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November 30, 2016

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLVIII No. 51

The

House met at 2 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Osborne):

Order, please!

Admit

strangers.

welcome to the Speaker's gallery today Major William G. Tilley, Colonel Keith

Arns and Colonel Adrian Heffernan. Major Tilley is the subject of a Member's

statement today.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

Statements by

Members

MR. SPEAKER:

For Members' statements today

we have the Member for the District of Conception Bay South; the District of St.

George's Humber; the District of St. John's Centre; the District of Virginia

Waters Pleasantville; and the District of Fogo Island Cape Freels.

The hon.

the Member for the District of Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise

in this House today to honour Mr. Gerald Morgan Greenslade from Long Pond, CBS

who passed away at the Caribou Memorial Veterans Pavilion on September 23, 2016

at the age of 96.

In 1940,

Mr. Greenslade joined the Royal Navy during WWII and served honourably until

1946. He lived the rest of his life in CBS where he founded the company,

Greenslades Construction Ltd.

He led

the rapidly growing community of Conception Bay South into incorporation and, in

1973, was appointed the town's first mayor, where he served voluntarily from

1973 to 1977.

Gerald

was instrumental in building Branch 50 Royal Canadian Legion where he served

as president. He served on numerous associations; he was a member of the Masonic

Lodge Conception, Avalon Lodge, Royal Order of Scotland, St. John's Scottish

Rite Freemasons, St. John's Shrine Club, Newfoundland and Labrador Construction

Association and an honourary member of the Heavy Civil Association of

Newfoundland and Labrador.

received many awards and recognitions such as CBS Citizen of the Year, and the

Queen's Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals.

Gerald's

life was one filled with devotion to his family, outstanding service to his

community, province and country.

I ask

all Members of this House to join with me in honouring an extraordinary

Newfoundlander and Labradorian, Mr. Gerald Greenslade.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

George's Humber.

MR. REID:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise

today to pay tribute to Cody Blanchard, a native of St. George's, who recently

set a new Nova Scotia record in his class weight for weightlifting.

The

23-year-old from St. George's is turning heads in the Olympic weightlifting

world after he won gold in the 94 kilogram weight class at the Nova Scotia

Weightlifting Championships at Blended Athletics in Dartmouth this past weekend.

It was his second impressive performance since he immersed himself in the sport

only 18 months ago. He also won gold in his weight class at the Maritime Open in

Moncton, New Brunswick back in September.

Cody

trains seven days a week while also focusing on his first year at law studies at

Dalhousie University. For him, every day at the gym is an opportunity to do a

little better than he did the day before. He intends to beat his own personal

records and to keep achieving and advancing in the sport.

I ask

all Members of the House to join with me in congratulating Cody on his

accomplishments and wishing him well in his future endeavours.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the

District of St. John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

Workers

from across the province gathered in St. John's for the 2nd Triennial

Constitutional Convention of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour

and to celebrate their 80th anniversary.

The

federation has a proud history, representing union members and workers since

1936, made up of 30 affiliated unions, 500 locals and six district labour

councils. They represent 65,000 working women and men from every sector of our

economy and every community in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The

federation advances the cause of working people and promotes progressive civil

society where no one gets left behind. They advocate for improved workplace

rights, stronger laws including occupational, health and safety laws, workers'

compensation and Employment Insurance programs that are fair and are there when

our people need them.

Fighting

for better labour laws, strong, accessible public services such as universal

health care, education, worker training, elder home care and child care and

early learning, the federation and its members stand up for the principles of

equality, equity and social justice. They work hard with affiliate unions and

social partners to build a better world for all citizens. The only way for us to

survive, Mr. Speaker, is to pull together, and that is the Newfoundland and

Labrador way.

I ask

all Members to join me congratulating and thanking President Mary Shortall and

all members of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour.

Thank

you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Virginia Waters Pleasantville.

MR. B. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise

in this hon. House today to wish a happy birthday to a man who has given more

than nine decades of service to the youth of our province. Major William G.

Tilley turns 102 today.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. B. DAVIS:

He was the focal point of a

recent CLB awards ceremony at Government House.

Major

Tilley also received the 90-year Gold Service Bar, and this has been the first

time this honour has ever been bestowed. Colonel Keith Arns and Colonel Adrian

Heffernan, who are here accompanying Major Tilley today, recently received their

55-year Service Bar as well, which means that in the Speaker's gallery here

today there are over 200 years of CLB experience.

Major

Tilley joined the CLB in March of 1926 after watching drummers march down

Plymouth Road as a child. He later became Drum Major of the CLB Regimental Band

in 1939 until 2002, some 63 years.

Upon

retiring from a career with the CN railway, Major Tilley was asked to help

preserve the history of the CLB, and led the redevelopment of the archives in

1978. Major Tilley remains busy with the archives and is still a fountain of

knowledge about the CLB.

I ask

all hon. Members to join me in wishing Major Tilley a very happy birthday and

thank him for his many years of service.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

On Major Tilley's way into

the scrum area today, Colonel Arns apologized that he was walking a little

slower as he refuses to use a walker. And I can understand, as you're only 102.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Fogo

Island Cape Freels.

MR. BRAGG:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Today, I

would like to recognize the volunteer efforts of a member of my district. Leo

Blackmore from New-Wes-Valley has spent years volunteering. Many years ago Leo

survived a horrific car accident that left him in a wheelchair. That did not

stop him. He invested in his community. He became an active volunteer with the

recreation committee and the Lions Club.

While he

demonstrated his commitment to the community, the community held a fundraiser to

provide him with a wheelchair accessible van. Leo was very grateful and he gave

back in spades. Wherever there is bingo, cards or tickets, Leo is always front

and centre, always with a smile and always taking your money. He has spent years

fundraising for volunteer groups.

A couple

of months ago, Leo was hospitalized. Now Leo is in for the fight of his life. I

would like to encourage him to pull from his inner strength, the strength he

found to survive this accident.

I would

like to thank Leo for all the volunteer work he has done and ask all Members to

show our support to his new battle.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Statements by Ministers.

Statements by

Ministers

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

MS. COADY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, I stand in this hon. House today to welcome Anadarko Petroleum

Corporation to the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador offshore area. I am pleased

to report that Anadarko has successfully acquired a working interest in five

exploration licences from Shell which was initially registered under BG

International Limited for licences in the highly sought after Flemish Pass

Basin.

Anadarko

Petroleum Corporation is one of the world's largest independent oil and natural

gas exploration and production companies. This acquisition gives Anadarko access

to 1.2 million hectares of prospective exploration acreage, having total work

commitments of $477 million.

As Minister of Natural Resources, one of my key priorities

is to further encourage exploration and development of our offshore including

attracting new entrants. Significant exploration opportunity exists in our

province's offshore, as evidenced by the results of the recent Call for Bids by

the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board, which saw other

new entrants gain licences in the area: Hess Canada Oil and Gas; Noble Energy

Canada; and Delek Group (Navitas Petroleum Ltd. and DKL Investments Ltd.),

adding to the total number of operators offshore today. Overall, that call

resulted in a total work commitment of close to $758 million with eight

successful bids received.

Officials from my department have already met with

representatives from Anadarko, and we officially welcome them to the

Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador offshore area.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The

hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for an advance copy of her statement. It's certainly encouraging to see the

continued interest in our offshore industry from various industry leaders.

Mr.

Speaker, we join with the government in welcoming Anadarko to the Flemish Pass

and certainly into our offshore arena. We wish them and their partners success

in their exploration.

As the

minister noted, through this and the recent C-NLOPB call for bids, there is

great potential in our Newfoundland and Labrador offshore industry; however, I

would be remiss if I didn't mention the generic royalty regime. Over a year ago,

our government announced a generic royalty regime which would encourage growth

and development in our offshore industry.

This

Liberal government although committing to implementing a generic royalty regime

in their red book, and through the minister's mandate letter, have yet to

fulfill this commitment. I certainly encourage the minister to work diligently

on this file as a generic royalty regime will pave the way for future oil and

gas development.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

I, too,

thank the minister for the advance copy of her statement. I have to say that I

trust government will ensure Anadarko is held to the C-NLOPB standards on worker

employment, safety and benefits to local business.

I also

remind the minister that the oil industry has taught us all a painful lesson

about the need for economic diversification. I further remind the minister that

the spending commitments are just that, money not yet spent. We have no evidence

oil companies will spend that full amount.

Thank

you very much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. Minister of Justice

and Public Safety and the Attorney General.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, this year we are marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of

Beaumont-Hamel.

Earlier

this fall, the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador held a special Call to

Bar to honour five students in law who suspended their studies to take

part in

the war effort. Unfortunately, none of these five Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians had an opportunity to complete their studies after the war.

These

brave individuals were Cecil Clift; John Clift; William Hutchings; Janet Miller;

and Harris Rendell Oke. Each was ceremonially conferred with the Honorary Degree

of Barrister-at-Law by the Law Society.

Cecil

Clift was killed at Gueudecourt, France, on October 12, 1916; his brother John

was severely wounded and retired from the Newfoundland Regiment in 1919. He was

later awarded the Military Cross, and died of complications from war wounds in

William

Hutchings enlisted on September 16, 1914, and was discharged in 1919. He resumed

his law studies, but could not continue due to medical reasons.

Janet

Miller was the first female permitted to enter into articles in the province.

She joined the Voluntary Aid Detachment and served for the duration of the war.

Harris

Oke enlisted in 1914 and transferred to the Royal Scots Regiment in 1915. He was

also awarded the Military Cross. Following the war, he joined the British

Foreign Service.

Mr.

Speaker, I would like to commend the Law Society for holding this special Call

to Bar and ask my hon. colleagues in this House to join me in recognizing these

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and their extraordinary contributions during

this time in our history.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

certainly thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement. We join with

the government in thanking the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador for

recognizing and honouring these five individuals. They are wonderful examples of

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who unselfishly gave of themselves and

sacrificed so much for the freedom we enjoy and appreciate today.

Unfortunately, as the minister pointed out, none of the five had the opportunity

to complete their studies for various reasons, some of which were tragic. But,

Mr. Speaker, all completed a far greater calling and they are commended for

their service and their sacrifice.

I'd like

to thank the Law Society for the undertaking. Let us continue to remember and

celebrate the women, the men and the stories that are such an important part of

our province's cultural and historical fabric.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I too

thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement. How tragic the loss of

lives to war. In honour of these brave young folks who gave so much, so very

much, we must to continue to remember that peace is more than just the absence

of war, that means in their honour we must strive for a society where everyone

can thrive and live fully, that no one is left behind. And especially in light

of their great sacrifice, that we strive for a justice system that has the

resources it needs to serve our people well so everyone can live in safety, with

dignity and respect.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Further statements by

ministers?

