Newfoundland and Labrador Hansard — Index 2017 (index_2017_speaker_speaker2017b)

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Newfoundland and Labrador — Debates (Hansard)

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Province of Newfoundland and Labrador

48th General Assembly - 2nd Session - 2017-2018

Speaker Index

Debates of the House of Assembly (Hansard)

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BALL, HON. DWIGHT (L) (HUMBER - GROS MORNE)

All-Party Committees

All-Party Committee on Shrimp Allocations

Is government willing to set up the All-Party Committee on Shrimp Allocations again so we can continue having the united front that we had in the past, 170

Auditor General

Report to the House of Assembly on the Audit of the Financial Statements on the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador for the Year Ended March 31 2017

Is the Auditor General right or is the Premier right about the feasibility of selling excess energy as part of government's fiscal plan for 2022-2023, 1551

Battle of the Atlantic

Commemorating sacrifices made by our naval, air and merchant veterans, 463–464

Budget

How will government undo the damage that their year of gouging has cost Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, 302

Is private member's resolution on recycling bins at drive-throughs the best Premier can do, 301–302

Will existing gas tax be converted to a carbon tax, 302–303

Will minister tell people of province her forecast for changes in the cost of living in the coming year, 369

Will minister tell people of province her forecast for changes to the unemployment rate in the coming year, 370

Budget

(2017) Debate, 998(1)–998(13)

Has minister budgeted funding to support the $100 million fisheries fund, 308

Budget (Federal)

How does a D grade limit our business growth and affect Premier's proposal, as well as having a possible impact on new mining development in Labrador, 2687–2688

How will federal budget's lack of initiative on corporate tax impact government's goal of increasing oil production by half by 2030, 2641

How will the American situation impact Premier's plan to double oil production by 2030 and continue to attract foreign investment, 2687

Is there a risk with a more favourable climate in the United States that foreign investment will be affected, 2687

What advocacy has Premier had with federal government to protect exports of iron ore out of Labrador, and what accommodations are being considered, 2688

Clerk of Executive Council

Are there any another special arrangements for Liberal appointments to senior government positions that government has not yet revealed to the people, 477

Are there any documents that establish a June 30 date in arrangement with Clerk, 527

Are there any other settlements made by Mr. Coffey that haven't been disclosed yet, 659–660

Can Premier indicate any out-of-court settlements or agreements occurring between Mr. Coffey and any government entity during his time as Clerk, 612

Can Premier release policy on time frame given to anyone coming to government from private life, 529

Can Premier say that Mr. Coffey did not handle any files in government related to any of the departments in question, 470

Did Premier ask Mr. Coffey whether there were any more settlements, 660

Did the conflict of interest advisory committee meet and make a recommendation or is it based on consulting a single person in the Dept. of Justice, 469

Did the Premier become aware of the Nalcor lawsuit through the media, or was government aware of all cases, 471

Does Premier believe that Mr. Coffey's actions and the deal reached with him break the conflict of interest law, 468

Does Premier expect people to trust that the former Liberal Clerk removed himself from sensitive files where there may have been a conflict, just because he told us so, 526

Given that Clerk acted directly in a conflict of interest and that the Premier allowed it to happen, will he do the right thing and resign, 614

Has Cabinet or government taken any action to waive the 12 month cooling-off period, 708

Has Premier informed Mr. Coffey that he's obligated to keep his hands off government files and issues for a 12-month period following his employment, 611

How much did Mr. Coffey profit personally from the Labrador-Grenfell settlement, 659

If Premier is changing the conflict of interest legislation, is he admitting that there was a conflict with the former Clerk, 854

If Premier was satisfied that all safeguards were put in place and Mr. Coffey's cases posed no conflict of interest, why is Mr. Coffey now resigning, 477

Is Premier saying that contract comprised the entirety of the conflict walls, 472

Is Premier saying the Minister of Natural Resources wasn't aware of the matter, 523

Is Premier's or is Mr. Coffey's statement with regard to his law practice correct, 521–522

In light of egregious lack of due diligence, will Premier resign, 476

Was conflict of interest advisory committee consulted prior to the appointment of Mr. Coffey, 468–469

Was Premier comfortable with Mr. Coffey profiting from suing Nalcor and Western Health while he was the Clerk, 526

Were Cabinet and caucus made aware of secret arrangement with former Clerk before story was reported to the media, 467

What action has Premier taken to ensure that Mr. Coffee respects the 12 month cooling-off period, 707–708

What conflict walls were put in place, 472–473

What is Premier's response to comments made by Democracy Watch that his decision to hire Mr. Coffey was unethical, 522

