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May 1, 2023 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS Vol. L No. 29

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

SPEAKER (Bennett): Order, please!

Admit strangers.

Before we begin this afternoon, I would like to welcome a new Page, Portia Addo, to my left here, who will be joining us this afternoon in the House of Assembly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: Portia's from Ghana and is completing her master's program in political science at Memorial University.

Welcome.

Statements by Members

SPEAKER: Today, we'll hear statements by the hon. Members for the Districts of Humber - Bay of Islands, Labrador West, Baie Verte - Green Bay, Mount Pearl - Southlands and Burin - Grand Bank.

The hon. the Member for Humber - Bay of Islands.

E. JOYCE: Mr. Speaker, in 2019 planning began to erect a war memorial to honour those residents from the Town of McIvers that have served or continue to serve their country.

Students Chloe Lovell and Jordyn Parsons from Templeton Academy, along with their teacher, Shelley Lawrence, came up with the concept for a monument and worked with Heritage Memorials, who did the design.

With a contribution of $25,000 from Veterans Affairs and monies from the Come Home Year fund, work began on the site in September 2021, and with the help of many volunteers, some giving up to 300 hours of their time, the idea became a reality.

While there is still groundwork to be finished and benches to install, the official dedication and unveiling of the monument took place this past Remembrance Day.

Located next to the Epiphany Anglican Church, this beautiful memorial is adorned with a solider standing guard atop the monument and it includes the names of 14 soldiers, with additional names to be added this year.

I ask all Members to join me in extending congratulations to the town and the many dedicated volunteers who worked on this beautiful tribute honouring those brave men and women.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Labrador West.

J. BROWN: Thank you, Speaker.

I rise today to congratulate the Labrador West Big Landers and the 10 athletes who participated in the Special Olympics Provincial Winter Games held in Grand Falls-Windsor this past March.

The outstanding athletes competed in snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and curling. Each athlete returned to Labrador West with a medal and they're all beyond proud of their accomplishments.

In cross-country skiing: Colin Rumbolt brought home three gold medals and Jody Lawrence, two silver and a bronze. In snowshoeing: Joey Dwyer brought home three gold medals; Sharon Manning, one bronze; Ethan Fry, one silver and two gold; and Brihanna Locke, one silver and one bronze medal.

The curling team: Junior Dumerasque, Christopher Gillam, Lenny Farnell and Deborah Baggs brought home bronze.

Of course, these athletes have a big support team behind them and I would like to congratulate all the coaches and volunteers who made it possible for these athletes to succeed. From fundraising to cheering on the sidelines, I know these athletes appreciate everything you do.

I'd like to ask all Members to join me in congratulating each of these athletes and the support team around them.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Baie Verte - Green Bay.

B. WARR: Speaker, today I rise to recognize and congratulate a Grade 11 student at Indian River High in Springdale, Lucas Brooks, who is a recipient of the 2023 Rise Award which provides funding for tuition, accommodations and travel to participate in a world-class enriched program. Lucas will attend the Boston Leadership Institute in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

As a student, Lucas strives for excellence. He has received first place academic awards each year and the school award for the Cayley math competition. He is involved in the student leadership team, social justice club, team sports, Tutoring for Tuition program and volunteering with the breakfast program.

Each week he plays music for a local seniors' complex. He participates with the Salvation Army band program, worship team and volunteers with the Christmas Kettle.

Lucas's plans include achieving a science degree in the area of biochemistry, microbiology or immunology, followed by medical school. He is very aware of the health concerns of our province and, as such, he aims to become a general practitioner to serve in rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

I ask my hon. colleagues to join me in congratulating Lucas Brooks on receiving this award and wish him continued success with his studies and future goals.

Thank you, Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl - Southlands.

P. LANE: Thank you, Speaker.

I am pleased to rise in this hon. House to recognize the accomplishments of 11 individuals who've given their time and talents to the sport of hockey in my community. Five of these individuals: Gerard Curtis, the late John Nolan, the late Richard – most well-known as Dick – Pearson, Ian Graham and the late Ron Penney, have been inducted into the Mount Pearl Minor Hockey Hall of Fame in the category of builder; four others: Jeff Anderson, Todd Moore, Paul Penney and Barry Taylor in the player category; as well as two others: Kevin Penney and the late Edmund Bailey in the official category.

Hockey, like many other sports, provide tremendous benefits to our youth, not only from a health and wellness perspective, but also in providing lifelong lessons such as the value of hard work and commitment and working as part of a team. Through the tireless efforts of these Hall of Fame inductees, many young people in my community have benefited from a physical and social point of view and have gone on to be very productive citizens.

Please join me in commending these individuals for their contribution to this great sport and in congratulating them on being inducted into the Mount Pearl Minor Hockey Hall of Fame.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

P. PIKE: Speaker, there are so many volunteer groups in the great District of Burin - Grand Bank that are making positive impacts on their communities and their region as a whole.

Sunshine Friends was established in St. Lawrence six years ago by friends Tracey Slaney and Amy Doyle in conjunction with social worker, Kim Edwards-Slaney. The group was formed in response to growing concerns of the number of issues with depression, anxiety and the rising numbers of suicides in the region. Since its inception, they have branched out to include other communities and meet on a regular basis.

Supporting each other by doing acts of kindness is key to the success of this group. They bring members and others together by offering soup kitchens, end-the-stigma walks, boil ups, hikes, mental health days and random displays of compassion and generosity for each other.

Membership is growing in this organization and, once again, we have an example of our resilience and ability to work together to ensure our residents and our communities remain strong and vibrant.

Thank you to the membership and founders of Sunshine Friends for their acts of humanity, selflessness and understanding.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: Statements by Ministers.

Statements by Ministers

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation.

S. CROCKER: Thank you, Speaker.

Speaker, it takes courage and confidence to put your work on display for others to see, and especially to compete against your peers.

I rise today to congratulate the incredible young filmmakers who recently competed in the Newfoundland and Labrador High School Short Film Festival.

I was honoured to attend this year's event, and I am thrilled that the festival's top award winner is from my District of Carbonear - Trinity - Bay de Verde.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

S. CROCKER: Thirteen-year-old Tristan Jenkins's documentary, Dance Chose Me , is a thoughtful and insightful look at how his younger brother Cameron challenges stereotypes by pursuing his passion for dance.

The calibre of entries at this year's festival are a testament to the amazing talent that is being developed right here in our province.

Speaker, we have taken significant steps to foster an environment where aspiring filmmakers can succeed.

Incentives like the all-spend tax credit and infrastructure like the $10 million centre for television and film at College of the North Atlantic are positioning Newfoundland and Labrador as a sought-after destination for productions from around the world.

Today, there are 1,400 jobs in our local film and television industry, and with films like Disney's Peter Pan and Wendy showing the world that what we have to offer, future adventures await.

Please join me in congratulating the participants of this year's High School Short Film Festival.

Thank you, Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Placentia West - Bellevue.

J. DWYER: Thank you, Speaker.

I want to thank the hon. minister for the advance copy of his statement.

We, in the Official Opposition, congratulate these young filmmakers in our province to continue our long legacy of filmmaking. We also congratulate Tristan Jenkins on his award-winning documentary, Dance Chose Me , a film about his brother Cameron's passion for dance and overcoming stereotypes.

Incentives such as the all-spend tax credit has certainly helped the film industry create employment within the industry, but questions remain based on the PERT report. Congratulations to all those who participated in this year's High School Short Film Festival.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Labrador West.

J. BROWN: Thank you, Speaker.

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

Fostering youth in the arts is vital to continuing the history and culture of this province for years to come and we congratulate all participants in the High School Short Film Festival.

I remind the minister that college-level funding doesn't directly apply to students in high school. Arts funding to schools is very important to increase (inaudible) and the province never gave any money to the provincial drama festival this past year as well. Such a grant and proper resourcing for arts schools is important and also for youth. It's much faster than a tax break for one large corporation.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: Are there any further statements by ministers?

Question Period.

Oral Questions

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

D. BRAZIL: Speaker, there's a fire brewing in the fishery, the lobster and crab fisheries remain at a standstill and the Premier has been absent on the fishery altogether.

Premier, are you just going to sit there and wait for rural Newfoundland and Labrador to disappear?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

A. FUREY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Of course, as the hon. Member knows, we've been quite engaged with respect to the fishery. The Minister of Fisheries has been talking to both parties daily, Mr. Speaker. As the Member opposite knows, we can't control the market forces but we can try to encourage groups to come together for resolution, which is the tact that we have taken. As I understand it, Mr. Speaker, the lobster has been resolved and we're hopeful that crab will as well.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

D. BRAZIL: Speaker, this is too valuable of an asset to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, all parts of Newfoundland and Labrador, just to be dismissed and not seen as an important asset to the people.

Speaker, young people who work in the fishery are already looking to other provinces for work, just to keep afloat.

Premier, what do you say to the boatloads of young people who are planning to leave our province?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

A. FUREY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Of course, we recognize the value of the fishery to this province, Mr. Speaker. I am sure every single person sitting here recognizes the value historically and currently of the fishery to the people of this province.

To the people who are leaving, Mr. Speaker, I'm not sure if the Member opposite knows, the population of Newfoundland and Labrador has increased and I'm happy to say that we would support anyone who wants to stay here to partake in our valuable fishery as any other industry.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

D. BRAZIL: Mr. Speaker, unfortunately our skilled fishers are leaving Newfoundland and Labrador because there isn't an agreement here to promote and flourish the fishing industry in this province by that administration.

Speaker, it's a fishery fiasco. Did the Premier's friend Dominic LeBlanc provide any assurance on behalf of the prime minister regarding support for rural Newfoundland and Labrador during the current fishery crisis? Or is it still the case that he wishes to remove the lifeline of rural Newfoundland and Labrador similar to when he attempted to wipe out the Artic surf clam quota from Grand Bank in 2017 while serving as minister?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

A. FUREY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Blast from the past there, I'm sure, but once again –

AN HON. MEMBER: Muskrat.

A. FUREY: Yes, we can talk about the past: cucumbers, Muskrat. We can go on and on about things from the other side, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

SPEAKER: Order, please!

A. FUREY: What is certain is that that surf clam decision was not a provincial decision, as they know, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Premier.

A. FUREY: What is certain is that unlike the topics that we have brought up, which were exclusively in provincial domain, Mr. Speaker, surf clams was not ever in the provincial domain; it was a federal domain issue.

I will say that today the minister was here to ensure that there is proper transportation across this province, Mr. Speaker, so that when that valuable product comes out of the fish plants, it's able to be transported across the province and around the world so that we can recognize the true value for everybody in this province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

SPEAKER: Order, please!

It's very difficult to hear people speak when there are other Members shouting across the floor. I ask everyone to keep decorum.