Oral

Questions.

Oral Questions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, in the original loan guarantee for the Muskrat Falls Project there was

a clause prohibiting the sale of assets.

I ask

the Minister of Natural Resources: Will the new loan guarantee include the same

stipulation?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

MS. COADY:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

We were

very pleased that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, and indeed the

people of Newfoundland and Labrador, that we were able to negotiate and have in

place an extended loan guarantee. I'm very pleased the federal government was

able to do that. We are still in discussions with the federal government on the

extension to the loan guarantee and the mechanisms around that.

Thank

you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

understand negotiations are underway and it's not finalized but one of the

conditions in your negotiations as the Minister of Natural Resources for this

province: Will the stipulation be the same that there will be no assets sold

under the condition of the loan guarantee for Muskrat Falls?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

MS. COADY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Most of

our discussions have been around the extension of the loan guarantee itself, not

in the details of the agreement as the Member opposite has been detailing. We

have not gotten to those particular details. We have focused mostly on the

extension of the loan guarantee.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I will

advise the minister,

section 4.11, Change of Control, deals with the particular

issue that I talked about, and today she hasn't been able to confirm that a sale

of assets won't be a condition of the new loan guarantee.

Mr.

Speaker, after raising questions about the CEO of Nalcor employment contract,

the Auditor General referred me to the Premier and indicated that Cabinet could

take action in accordance with the

Conflict of Interest Act . I asked the Premier on September 20 to appoint a

conflict of interest advisory council to review Mr. Marshall's contract.

I ask

the Premier: Could I have an update on that letter?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

MS. COADY:

Thank you.

response to the first part of his question, Mr. Speaker, I have been clear. Our

discussions with the federal government have been on the extension of the loan

guarantee not on the details of the contract that currently exists, on the

extension of the loan guarantee.

To his

second point, Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to report that we have had lots of

discussions around conflict of interest with regard to Mr. Marshall. The

committee has reviewed Mr. Marshall's conflicts. They have done a thorough

analysis, and I went a little bit further and asked Mr. Marshall to remove

himself from anything with regard to Fortis, for example, any discussions around

that, even though he is not in conflict. He does not breach any of the conflict

of interest rules.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you.

wonder, could the minister advise us when that review was undertaken and could

we have a copy of the results of that review?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

MS. COADY:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

A copy

of the act is available to the Member at all times, of course, and it does

detail what the conditions under which must be followed by Mr. Marshall and all

of us in the province today, Mr. Speaker. We've had a thorough review of Mr.

Marshall. We've asked it to be thoroughly reviewed. He has provided all the

documentation. It has been discussed, it has been reviewed. We even went a

little bit further and asked him to remove himself in certain circumstances, and

he has agreed to do all those things.

Mr.

Speaker, he is a renowned, international, award-winning CEO. He absolutely

understands conflict of interest rules. I can assure the people of the province,

I can assure the Members opposite; he's not in contravention of that.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

It's not questioning the

integrity of the gentleman; it's the process and the conflict of interest

guidelines.

I say to

the minister, I wrote the AG, he referred me to the Premier. I wrote the Premier

September 20 and asked that the committee be struck.

So are

you saying the committee was struck, they reviewed it, they came to conclusions

and you have those available? If you do, could you make them available to the

public?

Thank

you very much.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would

like to remind the Member opposite that if you receive a salary from any agency,

board or commission in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, you have to

abide by the legislation that is governing those hires, which would be the

Conflict of Interest Act .

you're an employee, such as the individual that the Member opposite is referring

to, you are required to release directly and indirectly information and

documents that are confidential required not to release those documents. You

are required to comply with all of the rules that are stipulated in the

Conflict of Interest Act .

The

Public Service Commission ensures that those individuals that work across the

public sector, particularly that work, as the Member opposite is referring to,

in agencies, boards and commissions, are responsible for complying with that

act. As the minister has already said, the CEO for Nalcor certainly has complied

and has gone above that.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, we still don't know the request made on September 20, whether the

review was done and what the results for those reviews were. It appears that

information is not forthcoming.

Mr.

Speaker, the original contract for the new CEO of Nalcor mirrored that of Ed

Martin. There were significant changes made to the new CEO's contract regarding

conflict of interest.

I ask

the minister: What were the reasons for those changes?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

MS. COADY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As the

Member opposite wells knows, the contract rests with the board of Nalcor. As

I've repeated several times today and as the minister responsible for the

Conflict of Interest Act repeated, Mr.

Marshall's complete portfolio has been reviewed. He meets all the requirements.

There has been a thorough evaluation. And we went a little bit further and asked

Mr. Marshall to excuse himself from anything of a serious nature with Fortis.

So we

have gone above and beyond the steps that we were required. Mr. Marshall does

not hold any more than the 5 per cent less than the 5 per cent threshold that

is required under the act, and there is no conflict of interest here, Mr.

Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, the June 10, 2016 draft contract notes that the CEO of Nalcor is not to

have any interest in an entity which may compete directly or indirectly with

Nalcor. However, the signed version allows for ownership, as the minister

mentioned, of 5 per cent in publicly traded companies such as Fortis.

I ask

the minister: Did she authorize this change, and are you confident that public

interests are protected?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

MS. COADY:

Yes, I'm very confident

public interest is protected under the conflict of interest rules, as the

minister responsible has indicated. As you know, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Marshall has

been reviewed under that act. He has been found to be completely incompliance

with that act.

In fact,

Mr. Marshall also knows conflict of interest because he has sat on many, many

boards and understands the requirements under, what I want to call, the

fiduciary responsibility and duties of a board member.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, the prior CEOs contract stated that the CEO and family members shall

not have financial interest or holdings in companies in potential competition

with Nalcor, specifically Fortis. The new rewritten contract removed these

restrictions for the CEO, the current CEO and his family.

Can the

minister explain why the conflict of interest guidelines for the new CEO are so

different than the predecessor?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

MS. COADY:

Mr. Speaker, as I've said,

the contract does sit with the board of Nalcor, Nalcor Energy. However, I can

say again, we do have conflict of interest rules; we do have

an act that Mr.

Marshall must comply with. His portfolio has been reviewed. He does not have any

inconsistencies with meeting that act. And we have gone that step further to ask

Mr. Marshall to remove himself, as he would because he's an experienced

director, from anything that would cause him to be in conflict.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'll

just ask the Natural Resources Minister this: What would happen if Fortis wanted

to purchase transmission lines for Nalcor? I ask the minister: Would that be a

conflict in that particular instance?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

MS. COADY:

Mr. Speaker, I can't get into

suppositions. I can't get into some esoteric possibilities. I can say, Mr.

Speaker, that the conflict of interest rules, the compliance with the act are

paramount. And Mr. Marshall understands this; the people that administer that

act understand this.

I can

say that I know that Mr. Marshall understands completely what he required of him

as CEO of Nalcor, and he is an international renowned CEO and an internationally

renowned director. He understands the rules of conflict. I can assure the people

of this province, as I can assure the Members opposite, that he following all

the requirements under that act.

Thank

you.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

October 3, the Minister of Environment stormed out of a meeting with his federal

and provincial counterparts because he felt railroaded by incoming carbon tax.

I ask

the minister: Are you in agreement with the prime minister's proposed carbon

tax?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Environment and Climate Change.

MR. TRIMPER:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

I guess

the word stormed is a bit of an exaggeration. Certainly, there was great

concern on that day. For the previous six months, my staff have been working

very hard to come up with a solution that could work for what has to be Canada's

and the world's most important problem, that is of climate change.

In terms

of what the federal government announced on the 3rd of October, there's great

concern. We've brought that back and we're engaged in discussions with the

federal government. I look forward to reporting back on progress, hopefully.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

When

Muskrat Falls is completed, Newfoundland and Labrador will be 99 per cent carbon

free.

I ask

the minister: Do you believe Newfoundland should have a carbon tax?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. Minister of

Environment and Climate Change.

MR. TRIMPER:

Thank you very much for the

supplementary question.

What I

do believe is that this province should have the ability to find its own way

forward in this great challenge. I'm very pleased to say that in June we passed

legislation dealing with large industry. Its jurisdiction has stepped up.

I'm very

pleased to say that understanding our situation as we are and our exposure, it's

going to be important to consider all options. Carbon tax is one of them. Cap

and trade and other mechanisms are out there.

I look

forward to working closely with, what I must say, is probably Canada's top team

on climate change. We'll find a way forward.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, the federal government will price carbon at $10 a ton in 2018 with a

$10 yearly increase to 2022. Our province already has an enormously high

gasoline tax.

I ask

the Minister of Finance: Will she commit to reducing or removing the gas tax

when carbon tax is imposed?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. Minister of

Environment and Climate Change.

MR. TRIMPER:

I guess what I'd like to

start with first of all, Mr. Speaker, is correcting the statement about 99 per

cent. It's actually going to be some 98 per cent. While it might sound like I'm

dealing with little numbers, when you're talking about millions of tons of

greenhouse gas emissions, and the fact that by the time Muskrat Falls is

completed and Holyrood is down, we will be at 98 per cent in terms of non-GHG

sources for generating electricity.

In terms

of whether or not moving the temporary tax to a carbon tax or not, it's an

option that's available to us. As I said, the staff are working very hard right

now with Ottawa. I look forward to reporting back on hopefully progress.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I ask

the Minister of Environment: Can you table your analysis of how carbon tax will

impact the people of our province?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, the Member

opposite asked a question this afternoon about the temporary gas tax that our

government had to bring in as a result of the very challenging fiscal situation

that the Members who served in government in the past left the people of the

province to face.

Certainly, as we said in this year's fiscal update, that particular gas tax has

been in place for only a few months. We've made a commitment and are continuing

to review the implications of that gas tax. We will be making further decisions

as to whether or not that temporary tax will be continuing, or continuing in

what form, as we move towards budget 2017.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank

the minister for her answer to my previous question, but I'll ask the Minister

Environment: Can you table your analysis of how carbon tax will impact the

people of this province?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Environment and Climate Change.

MR. TRIMPER:

I guess at this time, Mr.

Speaker, in response to the question, the deliberations are ongoing. As I said

on the 3rd of October when I found myself at the Canadian Council of Ministers

of Environment meeting, there was a great surprise. The direction that the

federal government is moving in certainly is not the one that this government

and this province had started on. There is a significant amount of effort and

deliberation right now.