What officials in the Premier's Office had knowledge of the former Clerk's conflict of interest and Premier's special arrangement with the former Clerk, 610

What other ministers did Premier trust with sensitive information, 522–523

What protections are in place to protect the public interest in the relevant departments, 470

What was Premier referring to when he said that we had lawyers opposite, 658

What was the date that Mr. Coffey's settlement was reached on Labrador-Grenfell Health, 657

What was the value of the settlement achieved by Mr. Coffey on behalf of his client against the government, 612

When did Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development first know that the former Clerk was given permission by the Premier to continue to practice law, 523 , 524

When did Minister of Natural Resources find out that the former Clerk was continuing to practice law on the side when he had filed a claim against Nalcor, 709

Where is the policy referencing a transition time for individuals joining government from the private sector, 528–529

Why did Premier allow for a transition period for high-ranking public servants who are in a conflict of interest, 610–611

Why did Premier withhold information that settlement was reached with former Liberal Clerk with Labrador-Grenfell, 658

Why was Cabinet not informed that Mr. Coffey would be acting as lawyer against Nalcor and Western Health, while also acting as Clerk, 476

Why was there no reference to the June 30th transition date in Mr. Coffey's contract, 526–527

Will government establish an ethics office to guide them on ethical matters in the future, 530

Will Premier call an independent review of this matter, as was called for Humber Valley Paving, 660

Will Premier give assurance that former Liberal Clerk will not be engaged with any work involving government or its entities for one year following his departure, 611

Will Premier immediately appoint an ethics commissioner to look into all appointments and hires made under his administration, to date, 475

Will Premier provide details of the secret arrangement he made with the former Clerk, Bern Coffey, 467

Will Premier publicly provide the details of what measures were put in place to ensure and protect the public, 471–472

Will Premier table details of the settlement, 613

Will Premier table list in the House and let the public judge whether there are any conflicts of interest, 469–470

Without seeing the list, how can people of the province be assured that there wasn't more than seven files, 470

Cougar Flight 411

Ninth anniversary of crash, 2927

Deer Lake

Short, Isla—Three and half year old with neuroblastoma who inspired her hometown, 1541

Economy

Is Premier expecting another handout of billions of dollars without demonstrating how he plans to gain fiscal stability, 2537

What is Premier's Plan B for lifting province out of economic quagmire, 2486

What will Premier be able to use to prove that there's a plan for achieving economic stability because of the offshore development, 2536–2537

Why does Premier think that the Prime Minister will just pass over more money to the province, without seeing a solid fiscal plan for future economic stability, 2486–2487

Education and Early Childhood Development

Schools

Does Premier think that comments like the minister's about his patience running thin are becoming of a Minister of the Crown, 1692

Will Premier ask minister to live up to his mandate letter, which was based on improving education, including for those in the Mobile area, 1692

Will Premier meet with families and explain to them why he cancelled the new school that's needed for the region, 858

Will Premier meet with families of region and explain why he cancelled the new school, 858

Employment

Given the projection for employment and jobs, what is government doing to strengthen economic conditions for businesses in our province, 1178

What actions is Premier taking to address job cuts in province, 166

Will minister acknowledge that despite an election promise of an economic growth plan, government is projecting that the unemployment rate on its watch will continue to get worse, 1178

Will Premier consider upgrading the road link under construction by Nalcor to the Burin Peninsula from the Coast of Bays, 766

Finance

Atlantic Accord

Has Premier had a response to his letter to the Prime Minister, and if so, what does it say, 2641–2642

What are the other benefits that Premier is expecting, and does he think he can get the federal government to change the equalization formula to benefit us, 2641

What does Premier hope to achieve by opening discussions early, and does he plan to try to renegotiate the terms of the agreement by basing it on a different measure of economic activity, 2600

Will Premier use the review to go after the 8.5 per cent equity share in Hibernia given that the federal government has more than recouped its initial investment, 2601

Bankruptcies

What advice does Premier have for young families who think leaving the province is now their only option, 1009

What has government done to help families facing this situation, 1008–1009

Deficit

Can Minister provide an updated projection of the deficit for the current fiscal year and what, if anything, is he planning to do to make the adjustments, 1357

What is Premier's plan to reduce the deficit moving forward, which is continuing to grow under the Liberal watch, 1779

What is Premier's plan to reduce the deficit, which is growing under his watch, 1779–1780

Economic diversification

How much is budgeted for improved revenue from economic diversification this year, 716

