May 3, 2006 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLV No. 15

The House met at 2:00 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Hodder): Order, please!

Admit strangers.

This afternoon we are particularly delighted to welcome to the visitor's

gallery a very special group of visitors from the Department of Veterans Affairs

Pavilion. We have some members who have looked forward to this day for many,

many days. This afternoon I would like to welcome them and I would like to

introduce them individually and welcome them to our House of Assembly.

We have Leading Air Craftsman from the Royal Canadian Air Force, John Adams.

We have Wireless Operator, from the Royal Canadian Air Force, Wilfred McLennon.

We have Ms Madge McLennon, the wife of Wilfred McLennon. We have Gunner, from

166 th Newfoundland Field Regiment, Reginald Penney. We have Quarter

Master, from the Royal Navy Rescue Unit, Eli Rogers. In the gallery to my right,

as well, we have the Co-ordinator from the Pavilion, Tracey Howlett.

To my left in the east gallery, we have Leading Seaman from the Royal Navy,

Joseph Clarke. We have Private, from the 166 th Newfoundland Field

Regiment Royal Artillery, Alexander Murray. Leading Air Craftsman from the Royal

Air Force, Leo Bishop. Master Warrant Officer from the Canadian Army, John Good.

We have volunteers Louise French and Madge Lannon..

On behalf of all members of this House, this makes a very special time for

us, welcome to our House of Assembly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: I thank members for showing their appreciation to you, and

through you, to all veterans in Newfoundland and Labrador who have served so

valiantly for our country and for the efforts that we put forward everyday, even

today, in the various fields of conflict, particularly in Afghanistan right now.

Statements by Members

MR. SPEAKER: Today we have members' statements as follows: the hon. the

Member for the District of Bellevue; the hon. the Member for the District of

Topsail; the hon. the Member for the District of Carbonear-Harbour Grace; the

hon. the Member for the District of Bonavista North; the hon. the Member for the

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

of Labrador West.

The Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for the District of Bellevue.

MR. BARRETT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to congratulate Mahalla Reid of Old

Shop, Trinity Bay, who was named Branch 39 Legionnaire of the Year.

The first ever award presented by Branch 39 recognizes the effort and

continued commitment given by a volunteer to the organization. Mrs. Reid became

involved with Branch 39 in 1977 as part of the Ladies Auxiliary when her husband

Arthur, a war veteran, was a member of the Legion.

The Ladies Auxiliary provides financial and volunteer support to the Legion

programs. Mrs. Reid was involved with the Branch 39 Ladies Auxiliary for

nineteen years. During that time, she held many offices within the organization,

including 1st Vice-President, Secretary, and finally President. Her years of

service earned her numerous awards. When the Branch 39 Ladies Auxiliary folded

in 1996, she joined the Legion and continues to support the veterans and the

area.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of this House of Assembly to join with me in

congratulating Branch 39 Legionnaire of the Year, Mahalla Reid of Old Shop, for

her continued commitment and support to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 39.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Topsail.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS E. MARSHALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

On April 1, 2006, I, along with my colleague for Conception Bay South,

attended the thirty-third annual Firefighters Ball in Conception Bay South. Mr.

Speaker, it was indeed a pleasure for me to meet with a group of men and women

who hold devotion to duty above and beyond their concern for their own personal

lives.

The firefighters of Conception Bay South, along with the rest of the

volunteer firefighters and career firefighters in our Province, sometimes go

unrecognized for the commitment they make on a daily basis to our families. When

things go wrong, be it fire, flood, hazardous materials incidents, motor vehicle

accidents, or search and rescue, the firefighters are first to respond to do the

best they can to protect life and property.

Mr. Speaker, Chief Richard Murphy, Deputy Chief Dennis Morgan, and Assistant

Chief Ralph Fagan of the CBS Fire Department have accumulated a total of

ninety-three years of service to the residents of Conception Bay South. At their

annual ball, recognition was also given to a number of firefighters who have

completed five, ten, fifteen and twenty years of service. Mr. Speaker, I would

like to thank them and the thousands of other men and women of the volunteer

firefighting community who protect us.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Members of the House of Assembly to join me in

recognizing the Conception Bay South Fire Department and all the fire

departments, volunteers and career firefighters in Newfoundland and Labrador for

a job well done.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Carbonear-Harbour Grace.

MR. SWEENEY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am pleased to rise today to congratulate Carbonear's Wesley Saunders, who

earned a bronze medal in the 100 kg Men's Individual at the 2006 Juvenile

Wresting Nationals held in Edmonton, Alberta, April 6 through April 9, and for

earning honours during the Atlantic Freestyle Wrestling Championship held in New

Brunswick on March 26.

Wesley was part of Team Avalon, which won the Atlantic Freestyle Wrestling

Championship in Oromocto, New Brunswick, on March 26. The team placed first with

152 points, a whopping thirty-eight points ahead of the second place club.

Wesley defeated New Brunswick's national medalist Zack Nixon.

Mr. Speaker, Saunders was offered a scholarship from the University of New

Brunswick during a strong convincing showing at this competition. He also won

the right to take

part in the 2006 Juvenile Wrestling Nationals, where he earned

a bronze medal in the 100 kg Men's Individual.

Wesley was also favoured to win in the Greco Roman portion of the

competition, having already grappled with and beating the competitors in this

division; however, he refrained from doing so due to a wrestling injury.

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

congratulating Wesley Saunders of Carbonear, who won a bronze medal at the 2006

Juvenile Wrestling Nationals and the Atlantic Freestyle Wrestling Championships,

and on earning a scholarship to the University of New Brunswick. We wish him

well in his wrestling and university career.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HARDING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to congratulate the Beothic Maple Leafs hockey team of

New-Wes-Valley area. This past April, the team went undefeated on their way to

capturing the gold medal in the Provincial Midget E Hockey Championships. The

tournament, held at New-Wes-Valley, was extremely well-attended and the home

squad treated their fans to some exceptional hockey.

After posting a 4-0-1 round robin record, the Maple Leafs skated to a

hard-fought final victory over a very capable squad from Marystown. A

well-balanced offensive attack led by Victor Gates and Greg Gill, combined with

sound goaltending from Travis Boland, resulted in a 3-1 final score in the

well-contested gold medal game.

In addition to the Maple Leafs and Marystown, the tournament included squads

from the Southern Shore, Port aux Basques, Fogo Island and Botwood. The overall

result of the event was a truly tremendous display of teamwork and sportsmanship

by all those involved.

I also want to take time to acknowledge all of the parents, local business

owners, and everyone else who helped make the event such a remarkable success.

Minor hockey has long played a major role in bringing together communities from

across the Province. After taking in this tournament, I am happy to say that it

continues to serve that purpose with the same passion and vigour that it always

has. I am happy to report that minor hockey is indeed alive and well in rural

Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I ask all hon. members of this House to join me

in congratulating the Beothic Maple Leafs on their recent gold medal

performance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. LANGDON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to recognize and congratulate all

volunteers within the communities of Milltown and Head of Bay d'Espoir.

April 23 to April 28 was National Volunteer Week, and I recently had the

opportunity to attend the town's second annual volunteer night. The event was

organized and sponsored by the Town of Milltown and Head of Bay d'Espoir. It

was a relaxed evening of fun, and an opportunity to recognize and to say thank

you for the contributions the volunteers have made to their communities

throughout the year.

This year's theme was "Volunteers Grow Communities" and saw

approximately 120 volunteers from the area attend the event held at the Lions

Club in Milltown.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to make special mention of eighty-three year old

Clyde Sutton, who attended the event and was presented an award in recognition

of his forty-plus years of volunteering in Milltown in Bay d'Espoir. His

involvement was with the church, the fire brigade, the Legion and the list goes

on.

After the presentation of awards and prizes, the group was entertained by

Level III students of Bay d'Espoir Academy. They sang and performed skits and,

let me say, Mr. Speaker, their talents were very impressive and it is great to

see youth of the community being involved.

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

volunteers of Milltown and Head of Bay d'Espoir and to congratulate Mayor Gord

Kearley, councillors and staff and, of course, the volunteers for putting

together an event that recognizes the hard work and dedication of individuals in

their community. Volunteers do, indeed, grow communities.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. R. COLLINS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to pay tribute to one of this Province's greatest hockey

legends who passed away suddenly in Labrador City on April 7.

Mr. Speaker, Jimmy Dawe was known for his great speed, determination and love

of the game. He was born in Grand Falls and began his career playing with the

Grand Falls ANDCO's team, and finished with Labrador's Carol Lakers.

However, he was best known for the many years he played with the Conception Bay

CeeBees. Many hockey fans today still say that Jimmy Dawe was the most exciting

hockey player they have ever watched.

During Jimmy's hockey career, he won five Herder Memorial Trophies and

completed his career as the fifth highest goal scorer, sixth highest assist

record and fifth in games played. His playoff record is equally impressive, and

in 2000, Jimmy was inducted into the provincial hockey hall of fame.

Mr. Speaker, Jimmy Dawe was a household name in our Province during the 1960s

and 1970s. In other teams' rinks the crowd would be on his back each time he

was on the ice. Nobody could excite the fans and bring them to their feet as he

could. Knowing Jimmy, he probably enjoyed working them into a frenzy, whether

they were cheering for him or razzing him, more than he enjoyed scoring goals.

Mr. Speaker, Jimmy Dawe will be missed by many people all around this

Province, especially in Labrador West, a place he was proud to call home and

where he lived in retirement.

I ask all members, Mr. Speaker, to join me in expressing our sorrow to his

long-time partner, Lillian Lane, and his two sons, Peter and Trevor.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Before we proceed to statements by ministers, I note that in

the Speaker's gallery this afternoon, we have the former Member for the

District of Placentia and currently the Mayor of the town, Mr. Bill Hogan, and

Edward O'Keefe, the Town Manager. Welcome to the House.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Statements by Ministers.

Statements by Ministers

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Government Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, with this being North American Occupational

Safety and Health Week, I visited Holy Spirit High School in Manuels this

morning. This is the tenth year that employers, government, labour and workers

in North America will promote a greater awareness of preventing workplace

accidents and occupational illnesses.

In January, the Workplace, Health, Safety and Compensation Commission

launched its SAFE Work Newfoundland and Labrador Red Bracelet Campaign, with a

focus on youth. Bracelets were mailed to the senior high school students

enrolled in Workplace Safety 3220 throughout the Province. These red bracelets

can help increase public awareness on the importance of occupational health and

safety. Wearing these bracelets will be a visible reminder that safety on the

job and in every area of life is everyone's responsibility.

Mr. Speaker, Workplace Safety 3220 students were also encouraged to enter a

contest to develop radio advertisements promoting young worker safety.

