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May 15,

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLVIII No. 18

The

House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Osborne):

Order, please!

Admit

strangers.

Today

I'd like to wish the Member for Exploits a happy birthday.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

I understand that today, in

addition to our Members' statements, the Member for Lake Melville has leave of

the House to present a private Member's statement.

AN HON. MEMBER:

(Inaudible.)

MR. SPEAKER:

Okay.

Statements by

Members

MR. SPEAKER:

For Members' statements today

we have the Members for the Districts of Ferryland, Mount Pearl North,

Stephenville Port au Port, Mount Pearl Southlands, Labrador West, St. John's

East Quidi Vidi, and Lake Melville.

The hon.

the Member for the District of Ferryland.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today and recognize a 12-year-old boy from

Witless Bay in my district for providing assistance and first aid to his friend,

and ultimately saving his life.

Stephen

Coffey and his friend Jamie Coombs were in the woods on April 6 building a fort

when Jamie had an accident and a severe cut with an axe. Jamie's knee began to

bleed heavily, the boys quickly headed for home. Jamie started to get weak and

was unable to walk. Stephen had to carry him out of the woods. Once the boys

arrived at home, Stephen applied pressure to the wound until medical help

arrived. Without the quick thinking of Stephen, the outcome of the accident

could have been a lot different. I would like to acknowledge the strength and

courage of Stephen in doing such a remarkable act and bringing his friend to

safety.

Stephen

will be receiving a Life-Saving Award from St. John Ambulance at Mobile Central

High School on Monday, May 29.

Mr.

Speaker, I would like to ask all Members of the House to join me in

congratulating Stephen Coffey in receiving this award and for his strength and

quick thinking.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount

Pearl North.

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise

in this hon. House today to recognize a business in my district, Green Rock

Electric Vehicle Solutions. Green Rock E.V.S. is Atlantic Canada's only 100 per

cent electric vehicle dealer and service centre.

In the

spring of 2013, Green Rock opened its doors to provide a new outlook on electric

transportation. With electric cars and charging stations, this innovative

business is here to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation

sector. Electric vehicles have zero tailpipe emissions, and in jurisdictions

where most electricity comes from clean, renewable sources, they generate next

to no emissions at all.

commend Green Rock for the green innovation that they provide to Newfoundland

and Labrador. Since opening, they have over 40 vehicles on the road which have

reduced greenhouse gas emissions by over 500 tons. They are also working closely

with businesses and municipalities to incorporate electric vehicles into their

fleets, and help with public education about electric vehicles and their

economic and environmental benefits.

Mr.

Speaker, I ask all Members of this House to join me in recognizing the team at

Green Rock E.V.S., John, Sarah, Johnny, Dennis, Jennifer and April, for being

leaders in environmental protection and entrepreneurial innovation.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Stephenville Port au Port.

MR. FINN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, I stand today to recognize John St. Croix of Stephenville. John is a

Level III student at Stephenville High who currently holds the schools top

academic average at 98 per cent and has held the top academic average in the

school each year since grade nine. In addition to his high academic achievement,

John is an extremely talented multi-sport athlete, a coach, pianist, mentor to

his peers and a dedicated and passionate community volunteer.

John has

represented the province the past two years on the provincial cross-country

skiing team competing at the national level and recording back-to-back top 20

finishes. He has also represented the province at the Canada games as a member

of the provincial squash team.

Always

willing to help others, this humbly young man spends time volunteering with the

Special Olympics, coaches young skiers, tutors his peers and volunteers at St.

Stephen's Parish.

John

graduated this past weekend and will be attending Queens University in Kingston

this fall having recently won a $60,000 scholarship to study geological

engineering.

I ask

all Members to join me in congratulating John on his remarkable accomplishments

and wish him well in his post-secondary studies.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount

Pearl Southlands.

MR. LANE:

Mr. Speaker, it's my

privilege to recognize an event which has become a showcase for some of the best

young talent this province has to offer. Etcetera 31, entitled Dancin in the

Street, took place at the Glacier from May 9 to 13 where all in attendance were

treated to amazing instrumental, vocal and dance performances from numerous

musical genres.