Equalization

Is Premier okay with accepting zero dollars from Ottawa in equalization payments, 122 , 123

Fiscal policy

Are we in a fiscal crisis or not, 1780

Has Premier instructed the new Finance Minister to take a different approach to managing the provincial finances, 1355

Gasoline tax

Can people of the province expect tax to be reduced or eliminated in the budget next week, 115

Inflation

What will budget do to address escalating costs at a time when Newfoundlanders and Labradorians can't afford it, 115–116

Loan guarantee

Can minister update us on the completion of the extended loan guarantee, 168

Will the assets of Muskrat Falls be allowed to be sold under the new agreement, 168

McInnes Cooper

What benefits do Newfoundlanders and Labradorians get from McInnes Cooper, 1356–1357

Oil revenues

Where are the decisive actions and new initiatives and revenue streams that the Premier promised the people of the province, 1872

Revenue

If Premier doesn't support the project and there's nowhere to sell the energy, how is he saying it's going to be used to provide increased revenue for '22-'23 in his six year plan, 1552

Small business

Has Premier or Finance Minister done an analysis of how much change there will be to the economics of small businesses in Newfoundland and Labrador if the changes go ahead, 1454

Is Premier in favour of proposed federal tax changes, 1454

Why has Minister of Finance not condemned this tax proposal by the federal government, 1454–1455

Taxation

What did Premier mean when he referred to a review to ensure that the tax structure is fair to all residents, 1873

Fire and Emergency Services

Mud Lake

Can Premier provide an update on the situation in Mud Lake and how government is providing assistance and support, 1135–1136

Does Premier have a timeline for the report to be finished and available, 1233

Has Premier met with the Chief Executive Officer of Nalcor to get an explanation of Nalcor's position on the Mud Lake flooding, 1233

Premier provides update on flooding, 1222–1223

Who will conduct the independent review of the flooding, and what will the parameters of the review be, 1232–1233

West Coast Flood Response

Premier commends response efforts for storm and flooding, 2475

Fisheries and Land Resources

Aquaculture

If government is committed to a $45 million investment, is Premier planning to pay for it out of the recently announced fund, 124

Why are smaller agricultural projects required to go through a full environmental impact process, but not this huge project with potentially unprecedented environmental problems, 124–125

Arctic surf clams

Did minister explain why he's eliminating the hundreds of full-time, year-round middle-class jobs on the Burin Peninsula, 2484

Does minister think shared arrangements are right, for the federal government and federal minister to share Grand Banks surf clam quota, 2484

Why isn't minister speaking to the Prime Minister of Canada on this issue, 2750–2751

Five Nations Clam Company

Has minister been able to learn anything about this group and who their partners are, 2597

Shrimp

Is government willing to set up the All-Party Committee on Shrimp Allocations again so we can continue having the united front that we had in the past, 170

Fixed link

Does Premier think it a fair trade-off to spend $750,000 for the fixed link with $860,000 coming off health care for the people in Labrador, 163

How much, if any, of the $750,000 budgeted last year for the study has been spent, 162–163

Where is government proposing to get the money to pay for a $2 billion fixed link, 164

Why doesn't government address the real issues in Labrador instead, 165

Will government calculate the implications on tourism and trade and the potential implications on the link that currently connects the Maritimes to Port aux Basques, 164

Forgivable Loan

Can minister confirm that a company owned by the Premier is getting a $400,000 forgivable loan to develop a housing project in his district, 2528–2529

Can Premier confirm that the funding was actually finalized when he was Premier, 2529

Can Premier confirm whether it was he who applied for the $400,000 forgivable grant from government when he was a Member of the House of Assembly in 2014, 2529

Did Premier specifically discuss with Commissioner for Legislative Standards the conditions of the forgivable loan, and specifically review the conditions that a Member of the House of Assembly cannot benefit from that contract, 2594

Does Premier agree that what happened is wrong, 2531

Given that the benefit is to the Premier's company, will he pay it back, 2746–2747

How is the $400,000 going to be disbursed directly to the tenants, 2592–2593

If the Premier proactively disclosed the details and got an opinion from the Commissioner for Legislative Standards, why does he withhold that opinion from release, 2841

Is it correct that Premier made application for the grant, and that the contract was finalized when he was Premier, 2530

Is it in contravention of the contract that the Premier is owner of the company and actually applied for the grant, 2530

Is the loan not a benefit to the Premier, if he owns the building forever, 2531

Isn't it true that the $400,000 is directly tied to construction of the housing complex, 2593

When was conflict of interest in awarding $400,000 to his company raised with Premier in his current role as Premier, 2743