As I

said to the Member, I do look forward to advising him and this House as to the

full implications of what is being proposed in Ottawa and, hopefully, what can

work for this province as we go forward on this very important issue.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Carbon

pricing will have a huge impact on the cost of transportation of people and

goods.

Can the

minister detail the additional cost to consumers?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Environment and Climate Change.

MR. TRIMPER:

As I indicated, I'm unable to

provide an indication of that at this time. But what I can tell you, and I can

tell the entire people of this province, whether it be industry or consumers,

they are upper most in our minds in terms of what we agree to and how we proceed

on the Pan-Canadian framework.

There's

no question, consumers are greatly exposed right now because of the huge

investment in Muskrat Falls. Placing additional burden on them right now is a

huge concern, not just for myself but for all of my colleagues. So let me just

say, this is very much one of our priorities.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I don't

seem to be getting answers to the questions. I'll try another one now.

It will

also have a significant impact on the province's municipalities. I ask the

minister: What will be the particular impacts to municipalities?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Environment and Climate Change.

MR. TRIMPER:

Thank you very much.

I guess

what I can say and if the Member opposite wants to sort of breakdown the

population and think that any one group might be particularly more exposed than

another, what I can tell you is that this most significant problem in this

province and, indeed, the country and around the world will touch all walks of

life.

I'm very

pleased to say that I'm part of a team that has been working on finding a

solution, in light of the complexity of this issue, that will consider whether

it be consumers, municipal, provincial indigenous governments by the way.

One of

the key issues I'd like to bring up, if I could, is the fact that the federal

government talked about special considerations for the territories because they

have communities on diesel. Well, Mr. Speaker, we have 21 communities right now

in the same situation. I think it's very important that I took a pause and

thought about those people as well.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

So this

government, while not able to give any details around the impacts of the people

of the province, I ask the minister: Are you comfortable to blindly support this

proposed carbon tax?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Environment and Climate Change.

MR. TRIMPER:

One detail that I think that

would be useful for the House to understand and we have reached an understanding

with Ottawa is on the issue of recyclage so that if money is raised as a result

of a carbon tax, it remains in the jurisdiction. So then you certainly want to

have that available for the most vulnerable parts of our society whether it be

indigenous organizations, whether it be people on low income and so on. The

concept of recyclage is out there, so I would offer that at least as a partial

answer to the Member's question.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Cape

St. Francis.

MR. K. PARSONS:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

I've

been in contact with a number of residents from the Norman's Cove-Long Cove area

who are concerned about the local economy and the jobs and their fish plant

since the devastating fire in July.

I ask

the Minister of Fisheries: Has he considered transferring the processing

licences and moving it to Southern Harbour?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Fisheries, Forestry and Agrifoods.

MR. CROCKER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, as a government, we have responded to the people of Norman's Cove-Long

Cove in the same way as we did with the people of Bay de Verde and offered any

assistance we could for the tragic fire that happened in their fish plant back

this summer.

With

regard to the question from the Member, with transferring a licence, I think the

question he's asking is there is an application before the independent licensing

board for Quin-Sea to purchase the operation in Southern Harbour. This is not a

licence transfer request. At this point there has been no request to transfer

any licence from the Town of Norman's Cove-Long Cove.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Cape

St. Francis.

MR. K. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, the people in

the community cannot get any answers from the minister or their local MHA.

I'm

asking the minister: Will you step in and hold a public meeting in the area?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Fisheries, Forestry and Agrifoods.

MR. CROCKER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, I have not had a formal request from the Town of Norman's Cove-Long

Cove for a meeting because I can assure you the Member and I actually met with

the town immediately following the fire.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CROCKER:

I can assure the Member

opposite if the Town of Norman's Cove-Long Cove would like to sit down with

myself and I'm sure the Member, we would certainly be willing to do so. But I

remind the Member let's be clear on this any licensing process in this

province, when it comes to a fish processing company, is done through an

independent board, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. Member for Cape St.

Francis.

MR. K. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, the local MHA

was asked by a constituent what's happening with the fish plant. The MHA replied

and said I can't get any answers; there's nothing I can do.

I ask

the minister: Has the local MHA for Placentia West Bellevue not asked the

minister to ensure these jobs remain in these communities?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

MR. CROCKER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon.

Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agrifoods.

AN HON. MEMBER:

Anxious.

MR. CROCKER:

Yeah, I am. I'm anxious, Mr.

Speaker, because I can assure the Member opposite and the people of the district

that their Member I can assure you we talk about this issue pretty much on a

daily or at least bi-daily basis. I can assure you that Member is working hard

on behalf of the people of his district.

With

regard to the issue in Norman's Cove-Long Cove, the Member and I met with the

company days after the fire. I met with the company yesterday and we met with

the town as well.

I'm

available to meet with the town at any time that we can arrange a schedule. I

speak to the company on a regular basis. They have not made the most recent

conversation I had with the company, they were still waiting on information back

from the insurance adjustors.

Mr.

Speaker, I can assure the hon. Member that the Member that represents that

district is doing a fine job for his constituents.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. Member for Cape St.

Francis.

MR. K. PARSONS:

The Norman's Cove-Long Cove

fish plant was owned by Dorset Fisheries and Quin-Sea; however, recently

purchased by the company Royal Greenland. We know that the minister approved the

transfer of licence to Royal Greenland.

I ask

the minister: Do you intend to ignore the local request yet again and give

authorization to Royal Greenland to move this plant?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. Minister of

Fisheries, Forestry and Agrifoods.

MR. CROCKER:

Mr. Speaker, sorry but I'm

not sure that the Member opposite understands the licensing process in this

province. It's a board that the previous administration set up. It's an

independent board.

A few

weeks ago, Dorset Fisheries put a notification in a local paper saying that they

have a request to go before the board to purchase the plant in Southern Harbour.

There has been no request made with regard to the plant in Norman's Cove-Long

Cove.

For the

Member to stand up and start to tie stuff back in the process of Quin-Sea and

Royal Greenland. Mr. Speaker, this company operated here this summer, they did a

good job, very few issues around the company. For him to stand up and talk about

an independent process that they set up, he's pretty ill informed.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Cape

St. Francis.

MR. K. PARSONS:

I'll tell you what is ill

informed, are the people in the area that are getting no answers. That's what's

ill informed.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. K. PARSONS:

There are 200 workers in this

area that demand answers. They want to know what's happening to their fish

plant. They're asking for a public meeting. Those are the requests that I'm

getting from people in the area, and I ask the minister to step in and give them

a public meeting.

We do

realize that it's done through the licensing board, but we want to know: Will

you ensure that the licence doesn't get transferred and it stays in the Norman's

Cove-Long Cove area?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Placentia West Bellevue.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BROWNE:

Mr. Speaker, I thank the

Member opposite for the interest in the Norman's Cove-Long Cove situation.

On the

morning after the fire, which was a devastation for the entire community in the

region, myself and the parliamentary secretary for Municipal Affairs were on the

ground. I have continued to be informed by my constituents and their concerns,

but when dealing with a private company, it is hard to get information from that

private company. But this government has stepped up in a very big way to ensure

that those affected got the required hours for their EI, and, Mr. Speaker, I can

assure the Member opposite and the people of my district that we will remain

committed to the people of Norman's Cove-Long Cove.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Cape

St. Francis.

MR. K. PARSONS:

I ask the hon. Member: Will

you hold a public meeting in the area, because they want to know?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Placentia West Bellevue.

MR. BROWNE:

Mr. Speaker, I'm available to

my constituents at a moment's notice. If they want a meeting, I will certainly

have it, and if the Member opposite wants to come along with me, he's more than

welcome.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

Since

being elected a year ago today, this government has hammered the people of this

province with fees and levies, laid off public servants, and slashed programs

and services. In the media today the Premier is quoted as saying he is

optimistic about the future.

I ask

the Premier: How can he be optimistic when, by the government's own account,

their plan will yield a 15 per cent loss of employment and 22 per cent loss of

earned income, driven by the budget measures that his government has taken this

year?

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

Before I

recognize the hon. Premier, I've asked Members of the House to respect the

individual who's standing to speak. The only person I wish to hear is the

individual standing to speak.

The hon.

the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well,

I'm not surprised at all that the leader of the Third Party would get up and

attribute some of the comments that she's made about unemployment rates because

it is a very serious issue in our province.

Where I

disagree with the Member opposite is the fact that she attributed that to the

budget of 2016-2017, I say, Mr. Speaker. Because once again, if the Member had

looked back at the economic forecast for many years, you would find the answer

that in those forecasts for quite a number of years there was a prediction of

unemployment rates growing in our province. You saw slowing housing starts. So

contribute that or attribute that to just this one year is disingenuous by the

Member opposite.

Like

most of Newfoundland and Labrador, I am optimistic about the future. This

government will do its

part in making sure the youth are optimistic too.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS. MICHAEL:

(Inaudible.)

MR. SPEAKER:

The Member hasn't been

recognized yet.

Order,

please!

If you

want to be picked up on Broadcast, the Member has to be recognized.

The hon.

the Member for St. John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

thought you had recognized me, I apologize.

I say to

the Premier, let him read his own budget speech and find out what the budget

speech says about the impact of that speech.

This

province has suffered austerity measures not seen in a long time, with no job

strategy and no economic plan to stimulate growth, yet the Premier says his

government is doing a better job at communicating and is optimistic about the

future.

I ask

the Premier, when will he communicate a job strategy which is the number one

issue in the province today?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well,

job strategy is certainly important to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. That

was one of the reasons why this government, as part of this budget in

collaboration and working in co-operation with many municipalities, with our

federal colleagues, with Aboriginal communities, we invested $570 million into

infrastructure. We've been able to leverage that with federal dollars, with

private sector money and so on. Mr. Speaker, the full impact of that

infrastructure investment will be next year.

Also,

The Way Forward:

A Vision for Sustainability and Growth in Newfoundland and Labrador ,

have many measures in that vision statement that will actually produce jobs for

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

I remain

optimistic about our future. This has been a difficult year. The first thing we

had to do was secure our foundation, Mr. Speaker, and we've gone a long ways in

doing that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of

Fisheries, Forestry and Agrifoods recently told the federal standing committee

that he was concerned about the impact that new federal fish habitat protection

measures will have on the province's aquaculture industry. Neither he nor the

Minister of Environment and Climate Change seem concerned about, though, what

impact salmon aquaculture might have on fish habitat.

I ask

the Minister of Environment and Climate Change: Why did he not do a full

evidence-based environmental assessment before approving the massive Grieg

salmon aquaculture project for Placentia Bay?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Environment and Climate Change.

MR. TRIMPER:

Thank you very much for the

question, Mr. Speaker.

