PDF Version

May 20, 2026 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS Vol. LI No. 28

The House met at 10 a.m.

SPEAKER (Lane): Order, please!

Admit strangers.

Government Business

SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.

L. PARROTT: Thank you, Speaker.

I call from the Order Paper, Motion 1.

SPEAKER: Motion 1.

The hon. the Member for St. John’s West.

K. WHITE: Thank you, Speaker.

I’m honoured to have the opportunity to speak to Budget 2026 and, more importantly, stand in this House as a voice for the people of St. John’s West. Representing the residents of this district is a responsibility I take very seriously. Every conversation at the doorstep, every email and every concern shared by residents matters when we debate a document such as this because a budget is about far more than dollars and cents. It’s more than tables, estimates and announcements. A budget is a statement of priorities.

It tells people of the province what government values, what concerns it has listened to and what challenges it is prepared to confront. Sometimes, Mr. Speaker, it also tells us what issues are still being overlooked.

For the people of St. John’s West, the concerns are clear. Families are worried about affordability. Seniors are worried about keeping up with the cost of living. Young people are wondering if they will ever be able to afford a home in the communities they grew up in. Residents want to feel safe in their neighbourhoods, supported in their schools and confident that the government is paying attention to the realities they face every single day.

That is why it is important that we approach this budget, not simply as a financial exercise, but as an opportunity to ask whether the plan is truly meeting people where they are. This budget will be measured by a few simple questions. Does it make life better for the people who live in our communities? Does it make life more affordable for families who are stretched thin or seniors who are trying to remain independent? Does it support people on income support who are already living with very little or help renters who are facing rising costs and uncertainty?

Is this budget going to make our streets, neighbourhoods, schools and public spaces safer and support our communities? Does it respond to the concerns residents are actually raising with us? Those are the questions that matter to the people I represent.

St. John’s West is a district of hard-working families, proud neighbourhoods and people who care deeply about one another. It’s a district with seniors who have built this province, workers who keep our economy moving, parents doing everything they can for their children, teachers and school staff giving more than ever and volunteers who hold communities together.

It is also a district where people are feeling real pressure in their day-to-day lives. Residents are struggling with the rising cost of living and growing housing insecurity. Communities are increasingly concerned about crime and public safety, and many are seeing the impacts of addictions, mental health challenges and poverty become more visible in neighbourhoods across this district.

When we look at this budget, we must look at it honestly. There are measures in this budget that will help some people, and I’ll acknowledge those, but there are also serious gaps and, as an Opposition, it is our job to identify those gaps and push government to do better.

Mr. Speaker, affordability remains one of the biggest issues facing residents in St. John’s West. Everywhere I go people are talking about the cost of living: groceries cost more, rent costs more, insurance costs more, power bills keep going up, transportation costs are a worry, parents are trying to keep kids in activities while also paying for food, rent, school supplies and gas. Seniors on fixed incomes are trying to make the same amount of money stretch farther every month. For many people, there is no breathing room left. I hear from people who are working full-time and still falling behind.

There are young adults who want to build a life here but cannot afford rent and seniors who are proud and independent but who are quietly struggling.

This budget does include some affordability measures to help these people. The increase to the basic personal amount is welcome. The increase to the Seniors’ Benefit is also welcome. The expansion of the Newfoundland and Labrador Child Benefit is welcome as well. Those measures matter, but we also have to be honest about their limits.

A tax measure may help someone who is earning enough taxable income, but it does not do enough for those who are already living in deep poverty or the concerns of people on income support. It does not fully answer the concerns of renters facing large increases or even the concerns of families whose grocery bills have risen by hundreds of dollars a month. Affordability is not just about one tax change; it is about whether people can actually afford to live with dignity in this province, and for far too many people in St. John’s West, the answer right now is no.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot talk seriously about affordability without talking about those who are living off the least. Income support recipients are some of the most vulnerable people in our province. Many are dealing with disabilities, illness, trauma, mental health challenges, family breakdown, unemployment, housing instability or other barriers that make daily life difficult. These residents are not living comfortably; they are trying to survive.

In St. John’s West, we see the impact when income support rates do not keep pace with the actual cost of living. We see it in food bank demands. We see it in housing insecurity. We see it in people relying on community groups for basics needs. We see it in people falling behind on rent, utilities, transportation and medication.

If government is serious about affordability, then income support has to be part of that conversation. We cannot say we are helping people with the cost of living while leaving the lowest income residents without enough to meet basic needs. Community organizations are doing extraordinary work to fill the gaps, but they should not be expected to carry the full weight of poverty in this province. Food banks, outreach workers, volunteers and non-profits are stepping up every day, but they are stretched. They are seeing more need, more desperation and more complexity.

This budget needed to show a stronger commitment to income security, poverty reduction and basic dignity for people who are living in the most difficult circumstances, because poverty is not isolated from every other issue we face. Poverty connects to housing. It connects to health, mental health and addictions and even public safety. If we want stronger communities, we have to address the conditions that are making people vulnerable in the first place.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to talk about crime and safety, if I can, this is one of the issues I hear about most often from residents in St. John’s West. People are worried. Residents are concerned about violence, break-ins, drug activity and repeat offenders in their communities. Many are uneasy about increasingly aggressive behaviour in public spaces and about what their children are being exposed to. More and more people are questioning whether their neighbourhoods feel as safe as they once did.

Recently, there was a deeply disturbing report of a young man being violently attacked in St. John’s West and we cannot ignore the fear and anger that residents feel when they hear about a serious assault involving multiple individuals and weapons in the community.

People are asking: How did we get here? How are incidents like this happening in our neighbourhoods? What is being done to prevent violent crime before someone is seriously harmed? What is government’s plan beyond reacting after something terrible has already happened? Those are fair questions.

The budget includes funding to increase the number of RNC and RCMP officers. That is important. I support additional policing resources. The RNC does difficult work under difficult circumstances. Officers are responding to complex situations involving violence, addictions, mental health, homelessness and repeat calls for service. They need support and the public needs to know that the police have capacity to respond when people call for help.

But more officers alone cannot be the entire public safety strategy. If we only respond after a crime has occurred, we are already too late. Safer communities require enforcement, absolutely, but they also require prevention, intervention, treatment, youth support, housing stability and coordination between departments. Residents in St. John’s West are not asking for slogans, they want to know what is actually going to change.

Residents want to know whether emergency calls will be answered more quickly; whether violent incidents and repeat problem properties will be dealt with effectively; and whether meaningful intervention will happen in neighbourhoods struggling with ongoing drug activity.

People also want to see earlier support for youth at risk of becoming involved in crime, better access to addictions for families in crisis and safer public spaces where residents feel comfortable walking home, waiting for a bus or letting their children play outside. Those are the outcomes people care about most.

Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear, when residents raise concerns about things like drug houses, they are not doing so lightly. They are talking about homes or properties where they see frequent traffic, intimidation, noise, suspected criminal activity, discarded items, threats, violence and repeat police presence. They’re talking about situations that make neighbourhoods feel unsafe in their own homes.

No family should feel afraid to open the door. No senior should feel afraid to sit on their step. No parent should have to worry about their child being exposed to dangerous activity just outside their home. Government needs a stronger, coordinated response to these problem properties. That response cannot fall only on police. It requires Housing officials, mental health and addiction supports, municipal partners, Justice officials, community organizations and public safety officials working together.

When a property becomes a repeated source of danger, residents need to know there is a system that can intervene. Right now, too many people feel like they complain, call, report and wait, and nothing changes. That erodes trust. When people lose trust that government can keep communities safe, fear grows.

This budget talks about safer communities, and the investment in police officers is a start, but residents need more than officer numbers. They need a full public safety plan that addresses the root causes and the immediate risks.

That means investing in stronger addictions treatment and improving access to mental health services. It means providing supports for families before situations reach a crisis point and ensuring earlier intervention for youth who may be at risk. It also means taking meaningful action to address repeat offenders and ongoing violent behaviour, improving coordination across government departments and agencies and strengthening community-based prevention efforts that help address issues before they escalate, because safer communities are not built by one department alone.

Schools are another major issue for the people of St. John’s West, Mr. Speaker. Schools are at the heart of our communities. They are where children learn, grow, make friends and build confidence. They are also places where many of society’s pressures show up first.

Teachers and school staff are seeing more complex needs than ever before. They are supporting students facing hunger, anxiety, instability at home and growing mental health challenges. They are working with students who require additional learning and behavioural supports, often needing far more time and attention than current resources allow staff to provide.

This budget includes funding for additional teachers and teaching learning assistants. That’s a positive step. I welcome any investment that puts more support into the classrooms, but we have to recognize that schools are being asked to do more than teach. Schools and educators are increasingly being asked to respond to poverty, trauma, mental health needs, behavioural challenges and families facing difficult circumstances. That is an enormous responsibility to place on the education system. If government is serious about helping students succeed, then schools must have the resources and supports necessary to meet the realities they are facing.

That includes adequate staffing, safe and healthy learning environments, stronger mental health and guidance supports and meaning supports for inclusive education. Most importantly, it means ensuring that no student is falling through the cracks. For a district like St. John’s West, this matters deeply.

When young people are supported, engaged, included and connected, they are less likely to fall into dangerous paths. When they have recreation, mentors, mental health support and stable home lives, communities become stronger.

Public safety does not begin only when police are called. It begins in homes, schools, recreation programs and community centres. That is why investment in schools and youth are investments in safer communities.

St. John’s West is filled with people who care. There are volunteers coaching sports, organizing events, helping seniors, supporting youth, collecting food, running community programs and showing up for their neighbours. There are local groups that make an enormous difference with very limited resources. There are churches, non-profits, school communities, sports organizations and informal networks of residents who quietly help one another every day. These groups are often the first to see when people are struggling. They know when families need food. They know when seniors are isolated. They know when youth need somewhere to go. They know when people are falling through the cracks.

Government needs to treat community organizations as essential partners, not afterthoughts. If we want better outcomes in affordability, public safety, health, youth engagement and seniors supports, we need strong community infrastructure. That means predictable funding. It means support for recreation. It means support for youth programs. It means support for seniors’ programming. It means supporting places where people can gather safely and build relationships. Because, when communities are connected, they are more resilient. Isolation makes problems worse; community connection helps prevent them.

Mr. Speaker, housing and residential tenancies are also major concerns in St. John’s West. Housing affordability has become one of the defining issues of our time. Renters are under enormous pressure. Young people are struggling to find apartments. Families are competing for limited units. Seniors are worried about whether they can remain in their homes. People on income support are being priced out of the market almost entirely.

The budget includes investments in social housing and repairs. That is important. We need more social housing. We need vacant units repaired and brought back into use. We need more affordable options for seniors, families and individuals, but the scale of the housing crisis requires urgency. People cannot wait years for housing solutions while they are struggling today.