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

D. BRAZIL: Thank you, Speaker.

I remind the Premier that it's the same players at the table who've made past decisions that were detrimental to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The fishery is in a crisis and Marine Atlantic rates are skyrocketing thanks to the Premier's friends in Ottawa. Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador is speaking out, stating that this rate increase will hurt our tourism industry. Unbelievable – a province that is touted for its tourism is turning its back on its people that live here and want to come here.

Premier, did Dominic LeBlanc provide any reassurance on behalf of the prime minister for those who rely on Marine Atlantic?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

A. FUREY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Unlike the previous administration when they went to Ottawa, the people in Ottawa do take our calls, Mr. Speaker. I'm happy to say that when I phoned the minister of transportation this weekend, I expressed my extreme frustration and disappointment with respect to Marine Atlantic.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

A. FUREY: This is not only an extension of the highway for people of this province; it's an essential service. Frankly, it's not fair when you look at how this is being applied across the country with respect to the Confederation Bridge. I assure you he heard loud and clear from me this weekend.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

D. BRAZIL: Mr. Speaker, it's good to have a conversation, but action is what people in Newfoundland and Labrador need here –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

D. BRAZIL: – and we haven't seen it from either side (inaudible).

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

SPEAKER: Order, please!

D. BRAZIL: Ferry rate increases, fishery turmoil and the carbon tax, all thanks to the Liberals provincially and federally. People in rural Newfoundland and Labrador already pay through the roof for gas, groceries and home heating fuel. A classic example of reactive versus proactive. The Premier only picks up the phone once there's a headline.

When will the provincial Liberals work with their cousins to ensure that they stop increasing the cost of living on Newfoundlanders and Labradorians?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

A. FUREY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'm happy to say that we have worked with our federal cousins, as he suggested, to address the cost of living in this province, Mr. Speaker, by assuring that electricity rates don't double because of a project that they launched.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

A. FUREY: If we had to continue with Muskrat Falls, Mr. Speaker, double – double – two times is what we would end up paying. But because of our relationship with Ottawa we were able to fix, fix, fix the mistakes of the past.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

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

D. BRAZIL: Thank you.

The Liberals couldn't get back the money that the federal Liberals have up there belonged to us, and I say us, the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Hibernia dividends that they gained up there. That's all we're asking for back, our fair share and they couldn't negotiate that properly there.

Speaker, there is a fire brewing in the – oh, sorry, Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

D. BRAZIL: Got me so excited because I also wanted to mention about all the things they're doing for cost of living: the carbon tax, the gas tax, the sugar tax and now the Marine Atlantic tax. These are the things they're doing for their friends in Ottawa.

A 4 per cent increase on ferry rates will also impact the cost of food and other goods on our shelves. The Liberals keep saying that they aren't responsible for the rising cost of living, but just like the carbon tax, it will result in people paying more.

Will the Premier finally admit that people are paying more because of his failure to stand up to Ottawa?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation.

S. CROCKER: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I can assure the Member opposite that our conversations with the federal government and Marine Atlantic date back a long ways before last week, Mr. Speaker. It was back in December, I think, when my colleague, the Minister of Energy, actually was in Ottawa and met with the federal transportation minister and made sure that, as this was coming, we would make sure that they would not do what they did, Mr. Speaker.

That's why we wrote the federal department of transportation back in, I think it was, December, outlining our concerns around Marine Atlantic increases, Mr. Speaker, because for the tourism industry it is extremely important. It is also extremely important for every other Newfoundlander and Labradorian.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

B. PETTEN: Thank you, Speaker.

Another great performance today. I think the Premier spent a little bit too much time on the Peter Pan set and now he is trying to audition for the next Disney film so he is off to a good start.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

B. PETTEN: And the Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology auditioned last week so there are two of them.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

SPEAKER: Order, please!

Move on with your question.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

B. PETTEN: The NLTA has fired back at the minister who downplayed systemic teacher shortages in Labrador West.

Speaker, rather than dismissing and patronizing a legitimate concerns: Why doesn't the minister take action to address them?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

J. HAGGIE: Thank you very much, Speaker.

We acknowledge there are some challenges with substitutes. There are 13 locally and that doesn't appear to be enough to cover absences and sickness. We're working with the school district to increase that recruitment and retention and acknowledge, also, that support staff are a challenge.

Teacher numbers are acceptable, as I have put out there just now.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

B. PETTEN: Mr. Speaker, déjà vu – very dismissive, deflected. We saw the same things from this minister in Health with the nurses and doctors. Now look what happened today. Years ago, it was no crisis and now we're living it. So I guess the same thing is going to happen to education. It's terrible, Mr. Speaker.

Speaker, the president of the NLTA said education is – quote – the forgotten portfolio under this minister. Mr. Langdon's words, Speaker, not mine.

After the stinging indictment of his leadership, how is the minister going to repair the relationship with the province's teachers?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

J. HAGGIE: Thank you, Speaker.

I make no apology for standing up in this House and delivering accurate facts and numbers.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

J. HAGGIE: That is the basis on which rational debate and rational discussion is founded. I will continue to do so. I'm not at all dismissive of their concerns. We have worked diligently together and continue to do so. He and I – Mr. Langdon and myself – enjoy a very good relationship face to face. What happens in the public and in the media, I have no control over.

In terms of how we continue to repair our relationship, I'm meeting with him, again, for example, this Thursday when I very much hope, within the next couple of weeks, to be able to announce our co-created recruitment and retention plan.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

B. PETTEN: We'll hear it again, Speaker, dismissive and condescending. We're listening to the news. This is all over the news. The minister can live in denial all he likes but –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

SPEAKER: Order, please!

B. PETTEN: – he's very dismissive, Mr. Speaker. He's proven that to the people of this province and he continues to do there today.

Speaker, the minister is clearly in denial. Teachers are facing staff shortages, double classrooms and overcrowded rooms.

Mr. Langdon is asking on behalf of over 7,000 members: Where's the long-term vision and political will for education?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

J. HAGGIE: Thank you very much, Speaker.

I think between all the rhetoric there, I still make no apologies for standing in this House and delivering accurate numbers. These are numbers that are accurate as of today. We have a recruitment and retention plan, co-created with the NLTA, which I had hoped to discuss with them last Wednesday, but, unfortunately, they couldn't make the meeting. That will take place this week.

There is, I would argue, 1.3 billion reasons why Education is valued and you'll see that in the Estimates when we come to do that on Wednesday night.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Harbour Main.

H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: Speaker, violent crime is on the rise. Canadian premiers are calling for serious action to promote safer communities. They are also calling for efforts to address gender-based violence and intimate partner violence, yet the Liberal government has failed to release a violence prevention plan.

I ask the minister again: When will we see a violence prevention plan in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister Responsible for Women and Gender Equality.

P. PARSONS: Thank you, Speaker, and I thank the hon. Member for raising this topic.

Again, I'm happy to say that recently our federal cousins in Ottawa have released the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence . I'm happy to say that bilateral agreements are currently under way with each province and territory. I'm happy to say, as well, my team in the Office of Women and Gender Equality have met with multiple organizations throughout Newfoundland and Labrador to find out ways that we can work together to enhance violence prevention.

Work is constantly ongoing; we know significant funding goes to these organizations every year from our government for their core funding. We're always having conversation any time to find ways that we can always improve services for the people here of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank you, Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Harbour Main.

H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: As the minister acknowledges, the federal government has presented a violence prevention plan, yet this government, the provincial government, has failed to do so. That is simply inadequate and not good enough, Speaker.

The Premier is calling on the prime minister to fix an issue that the Premier has ignored in his own backyard. Police presence in our communities can serve as a deterrent for crime, but only if officers are actually and physically present.

Will the Premier commit to at least filling all of the vacant policing positions in our province?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and Public Safety.

J. HOGAN: Thank you, Speaker.

We've shown our commitment to policing and increasing policing resources over the last two years. Last year, we had an increase of $17 million for the RCMP's budget. This budget, which it sounds like everyone is going to vote for on that side of the House now when – they're pleased to hear that there's an increase of 10 resources for 10 additional RNC officers.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

J. HOGAN: So certainly you'll see an increase of those 10 officers as soon as that budget is approved. We're working with the RNC on their cadet program.

I'd also like everybody to know in this House, and publicly as well, that the Justice and Public Safety Department has created a new unit of 10 new individuals that will be staffed within the department to work on things like policing contracts, to work on police policies and to work on, specifically, crime prevention. So we're very happy to work with the RCMP, the RNC and the members of Justice and Public Safety as well.

Thank you, Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Harbour Main.

H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: Speaker, although the minister claims that his commitment is shown, I would beg to differ. When I hear from Holyrood detachment, for example, that says 50 per cent of their positions are vacant, that is very concerning and does not clearly show a commitment.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: Speaker, the premiers also call for mental health and addictions support, noting supports will increase public safety. Our province has many vacancies, not only in policing, but mental health positions, which will increase wait times, whether it's for a robbery or a mental health crisis.

I ask the Premier: How can these supports be offered to the community without full staffing?

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

T. OSBORNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We have been working diligently on recruitment. There is a health care shortage across the country, Mr. Speaker, and as I've said in the House on many occasions, globally. But it is something that this government is taking very seriously. We have been working diligently to recruit. We have a number of incentives and initiatives in place. Mental health and addictions is one of the areas that we have to focus on.

But we've done a great deal in mental health and addictions, Mr. Speaker. We have a number of initiatives that are in place. We have Towards Recovery , which is a plan that's put in place; it's a five-year plan. The action items in that plan are all under way. We've been working very diligently on promoting mental health and addictions in this province as well.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Harbour Main.

H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: Speaker, mobile crisis response teams include mental health care workers and police officers who work together to respond compassionately when people are in crisis. RCMP have reported that mental health and addiction calls for service are unfortunately on the rise in my District of Harbour Main and throughout our province.

Will the minister immediately commit to implementing a mobile crisis response team in the Conception Bay North area?

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

T. OSBORNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We will certainly take that away and look at it. We have mobile crisis response units in a number of areas of the province, Mr. Speaker. If there is a demonstrated need and we are able to staff that, we will certainly look at it. As I just committed, we will take it away and we'll look at the need in the area. I'd be happy to work with the MHA for that area in looking at the issue.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Topsail - Paradise.

P. DINN: Thank you, Speaker.

I believe my colleague here has already met with the stakeholders.

Speaker, this week is Mental Health Week. Oftentimes, mental health services have to be shouldered by community groups and organizations. The Jacob Puddister Memorial Foundation opened up bookings for youth with mental health issues and had 106 requests in just six hours.

I ask the minister: When will the obvious backlog in access to mental health services finally be addressed?