Well, in

fact, the Grieg proposal actually spent some 10 months and very many hours of

scrutiny within my department, other provincial and federal departments, before

I made a decision to release the project. Note that that condition to release it

was with the understanding of several key conditions that the proponent must

undertake, which include further scrutiny and further environmental assessment

in the context of fisheries and oceans and within the context of my provincial

counterpart in fisheries.

So the

project still has some hurdles to go through. That's where it is. As the matter

is before the courts, that's about all I can say.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Mr. Speaker, I ask the

minister: Has he asked DFO to do an evaluation of the impact salmon aquaculture

has had on fish habitat on the South Coast before approving the Placentia Bay

aquaculture project and, if so, will be table it?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Fisheries, Forestry and Agrifoods.

MR. CROCKER:

Mr. Speaker, it's absolutely

amazing. In the first question, the leader of the Third Party gets up and talks

about diversifying the economy and creating jobs. Then they get up and criticize

a project that's gone through an environmental review. They're criticizing an

industry that is $161 million this year in this province.

It's the

major provider of employment on the Connaigre Peninsula. It's revitalized that

region of the province and it's just astonishing that she would get up in this

place and criticize our due diligence in a project that's going to, if approved,

create many jobs in the province. It's astonishing, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The time for Question Period

has expired.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Tabling

of Documents.

Notices

of Motion.

Answers

to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. Member for Fortune

Bay Cape La Hune.

MS. PERRY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise

in this hon. House today to present a petition regarding our seniors once again,

Mr. Speaker:

To the

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland

and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

Budget 2016 dramatically cut home care

hours to many of the province's most vulnerable people;

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

of Assembly to urge government to immediately reinstate much-needed supports to

those who need it and to develop a plan to further address the growing needs of

people requiring home care support.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, I raised this petition in the House yesterday as well and talked about

how this year, more than any other year, I have had calls of distress to my

office and people literally in tears because of the negative impact that

Budget 2016 , brought down by the

Liberals, has had on their lives and on their well-being.

I'm sure

many people in the province have read the story on the front page of

The Telegram today which brought tears

to my eyes, Mr. Speaker. This is the reality, the situation that many people in

our province find themselves in. There was a decision by the Liberal government.

They can

find money, Mr. Speaker, to hire their friends in positions in the House of

Assembly and across the government bureaucracy, but they saw fit to cut home

care to the most vulnerable citizens of our province, and that being our seniors

and our persons with challenges who truly need this care.

Across

the board in every single community of this province, every single person who is

a recipient of home care has lost at least one hour, Mr. Speaker. That one hour

makes a huge difference to the people who need and rely on home care to have

somewhat of a decent quality of life. It's absolutely shameful.

I think

it's deplorable that you would see the government opposite continue to fill

vacancies and appoint their Liberal friends in positions, at the same time

cutting services to our seniors who they claim is a big priority for them. It's

absolutely devastating, Mr. Speaker, and I truly hope that they see wisdom in

the months ahead to reverse the decisions that they're making, to truly do what

they said they were going to do in terms of helping seniors, and that is helping

them right where they need it most: in their homes.

Thank

you so much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount

Pearl North.

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the

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

assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland and

Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

provincial wait-lists for long-term care continue to grow; and

WHEREAS

hospital beds are increasingly being occupied by individuals who are in need of

long-term care; and

WHEREAS

this government cancelled the previous administration's plan to increase

capacity by 360 beds province-wide;

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

of Assembly to urge government to immediately develop a plan to address the

shortage of long-term care beds in order to ensure people receive appropriate

care and are treated with dignity.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, I know I continue to raise this issue because it's an important one

and, frankly, had government followed through with the plan of the previous

administration, we would have 360 new beds nearing completion right now in

Corner Brook, in Central Newfoundland, Grand Falls-Windsor, Gander areas, and

also here on the Northeast Avalon.

Wait-lists continue to grow. There is a growing need for long-term care. And I

agree with the Minister of Health and Community Services, consistent with the

Close to Home strategy of the previous administration, we need to do everything

we can to enable our elderly to remain in their own homes and in their own

communities as long as they wish to do so. And that requires a different

approach

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

That

requires a different approach than what appears to be being taken at this point

in time. Even with best efforts made to strengthen home care, even though the

recent budget did the opposite, and even with efforts to enhance services

offered to personal care homes, there will still inevitably be a need for

long-term care services, expanded services, given the aging demographics that we

find here in this province.

So it's

time for action. It takes time to build new infrastructure. It takes time to

open new beds. In the past year, we've actually seen a reduction in beds which

makes no sense, given the magnitude of the challenge.

So yes,

let's do everything we can to enable people to remain in their homes as long as

possible with as much independence as possible, but we can't ignore the urgent

need for more long-term care which is resulting in cancelled surgeries, it's

resulting in patients laying in hallways on stretchers, and backups in emergency

rooms.

Mr.

Speaker, action is needed and it's needed now.

Thank

you.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Cape

St. Francis.

MR. K. PARSONS:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

To the

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

assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland and

Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

the recreational ground fishery is part of our culture, history and heritage;

and

WHEREAS

the federal government is proposing a tag system for the recreational fishery

for 2017; and

WHEREAS

participants would have to purchase a licence and purchase tags in order to

participate in the recreational fishery;

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

of Assembly to urge government to urge the federal government not to implement a

cost or fees for those participating in the recreational fishery in 2017.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, the reason why I wanted to bring this forward today: Today is the last

day for anyone to put an application or talk to DFO on this before they do their

final analysis of what they're going to do. It sounded like, to me, when I went

to the meeting that this is a done deal and they're just trying to figure out

the number of tags, cost and small stuff like this.

The

Minister of Fisheries the other day, when asked, said that we'll be treated the

same way as Atlantic Canada. Well, I'd like to inform the Minister of Fisheries

that the rest of Atlantic Canada this year will not have to use tags nor will

the rest of Atlantic Canada have to pay to go to the recreational fishery, food

fishery or whatever you want to call it.

So I

really want to emphasize to the minister that all we're asking for is to be

treated like the rest of Canada when it comes to our groundfish. Our residents

shouldn't have to pay. I agree that there should be some way to monitor how much

fish we're catching. It's important for science. It's important for when we do

allocations on quotas and whatnot in the future. So it is important. But there

are other ways to do it than asking regular Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to

pay to go out to catch a cod, which is our right to go out and catch a cod as

far as I'm concerned.

Thank

you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

Orders of the Day

Private Members'

Day

MR. SPEAKER:

It being Private Members'

Day, I call on the Member for the District of Terra Nova to proceed with his

private Member's resolution.

MR. HOLLOWAY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is

certainly my pleasure to stand in the House today and introduce this private

Member's resolution:

WHEREAS

Newfoundland and Labrador has a diverse and thriving social enterprise sector,

which is actively meeting social, cultural, economic and environmental needs

throughout the province; and

WHEREAS

social enterprises can help communities control their own economic future, fill

critical gaps in the economy, and provide space for a new generation of

entrepreneurs to apply their skills; and

WHEREAS

social enterprise development is another innovation tool for advancing regional

growth opportunities to benefit the economy;

THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that this hon. House supports the Government of

Newfoundland and Labrador's initiative to implement a social enterprise action

plan, including long-term strategic goals supported by an annual work plan and

certainly it would be tabled early in 2017.

I'm

pleased to move this motion today, Mr. Speaker. The motion will be seconded by

the hon Member for St. George's Humber.

I just

want to talk a little bit, Mr. Speaker, about social enterprises and the social

enterprise action plan in this province. This private Member's resolution stems

from The Way Forward vision statement

which was released by the Premier last month.

Specifically, it is identified as Action 2.5 under the heading: A Stronger

Economic Foundation. So I just want to talk about that for a second, Mr.

Speaker. It says, as outlined in The Way

Forward document, there is specific action related to increasing the number

of social enterprises in Newfoundland and Labrador and enhancing the services of

existing social enterprises.

So to do

this, the vision document states that our Government will develop a Social

Enterprise Action Plan, including long-term strategic goals supported by an

annual work plan. Social enterprise development is another innovation tool for

advancing regional growth opportunities to benefit the economy, support rural

sustainability and encourage entrepreneurial governance models and service

delivery.

Mr.

Speaker, I was particularly pleased to be able to stand and speak to this

resolution today, given my vast experience working in the community prior to

coming to this hon. House. I can tell you that having been a long-term volunteer

in the community and having been out there helping with community economic

development with a number of social enterprises and others in the province, I

certainly understand the intent of the resolution. I want to talk a little bit

about a definition of a social enterprise and the impact it's really going to

have on this province, but specifically about rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr.

Speaker, while the term social enterprise may seem relatively new to some people

it is not, in and of itself, a new concept. There are lots of examples of social

enterprises in our province and across the country. The first challenge is to

actually define what social enterprise really is. There are a number of

definitions out there describing social enterprises. I think I'll talk about a

couple of those.

The

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) some people may

recognize the acronym defines social enterprise as any private

activity conducted in the public interest, organised with an entrepreneurial

strategy, but whose main purpose is not the maximisation of profit but the

attainment of certain economic and social goals, and which has a capacity for

bringing innovative solutions to the problems of social exclusion and

unemployment .

little bit differently. They say a social enterprise that seeks to achieve

social, cultural or environmental aims through the sale of goods and services.

The social enterprise can be for-profit or not-for-profit but the majority of

net profits must be directed to a social objective . Now we believe, Mr.

Speaker, this is the better definition and fits with the objects we are after in

this initiative.

Recently, I was fortunate enough to read a discussion paper

that was provided by the Community Sector Council here in this province. It was

titled: Accelerating Change, Thoughts on How to Build a Social Enterprise

Strategy for Newfoundland and Labrador. I just want to read for a second, in

terms of the definition that comes out in this paper.

It talks about, Social enterprises are community-based

businesses that sell goods or services in the market place to achieve a social,

cultural and / or environmental purpose, and they reinvest their profits to

support that purpose. In the context of Canada's economy and social fabric,

social enterprises are demonstrating true innovation along with economic and

social impact. It's contained in the report but it's comes from the Social

Enterprise Council of Canada.

Mr. Speaker, our economy is made up of three distinct, yet

overlapping economic models: the private sector, which we are all familiar with.

The second is the public sector, and the third is known by many names. It's

known as the not-for-profit sector. It is known as a charitable sector, the

voluntary sector, and these days it's most commonly identified as the community

sector. This third sector is

also being increasingly referred to as the social economy.