Many renters feel afraid to speak up about issues in their housing because they worry about losing their home. Constituents have raised concerns about poor living conditions, delayed repairs, unaffordable rent increases and the difficulty of navigating the residential tenancy system. For many people, the process feels overwhelming and inaccessible. Residential tenancies may not always receive the same attention as large housing announcements, but it matters enormously to people’s daily lives.

A rental unit is someone’s home. It is where they sleep, raise children, cook meals, recover from illness and build stability. When that housing is insecure, everything else becomes insecure as well. Government must ensure the residential tenancy system is fair, accessible, timely and balanced. Tenants need protections. Landlords need clarity. Disputes need to be resolved efficiently. People need to feel that the system works. In a housing crisis, fairness in the rental market becomes even more important.

Mr. Speaker, housing also connects directly to public safety. When people are homeless or precariously housed, they are more vulnerable. When people are living in unsafe conditions, communities feel the strain. When troubled properties are not addressed, neighbours lose confidence. When mental health and addictions are left unsupported, housing problems become public safety problems. That is why government cannot treat housing, justice, health and income support as separate silos.

The issues residence are facing do not fit neatly into departmental boxes. A resident dealing with a violent incident near their home does not care which department is responsible. A parent worried about drug activity nearby does not care whether it is Justice, Health, Housing or municipal enforcement; they just want actions. Government needs to work across departments in a way that reflects the realities residents are living.

Mr. Speaker, I want to return to public safety once again because this is such a serious issue in my district. When residents say they do not feel safe, we need to listen. We should not dismiss them or reduce their concerns to statistics alone. Statistics matter, but lived experiences matter as well.

If someone sees open drug activity near their home, they feel less safe. If someone hears about a violent assault in their neighbourhood, they feel less safe. If parents are worried about their children walking home, they feel less safe. If seniors feel intimidated in their own building or on their own street, they too feel less safe.

Government has a responsibility to respond to that. The increase in RNC officers is a step, but residents also want to know how the resources will actually be deployed and whether they will lead to visible improvements in their communities.

People want to see stronger community policing, faster response times and meaningful action in neighbourhoods dealing with ongoing issues. There are also important questions about whether officers will have better access to mental health and addiction supports when responding to complex social situations. Because adding more boots on the ground only makes a difference if there’s a clear plan to improve public safety outcomes.

When it comes to public safety funding more broadly, the conversation cannot just be about how much money is being spent. The real question is whether those investments are meeting the needs we are seeing in our communities. Are we seeing enough to prevent crime before it starts? Are there sufficient supports for youth, addictions treatment, mental health care and families facing crisis? Are we addressing the root cause that contribute to repeat violent behaviour and ongoing instability in our neighbourhoods? Because if those gaps remain, then the work is not finished and the budget is incomplete.

Mr. Speaker, the role of the Official Opposition is an important one. We’re not here simply to criticize for the sake of criticism. We’re here to ensure that the voices and concerns of residents are brought into the House. We’re here to ask difficult questions, push for accountability and advocate for stronger outcomes for the people we represent. We are here to say when something is positive, but also to say when something is not enough.

That is the approach I take to this budget. There are positive measures. Additional police officers are welcome. Affordability measures will help some residents. More support in schools is welcome. Housing investments are also welcome. But the budget does not fully meet the urgency people are feeling.

This budget did not fully reflect the depth of poverty many people are experiencing, or the growing concerns residents have around crime and community safety. It does not go far enough in responding to the pressures facing renters or in supporting the community organizations that are carrying so much of the burden. It still falls short of fully addressing the connection between addictions, mental health, housing instability and public safety issues that cannot be treated in isolation if we want to see meaningful change.

Mr. Speaker, residents of St. John's West deserve a government that sees the full picture. Residents deserve affordability measures that generally reach the people who need them most, along with income support that reflects the real cost of living in this province. They deserve safe neighbourhoods, meaningful action on violent crime and a serious response to drug houses and repeat problem properties. People also deserve schools that are properly supported, housing that is affordable and stable and a residential tenancy system that is accessible and effective. Communities need strong local organizations and supports that are equipped to help people before situations reach a crisis point.

I want the residents of St. John's West to know that I will continue bringing their concerns forward in this House whether the issue is affordability, income support, public safety, education, housing or residential tenancies, I’ll continue advocating for the people I represent.

Concerns around drug activity, repeat problem properties and neighbourhood safety deserve to be addressed responsibly, clearly and firmly and I’ll continue raising those issues. That is my responsibility as the Member of this House and is one I take seriously. I’ll approach that work in a way that is constructive but also direct because residents are not interested in political gains. They want action, accountability and real results.

People want to know that their concerns are being heard, that the realities facing their neighbourhoods are understood and this House remains focused on the issues affecting their everyday life. This budget contains measures that will help, I’ll acknowledge that, but it also leaves significant work to be done.

For the people of St. John's West, the test of this budget will not be how many announcements government made. It will be whether life becomes more affordable, whether housing becomes more stable and whether communities become more safe.

The people of St. John's West are strong but they need more than words. They need practical support, real investment and a government that is willing to confront difficult issues honestly.

As Opposition, we will support measures that help people but we will also continue to ask hard questions, identify gaps and demand better where this budget falls short because the people of this province deserve nothing less, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Virginia Waters - Pleasantville.

B. DAVIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’m very excited to be able to stand on my feet to chat about Motion 1, the budget. I’m always excited that the Finance Minister has his pen in his hand and willing to listen to what we have to say and, hopefully, make the changes that we bring forward on this side of the House that’s meant with a heart and a half, as they say.

We’re always excited about – I’m always excited about budget debate, equally on this side as much as I was on the other side, to be quite honest with you, because I think it’s an opportunity for the people of the province to get a look into the view that the government has on what the priorities are. I think my hon. colleague from St. John’s West did a great job on highlighting some of the issues and some of the successes in the budget.

I’m going to take the opportunity, because you do get an opportunity in the budget to talk about your district, which is an opportunity, as the hon. Member for Cape St. Francis said, it’s got a wide berth here, to talk about a lot of the variety of things. So I’m going to take the opportunity to highlight some of the successes in the district, go through some of the things that we’re doing in the district. Throughout my two other opportunities that I get to speak throughout the budget, I’ll highlight some of the things that I think we can improve on in the budget. I’ll do some of that today.

I think this time I’m going to spend a little bit of time on my district. I’m very proud of the district I represent and the people who live within its borders, like I am for all the districts that I get the opportunity to stand on my feet listening to all the other 39 Members, except the Speaker now these days, to hear their viewpoints on their district and get the opportunity to learn about the things that are happening in everyone’s district and excited about that.

I represent the beautiful District of Virginia Waters - Pleasantville, a historic district I like to say, just to distinguish myself from the hon. Member for Cape St. Francis who says he has a beautiful district as well, which I know. Some of the coastline that I have is the same coastline that he has. I’m excited about that.

It is actually funny, just before coming up I was in our caucus room and the district profile and the district boundaries came up and I looked at my little piece of the province in the Avalon region. It’s not as big as some of the other districts that we represent in our province, like Humber Gros Morne or places like that, that are very, very large and very diverse. I have a very diverse district both from an immigration standpoint and cultural standpoint but also from a social and economic standpoint.

I have some of the richest neighbourhoods in this province and I have some of the most struggling ones. Many of them have similar problems with respect to things that are highlighted by many of us that get up and speak today.

My district starts at the top of the district from the Outer Ring Road and extends down Torbay Road, right down into the Quidi Vidi Gut village and then right up East White Hills Road, border by the mountain where the mountain bikes take hold on East White Hills. It’s a very interesting district. I always said to the former Member for Signal Hill - Quidi Vidi that I cheer only for the stakes one, two and three in the Regetta and she, at the time as well, could cheer for four, five and six because we split the lake.

I told the former premier one time who used to row, I said, if you’re in stakes four, five and six, buddy, I’m not cheering for you.

But, no, it’s pretty historic to represent such a great district like that. The longest continued sporting event in North America happens right on our doorstep. We share it. It’s pretty exciting to see some 30,000 to 40,000 people on the banks at a garden party where races are happening.

I always found it fun when I used to be a minister, we’d go to FTPs and, when I happened to be the Tourism minister, I’d go and talk about the great things that we do in our province and the other ministers were shocked that we had an event that was contingent upon not weather as much as wind. It could be a beautiful day, sun splitting the rocks, 30 degrees, but we cancel the Regatta because it’s too windy. It’s the only one in the history of the province, and the history of the country I think, that operates like that.

They’re very excited when you tell them those and that’s what I encourage ministers on the other side to do as well. When you get the opportunity to be with your colleagues, tell them about the little nuances of our province and the little nuances of where you represent because it brings that piece of home – our home – to their doorstep.

I don’t normally get the opportunity to talk about some of the beautiful trail systems on the Grand Concourse or the East Coast Trail, but I have both of those in my district. The East Coast Trail, I have the very beautiful Sugarloaf Path trail, about 8.8 kilometres. I know the Member for St. John’s East - Quidi Vidi has walked it many times, I’m sure.

S. O’LEARY: Yes.

B. DAVIS: It’s one of their favourites. It’s a beautiful trail. It extends right along the side of my district. It’s beautiful.

We invest in those things as a government because it’s what brings people here, but it’s what also keeps people here, and for recruitment of physicians or nurses or hard-to-recruit health care professionals, those are things that want to keep people in communities. In every part of our province, we have little things that we want to make sure people know exist, because that will help them want to stay in those communities.

I also have four schools in my district that I really care deeply about, three that actually are in my boundaries and one that I’ve adopted that happens to be in the St. John’s East - Quidi Vidi District. I’ve adopted it because I don’t think any students actually go to that school, MQP, from your district, or very few, most of them come from both myself and Windsor Lake. It’s just the nature of how the school boundaries were broke up. I’ve adopted it because of that reason, and they’re interested. They give a great opportunity for you to go visit.

Virginia Park Elementary School is a new school that was built. Not too many people in this House of Assembly can say that a fuselage of a plane was found when they were building a school in your district, but it was in mine. It was an interesting build that happened just as I was getting elected in 2015.

It’s a beautiful, state-of-the-art school, students are great, fantastic staff and they do so many things with some 30 different cultures and countries that are represented in the school community. It’s excellent to go a multicultural event there. You get to experience so many different countries and aspects there that are on full display for all of us to see.

You’ve got Vanier Elementary just on Ennis Avenue, which is fantastic; a small neighbourhood school that does excellent work and fantastic staff as well. They’ve got a community garden that is to die for. Sometimes when you’re walking up Ennis Avenue, you can see 10-, 12- and 14-foot sunflowers on their property. It’s absolutely gorgeous. So I encourage you, if you’re ever out and about, to take that walk in late June, early July when they start to come out.

Then we have a junior high in St. Paul’s. It’s a school that most of these feed into. They’ve got an excellent staff. They have a state-of-the-art track right around the back of their school that the whole community uses. That was an investment by the province and the federal government to do that.

It’s not Canada Games size because they couldn’t fit it in the boundaries. They would have, had they done that, but that was a project that was led by school community. I happened to be a part of the project, played a small role in it, but the province and the federal government came through for the school community and the neighbourhood to put that there.