From my point of view, all entries were winners. Mr. Speaker, an honourable

mention went to Laval High School in Placentia. Second place went to the

Exploits Valley High School in Grand Falls-Windsor. The first place entry was

Holy Spirit High School in Manuels. Their radio advertisements have started

airing this week on stations throughout the Province, as part of the Commission's

ongoing SAFE Work Newfoundland and Labrador public education campaign.

I applaud all the young worker safety participants. As well, I encourage

others to learn from their example and strive to make the same commitment to

safety in the workplace, and I am very proud today to wear my red bracelet.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Carbonear-Harbour Grace.

MR. SWEENEY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I wish to thank the minister for an advanced copy of her statement. The

members on this side of the House applaud the winners and all the young worker

safety participants who participated in this project.

Mr. Speaker, as I said the other day in response to the minister's

statement on a similar issue, the school is the right place to start to promote

a greater awareness of preventing workplace accidents and industrial illnesses.

There were twenty-five industrial related deaths in this Province this past

year. I certainly encourage the government to make a more concentrated effort in

promoting occupational health and safety in the schools of this Province so that

our young people have a better start and a better chance of survival when they

do enter the workforce.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

MR. R. COLLINS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for a copy of her statement and I, too, would like to

congratulate the winners and the participants that she speaks of here today.

Mr. Speaker, this is a very important issue and it targets young people as

the focus of being consciously aware of safety in the workplace. I say to the

minister, it is also a bit timely, because this is the time of the year when a

lot of students will be looking for summer jobs pretty soon and this has to be

at the forefront of their attention. I have been involved for a number of years

prior to coming to this House of Assembly and delivering at the schools in

Labrador West, health and safety videos and messages to the graduating and high

school classes -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The member's allotted time has expired.

MR. R. COLLINS: By leave, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: By leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: Leave has been granted.

MR. R. COLLINS: We found it quite informative and the students did as

well, and there needs to be more of that done, Mr. Speaker. As a matter of fact,

there are many incidents across this country, in the programs that I was

involved in, that talks about the number of young people who get injured and

killed, sometimes on the very first day of their very first job. A tragedy

indeed and one that need not happen, but safety is like a lot of things in life,

Mr. Speaker, education can go a long way to help eliminate a lot of the things

that happen and cause tragedies to young people in the workplace.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: Further statements by ministers?

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to recognize May 1-7 as Mental Health Week in

Newfoundland and Labrador. This year's theme is: "Take control of your

health - take care of your mind."

Mr. Speaker, as part of marking Mental Health Week in the country, the

Canadian Mental Health Association has developed a Mental Health Meter to help

people to better understand what it means to be mentally healthy. I am pleased

to distribute these today to my colleagues in the House of Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to join the Newfoundland and Labrador Division of

the Canadian Mental Health Association earlier today for the official launch of

the Changing Minds project. Changing Minds was created in order to address a

community need for mental health education, reduction of stigma and to promote a

better understanding of mental health and mental illness. In particular, the

program helps to inform front line staff on how to detect the signs and symptoms

of mental illness and how to communicate more effectively with a person

experiencing a mental health issue. Our government is pleased to have provided

over $150,000 over the last three years to fund this important initiative.

Mr. Speaker, one in four Canadians will experience a mental illness over

their lifetime. Government recognizes that mental health is an important

component of overall health, and when we have good mental health we are able to

enjoy life to its fullest and be more productive, creative and capable citizens.

To this end, government has committed $2 million over the last two years for

mental health services, demonstrating our commitment to strengthening resources

for mental health consumers.

Mr. Speaker, I am also pleased to announce today that our government will

provide coverage for the drug Risperdal Consta for persons suffering from

schizophrenia. This drug will be available starting September 1, under special

authorization, through the Newfoundland and Labrador Prescription Drug Program,

as a result of recommendations provided by the Atlantic Expert Advisory

Committee.

Mr. Speaker, government recognizes the importance of new mental health

legislation that is truly responsive to the needs of our people. My department

has completed provincial consultations with stakeholders on a legislative

framework, and I look forward to standing in this House this year to introduce

this act.

I would like to ask colleagues to join me in recognizing Mental Health Week.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I and my colleagues are certainly pleased to join with the minister and the

government in recognizing Mental Health Week, Mr. Speaker.

If you go back to the Reid/Power Inquiry that was launched, I think, in

2000-2001, and completed a couple of years later, I think it was a very harsh

reminder, no doubt, of the gaps that exist within the mental health system

within our Province. I am pleased to see that one of the recommendations, the

Changing Minds project, was implemented, but there were a lot of other

recommendations in the Reid/Power Inquiry that have not been implemented, I say

to you, Mr. Speaker.

While it is good to recognize weeks like this, and while it is good to sign

proclamations, it is always a responsibility of government, Mr. Speaker, to do

the work that is necessary to fill those gaps in our society.

I think we only have to look around our communities and look at the news

coverage of the courtrooms every evening to realize that there are a great deal

of gaps that still exist in the mental health system and for those people who

are patients of mental health.

Mr. Speaker, it is always very disturbing for me when I see people who are

mental health patients who are suffering from such a terrible sickness and

illness in our society that often find themselves ending up in penitentiaries

and not necessarily in hospital rooms, and that I find very disturbing, Mr.

Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The member's allotted time has expired.

MS JONES: May I, by leave, just clue up, Mr. Speaker?

MR. SPEAKER: Leave has been requested.

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: Leave has been granted.

MS JONES: I am looking forward, Mr. Speaker, to the legislation that will

be brought forward by the government opposite. I have to say that I hope the

legislation will also address the mental health needs that exist all over our

Province, because we have places in this Province today where we have mental

health nurses who are serving large geographic areas - one nurse and up to 5,000

and 6,000 patients - and that, Mr. Speaker, is inadequate and needs to be

addressed.

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

MR. HARRIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am certainly pleased to join in recognizing Mental Health Week, and the

important focus on this type of disease that is very badly and poorly

understood, not only by the general public but by people whom you would think

actually knew better.

I am very glad to hear that we are finally, this year, going to have a new

mental health act. I believe for almost twenty years now there have been

government officials and politicians working on a new mental health act and we

have yet to see it. I am glad to hear the minister make a commitment that we

will see new mental health legislation this fall.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The member's allotted time has expired.

MR. HARRIS: By leave, Mr. Speaker?

MR. SPEAKER: By leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: Leave has been granted.

MR. HARRIS: I would like to congratulate the Canadian Mental Health

Association on the very important project that they have launched today, with

will provide information for police, ambulance attendants, paramedics, emergency

room nurses and teachers, in basic understanding of the nature of mental illness

and how it presents itself.

As I said, Mr. Speaker, not only is there poor understanding amongst the

general public but apparently, as identified in the Luther Inquiry into the

deaths of Norman Reid and Darryl Power, there is a lack of training and

understanding on the part of front line workers, so any progress that can be

made in this field is certainly appreciated.

MR. SPEAKER: Further statements by ministers?

Oral Questions.

Oral Questions

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

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Today my questions are for the Premier.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Premier indicated that the government has a duty

to respect the shareholders of FPI and not be too heavy-handed in its dealings

with that company.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: Why isn't he standing up for his

shareholders, the people of this Province, many of whom work for FPI and find

themselves today unemployed through no fault of their own?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER WILLIAMS: Again, Mr. Speaker, the Opposition Leader is

paraphrasing what I have said and putting his own words to it.

We have stood up for the people of this Province. We have stood up for the

real shareholders of FPI, who are the people of the Province. What I did point

out was that there is corporate structure there that has to be followed, and a

corporate structure that we have to acknowledge and we have to recognize.

Otherwise, we become a Banana Republic and people will not come in here and do

any business. However, our primarily concern here is the people of the Province

and the people who actually own the resource. That has been our policy all the

way through, and that will continue to be the way in which we behave with regard

to that company.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I say to the Premier, if I am paraphrasing, CBC radio or TV is also

paraphrasing, because that is what is on their Web page today.

Mr. Speaker, FPI is telling the fisheries union - as we speak, and told them

yesterday - FPI is telling the fisheries union that, for some of its workers to

return to work, certain conditions have to be met. One of those conditions is

that the FPI Act must be amended. The second condition is that they be permitted

to ship more fish unprocessed to China. The union cannot meet either of these

conditions, I say to the Premier, because that authority rests solely with the

government in this Legislature.

I ask the Premier: Why are you shirking your responsibility and putting the

union in this position? When are you going to tell FPI that the act will not be

weakened and that fish will no longer be allowed to be shipped out of this

Province for processing in China?

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

Aboriginal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, there is nobody in government, or government as

a whole, shirking their responsibility. The company, FPI, put certain

propositions before the union. Nobody is saying to the union that they have to

be coerced or agree to those. If the company wants anything done with the FPI

Act, they have to deal with us and deal with this House and deal with this

government. That has been made abundantly clear to them. Nothing has changed in

that regard.

It has also been made abundantly clear to FPI that in their first round of

proposals in terms of the Burin Peninsula they were proposing to ship two-thirds

of yellowtail flounder out of this Province for processing. I told them, in no

uncertain terms, many times since then, including when they first put it out,

that it is not on. It is a non-starter; it is not going to happen. Go away,

pound rocks, get out of our hair, it is not on - and it is not on today, Mr.

Speaker.

Now, if they have some kind of other proposal that is less than that, that

makes sense, that we can all buy into and become part of, that is one thing, but

today they put nothing different on the table than what I saw a month or two

ago.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This is reminiscent of what happened in the Stephenville mill, exactly what

happened in the Stephenville mill, where this government left the union and the

company to duke it out. As a result we see now, today, nearly 900 direct and

indirect jobs lost on the West Coast of our Province.

Mr. Speaker, up until 2004, the government policy stated that shrimp

harvested in the Gulf of St. Lawrence had to be processed in plants on the

Northern Peninsula or in Charlottetown, Labrador. That policy changed when the

Raw Material Sharing plan was implemented; but, as this plan no longer exists, I

ask the minister: When are you going to revert to the old policy and force

companies to leave fish on the Northern Peninsula to be processed there?

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

Aboriginal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows very well that this

policy actually goes back to the early 1990s when FPI approached the government

of the day and said: Look, we want to invest several million dollars in Port au

Choix but we are not prepared to do that unless you give us exclusive access to

4R shrimp. At that time, the government agreed to allow 4R shrimp to be accessed

only by Port au Choix and Anchor Point. Following that, when the hon. gentleman

was minister, I believe it was in 2002, St. Anthony, Black Duck Cove and

Charlottetown were given permission to access 4R shrimp.