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

T. OSBORNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We have the Towards Recovery plan, Mr. Speaker. We had an All-Party Committee in this House that looked at issues. We have the Our Path of Resilience , which is a five-year plan as well. There are 12 action items; four teams who are working on that plan. We've put in an additional $5 million in this year's budget to go towards long-term mental health issues. We've got a new hospital that is opening in the very near future, Mr. Speaker, next to the Health Sciences complex to deal with mental health and addictions issues.

So while there is still much to be done, Mr. Speaker, between the All-Party Committee, the Towards Recovery, the promotion of life and prevention of suicide, the action plans that we've put in place, Mr. Speaker, we are making great progress.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Topsail - Paradise.

P. DINN: Thank you, Speaker.

As I've said in this House many times, mental health doesn't do well on wait-lists and that's where we are with this. They're on wait-lists, waiting – stay tuned.

Speaker, last week, the Association of Psychology discussed a recent survey of members with almost half reporting moderate to severe burnout. With more mental health care professionals in the system to shoulder the load more and more are going to leave our province.

I ask the minister: When can we expect a recruitment and retention plan that specifically addresses mental health care professionals?

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

T. OSBORNE: Mr. Speaker, we are trying to recruit for all disciplines of health care. Under the Come Home Incentive, Mr. Speaker, there are mental health individuals and psychologists in the Come Home Incentive program. We've provided a market adjustment to our psychologists in the public sector and we are speaking with the. In fact, I had a meeting with officials today in looking at the workplace issues that will help retain them in the workplace.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Topsail - Paradise.

P. DINN: Thank you, Speaker.

As noted by a psychologist at Memorial University, specialized mental health services are often not accessible in rural areas, thus, leaving many people at risk.

I ask the minister: Where are residents of rural Newfoundland and Labrador expected to turn without mental health supports in their community?

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

T. OSBORNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We've got mobile crisis units in a number of areas. We've got FACT teams and ACT teams in a number of areas in the province. We've expanded Bridge the gapp. In fact, Mr. Speaker, this program is going across the country, other provinces – Quebec have just asked us to implement that program in their province because it is working so well.

We've got the 811, which has mental health and addictions individuals, that can take calls from anywhere in the province, Mr. Speaker. Those services are available to anybody with a telephone. We've put a number of initiatives in place throughout the province to address mental health and addictions issues throughout the province. Is there more to be done? Absolutely, and we are focused on getting there.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Ferryland.

L. O'DRISCOLL: Speaker, construction of a new prison was supposed to start this spring; however, Budget 2023 includes $7.3 million to advance planning.

Can the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure tell this House what is going on?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.

E. LOVELESS: Thank you for the question, I say to the Member opposite. It is an important question and currently we are still going through the process of finding the option of moving this project forward. We know the importance of it; I know the other side knows the importance of it. Media reports show the importance of it. We have over $7 million that is in the budget as part of that process and I am hoping that there will be more information on this in the near future.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Ferryland.

L. O'DRISCOLL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Last year it was going ahead and now it is an option? That doesn't make much sense.

Speaker, according to government documents, $325 million was allocated for a new prison. However, sources have confirmed the sole-source Liberal-friendly process has come back over $520 million.

Will the minister finally admit a sole-source blank cheque procurement process has failed?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.

E. LOVELESS: Mr. Speaker, if we announced that it was happening today, he would be voting against it anyway. He says it is important to him but he would be voting against the budget. I go back to the importance of this and the importance of finding a way to do this project that is valuable to the workers, to the inmates and for the province in general.

We are going through a process and, as I said, we'll be making more announcements on this in the near future. I look forward to that.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Ferryland.

L. O'DRISCOLL: Stay tuned; another announcement.

Speaker, we warned government that going ahead with a process when all other bidders had backed out was a mistake. No competition, no value for money except for Liberal cronies.

Speaker, if this was such a success story, why hasn't government awarded the contract?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.

E. LOVELESS: Mr. Speaker, it is important to note that we do due diligence for the taxpayers of Newfoundland and Labrador and we will continue to do that. It is unfortunate that you're following the lead of your House Leader in terms of Liberal cronies and stuff, Mr. Speaker.

What's important here is a project that needs to happen in terms of a new penitentiary in this province. We're going to find a way; we're working towards that. I'm going to be happy to announce it at sometime in the future.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Grand Falls-Windsor - Buchans.

C. TIBBS: Thank you, Speaker.

Millions of dollars being spent over is the best for the constituents. I think not.

Recently, a hotel in downtown St. John's had to be evacuated due to –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

SPEAKER: Order, please!

C. TIBBS: – a chemical leak.

Can the minister provide an update on the timeline for the Occupational Health and Safety investigation?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Digital Government and Service NL.

S. STOODLEY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

There was an issue at the Delta Hotel a few weeks ago. It has been deemed to be safe. It is open at the moment. We are working with Environmental Health and working with Occupational Health and Safety and there is an investigation ongoing.

Thank you, Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Grand Falls-Windsor - Buchans.

C. TIBBS: Thank you very much, Speaker.

The mandate letter for the Minister of Digital Government calls for her “to explore the digitalization of government health services to reduce expenditures and improve outcomes.”

What actions has the minister taken on this?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Digital Government and Service NL.

S. STOODLEY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'm very proud any day to talk about all of the digital things we're doing in this government, Speaker.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible.)

S. STOODLEY: Sorry, it's difficult with all the chirping, Speaker.

I'm so excited with all of the digital services. We've significantly expanded the services available for licensing and financial services, Mr. Speaker.

In terms of health care, I know we're moving forward with a new health information system, which the regional health authority is leading.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

S. STOODLEY: I encourage the Members opposite to support the budget, which supports investment in health care.

Thank you, Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

J. DINN: Thank you, Speaker.

Speaker, in his interview, last week, on Labrador Morning ,the minister not only managed to inflame and rile up teachers, but he also referenced there being only one half-time and two quarter-time teaching positions unfilled in the region. These fractional units are a major impediment to recruitment of teachers and lead to doubling of classes, internal coverage of classes and negatively impact the learning environment of students.

Imagine if the premiership was half time and the minister's position was quarter time, how difficult it would be to attract people to serve and how difficult it would be to serve constituents.

I ask the Premier: Will his government ensure that all fractional teaching units are converted to full-time positions in order to recruit and retain teachers and maximize the learning environment for our students?

The Premier regularly seeks solutions. Here is one.

SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

A. FUREY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker and thank you for the question.

Of course we value education in this province, Mr. Speaker, and as the minister has already said, and I support fully, we'll continue to work with the NLTA and different stakeholders to ensure that.

Perhaps that is a reasonable suggestion. We're happy to take it under advisement and work with the NLTA and others to make sure that we are providing sustainable education opportunities for children across this province, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Labrador West.

J. BROWN: Thank you, Speaker.

Teachers, school staff and students were appalled to hear the Minister of Education get on local radio and dismiss their concerns as unsubstantiated. Shortly after his interview, the minister announced that staff would be sent to look at the situation in Labrador West.

Which is it, are the people of Labrador West being untruthful or is the minister just not understanding what's going on in the district?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

J. HAGGIE: Thank you very much, Speaker.

The department regularly sends senior members of the civil service around to meet with interested parties and stakeholders. It so happened that we have an assistant deputy minister who will be heading to Labrador, I believe at the beginning of next week. So it was suggested in the light of the different stories that we have heard from different sources that perhaps this would be a useful maneuver.

In terms of the concerns of the educators and parents in Lab West, happy to have representation from them at any stage, and the discussion will continue.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

L. EVANS: Thank you, Speaker.

With the move to just one school board, we've seen many problems emerge at the regional level in Labrador, a 2021 decision. Students in my district were forced to do all their online courses in Newfoundland time slots, forcing them to miss out on 30 minutes of lecture time for their in-class courses.

This year, we saw in Nain, Nain High School academic students were forced to do all online courses because the school board took away their core academic teachers to fill vacancies elsewhere. This harmful decision made in total ignorance erodes their quality of education or impact their academic prospects.

I ask the minister: Will he commit to at least reversing some of the harms done by his department caused to students on the North Coast and ensure that core academic courses will be taught in class like they were before? These are the minimum requirements to access a university (inaudible).

SPEAKER: The Member's time has expired.

The hon. the Minister of Education.

J. HAGGIE: Thank you very much, Speaker,

Curriculum development, curriculum delivery is an active area for our department at the moment. We've done K to 6. We're working on junior high as the next priority, before moving on to senior high. CDLI, who are responsible for the online

section of the delivery of the curriculum, will, I hope, shortly, be moving into the department as part of our amalgamation. In the light of that, happy to take the Member's consideration around time zones.

With regard to recruitment and retention, again, there are discussions as soon as this week to look at the challenge for rural and remote and isolated schools. Happy to continue those discussions with the NLTA.

Thank you, Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Labrador West.

J. BROWN: Thank you, Speaker.

Speaker, it's clear the Minister of Education doesn't have a grasp on how difficult successive governments have made it to retain and attract full-time staff and educators and support workers in Labrador. In less than a year on the job, he's lost the confidence of the education community.

I ask the Premier: Will he assign a new Education minister who will actually foster and support school communities and take education seriously for Labradorians?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

J. HAGGIE: Thank you very much, Speaker.

Between some of the editorial comments, I take education very seriously. I take the education of any student, be they in Labrador West, Gander or Plum Point, very seriously.

We acknowledge there are challenges, with only 13 substitutes to cover all the sickness and absence in classrooms. We certainly acknowledge we cannot pay $50 an hour for a cleaner in competition with IOC.

We'll work through these issues with the NLTA and the appropriate people.

Thank you very much, Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The time for Question Period has expired.

Present Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Tabling of Documents.

Notices of Motion.

Notices of Motion

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Exploits.

P. FORSEY: Speaker, I move, the Member for Exploits, seconded by the Member for Bonavista, the following private Member's resolution for debate May 3, 2023:

WHEREAS Crown Lands' enforcement of the provisions of the Lands Act abolishing squatters' rights against the Crown has created undue hardship for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who honestly and in good faith have occupied and developed their lands; and

WHEREAS historical titles in Newfoundland and Labrador trace back centuries and are relied upon by the public but not by the Crown; and

WHEREAS people have occupied their lands for generations based on informal title without interference from the Crown; and

WHEREAS people have strong local community support for their claims of title and face opposition only from the Crown Lands division; and

WHEREAS municipalities maintain comprehensive records of land ownership, which are not considered by the Crown in determining title claims; and

WHEREAS applicants for Crown Lands access are frustrated by inordinately long waits of months or years for their applications to be resolved, even for land which has long been occupied; and

WHEREAS the policies and practices of the province's Crown Lands division are impeding economic development in Newfoundland and Labrador and imposing high costs upon the public; and

WHEREAS this issue impacts potentially thousands of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, many of whom may not yet know it;

THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that this hon. House urge the government to move expeditiously to bring forward legislative amendments to ensure fair reconciliation of existing claims for people seeking title to the land they have occupied in good faith for generations and which is recognized within their communities, and to take steps, in the interim, to address Crown Lands's actions against occupied properties in the province.