Then you’ve got Mary Queen of Peace, which I talked about before, which is the biggest school just outside of my district, with almost 600 students. It’s where my kids go. It’s a fantastic school, with great teachers. There are some things that we can always improve in those areas but, for the most part, I have to say that when you bring concerns forward, they get fixed.

We’ve got some over in MQP with a parking lot that is in disrepair, but I understand that those things generally won’t happen during the school year. They generally happen after, so I’ll work with the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure on that very topic, when we get there.

One of the good things about being on this side of the House is that you get to do some Member’s statements. I know the ministers on that side are going to say, that’s correct, because they miss that. I’m sure they miss that. Sometimes you can get leave when that happens, if all of us are feeling really good over on this side but, for the most part, everyone over here is going to give you leave because we want to hear too. We want to hear those good stories about what’s happening with the people in your district. We want to see those things. That’s true.

I want to hear them because I think it’s really, really important. It’s always important to highlight successes because it will drive other people in the district to let you know about those successes. The very small few that we bring forward in this House of Assembly is only a small snapshot, a snippet of what’s actually happening in each of our districts.

There are hundreds of people we could profile each and every day, and it’s too bad we don’t get more time to do that. I would be a very strong advocate in bringing forward more of those if we could. But we obviously don’t want to dominate all the time with that, but I think it’s really important to highlight some of those successes. I would be remiss if I didn’t highlight some of those even today.

I don’t know if anyone knows, but I’m going to tell you a big secret here today. I’m a huge Montreal Canadiens fan. Like, it’s huge, and I can see the Speaker shaking his head because he is a closet Montreal Canadiens fan I’m sure – I’m sure.

What I can say is I’m actually not a Toronto Maple Leafs hater. I truly am not. I actually want them to do well too. When they’re not in, I cheer for Montreal, of course, and I couldn’t be any prouder of a member of my district – there are actually two I’m going to highlight right now, but I couldn’t be any prouder of Alex Newhook who lives in Virginia Waters - Pleasantville.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

B. DAVIS: I’m almost as proud of him as Shawn and Paula are. I almost am, I’m sure, because I was so excited when he got traded to Montreal – when they picked him up, sorry. I was really excited to see him do so well, considering the fact that he had a major injury early in the year. He was off to a banner-year start.

I had the opportunity to go over and see him and Abby at their house during Christmas just to wish him well with his recovery. He was doing well and he had said at that point – and Paula said as well – that he was going to be back early, and he was.

He worked really hard. I’m glad to see he’s getting into the full season form right now at the right time for us. Seven goals, two assists through 14 games played is pretty impressive for him and pretty impressive for anybody, for that matter. Even more important than that is the game-winning goals that he’s been able to get in game sevens is pretty impressive.

But one thing that I read was that is the first time in Montreal Canadiens history – the first time in Montreal Canadiens history – they’ve ever won a game seven, on the road, in overtime – first time. Over all the years Montreal has been in existence, first team in the league, all those years it’s the first time the Montreal Canadiens have ever won a road game in game seven in overtime.

I’m glad the minister and MHA for Ferryland is agreeing with me – a very big hockey fan. Not a bad hockey player himself, but I’m really excited about what’s coming on Thursday and I wish him the best in his success. I couldn’t mention Alex without mentioning Abby because Alex would be the first one to say that Abby’s a better hockey player than he is. He’d be the first one to say it.

She’s done fantastic for herself. She had a great college career, playing for Boston Fleet now in the Women’s Professional Hockey League. We’re always excited to see success stories like that because my two little girls can look up to Abby and say that I can do this because she can do it. She just lives over the road from us. That’s impressive.

I can’t talk about impressive young women without talking about Jaida Lee –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

SPEAKER: Order, please!

B. DAVIS: – just over the road from me as well, starting her professional women’s baseball career. That’s new. Never happened before because it never existed before. She drafted 14th overall. This impressive young lady has broken every glass ceiling that existed in sports for her in her sport of choice, which is baseball; played for Team Newfoundland and Labrador at the men’s Canada Games baseball in Niagara and did fantastic. I can’t wait, hopefully, to travel to New York to see her play a professional baseball game and, hopefully, she’ll do what I expect her to do – strike out many of the players she’s going to be facing. She’s quite an impressive pitcher.

Then we’ve got Seth Hyde. Many people won’t know who Seth Hyde is, but some will. If you’re a hockey fan, you will know who Seth Hyde is. I knew him well before he was ever the shining star he is today. He was always a pretty big star in Vanier – always a pretty big star there. He was always a great student. He was a great friend and one of those people that did fantastic for all of the people that were in his class, always a top-notch individual.

As someone would say, from my district, top-shelf individual. We’ve seen him, now, progress at a very young age to being the lead broadcaster for the Regiment – impressive in and of itself. But I’m more impressed with his community outreach. That’s what I’m impressed with.

Seth Hyde Sport Side – he created a charity where he can help people. It’s an amazing charity that does work to not only highlight pretty cool things, but try to raise some money for some pretty cool causes. I’m proud of that young person. I’ve known him a long, long time, and I’m excited to see what the future is going to bring for Seth when he comes forward with this.

I’ve also had the pleasure of sitting in this House for a few years. Not as long as some people. There are some people here much longer than me, but I have seen three Sergeant-at-Arms, only three, during my tenure. All three Sergeant-at-Arms live in Virginia Waters - Pleasantville – all three. Only three that I’ve served with, all live in my district. There must be something in the water, Mr. Speaker.

Wayne Harnum was the Sergeant-at-Arms when I first got here. He lives in my district. A fantastic guy, retired RNC officer, worked in forensics for a number of years. He is just a very good person to work with in the Sergeant-at-Arms role. I always felt safe in his presence. I always felt he was going to do what he could for us.

Fast-forward a few years later, we picked up Bob Escott who also was a retired RNC officer, had another career in the provincial government outside that, an exceptional individual. I think he went to Brother Rice as well. The MHA for St. John’s Centre can probably confirm that.

Then we go to our current Sergeant-at-Arms who lives just up the road from him too. Alex Brennan, he’s had a storied career as an RNC officer, but also in the military, and done some tours. I think he was CO of the Regiment. I think he was CO when it went to the 90th anniversary of Beaumont Hamel and went over with the full contingent, which was one of the first times they’d been back to Beaumont Hamel in a long time.

Impressive individuals, in and of themselves, and Bob would always tell me that I shouldn’t mention him without mentioning Helen because Helen is an award-winning author in my district as well. Happens to live in the same house as Bob, but she’s an impressive author of crime stories but also a funny person and has written numerous books. Many of the people in my district take great enjoyment from the work that she’s done.

I could go on and on about highlighting some people. I may do that the next time I get to speak as well. I know the Finance Minister didn’t have the opportunity to write down much of that because it was related to my district and the budget in a macro sense maybe, but I’ll get a little bit more micro in my next opportunity to speak, Mr. Speaker.

I will say that there are some things, as my colleague from St. John’s West said, in the budget that I am very happy about. Some things that the minister or the MHA for Cape St. Francis has been working on that transcends from the former minister of CSSD, the MHA for Placentia - St. Mary’s was working on, some that I was working on and I’m very happy about seeing those things progress.

What I think governments, when they do turn, it’s all about standing on the shoulders of the people that came before and making advancements on what they’ve done, doing what’s right and doing things that are going to be better for all of us.

I do appreciate the opportunity, Mr. Speaker. I will take my seat because my time has expired and I will get the opportunity to speak again.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burgeo - La Poile.

M. KING: Thank you very much, Speaker.

It’s indeed a pleasure again to rise in the House and represent the good folks of Burgeo - La Poile and speak to the amendment here of the budget. Of course, as all of us participated in constituency week last week, I always enjoy those weeks and any time that I can get home to the district and talk to the constituents face to face and see them in our community and had some productive meetings with town councils.

I went to Rose Blanche. I had a great meeting down there with the Rose Blanche-Harbour le Cou council, talking about some issues and concerns that they have. I look forward to having those conversations with ministers directly to see what we can do to address.

It’s certainly an exciting time of year as well for many of us here in Newfoundland and Labrador, but as high school students prepare for their graduations and proms across the province, I know there are many happening in the District of Burgeo - La Poile and I want to say congratulations to those students and everyone in Newfoundland and Labrador as they prepare for the next step in their future.

I think this is a lot of what we’re talking about here with this budget is preparing for the future and creating opportunities for a very bright future in this province and creating opportunities for our young kids to get a job here, to grow a family, to stay in the communities they want to stay. Burgeo - La Poile is, as I’ve stated many times, very far from the capital region and can be forgotten a lot of times. I’ve seen that over the years from governments past and especially from policy perspectives.

My job here is to make sure that those people are not forgotten. I can say to the people at home and I can say to the people here that I won’t stop and will make sure that does not happen, that they are remembered and that it is an important part of this province.

I would elaborate on that a bit with the recent news of the food fishery. I know that it’s certainly top of mind for many people in this province and especially in my district and the South Coast and Southwest Coast of this province. We saw the announcement recently by the Fisheries Minister, and while it certainly is great to see some of those changes come into effect for people in our province, it was very disappointing for many people in my district, Speaker. A lot of frustration and a lot of anger in that area.

Those NAFO divisions that are included, it says that three days a week is only available for those to participate in that area, while there was many changes for seven days a week in other parts of the province.

I think the ultimate question, and we heard some of the folks – I got to commend some of those as we talked during the PMR in the House here that was introduced by my colleague across the way about the fishery and those that were speaking up about this important issue in the Food Fishery Fighters group – and I’m sorry if I got that wrong, to those folks. But I know they did important work and they are to be commended for speaking up. They’re still speaking up and supporting the people of my district, I do know that, because it’s very important to them.

We want to see a fair and safe food fishery for everyone in this province. We want to make sure that everyone can participate equally, and everybody can be safe on the water. The weather in my district specifically is very challenging a lot of times. The wind, especially in the summertime, can be very unpredictable. Having those limited days does not provide a safe opportunity for the residents in my district to participate. We totally understand the critical zone that the cod stocks are in. We totally understand that. But to what degree do we compromise safety as well, Speaker?

No one is asking to go every day and get boatloads of fish. No one is asking that. What they’re asking for is to be treated fairly and to be given the opportunity to participate in a safe food fishery. As many people in my district would know, I have written the federal minister and I’m looking forward to having a conversation with her in the near future to hopefully get that fair opportunity to bring the voice of the people that I represent to the minister to tell her how disappointed they are in their decision, and that there is a path forward.

We do truly believe there is a path forward for everybody in this province to participate in a safe and fair food fishery. I would hope that the Minister of Fisheries and the Premier as well would acknowledge that. We did acknowledge that there were positive changes in this province, but the government needs to be a part of this conversation as well.

I certainly will be there to represent my constituents, but I think it would be fair for the government that represents my constituents as well, to speak up on this matter, to reach out to the federal minister to make sure she is hearing their concerns as well.