He is correct, in 2003, in 2004 there was a raw material sharing agreement

reached on shrimp, so therefore there was no need of any requirement. In 2005,

the same situation existed, so there was no need of any restrictive

requirements. Today, that is a different matter. We are still very cognizant of

the fact that we want to do everything possible to ensure that plants on the

Northern Peninsula and Charlottetown have access to 4R shrimp. We are discussing

that matter now with both sides of the industry and, since neither one of the

plants are open yet, I anticipate that we will make a policy decision in that

regard very shortly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank you for the explanation of what is happening, but, I say to the

minister, the plants would be open in Black Duck Cove and Anchor Point if

companies were not permitted to take the fish that is landed from the Gulf and

ship it to plants elsewhere in the Province, because that is exactly what is

happening today. As a result, we have hundreds of workers in Black Duck Cove and

Anchor Point who are calling us and asking us for the government to interfere

and revert to the policy that was always in effect so that they can go to work.

Because as long as that policy is not there, these people will not see work on

the Northern Peninsula in those two plants this summer because it is more

profitable for those processors to ship that fish to other plants, that they

have in the Province, than it is to process it up there. So, I say to the

minister, you do not have to procrastinate. You do not have to do a lot of

thinking about that, implement the policy that is already on the books in the

Department of Fisheries. When are you going to do it, Mr. Minister?

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

Aboriginal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, nobody is procrastinating. Nobody is dragging

their feet. All that is happening here is the Leader of the Opposition wants to

find another soapbox to make another political statement on. Well, that is fine,

Mr. Speaker. Those plants are not open. Daley is not processing any - I do not

know about Port de Grave, but if he is, that is the only place. He operates the

plant in Arnold's Cove. There was some shrimp sent off the Northern Peninsula,

Mr. Speaker, but we are going to address that matter. So far those plants are

not open. They are not open for a whole bunch of reasons, Mr. Speaker. We are

very cognizant of that situation but we want to talk to people before we make

unilateral decisions that imposes our will on them.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. REID: Mr. Speaker, I say that I do not need a soapbox. I am asking

the questions because people in that area are calling me daily and asking when

you are going to intervene. You do not need a soapbox either because you prefer

to do your speeches from the pan of a truck, I say to the minister.

Final question, and a very simple one: Has FPI been charged in the last

twenty-four hours?

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

Aboriginal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: I wonder if the Government House Leader can help me up from

that socko, Mr. Speaker. I can see the Leader of the Opposition on an ice pan

facing a dog hood, Mr. Speaker. I will speak in this Province from whatever

platform is available to me to speak on matters that are important to the people

of Newfoundland and Labrador when I am asked to speak.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: And if that is the pan of a box, if it is up in the

galleries of this House, if it is on the tower of Confederation Building, Mr.

Speaker, so be it.

Mr. Speaker, the question: Has FPI been charged in the last twenty-four

hours? No.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS FOOTE: Mr. Speaker, the people who worked at the fish plant in Fortune

are trying to come to grips with the inhumane way that they have been treated by

FPI and they are not sure what the future holds. The government has led them to

believe that there may be jobs for some of them with Cooke Aquaculture.

I ask the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture: Is Cooke still interested in

the FPI plant in Fortune? If so, when can we expect to see some activity by

Cooke in that community?

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

Aboriginal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: Yes, Mr. Speaker, I can confirm for the hon. member and the

people from Fortune who depend on the Fortune plant, that Cooke Aquaculture is

still very much interested in Fortune. As a matter of fact, some personnel from

Cooke were in town earlier today - I do not know if they are still here -

carrying on discussions with the Province.

When will we see activity related to Cooke in terms of Fortune, in terms of

the plant? That is not yet certain, Mr. Speaker. It is not yet certain whether

Cooke is going to be in a position to start to get their aquaculture projects up

and running within the next couple of weeks, but we are certainly working very

diligently on that. Then what happens in the interim between when the fish are

put in the water and when they can begin processing fish is another matter that

we have to address.

All of those matters, Mr. Speaker, are being addressed as we speak between

Cooke Aquaculture, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the

due course.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS FOOTE: Mr. Speaker, Cooke Aquaculture has also said that accessing a

quota would be part of the plan for Fortune if anything is to happen there

before eighteen months.

I ask the minister: Will a quota be made available to Cooke? If so, where

will it come from?

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

Aboriginal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, I cannot answer the question whether or not a

quota will be made available to Cooke. I can say this, as I have said before

publicly, when FPI, in discussions with us a number of weeks ago, told us that

it was unequivocal, they were no longer interested in Fortune, in pretty well

the same breath they did say that they would be prepared to offer up some quota

for availability to Fortune if we were successful in attracting another

operator. That will continue to be pursued.

In terms of quota from other sources, from other areas; the Province, as a

matter of public policy, Mr. Speaker, like we did in Arnold's Cove, is

continuing to look to access quota and repatriate it to the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador for use in fish plants in Newfoundland and Labrador,

which would include Fortune. Can I guarantee that there will be offshore quota

available for Fortune? No, I cannot, Mr. Speaker, because it is not within our

constitutional jurisdiction to make that kind of decision.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS FOOTE: Mr. Speaker, the minister has also said that Bill Barry is

interested in acquiring the assets of FPI, the fish plants and the boats. Are

the FPI assets in Fortune included in Mr. Barry's plans?

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

Aboriginal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: I said some of the boats, but as to the question regarding

Fortune and Fortune assets, the answer is yes, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS FOOTE: I guess my question then, Mr. Speaker, to the minister is: How

will the Cooke Aquaculture initiative be impacted if Mr. Barry or any other

party interested in buying the assets of FPI, how will that be impacted if they

are successful in acquiring those assets?

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

Aboriginal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, at the end of the day, if we have an operator

who is prepared to go in and operate in Fortune in terms of raw fish, in

conjunction with raw fish and farm fish, then that is the ideal. That is where

we want to be. If that is Cooke, if that is FPI, if that is Barry, if that is

somebody else, well that remains to be seen. When we get to the point that we

have all of this together, we have all of the information, you can be sure, the

hon. member can be sure, that the people of Fortune represented through their

town council and other groups, and also the workers represented through their

union, will be consulted. We won't be imposing, or attempting to impose our

will on the Town of Fortune or any group in the Town of Fortune. We will seek

their advise, we will consult with them, and hopefully, collectively together,

we will all make a decision that is best for the future of Fortune.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My questions are for the Premier.

Mr. Speaker, we have been in contact with representatives from Newfoundland

and Labrador, who are part of the delegation attending the Offshore Technology

Conference in Houston, Texas for the past few days. These people are extremely

disappointed that neither the Premier nor the Minister of Natural Resources

would attend this year's event. We have also been told that Minister

Ottenheimer is trying to leave the impression, with the delegation and industry

officials, that negotiations are still ongoing with Hebron-Ben Nevis. Earlier

this week, the Premier stated in the House, in response to a question from

myself, just the exact opposite, that it wasn't ongoing.

I ask the Premier: Which of these versions of events is correct, those being

spread by your minister in Houston or the statements that we get here in the

House?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

That is interesting, Mr. Speaker. I have spoken to Minister Ottenheimer every

day since he has left. He is leading the largest delegation ever in the

Province, a senior minister in the government, Minister of Intergovernmental

Affairs. He opened up the Newfoundland reception, he was at the Canadian

reception, he was at the international reception last night, he has been down to

our booth right in the show, which has significant presence, and word from him

is that the show is going extremely well.

Now, to the point that the Opposition House Leader has made, really what he

is standing on today amounts to hearsay. I certainly am not under the impression

that Minister Ottenheimer has said that negotiations are still ongoing. The

member opposite is getting it from someone in Houston that he has talked to. If

he would like to put a handle on that ax, so we can grab a hold of it, maybe we

can deal with what is as opposed to the hearsay being brought forward.

The Premier has been very clear, our door is open. The Premier has been very

clear on behalf of the government on what we expect.

We also understood, Mr. Speaker, that the member opposite, on CBC, told the

Premier to keep the oil companies' feet to the fire; point blank. That is my

understanding.

The fact of the matter is, that we need not be worried about disappointment

because the Premier is not there. He couldn't be there for a number of

reasons, including FPI. From my perspective as House Leader, this is where my

job is when the House is open. For anyone to try to leave the impression that

they need to be upset that we are not there, simply, Mr. Speaker, is not the way

they should be thinking. The largest delegation led by a senior Minister of the

Crown, supported by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, that is what is

important, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is funny; the Premier managed to get there last year when every plant

worker and fisherman in this Province was on the street.

Mr. Speaker, each year the Province goes through a process of asking oil

companies to make exploration bids on parcels of offshore land. These bids lead

to significant exploration investments that take place in the Province each

year. This is the time of year that government begins to receive the initial

interest in what parcels of lands should be put up for auction in this year's

Call for Bids, and it is usually discussed at places including the OTC

Conference in Houston.

I ask the Premier: What level of interest has been indicated to date, and how

does government feel this year's Call for Bids investment will compare to

prior years?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

The premise of the member's question is really off base. Really, this

process is run through the joint Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board.

It is a closed process. Neither the federal government nor ourselves have any

advance knowledge of what the bidding process is, because it could circumvent

and prejudice. If we had that knowledge, that could get out anywhere else, or if

members had that knowledge, so it is a Call of Proposals and a Call for Bids.

Over the last twenty years, we have had bids each and every year that have

ranged from $1 million to - when we became the government - $673 million. That

process is ongoing and you cannot predetermine the outcome. There is interest.

For example, this year, for the first time, we have called for bids on the West

Coast, to open up the West Coast play and the basins associated with the West

Coast, so we are extremely optimistic about the bidding process. We are

optimistic about the companies who are interested in coming here. In the next

three years, over $750 million to $800 million must be spent in exploration.

If the member does not believe that is reason enough to be optimistic, then I

would like to know what amount would satisfy him, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Saying that companies are spending money they have already committed in prior

years does not do much to answer the question about what the intention is going

to be and what our level of enthusiasm ought to be for next year.

Mr. Speaker, Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro has recently requested a rate

application to the Public Utilities Board for a 5 per cent rate increase. When

in Opposition, this government criticized the previous rate increase brought

forward by Hydro and stated that any rate increase would negatively impact the

poorest people in society. They also stated that the profits from Hydro should

be used to prevent rate increases. However, in this year's Budget, they

bragged about, they will be allowing Hydro to keep $54 million in profits.

I ask the Premier: Using the logic of your words in Opposition, why is

government refusing to use these profits for the benefit of the people, and

prevent this rate increase from becoming necessary?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

You have to show up, and I would encourage people to tune in every day, to

see which end of the spectrum the members opposite are coming from.