From

Disney's Moana to Led Zeppelin's

Stairway to Heaven, from selections from the movie

Grease to Damian Follett's No Place

Like Home, from Fame to rock-and-roll legend Meatloaf, Etcetera 31 had it all.

I ask

all Members of this hon. House to join me in congratulating Musical Director

Carl Goulding, Production Manager Jackie Goulding, Artistic Director Justin

Goulding, Stage Manager Rebecca Goulding, corporate sponsors, the parent

committee, the coaches, choreographers, set and costume designers, volunteers,

and most importantly, the members of the Mount Pearl Show Choir, Junior Show

Choir, The Company, and the Musical Theatre Camp, as well as the many other

performers from Mount Pearl Senior High, Mount Pearl Intermediate, Morris

Academy, Paradise Elementary, Elizabeth Park Elementary, Laval High School,

Newtown Elementary, St. Kevin's High, and St. Peter's Junior High on yet another

tremendous Etcetera show.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Labrador West.

MR. LETTO:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

And so

the adventure begins! That's the theme the graduates of Menihek High School

adopted for their 2017 graduation held on Saturday, May 17, in Labrador West.

Mr.

Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise in this hon. House today to

congratulate the 110 young men and women of the Menihek graduation class of 2017

and thank them for including me in their graduation ceremonies.

Valedictorian, Emily Benson, gave a very inspiring speech, reminiscing about

their school years in Labrador West and challenged her fellow graduates to

strive to be the best they can be as they pursue further education and training

opportunities. I want to personally thank the teaching staff of Menihek under

the guidance of Principal Fraser Drover, and Vice-Principal Eugene Costello, who

continuously provides quality education to their students.

Over 800

proud parents, grandparents, caregivers and invited guests attended the

ceremonies as they watched their sons and daughters achieve this great

milestone.

I ask

all hon. Members to join me in congratulating the 2017 graduation class of

Menihek High and wish them well in all their future endeavours, wherever this

great adventure may lead them.

Let the

adventure begin!

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

This

year marks the 25th anniversary of Conservation Corps Newfoundland and Labrador.

I am happy to rise to congratulate them for the invaluable work they do in the

District of St. John's East Quidi Vidi and indeed in districts throughout the

province.

The

Conservation Corp's Green Teams give students meaningful employment

opportunities focused on local environmental and cultural projects developed in

partnership with communities, organizations and corporations.

This

summer, a Green Team in St. John's will be working in partnership with Northeast

Avalon Atlantic Coastal Action Program on a stream water quality project, and I

understand a community gardening project is in the works as well. I look forward

to visiting the Green Team project sites to see first-hand the positive

community work they're doing.

Congratulations to Conservation Corps on 25 years. I ask all hon. Members to

join me in thanking them for the Green Teams and other important work they do.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the

District of Lake Melville.

MR. TRIMPER:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

Friday, Lake Melville experienced a challenging combination of problems. Trouble

began when a structured failure on the transmission line, east of Churchill

Falls, led to a wide-spread power failure. At the same time, an ice jam on the

Goose River caused water to back up, flooding Route 520 between Happy

Valley-Goose Bay and North West River. Many people were cut off from their homes

and/or were without power for 24 hours.

Staff

with Transportation and Works and their contractor, Grey Rock, escorted

emergency vehicles until water levels were too high. At that point,

Labrador-Grenfell Health mobilized helicopter transport for patients. The

Salvation Army helped secure accommodations on Friday and prepared meals for

over 400 affected residents on Saturday. 5 Wing Goose Bay was also in contact to

offer support, if needed. Several departments were involved in coordinating the

response.

Municipal and Band Council leadership were hands on as the situation unfolded. I

would like to especially recognize Mayor Montague of North West River and Chief

Hart of Sheshatshiu who worked closely with their isolated residents to ensure

everyone was looked after.

I ask

all Members of this hon. House to acknowledge those who came together under the

adversity of this past weekend. During a difficult time, the community spirit of

Upper Lake Melville shown through.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Statements by Ministers.