The more people that speak up, the better it is for all of us, and that is the key point for all of us. My residents are part of this province, my residents matter and I would hope it matters to the Premier and to the Minister of Fisheries. I encourage them, if they have not, to get a part of this discussion and speak up with the federal minister to let her know that the folks in my area are not completely satisfied with this change and want to see at fair and safe food fishery for everyone.

Building on that little bit, I want to talk about tourism in my district. I’ve mentioned it a number of times and it’s such an important industry in rural Newfoundland and Labrador and a key part of the success that we see in small communities across our province. Many, many small communities now – I know the Rose Blanche Lighthouse, for example, is starting to gear up for the year ahead. Our parks are open again.

I look at Cheeseman park and Sandbanks park in Burgeo and seeing visitors come to those areas to start camping is exciting for a lot of people in our province and a lot of people in my district – the storeowners, especially, hoping they see visitors. Our small businesses creeping up again. Our visitors’ centres are opening. It’s a very exciting time of year, Speaker. Everyone is looking forward to the warm weather and everybody is looking forward to visiting our province and see what we have to offer. We want to see those supports there as well.

I’ll talk a little bit about summer students that has been mentioned here in the House of Assembly. It’s been some challenges faced from a federal side in the Canada summer jobs. I’ve talked to a number of communities this week and last week about some of the challenges that they’re facing in not getting those summer students in place.

Those summer students are key to the success of a lot of our rural areas during the summer. I just mentioned the Rose Blanche Lighthouse. I mean, they’re seeing a decrease in the summer students available. That is a very big issue for them and a very big concern to see the success of that site. They get a lot of visitors – a lot of visitors. It’s very well marketed and that’s something I’m hoping to work on with the government as well.

Our coast on Route 470 was labelled the Granite Coast years ago and we’re looking to get some signage and stuff up to kind of advertise that as the Granite Coast to get visitors to not only visit the Rose Blanche Lighthouse – which is a very big attraction to many people that visit the province. Port aux Basques, as I’ve mentioned, is the gateway to this province. Argentia is used in the summertime, too, of course. They travel by Marine Atlantic, but Port aux Basques is usually the first place that people visit here in this province.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible.)

M. KING: I say to my hon. Member, yes, of course, I want to mention her district as well as an important part of that service, but Port aux Basques is usually the place that people come to first when they get here. I’m having a lot of conversations with the communities in my area to try to get that support there. How do we get visitors to go to the Rose Blanche Lighthouse but to spend more time in that area itself, to visit the other communities along the Route 470 that offer a lot to visitors?

Isle aux Morts is a very historic community as well. They have the Harvey Trail there – a very historic story, as many people would know, with a fishing disaster there and a rescue. It’s very historical and people go there to read about this information, to see those stories. They see about it in brochures and pamphlets. We want to make sure they’re coming and staying.

Burnt Islands is another community. It’s the only store along that coast, outside of Port aux Basques, so people tend to stop there and visit and take in the sights. They have the island portion there. The community is right on the water. I always see campers and trailers driving through the community and stopping to take pictures of the ocean and the island portion, especially of Burnt Islands. They are probably taking a picture of my house because that’s where I live, Speaker.

Besides that, it’s a beautiful spot for people to stop and see. We want to get them coming into those communities. We want to see them spend more time and to spend their money, of course, to support the local economy, to keep those businesses going strong and to make sure those supports are there in the community.

We want to see those investments from our government into the tourism industry. We want to be able to see new investment. We want to make sure that the focus is there. For me, rural communities, especially, I know tourism is a very important part to the province as a whole, but the rural side of things is very important for me to make sure that we’re getting the supports for those summer students. If we have to increase those positions to make sure we get those supports to the businesses and organizations, let’s do that. Let’s make sure those communities have the supports they need.

It goes a long way and sometimes it’s not very much that they ask for, to be frank. A lot of times, the bigger areas, the urban areas, there are big pots of money that they’re looking for because it makes sense with what the challenges they are faced with – their bigger population. In a lot of our rural communities, a small, little bit goes a very long way. Making sure that we can provide those supports to those people is very important.

It goes outside of tourism as well. We’ve had conversations – I know we’re past the winter season but 24-hour snow clearing. As I’ve mentioned, Port aux Basques is the gateway to this province. A lot of commercial traffic, a lot of passenger traffic travel through that area. We want to make sure – and it’s all hours of the evening. It’s not at certain times of the day. Yes, it picks up at certain times of the day when the ferry gets in but commercial traffic, especially, is travelling all the time through our area.

Making sure that 24-hour snow clearing is actually helping all areas of the province. We know those busy routes, those 14 routes that have been acknowledged, that’s certainly something that’s been in place before as we’ve mentioned. We want to see those increases to help not only just commercial traffic, but people who live outside of the Port aux Basques area. Many travel to that area to work, to access services and that could also be all hours of the night. Many people have to travel the highway. I think of the Burgeo area of my district, Route 480.

Many people have to travel over that 150-kilometre stretch of road to access services in Corner Brook or Stephenville for health care appointments.

In the wintertime, it can be very, very, very challenging. So making sure our operators, making sure our TI crews at the depots have what they need to do their job. Making sure we’re addressing the concerns this time of year – I’ve mentioned here before in petitions, we’re having a lot of challenges with road conditions along Route 480. I’m pleased to see some of those issues being addressed, but we need to make sure all of those things also go back to the tourism side.

We want to make sure our roads are safe for our visitors. If our visitors come here and have a lot of challenges on some of these roads they may say, well, I’m not going to go back there or this is a very difficult place to get to.

We don’t want that. We want to make sure all of the areas of our province where people are going to visit, and our residents are accessing services, have reliable roads, safe roads to travel on. So we need to see those investments as well, and I hope that we can see some changes next year, of course, because the winter season is behind us.

Ther are a lot of issues with medical transportation via air services. A lot of cardiac issues, looking to access the beds here in St. John’s and waiting long periods of time. I’m working with some constituents now on those matters to make sure that we’re getting those issues addressed because it’s very big, concerning issues, very severe health issues that people are looking to get dealt with and can’t be waiting long months. They can’t be waiting months and months and months to get an appointment or get transferred to St. John’s to access services. So we need to see improvements in those areas, we need to see investment dollars.

I’ve had some positive conversations with the minister before on a CT scanner for Port aux Basques that’s been promised in a previous budget. We’re hoping to see that come to fruition as well, Speaker.

We’ve heard conversations about the MRI machines and attracting medical professionals to rural areas. That is another key part of attracting health care professionals to Port aux Basques and surrounding areas because those centres, and the Calder Health Centre in Burgeo or the Dr. Charles LeGrow Health Centre in Port aux Basques, are the hub for a lot of different regions. They go to those places every day of the week, if they have to go to the emergency room. So we want to see those investments continue in our rural areas to help bring health care professionals to our area, to see families move to our communities and to make sure that health care is being addressed.

Something that gets brought up very much to me now and something that I hopefully will see more improvement on is the self-managed home care workers. You know, especially in a rural community, we know that our population is aging probably faster than a lot of folks. We want to help seniors to remain at home for as long as they can. It’s so important to them. It’s where they’re comfortable, it’s where they grew up normally, it’s where they feel most comfortable. Going to a long-term care home or a person care home, it can be challenging for a lot of folks.

When you leave a small, rural community that you’ve lived your entire life in and having to go to a bigger centre, having to go somewhere you’re not familiar with, it can be very challenging. Especially when it comes to issues like Alzheimer’s, for example, that creates bigger challenges as well. I know that from a personal perspective, Mr. Speaker, dealing with one of my family members and the challenges that comes with it. All they say is they want to go home. So how do we support the people who need to work with those seniors in our homes?

It’s been brought up here many years, of course, and I know that they definitely appreciated to see that $2 raise that was mentioned in the budget by the Minister of Finance. It’s certainly something they appreciate, but it still puts them at an unequal footing from those who work in agencies. You know, the agencies are still $2 or $2 and a bit more than those agency workers. So if they were to get a raise at some point, they’re still behind. They’re still behind. So we want to see equal pay.

The question of pay equity, I would challenge the government – and this is a quote, Speaker – “… under this spirit of pay equity, why in the world wouldn’t those employees being paid directly by the Department of Health and Community Services doing the same job receive the same pay as those in the agencies?” That’s a very good question, I think, to the Minister of Finance. That question is actually from himself. That is what he said in the House on May 21, 2025.

So I would say to the minister, while the raise is certainly appreciated, and I know that he’s probably heard that as well, we need to see that equal pay. We need to see that increase for those folks who do the same job, and a very, very important job. I want to thank so many of them in Burgeo - La Poile and across the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador for the incredible work that they do, working with our seniors in their homes, making sure they the proper care that they need.

Those things, again, are small things that we can do – very big for a lot of people, of course, but small things that we can do to support our rural communities in Newfoundland and Labrador.

It’s very, very important to a lot of rural communities in our province. Like I say, it’s not that it’s not important to our urban centres as well, but I know it has a bigger focus in our rural communities because of the challenges we have accessing services.

Even making sure that the pay is equitable so we can see more people come into that field where, obviously, in the smaller communities, you have so many folks that can work in home care. We want to make sure that we can bring more people into that environment to make sure that we’re addressing the gaps that are there. So I think that equal pay for equal work in that sector is certainly important.

With the little bit of time that I have left here on our amendment, I want to talk about Justice as well. I mentioned this yesterday in the petition. Losing some services is also a big highlight. The courthouse in Port aux Basques closing, it’s not just a courthouse to access justice services. It acts as a hub for other government services, drivers’ examinations, getting your licence renewed or a picture taken. There are many other services that take place in that building outside of our justice system.

When it closes for the court, though, it has a ripple effect a little bit, and people in the community start to think: Is this an erosion of services? Are we seeing other services taken away because it’s easier to have in a hub? It’s easier to have those services in Corner Brook for a government. When a government is making those decisions, it is probably easier to have a lot of services in Corner Brook, to have a lot of services in the bigger centres around our province, but I would say that it’s a challenge to the folks that live in those areas to access those services.

Not everyone can drive. Corner Brook is 2½ hours away. Deer Lake is three hours away. St. John’s is 10 hours away. A lot of challenges for folks, they can’t just get in their car and drive to these places. There are a lot of seniors who need help that rely on somewhere to stay, especially when they go to some of these places. They can’t just drive the one day.

So we don’t want to see an erosion of services. We want to see our services being improved and making sure that residents who have challenges going to the bigger centres can access those same services that many people in our province access, because our rural communities are the fabric of this province. Tourism is a big part of this, as I just mentioned, and they’re a big part of who we are in Newfoundland and Labrador.

So speaking for my district again, we want to see investments in our area as a gateway community, as a gateway district to this province. We want to make sure that those communities have the supports that they need to thrive, to build on opportunities that we can have and to make sure our organizations and groups are supported.

Speaker, in the little time I have left, I look forward to speaking again on the budget, on why we want to see more for the people of Burgeo - La Poile.

