future of

our Province. Obviously, choices

made back in 2003, if you look at what happened over the number of years,

were good choices, because as far as I am concerned Newfoundland and

Labrador is in a whole lot better place.

you go back to 2008, and you look at the economy around the world, at that

time they called it a housing crisis down in the United States.

It seemed like everything went boom, down like that.

The rest of Canada, everybody was in dire straits.

There were a lot of job losses, and there was a lot of stress on a

lot of different but Newfoundland and Labrador did pretty good.

We came through it. We

invested a lot of money in infrastructure, spent a lot of things.

was almost like we did not feel the effects that other places did.

Our housing market stayed strong.

The economy stayed we grew, actually.

We did really, really well.

We are in that kind of situation again, where things are not that

good with the oil prices, but I am hoping, and everybody else is hoping they

will come back up again, and the revenues will come.

Our

whole economy I look at areas around where I am from, I do not see a lot

of slowdown, really. Like when I

got up there a little while ago, I talked about the construction on Torbay

Road and stuff like that. There

are new buildings going up down there.

I went in to Harvey's the other day, I noticed another couple of new

buildings in there on what we call Field's Meadows.

So it seems like the construction phase and you look at housing

starts in the communities are really good.

The towns seem like they are doing very well.

So I think the overall economy in the Province is doing pretty good.

Mr.

Speaker, you have to have a plan.

The Minister of Finance put forth his plan, and that is what we

talked about in Estimates. We

talked about a lot of things the Finance Department were investing money in,

and we have to make plans.

know today in Question Period there were a few questions asked about

long-term care. I just want to

touch a little bit on that, because it is an important part of this Budget.

Mr. Speaker, as an MHA, we always get calls from residents with loved

ones who need to go to nursing homes, or they need long-term care.

The biggest one you hear a lot of these days is Alzheimer's and

dementia, and stuff like that.

Families do their best. They do

their best to try to keep their loved ones at home.

They do their best to try to take care of them.

know from my own personal experience, I went through the same thing myself.

It is very, very difficult to do what you have to do.

You almost make a promise to your parents and whatever, listen here,

you took care of me then I will take care of you type thing, and sometimes

it gets to the point that you know you need the professional help that is

involved in these homes and stuff like that.

is really hard on the families.

It seems like we have people who are living a lot longer these days, so it

is important that we have to make sure we have a plan and that is what we

are doing. We are putting a plan

forward to make sure that we have something in place because, like I said,

we are aging, our population is aging, and there is going to be more people

who need this help.

With

the long-term strategy that this government and the Minister of Finance and

the whole government, Cabinet and everything came forward with, I thought

was a great plan. It is a great

plan because it is going to create 360 new beds.

What that does and I know sometimes no matter what you do, there

will never be anything that you will do that will come up and say that is

the perfect plan. That is the

perfect situation. That is going

to fix everything. There is not

one thing I can find wrong with that.

The

Opposition asks questions about it every day, but it is a plan that we have

to do move forward with. We

really have to have those beds.

We have to make sure that we take care of our seniors.

We have to make sure that there is

something there for them because what is happening, Mr. Speaker and I

experienced it and I would say everyone in this House has experienced going

to the emergency and seeing people in the corridors, and seeing people

waiting for beds upstairs; having calls from constituents saying listen, so

and so was supposed to have surgery on Friday, but now it is cancelled

because there is no bed available.

That

is a big problem. It is nothing

that reflec