Statements by

Ministers

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Advanced Education, Skills and Labour.

MR. BYRNE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would

like to inform the House of an increase in the hourly wage rate of a very

deserving group of Job Trainers and coaches throughout the province.

Mr.

Speaker, Newfoundland and Labrador is renowned as a leader in helping people

with intellectual disabilities integrate more fully in the community by securing

and maintaining mutually beneficial employment. The Supported Employment Program

is run out of 18 community organizations throughout the province and helps these

individuals more fully particulate in their communities and in their own lives.

A key contributor to that success is the one-on-one support provided by Job

Trainers.

With $1

million in additional funding, the provincial government has raised the hourly

wage rate for Job Trainers from the current level of $12.25 an hour to $14.80,

effective April 1, with a further increase to $15.55 per hour which will come

into effect of July 1, 2017. Mr. Speaker, this brings the wage rate more closely

in line with similar occupations.

This

increase will help employers throughout the province recruit Job Trainers more

effectively. It will increase the opportunity for Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians with intellectual disabilities to secure employment and will be of

benefit to each and every one of us and the communities we represent.

Thank

you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank

the minister for an advance copy of his statement. The 18 community

organizations throughout the province which are engaged in Supported Employment

Programs are to be commended for their efforts, and this side of the House

supports their success.

Any

incident in action by the government which increases the opportunity for those

with intellectual disabilities is a positive one, and the overall support of

these individuals involved in these important organizations are a progressive

move in our society.

These

additional supports should enhance this important network and provide

enhancements to the community as a whole. We will always encourage making more

opportunities available for persons with disabilities, and we will be closely

monitoring this program to ensure that it functions to the best of its ability.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

I, too,

thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement. I'm pleased to see

this long-overdue pay increase finally put in place. Job Trainers have been

underpaid for too long, considering the important work they do.

The 18

organizations providing this important service may now be better able to retain

Job Trainers, which will benefit their clients. But I wonder: How long will it

take the minister to realize the obvious logic of this decision applies also to

the province's minimum wage earners?

Thank

you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

MS. COADY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise

in this hon. House to recognize a historic milestone the 50th anniversary of

the Bay d'Espoir hydroelectric generating facility. First power flowed on May

12, 1967.

The Bay

d'Espoir plant was constructed to provide the Island with a large source of

affordable hydroelectric power. Bay d'Espoir remains a key part of our energy

infrastructure as Hydro continues to improve and develop our electricity sources

for future generations.

The Bay

d'Espoir system today comprises of a string of reservoirs which, connected

together, extend over 150 kilometres, starting at Victoria Lake, near the road

to Burgeo, and running to Long Pond in Bay d'Espoir.

The

system has a generating capacity of more than 600 megawatts of power which is

produced from seven generating units at the Bay d'Espoir hydroelectric

generating facility, as well as the hydroelectric facilities at Upper Salmon and

Granite Canal which were developed later. Combined, these three hydroelectric

generating plants provide about 75 per cent of the hydroelectric power generated

on the Island.

Currently an additional 188 kilometre high-voltage transmission line running

from Bay d'Espoir to the Avalon is under construction and is expected to be in

service this fall. This line ensures stability and reliability of electricity to

the Avalon Peninsula.

Almost

100 people work at the Bay d'Espoir plant providing the power that serves

hundreds of thousands of people across the Island of Newfoundland every day. I

applaud them for the work that they do.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want

to thank the minister for the advance copy of her statement. I certainly, too,

join the minister in recognizing those individuals who work for Newfoundland

Hydro in the operations of the Bay d'Espoir hydroelectric generation facility.

As the

minister said, this facility has been operational for 50 years and continuing to

provide reliable electricity to many residents on the Island portion of the

province, as water continues to flow. I know in my own district, we have the

first-ever generating station in Petty Harbour, which was opened in January of

With the

current construction of the transmission line from Bay d'Espoir generating

facility into the Avalon, the stability of electricity system in our province

will certainly be enhanced. I also wish to note the liability and sustainability

of electricity system in our province will be further enhanced when the Island

portion of the province is connected to the North American electricity grid

through the Labrador-Island Link and certainly the Maritime Link as well.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

As we

celebrate the Bay d'Espoir project, which was needed at the time and which has

successfully provided affordable power for the past 50 years, one question

stands out. It will take the next 50 years for the people of this province to

get out from under the financial burden of the Muskrat Falls hydro project. It

wasn't needed; there were other choices. The power will never be affordable and

possibly not be reliable. I ask: Why was that project ever started?