Thank you, Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Conception Bay East - Bell Island.

F. HUTTON: Thank you, Speaker.

Always a pleasure, as it is I’m sure for the rest of the Members of this hon. House, to stand and speak on behalf of the residents that I represent in Conception Bay East - Bell Island.

I would, first of all, like to just mention a thank you on the record to my colleague from St. John’s West for his tribute to a family member yesterday.

J. KORAB: Waterford Valley.

F. HUTTON: Waterford Valley, sorry.

John Hutton who passed away last week, he was a family member, a cousin. It made me think about his contribution to the music industry in Newfoundland and Labrador. But it made me think about all the other people from every district across Newfoundland and Labrador, similar to John, who contributed quietly or sometimes a little more in public, to the province that they live in and the province that they call home, the province we love.

I want to talk a little bit about my district and my connection to it. My parents had owned a home. Where I live in Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s, believe it or not, 60 years ago when they built their house, there was mostly summer houses out there, little cabins, which is what they had. They started with a shack that was, I think 12 by 12, and then when four kids came along, they decided to build something a bit bigger.

In a month from now or so, I’ll turn 60 years old, and I can remember when I was 11 years old, the year that the road that I live on now was paved. We used to actually – I think there’s a statute of limitations on this and my dad is passed, so he’s not going to get in trouble – when we’d turn onto Old Broad Cove Road, we’d fight over who could sit on his lap to steer the car down the road until we got to the house.

It was over a dirt road, which runs right along Windsor Lake. In the summer months, even though that was our drinking supply, they would pour oil and water on the road to keep the dust down. Now there’s a sign that says, if you throw a chip bag out the window, you’re going to get a $1,500 fine. So times have changed. But in many ways, the stories are the same and the issues facing the people of Newfoundland and Labrador are the same.

I can remember that I was living away briefly when I studied in British Columbia, coming back – and when I was going through this tour of the interior of British Columbia at radio stations, TV stations and newspapers, the guy who was our prof was taking us around to see if we could maybe land a job or a work term at one of these places and he asked me why I was not putting out r é sum é s like the other students in class. I said: Well, because I plan to move back to Newfoundland as soon as I’m finished here in two years. I don’t have any intention of not living at home.

I can remember going down over – there’s a part of Old Broad Cove Road where you crest the hill just past Tolt Road and you can see right out over Conception Bay and it’s where the sun meets the sea. That’s the sign on the entry to Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s, and the sunsets down there are remarkable. The area that I represent is a beautiful area, right next to the ocean. Even the part of Paradise, where you drive across St. Thomas Line, people do that drive in the evenings just so that they can see the sun setting.

The folks on Bell Island, who I represent, have the added benefit of seeing the sun – even from my side, when it dips below Bell Island, they get the extra 15 or five minutes or however many minutes it is. It is a beautiful area, and it’s one of the things that draws so many people to Newfoundland and Labrador.

The quality of the air – yes, we have issues, but it is, by comparison, if you see what’s on television, a safer place to live than many others. We do have challenges. I’m not trying to say that we don’t. We obviously do. Societal issues that are contributing to that, but it is a beautiful place.

In the Tourism Estimates last night, with the Tourism Minister, I referenced the need for a really reliable ferry service to go back and forth to Bell Island. This year will mark the 60th anniversary of the closure of the Bell Island mines, the iron ore mine. The history that is associated with that part of our province – the only part of the world, outside of Europe, that saw actual action with the U-boats off Bell Island because of the contributions of the iron ore to the Allied Forces.

That mine has turned into an economic gold mine, if you will, for that part of the province as, a couple of years ago, they reached almost 20,000 visitors to Bell Island to go see the mine and to look at the history and to actually get to go down into it. But without a reliable ferry service, that part of our tourism aspect is challenged and is threatened. I’m learning more about that, as it’s been a little over two years since I became the Member.

I was delighted to hear in the Speech from the Throne that there would be ferries built. I’m still waiting to see when and where the actual plans will come through. I know there’s an RFP out for a swing vessel, but I hear about it on a daily basis, how important that aspect of travel is. And not just for tourism, but for the hundreds of people who travel back and forth on the Bell Island ferry every day, in both ways, to get to work on the mainland side, over in St.

John's or Mount Pearl, wherever they work; and, equally, the folks who are teachers or nurses and the doctors who go to the other side, to Bell Island, to work on a daily basis and how it’s not always just the weather, which can be very unpredictable and out of everybody else’s hands.

I spoke, similarly, about the situation with Fogo and the need for a reliable ferry service for that area. There are others, but the need for people who rely on tourism and the businesses to get back and forth in a reliable service and the need for that.

I mentioned John, off the top, as a person. When I entered politics back in 2024, I think one of the first questions, after I got elected, a reporter asked, what’s the difference between being a reporter and an MHA? I said, at that point in time, that there is no real difference because people do not pick up the phone to call you when everything is going right in their life. If you’re their MHA or if they are at their wit’s end, they call a reporter and say I need some help. People do that on a constant basis.

I’m sure not just on this side, on every side and the independent and the NDP Members, they get calls when people feel they’re at the end of the rope and they need help from their Member, or if they want to go public with it and go on either Open Line or one of the TV stations or radio stations to have their story told.

I can tell you that after over 30 years in the media, when I left, people would ask me, what’s your favourite story you covered? I don’t know if there’s a favourite story, but I can always remember that I got the most out of talking to people, just average people, after interviewing all the premiers who were in power, all the finance Ministers, prime ministers of Canada – I interviewed them.

Somebody that I worked with at NTV, Jim Furlong, who was recently given a doctorate from Memorial University, told me that being in news is like having a front row to the parade of life, that you’re right there. I thought about that and I thought about the 30 or 31 budgets that I covered while I was in media. I thought about the 30 regattas that I covered as well, with various hosts, including Dee Murphy and Brian O’Connell; 30 July 1 ceremonies at the War Memorial; 30 or 31 November 11 ceremonies – those solemn ceremonies that take place.

I thought about the cod moratorium and being in that room when John Crosbie actually announced that our fishery was going to close. I mean, who would have ever believed that our fishery would close, the cod fishery? Now we’re seeing some resurgence and a partial reopening of the recreational cod fishery for parts of the Island.

Our name changed in 2001 from Newfoundland to Newfoundland and Labrador. That was a big deal to see the name of the province change officially. It’s a very long name, but it’s good because it recognizes both parts of the province.

I think about 9/11 and the impact 9/11 had on Newfoundland and Labrador, globally, but the impact that it had here, I can remember going to the airport that day and seeing the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people getting off planes after many hours. I can literally remember where I was standing when somebody phoned me from a NORAD station in Northern Ontario to tell me that planes were crashing into the World Trade Centre. At that point in time, standing in the bedroom, walking into the bathroom – it was early in the morning – thinking, how is this going to impact us? Of course, hours later, we knew how it was going to impact us.

Thousands and thousands of people were here, and we stepped up. The people of Newfoundland and Labrador stepped up. This is about the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. The budgets that we talk about in here impact people, their daily lives.

I thought about that story and 9/11. I also thought about one of the coolest stories I guess, if you will, that I can ever remember and somebody who I met, who wasn’t from Newfoundland and Labrador, but his name was Dr. Lanier Phillips, Order of Newfoundland and Labrador recipient, and the outpouring – how that changed his life, the reception that he got here in Newfoundland and Labrador from people who had never seen a black person and the country that he came from where he was shunned, he was accepted here and how that made him feel and how it changed his life. How many other lives did that change?

How many other people did he go and tell? Thousands, tens of thousands of people, about how the people of Newfoundland and Labrador are good people.

We are good people. We have challenges here, but we have to go back to the fact that we have so many good things going for us. We have to continue to look at it as half full, not half empty. We have challenges. The Finance Minister has to come up with $3 million every day to pay the interest on our debt – every day. I get that. But the average person is not walking around thinking about that. They’re thinking about their own lives.

I think about Cougar Flight 491 and the tragedy that impacted thousands of people. If you think about your own friend group and your own family, if something happened to you today, how many people would feel sad because of that, or impacted? All the people that we’ve touched over our lives, not just your immediate family but your friends, your schoolmates from years ago, people you bump into, the people who you touch and impact on a daily basis. The people you’ve met or perhaps haven’t seen in 10 or 15 years but still remember the interaction they’ve had with you.

I think about Snowmageddon. That was another huge story that I got to cover right before I left reporting and came to politics. Of course, it almost coincided with the start of COVID.

I can remember – this is a personal story – my son, we had to go to the United States because of a medical issue that he had. Fortunately, it turned out to be good. We got on a plane on a Monday and a couple of people were wearing masks at the airport in St. John’s. We’d been talking a little bit about Coronavirus, but nobody knew what it was. We came back on a Friday – sent there by medical professionals here to a specialist – and half the people on the plane were wearing masks.

I can remember then we slide into COVID and everybody wanted to reach out to their neighbours. Everybody was making sure that everyone was okay. We were washing groceries. The challenges that we went through, the businesses that failed because of COVID, the help that was tried to provide to people so that they can continue on and how there seemed to be this outpouring of compassion and love for each other to try to stay together – we’re in this together.

Then I remember seeing a video online not long after, the baseball stadiums opened up somewhere. It happened to be in the United States where three people were fighting over a seat, like literally a fist fight. I thought, how did we go from everybody wanting to care about each other to being right back – okay, I guess we’ve forgotten that aspect of how we are all in this together.

But we are all still in this together, and the people of Newfoundland and Labrador who make impacts and inspire us – I’m going to regret this, I know – but I can remember this guy here winning a gold medal.

J. KORAB: Who?

F. HUTTON: You.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

F. HUTTON: Unfortunately, they didn’t –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

F. HUTTON: Yes.

AN HON. MEMBER: It’s not true.

F. HUTTON: He did.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

F. HUTTON: I know he hasn’t told you that this morning, but groups like this. We were talking about Alex Newhook, at 25, who already has won a Stanley Cup, and Michael Ryder. I was standing on the roof of the building when I saw the leg of that table give out and the Stanley Cup hit the roof of the building down there. I think it was the King George V. They landed a helicopter and they were flying all over.

J. KORAB: Raymonds.

F. HUTTON: O n top of Raymonds Restaurant, yeah.

Michael Ryder and Danny Cleary, all these stories, these people who inspire you and who, because of the job that I had, I got to meet and talk to and interview up close.

I thought about folks like Alex Faulkner, he played in the Stanley Cup before I was born.

J. KORAB: For the Red Wings. Go Red Wings.

F. HUTTON: Go Red Wings.

All of these people who have had this huge impact on Newfoundland and Labrador and people who inspire us to want to be better. What we do in here does impact people. It’s great that we’ve got Alex Newhook out there now who is inspiring us to stay up really late. Although, I did fall asleep during the overtime period, despite the Member for Burgeo - La Poile trying to text me to keep me awake. It’s important that we remember to focus on these positive things.