I can

tell you, Mr. Speaker, over my years working in the community and working

specifically with the Community Sector Council on a number their initiatives, I

often heard that term about the social economy. I think those listening at home

would certainly be aware of that terminology as we're talking about it today.

Mr.

Speaker, the intent of this motion today is to offer support for the government

as they move forward with a plan to increase the level of activity in our

province within the social economy. The things that fit under the social

enterprise heading are things like co-operatives and non-profit organizations,

charities, community associations, credit unions and businesses created to

provide sustainability and I think that's a key word here, Mr. Speaker to

organizations providing community supports.

I just

want to talk a little bit about a couple of examples to help people, I guess,

truly understand, what does a social enterprise really look like. So let's use

an example that we're all familiar with. The one I want to talk about is the

Epilepsy Association of Newfoundland and Labrador. It's a charity that does a

lot of good work for people with epilepsy. They provide needed supports their

clients. They provide supports to the families of people living with this

condition. They invest in research for new treatments for epilepsy and so on.

They're

keenly interested in a socially important issue, and, in fact, a health issue in

the community. The Epilepsy Association of Newfoundland and Labrador also

operate a retail store, and the profits from the store are being used to

reinvest into the social and community objectives of the association. So in a

nutshell, Mr. Speaker, this is a social enterprise. It employs people, consumes

its own share of products and services in its operation, and it provides a

needed service in the community and in the consumer marketplace.

I also

just want to talk for a second, Mr. Speaker, about a social enterprise within my

district, within the great District of Terra Nova. I want to talk about the

Clarenville area SPCA. Similar to the Epilepsy Association of Newfoundland and

Labrador, they provide an important service to the community, and that's the

protection and prevention of cruelty to animals. What they've been doing over

the last couple of years is they would have spring sales and fall sales, and

they recognized they were getting a lot of contributions from the community.

Probably too much that they could sell on a one-day occurrence.

So they

opened up a thrift store this year. They built on an extension to the SPCA and

they opened up a thrift store. Now they employ people. They're selling things

back to the community at a lower cost, especially for people who might have some

challenges in terms of requiring goods and services. So they're providing and

filling a niche that exists in the community. That's another great example, Mr.

Speaker, of what a social enterprise can do in many rural communities in this

province.

It's

quite possible, Mr. Speaker, the first one in our province was established as

far back as 1895. In that year, a co-operative was established in Red Bay,

Labrador, by Sir Wilfred Grenfell as part of the Grenfell Mission effort to

improve the lives of fishers and their families.

The

formation of the Fogo Island fishers co-operative another good example of a

social enterprise, Mr. Speaker through what is known as the Fogo process is

recognized worldwide as an example of how the co-operative model can help

facilitate the development of self-sustaining rural communities.

practice, social enterprises are community-based organizations that run some

form of business generating revenue through the production and sale of goods and

services. With the revenue generated, social enterprises reinvest in community

goals. Such enterprises can provide a public service which benefits the entire

community, while at the same time playing a lead role in the creation and

maintenance of a competitive economic environment.

Social

enterprises have the potential to provide affordable services through the

collective production of goods and services, which can be a clear benefit of

many rural communities. Such enterprises can play a lead role in job creation

and provide entrepreneurial skills and experience to those involved.

I just

want to go back for a second, Madam Speaker, and give you a couple of examples

of really what happens within social enterprises that currently exist in this

province.

The

Community Sector Council did a survey of social enterprises in the province in

2014. I just want to talk a little bit. They provide paid employment for at

least 815 workers in Newfoundland and Labrador, together earned over $5 million

in wages and salaries; 528 people were employed as part of the mission of the

social enterprise, so those with disabilities and other employment barriers.

The

total revenue earned by these 30 groups that were part of the survey in 2014 was

at least $10 million. It includes sales of goods and services of $6 million. So

they have a tremendous impact in this province, Madam Speaker, in terms of what

social enterprises do.

This is

an opportunity for our government to connect with the action plan, to other

activities such as the Business Innovation Agenda, the co-op development

memorandum of understanding and other regional economic development initiatives.

Madam

Speaker, Newfoundland and Labrador's social enterprise are operating in a range

of sectors, including tourism, construction, the arts, fisheries, home care,

social housing services to people with disabilities and the list goes on and on

and on.

True

social enterprises are non-profit organizations run by volunteer boards, with no

profits paid out to individual shareholders. The organization's focus must be on

some broader community benefit and the examples that I have given thus far,

Madam Speaker, certainly speak to that. It is about the benefit to communities.

Social

enterprise has really been a big business in this Nation. Wages and salaries

just talking about what's happening across Canada, there was also a survey in

2016 about social enterprises across the country and 26 per cent of social

enterprises in Canada provide employment development; 19 per cent provide

workforce training for workforce integration; and 19 per cent generate income

for a parent or a non-profit organization. So, Madam Speaker, even across the

country, social enterprises are having a tremendous impact in many of the

communities.

We have

a lot of social enterprises coming into the market and we want to capitalize on

this type of economic opportunity. That's why we're bringing forward this

resolution today and that's why we're also keenly interested in the debate

that's going to happen this afternoon.

I look

forward to coming back towards the end of the afternoon, hearing what others

have to say and providing some more commentary.

Thank

you very much, Madam Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MADAM SPEAKER (Dempster):

The Speaker

recognizes the hon. Member for Mount Pearl North.

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Madam Speaker, and

good afternoon.

I want

to thank the Member for Terra Nova for bringing forward this motion today. I

also commend him for taking an approach this afternoon that didn't sound at all

politically charged, to me. I think that's a really good thing, and I say that

sincerely.

Social

enterprise can play a real role in helping our economy and helping communities

and helping vulnerable sectors of our population. So it's a cause that was

talked about within government, as the Member would know, in 2013, 2014, 2015. I

only have a little bit of time but I want to take some time to highlight some of

the progress that has been made. Not necessarily by the past the government,

even though I'm pleased that we supported some of the work, but by the community

sector and by social enterprises in our province that have been pioneers and

leaders.

Recognizing I don't have a lot of time, I want to start by saying that I support

the spirit and intent of the motion for sure. It would be crazy not to, given

the work we've done in recent years. I don't need to spend time defining social

enterprise; I think the Member did a good job of doing that.

I think

this is an issue of significant importance. I also take some comfort in the fact

that the Minister of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development is also a

believer in social enterprise. Based on our past discussions and based on the

experience that I know he has in his own district, I know that to be true, so I

think that's a good thing as well.

I think

I've been way too positive already, but I'll tone it down. I know I'm making you

nervous, so I'll tone it down from here on in. I don't want to spend too much

time giving a history lesson, but I will point out that in a couple of previous

Blue Books, under the past administration, there were some commitments made to

helping support and advance social enterprise. And those things were brought to

fruition. There were initiatives that were untaken that helped move the ball

further down the field, so to speak.

I'm

pleased to see social enterprise highlighted in

The Way Forward document because it

shows that government is committed to continuing to advance that work. I think

that's really positive. It's fairly difficult work. I spent a good chunk of

career, before going into provincial politics, working in the community sector.

While I wasn't directly involved in social enterprise, I partnered with and

worked with a number of organizations that were.

And

during my time as the parliamentary secretary in the role the Member now holds,

and then later as minister responsible for the Office of Public Engagement, I

had a chance to work directly with people in the sector that were engaged in

this work. I think it's important to note that several provinces have also

developed their own social enterprise action plans, so I think there are some

things we can learn from them.

I want

to make it clear that I don't believe that governments can just say we need more

social enterprises and it will happen because I know that not to be true. This

requires real collaboration between sectors and I think we've got the right

champions here in this House and the right champions in the community to help

make that happen.

Even

though governments can't just say it and make it happen there are multiple ways

in which governments can enable organizations to pursue social enterprises.

Government can ensure access to good funding that enables developments to occur.

Government can ensure access to good business expertise and skills to support

the work of organizations that wish to pursue social enterprise. Government can

help encourage access to good marketing support and advice that organizations

would need to pursue social enterprise.

One of

the things that I like most about social enterprise is that it can create

opportunities to employ people who may have difficulty entering or staying

connected to the workforce otherwise. And we've seen some great examples of that

here in Newfoundland and Labrador. I hope during the debate this afternoon that

some Members will have a chance to talk about some of those examples and pay

tribute to some of the leaders that have really been pioneers in this area. I

hope in my time I'll have a chance to do a little bit of that as well.

I would

encourage government, as they pursue a social enterprise action plan, to also

consider the potential implications for our Aboriginal communities. I say that

because I do know that there's been some good work done in Manitoba that's worth

looking at, and figuring out how we might be able to partner with some of our

indigenous communities to foster greater social enterprise in those communities

as well.

Here I

go being positive again, but I also am pleased to see the new federal government

pick up where the previous federal government left off in making this a priority

as well. It has been clearly stated in the mandate letters of several of the new

federal ministers that they have a role to play in advancing social enterprise.

I think that's a good thing as well.

For

those organizations that get involved in social enterprise, I think it's

important to note that it has to be a good product or service that's being used

for training or to create employment. Social enterprise is not going to be a

solution or an opportunity for every single one of our hundreds of non-profit

organizations out there, but I believe that it can play a valuable role for a

good number of our organizations, a good number of communities and a good number

of municipalities in this province.

On that

note, if communities were to come together to create employment, for instance by

taking over an old fish plant and transforming it into something, that's good

and that's worthwhile. But that's very different than if you were to undertake

an initiative to create employment for a group of individuals with specific

needs. It's all valid. It's all community enterprise. It's all social

enterprise. I think there's a real array of opportunity available to us, to the

community sector, to the business sector and to communities throughout our

province, particularly rural ones, even though we've seen some really good

examples of social enterprise here in this urban region as well.

I'd also

say based on what I've seen in the past that establishing social enterprises

requires very detailed business planning. It requires leadership with a high

level of management expertise within the organization, executive directors or

CEOs that really get it and have the skills and experience to ensure success.

Because

we're talking about often non-profits, it requires boards of directors that are

prepared to take some risks. It requires boards of directors that are prepared

to think big and act boldly in terms of pursuing social enterprise

opportunities. I'd also say that one of the challenges I think government will

face that certainly I can't speak for the entire Opposition, but I'll speak

for myself. I'd personally be willing to support and help with this.

I think

there are new approaches required to government funding models. It might not

necessarily mean new money but it might mean changing the rules of existing

funding, particularly within I'm thinking of AESL as it's now known, and

Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development.