First of all, Mr. Speaker, let's be clear. There was no bragging about

letting Hydro keep dividends. We had absolutely no choice, as the Minister of

Finance outlined in the Budget, because Hydro was nearing bankruptcy because

this hon. opposite crowd, when they were government, milked Newfoundland Hydro

to the point where there was no equity but all debt, Mr. Speaker. The fact of

the matter is -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. E. BYRNE: The second point is simply this: We have allowed

Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro to keep their profits this year - not profits -

their dividends this year. Do you know why? Because we are going to expand the

mandate of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. E. BYRNE: We are going to expand the mandate so it can get into an

energy corporation and the models associated with that. For what purpose? For

the benefit of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

With respect to the public utilities process, Mr. Speaker, with respect to

that, that is a quasi-judicial process. We are monitoring that process. It is a

legal process that Hydro will go through. Once a decision is made, we will

evaluate it, but let me say this: This government has put forward the best, and

put the most money into a rebate program for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians

year over year since we have been the government, far in excess of what that

hon. crowd did opposite, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am sure the seniors of this Province get a real warm and fuzzy feeling

after hearing that non-answer.

Mr. Speaker, while we wait for government to bring forth their Energy Plan,

our natural gas industry is on hold, oil companies are questioning their future

exploration and development expenditures, and the people of this Province are

being asked to pay more for electricity while Hydro makes millions of dollars in

profit. In addition to these issues, Ventus Energy, a joint venture with the

Metis in Labrador, are being prohibited from evaluating or developing a wind

power project near the Churchill River.

I ask the Premier: After three years in office, and so many important energy

issues on hold, why are you still dragging your feet on this most important

plan?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. E. BYRNE: Well, well, well. We have the member opposite on one day

telling us, yes, Premier, keep the oil companies feet to the fire, and today he

is saying that we are dragging our feet. Now, you cannot have it both ways.

Mr. Speaker, nobody is dragging their feet. We put forward the Discussion

Paper on the Energy Plan. We outlined the public consultation process. We told

the public and the companies when that process will begin and when it would end.

They know that. There is no dragging the feet, Mr. Speaker.

The member opposite talks about the Metis Nation and Ventus Energy. I can say

this: We are treating the Metis Nation and Ventus Energy no different than we

are treating everybody else with respect to wind energy. We are not going to

give away a wind resource to any individual company without the benefits coming

to the people - in this case to Labrador - until we have a plan in place that

deals with royalty, fabrication and assembly, and a long-range plan that

benefits -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. E. BYRNE: - that benefits the people of Newfoundland and Labrador and

not the people of Bay Street, who the member seems to be sticking up for today.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My final question is for the Minister of Environment. Perhaps we might get

some answers from him.

The Ventus Energy proposal has been approved to go through a full

environmental assessment by the federal government; however, the provincial

government is refusing to allow this environmental assessment to take place.

I ask the Minister of Environment: Why is the provincial government refusing

to allow an environmental assessment process to take place that will have no

impact on the results of the Energy Plan and would provide valuable

environmental data regarding this project?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

Maybe the member should ask about the other fifteen to sixteen wind proposals

that we have before us as well, that came in unsolicited by the private sector.

Maybe the member should be asking the question: Why is it that the private

sector is so interested in our wind resource? Because they know that they can

reap significant profits from it.

The fact of the matter is this, Mr. Speaker: Every proposal with respect to

wind that has come before the government, we have not said no to, we have put on

hold until the Provincial Energy Plan is released. We have announced to people

when that plan began and when, Mr. Speaker, it will end. Until that time, Mr.

Speaker, people are going to have to patiently wait, because what we are up to

is in the public interest and for the benefit of the people of Newfoundland and

Labrador, not for the benefit of the private sector, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. R. COLLINS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My question is for the Minister of Health and Community Services, and it

concerns the shortage of doctors in the Province, particularly in rural areas.

We have a medical school at MUN that graduated over thirty students a year

for more than the last thirty years. Given the fact that this is over 900

doctors who graduated from the School of Medicine, can the minister explain why

we still have a problem, and what is his government's plan to address it?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

The number of people who apply for medical school in this Province, the vast

majority of those students, are local registrants. The vast majority of people

who graduate, obviously, are local registrants. We have a relatively good

retention rate on graduates from Memorial University, from the medical school,

in doctors staying in this Province. We do have reciprocal agreements with other

universities and other provinces to allow for registrants from other provinces

to enter the medical school in this Province, just as medical students in this

Province are able to access schools in other provinces.

We are working on the recruitment and retention of doctors in this Province.

Right now, we have the highest rate of doctors in this Province that we have

ever had, and that number is significantly higher than it was in previous years.

It is an issue that we are working on. Do we have enough? We probably never will

have enough, but we are working on the recruitment and retention of doctors in

the Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. R. COLLINS: Mr. Speaker, some of the people who we have been talking

with cite one of the major reasons for not staying in the Province as being the

financial debt that they incur while going to medical school,

whereas other

countries and other places can write off their debts. I want to say to the

minister, if many of these med students never had this debt maybe they would be

more inclined to stay in our Province, because if we look at other professions

and trades, if there are job opportunities in the Province most would rather

stay and work than move away, and I think the same would hold true for med

students.

Does the minister have any plans for local residents who enter med school in

this Province, to reduce their debt load so that when they come out of

university they will be able to stay in this Province rather than have to leave

to try to pay off the tremendous debt that they incur.

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

I would like to thank the member for his question again.

Mr. Speaker, the tuition fees at Memorial University are amongst the best in

the entire country. We do have loan remission programs at Memorial University

and we also have bursaries for some of the medical students at Memorial

University. I would guess that our tuition rates and the loans that are owed by

the medical students at Memorial University are probably amongst the lowest in

the entire country.

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My questions are for the Minister of Health and Community Services.

Yesterday, the new federal budget confirmed that Ottawa will no longer be

honouring the current child care agreements that are in place with the

provinces. Mr. Speaker, I am very disappointed because our government did not

stand up to the federal government to protect this nationally applauded child

care agreement that was there.

I ask the minister: Has the government done any analysis of what this will

mean for child care in our Province? Will it mean that centres will close? Will

there be less spaces available? Will we be looking at long wait lists for people

who want to access child care come September? Can the minister tell me that?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

We are still analyzing the announcements under the federal Budget, but what I

can say is that the Early Learning and Child Care program in this Province will

receive no less money this year, or next year, or the following year, than it

has received in previous years. In fact, Mr. Speaker, we are developing our own

Early Learning and Child Care program in this Province. We are in the process of

developing a multi-year program that is now before Cabinet for consideration and

we hope to be making an announcement in the very coming days.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Mr. Speaker, outside analysis in our Province are already

indicating that we could lose up to $30 million in new money over the next

couple of years for child care, along with several thousand child care spaces.

If the minister has information, I would like for him to certainly release it to

the public.

Under the current child care agreement with the federal government the

Province has already received an amount of money for child care. Can the

minister tell me what amount that is and how it has been invested into the

children of our Province?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

After yesterday's Budget announcement, I guess the total that we will have

received from the federal government is about $21.6 million. We did have $11.6

million or $11.5 million up until the Budget announcement yesterday. Having said

that, the annual investment in this Province in Early Learning and Child Care,

to date, is about $12 million or $13 million, of which $3 million comes from

this provincial government. The rest of it comes from the federal government.

There will be no decrease, Mr. Speaker. Again, there will be no decrease. There

will be no loss of spaces as a result of the Budget yesterday, the federal

government Budget. In fact, we are coming out with our own Early Learning and

Child Care plan, Mr. Speaker. As I have said, it is before Cabinet. We are

deliberating on that. We will be making an announcement on that when the

decision is made by Cabinet.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The time allotted for Question Period has expired.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Special Committees.

Tabling of Documents.

Notices of Motion.

Answers to Questions for Which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

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

MS FOOTE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I stand today to present a petition on behalf of people in the District of

Grand Bank, but in particular, people who were employed at the fish plant in

Fortune. Actually, there are people from about ten different communities who

were employed at that fish plant, and it is sad to have to say were employed.

The petition says:

WHEREAS the people of the District of Grand Bank primarily depend on the

fishery for their livelihood and prosperity; and

WHEREAS these same people have an historic attachment that dates back

hundreds of years to this renewable resource;

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

House of Assembly to recognize and respect the importance of the fishing

industry to the area, and to take whatever action necessary to ensure that the

quotas traditionally processed by Fishery Products International for this area

remain within the region for the benefit of the people and their communities.

Mr. Speaker, this petition has been signed by hundreds of people who really

are at a place in their lives now where they really do not know what the future

holds. Hence, my question today to the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

They know that Cooke has expressed an interest. They really do not know where

that is going. I think, as the minister said today, they are in discussions, but

that is not very much information for me to share today with the people from

Fortune and other communities who, in fact, depended on that fish plant.

Then we know about the Barry proposal and another proposal by another

interested party, but at the bottom of all this, and the crux of the matter is:

What will, in fact, be left that will be able to be of benefit to the people who

worked at that plant in Fortune? Will there be quota? This is the question that

I am asking and this is what the people who have signed this petition are asking

and insisting on, that the quota that was traditionally processed by FPI in that

area continue to be processed in that area. I am not sure when the minister

talks about the possibility of buying quota, I understood that quota was a

common resource. Therefore, under the constitution, it was not owned by FPI and

that you really did not have to buy the quota. I would expect that it would be

seen to be a common resource and owned by the people. That is certainly my

understanding and that is what I have heard others say.

So the issue, I guess, for us, is that if the fish that we have been

harvesting and processing are, in fact, a common resource, then why is it that

we should not be able to keep that quota and be able to harvest it and process

it where it has been traditionally processed? That would be, of course, in this

case, in the fish plant in Fortune. We have hundreds of people, many families -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

It being Wednesday, under Standing Order 63.(7), at 3 of the clock the

Speaker is obliged to move to the private member's resolution.

The member has about half a minute left in her petition, if she chooses, but

she would need leave to proceed.

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: Leave has been granted to proceed with the petition.

MS FOOTE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I think the importance of this is such that I am glad that leave has been

granted, because we really do need to get the point across of the importance of

doing everything we can, as Members of the House of Assembly, having access to a

piece of legislation that governs FPI, to ensure that the quota traditionally

harvested and processed, in particular in Fortune, continues to be processed in

that community by the employees who used to work for FPI.