Why are Premier's hands all over file when he was aware of clause in the $400,000 funding contract that states that Members of the House of Assembly are not permitted to benefit from the funding, 2592

Why has Premier refused to make the 2016 opinion on conflict of interest public, 2841

Will Premier repay the $400,000 of public money that was paid to his company by his government, 2746

Will Premier table the opinion from the Commissioner of Legislative Standards, 2743–2744

Will Premier waive privilege and table the 2016 conflict of interest opinion, 2840–2841

Harassment

Is the time up for bullying and violence, or will it continue, 2597

Health care

Health Research Ethics Authority

Will minister come up with a strategy that ensures companies that want to stay in Newfoundland and Labrador to do research and create jobs have the ability to do that, 2692

Will minister commit to resolving the unreasonable delay faced by Sequence Bio, to ensure that another company doesn't close up shop and leave this province, 2691

Opioid crisis

Will Premier immediately establish a new task force to coordinate efforts and engage key community partners, 617–618

House of Assembly

Addresses

Christmas recess, 2468–2470

Summer recess, 1342–1344 , 1344–1346

Deputy Chair of Committees

Appointment of

Moved, 1353

Deputy Speaker—Appointment of

Moved, 1353

Law Clerk

Proudfoot, Lorna—Retirement tribute, 1343–1344

Moment of silence

In honour of Mr. Bill Rompkey, 112

Indigenous Affairs

Beothuk—Can Premier provide an update on efforts to repatriate the remains of Demasduit and Nonosabasut, 2428–2429

Beothuk—What timelines can be expected for the remains of Demasduit and Nonosabasut to be returned home, 2429

Justice and Public Safety

Cannabis

Is minister saying that province will not have control as to who the supplier is for this province, 2182–2183

Is Premier or anyone in his office having discussions with a mainland company, 2183

What assurances can Premier provide that the province will be ready for the implementation of marijuana for July 2018, 2125

Lobbying

Does it present a problem to the Premier that several weeks went by before the correct information was brought to the Premier's attention by the chief of staff, 2424–2425

To ensure transparency and accountability, will Premier ask for an investigation to start immediately, 2425

How appropriate is it that the chief of staff has been involved in meetings with Tata Steel, a group that he was working for, as recently as March of this year, 2425

When did Premier become aware that chief of staff had violated rules, 2424

Why did Premier state that chief of staff had followed every single rule, when in fact he had violated lobbying rules, 2424

Ministerial Statements

Battle of the Atlantic

Commemorating sacrifices made by our naval, air and merchant veterans, 463–464

Cougar Flight 411

Ninth anniversary of crash, 2927

Fire and Emergency Services

Mud Lake

Premier provides update on flooding, 1222–1223

West Coast Flood Response

Premier commends response efforts for storm and flooding, 2475

Tributes

Senator Bill Rompkey, 111–112

Vimy Ridge

100th anniversary of battle—Acknowledgment of, 358–359

response, 359

Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve

Is lack of reference in the Throne Speech an indication that the site will not be ready for visitors to the province, 72

Motions

House of Assembly

Deputy Chair of Committees

Appointment of—Moved, 1353

Deputy Speaker—Appointment of

Moved, 1353

Municipal Affairs and Environment

Project funding

Why has there been no progress on various projects two years later, and is government making changes to how this funding is going to be allocated, 1304

Natural Resources

Muskrat Falls

Auditing—Is Premier refusing to conduct audit for same reason he refused to release Oversight Committee reports, 1358

Auditing—Now that former Nalcor chair is no longer in Cabinet, will Premier now commit to undertake a forensic audit immediately, 1357–1358

Contractors—Doesn't Premier think that the Oversight Committee should have been looking at how Nalcor was being managed, how the work was being done, and the use of embedded contractors, 1456

Contractors—If Premier was concerned about costly embedded contractors, why didn't he put this issue in EY's mandate for their review of Muskrat Falls, 1455

Contractors—When did Premier learn of the 500 embedded contractors and the number that was out of whack, 1384

Contractors—Why is Premier only dealing with the issue now, 1384

Contractors—Why was there no public mention of the 500 embedded contractors working on the project, 1383–1384

Contractors—Wouldn't Premier have expected something like this to be mentioned by the Oversight Committee in their reports, 1455

Energy Corporation Act—What changes does minister anticipate need to be made to the act to make information open and transparent, 1405

Inquiry—Can Premier be more specific about his plans for the inquiry, 1456

Inquiry—Can Premier tell us when inquiry is going to happen, 1456

Inquiry—Did Premier consult with anyone other than the Commissioner about having the possibility of the inquiry and the report completed before the next provincial election, 1961–1962