There

are many government programs that don't preclude non-profits from applying, but

if non-profits don't have equity, if non-profits don't have the means to put

some cash in themselves upfront, then in the borrowing world it makes it very

difficult for them to step up to the plate. There are existing government

programs that non-profits aren't technically ineligible from, but because of the

way we've traditionally run them, it's not easy for non-profits to access those

funds. So I think there's a role for government departments to work together to

try and address that. Again, I give credit to the minister. I think, based on my

previous conversations when we sat opposite, I suspect there's some willingness

to explore that.

Just

around that whole funding model issue, I think that's why the concept of social

financing is so important. I don't doubt when the Member concludes, he'll have

more to say about that as well. I think we just need to make some changes to

some of our government systems to better enable social enterprise to happen. I

think that is possible, I really do.

I was

pleased to hear the Member acknowledge that this is not a new concept. There

were comments in the Blue Book and in

Throne Speeches in the last number of years, just to go back as far as

2011-2012. The 2011 Blue Book read:

We will encourage approaches to support and strengthen social/community

enterprise activity and encourage a greater understanding of the social

enterprise model as a legitimate means of economic, social, environmental and

cultural development.

There

were some tangible initiatives that came out of that. There was a Counterparts

Gathering in 2012-2013, that I know the Member would be familiar with. There was

commentary in the Throne Speech in 2012 that led to further action. During a

national Counterparts Gathering that happened here I don't know if it was 2012

or 2013 we actually organized an evening showcase of the Hungry Heart Cafe to

profile a provincial example of social enterprise.

recently as 2014, social enterprise was the focus of our Community Summit where

over 200 participants attended. One of the things coming out of that was a

renewed commitment by government to promote social enterprise. Promoting social

enterprise is not enough, Madam Speaker. It's about creating the right

environment for social enterprises to flourish and to succeed.

I'm

sorry for talking really fast today, but there's a lot I want to say because I

really care about this issue. I'm passionate about it and I am actually really

excited about the fact that government is going to follow through with pursuing

this because there has been some good groundwork laid. The Member, as a former

staff person within the Office of Public Engagement, I know is well familiar

with some of that groundwork.

I think

it's important to commend the Community Sector Council. I was pleased to hear

him reference the recent discussion paper. I had a chance to review that myself.

It sounded very familiar. It was very consistent with some of the discussions

I've had with Ms. Penny Rowe and others over the last number of years.

I think

it's important to acknowledge her contribution because she has been a national

leader in social enterprise, advocacy and development. She has proven to be

second to none in this field. She has proven it by contributing to some of the

success stories here in Newfoundland and Labrador, which I hope we'll hear more

about later this afternoon. The esteem which she is held is a testament to her

success. That ought to be acknowledged by all of us here today, and I'm sure it

will be.

I think

the Community Sector Council has made it really easy for government to finalize

an action plan, to build on the work that's been done in the last number of

years. It's all mapped out in the discussion paper.

There

has been a working group inside government. I don't know if the current

government has maintained it but I suspect they have. There was an internal

working group of multiple departments coming together to figure out how

government can be better able to support social enterprise. Two of the

departments I've mentioned, but there are others that definitely have a role to

play as well. In addition, there was an external working group where some of the

leaders and pioneers in social enterprise in our province came together to

advise government on what on action plan should look like.

I'm

proud to have been part of that work. I'm proud to have encouraged that work.

I'm sincerely happy to hear government talking about taking the next steps. I

think that's something we should all get behind.

I want

to propose what I consider to be a friendly amendment, because I think it's

important we honour and respect the work that has been done and acknowledge that

it's not all brand new. One of the

WHEREAS clauses in the existing motion

suggests that, basically, this is all going forward. It doesn't effectively

reflect the fact that there's a lot of good work that has been done by, not

government, but people in our province that we need to build on. So I'm going to

propose what I consider to be a friendly amendment, Madam Speaker, then

hopefully I'll have an opportunity to conclude my remarks.

I move,

seconded by the Member for Fortune Bay Cape La Hune, that the resolution be

amended by adding immediately after the third

WHEREAS clause the following: and

WHEREAS the province has made significant advances in promoting social

enterprise growth through the initiatives of the Voluntary and Non-Profit

Secretariat, the Office of Public Engagement and others working in collaboration

with the social enterprise sector throughout Newfoundland and Labrador; and by

deleting the word implement and substituting the words build the hard work

and success of the social enterprise sector in our province by implementing.

That's

the amendment that I'd like to ask the House to consider and to support this

afternoon.

Madam

Speaker, I present that for your consideration before we go any further.

MADAM SPEAKER:

The Member for Mount Pearl

North has proposed an amendment to the PMR and this House will take a brief

recess to consider the amendment.

Recess

MADAM SPEAKER:

Order, please!

Are the

Whips ready?

I have

reviewed the amendment proposed by the Member for Mount Pearl North and found it

to be in order.

The hon.

the Member for Mount Pearl North.

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Madam Speaker, and

thank you for that wise and inspired ruling as well.

I've

only got a minute left, so I'd like to draw Members' attention to the discussion

paper that both of us have referenced today. I draw your attention, just to

illustrate my point, and why I'm asking for your support of the amendment.

There's a social enterprise sector survey that was done by the Community Sector

Council that looked at what social enterprise looked like in our province in

2014. It shows that this sector has been alive and well for some time. I think

there's room for exponential growth. I think there's a ton of work to be done,

but at the same time we've got a strong foundation on which to build.

The

roadmap to an action plan is laid out in this discussion paper: identify the

issues, bring people to the table, convene a high-level task force on social

enterprise, build business acumen, improve access to capital and investment

opportunities, support additional market opportunities for social enterprises,

promote and demonstrate the value of social enterprises, make Newfoundland and

Labrador a policy leader and help build networks and community engagement. And

there are action steps associated with each of those pillars.

It's a

great discussion paper. It builds on the great work that's been done in this

province over the last number of years. I commend those involved in social

enterprise, and I thank the Member for Terra Nova for bringing forward this

motion today. I hope we can amend it and I hope we can all support it.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MADAM SPEAKER:

Order, please!

I remind

the hon. Member his time for speaking has expired.

The

Speaker recognizes the hon. Member for St. George's Humber.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. REID:

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

It's

great to rise and participate in this debate today. I think it's a very useful

debate. And for the people at home maybe who are just tuning in and not familiar

with what is happening here, today is Wednesday; it's Private Members' Day. We

take the time to debate a motion that is put forward by a private Member of the

House, someone who is not in the Cabinet, and we have an opportunity to sort of

discuss and bring attention to an issue.

These

debates are great opportunities to give increased profile to an issue and to

gauge the support for a concept that's coming forward. So it's very appropriate

that the Member for Terra Nova has brought forward this type of motion here

today, because it gives us an opportunity to have some discussion about social

enterprises and the significance that they play in our province and the

increasing significance they could play in our province as well. So it's great

to be here to have the opportunity to debate on this kind of issue. These

private members' motions are an important part of the proceedings here today.

social enterprises, this motion specifically relates to Action 2.5 in the

recently released document The Way Forward .

The Way Forward document outlines a

plan for reorganizing government to address some of the economic, social and

fiscal challenges that we face. And the plan outlines specific actionable items

with a timeline and measurable outcomes. So it's a significant piece of policy

direction that this action item is part of.

And this

plan is important in that it sets a direction that can be sort of recognized by

people who work with government, by the public and by other agencies in society

as well. So it's an important document and it's an important, sort of, part of

that document.

There

are some principles that are sort of outlined in that document that I guess

relate to the possibilities that can be generated through social enterprise. And

some of the guiding principles for The Way

Forward were: We will do better with less. We can do better by spending

less. We will collaborate. We'll collaborate across government departments in

government. We'll collaborate between the sectors of the economy. Collaborating

is another sort of principle of The Way

Forward.

We will

also challenge ourselves to do better. Challenge ourselves to do things in new

ways. So challenging ourselves as a province and as a people, those are some

guiding principles laid out in The Way

Forward document.

One of

the items under building a stronger economic foundation is we will increase the

number of social enterprises in Newfoundland and Labrador, and it's one of the

action items from this plan.

It's not

surprising, as the Member opposite who spoke mentioned that it had been an item

in their policy books; it's also an item in our red book in the last election

that we would increase focus on social enterprises in society.

previous speakers have mentioned, it's a concept that's a little difficult to

define. Some people use narrow

definitions; others use broad. But I guess really

the world forum on social enterprises have a working definition that sort of is

fairly broad. It says, pursuing social development using business methods.

Others have defined it as earning revenue and achieving social or environmental

missions. There are different ways of defining it but, generally speaking, it's

pursuing social development through business means.

Let's

look at some examples of social enterprises. One example that I want to talk a

little bit about and I'll be cognizant of the time, but it's Choices for Youth

here in St. John's. They train people who are often hard to employ, employing

local youth in retrofitting and renovating low-income housing. Through their

efforts, the way they operate, they offer training to hard-to-employ people

sometimes. They also increase the benefit of social housing here in the St.

John's area. So it's very beneficial all around in terms of the way they

operate.

Another

example and it's already been mentioned here in the House is Stella's

Circle, which operates the Hungry Heart Cafe. A similar sort of model, they

offer training and employment to people who often have a difficulty finding

employment.

Anyone

who hasn't been to the Hungry Heart Cafe down at Rawlins Cross, I certainly

would encourage people to go there. The food is great. Everything is wonderful.

You're also supporting a social enterprise that does a lot of good work here in

the community. I've been there many times. I know other Members of the House

have been there as well. The Hungry Heart Cafe is a very good example of a

social enterprise.

I'll

just name a few other social enterprises here in the province. For example, the

Canadian Hard of Hearing Association does some work in that regard, Avalon

Employment, St. Anthony Basin Resources. Child care facilities around the

province, some of them are organized in this social enterprise manner. Ambulance

services in some areas of the province are organized in this way, gas stations

in some places. Recycling efforts are also organized in this sort of way. They

use business practices to promote a social or environmental practice. So it's a

very important contribution that these types of enterprises make to the

province.

It's

important to recognize that social enterprises are nothing new in this province.

Some of the early co-operatives in the 1800s could be defined as social

enterprises. Some people say the earliest social enterprise in the province was

established in Madam Speaker's district that she represents in Red Bay,

Labrador, by Sir Wilfred Grenfell in 1895 as part of the Grenfell Mission there.

Others would say the co-operative on Fogo Island was a good example of a rural

social enterprise. The process they used in setting up that co-operative is a

very good example of social enterprise as well.

We have

a strong history of social enterprises in this province, but we still have a lot

of potential, unused potential, undeveloped potential that could be very

beneficial to the province. So that's the objective of this effort. Something

that this motion is reinforcing is how can we lead to the establishment of more

social enterprises and more benefit for the economy.