This is a serious situation. We really need to address this. We cannot see

that quota go somewhere else, to the benefit of somewhere else, whether it be in

China or some other part of the world. This is fish that has been processed in

Fortune, should continue to be processed in Fortune, and this why the people who

have signed this petition are calling on the government, and anyone else who

will listen, to make sure that continues to happen, whether it is Bill Barry who

is in there or some other party, or Cooke Aquaculture. I know Cooke Aquaculture

is on record as looking for a quota and, again, I say to the Minister of

Fisheries and Aquaculture, we should make sure that a quota is made available to

Cooke Aquaculture and/or to whoever else ends up there governing that particular

fish plant in the Province.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Orders of the Day

Private Members' Day

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

This afternoon we are debating a resolution put forward with notice by the

hon. the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

I call upon him now to introduce his private member's resolution.

MR. HARRIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

First of all, I want to say that this issue of the coverage for prescription

drugs is probably one of the most important health care issues facing many

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. We have a circumstance in this Province where

some people have available to them a drug card provided by the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador. Those people who are in receipt of Income Support, or

seniors who are eligible for the Guaranteed Income Supplement, automatically get

a drug card provided by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador in the

provincial drug care program.

We have other people in the population who have workplace plans that they pay

for themselves, sometimes shared by their employer, and this covers all

teachers, all public servants, all Members of the House of Assembly, and people

whose workplaces have a plan.

Then there is another group, and the size of this group is estimated by the

Canadian Diabetes Association to be 34 per cent of our population under age

sixty-five and 8 per cent over the age of sixty-five, who have no source of drug

coverage except their own resources or their own pocket.

We have circumstances where people in this Province who go to a doctor and

get a prescription will go to the pharmacy and, instead of asking to get the

prescription filled, they will ask the pharmacist how much does the prescription

cost. If they are unable to pay for it, they turn around and put the

prescription back in their pocket or purse and do without it.

We have individuals, Mr. Speaker, who have prescriptions - and they will tell

you this; I don't know if you have heard these stories, but I know many people

have - they got this prescription that is good for a month and it is supposed to

be three pills a day, to last for a month, and the person will tell you: I only

take one a day, to make them last longer, because I can't afford to fill the

full prescription. Well, that person is likely to be back in the hospital being

treated by the public for the disease that they had, that was unable to be

treated by drugs.

Drugs have become as important to our medical system as hospital care and

physician care. In terms of cost, the most recent statistics that I have seen,

Mr. Speaker, is that 16 per cent - in fact, over 16 per cent - of health care

costs are now consumed by the cost of prescription drug therapies. By contrast,

the cost for doctors with physician services, all physician services within our

medicare system, take up 12 per cent of the cost, so we see how incredibly

important that is.

I have physicians telling me, Mr. Speaker, that when they first diagnose a

new diabetes patient, the first question they ask the patient is, do you have

drug coverage, because that determines what treatment they get, what treatment

they can afford. That is not good enough, Mr. Speaker. We have a system that is

fundamentally unfair to the people of this Province. When we have a system which

says to you, if your employer doesn't have a plan, if you are not lucky enough

to be a public servant, if you are not a senior with GIS, that you have to pay

as you go, that inflicts considerable hardships on people.

It doesn't really matter whether you are well off or middle class or on the

borderline of the plan that the government announced in its Budget, it can

impose a severe and serious hardship. Over the years I have met numerous people

who have confronted medical challenges and medical crises and ended up with

medical costs or drug costs of $300 a month or $400 a month, money that was, in

fact, imposing serious and severe hardships on them. They don't qualify for a

government plan, they don't qualify for a drug card, they won't come near to

qualifying for the plan that the government announced in its Budget that

provides up to a 70 per cent co-pay for people who have a family income of less

than $30,000.

You can get an individual plan. You can go to Blue Cross and buy an

individual plan, but make sure you don't have any expensive drugs when you go,

because they will tell you: We will give you a plan, we will charge you a

premium, as an individual, but we won't cover any of the drugs that you are

now receiving. We won't cover any of the drugs you are now receiving! This is

a fundamental unfairness, Mr. Speaker. A fundamental unfairness!

I have had constituents, Mr. Speaker, come to me with newly diagnosed,

life-threatening diseases, with the need for a drug that is enormously

expensive, in some cases $2,000 or $3,000 a month. They applied to the

government for a drug card and were turned down, with a family income of

$36,000; turned down because they had some savings, they had some RSPs. Mr.

Speaker, this is a family with children, no pension plan, no extra money lying

around - but they had some RSPs because they were concerned about their future

down the long road - turned down for a card, after writing some anonymous person

in the government, after not being able to talk to an individual, and finally

got turned down.

Mr. Speaker, guess what? The day after they were turned down the drug

company, the international so-called money grabbing drug company, turned around

and gave the individual the drug for free. A drug, without which the prospects

of this person staying alive were pretty slim. The government said: No, you do

not qualify for our plan. There is nothing we can do for you. You make too much

money and, by the way, you have investments. They did not call them savings.

They did not call them registered retirement savings, you have too many

investments. So you have to get rid of them. You have to impoverish yourself.

You have to turn yourself into someone with no resources whatsoever.

This is the situation that we are facing in our Province. This is the

situation faced by, according to these figures, up to 35 per cent of our

population under, say, sixty-five. It is an issue of fundamental fairness. This

resolution calls for something pretty simple, Mr. Speaker, something which, I

would, in my imagination cannot see how anybody could not support.

What this resolution asks for, and I will read out the resolution. I will not

read out all the

whereas, some of them I have touched on today already.

THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that a Select Committee of the House of Assembly be

struck to inquire into and report on the feasibility and options with respect to

the development of a Province-wide comprehensive system that would ensure that

all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have access to a prescription drug plan.

Let's look into it. Let's see what it would take to make sure that

everybody in Newfoundland and Labrador had access to a prescription drug plan

that was organized by the government, that made it possible for everybody to

participate. That is what I am asking for, Mr. Speaker, and that is something

that I think is pretty straightforward.

Mr. Speaker, other provinces have plans. In fact, every province has some

kind of a plan, whether it be for catastrophic drug costs, whether it be a

comprehensive one like Quebec. This is an interesting one, Mr. Speaker, Quebec

has a prescription drug insurance plan. People without supplementary health

benefits coverage must join the public insurance program to which they pay

premiums according to income, as well as a charge for each prescription. So,

there is a fee. Even people on Blue Cross have a fee. The amount of the premium

varies from zero dollars to $460 per adult, depending on that family income with

a maximum contribution. It provides free prescription drugs, dental and optical

services for children under eighteen and some adults, which means there is no

deductible and no prescription charge for children's prescription drugs. That

is the plan in Quebec. Available to everybody, with a premium.

Mr. Speaker, when I raised the issue in the House of Assembly being critical

somewhat of the government's existing plan and the plan that was being

proposed and said, why can't we have a universal plan? The Minister of Finance

shot back and said: Mr. Speaker, the member asked for the moon, we give him the

moon and then he wants the sun and the stars. Well, Mr. Speaker, of course I do.

If it is available to the people of Quebec, if the sun and the stars are

available, if they are within reach, if we can work together to make it happen,

if it is something that the people need, if it is something that is possible, of

course I want it, Mr. Speaker and the people of Newfoundland and Labrador should

be entitled to have it, if it is within reach.

The minister said in this House: The member wants people who are making

$100,000 or more to have a drug plan. Yes, of course, I do. Of course, I do!

Members in this House who make over $100,000 as Ministers of the Crown have a

drug plan, Mr. Speaker. They have a drug plan. They have access to it. We all

have access to it. Teachers have access to it. Public servants have access to

it. Why shouldn't ordinary people who are self-employed, why shouldn't the

small contractor who is out there earning a living fixing houses or building

houses or doing renovations, why shouldn't he or she and his family have

access to a drug plan? Why shouldn't that be possible, Mr. Speaker, under an

organized plan made available through the auspices of the Government of

Newfoundland and Labrador? Why shouldn't that happen?

So, I am putting forward this motion, Mr. Speaker, because it is something

within reach. It is something that people need. It is something that is

important for people to have. I have constituents and people - we all know

people who are in circumstances like this, and it does not really matter whether

you are well off or better off than others or not. People who go into hospital,

the drugs are all paid for. All the prescription drugs that you have in hospital

are paid for but when you are being discharged: I have good news for you Mr. So

and So, you are being discharged from hospital. The bad news is all these drugs

that you have to take, you have to pay for yourself unless you have a plan.

Mr. Speaker, what this resolution calls for, and I hope I will have support

from hon. members opposite and on this side of the House, is that we get

together and we have a committee that comes from members of this House, members

on that side of the House, members from the Liberal caucus, members from the NDP

caucus, and we have a committee that looks into this, that examines the plans

across the country, that has the advice and the expertise provided to it that

government can provide through the Department of Health or to the Newfoundland

and Labrador Centre for Health Information so we can examine these plans,

examine the possibilities, consider the costs and see if we can have a plan that

ensures that every Newfoundlander and Labradorian can have access to a plan that

they can afford, to drugs that they will need to keep themselves alive, keep

them out of hospital, allow them to have access to health care without a cost.

Actually, Mr. Speaker, the same kind of motivation that led the people of

Canada to demand and insist on a medicare system, is the same motivation that is

behind this expectation, that in our modern time there be available health care

for all that involves drugs. Initially, medicare started talking about hospital

costs and doctors costs but drug therapies are now just as important, perhaps

more important in some cases, to keeping people alive than a doctor who is

treating them because the drugs, themselves, can help to keep people alive.

Access to drugs on the basis, without recourse to an individual's ability to

pay, should be available to all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

I urge hon. members in this House to support this resolution, to put together

this committee and, at the end of the day, just come up with recommendations:

Here is what is possible, here is what it might cost, here are the options. Then

a decision can be made afterwards by government, by people in the Province who

can make up their own minds as to whether something is practical or doable or

feasible. That is the idea of this committee, Mr. Speaker. That is what we would

like to see happen because this is something that not only can the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador afford, because of our increasing prosperity with

respect to the oil revenues, but something that should be afforded in any event

because we do have a need and the desire to have greater quality in access to

health care in Newfoundland and Labrador. Drug therapies are an important part

of that, and I ask for all members' support.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

I thank the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi for putting his resolution

forward. It will raise debate and it will raise discussion around a very

important issue.

Mr. Speaker, the member's resolution is well intended. In fact, it is a

laudable resolution but perhaps a little bit premature. As the member

acknowledged in the prayer of his resolution, government recently announced an

expansion to the provincial drug program which will increase coverage and give

access to affordable drugs to an additional 97,000 Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians.

Currently, the provincial drug program in this Province costs $118 million

every year. We are adding almost 30 per cent to that budget by increasing the

amount which was announced in the 2006 Budget by an additional $32 million. We

are going to increase the number of people in this Province who receive access

to affordable drugs from approximately 100,000 to approximately 197,000, almost

40 per cent of the entire population of the Province of Newfoundland and

Labrador.