I know that in recent weeks, as we find our footing on this side and as the government Members find their footing, we oftentimes go back and forth. But I think we need to remember that, now more than ever, given what’s going on globally and what we see going on south of the border in the United States with outrageous behaviour, if you will, by somebody who has so much control and influence over what happens to your pension, to any investments anybody might have, to businesses.

We need to be the leaders of our districts and to behave in a way that we’re not trying to tear each other down all the time. We’re trying to build everybody up and provide a better place for Newfoundland and Labrador.

If you struggle to figure out why you come here every day – and I hear everybody else say it – it’s so that you can leave this place a little better than you found it. Now if that means helping one person in your district or 10 people or implementing some policy that will, I don’t know, bring in $10-a-day daycare to allow people to go back to work or increasing the threshold for income tax so that people will get it.

Now, there are good aspects of the budget. I would have liked to have seen more tax breaks that would be more immediate to people so that they could feel the effects immediately. There are some good aspects to it, as my colleague from St. John's West did mention earlier today. There are good aspects, but it is our job to ask questions about it, the same as it was for the government Members who did for many years. I was only there for a little less than two years as a government Member but worked behind the scenes.

It is important, though, that we remember the reason we’re here is for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador and the residents who put us there, the residents who text me and message me. Not all of them are complimentary by the way – unsolicited because you take a stand on a certain thing they have a different political ideology and they don’t want you to say the things you’re saying. The government Members have a role. The Opposition Members have a role, as well, and our role is to look at this budget or whatever policies come before us, whatever laws or whatever we’re discussing or debating in the Legislature, and debate them.

Yes, tempers might get a little bit hot from time to time but we need to try to keep it on a more civil level so that the people – and I’m not saying that we could inspire people but at least show the leadership that is required at this point in time. While others are faltering from that role, we need to be able to maintain that level of civility so that when we do say, this is what we’re going to do, or when the government says it, then people will say, okay, well, somebody is in charge here, who’s doing the right thing for us, hopefully.

It all goes back to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. We look to the sports folks like Alex Newhook to inspire us, to make us feel good, and we need that. We also need to feel good about what’s done in here and the example we set, I think, is very important for all people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank you, Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Carbonear - Trinity - Bay de Verde.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

R. BALSOM: Thank you, Speaker.

It’s always an honour to rise in this House and represent the residents of Carbonear - Trinity - Bay de Verde and it’s an honour to stand here today to speak on Budget 2026 and what it means for the people of my district and Newfoundlanders and Labradorians as a whole.

They say you should save the best for last, but I must first highlight a critical investment in this budget that speaks directly to the resilience of our region.

This year, more than $25 million has been allocated to support wildfire recovery efforts in the Conception Bay North area.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

R. BALSOM: Furthermore, the commitment to rebuild Cabot Academy is also one I welcome, as such a facility will play a vital role in the recovery of the North Shore. After a devastating summer, in which families were displaced and property was lost, many residents are still dealing with the emotional and financial aftermath.

Through it all, we seen first responders on the front lines every day, whether it was during the wildfires at the forefront of the blaze or in the aftermath when they advocated for better protection for their communities. That’s why we are doubling the volunteer firefighter and search and rescue tax credits to $6,000, as well as allocating over $7 million in new funding to assist volunteer firefighters.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

R. BALSOM: Simply put, Speaker, they deserve it.

Over the last year, I’ve had many conversations with firefighters from across the district, and they have all told me the exact same thing. They want to do whatever they can to prevent and be prepared for any wildfires that may occur. They have put in the work, advocated for supports and have taken additional training in wildfire firefighting. I can say, with the utmost confidence, that they will be ready whenever they get the call. The rest falls on us.

It is our job to make sure that those who protect us have the equipment, training and supports they need to do their job safely. This commitment is an important step forward, as it represents more than just funding. It represents a promise kept that those affected would not walk this road alone.

This budget reflects stability, responsibility and a clear commitment to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. This budget recognizes the challenges people are facing, while continuing to make the right investments necessary to strengthen our province.

In my maiden speech I referenced the issues I heard while going door to door, and I said that these issues were not simply abstract policy debates but, instead, they were real concerns raised by real people. Speaker, this budget is not based on abstract policy either. It will deliver real, tangible measures to help all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, like the increase to the personal tax exemption which will put money into the pockets of every single hard-working person in this province.

My district is one that is very familiar with lackluster cell service. From the moment you leave Salmon Cove right to Bay de Verde and back down the other side to Winterton and beyond, you’ll be hard-pressed to get a phone call to go through, and our government recognizes that reliable connectivity is essential. It is essential for seniors who may need emergency services, for workers and business who rely on communications to operate and for families who are simply just trying to stay connected.

That is why Budget 2026 continues to support investments in rural connectivity, as we work with partners to expand and improve cell coverage in under-served areas.

Speaker, the backbone to our local economy is our small businesses. They buy local, sell local and hire local, keeping that economic wealth within their communities. This year, our government has taken action to reduce the small business tax, providing meaningful relief to entrepreneurs across Newfoundland and Labrador. This is a practical step that helps local businesses reinvest in their operations, as they support their employees and continue to grow in their communities.

These are the business that know their customers. It’s the kind of place where the owner makes sure there’s enough flour on the shelf because they know someone’s nan will be baking bread that day. That level of care and connection cannot be replicated.

Just last week, Speaker, I had the opportunity to stop in at a local business in my district, Rock & Rise Sourdough, where I had lunch – and may I add, probably had one of the best sandwiches of my life. It is exactly the kind of business this measure is designed to support: locally owned, community-driven and built through hard work and passion.

A reduction in the small business tax may seem like a line in the budget, but for businesses like Rock & Rise Sourdough, it means more breathing room. It means the ability to invest in equipment, hire staff or simply keep the doors opens during challenging times. Speaker, our small businesses are at the heart of our communities and a driving force behind our local economy. This tax reduction is about supporting them, not just to survive, but to succeed.

I want to take a moment to recognize a generation that built the very communities we are proud to represent today. These are the people who laid the foundations for what exist today. They worked in the fishery, the trades, in small businesses and in our public services. They raised families and created a community that we now call our own. After a lifetime of contribution, they should never be left behind.

They should not have to worry about whether they can afford their groceries, heat their homes or to live with the dignity they deserve. Supporting our seniors is about more than policy; it is about respect, fairness and recognition for those who helped our beautiful province get to where it is today.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

R. BALSOM: This budget takes meaningful steps in that direction and it reflects that a simple principle that those who built our communities should be able to continue living in them with security and peace of mind.

Speaker, while we must take care of our seniors, we must also ensure we provide opportunities for our youth. The continued tuition freeze at Memorial University is an important step in ensuring post-secondary education remains accessible and affordable for students and families in Newfoundland and Labrador. At a time when costs are rising, this provides stability and certainty for our students to confidently pursue their education.

Speaker, we are going even further. This budget allocates $40 million towards a new Graduate Tuition Refund Program set to begin in the next fiscal year. This program will support graduate students who choose to stay, work and live right here in our province by providing a refund on their tuition.

This is about more that affordability. It is about opportunity and our responsibility to provide that. It’s about giving our youth a reason to build their futures here at home. It’s about strengthening our workforce, supporting our economy and ensuring that the talent we educate stays right here in the place they have always called home.

For districts like Carbonear - Trinity - Bay de Verde, this matters deeply. We want our young people to know they do not have to leave to succeed and that there is a future for them right here. By investing in education and creating incentives to stay, this budget is helping build a stronger, more sustainable future for Newfoundland and Labrador; one where those who call this beautiful province home may stay here and confidently grow their skill set with the confidence they are wanted; a place where they can thrive and build meaningful fulfilling lives without looking for opportunities elsewhere because we will provide them right here at home.

Speaker, housing is one of the largest issues facing not only Newfoundland and Labrador, but Canada as a whole, and I am proud to see this budget take meaningful action in this area. This year, our government is investing more that $125 million to support housing while also maintaining and improving existing homes across our province.

I’m glad to see changes to Provincial Home Repair Program, Home Energy Savings Program and the Home Modification Program. After speaking to many constituents, it was easy to see the amounts, limits and eligibility were all outdated and did not accurately reflect the cost of these projects today.

By supporting both new construction and existing housing, we are taking a balanced approach – one that meets immediate needs by planning for long-term growth. This is about giving people a place to call home, as well as the tools to keep that home safe and accessible, while also ensuring our communities remain vibrant and sustainable for years to come.

One of the largest parts of this budget is a significant investment being made in the health care. People knowing that they can access quality health care close to home is incredibly important. This budget invests a total of $5.4 billion into health care, including new measures to improve access, strengthen front-line services and support patients throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

I am particularly proud of the investments being made into nurse practitioner coverage. We will invest more than $31 million over the next five years to ensure people can access medically necessary care through nurse practitioners without paying out of pocket.

This kind of investment provides reliable care to those who need it, along with reducing traffic in emergency rooms, as we know many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians currently use them as replacement for a family doctor. It’s a two-fold approach that will increase care for those who need a practitioner, along with reducing the load on emergency rooms across the province.

We are also investing in two new MRI machines for Grand Falls-Windsor and Happy Valley-Goose Bay to help improve diagnostic capacity and reducing wait times for patients, not only in these communities, but across the province.

We are also continuing to invest in long-term care with almost $50 million allocated for additional long-term care beds, dementia beds and acute-care beds throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. These investments are critically important as our population ages. Seniors deserve access to quality care and dignity close to their families and communities. Expanding long-term care capacity helps ensure that people receive the support they need as they continue to move later into life.

At the end of the day, health care is not about the numbers in a budget; it’s about the people who need quality care wherever they live. Whether it’s a new parent anxiously awaiting a diagnosis of their child or a senior who needs just a little extra help living in their home, everyone deserves access to quality and timely health care no matter where they live or what stage of life they are in.

Public safety is a key piece to strong, healthy communities, and this budget makes it clear that our government is committed to protecting the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. This budget includes the hiring of 46 additional police officers over the next two years. That is a significant investment in front-line policing. This will ensure a greater presence in our communities, faster response times and stronger supports for our law enforcement as they carry out the important work of keeping people safe.

But, Speaker, I’ve heard first-hand how even our officers are frustrated with the system, as they can arrest someone one day, only to see them walking around the next. That is why we’ll also be funding an additional 14 new positions within the public prosecution to help ensure that cases move efficiently through the courts. This will reduce delays and strengthen the overall effectiveness of our justice system. Together, these investments reflect a balanced and responsible approach as we support both enforcement and prosecution to deliver a system that works for the people instead of failing them.

We also have to be honest about a growing concern we are hearing across our communities: the impact of prolific offenders. In many cases, there are a small number of individuals responsible for our large amount of repeated crimes. This not only places strain on our justice system, but it also affects the sense of safety in our towns and communities. Addressing this issue requires more than law enforcement alone. We must recognize that many of these situations are closely tied to underlying challenges, such as mental health and addictions. If we are serious about reducing crime in a lasting way, we must address the root causes.