Thank you, Speaker.

SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

B. PETTEN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This private Member's resolution just mentioned will be the resolution we will be debating this coming Wednesday afternoon on Private Members' Day.

Thank you.

SPEAKER: Further notices of motion?

The hon. the Government House Leader.

J. HOGAN: Thank you, Speaker.

I give notice that I will on tomorrow move in accordance with Standing Order 11(1) that this House not adjourn at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, May 8, 2023.

SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.

J. HOGAN: Speaker, I give notice that I will on tomorrow move in accordance with Standing Order 11(1) that this House not adjourn at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

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

J. HOGAN: Speaker, I give notice that I will on tomorrow move the following motion: That notwithstanding Standing Order 63, this House shall not proceed with Private Members' Day on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, but shall instead meet at 2 p.m. on that day for Routine Proceedings and the conduct of Government Business. And that if not earlier adjourned, the Speaker shall then adjourn the House at midnight.

SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.

J. HOGAN: Speaker, I give notice that I will on tomorrow move in accordance with Standing Order 11(1) that this House not adjourn at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 11, 2023.

SPEAKER: Are there any further notices of motion?

Answer to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Labrador West.

J. BROWN: Thank you, Speaker.

These are the reasons for this petition:

All schools in Labrador West are dealing with massive substitute teacher shortfalls. They need more teachers, IRTs, guidance counsellors, school psychologists, support staff, maintenance workers, bus drivers and custodians.

We regularly hear about the potential teachers who could fill some of these vacant positions but cannot accept the jobs because they cannot find affordable housing. Government assured residents it would work on the existing teachers' apartments and add units to the empty first floor of the former Labrador School Board building. The work has never been carried out. Potential teachers cannot take these jobs and there is no affordable housing in the area.

The CSFP has an extra challenge as, unlike the NLESD, it does not own housing in Labrador West. Labrador West's affordable housing shortage has caused a recruitment hurdle.

Maintenance on all schools has fallen behind, leading to poor learning environments.

Therefore, we petition the hon. House of Assembly as follows: We, the undersigned, call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to meet with Labrador West teachers, support staff and create a solid plan to address the issues of staffing, maintenance and teacher housing in Labrador West.

Speaker, I get up here today to talk about this because we have a teacher shortage in Labrador West. Now, I'll start with this one. There was a posting for a guidance counsellor in Wabush for a little while but instead of filling it with an actual guidance counsellor, they have a part-time guidance counsellor who comes in over Zoom every now and then. Then they took down the job ad for the guidance counsellor and said this is the solution; this is what we're going to say to this. Yet, there are students on wait-lists in a school to speak to a guidance counsellor. That is not filling a position; that is not addressing the issue.

Then they turn around and say there are no vacancies. They're just pulling the job ads off the website and then making teachers do more and more and more duty.

This is what they're doing up in Lab West. There is a teacher shortage. There are students falling behind in Labrador West right now because they are not addressing the actual issues; they're putting Band-Aids over everything. That is what's going on in Labrador West. The people of Labrador West are fed up. Within one day, I've had hundreds of signatures on petitions like this to ask the government to do something about it, to actually address this issue.

This didn't come out of the blue today, yesterday or the day before; this has been ongoing for four years and nothing has been done to address any of it and it's just getting worse and worse. I have been informed that multiple teachers have passed in their resignations at the end of this school year. We'll have about six, seven teachers resigning from Labrador West because they are fed up. They are tired of how things are going, they are fed up and they're actually leaving a profession that they love because they just cannot deal with this anymore. They cannot deal with the situations in these schools.

I call upon the minister to listen to the motion of this petition and to actually go to Labrador West and meet with the teachers and listen to what they have to say because clearly it's not working, what's doing there now. It's not working, what's going on there now and needs to be changed.

SPEAKER: Order!

The Member's time is expired.

The hon. the Minister of Education for a response?

The hon. the Minister of Education.

J. HAGGIE: Thank you, I appreciate it.

Again, just to inject a little bit of clarity, I believe I discussed teacher numbers in Question Period, Speaker. With regard to the housing accommodation situation, all those teachers who wished for accommodation have been accommodated. No one was unable to take a post because accommodation was unavailable. Yes, there are units that we own that are in need of renovation and we have issued an RFP to upgrade those to further enhance recruitment for Labrador West.

I hope that helps, thank you.

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Topsail - Paradise.

P. DINN: Thank you, Speaker.

Speaker, these are the reasons for this petition:

Approximately 100,000 people in Newfoundland and Labrador live with mental illness.

Only about 40 per cent of those people affected by mental illness and addictions seek help. Seventy per cent of mental illness develops during childhood and adolescence and most go undiagnosed. Less than 20 per cent actually receive proper treatment.

Emergency and short-term care isn't enough and it is essential more long-term treatment options are readily available.

Therefore, we petition the hon. House of Assembly as follows: To urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to provide access to long-term mental health care and ensure continuity of care, beginning with psychiatric and neuropsychological assessments being more accessible to the public so they can access proper mental health treatment and supports on a regular and continuous basis.

Speaker, this is a petition that has become appropriate to present this just about every week, every day until we get some action here. But at the start of Mental Health Week, it is even more appropriate to present this. Of course the hashtag for this week is MyStory.

If you go on the Canadian Mental Health Association site, it will talk about: “Within our stories is the mental health care we all need.” We've talked about that so many times in this House. That is essentially talking about individuals with lived experiences. The minister today alluded to there is much to be done; he agreed to that. But I will also mention that mental health and addictions does not do well on wait-lists.

We have a young lobbyist, young advocate here every Monday for 126 weeks now. Young Kristi Allan out there, advocating on behalf of those who need mental health care assistance, long-term continuity of care.

So I beg government, I implore government to have a closer look, a more urgent look at this. It is needed. But in the meantime, I do ask people to reach out if you're in need and for those, if you know someone in need, reach out to them.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

L. EVANS: Thank you, Speaker.

I present this petition to call reinstate the marine shipping service between the Island portion of our province and Northern Labrador communities.

We, the undersigned, are concerned citizens of Newfoundland and Labrador who urge our leaders to return the marine shipping service between the Island portion of our province to our Northern Labrador communities.

This freight service was removed in the spring of 2019, resulting in freight having to be trucked to the port of Happy Valley-Goose Bay and then shipped to our northern communities. Since then, additional shipping has directly impacted the prices of food, building materials, vehicles, including trucks and off-road vehicles, household goods and many essential services for our communities.

Our Northern Labrador communities are totally isolated with no road access and marine transportation services are limited to five summer months on average. With the cancellation of the direct marine freight service from the Island portion of our province to our communities, residents are witnessing exorbitant price increases of basic needs impacting overall quality of life.

This petition is really, really important. The people in my district are still calling for a return to the marine shipping from the Island because of the exorbitant costs, not just for food, but for building materials and such.

I did ask a question last week for a call for the marine shipping service from the Island and the minister did say – and I'm quoting from Hansard – “I tell the hon. Member that in my consultations with stakeholders in Labrador and with MHAs that represent this side, that great work has been done; strides have been made in terms of improving the systems in Labrador.” That was what the Minister of Transportation said in my question.

Now, for me, I'd like to know what consultations were done. Did he consult with my people? The people on the street, the people who actually use the service, the people who pay the high prices for food, high prices to get their boats, their snowmobiles, their ATVs, building materials, into our North Coast communities. Did he consult with the Inuit Community governments recently on the return of their freight boat? Did he consult with Nunatsiavut Government on the return of the freight boat? Did he consult with the Innu Nation on the return of the freight boat?

Because, in actual fact, no one who I've listed have told me otherwise, because they're all telling me to keep advocating for a return of their freight boat. So I would like to know what consultations were done.

He goes on to say, “We get it from stakeholders who are in Labrador. The only one that I know that looks at it from the glass as half full is the Member opposite.” That's me. In actual fact, I have to say, the glass is not half empty. The glass is empty. Really, we have people now who can't afford to buy food. We have people who can't afford to actually build, to make repairs –

SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Member's time has expired.

L. EVANS: Thank you, Speaker.

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Bonavista.

C. PARDY: Thank you, Speaker.

The residents on the Bonavista Peninsula, served by the Bonavista hospital, who are in need of physiotherapy, have the opportunity to call the hospital during a 15-minute period on Thursday mornings for appointments the following week. Unsuccessful candidates in attaining an appointment have to wait until the following Thursday, during the same 15-minute window, to try again. A Bonavista senior, who was discharged from the Miller Centre over five weeks ago, still has not won the lottery for such an appointment, despite attempts to call in for the past five weeks.

Therefore we, the undersigned, call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to conduct an immediate review of this physiotherapy booking process at the Bonavista hospital and initiate a much more accessible system of bookings for those in need.

To give a little more evidence on that, if you're deemed urgent and you come out, urgent is looked after and you don't need to be calling in because only those calling in would be routine. But I'd like to say that residents like Dolores Whiffen in Bonavista, who suffered a stroke, released from the Miller Centre, who was very determined to have their full functionality back in two to three months, she needs those physio appointments.

What she's left to do is at 9 o'clock on Thursday mornings the window opens, the line opens, they know the number to call. She needs to continuously call until she receives a message that all the appointments are filled, try again next week at 9.

I would say if we've gone through five weeks of trying to get appointment for physiotherapy, one would say that something is wrong with the system delivery and it needs to be looked into and tweaked.

I would say the jest of the petition is this is an impediment for Dolores Whiffen in Bonavista and others. I would ask that the minister look into the situation, the booking system, or the lack of adequate staffing to supply or meet the need. Otherwise, look into the situation to make sure that we have this critical service available and as accessible for those like Dolores Whiffen who needs the service in order to remediate and get back on good stead in walking.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Placentia West - Bellevue.

J. DWYER: Thank you, Speaker.

These are the reasons for this petition:

The closure of the Canning Bridge in Marystown has had a devastating impact on residents, fire and emergency services and the local economy.

The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure was well aware of the poor condition of this bridge, most recently documented in a bridge inspection report completed in January 2020, which confirmed the Canning Bridge was in poor condition.

Therefore we petition the hon. House of Assembly as follows: We, the undersigned, call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to immediately begin the process to replace Canning Bridge.