Expanding eligibility under the provincial drug program to allow low-income

families and residents who do not have drug coverage at the moment will help

reduce the financial burden on those 97,000 families and individuals. More

importantly, providing them with affordable access to needed medications will

contribute to better health outcomes.

Mr. Speaker, government recognizes that more needs to be done to ensure that

all residents have affordable drug coverage. That is something that not only the

Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi would like to see; it is something that this

member would like to see.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. T. OSBORNE: It is something that every member, I would suspect, in

this House, representing each of the forty-eight districts in this Province,

would like to see, all people in the Province have access to affordable drugs.

The reality is that we have to do this in an organized fashion. We have to do

it as the Province can afford to do it. We would love to be able to announce in

this year's Budget, or next year's Budget, the fact that 100 per cent of the

population of the Province is going to receive affordable drugs; but, in

reality, we will supply affordable drugs to the percentage of the population

that government can afford to supply drugs to.

That is the best that we can do. That is the best that any province can do.

There is not one province in this country that is supplying drugs universally to

every individual living in that province, because even the wealthy provinces

cannot afford to do that. We would probably all love to be able to do that, but

none of the provinces can afford to provide that kind of coverage.

What the member's resolution is asking for is a multi-party committee to be

put forward in this House of Assembly to examine options and the feasibility of

a provincial drug plan to all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians; and, as I have

said, that is a very laudable ambition. It is an ambition that, if we could

afford to do it, as Health and Community Services Minister, that would be

something that I would be driving to achieve.

The reality again is that there is already a multi-party committee put in

place. In fact, it is a multi-jurisdictional committee that is put in place to

look at the very issues that are put forward by the resolution by the Member for

Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

Mr. Speaker, officials in my department have been working continuously, based

on a direction given by First Ministers in Canada in 2004, to have the Health

Ministers of the provincial governments, the territories and the federal

government, report back to First Ministers by this summer with a report on how

we can move forward. The main features of the strategy are: catastrophic drug

coverage, expensive drug coverage for rare diseases, common national drug

formularies, improved drug approval processes, and national drug purchasing

strategies. So, what the member is asking for in his resolution is already

taking place in Canada. It is already taking place by every Health Minister on

the provincial, territorial and federal level in Canada. It is a direction that

the First Ministers have asked for, and it is a strategy that we hope to deliver

this summer.

Mr. Speaker, I think it is understood by all members of this House that this

government has taken a huge step forward in Budget 2006 by announcing that an

additional 20 per cent of the population will have access to affordable drugs. I

believe it is also understood that, in addition to the 40 per cent of the

population who will have access to afford drugs, there are also private drug

plans, such as the plan that each member of the House enjoys through Blue Cross,

which is provided as one of the benefits to all public servants. There are many

other private plans.

Is that enough? Is every resident of the Province covered? Absolutely not,

but that is part of what a National Pharmaceutical Strategy and a national

catastrophic drug strategy will aim to address, some of those issues.

Mr. Speaker, the debate around the appropriate proportion of an individual's

or family's income that is spent on drugs before it becomes an undue burden to

that individual or family is part of what all Health Ministers in Canada are

looking at under the catastrophic drug plan. In the richer provinces there is a

broader drug coverage because they have the financial resources to be able to do

so; but, again, none of the provinces, none of the jurisdictions, have a

universal program that covers all drugs for all people.

This year, and only this year, Mr. Speaker, in this Province, because of our

growing economy and because of the Atlantic Accord, was this Province able to

move forward in the same sort of direction by increasing the number of people

with affordable drug access from 20 per cent to almost 40 per cent. It is only

this year that we have been able to afford to do that. If this Province could

have afforded under this Budget to increase that to 30 additional per cent or 40

per cent or 50 per cent, we would have done that, but we have to put forward

plans and programs, Mr. Speaker, that we can afford to maintain on a sustainable

basis. There was very careful thought and very careful consideration put into

the announcement in this year's Budget, because it is something we believe we

can afford to achieve on a sustainable basis.

Mr. Speaker, our provincial drug plan is designed to provide coverage to

residents on Income Support, and seniors who receive the Guaranteed Income

Supplement, as well as other residents who meet an enriched needs test to

qualify for coverage.

With Budget 2006, Mr. Speaker, we will assess individuals with an income of

up to $19,000. We will assess families with children, with an income of up to

$30,000 on a co-pay basis. The total again, Mr. Speaker, will bring the number

of residents in this Province with access to affordable drugs up to

approximately 197,000 people, or 40 per cent of the Province's population.

Mr. Speaker, is there a gap? I will be the first one to admit there is. I

have received questions from the Member for Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair. We

have heard presentations from people in the general public. There is a gap,

absolutely, and government recognizes there is a gap in coverage for some

families, especially for those who need drugs for things such as MS, especially

those with incomes that are higher than the threshold that will allow them to

qualify under the extended drug coverage that we have announced in this year's

Budget.

Are we sympathetic towards this? Absolutely. We understand, and we believe

that there is a need to expand that coverage even further. We have great

sympathy for the people out there right now, Mr. Speaker, who cannot afford all

of their medications; but, again, we must proceed with providing coverage that

we can afford to maintain on a sustainable basis.

Mr. Speaker, until the national discussions are complete and a report is

provided to the First Ministers by the Health Ministers throughout all

jurisdictions of this country, it would be premature for this House to support

this particular resolution.

Mr. Speaker, the work of any special committee would be repetitive of the

work that is already taking place through all of the Health Ministers throughout

Canada. We are playing a critical role, this Province is, as co-chair of this

particular group looking at the catastrophic drug coverage. This Province, and

officials within the Department of Health and Community Services, have been

playing a very key role in reviewing and addressing the need for catastrophic

drug coverage on a national basis.

Mr. Speaker, this resolution, as it is put forward, would also duplicate the

national consultations currently underway. I will add, as well, that one set of

the regional consultations will be taking place in St. John's, and key

stakeholders in this Province, as well as key stakeholders throughout the

Atlantic region, will be attending this set of consultations which are taking

place in St. John's on May 8 and May 9.

Mr. Speaker, as I have said, the member's resolution is laudable. I respect

what the member was hoping to achieve, but it is simply a duplication of a

process that is already taking place. The member's objective, if we were to

reach that, Mr. Speaker, and I will quote from his private member's

resolution, "...that would ensure that all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians

have access to a prescription drug plan", would require an active and

financial role by the federal government. That is not something that this

Province can achieve on its own, which is why the process that is currently

underway with the federal, provincial and territorial ministers is so important.

Mr. Speaker, the National Pharmaceutical Strategy, which was recommended by

the First Ministers, is to report back to the First Ministers by June 30 of

2006. In September of 2004, First Ministers gave direction to all Health

Ministers in Canada to develop this strategy, to put in place a ministerial task

force to develop and implement a National Pharmaceutical Strategy. The First

Ministers directed the Health Ministers -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. T. OSBORNE: - to have this strategy put forward by June 30 of 2006.

This strategy will include the following nine areas: to develop, assess and cost

options for catastrophic pharmaceutical coverage; to establish a common National

Drug Formulary for participating jurisdictions based on safety and

cost-effectiveness; to accelerate access through breakthrough drugs for unmet

health needs; to strengthen evaluation of real-world drug safety and

effectiveness; to pursue purchasing strategies to obtain best prices for

Canadians for drugs and vaccines; to enhance action to influence the prescribing

behaviours of health care professionals so that drugs are used only when needed

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. T. OSBORNE: - and the right drugs to be used for the right problems

or conditions; to broaden the practice of e-prescription through the development

of deployment of Electronic Health Records; accelerate access to non-patented

drugs to achieve international parity; and to enhance analysis of cost drivers

and cost-effectiveness.

Mr. Speaker, the working group commitments in relation to this strategy, with

a view to reporting back by June of 2006, have put forward focus areas that

include catastrophic drug coverage, expensive drugs for rare diseases, common

drug formulary, safety and effectiveness, and purchasing strategies, the very

issues that were outlined, in fact, even greater than what were outlined, in the

private member's resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that the best way forward - and maybe this time next

year, if we haven't been able to achieve anything on the national basis, we

can look at a resolution such as this, but it is simply duplication of a process

that is already taken. It is something that this Province is unable to achieve

on its own without federal help, without a consensus of all jurisdictions.

Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I will say that, while the member's resolution

is laudable, while I support the intent of what the member was trying to do,

there is a very comprehensive program underway between all Health Ministers. We

are to report back to the First Ministers by June of 2006. I would say that the

best way forward is to move forward the way we are moving, with this Province

playing a very key role in addressing this on a national stage and to look

towards the federal government for their involvement in helping with a National

Pharmaceutical Strategy, as well as a catastrophic drug strategy for all

Canadians.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I want to rise and speak to the motion that has been put forward

by my hon. colleague from Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi. I have sat in the House of

Assembly with the member for the past ten years and he has put forward some good

motions here that has caused some very stimulating debate. Obviously, again

today, he has been able to achieve that. To put forward a motion, Mr. Speaker,

on a very serious issue and an issue that impacts and affects a lot of people in

our Province of all ages, and that is the drug coverage program.

Mr. Speaker, I listened to the hon. minister speak to the motion and I am

disappointed. I am very disappointed because the government is speaking to the

motion in terms of saying that they are not prepared to entertain a select

committee of the House of Assembly at this time to look at a drug program, the

drug program as it exists in our Province and how it can be improved upon. That

is basically all this motion is asking, Mr. Speaker. It is not asking the

provincial government today to go out and provide 100 per cent drug coverage for

every, single resident in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, but, Mr.

Speaker, it would be nice. It would be nice and it would be welcomed by a lot of

people, but that is not what the motion is asking. The motion is asking, based

on the fact that there is unfairness and imbalance in the drug coverage that we

have amongst our citizens in our Province today, that it is incumbent and the

responsibility of the government to look at how that can be changed, how we can

strike a better balance and how we can have all residents of the Province be

able to afford the medication that they need.

Now, Mr. Speaker, I have stood in this House of Assembly on many occasions,

right up until the House closed before Easter, talking about people in this

Province who cannot access medication today. Mr. Speaker, for a number of years

I stood in support of the Alzheimer's Society, in lobbying for drugs for

Alzheimer's patients who could not afford to access them. These are people

with a terrible affliction in our society who cannot speak for themselves, but

need the rest of us to speak up for them and to lobby for them. After two years,

finally the government recognized: yes, there is a problem and we will try and

correct it. Although they added drugs to the formula, the patients still cannot

access them because they say they have to train the pharmacists. Well, when

people were down buying their drugs the pharmacists did not need training, but

now the government is going to give them their drugs, the pharmacists need

training. I have never been able to understand that one.