Inquiry—When does Premier expect to release the terms of the inquiry, and when is the anticipated start date, 1379–1380

Inquiry—Who developed the terms of reference, 1963

Inquiry—Why did Premier push blindly on with the project, only to begin the inquiry today, 1970

Inquiry—Why didn't Premier make a forensic audit a condition of the terms of reference for the inquiry, 1970

Inquiry—Why does inquiry not include anything that's happened over the last two years, 1962–1963

Inquiry—Will all decisions made on Muskrat Falls in the past two years be included as part of the inquiry, 2011

Inquiry—Will all the circumstances and details related to the process in Labrador, especially methylmercury, be included in the inquiry, 2012

Inquiry—Will assessments and review leading to endorsing the project and providing the loan guarantees be part of the inquiry, 2013

Inquiry—Will it be made public if Justice LeBlanc wishes to expand the scope of the inquiry and will government approve it, 2013

Inquiry—Will Premier commit to ensuring that before a full blown inquiry is done, a forensic audit of the project is completed, possibly by the Auditor General, which looks at the procurement of contracts and all of the things that could feed into an inquiry, 1381

Inquiry—Will Premier commit to ensuring that the terms of reference be drafted by an individual or group that is independent of government, 1380

Inquiry—Will Premier commit to the inquiry being completed and a report made public before the next general election, 1961

Inquiry—Will Premier consult with experts and concerned members of the public before drafting the terms of reference, 1383

Inquiry—Will Premier ensure that a forensic audit precedes or is part of the inquiry, 1383

Inquiry—Will Premier make sure the inquiry happens and it's delivered before the next general election, 1962

Inquiry—Will Premier produce concrete proof of what it is that made it impossible to pause the project in 2015 to review where things stood, 2019–2020

Inquiry—Will Premier show us the evidence he used for dragging his feet for two years, and for not stopping the project, 1971

Inquiry—Will the Astaldi contract renewal be included as part of the inquiry work, 2012

Inquiry—Will the management of the project, including procurement and oversight activities over the last two years be included in the terms of reference, 2011

Inquiry—Will the review be right up to date, in terms of what decisions have been made, 1381

Inquiry—Will the terms of reference come back to the House of Assembly, 1380

Oversight report—When will Premier direct minister to release oversight reports, 853

Public Tender Act—Does Premier even know that he has the power to put Muskrat Falls under the Public Tender Act, 1498–1499

Public Tender Act—Why would Premier not use

section 17.1(2) of the Energy Corporation Act to require that Muskrat Falls be subject to the Public Tender Act, 1498

Rates—If Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro cannot mitigate rates now, how can Muskrat Falls' power possibly be made affordable, 861

Rates—What was Premier's plan to help seniors, working families and small businesses with the doubling of their power bills, 1971

Revenue—Which is correct, that the Premier says there's no revenue, or that the Auditor General report indicates $1.1 billion in revenue by 2022-2023, 1734

Select committee—How can minister assure people's confidence, if not by collaboration with Members who have been elected by the people, 1737

Transmission line—Could minister confirm whether the province is acting at the request of Ottawa, or was government driving the initiative, 1733–1734

Transmission line—Have discussions taken place with Minister Carr in relation to a possible transmission link, and is it tied to current or future development in Labrador, 1731

Transmission line—What elected officials has federal minister spoken with regarding regional transmission line linking Quebec to the Atlantic provinces, 1730–1731

Transmission line—What will the role of the existing Maritime Link be in any transmission deal with Quebec, 1736

Transmission line—Will Premier finally keep his promise on an open and transparent government and tell people what's happening now and keep them informed, 1736

Water levels

Can Premier explain why government has broken its promise to Aboriginal leaders to lower water levels this spring, 1497–1498

Nalcor

Is it correct that in 2021-2040 Nalcor will have $3.4 billion generated in excess revenue, 168–169

West White Rose Extension

Who will pay the carbon tax and how will it affect the royalties for this province, 1232

Office of Climate Change

Carbon tax

Does minister or Premier understand that now is not the time to introduce a carbon tax, 303

Oral Questions

Auditor General

Report to the House of Assembly on the Audit of the Financial Statements on the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador for the Year Ended March 31 2017

Is the Auditor General right or is the Premier right about the feasibility of selling excess energy as part of government's fiscal plan for 2022-2023, 1551

Budget

(2017) Has minister budgeted funding to support the $100 million fisheries fund, 308