There

are a few challenges that people, who want to establish social enterprises, face

as they work to do the things they do. One of the challenges is access to

capital. In terms of the way government organizes its funding programs and other

lending institutions offer their funding programs, and the availability of

capital to the social enterprises.

We just

went through the process of changing our procurement legislation here in this

province. That's another area that has the potential to have an impact on social

enterprises in this province, because it allows the province to look into the

terms of community benefit. Rather than just the lowest price, we look at the

best value.

It's

very encouraging that some of the changes we've made to legislation, such as the

procurement act, will possibly have a positive benefit to social enterprises in

this province. Also, I think a challenge is public perception and the way we

think of the different roles that organizations play in the province.

Those

are some of the challenges we face in terms of the way we educate people. I know

at Memorial University, one of the things they're doing is they're offering

courses on social enterprises as part of the undergraduate business program, and

the graduate program in business in terms of social enterprises. It's a concept

that's getting better established, more people are doing.

One of

the things I did before I ran for public office was teach at the university. One

of the courses I taught there was change management in the MBA program at

Memorial. I was struck by how young people thought differently about the idea of

jobs and the work they were doing. Many of them were very entrepreneurial, and

many of them were entrepreneurial in a way that they wanted to have a lifestyle

sort of job, something they were passionate about. They wanted to pursue

something they were interested in. Social enterprise was something that was just

part of the way they thought.

I think

the whole idea of pursuing opportunities to encourage social enterprises in this

province is a great thing. I think it's something that we as a government have

to facilitate and encourage. So I encourage all Members to support this motion.

Thank

you very much, Madam Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MADAM SPEAKER:

The Speaker recognizes the

hon. Member for Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS. PERRY:

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

It's

certainly an honour and a privilege for me to rise in the House today and speak

to this very important private Member's resolution before the House today.

I have

often spoken in this Chamber about my previous life. One of the activities we

engaged in, as I worked with the Regional Economic Development Board, was social

enterprise. So I had the benefit of seeing firsthand just how valuable this

initiative is and just what a difference it can actually make in communities.

I'm going to reference a little bit, I guess, about some actual examples of

where we've seen social enterprise thrive.

I, too,

would like to echo the comments of my colleague from Mount Pearl North regarding

Penelope Rowe, who has been with the Community Services Council and has

certainly been a trailblazer in this regard. I would say one of my mentors and

one of the people I often looked up to over the years in my time with the

Regional Economic Development Board. She was always a wealth of information, a

wealth of great advice and certainly a great champion for volunteers across all

of Newfoundland and Labrador. Hats off to her for continuing to pursue this

initiative and ensuring it stays uppermost in government discussions as we move

the province forward.

Looking

at some examples of success, one that goes back 99 years, Madam Speaker, is

NONIA, that enterprise where they are knitting. They began knitting actually for

our soldiers who were in war. I don't know how many people know the story of how

it originated, but it actually originated in a community of my district, Pool's

Cove, and from there, it grew to a province-wide, successful, thriving

enterprise. And just this week I posted to my Facebook page a call where they're

looking for more people who can provide knitting services. They'll provide the

wool and they'll pay knitters for their time, so I certainly encourage anyone

who does have that skill to contact NONIA and see if they can contribute to this

social enterprise themselves.

And I

have two others in my district as well: Pool's Cove Crafts continues to operate

today, as well as Yarn Point Knitters. These are enterprises that employee the

women in our communities, many of whom were homemakers while their husbands were

away at work as fisherpersons. And this enabled them to contribute to the family

wealth and to ensure they got out and about with friends and neighbours in the

community. So it is a wonderful example, Madam Speaker, of things that are

happening right now on the ground that are so successful.

As we

all know, volunteers are really the heart of many of our communities. We have

well over 20,000 people in our province who are employed in the voluntary and

not-for-profit sector, and nearly 200,000 people in our province who volunteers.

They contribute well over 35 million hours of valuable, unpaid time to their

communities and community organizations, Mr. Speaker. We certainly are very

supportive of seeing further expansion of social enterprise in our province.

I'll

talk a little about these enterprises now that many of you may be very well

aware of and will have, I am sure, benefited from seeing some of their concerts

or eating some of their wonderful food. For example, Rising Tide Theatre, the

Hungry Heart Caf, Stellar Burry Community Services this is also one of my

favourite places, Mr. Speaker; I certainly enjoy a good meal at the Hungry Heart

Caf. They have outstanding services down there and a really great example of

how you can take volunteerism and turn it into a viable, profitable enterprise

that employees many people who need that employment so very much.

Another

example many of us in the province are quite familiar with is SABRI, the St.

Anthony Basin Resources Inc., the Shorefast Foundation in Fogo, Evergreen

Recycling, supported employment corporations, and of course, the international

award winning Enactus.

So, Mr.

Speaker, just for purposes of ensuring, I guess, that we have a good

understanding of what social enterprises are in our communities, they are

businesses that are operated by volunteers, not for profit of a single person or

a single group of shareholders, but for the benefit of the community as a whole.

Let's

look at Shorefast Foundation as one really great example of that. It's a

registered Canadian charity that was established in 2003. They use a model for

economic and cultural resilience that hold learnings for small communities

everywhere. Many people who are enterprising in smaller communities can look at

their model and certainly apply it in their own respective communities, I would

suggest. The opportunity is there, particularly in the tourism sector.

Fogo

Island is one of Canada's oldest communities and in Fogo now they're reviving

many of their traditional skills. It's with the support of the Shorefast

corporation that they are able to do that and make money at the same time; money

that is then reinvested back into the community.

On Fogo

Island, the Shorefast Foundation approach to community revitalization has been

to focus on three distinct elements: Fogo Island Arts, which is a not-for-profit

organization that facilitates artistic practice that is contemporary, local in

context and global in scope; the development of a geo-tourism industry with the

construction of the Fogo Island Inn and the creation of a guest experience that

is recognized as one of the best in the world; and the development of a

micro-lending program where entrepreneurs can establish and grow their own small

business on Fogo Island.

The

significant success achieved by Shorefast to date illustrates that reviving

rural communities really is possible and that the inherent value of rural places

can be reclaimed and made relevant for the 21st century; that losing our rural

communities and the human ways of life that we have is certainly neither

inevitable or necessary, Mr. Speaker. Lots of opportunities exist and through

initiatives such as social enterprise, I'm sure we will continue to grow them

here in our province.

Let's

take a look a little bit more in depth at SABRI. The St. Anthony Basin Resources

Inc. was established on the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland and

Labrador. This area is a rural, remote area of the province. It has a population

of approximately 4,500 people. Like many of the rural communities in

Newfoundland and Labrador, this region was really economically devastated by the

cod moratorium in 1992, but to compensate for the loss of the cod fishery, many

fishers moved into alternative fisheries such as shrimp and crab.

By 1997,

the Department of Fisheries and Oceans drastically reduced the allowable catch

of shrimp. So while most of the new quota was allocated to private interests and

individual harvesters, a special allocation of 3,000 tons of additional catch

was given to the St. Anthony region of the Great Northern Peninsula.

SABRI

was organized as a non-profit social enterprise in order to manage this special

allocation for the benefit of the entire community as a whole. Its mission is to

administer a 3,000-metric-ton allocation of Northern shrimp on behalf of the

communities from Big Brook to Goose Cove, in a manner resulting in expansion of

the region's economic base and improved employment opportunities in harmony with

a rural setting and lifestyle.

Mr.

Speaker, the special allocation was a means for the government to use quota as a

mechanism for community economic development rather than simply sectorial

fisheries development. SABRI initially leased out the rights to the community's

quota with a requirement that the catch be landed and processed in St. Anthony.

In the longer term, SABRI sought international partners to manage the catch,

eventually attracting a number of partners with the commitment to build an

advanced processing plant in St. Anthony with $12 million in investments.

What a

wonderful example of a success story in social enterprise, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS. PERRY:

We have many such examples

all across this great Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Still

talking about SABRI, all their surpluses generated are invested back into the

community through business expansion opportunities as well as social and

community development. SABRI's business expansion activities are in response to

local and international market demand. For example, SABRI is investing in a salt

fish market due to demands in Iceland and Newfoundland and Labrador.

In terms

of community development, SABRI undertook an oral history project to capture

stories of cultural and historical significance, which would be of benefit, Mr.

Speaker, not just for today's generation but for generations and generations and

generations of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to come.

Additionally, some of SABRI's projects have aspects of both economic expansion

and community development. For instance, it started a mussel farming initiative

that was intended to be a new economic opportunity, but tight competition has

meant that the project was operating at a loss. SABRI, however, continues to run

the venture because of the local employment it generates and the positive impact

it has had in supplying the local tourism sector.

Through

their perseverance, Mr. Speaker, we have no doubt that they will continue to be

expanded in years to come and will meet with great success. Of that I have no

doubt, because when you endured something and you're committed to something,

there's always a way to make it work and volunteers are absolutely the key to

all of that. SABRI is an example of the definition of social enterprise that

really does work.

I want

to talk a little bit more again now, we've listed some I'm going to run out of

time quickly. I'll talk about a few more before I finish off with some comments

about the Community Services Council itself.

The

Rising Tide Theatre Company is one we've all heard about. Here is what Community

Profits say about Rising Tide. Profit-oriented businesses up the Bonavista

Peninsula are dependent on non-profit sector enterprise, says Butt. Much of

what is happening in the region is driven by non-profit organizations. Butt

emphasizes that, aside from its Board of Directors (Rising Tide is a registered

charity and incorporated non-profit), the Company seldom relies on volunteers

and strives to provide as much employment as possible, both locally and further

afield, specifically to actors, writers, musicians and other stage

professionals.

The

Company directly employs 40 people during the summer season (more when touring)

and actively cooperates with private sector businesses and other non-profits to

develop an enticing package to attract tourists to the region for longer

periods.

I know,

Mr. Speaker, even residents from my area love to go and check out what's

happening with Riding Tide Theatre. It certainly is an attraction for people all

across the province.

In the

interest of time, I'd like to talk a little bit about the Community Sector

Council. In 2006, they did a report titled, Community Profits: Social Enterprise

in Newfoundland and Labrador. At that time, they said for nearly 30 years of

course, that would be 10 years ago, so really now it has been nearly 40 years.

The

Community Services Council Newfoundland and Labrador has been a province-wide

leader in the voluntary, community-based sector. One of the province's first

social entrepreneurs, the Community Services Council has been connecting people

and organizations to community resources, mentoring new community enterprises

and bringing the voluntary sector and government together on important issues of

the day.