Mr. Speaker, let's talk about a couple of other things. This man on the

page of The Telegram , January 18, 2005. His name is Doug and he suffers

from liver enzyme deficiency and he has to take drugs through intravenous. Now

this gentleman, a resident, a citizen of our Province, who says that he wakes up

every morning suffocating. He says that without this drug he will not live to

see his two-year-old daughter graduate from Kindergarten. How sad is that? That

people in our Province who are not only suffering from illnesses that are fatal,

that are not only living day to day with sickness, but they still have the worry

and the stress and the strain of how they are going to be able to pay for the

medications that they need. How sad is that? Then for the government to say: We

don't need a select committee to look at a drug program for this Province. You

have people, like this gentleman who is out there in the newspaper, a cry for

help, begging the government to have coverage.

Mr. Speaker, I am disappointed because I really thought that government would

have a different perspective because you only just have to go back to the summer

of 2004 when the Premier went off to Niagara-on-the-Lake. He went down there to

hold the big meetings on health care. He telephoned home in a radio interview

and he talked about how a national plan for health care would be a good plan.

Why, Mr. Speaker? Not just because it was going to take the Province off the

hook a few hundred million dollars, but it was also going to give equal access

to health care to all the people in the country. Well, if the Premier can phone

home from Niagara-on-the-Lake and support a plan that is going to be paid for by

someone else that is universal for people, why isn't he prepared to look at a

better plan for the people of the Province?

No one, in this motion, is asking the government to spend any money. No one

here is asking the government to spend one single dime, Mr. Speaker. What they

are asking is to have another look; look at other options, look at the imbalance

that exists in our system, look on the front pages of our newspapers and see the

people who are crying for help for drug coverage, and let's see if there is a

better way that we can do this.

The minister talks about the national drug program and how the federal

government is going to bring in all these benefits under the national drug

program. Mr. Speaker, I did not hear the Prime Minister of the country

yesterday, in bringing down the Budget, committing a whole lot of money for

national drug coverage in this country. Maybe someone else heard it but I did

not hear it, Mr. Speaker. I did not hear it.

Mr. Speaker, I think the minister could probably benefit immensely from the

advice of a select committee of this House that could advise him on what the

public is saying, advise him on alternatives that he might be able to, if not

incorporate into the provincial government's own plan and own strategy, as he

says, Mr. Speaker, use it to influence the national government if they are going

to be looking at other kinds of drug coverage. Mr. Speaker, I certainly did not

hear the Prime Minister of the country, or the Minister of Finance in Ottawa,

yesterday, in bringing down the Budget, saying that all of our woes, when it

comes to drug coverage in this country, are going to disappear. I certainly did

not see it, Mr. Speaker, and I did not hear it and I did not see any cheque

being written for it. I do not know. Maybe the minister in our Province has a

commitment, maybe he has the money in his pocket and we do not know about it,

and all of this is going to be taken care of and we do not even need to talk

about it anymore.

Mr. Speaker, I am going to talk about it and I will tell you why I am going

to talk about. Because there are too many people out there in this Province

today going without medication. The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Newfoundland

and Labrador sends out a press release, after I questioned the minister in the

House of Assembly two different times about the coverage of MS drugs - he says:

Oh no, people have access to the drugs. They have confirmed it, Minister. There

are 600 people in this Province who need drugs, who are MS patients, who are not

getting them; 600 people out there today, Mr. Speaker. Do you know why they are

going without those drugs? Because they cannot afford them. Do you know why they

cannot afford them, Mr. Speaker? Because they are running them $2,000 a month

for just one drug. That is the reason.

I have a young women up in my district, a young mother of two children, who

is an MS patient. Her total family income, Mr. Speaker, is $2,800 a month. Do

you know how much her drugs are? Twenty-one hundred dollars a month, Mr.

Speaker. Whenever her income reaches $2,800 a month for her and her husband and

her two children, she gets her drug card cut. She forks out $2,100 a month for

her medication because her health is important to her and her children. If it

means they have to do without all the other benefits that the rest of us can

enjoy in life, Mr. Speaker, be able to watch her children grow up, well then

that's what it will take.

I think it is sad. I think it is awfully sad. I think it is sad when I get a

call from a lady down in Harbour Breton, a women who was on a drug for a number

of months, for an extended period of time, but then, Mr. Speaker, at the time

when she lost her job in the FPI plant in Harbour Breton and she was told to go

home because the plant closed down and FPI took their quotas and ran, not only

did she lose her job, Mr. Speaker, she lost her health coverage, and as a

result, she lost the medication that she depends upon every single month to look

after her illness. Mr. Speaker, do you think that is not a gap in society, that

there is not a need there?

Let's talk about people who suffer from diabetes, because it is not always

people who are paying $2,000 a month for their medication, but look at the

diabetics who are out there in our Province today. I know a lot of them and I

get calls from a lot of them. They are spending anywhere from $150 to $200 a

month on medical coverage, money that they just do not have, Mr. Speaker, to

spend. What do we see? We see diabetes running rampant in this Province, and a

lot of it is because they do not have the financial resources to have the

medications they require, to have the lifestyle they require, and to be able to

access and purchase the foods they require, to help with that particular

illness, Mr. Speaker. I know, I have seen a lot of it and I have talked to a lot

of them.

Mr. Speaker, when you are a person who is a diabetic, your total income is

$15,000 a year, you are twenty-two years old and you have to pay out 25 per cent

of your income every month because you are a diabetic, do you mean to tell me

that is fair? Do you think that is fair for this twenty-two year old young woman

in our Province who will have to do that? Do you think it is fair that any

person should pay out 25 per cent to 35 per cent to up to 55 per cent of their

income, Mr. Speaker, for drug coverage because they are sick? I don't think

so, Mr. Speaker, I certainly don't think so, and I don't agree with it.

Let's look at arthritis. Let's look at psoriatic arthritis in particular,

Mr. Speaker. I talked to specialists over at the Health Science Centre who told

me that today there are 150 patients diagnosed who require therapies, who cannot

access them. They cannot access them because they are going to cost them $1,400

and $1,500 a month to access. That is the reason; not because they aren't sick

enough, not because they don't need these drugs to be able to function and be

able to have an extended life, Mr. Speaker - because that is what it is all

about, it is about making people who are sick in our society comfortable, making

them well, giving them a longevity, Mr. Speaker, to be able to share with their

family and experience that family life. That is what it is about. Yet, we have

150 people with this disease today in our Province, diagnosed by specialists,

who are not receiving treatments because they cannot afford them. Then the

minister can stand up and say, we don't need a select committee of the House

of Assembly or a select committee of any kind, to look at the drug program in

this Province. Shameful, Mr. Speaker, is what it is! It is shameful!

I can tell you that the people on this side of the House are going to support

my colleague today, the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi and the Leader of the

NDP. Oh, indeed we are going to support him, Mr. Speaker, because while his

resolution doesn't ask the government to bring in a uniform drug rate, what it

does ask is that the government and all the rest of us in the Province start

paying attention to where the gaps are in our drug program, to start paying

attention to the people out there who are going without medications who need to

access it.

Mr. Speaker, there is no price tag on that. There is no price tag on taking a

closer look at any issue that impacts the people in Newfoundland and Labrador.

That is all this motion asks for, Mr. Speaker, and I am disappointed that it is

not going to happen. I am disappointed for the number of people - not just the

people I have mentioned, not just the people today, the 600 who are not getting

their drug coverage as MS patients, not because there are people out there with

diabetes who are spending 25 per cent to 35 per cent of the income, Mr. Speaker,

for drugs and medications. I am not just asking and supporting this because I

know that there are 150 people out there diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, who

cannot access their treatments. No, Mr. Speaker, I am supporting this for those

reasons but for another reason, and that is that we need fairness in drug

coverage in this Province.

We have one, two, three, tiers of drug coverage right now, where we have some

people who are on government coverage and they get it paid, some people on

private coverage where they get a percentage paid, some people who are on low

income, below the $30,000 threshold, as the minister stands up so proud and

announces. Where is the standard of government, Mr. Speaker? Because, if I was

going down to rent from Newfoundland and Labrador Housing, my income, I think,

could be up to $39,000 a year and I would still be covered through the

provincial government, but if I need medication, Mr. Speaker, my income can't

rise over $30,000 a year.

There is a discrepancy there; I am pretty sure of it. If I were to go over to

the Minister of Finance because I have hard times and I am one of the tens of

thousands of people who have a big bill for school tax from the Minister of

Finance, with interest rate compounded over twelve or fifteen years, if I went

over there to get him to write off my interest rate on my taxes for the last ten

years, and my income is up to $39,000 or $40,000 I will be considered to have my

interest written off.

MR. SPEAKER (Fitzgerald): Order, please!

I remind the hon. Member for Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair that her time for

speaking has expired.

MS JONES: Just a couple of minutes to clue up, Mr. Speaker?

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

Does the hon member have leave?

MR. RIDEOUT: To clue up, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. member, by leave.

MS JONES: I would like to thank the Minister of Fisheries for leave, Mr.

Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the point I was making is that, if I went to get drug coverage

in this Province and I required a drug that was going to consume about 60 per

cent to 70 per cent of my income, or even more of my family income, then I would

not be eligible if I were over the $30,000 a year threshold.

MR. HARRIS: You would still have to pay 70 per cent.

MS JONES: Seventy per cent, yes.

There is a discrepancy, even across government departments, in what makes you

eligible, financially, on a low-income level, for different programs and

services. Mr. Speaker, the first thing the minister could do is probably look at

correcting that.

I am going to conclude my comments now. I think it is a good motion that has

been put forward. It is asking the government to spend no money, but to

establish a select committee to look at this problem, critical problem, in our

Province, and I certainly want to offer up our support for it.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Labrador West.

MR. R. COLLINS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It gives me pleasure today to rise and speak on the motion that has been

forward by the Leader of the NDP and the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi, and

his call to have government form a select committee to look at the possibility

of establishing a prescription drug program in this Province so that all

residents of our Province can benefit.

Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to note, and I think the people of the

Province should understand, that what this resolution is calling for here today,

that is being debated, is not for government to go out and spend hundreds of

millions of dollars.

We listened to the Minister of Health and Community Services, when he spoke

to the resolution, and he talked about his government already working on issues

like this. Well, Mr. Speaker, that is not much for the people of this Province

to have a lot of consolation in, because what the minister is referring to is

the national pharmacare program that has been talked about in this country for

many, many years. Nothing has materialized yet and, to be quite frank, Mr.

Speaker, I do not have a lot of faith that it is going to happen in the near

future. In the meantime, Mr. Speaker, people of this Province are suffering as a

result of not having a plan that takes care of their needs.