The people that have signed this one, Mr. Speaker, are business owners. There needs to be some contingencies put in place while we wait for this bridge to be replaced. Whether that's a GoBus or it's assistance with taxi fares or anything like that. What's happening is businesses are noticing that people are making, let's say, one trip into the business district of Marystown a day or every couple of days and getting what they need, as opposed to being there more frequent.

Being they're more frequent, we know that a disposable dollar is easily spent when, let's say if you're out doing your errands or whatever, you feel hungry; you might pop into a fast food or local restaurant. Without having some contingencies in place to support the people of Marystown while they're inconvenienced with this bridge closure, albeit they can go up around, but that extra 27 kilometres round trip is certainly going to be impactful on people that are employed, people that are going for personal needs, doctor's appointments, seniors.

The thing is, I think we need, sooner rather than later, to get something in there in a transportation infrastructure situation that can alleviate the pressures off the people of Marystown that find themselves marginalized because the bridge is down and they have to go all the way up around.

Thank you, Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: Orders of the Day.

Orders of the Day

SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.

J. HOGAN: Thank you, Speaker.

I move, seconded by Deputy Government House Leader, that pursuant to Standing Order 11(1) this House not adjourn at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, May 1, 2023.

SPEAKER: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

SPEAKER: All those against, 'nay.'

Motion carried.

SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.

J. HOGAN: Thank you, Speaker.

I call from the Order Paper, Motion 1.

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Labrador West.

J. BROWN: Thank you, Speaker.

It's always a pleasure to get up here and speak on behalf of the constituents of Labrador West and to continue to have discussions around budget policy.

I'll start with this one and with the earlier discussions of education. It was disheartening to see the lack thereof of expansion in the sense that to go back to where it was at one time because, you know, it's been chipped away, chipped away, chipped away and chipped away. Now, it's to the point where we're now having these discussions and the minister saying there earlier that we can't pay custodians $50 an hour to compete with the mines. No one asked to pay $50 an hour; we asked that you actually look at it and come up with a plan going forward.

This is the kind of conversation that we need to have. How do we deliver services in a rural area and also make sure that we have maximized it, without actually cutting actual services? My take-away from that is, oh, I'm not going to have custodians in Lab West now, because that's what it seems to imply. I'm sure it's not 100 per cent that, but, at the same time, this is where we're going.

Another line item that really brought me some concern on that too was libraries. We haven't improved library services in decades. At one point, they actually tried to get rid of libraries. We saved them, but, at the same time, there are no improvements in library services.

Libraries are very important to small communities. They provide service. They provide an education service. They also provide resources for people trying to do different things. They do a lot of stuff with small children in rural communities, yet we didn't see any increase to their budget. Actually, technically, with inflation and stuff, libraries actually got a cut because they didn't increase their funding to go with the rise of inflation, because books are going to cost more, services are going to cost more, wages cost more. So, in reality, they got a cut because of inflation.

This is the thing that's really important. We have to have a conversation about education. We have to have a conversation about libraries and actually improving services to rural communities. I know the library home does a lot of work with small children. They actually now also do a lot of extra things with different people trying to access the Internet, for seniors trying to figure out how to use computers, things like that. These are vital services that help a lot of people in the day to day. It's one of those things where small help to multiple people creates a big thing. This is where we're going.

I have parents reaching out to me constantly about IRT services in schools, about guidance counsellors, and other services like this. But we haven't seen anything in this budget to actually help improve those situations.

We have a lot of parents that are very concerned about these kind of deliveries of services. We're talking about the success of children here. We're talking about the success of those who want to move forward, who actually want to pursue careers and higher education, things like this. But there are too many roadblocks in their formative years. This is where we really have to have a really big conversation about what do we want to see as an education system? What do we actually want to see going forward?

What I'm seeing right now is death of the education system by a thousand cuts. I grew up in Labrador West; I went to school in Labrador West, the entirety of it. When we were under just the Labrador School Board, it was fantastic. Anything I wanted to do, anything I could dream of, the school did it. Now, they can't even get enough teachers available because of so many infilling and so many internal coverages and stuff to actually pull off a lot of things that I took for granted going to school. It's just one cut after cut after cut.

At the same time as all this, the region is very prosperous. A lot of optimism in the mining industry. A lot of optimism going forward of more production and more job opportunities. Parents see that the mine is doing well, businesses are doing well, but the education system is not doing well.

This is what brings great concern. How are we going to attract people to work in the industry? How are we going to better the region? How are we going to do that if the education system is underfunded and unable to do the jobs that it's required to do? How am I to attract more, get the services and get people who want to come to work there? It's really concerning. It's a serious problem that needs a serious lens on it.

It's the same thing again; I can't get sheriff's officers, occupational health and safety officers full time, even all the other auxiliary services are struggling to attract anybody. How do you attract anybody if the first thing a family looks at and goes: What are the schools like up there? That's always the question a family asks when they move to a new region: What are the schools like up there? This is it. This is a very concerning thing that needs to be dealt with.

It's not just here, really; it's more prominent right now there. But there are other small communities and other areas too that have very similar situations. When we talk about prosperity, talk about this budgetary policy, a good way to measure the health of the province is the education system. That's how you measure the health and success; it's how well the students are doing. How well is the next generation behind us doing? Also in my region, there are always ads out for higher education professionals; mines are trying to attract engineers; HR professionals; different disciplines like that. Then on top of that, health care workers.

I have parents telling me that their child requires the help of an IRT or other special needs or anything like that. I have a lot of parents telling me now that they're going to leave Labrador West and their spouse is going to become fly-in and fly out because the school system won't work with them to actually help their child. So I am going to lose professionals. Actually, one person that actually messaged me to tell me that was a teacher in the school system who quit because of that. So this is the situation we're in. We're having teachers just quit the profession they love because they're just that fed up. They are just that tired of it.

So how do we measure the health of something? Your education system. That's how you measure the health of something. It is worrisome because I have such a great opportunity; I have great prospects for my district but between this and the health care, how am I going to attract people to work in the mining industry? How am I going to attract people to come back to this province and work? How am I going to attract people to do the things and continue the prosperity of my region when they look at education, they look at health and they say, no, we don't want to deal with that? We don't want to be a part of that. It is disheartening because I have so much going for the lovely people of Labrador.

I know it is a mining region and it comes with its challenges and things like that, but those challenges can be overcome with the political will, with the want to do something about it. But right now, clearly, it is not going that way. It's becoming more difficult.

I went out to get the names for this petition; it took an afternoon to get hundreds of names from parents and concerned citizens who want something done about this, who want something done about the education system, who want some changes made to improve it, to actually have access to resources, to have access to individuals, access to people who want to do these things. It's concerning.

I think that this is important, on top of health care, and I'll touch on that. Once again, I have people reaching out to my office. They can't get into a bed. Waiting for weeks in the hospital to go and see the cardiac specialist – waiting, waiting, waiting and waiting. People waiting hours in an emerg because there's no primary care. I got people who are waiting for test results. People waiting to get in to see about test results. I got people waiting to get their referrals signed off to go and actually get to see their specialist. People waiting to get paperwork filled out so they can apply for their MTAP.

The backlog, the waiting, people are very tired of it. People are very tired and frustrated that they just continue to have to wait and wait and wait. I keep asking, when will we get more nurse practitioners? When will we see more doctors? When will we actually see some of the changes that people keep talking about?

Once again, in my district, people are frustrated about it. When people ask, should I move to the region? What's the health care like? People on Facebook really like to give their opinion on it. It's hard because then it adds another layer of hardness when we want to talk about recruitment and retention of other professionals and other professions that we so desperately need.

This is where we're at. This is where we're finding, are we going to have great opportunity in the mining industry passed over because we can't get other things worked on? The other things that we're waiting on and want work done are the responsibility of government. We hope and we want to see some of these great opportunities come to the region but if we can't get the staff to do it, we can't get the people to come to the area to do it, then prosperity passes by us, once again.

I don't want to see that happen. I want to see my region grow and take advantage of some of the great opportunities that is coming its way. I want my region to continue to be as prosperous as it was. This July, it will be 69 years of continuous iron mining. For 69 years, continuously, Labrador West has produced iron ore and produced royalties for this province and produced taxes and jobs and all the great things that come with it. Not many regions get to celebrate going on 70 years of mining in one area, but we get to do that.

Labrador West was one of the greatest post-war projects ever done in Canada. It continues to provide. It continues to have great opportunity for people. There are multiple generations of people who have worked and retired out of that mine. Like I said, my grandfather was there, my dad was there, I'm there and my kids are there. So that's four generations of people in one area that got to experience and enjoy the region and what prosperity it brings.

But at the same time now, we're faced with such great challenges when it comes to education delivery and with health care delivery. Even just the services of government we're challenged there again. There doesn't seem to be much addressing a lot of those issues and this is what brings me concern: How are we to continue if we're going to step on our own feet when it comes to providing services for our residents? At the same time, we're hoping that a lot of these great things get to move forward. So this is where we find the concerns of Labrador. We find the concerns that are overlooked.

Are we passed over or what is it? Why is it taking such great strides for any of these issues to be addressed?

I will say once again, though, when it came to the housing thing, I'll say of one shimmering light, I'll thank the minister, again, responsible for Housing. He did meet with us; we did get some units repaired. We did have another great meeting with Newfoundland and Labrador Housing this past week about some of the housing. So I will give one bouquet, but at the same time, I've got a few other great challenges that are not being addressed at this time. We're doing what we can and I don't think enough is being done. But I want to see that certain priorities and certain things are added.

Another thing, too, we've been finding when it comes to a lot of service delivery is that we don't look at all the issues when it comes to retention. I'll go back to Occupational Health and Safety. I know that every time we've had this discussion with anybody about Occupational Health and Safety officers is that they apply for the job and they can't find any housing. Then the department won't even look at housing for them. It keeps putting the responsibility on them. But the precedent is already set in the other departments that there's housing available.

The RNC went ahead and purchased a lot of houses for their officers so they would never, ever face a retention and recruitment problem like they did at one period of time. So they went and did that.

The teachers own housing. The health district had housing but the Occupational Health and Safety don't seem to want to go down that route of looking at actual housing for these officers, to stem the exorbitant cost of housing that is in Labrador West.

So it's one of these things that, you know, the precedent is already set by government and the other departments on other issues but it was never, ever bothered to be done in this case. So, once again, now we have sporadic times – we have some fly-in, fly-out officers but the consistency is not there like it used to be.

I know it's a little bit better than when we just didn't have officers, but at the same time it's something I think that the department needs to take back and look at is a unit for an officer that's provided for an officer so that we have one stationed in the region as much as possible to deal with a lot of the stuff. We are a very heavily industrialized area and occupational health and safety is a very core value of Labrador West. They take it very seriously, especially the kind of work that's done in the area.