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further statements by

ministers?

Oral

Questions.

Oral Questions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, through the 300 taxes and fee increases that the Liberal government

introduced last year and maintain this year, people are feeling the heat. People

are being forced into deciding which bills to pay and some, more than ever

before, are being forced into bankruptcy.

Now that

the government has seen the light and the importance of reducing taxes, like

they're doing with the gas tax, I ask the Premier, will you move immediately to

eliminate the 15 per cent tax on insurance in Newfoundland and Labrador?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I can't

say I'm happy today, but the fact that I get a chance to speak to this is

important for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. As the PC leader and the

Leader of the Opposition would know, it's a result of the mismanagement and the

poor planning they've done for 12 years, Mr. Speaker, not planning for where we

are today. Indeed, they governed by oil; made decisions that are impacting

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians for the next full generation, saying that oil

would never go below $100 a barrel.

Mr.

Speaker, when you make a decision it must be sustainable. We've seen many

examples of decisions that have been made by the prior administration that were

simply not sustainable.

We don't

like those taxes, Mr. Speaker, but last year at this time we were facing a $2.7

billion deficit as a result of the incompetency of the management of the prior

administration. It was ridiculous. We don't like it, Mr. Speaker. When we can

get to reduce those taxes in a sustainable way, we will do it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Not a

totally unexpected kind of response from the Premier that we've heard so many

times. The truth and the fact is, Mr. Speaker, in recent years the RNC are

reporting, from 2013 to 2016, a 25 per cent reduction in accidents in their

jurisdiction.

Mr.

Speaker, we know Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have the highest taxes on

insurance premiums anywhere in the country. The taxi industry is screaming for

help. They were prepared today to park their cars and to focus on looking for

some way for the cost to be alleviated by government, but we haven't seen that

yet. We know they're working with them.

I ask

the Premier: What will you do to ensure that the taxi industry remains viable?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Service NL.

MR. TRIMPER:

Mr. Speaker, thank you very

much for the question.

First of

all, and to inform the House, I've just concluded my second rather broad meeting

with stakeholders from the taxi industry; a very productive meeting. For the

last couple of months I've been working closely with them.

There's

no question that the rates that some taxi companies are paying per individual

car for example, I just saw some bills in the vicinity of some $7,000 to

$10,000 per car. Clearly, this situation has really gotten to a very serious

state.

I would

reference back, however if I look back and look at some of the decisions made

by government some 10 years ago and key policy moves which have actually helped

to create this situation. On the other side, the industry does need to address a

lot of the professionalism, a lot of the claims. We're finding very high claims.

So it's going to be a combination of working together. I look forward to working

with this industry association very closely.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In the

evidence-based decision process followed by this government, last year when they

put this additional tax on vehicles and on homes, all Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians are really impacted by it.

I ask

the minister: How many fewer vehicles are on the road today are uninsured as a

result of the insurance tax being put on by the Liberal government?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Service NL.

MR. TRIMPER:

In terms of answering the

question directly, Mr. Speaker, in terms of the number of cars, I don't know.

But I can tell you that having met with the industry representatives, it's no

question that they are considering that option. Some have already had to

consider that option.

I would

point out, and as the Premier just alluded to it, we had to take some serious

action, such as the 15 per cent retail tax on insurance. I look forward to the

day when we can take action on that; however, when you're talking in the

vicinity of some $7,000 to $10,000 per car, there are a lot more serious issues

going on.

I just

sat with industry reps and we went through some 17 different action items that

they have asked of us that we have offered to the table; and, if you like, we

have formulated sort of a mandate letter for my department and my role to

address this problem.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I don't

know of anything more serious that the minister could have commented today, but

not knowing how many vehicles or uninsured vehicles may be on the road today.