The Province of Quebec has such a plan, and it works well there. There are

also examples in industry where small employers, comprising of three, four, five

and ten workers and each employer, where the employers have gotten together as a

group and, because of their numbers at that time, by getting together, they were

able to purchase an insurance plan for their employees that they would never be

able to purchase as individual employers and buy them for three and four people.

So we are talking here, thousands, tens of thousands of people who would be

eligible to join this plan - it could even be mandatory to join this plan - and

pay a premium that would offset the expense and provide coverage to people when

they most need it.

I can assure you, I say to the minister, that anything that the federal

government does in the way of a pharmacare program or for catastrophic drug

coverage is definitely not going to interfere with the plan that is in the

Province of Quebec today, and it will not interfere with the plan that is

introduced in any other province of this country.

When we talk about that, Mr. Speaker, let's talk a bit about the different

plans that are out there. For catastrophic drug coverage like those required for

MS, those required for people with diabetes, drugs required for people who need

hormone replacement therapies, we are the only Province, and I say this to the

minister, the only Province in Canada, the only jurisdiction, that does not

provide some coverage for their residents. What we have that needs to change is

a plan that provides zero if you are not on Income Support or meet the test for

seniors in our Province.

What I find strange is that people who get up each day, go to work, pay their

taxes, making $40,000 or $50,000 a year, asking for not much in return, not much

at all, but when they are faced with an illness like this, that they did not

bring on themselves, it is not self-inflicted, by any stretch of the

imagination, when they are faced with needing a drug for MS, for example,

government's position in this Province, which is the only one in Canada, by

the way, the position in this Province is that you purchase your drug. If you

happen to have any RRSPs saved for your retirement, you spend those RRSPs. If

you happen to have money put aside for your children's education, well, you

cash that in and you spend that to buy your drugs. Bring yourself from the

difference of what you are earning to Income Support level, spend that amount of

money on purchasing your drugs that you need.

After you do that, Mr. Speaker, once you have destroyed yourself, you have

ruined your family financially, you sacrifice your retirement and your children's

education, then government will step in to help.

Well, I say to government, shame on you. It is far too little, far too late,

and it is time that we take the appropriate action and put something in place

that will protect the people of this Province the same way that every other

citizen of every other province is protected in this country.

I might add, Mr. Speaker, that I know people, and I am sure members opposite

and members here know people, who have left this Province, have taken a great

reduction in the amount of their salary and have left this Province to move to

other provinces and are better off financially simply because they have support

from the government in these provinces to help them with the purchase of the

drug that they need, and that is unfortunate, very unfortunate.

Mr. Speaker, there are many people in our Province today and many employers,

I say to the minister, that if we were to come up with some type of an

arrangement, some type of plan through some provider, that there are many out

there today who are probably willing to look at a plan of this nature to join.

Many are now in plans that belong to multi-national corporations where all the

money is leaving, not only the Province but the country. Maybe they are willing

to look inward, look around the Province and see what government can offer that

they can join as well and provide benefits to the employees that they have who

they are now providing to anyway. I do not think government has ever looked at

that, Mr. Speaker. I do not think they have ever thought that far about this

process.

This resolution is simply saying to the minister, calling on the government

to establish a committee, a Select Committee of this House to study the

possibilities that are out there, and they are endless, Mr. Speaker. There are

endless possibilities and there are all kinds of compositions of a health plan

that you can come up with, any of which - the worst case scenario, I say to the

minister, would still be better than what we have today. In the end, it may not

cost this government all that much money, because when people do not get the

drugs that they require to treat their illnesses, then there is a good chance

that they are going to end up in hospital, they are going to end up in

institutions, that is going to cost the health care in this Province even more

than providing medications for them ever will.

There are many ways of looking at the solutions to the problems that we face

in this Province today. I think that government should vote in favour of this

resolution and establish a committee that will look at all the different ways.

Maybe at the end of it, it will all be for naught, but at least, I say to the

minister, the exercise alone will provide you with valuable information that you

can use in your meetings with the federal government and at the health summits

when they are called. The least that could happen is that you would gain

invaluable knowledge and information that you will not get in any other way.

Mr. Speaker, I want to come back to the people again, the workers in this

Province who have their own business, probably a small employer, probably a

painting contractor or a plumbing and heating firm, who cannot afford at the

present time to purchase coverage for themselves or their families, who probably

have one or two employees that they cannot afford to supply with a plan either.

If we use a bit of imagination and try to draw all these people together and

encourage employers now to join a new plan that could be developed specifically

for this Province, then I believe that is achievable. I believe it is doable. I

do not believe that it would cost the government the amount of money that is

running through their minds at the present time. Each and every person in this

House of Assembly, regardless of what side of the House we sit on, have people

in their districts who need the type of assistance that this would provide.

I have stood many times as well, Mr. Speaker, and presented petition after

petition after petition on behalf of people who suffer from MS and other

diseases. I have presented them that often and raised it in the House during

Question Period that I received a letter from the Atlantic MS Society thanking

me for work on their behalf, that I did not even speak to before and had no

contact with. So, obviously, there are people out there looking and keeping a

watch on what governments are doing in this area.

Again, if a little province like Prince Edward Island, and if provinces

comparable, like Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, can provide a benefit to their

residents, than I do not see any good reason, with the resources that government

has now, why that cannot be provided to residents of this Province. We cannot

wait, as the minister referred to, for the federal government to take the

initiative and take the lead on this. When it comes to providing - I think what

is going to happen with the federal government plan, if it ever comes about, the

most you are going to see is coverage in the area of catastrophic drug coverage.

I do not think you are going to see a national program. I do not think we need

to wait. I do not think we are going to ever see it in this country, where we

have a national pharmacare program that meets the needs of the people that we

are talking about for the most part here today, at least not under the current

federal government. I think I can feel safe in saying that. I would be greatly

surprised if they did, and I would be greatly pleased, but I doubt very much if

Stephen Harper is going to be able to even say the words that there will be a

national pharmacare program in this country covering each and every citizen. I

doubt that very much and I do not put a lot of faith in it. We have to recognize

the problems that we have here today and we have to deal with them. We have to

look after our citizens, our residents in this Province. That is what we are

here for. The main reason that we are here is to try and make life better for

the people of this Province and those who get up and go to work each day and pay

their taxes and work hard and ask very little in return, and it is our job to do

that, Mr. Speaker.

I would encourage each and every member, on any side of this House, that when

they stand to vote today, think about the people who have come up to you

personally - because I know they have - and told you their stores about how

difficult it is to purchase medications that they need for themselves or their

children. Talk to the people, as my colleague said, who ask the price first and

when they find out, crumple it up and throw it in the garbage or discard it some

other place. There are people actually doing that. They are doing that on a

daily basis in this Province simply because they do not have the ability to pay.

I think it is a sad reflection, a sad reflection indeed, when we can stand in

this House today and say in the year 2006, there are still people living among

us who cannot afford to buy drugs for diseases that they have, that they were

born with, that they did not ask for and we are allowing that to continue. I

think it is wrong and I think that government should support this resolution.

As I said earlier, Mr. Speaker, what the resolution is calling for, is for a

committee to be struck to inquire into and report on the feasibility and options

with respect to the development of a province-wide comprehensive system that

would ensure all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have access to a prescription

drug program. So, it only calls for the establishment of a select committee to

inquire into and report back. I, for the life of me, cannot see how any member

in this House would have a problem with that.

The minister indicated that the last committee that was struck in this House

cost $200,000. Well, I say to the minister, that $200,000 is a very small price

to pay for something that has the potential to benefit thousands of residents in

this Province. I do not think we should be looking at it that way. I believe we

should take our jobs seriously, take our responsibilities, establish a committee

that, at least, will look into the possibility and report back. If it cannot be

done, then that is what the committee will report. If it can be done and it can

be done in a limited capacity, again, that is what they will report, but I do

not see anything to be lost. I see nothing but gains to be made by having this

committee struck and looking into the possibilities that are out there and

reporting back to the House of Assembly for direction.

Mr. Speaker, I know my time is getting short, so with that I will conclude my

debate on this very important resolution. Before I conclude, Mr. Speaker, again

I would like to ask all members of the House to think about the people who sent

them here, think about the people in their communities who need help from a plan

like this, and use those thoughts to guide you in the way that you vote on this

resolution today.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that I am quite interested in

this debate and the motion that is put forward today. I certainly feel it is a

motion that we really need to discuss and have a look at, and something I

certainly want to add my comments to this afternoon.

I have listened intently to everything that everyone said here today, and I

just have make this minor correction. We are in 2006, we still have poverty in

the Province, we still have people who need drugs, and I noticed that you had

made some comment on the air and I just wanted to correct that.

Universal drug coverage: what does that mean? Should every person in

Newfoundland and Labrador have access to drugs, free drugs, and not have to pay

for drugs? Absolutely, Mr. Speaker. There could not be a more admirable goal for

the people of this Province, that if every individual who has any type of

illness and requires prescription drugs could have access to that drug or that

prescription or whatever the support they need, that it be there. I do not think

there could be anybody in the House of Assembly who would not want that to

happen in the Province, or in some way would suggest that we should not provide

that. If we had the financial means to provide that type of prescription drug

coverage to everyone, I think that we should do it. I could not come up with a

reason why we would not cover the cost of prescription drugs if people were sick

and needed those drugs.

Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about health care and about poverty and about

drug coverage in Newfoundland and Labrador. In our Budget this year, we have

allocated $1.97 billion for health care. That is a lot of money in the Budget of

the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. In that Budget this year there has

been an increase in spending in health of $180 million. As a government in this

Province, we certainly acknowledge and recognize the priority of health care and

the needs in the health care system. We are certainly trying to move ahead and

address the issues that we see in health care.

In addition to trying to deal with the issues in health care, at the same

time this government has also been instrumental in developing a poverty

reduction strategy. The issues of poverty certainly take in health outcomes and

the health care system, but the issues of poverty go far beyond the health care

system as well. When we deal with issues of poverty we also deal with issues of

increased violence, because, certainly, people living in poverty are often at

increased risk for violence. Mr. Speaker, we also deal with the issues of social

inclusion because a lot of times people who live in poverty feel they do not

have the ability to contribute to their community. Sometimes we lose the

capacity within communities when people suffer the effects of poverty. As a way

to address poverty we certainly had to look at it in a comprehensive way and

develop a strategy.

Mr. Speaker, we set a goal for this government, that in ten years we would

reduce the rate of child poverty from being the highest in Canada to the lowest

in Canada. That is not an easy task to do. That is not something, that taking

money in any particular year or any particular budget and throwing it at a

social issue, that is going to make any progress. It needs to be done,

certainly, in an integrated fashion and it certainly needs to be