It's a suggestion that we can get something done about the recruitment and retention. Like I said, it's not just health care workers, not just teachers; it's all over government when it comes to actually providing services to a region, especially a place like Labrador West. We should be actually looking at ways to keep people there.

Right now, we're having issues with sheriff's officers. It's like the same thing. We're short sheriff's officers in Labrador West right now. The reason that they're looking at it is that they're having a hard time dealing with the recruitment and retention of these members. I know that their unions have brought it forward. I know that their other advocates, even internally, they've brought it forward that these are issues when it comes to providing services. It's important that we do this and not go the other way of removing services altogether.

The Minister of Education said, oh, we don't want to pay custodians $50 an hour. There are other ways to deal with the situation than that kind of extreme but, at the same time, that's Labrador West. It's a unique part of this province. It has its challenges, but it brings great prosperity to the province in the form of royalties and lots and lots of them.

We just want to be treated like the rest of the province. We want to have access to the same services as the rest of the province. We do understand there are some things – we're not going to get everything. Like I said, I tell people we're not going to have a cardiac surgeon on every corner, but at the same time, we'd like to have the ability to carry out the normal daily activities of this province and receive the services that every other region of this province enjoys. At the same time, we'll continue to be a great contributor to this province, economically. We do have a very bright future in Labrador West.

We have a bright future when it comes to mining, but we also have a great future in all other kinds of things.

We're a region where we've produced a lot of great and amazing talent from mining to the arts and culture to engineering, even to academia. A lot of great things have come out of Labrador West and we continue to do that. We've done it for 70 years, I'm pretty sure we'll do it for another 70 more for sure. As the markets change for mining and critical minerals, we're probably going to be one of the biggest players in the game.

We're really looking forward to that. I really hope that at some point in time I'm going to come back again and maybe I can come back and talk about, hopefully, some of the stuff that I've mentioned and brought forward that does get addressed. We can come back and have a great conversation about how we successfully did that.

Thank you, Speaker.

SPEAKER: Are there further speakers to the amendment?

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.

E. LOVELESS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To begin, as always, it's a pleasure to stand here in this House of Assembly and represent the people of Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune. I'm honoured and privileged to be here to do that.

I'm hoping I'll get an opportunity to speak of the exemplary service that was provided last night in Harbour Breton due to a fire. I will hopefully get an opportunity to speak to it later in the week through another opportunity. But I think it's a really good news story.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to, even province wide, congratulate all students who've been studying at our post-secondary institutions and moving into the summer to either study or work in their communities. I just want to say congratulations to all of them. They're in all kinds of fields. I know we have Pages here who are studying as well and I wish them all the best in their future studies and endeavours. Even my own daughter is finishing third year of nursing studies. One more year and she'll be a nurse and she's going to stay in the province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

E. LOVELESS: Mr. Speaker, I'm certainly happy to speak to budget '23-'24 because I believe it is a real plan, despite what has been said across the way. I'd like to say congratulations to the lady in front of me who is Minister of Finance who has done a real good job. I spend time with her in my role in budget preps; we're in good hands.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

E. LOVELESS: We're in good hands with this Minister of Finance and certainly with the Premier of the province with their directions.

Today, Mr. Speaker, we hear more good news on roadwork. Investments in our highways are always important. This is our main vein through the province. It was a great announcement today. I figured I would have a question from the Opposition but I guess it's good news and my critic cannot handle good news. I know that, I understand, he struggles with it. I understand that, but it is good news.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible) the media.

E. LOVELESS: I don't need to go see the media.

But certainly indeed a good announcement.

I listened to the Opposition Members get up and speak and I want to just target some of them in terms of what they said, because the Member for Harbour Main always says I don't listen. Well, I do listen. Sometimes it's painful listening because of some of the stuff that's being said. It's painful, but I do listen. You have a job to do and I understand and respect that.

The Member for Stephenville - Port au Port likes to talk about taxes. There is a price on pollution. I believe we talk way too much about taxes instead of talking about what we should be talking about, what we're going to do about climate change.

Nobody likes taxes. It is a reality in the government world. In governing, taxes are a part of it. Nobody likes taxes and I can tell you I witnessed first hand with the Premier when we visited Port aux Basques and other communities, nobody likes disaster either. We need to target that collectively, not on this side or at this level, but all levels of government.

The Member for CBS, I was going to target him a little bit more aggressive, but I won't because do you know what? His team, the Boston Bruins, who were touted to be the Stanley Cup winners, are gone.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

E. LOVELESS: They are gone. They are gone.

So I won't be too difficult on him, but, anyways, I think it's paved the way for made a Canadian cup, Edmonton or Toronto. You never know, right. I know the Member for Ferryland is cringing there.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

E. LOVELESS: I listened to the Member for CBS and he started one of speeches by sunshine in CBS. He talked about the sunshine in CBS and all the good things in CBS. Then he talked about all the problems he was having in CBS. So I classified it as the political House of Assembly gospel according to the Member for CBS because he references doing things differently and working together. I agree totally. He used individual stories, whether it's health care and everything else.

We get that, there's no government that's responsible for these individual stories. I was around as a researcher way back when, when there were PC governments, that these individual stories, unfortunately, they still happened back then. They still happen now. No matter what colour the government is over here. But do we strive to do better to not allow those situations to happen? Absolutely. We need to work towards that.

He talked about the 2016 budget; a difficult budget. Pictures on poles. Believe me, I was here, I saw it. No matter who the leader is, when you're targeted that way, it's not fun to watch, it's difficult. But let's put it in perspective that the government previously, before that in 2015, was a PC government and they would not tell what the deficit was. We didn't know. Then we realized it was a $2.7 billion deficit and some tough choices had to be made. So they were tough choices and not easy for any government to go through.

He also referenced, too, the prime minister in Ottawa, a shed party where he's on stage with –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

E. LOVELESS: Hold on, now. He was on stage with Newfoundland and Labrador talent. Which any time we can get a chance to promote our talent, why not? But we know the prime minister and the Progressive Conservative Premier in this province, what stage they were on and what it resulted in: an ABC campaign, which was not good for this province. I believe in the big scheme of things, we're still paying for it these days.

Mr. Speaker, I'll go to the budget document and I know they're listening over there because I'm getting taunted a little bit. So I'm striking some nerve, I like that.

But Your Health. Our Priority is a plan and I'll just make some notes – I'll make it clear to those who are listening, it's not being supported by the crowd opposite. The PCs are not supporting this great budget. I've heard from a lot of people that this is a great budget.

Health Care – but you need to listen now. I've been accused of not listening so you need to listen, right? Because there's something coming about Central Newfoundland that you need to listen to. Under the Health Care, $21 million for 10 new Family Care Teams across the province – very important. That's benefiting rural Newfoundland and Labrador and my district.

Fifteen million dollars for a new Health Information System – good news. Nine million dollars to begin to consolidate 60 separate road ambulance services into a single integrated service with centralized dispatch. That is very important to my district, where you have community-based ambulance services and you have the public and they're worried about where it's all going. We have more than $23 million for recruitment and retention of health care professionals. A lot of investments in health care that they're not supporting.

So I think that's a very strong message that the people of this province realize. We have 12 new drugs to the provincial drug program – very important. All of them are supports, Mr. Speaker, to rural parts of the province. Listen to this: No new taxes or fee increases – very important. Elimination of the retail sales tax on home insurance – very important.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible.)

E. LOVELESS: The Member for Terra Nova saw it differently.

The over eight cents on gasoline, taken off – very important – that the PCs are not supporting. They are voting against it. We also have $140 million for housing, including construction of more than 850 rental homes – very important.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible.)

E. LOVELESS: I listened to the Member for Terra Nova when he spoke. I would ask for the same respect when I'm speaking, Mr. Speaker.

Communities: The announcement we did today are great for all communities in Newfoundland and Labrador and the increase in MOGs is very important. They asked for it, they're getting it and we are listening, I say to the Member for Harbour Main.

Reimagining health care: There is $9 million to begin to consolidate the road ambulance. I said this is critical and I repeat it again: It is critical. I look forward to what the service will bring in terms of results.

I say to the two Members from Central: There are $1.2 million annually is allocated for the Lionel Kelland Hospice in Grand Falls-Windsor; $1.2 million annually that they're voting against. But every day they're on their feet talking about, oh, there's nothing for – they talk about the Premier's office. Well, I'm glad there's a Premier's office because they worked to get this done.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

E. LOVELESS: So it is very important.

AN HON. MEMBER: So where were they to?

E. LOVELESS: They're right here, and I'm going to say about those individuals – I know I touched –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

SPEAKER: Order, please!

Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.

E. LOVELESS: Thank you for the protection, Mr. Speaker.

I realize I touched a nerve over there and I'm going to tell you the thing about that Premier's office in Central. Those workers who are in the office are doing great work. Not just for Grand Falls or Exploits, they're doing work for seniors in my district, people who are looking for CPP disability benefits, and they do great work and are working very hard, so it is a good investment.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible) voice in Central.

E. LOVELESS: They have a voice, but the voice that you and your colleague have, you're voting against $1.2 million annually for the Lionel Kelland Hospice in Grand Falls-Windsor. You can't be on the media saying oh, it is wonderfully important to me and voting down $1.2 million annually. The people of this province, they see what's going on here.

Mr. Speaker, the Member for Topsail mentioned mental health today and it is important. It's also in this document, which is a plan, and that's our budget – very important – $5 million for community-based, wraparound mental health and addiction services; $4.4 million annually for Flexible Assertive Community Treatment teams; $200,000 for the Regional Early Psychosis Nurse program in Labrador-Grenfell region. These are important.

Can we do more? Absolutely. I've always said about you build a facility, it's not necessarily building a new mental health facility; it's what services are inside that building that matters most. It's not about the kind of windows or the doors – it's important obviously to that structure, but what services someone can avail of is also important.

In the budget we have seniors care. I can keep talking about the good news in this budget but I know it will drive blood pressures up. Helping with high cost of living, we certainly recognize that and we have listened. We have listened to the people of this province, half a billion dollars to help people in need in this province.

The housing supports and –

B. PETTEN: It's not his first time reading that.

E. LOVELESS: No, it's not my first, but because it's such good news, it's worth repeating, I say to the Member for Conception Bay South. That's why I'm repeating it. I know you're loving it, I do. There's a smile on his face even though the Boston Bruins are gone.

Mr. Speaker, there's also, in terms of accessible and inclusive communities, $2 million for special assistance grant programs and $400,000 for accessible vehicle and taxi grants – very important as well. A lot of this I'm reading is because it's worth repeating.

I say to the Member opposite, I say to the Member for Topsail, if there was a new school announced in this budget would you have voted for it?