Speaker, for issues like this, where so many factors are in play, there is no silver bullet. No one solution that can fix it all at once. That is why, along with increased law enforcement and court supports, we are also making investments in the mental health and addiction services. By expanding access to treatment, recovery and support services, we are helping individuals break the cycle. A strong public safety approach is one that is both firm and compassionate; one that ensures accountability, supports law enforcement and invests in prevention.

Speaker, let me be clear, even with all these investments, this budget does not raise taxes and it introduces no new fees. At a time when people are already feeling the pressure, our government has made a deliberate choice. We are not going to make life more expensive. As our Premier and Finance Minister have said many times, we will not balance the books of this province on the backs of its people. In fact, we are doing the opposite.

Newfoundland and Labrador has the lowest provincial gas tax in all of Canada. This matters to people, especially in my district, where you can commute from Bay de Verde to Carbonear and drive for nearly an hour just to get to work. That is why we have ensured the gas tax is permanently reduced to 7.5 cents. We will also be increasing the basic personal exemption to $15,000, meaning people can earn more before they pay a cent in provincial income tax.

Speaker, that is real relief. That is money staying in the pockets of hard-working Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. No new taxes, no new fees, more money in people’s pockets – that is the kind of balance people expect and that is exactly what this budget delivers.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

R. BALSOM: Speaker, for too long in this province the story has been the same. We have asked more of our systems than they were built to handle. More patients than our health care system could serve. More calls than our officers could respond to. More families than our housing supply could support. We have been living with a gap between what people need and what has been available to them.

Speaker, people have felt that gap. They have felt in waiting rooms, when the wait for urgent treatment is just too long. They have felt it in their communities, as they watch houses deteriorate without proper funding to keep them going. They have felt it at their kitchen tables, as $100 worth of groceries just doesn’t get you as much as it used to.

This budget is about closing that gap. It’s about building capacity in health care, so people can get care when they need it. It’s about strengthening the public service, so people feel secure in their communities. It is about investing in housing, so people have a place to call home.

At its core, Speaker, it’s about people. It’s about seniors who built our communities and deserve to live in them with dignity. It’s about the young people who are deciding whether to stay and deserve a reason to build their future here. It’s about the families working hard every single day and deserve a government that is working just as hard for them.

This is a budget that recognizes where we have been but, more importantly, it sets a clear direction for where we are going: a province where opportunity is not limited by geography; a province where hard work is matched with real support; a province where people can see a future and choose to build it right here at home. That is the Newfoundland and Labrador we are building, and I am proud to support our Budget 2026 .

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER (Dwyer): The hon. the Member for Burin - Grand Bank.

P. PIKE: Thank you, Speaker.

I’d like to take this opportunity to stand here today on behalf of the constituents of the Burin - Grand Bank District. It’s been a pleasure to represent these individuals for the last five years. I know what a proud people, what a hard-working group of individuals and so on that I represent, and a group that has a lot of pride where they live and where they’re from.

Like the rest of my colleagues in the House today, I had the opportunity last week to visit my district, to spend a whole week there meeting with councils, meeting with individuals, meeting with groups and just being around people that you know. It makes a big difference to you, by the way. It’s almost like it’s a break when you go into your district. I know we all work very hard in our districts, but it’s great to get out there. It’s wonderful. It’s wonderful to be around the people that you grew up with and that you’ve worked with most of your lifetime.

I know both sides are the same there. We all feel the same. Last week, as I talked to colleagues on both sides of the House – can’t wait to get home; can’t wait to get to the district; can’t wait to see family; can’t wait for the long weekend. It’s wonderful. We all come back refreshed.

During that particular week I had home, it was time to listen to my constituents, listen to what they had to say, and to get a firm grip on what we could do to help and what our government needs to do to address their concerns. I think what I heard, my colleagues on this side of the House, and what you heard, is pretty much the same. I think so.

I guess I should start with the cost of living. Living in rural Newfoundland, like I do, the cost of living is having an impact. The cost of gasoline, the cost of groceries is certainly having an impact on our residents. We hear stories of parents going without so their children can have food. Like, those are amazing things. People going to the grocery stores and not being able to afford the things that they normally could.

Also, electricity bills – and somebody mentioned today about going oil to electric. That’s a great program, by the way. A lot of people are taking advantage of it, but a lot of people can’t take advantage of it. Because if the cost is greater than the amount of money they can get from a grant, then it’s no good to them because they can’t afford the $5,000 or $6,000 it takes – the overrun. They can’t afford that. So that’s a program that we may have to look at in some point in time. We may have to look at a program that helps these people get over the high cost of installation and so on.

I heard a lot, as well, from the constituents about the food fishery. As a matter of fact, a lot of them complimented my hon. friend and colleague, the Member for Fogo Island - Cape Freels, who brought that forward in the House last week. You know, it was one of those times when we all said yes, this is a great bill. This is a great thing that we’re doing here. Let’s get the food fishery back. Let’s get it back to everyone in the province. I was elated when we passed that in the House, and I thank the hon. Member for bringing it forward – great job.

The only thing is that in my district it doesn’t apply. Speaker, 3Ps is not included. So we don’t have that out there. What I’m getting now from people that I talk to is, why can’t we have it here in St. Lawrence? Why can’t we have it here in Grand Bank? Why can’t we have it on the Burin Peninsula, as well? My answer to that is I agree, and not only do I agree, we all agree in this House that the food fishery should be open.

I was out for a walk on Monday in St. Lawrence, and I talked to this old guy. He said: Now, again this year, I have to go out, probably on bad days, to get a few fish. He said: One time, here, when the fishery closed down and you’d go out and jig a few fish, there were three of us going. Three fellows – three boats in St. Lawrence used to go. Now, he said, there are 50 going. He said: If they’d left it alone, there’d still be only three of us.

Anyway, I said to him, look, we’re going to work on this. The dialogue will continue, and we certainly will be writing the minister. I think we should all do it on behalf of our districts. Like the hon. Member here, we should all do it on behalf of our districts, especially us that don’t have the time increased. We should all do it.

While I’m talking about the food fishery, I should say that this week, in St. Lawrence, there’s an unveiling of a monument for those fishers who were lost at sea, who lost their lives fishing, lost their lives making a living for their families. I guess it was six or seven years ago, when I was mayor of the Town of St. Lawrence, we had one of the biggest fishing disasters ever. We lost four people: a father, a son, a cousin and a friend – four people. I think there was probably seven or eight kids involved in that. I remember being the mayor there and I remember it being a trying time for me.

One of the ladies that lost her husband said to me, when I was home on the weekend, Paul, can you go to the service because we really want you a part of it? You were so much involved in it. I was, because I was kind of acting as the spokesperson for the town, and the media was out there, of course, for the entire week and the search was on.

So we were all hopeful and the town, it was almost like everybody was hugging into each other and saying we’ve got to get through this – we’ve got to get through this. Come on, they’re going to find them – they’re going to find them.

We got word that they called off the search on day three or four. They called off the search. I remember making calls to as many people as I knew, even people that owned their own vessels, to go out. I was sitting in the council building making those calls and as I was driving home, I got a call from – I would imagine it was probably the Coast Guard; I’m not quite sure. They were saying the search is going to go on. We’re going to go out.

Now, I was 28 years on council, about 10 as mayor then, and I pulled my car over in the busiest

section of the town, which in rural Newfoundland, it’s not downtown Toronto, and I sat back in my car and for the first time in years, I cried. I cried because I said we’ve got a chance of getting them home. That’s true. I told that lady that story at the local supermarket the other day and she says, yes, we all did; didn’t we? That’s how rural Newfoundland is.

This food fishery is not about a few fish in the water; it’s about safety. It’s about safety and people doing what their fathers did years ago. As a matter of fact, my great-grandfather, Sam Pike, drowned on his way back from fishing, him and six or seven others, and it changed the trajectory of our family for years. It made a difference. But he lost his dad coming in around the cape in St. Lawrence.

The other thing that I heard – and I’m trying not to be negative; I’m just telling you what I heard – is the whole idea around the health care in our area. Health care is a problem in all of our areas, not just mine, it’s everywhere. In St. Lawrence now, we don’t have a doctor. We do get some locums, but we haven’t had a doctor now in three years – not just in the last eight months, like someone might say, why did you do before that? But we haven’t had a doctor in a few years. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t be out recruiting.

For rural Newfoundland, what we need is a program of visiting specialists. We need to get our specialists out of St. John’s, out into the rural areas. I remember when my father was sick, a trip to St. John’s would have killed him. It would have killed him. That’s why we couldn’t bring him in. It’s something that should be looked at for us in rural Newfoundland.

We should be able to get a doctor, access to a doctor and access to a specialist. Bring them out to all these cottage hospitals and the health care clinics and so on. Bring the specialists out. It would make a big difference. We have extraordinary people – extraordinary people – that work in health care. It takes a lot to work in health care, as you know. We have to thank those people, but we have to support them as well.

I sent the Minister of Health a couple of emails today. The email was from a young doctor who graduated last year and he graduated with the hopes of staying in Newfoundland and Labrador and getting a placement because he wants to be a surgeon. He’s been trying to get a placement here in Newfoundland and Labrador, trying to get a placement here at the Health Sciences Centre. It doesn’t matter where. He’s also looking for a placement, not only as a surgeon, but he said, well, maybe ENT as well. He is a bright guy, and can’t get one. He can’t get a placement here in Newfoundland and can’t get anybody to take him in and work at his specialty.

Do you know what he’s going to do? He’s going to leave Newfoundland and Labrador before long and he’s not returning. This is a homegrown young fellow. I know him. I remember him from elementary school. He’s a homegrown Newfoundlander, went to med school, did well and cannot get a placement in Newfoundland and Labrador. He has to go away. Can’t get a placement in a province that’s crying for doctors. We have to look at things like that. We can’t let that stuff happen, and I hope the minister responds to him.

I have four centres in my district. I have the St. Lawrence U.S. Memorial. I have the Burin Peninsula Health Care Centre. I have the Dr. S. Beckley Health Centre, and I have the Placentia West Medical Clinic. They’re all wonderful, wonderful places, and wonderfully staffed but not enough staff.

I just want to talk – quickly, too – about the St. Lawrence hospital. The St. Lawrence cottage hospital, it’s called U.S. Memorial hospital, and U.S. Memorial hospital was built by the Americans. I think I may have said this in the House before, but on February 18, 1942, three American ships went aground off the coast of St. Lawrence. One of those managed to get free. The other two grounded.

We lost over 289 sailors, but 186 were saved. They were saved because the people of St. Lawrence and Lawn lowered themselves down over cliffs and hauled these men to safety – just an amazing thing, in 1942. My father used to tell me about it. He was 12 years old at the time. He said that the parade of bodies going through the town, it was just amazing. It was the largest U.S. naval disaster in U.S. naval history.

The people of St. Lawrence and Lawn got together; they went out, and they saved these many men. As a gift to the community, Roosevelt presented them and built a cottage hospital. It’s not standing today, but in its place stands a new health care centre, but the feeling that our people got this hospital in St. Lawrence because of what they did, that’s why we’re so protective over that. Just to let you know, and a little bit of history as well.