Community Profits is a preliminary inventory of organizations in Newfoundland

and Labrador involved in community enterprise activity. At the time of this

report their listing included about 140 groups, all of which generate some

level of revenue through the sale of goods or services on an ongoing or regular

basis. Most rely on a variety of funding sources, and almost all have paid

staff, although there is a strong volunteer component involved in sales even

among many well-established enterprises. Mr. Speaker, because it's the

combination of the volunteer component with the entrepreneurial spirit that

makes it all work.

I'm

going to run out of time, I only have 30 seconds left. Again, I'm going to refer

to my colleague for Mount Pearl North. He listed some of the six pillars of

social enterprise development. The Community Services Council has spelled out

some very concrete, specific actions in their report of this year, November,

2016, and we look forward to working with them. We truly hope they will

materialize, and we're certainly happy to support this motion before the House

today.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER (Warr):

The hon. the Minister of

Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development.

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want

to thank the Member for Mount Pearl North for giving accolades to our Premier

for the vision to call for a social enterprise action plan. I also want to thank

the Member opposite, Fortune Bay Cape La Hune, for raising the St. Anthony

Basin Resources Incorporated in giving significant time in her talking point to

a social enterprise that is doing exceptional work in my district for the 17

communities of the people of the north.

It also

gives me great pleasure that the Member for Terra Nova actually put forward this

motion, because the role of the social enterprise and the action that's required

is quite significant from government, and from all of our partners.

As the

Member representing an area and the minister responsible for BTCRD that would

lead this social enterprise action plan, I have to say that my district in

particular is steeped with social enterprises, whether it goes back to the days

of Sir Wilfred Grenfell when he formed co-operatives. The oldest retail co-op in

the country is basically the Grenfell Memorial Co-op; well over 100 year's old

and still operating today.

There

were other things that were done, whether it was in the agricultural measures or

as part of the health movement. Wilfred Grenfell started, in 1906, the first

sawmill. Yes, as part of the health movement, started a sawmill. That was the

first year-round employment that was created on the Great Northern Peninsula

that really led to people being able to go from the fishery into forestry in the

Canada Bay, the Roddickton area that's steeped in lumbering.

These

are initiatives that were taken to help link the economy and a social need as

well, linking good health, access to food, access to employment. We see today

where social enterprises and social entrepreneurs are continuing to do

incredible work.

Shaun

Loney, in particular, has a book that he's put forward and done a significant

amount of work in Manitoba. I visited the social enterprise centre there. I've

met with Shaun several times, and the concept that there are an army of problem

solvers out there, and they can help create the solutions economy.

Another

aspect of my own personal history to social entrepreneurship and social

enterprise is with The Straits St. Barbe Chronic Care Corporation. It's a

non-profit social enterprise that is fulfilling health care needs for people on

the Great Northern Peninsula, from Eddies Cove to Castor River, 26 communities,

providing 36 personal care beds at Level 1 or Level 2 levels, and they are

employing a significant amount of people.

They

also manage a Newfoundland and Labrador Housing complex as well for those who

are independent living. But it's creating jobs and making sure that people have

care close to home. They employ local people and put their profits back into the

community. Some of the initiatives they undertake are not that of a typical

personal care home because that's not their goal or their initiative because of

the concept of how a social enterprise is established.

If we

look at St. Anthony Basin Resources Incorporated established in 1997 I won't

get into all the details since the Member for Fortune Bay Cape La Hune has

articulated quite a bit, but I want to say that from a public resource that was

3,000 metric tons that is now 1,252 metric tons, is managed by volunteers,

fisher people, fish plant employees, community representatives, and two

representatives from development committees.

What

they've done is put $16 million in infrastructure in the region, awarded more

than $260,000 in scholarships, $600,000 in community economic development,

employed more than 225 people, and contributed in excess to $3.5 million in

payroll to residents in the SABRI region and donated more than $580,000 to

different groups. They continue to get involved in business initiatives such as

the Hydraulic Yard Trailer.

There is

also a partnership between Clearwater and St. Anthony Basin Resources to operate

a state-of-the-art shrimp processing facility. They have a state-of-the-art cold

storage which is dependent of all the shrimp plants on the Northern Peninsula

and in Labrador. And in doing so, they have attracted an international shipping

company, Eimskip there, that has direct links to Europe, which creates

significant opportunities.

They

partnered with Memorial University, with the International Grenfell Association,

with the Research and Development Corporation. They are looking at potential use

for blue mussels and sea cucumber in nutraceuticals. With their operating budget

and what they've been able to do to upgrade tourism and infrastructure, and

recently they've added broadband, supported with Bell and federal and provincial

governments; the ability to have St. Carol's, Great Brehat, St. Anthony Bight

and Goose Cove East connected to high-speed, broadband Internet. Now, if that

isn't a success story, I don't know what is.

There

are significant success stories when it comes to social enterprises. I was a

member of the Canadian Community Economic Development Network, CCEDNet. They've

been involved in promoting social entrepreneurship quite significantly.

If I

want to go and point out a couple of examples quickly, BUILD is an example in

Winnipeg. It has $1.5 million in annual revenues, 45 employees and was founded

in 2006 to help inner-city, unemployed people who are significantly at high

risk. A lot of people who would be working here would have potentially been

involved in the justice system and would have a high risk of incarceration which

can be a significant cost to the social system.

When we

look at government right now, when we look at our health care budgets, when we

look at justice, when we look at Children, Seniors and Social Development, the

funds that add pressures; if we could find ways of which social entrepreneurs

and social enterprises can find ways to create employment in areas and give

people opportunity, this is a significant opportunity, then, to build up

community.

This is

what BUILD has done. It's actually, in that process, trained 500 people. It's

lowered energy and water bills in 12,500 homes and saved $4 million a year. So

when you talk about being a lower-income person, if you're able to have these

retrofits done to your home and you're able to save money on your energy or

water bill because of the install of a low-flow toilet or a retrofit to your

home, that's money now that you can spend on healthier food and other things.

That's not money that's leaking out of the economy.

We see

that. Impact Construction is a very similar example here in Newfoundland and

Labrador. Choices for Youth and their revenues of $439,000 in '15-'16 with 19

employees in St. John's; it was the nominee for the 2016-2017 World Habitat

Awards as part of the Building and Social Housing Foundation in Europe.

There's

a high youth unemployment problem in the St. John's area and providing housing

support, education, legal support, access to mental health counsellors and other

supports are certainly part of being able to help in advancing the economy in a

very social way. Enactus is part of this role with their action of Project

SucSeed and what they're doing in working with Choices for Youth and linking up

and making sure that people have access to healthier food, whether it be in the

north, Northern communities in partnership with the Nunatsiavut Government or in

Nunavut. There are lots of good things happening when it comes to social

enterprises.

We've

seen examples in St. Lawrence at the Miner's Museum where people with

disabilities are actually taking

part in a training program and making jewellery

out of fluorspar. So there are links and there are solutions. This is why I'm

excited about being able to take on an action plan right here and work with my

colleagues. Work with colleagues like the Minister of Municipal Affairs in

seeing that there's a new Public

Procurement Act being put forward. The regulations are being worked on that

can take a social focus and an environmental focus as well because this has

positive impacts, as well as the Minister for Advance Education, Skills and

Labour in the training component and what can be done to link and also, working

with my colleagues who have social portfolios.

All of

us in the House have a collective responsibility to work very hard and put

forward our ideas. There are a lot of great organizations out there. I'm sure my

colleague opposite will talk about organizations like Stella's Circle, the

Hungry Heart Cafe and other programs in St. John's, but they're all across this

province and they're doing great work.

There

are solutions where we can have more progressive procurement at public and

private institutions and we're starting to see that happen. This social

enterprise action plan will have a very positive impact on the economy. I'm very

happy to be able to work with everyone here in this House.

I'm so

happy that my parliamentary secretary and the Member for Terra Nova put forward

this initiative and see this as an important initiative moving forward. This is

something that, as we link up our business innovation agenda, as we link up

procurement as you see from the vision it is not about setting strategy,

strategy, strategy like the former administration put forward, it's about one

strategy linking across all areas.

That's

the vision of our Premier. That's a great thing that we're doing right here

today. I hope we get collective support here from the House of Assembly.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The Chair recognizes the hon.

the Member for St. John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

I'm very

happy to stand and speak to this private Member's motion which calls for a

strategy and an action plan for social enterprise. We've heard a lot today in

this House about what is a social enterprise and why it would be good. I agree

with all that.

It is my

hope that in fact this is not just talking about how great social enterprises

are, and it's not just talking about why we need to do them and what they are,

but that actually we will move beyond simply a strategy or a plan, put resources

in place and make sure that we put the problems as Shaun Loney, I believe his

name has been mentioned here in this House in the hands of the problem

solvers.

So if

that's the case, if that's what we're talking about here today, I'm really

excited. I'm excited about what's happening in our communities. Many of my

colleagues here in the House today have talked about what's happening in their

communities in terms of people, entrepreneurs and civil society doing the work

of solving our problems. I would like to congratulate all the people who have

done such incredible work over the years in our province, in the country and in

the world.

Mr.

Speaker, what I would highly recommend to people, and to my colleagues here in

the House I'm sure my colleagues in the House are very knowledgeable about

this area. Some people have had a chance to read a book by Shaun Loney who is

working in Manitoba and who has started a number of social enterprises in

Manitoba. His book has just come out. He's going across the country now on a

tour, launching his book and doing town hall meetings about social enterprises.

The book is called, An Army of Problem

Solvers . I highly recommend our colleagues here to have a look at that book.

It's a great study, and very accessible, on the social enterprises that he's had

a hand in. He also mentions some of the social enterprises here in Newfoundland

and Labrador.

A number

of my colleagues have referred to a document prepared by the Community Sector

Working Committee. It's called

Accelerating Change: Thoughts on How to Build a Social Enterprise Strategy for

Newfoundland and Labrador . I highly recommend this document as well. It's

available online, no cost. It's a quick read. You can find it on the website of

the Community Sector Council. They've done a lot of work in this area. Penny

Rowe has been their executive director for a very long time and has done great

work. As we've heard here today, some of our colleagues have actually worked

with Penny Rowe at the Community Sector Council. The work they do is really

based on a firm foundation of community activism and community consultation.

It's

been very interesting in this House in the past few days because we've been

debating a bill about procurement. One of the issues that I brought up in third

reading about our procurement debate is the whole issue of how do we embed

values in our procurement bill. That's also how do we embed values in any kind

of strategy or action plan around social enterprises.

So I

looked at legislation that Scotland has had. They first introduced it in 2008

and then there's b