P. DINN: (Inaudible.)

E. LOVELESS: Yes, he said. Thumbs up. There's a new school announced for the Leader of the Opposition but he's voting against it – very important there.

Mr. Speaker, there is a lot in the plan that talks about early learning, good news there, and youth engagement as well. We don't talk enough about it. We have more than $2.5 million for the Community Youth Network – very important.

I want to say to the Member for Harbour Main when she stood and talked about listening to seniors. I do listen to seniors. Last time I was in my district, I visited 50-plus clubs; I listened to them. I listen to them on a daily basis and will continue. I don't need her to tell me that I should listen to seniors. I get what her job is, but please don't tell me how I should do my job. That's all I'm saying, because I take great pride in helping seniors, I really do. It's a very important part of our sector in terms of the province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

E. LOVELESS: I know they're loving all what I'm saying here, so I know it's painful for them. They can't handle good news.

Mr. Speaker, as I said, it's a privilege to stand here as always. I'm going to take my seat and at some other time I'm sure I'll get opportunity to speak to this hon. House and the people of this province and tell them all the good things that a Liberal government is doing for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: Are there any further speakers to the amendment?

Seeing no other speakers to the amendment, all those in favour of the amendment?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

SPEAKER: All those against the amendment?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Nay.

AN HON. MEMBER: Division

SPEAKER: Division is called.

Call in the Members.

Division

SPEAKER: Are the House Leaders ready for the vote?

Order, please!

All those in favour of the amendment, please rise.

CLERK (Barnes): David Brazil, Barry Petten, Helen Conway Ottenheimer, Paul Dinn, Lloyd Parrott, Tony Wakeham, Pleaman Forsey, Loyola O'Driscoll, Craig Pardy, Chris Tibbs, James Dinn, Jordan Brown, Lela Evans.

SPEAKER: All those against the amendment, please rise.

CLERK: Andrew Furey, John Hogan, Lisa Dempster, John Haggie, Gerry Byrne, Bernard Davis, Tom Osborne, Siobhan Coady, Pam Parsons, Elvis Loveless, Krista Lynn Howell, Steve Crocker, Sarah Stoodley, Derrick Bragg, John Abbott, Brian Warr, Paul Pike, Sherry Gambin-Walsh, Scott Reid, Lucy Stoyles, Eddie Joyce, Paul Lane.

Speaker, the ayes: 13; the nays: 22.

SPEAKER: I declare that the amendment is defeated.

On motion, amendment defeated.

SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.

J. HOGAN: Thank you, Speaker.

I call from the Order Paper, Order 13,

An Act to Amend the Revenue Administration Act and

An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act, 2000, Bill 38.

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

S. COADY: Thank you, Speaker.

I move, seconded by the Government House Leader, that Bill 38,

An Act to Amend the Revenue Administration Act and

An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act, 2000, be now read a second time.

SPEAKER: It is moved and seconded that Bill 38,

An Act to Amend the Revenue Administration Act and

An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act, 2000, be now read a second time.

Motion, second reading of a bill, “An Act to Amend the Revenue Administration Act and

An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act, 2000.” (Bill 38)

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

S. COADY: Thank you, Speaker.

I'm glad we survived that vote of non-confidence by the Progressive Conservatives and we're able to now move forward with some of the legislation that's required for the implementation of the budget, and that is exactly what we're doing today with Bill 38,

An Act to Amend the Revenue Administration Act and

An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act, 2000.

This bill brings together three tax-related initiatives that impact revenues. An increase to the exemption threshold for the Health and Post-Secondary Education Tax, which will lower the cost to business in this province. Improvements to the Physical Activity Tax Credit to encourage and support physical activity, which will further our goal for Newfoundland and Labrador to be one of the healthiest provinces in the country by 2030. It's very important, saves families money, and a repeal of the federally imposed carbon tax effective July 1, 2023.

It all began with changes to the exemption threshold for the Health and Post-Secondary Education Tax. To encourage economic growth and expand employment, we are increasing the exemption threshold under the Health and Post-Secondary Education Tax from $1.3 million to $2 million – a significant change. This initiative will benefit all 1,250 employers that currently pay the Health and Post-Secondary Education Tax, with tax savings of up to $14,000 annually per business.

This change to the payroll tax was requested by the business community, including the boards of trade and chambers of commerce around the province and Newfoundland and Labrador Employers' Council during meetings held prior to budget. The business community, Speaker, I am pleased to say is very supportive of these changes.

Changes to HAPSET, which is the Health and Post-Secondary Education Tax, threshold will be effective retroactively to January 1, 2023. This is the largest to date change in the thresholds and positively impacts, as I have indicated, 1,250 businesses in this province. A significant change, an important change, to business.

With initiatives such as this, we are encouraging economic growth and expanded employment. We continue to look for other ways to reduce costs and improvements to the burdens to businesses. Other measures within the budget to support economic health include a Manufacturing and Processing Investment Tax Credit to invest in capital equipment; a Green Technology Tax Credit of 20 per cent; as well as some $35 million in economic initiatives.

A tremendous assistance to the business community, of course, expands our economy, improves employment and drives growth in Newfoundland and Labrador. It is unfortunate that the Opposition is not voting in favour of the budget.

The second measure in this bill is an increase in the Physical Activity Tax Credit rate. The Physical Activity Tax Credit was introduced in budget 2021 to provide a helpful incentive for individuals and families as they access sport and recreational activities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. Improving access to active lifestyles and creating a culture where Newfoundlanders and Labradorians place greater emphasis on living healthier is integral to achieving better health outcomes.

The Physical Activity Tax Credit helps families with the cost of recreational activities, with the added advantage of supporting the local health and wellness industry. Preliminary data indicates that there were some 29,390 filers who claimed the credit in the 2021 tax year. We do not yet have the data for this year, 2022, but I'm sure it will be forthcoming and we're really pleased to see that many filers taking advantage of the tax credit.

In the spirit of encouraging more active lifestyles and breaking down potential barriers to accessing recreational sporting activities, Budget 2023 announced a doubling of the Physical Activity Tax Credit rate from 8.7 per cent to 17.4 per cent effective with the 2023 taxation year. This doubles the potential return to families. As this is a refundable credit, families can claim up to $2,000 in eligible fitness expenses and receive a credit of up to $348 per family.

We have doubled this rate because our commitment is to become a healthier society by 2030. The Health Accord highlighted physical well-being and called for incentives for children and adults to get more active. The Physical Activity Tax Credit is one example of how we're doing just that.

Speaker, this bill also repeals the federally imposed carbon tax as of July 1, 2023. In 2016, the federal government announced plans to implement carbon pricing to help Canada meet its greenhouse gas emissions targets. At the time of implementation, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador was able to negotiate an agreement to ensure the impacts on consumers were minimized and to maintain competitiveness for taxation and trade. Importantly, exemptions included home heat fuels, meaning no carbon tax on home heat. Further exemptions from carbon taxes negotiated by the provincial government included agriculture, fishing, forestry and offshore and mineral exploration.

This is a disappointing and difficult outcome, as it means that exemptions from the carbon tax in our province will be removed. These exemptions were implemented in January of 2019 and, as I said, included home heating fuel, aviation fuel for flights within the province, fish processing, mineral and offshore exploration, silviculture, on-grid electricity production that is not regulated by the Management of Greenhouse Gas Act and government operations including municipalities.

As stated by Premier Furey in his September 2, 2022, correspondence to the federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change: “The current price signals being provided by the market are far stronger than the signals that removal of these exemptions would have provided under normal economic circumstances, and they are already generating the changes in perspective and behavior that the Federal Government desires.”

As a result of the federal government's decision to impose the federal carbon pricing backstop, we will repeal the carbon tax effective July 1, 2023.

To conclude, Speaker, this bill introduced today will allow us to increase the exemption threshold for the Health and Post-Secondary Education Tax as requested by businesses. It will increase the Physical Activity Tax Credit, which will help families with the cost of activities and help the province be healthier by 2030 and, as well, it will repeal the federally imposed carbon tax.

I look forward to a healthy and progressive debate on these three issues. I think, especially, the Health and Post-Secondary Education Tax and the Physical Activity Tax Credit are very important to the people of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador and I look forward to the concurrence of the House.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER (Warr): Thank you.

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

D. BRAZIL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is indeed an honour again to get to stand in this House of Assembly and speak to the budget process here. I've had the opportunity with my colleagues on this side to speak on a number of occasions, particularly around some of the issues that are pertinent and very important to the people of this province, not to dismiss a lot of the good things that are in the budget, but to support those, but to talk about the gaps in what people in this province has identified as needed investments and needed supports for the people of this province.

Again, just to clarify for the people at home, we're now debating Bill 38, which is a bill that will amend the Revenue Administration Act . People will understand there are a number of components related to this here. Those are relevant and the minister outlined particular things but she did it from her perspective or her department's perspective on what they're presenting. We on this side will do it from our perspective, hopefully outlining exactly the impact this is going to have on the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

It is to remove the tax on carbon products, and I want to make sure people are clear. This doesn't mean that the carbon tax is removed; it's the opposite. What this means is that there's going to be a carbon tax there that will generate revenues coming out of the pockets of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians that, from the perspective in this province, is not in the best interest of helping the environment because everybody in this province is cognizant of the environmental changes and our responsibilities to do the right thing for the environment.

If you look at what Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have been doing for the last decade or more, we've been brought in to this process much more quickly than most and much more knowledgeable on our hydroelectric power on what we've been doing in reforestation and what we've been doing to minimize the footprint on our environment from our mineral exploration as part of it.

Our offshore with the policies and the guidelines and the healthy approach and environmentally healthy approach to doing things out there and ensuring that we've identified, in our drilling process, to has minimal impact on the environment and the seabed. But also the fact that it has been identified that we have some of the cleanest oil products in the world. We're trying to market that so that there is a cleaner environment because products, while they're still being used and still necessary, would be bought from a jurisdiction that adheres to all of the safety and environmental regulations that are necessary.

We have the most rigorous in the world and that's why companies from Norway were very cognizant of it, who come from England are very cognizant of it, who come from Spain and the United States were cognizant of what needs to be done here because they see the value of what we're doing here from an environmental point of view. I'll get back to talking about that over the next hour or so.

The other one here is to increase the provincial payroll tax exemption threshold to $2 million. Well done. I support that; I see the value. I even think it could be a little bit higher because more employers could take advantage of this situation, but I do see that. I think it's a great next step in ensuring that the business community here is supported for doing the right things when it comes to hiring and supporting the environment and the people of this Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. So I see that as a positive.