Mr. Speaker, I have to talk about student employment. I can’t sit unless I talk about that. I have a list of communities that received no students this year – none. St. Lawrence, for example, where I live, what is it known for? Soccer – the best soccer program in the province, the soccer capital of Canada.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

P. PIKE: Not one student. Not even one – not one.

The St. Lawrence town council, who operates a swimming pool, none. Pool closed, impacting the whole community and surrounding communities – gone. The CYNs that are in the area, two CYNs on the Burin Peninsula, no student. What are we going to do with that? What’s going to happen to CYN programming for the summer?

AN HON. MEMBER: Historical societies.

P. PIKE: The historical societies, zero.

Like, that’s a little ridiculous – that’s a little ridiculous. I’m still waiting, and I asked the minister yesterday if could get a list. No, I couldn’t get a list.

AN HON. MEMBER: They’re not out.

P. PIKE: It’s not out? Okay. All right.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible.)

P. PIKE: Let’s hope, but these are the calls that I’m getting now. If they are coming out, good on you, but I was told yesterday by the minister, I got what I got.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible.)

P. PIKE: All right. He knows. He’s there.

It’s important to us that we have these. Our kids in rural Newfoundland and Labrador have to come St. John’s to go to school. We don’t have the luxury of having our kids at home. I have three children, and most people here have children. We have to send them to school in here if they want to do anything now, because CNA, by the way, is pretty much non-existent in most regions, or the programming is not suitable to them.

So our kids have to come in here, go to school, but they can’t get summer jobs to help them along. I mean, come on. I know those people who live in Labrador, your kids either go to New Brunswick or they come in here and so on. It’s sad. It’s really sad and I’m just hoping that things will change. I’ve got, I’d say – I’m not exaggerating – at least 12 or 13 emails this morning about students.

In my last few seconds, I’d just like to say that the Burin Peninsula has always been strong. We’ve weathered storms, economic storms, political storms and all sorts. But we’ve built strong communities and we’ve supported one another and we’ll continue to do so. We’ll never give up.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

E. LOVELESS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well done there, the Member for Burin - Grand Brank, absolutely, in terms of recognizing the challenges. The thing about it, in terms of a rural district, when an MHA, no matter what side or where you stand in terms of talking about rural challenges, we all get it. We certainly do and appreciate it.

I always begin with thanking the people of Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune for affording me this opportunity. It is an honourable opportunity to stand here and to talk, some on the budget, some on your district, but it’s all relative, Mr. Speaker. Like colleagues have said, last week, we had an opportunity again to visit our districts. I did as well. I visited the hospital in Harbour Breton, chatted with some patients. That day it was a good day in that hospital in terms of patients being seen in a good amount of time.

But I talked to some staff that were very disappointed again that there was no mention in the budget of the 10-bed expansion of the Connaigre Peninsula health care facility in Harbour Breton. But I’m not going to give up on that. It was not just about the long-term care beds; it was about acute-care beds as well and a family care clinic. Again, the staff were disappointed.

I know a lot of people have been talking about the Montreal Canadiens. Well, I’m going to have a little shoutout to them as well. I think in the Bell Centre, if the announcer had been wise the other night, he would have said: Are there any Newfoundlanders and Labradorians in the building tonight? I’m sure there would have been a lot of hands, for sure, because I know a lot of people that were there.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

E. LOVELESS: I know we’re all proud. We’ve certainly had lots of talent, Mr. Speaker, from this province and many have been mentioned. We now have Newhook housing a Habs jersey and couldn’t be prouder, for sure, of him, and this province.

That leads me into the importance of recreation and recreational development in this province because we do lack. I know there are a lot in this Chamber here that know this person, Jack Lee. I’ve known Jack Lee for a long, long time. My son has been in his hockey program. Jack has always been keen on developing more recreation real estate in this province and I support him 100 per cent. The feds, not long ago, certainly mentioned about recreational development and funds for that. I’m hoping that the provincial government is going to take note of that.

We visited many times, whether it was New Brunswick in Moncton or in Halifax, four ice surfaces, and we don’t have it here. We should’ve had it here years ago, but I think we need to look at that as an investment because there’s a great return on that. Will it cost? It will cost in order to build it, but I don’t think it’s a cost. It’s an investment into the youth of the province, an investment into the province and it’s an investment into, I guess, futures like those of Alex Newhook, who has gone to the professional fields now. They’re in the NHL.

We need more investment into recreation from a provincial perspective because it does attract outside interest, outside investment coming in for hockey tournaments. It’s not just about ice surfaces. Whether it’s basketball, volleyball or other sports as well. We need to expand in recreation, because it is an important part – I know for me, growing up, your academics were supported by recreation. It went hand in hand, for sure, for me and certainly following on for my family as well.

Moving from recreation to the fishery, I’d like to just reference a few important stats in terms of the aquaculture industry that’s in my district, but it’s not just in my district, it’s in the whole of the province and how important it is.

Aquaculture in Newfoundland and Labrador – employment – there are approximately 2,500 people, that’s big employment workforce; $185 million annual production value and that can go higher and it will go higher; $785 million in economic activity generated, not just in the rural parts of the province but this is the province as a whole. That’s upwards of close to a billion dollars and it will get there.

Speaker, $290 million in GDP, and did you know that 100 per cent of mussels grown in Newfoundland are certified organic, that goes to the quality of a product on the world markets; 120 million meals to Canadians and the world from aquaculture; 19,900 tons of seafood farmed each year; 28 businesses in primary production and not just salmon, trout, there are also oysters and I referenced mussels.

It’s a big industry and aquaculture is agriculture. Seafood is the largest agrifoods sector in Newfoundland –a province which imports 90 per cent of its food. Aquaculture is a 14 per cent share of the Canadian aquaculture sector.

I spoke a few times about the importance in my district because there are three fish plants. One in Harbour Breton, one in Hermitage which is salmon and trout, but the one in St. Alban’s that has opened recently, is just trout alone. The market is very strong right now for trout because we all know in terms of a product, it depends on the markets. Right now, it’s certainly servicing my district well and I know there are investments going on in those plants, further investments and those investments again are into the people that it employs and the communities. They pay taxes. They buy vehicles.

That’s important to the survival of rural Newfoundland and Labrador communities. I stress the importance of that.

My colleague from Burgeo - La Poile, as well, talked about the food fishery and certainly my colleague from Burin - Grand Bank talked about the food fishery. I think in my district 3Ps, they didn’t follow through on the seven days a week, which was disappointing to them, because it’s been alluded to that weather is a big challenge in terms of allowing them to go on the water. But certainly in my district, the food fishery is not what it used to be in terms of the quota, the numbers. It’s not there anymore.

I did hear a gentleman on the Southwest Coast talk about we’re just asking for fairness. Whether that is the federal minister will look at the bag limits, even a tag system for them, they only want their fair share, and that’s not too much to ask for. But I do have concerns as well that I think the limit per boat was lifted.

To me, the first thing that comes to my mind is safety, then how can we police that there won’t be more than should be on a vessel, and that’s a safety concern. I hope people don’t take advantage of that to get more fish, but it needs to be monitored. It needs to be taken into consideration from an enforcement perspective. Because we want people to go on the water, to be fair, because the food fishery is a recreational activity and it benefits our tourism industry as well in this province.

We all know there’s a high cost now in terms of fuel to go out and get fish. I hope that this will be a successful season, but on behalf of the people in my district as well, they feel that it’s unfair and it is unfair and I think it should have been across the board. So, hopefully, the minister will reconsider that.

Also, Mr. Speaker, in my district, in terms of the fishery we have, lobster is big; halibut and crab not so much. In terms of the crab fishery, from a provincial perspective, talking to other harvesters, they’re having an okay year so far. Some are being challenged in areas in terms of catch rates and stuff like that. We hope that it will be a good year for sure, and everyone have a good year and be safe on their vessels and return to their families.

Just moving to Estimates, I did hear the Member for Exploits, the Minister of Forestry, Agriculture and Lands, talk yesterday. He admitted when he was on this side, he asked for more; he wanted more. I’m glad he admitted that, because you do. I guess, for all of us, we’ll never have enough for our districts. There’s a balance and that is the challenge, I guess, for any Finance minister or any government, for sure.

In Estimates, we asked some questions around agriculture, and the minister did tell us that there’s a 10-year agricultural plan coming forward, not costed though. As the Minister of Finance likes to talk about, that it was forecasted and everything else, the cost here was not forecasted, but a 10-year agricultural plan, it is needed. I look forward to seeing what that plan is, for sure.

The minister talked yesterday about fires, and he said we have to be ready. We do have to be ready, and we’ve seen forest fires, I think, increase, and the enormity of these fires is growing unfortunately. We hope there’s none this year, but I would say that firefighters will be challenged again this year, for sure, with our weather patterns and everything.

The minister talked about fire mitigation plans, funding for that. My district did receive some funds, and I thank him for that because it’s important. I know he recognizes the challenge in rural parts. Also, I asked the question in Estimates about if the region, as a whole, wanted to put in a plan, would they be able to do that, and the answer was yes. I think that’s a good thing as well because if there’s a regional plan, the communities within that regional plan can help the provincial plan to work more effectively.

The minister talked about the waterbomber. He did say it flip-flopped and all that stuff, but the thing about the waterbomber, even at damaged state, it was valued very highly. I don’t make any apologies in terms of taking direction from the staff within to say hold on to that asset.

I think it was damaged in 2018, but when I was there in 2021, maybe, in TI I think it was, then we had a lot of discussions around should we sell it to get a lot of money. When you have a valuable asset such as that, I make no apologies that we did hold on to it.

Now, during that time, fires were not at the level that they are at now. So we became more challenged with fires. So now we have an asset; we probably need to repair it to have it in our system.

Again, every year and every minister will ask the staff the same thing, are we ready to fight fires this season? Mr. Speaker, the answer is yes. When staff tell you that, you take trust in that in terms of making your decisions moving forward, and I always received that from the staff. If staff had said to me that you need to go a different direction with regard to that waterbomber, then I certainly would have, and would have presented to government to do the same. But the cost of that water bomber and repairs was forecasted and budgeted last year, and the RFP went out last year, early in the year, when we were in government.

At the end of the day, listen, in terms of credit, we now have another asset on the ground and it will be in the air to help fight fires in this province to keep communities safe. I’ve said it before, fighting fires, you can have a lot of water bombers, but the state of the fire determines if the water bomber leaves the ground or not, and that’s determined by officials that monitor it.

In terms of resources for fighting fires, Mr. Speaker, a Bird Dog certainly is another asset that can be used. We had discussions around that. The government will see wisdom in that, and the training centre in Gander, I believe, can become, not just a training centre in Newfoundland and Labrador, but an Atlantic training centre that can provide training for other Atlantic provinces.

I know when we were in discussions, other Atlantic provinces were very interested in the idea that we had aro