The benefit here, from a cost analysis, moving it to $2 million, I know these businesses are still going to take the revenues they save and invest back into their businesses and back into their employees, which is a benefit for everybody. In the long run, I would think we'll get more tax revenue because people are more productive, the businesses are providing more services that are taxable in other ways and, as a benefit of that, the people of this province gain again and so does government. So I see the real benefit in that; I would have liked that it had even been a little more.

We had talked about this in our Blue Book a number of times in the last number of elections of how we would support businesses, from a taxation point of view, to see the benefits to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador and to flourish and drive businesses, but also to let people know nationally and internationally that we're open for business and here are some of the incentives, if you come in here: treat your workers right, be cognizant of our safety regulations, be cognizant of our environmental regulations, then we would ensure that you would get supports where necessary.

Because, again, the business plan here would be the more businesses come here and are attracted to come to Newfoundland and Labrador, the more we can promote and tout the skill set that we have in this province, the more internationally people will see the value of doing business in Newfoundland and Labrador, the more productive it will be for us and the more tax revenue that is generated. So it is a win-win across the board, so I do applaud the government for acknowledging that and increasing that.

I would hope, as we continue forward, that becomes one of the mainstays of the Liberal administration, about trying to entice businesses, who are good corporate citizens, who do the right thing and understand the value of the workers in Newfoundland and Labrador and the value of following the procedures and policies that keep people safe and engaged and are cognizant of the environment, that they're welcome in Newfoundland and Labrador.

We'll do whatever is possible to ensure that their companies are viable, that their companies can flourish and that their reputations are never tarnished by policies that are not in tune with what is necessary for a good business to operate. So I do applaud that part.

But then we get into the third part of what this bill, Bill 38, is going to do: Increase the tax credit rate for the Physical Activity Tax Credit from 8.7 to 17.4. Now, not a bad thing; I am not criticizing that. My question here is around three different things: Why is that put in there right now? We know why. Because the Liberal administration taxed its citizens again with the sugar tax.

A tax that we've debated in this House, that we've asked to give us the logistical information that justifies that this would be a benefit, from a health perspective and a social society point of view, to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador; that it wouldn't be an extra burden on the lower income individuals; and in some way, shape or form that it would make health outcomes be better. We couldn't see it.

The Premier quotes an obscure piece of documentation from England, but he doesn't clarify exactly that is a partnership more or regulatory tax with the industry itself, not with the citizens who purchase those products.

So it becomes very confusing. The Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology, last week, read out something, and you can propose anything and present it, if it's only half-truths, if you don't clarify all the information that's relevant to it. He outlined something about a statement I had made, but he neglected to read the two paragraphs in the middle. He read the first one and the last one.

So if you don't share all the information, it's not accurate. If it's not accurate information, people can't make an informed decision as to whether or not it's in the best interest of them from a health perspective, from a financial perspective or from a development perspective in Newfoundland and Labrador.

There's not one person on this side of the House, particularly I know in our caucus here, who doesn't support finding ways to improve people's health in Newfoundland and Labrador. We've said it from day one. The last eight years we've been touting it. There has to be a way of doing it, so much so that we've even offered to collaborate on certain things. We wouldn't challenge the government on legislative processes. We would actually be supportive, if it was the right thing to do. That would be supportive for the people and have outcomes and access to health care.

This is a tax here that we see no way, shape, or form that it can be a benefit to the people of the province. But, with that being said, the last number of months, I've been still here waiting that there might be some more documentation.

I'm looking at the demographics, I'm looking at the response from people and I'm hearing responses from people that are saying they're actually now, with this tax – and it got me, I thought people were misconstruing it or misinterpreting what it was, but when I went and saw it for myself – so prior to that, if it's about soft drinks, the sugar – and we know soft drinks have much more of a condensed form of sugar in it and, obviously from a health perspective, is one of the worse things that could have an impact on it.

But then we find out after meeting with the industries that they're cognizant of that, too, they want to be good corporate citizens.

You don't think they want to keep their clientele healthy and live longer so that they can sell more products to them. Of course, they do. Great business plan. What a business model to mould yourself around. But when the industry came in and said we're cognizant of this, our research shows the same things that sugar can have an adverse effect on people's health, not necessarily everybody, but on certain people's health. So why wouldn't we do things that would be beneficial to keep people healthy?

They've done it. If you look at a lot of packaging now, a lot of it will have minimal sugar or no sugar; it will have reduced sugar content. They're looking at better ways of using technology to minimize the sugar content, while at the same time giving the flavour that people want because they've got products they've got to sell, because people work in the plants that produce this or people farm the products that go into these products, these drinks as part of that process.

So when it was targeting the soft drink industry – and one of them that wasn't targeted, one of the components was diet drinks. I get that, if you just stick to saying sugar is the be all and end all for causing trouble or health issues in people in Newfoundland and Labrador. But there are other products or other components of diet drinks that also have an adverse effect but they weren't touched. So what we're finding from people – and I've had people say this – you're forcing me now to buy diet drinks.

Now, I know and I've seen it and read it, there are health articles that note diet drinks have certain components that are much more hazardous from a health point of view than sugar would be in a number of cases. Now, is sugar a component that can do damage to people? Yes, particularly in mass amounts, depending on people's lifestyle and how often they consume it, but if you're pushing people back to diet drinks, you're not making them any healthier, by no stretch of the imagination. If you're pushing back people who can only afford it, people on fixed incomes, people on low incomes, then you're doing more damage than what you should be doing.

Education was going to be a big component. I would have thought that administration, the Liberal administration, would have worked with industry. We've met with the Beverage Association a number of times – I think four times over the last number of years. We've met with the producers. I went and saw some plants and operations on the Mainland, saw the valued work, got them to explain. They've got dieticians; they have physicians who work for them. They have researchers, chemical researchers who look at ensuring that the product they produce is as healthy as possible.

So hats off to them. Let's start working with the industry and if we see an industry that's not playing the game or doesn't have the best interest from a health perspective of the customer in play, well then there are all kinds of things we can do about that. There are tax exemptions that they wouldn't be entitled to; there are restrictions that we can put on them. But when the beverage industry nationally says: We have committed to a policy with our membership that those who produce drinks that have sugar will find ways to reduce it.

If you look on most packaging now, I ask anybody, from things that I didn't even know had too much sugar, chocolate milk, for example. It's posted on it: produced here in Newfoundland and Labrador, 25 per cent less sugar. I'm told by the industry in another two to three years that could be 50 per cent less sugar than the original intake. That tells me the industry is doing their part as part of the whole process.

Again, I've been told by physicians that sugar is not necessarily a bad thing. It's not a drug that will automatically kill you if you OD on it; it's not that. But, like any other thing that you take in life, anything, if not done in moderation and depending on your present health, it could have a detrimental effect. No different than eating greasy foods constantly could have it. No different than eating ice cream could also have it. There's an effect that it can have on everybody else.

You look at the impact and you look at doing it in a manner that's beneficial to all engaged and that you can guarantee the outcomes are going to be positive from a health perspective. If you're doing things that are now forcing people to go with an alternative that potentially could be more dangerous from a health perspective, then you haven't done anything that works.

Let's add in at least – I don't know about anybody else's society, but I know in Newfoundland and Labrador we all have seen juices as a positive, healthy alternative to soft drinks. Always saw that. Apple juice, orange juice, grapefruit juice, pineapple juice – I say pineapple juice because I recently read an

article that said pineapple juice is the best fruit juice to drink for anybody who's had COVID and have had adverse effects to it. I said, what a marvellous drink. Then what do I find out? The 20 per cent tax is put on that again.

If you're already coming from a fixed income, if you're a senior citizen who now sees an alternative that could be a positive for helping you address some of the ailments you had from COVID or some of the ill effects and you're thinking, even peace of mind – because a lot of what we do, too, part of it is psychological. We need to feel good that things are going to improve. Well, if people say take this, drink this, eat this it's going to improve your stature health-wise, well then you're going to be engaged to do it.

Now all of a sudden the sugar drink that was adamant – I remember a former minister of Health on that side over there or minister of Finance was adamant about the sugar tax, purely, and concentrated on soft drinks. I could probably, with the right evidence, be convinced that that indeed would be something to be considered. We'd even have that conversation over here if the evidence proved it. But now when we find out how it slipped in there, it's on all other considered healthy products – key juices, which is to me confusing, bewildering.

What is the alternative you're asking people to do? Drink solely water? But you know all these other products have a multitude – if you look at the ingredients on the back, all the different levels of vitamins that it has, potassium, all the other positive things that people have. Even sodium – you have to have a certain degree of sodium in your body for your body to function. Again, in moderation. But all these other vitamin necessities, they all come from natural fruits that we all say the Canada's food guide says fruit intakes.

I know there's a balance of fruit drinks would do it but if these are natural fruit drinks that have an outlined percentage of what you would need for your intake for a particular day, I see that as a positive thing.

But now you've added 20 per cent, more in some cases, depending on the size of the carton that you are buying and the product there, then I have a real problem with that. Particularly, when there's no evidence still – a year later, I would have thought there'd be 20 studies, people showing us – I would have thought somebody in Newfoundland and Labrador would have took it up and said here's the evidence. Here's the evidence, Mr. Brazil; here's the evidence, PC Party, that this is actually going to make people healthier. I would have said well done.

Had we had this earlier, we could have easily got up and supported this and maybe we would have made amendments to even do more. But it doesn't exist. Then when I learn what we all consider and I would think physician's still consider healthy drinks, pineapple juice, orange juice, there 20 per cent on that. How in any way, shape or form is that helping people find a more affluent way to have access to healthier foods? Now you're taking more money out of their pocket that could have went for direct raw fruits. It could have went for better quality meats. It could have went for milk products and all this. None of that was seen.

So I'm actually going on the premise that that administration, at the time, thought that this was a good thing that would actually help people. We were hopeful, too. That's why we asked a multitude of questions, why we had a massive debate about this because we were actually hopeful, if the evidence was presented and we were convinced that this would be something that would help health outcomes – particularly, when we talk a lot here, we're talking seniors and young people are the more vulnerable because they consume most of that products in certain matters or in a different consumption level.

We were hopeful, but it didn't materialize. Now I am told – and I've had my researchers look at this and I've even gone out of my way when I'm looking at the medical journals and that to see is there something there around that. We've had discussions with those in the diabetes industry and the not-for-profits to see does everybody from a natural philosophy think sugar is a bad thing. Of course we do. Too much of it obviously has a major impact. How do you curb that? By putting a tax on everything else, particularly other drinks just because it says it has a certain percentage of sugar in it.

Then all they see there, all this administration saw was we're going to bring in money there and that'll stop people from drinking that. But when they're not drinking that, they're not drinking a healthy product because the healthy product is also included in that – the fruit content, the vitamins that are part and parcel in that, the potassium, the calories that are necessary for energy. All these things that are not seen, or