How many homes

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

Order,

please!

MR. P. DAVIS:

How many homes are no longer

insured because of the taxes, the new tax that the Liberals put on

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians?

So I ask

the minister I'll ask the Premier: Will he ask the Public Utilities Board to

conduct a full review on insurance costs which are directly hitting every

Newfoundlander and Labradorian?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Service NL.

MR. TRIMPER:

Mr. Speaker, as I'm sure the

Member opposite knows, within the mandate for this department that is indeed the

obligation of Service NL, which is to initiate a review of the automobile

insurance system. That is to occur this fiscal year. I look forward to

proceeding with that as soon as possible.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, the Minister of Finance was giving a talk this morning to a particular

group and gave somewhat of an update in regard to public service negotiations.

I ask

the minister: Could she give an update to the people of the province today on

current negotiation status?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, for the Member

opposite, I'd be happy to provide an update to Members of this House on the

status of collective bargaining.

We have

spent the month of April working through with a number of our unions,

particularly NAPE and CUPE, on conciliation processes. We are at a position now

where we have reached out to NAPE in particular, and asked them if they would

consider agreeing to a tier 2 table.

We feel

that's an appropriate step to continue to try and have meaningful dialogue about

the very serious situation that we have with regard to a significant deficit in

this province and the fact that we spend over $3 billion worth of our entire

budget on employee salaries and benefits, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'll ask

the minister: Could she expand more on her reference to a two-tier negotiating

system.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'd just

like to correct the Member opposite. What I said was a tier 2 table, which is a

description that we have used to describe a full group from NAPE, their

selection, as well as a group of our negotiators and leads on this particular

project, an important conversation that we have to have so that we can have a

conversation about the issues that both sides of the table have currently on the

table.

We have

been very clear with our public sector unions that we continue to want to try to

achieve meaningful dialogue. Unfortunately, at this point we have seen very

little progress happen, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, I wanted to ask the Minister of Natural Resources: Is your government

supporting the 9 per cent rate increase to electricity prices when Nalcor

reported just last week its profits doubled to $57 million in the first quarter

of 2017?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

MS. COADY:

Thank you for the question.

It's a very important question.

The rate

increase that was recently announced by the Public Utilities Board has to do

with the rate stabilization fund. This fund is all around fuel prices.

Mr.

Speaker, each year it's the normal process of the Public Utilities Board to ask

the utilities for information on the fluctuation of fuel prices. Some will

remember they just recently got a rebate for those fuel prices. Others will

remember there was a decrease last year because the price of fuel was down.

The

Public Utilities Board under great review, which is what they're supposed to

do, Mr. Speaker, of the utilities considered the information provided and made

their assumptions and have told hydro what their rate increases will be for the

rate stabilization fund this year.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, revenues that are generated by Nalcor, the intent is to assist in terms

of overall cost of the entity.

I ask

the minister: Will you direct Nalcor to use profits to eliminate the rate

increase which hit taxpayers' pockets beginning in July of this year?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

MS. COADY:

Mr. Speaker, I think the

Member opposite is referring to the fact that we will be rate managing because

of the exorbitant costs of the Muskrat Falls Project.

This

government has been very clear, that because of the Muskrat Falls Project there

will be increases. The former administration talked about those increases. We do

have money in the budget to deflect and reduce and make sure that rate increases

coming forward because of their decisions around the Muskrat Falls Project. He's

referring to the rate stabilization fund. He's referring to a report of the

Public Utilities Board. It is completely separate from what we are doing to

ensure that rates are managed in this province because of the decisions of the

former administration.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, is the minister telling us that the rate mitigation through the sale of

excess energy is not an option that's available to her; the savings that they

have on securing the loan guarantee and the interest savings of that is not

within her mandate, her ability to reduce rates? Is that what the minister is

saying?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

MS. COADY:

I think the Member opposite

is misinformed, Mr. Speaker. He's confusing the two issues. The Public Utilities

Board, every year, looks at the rate stabilization fund, looks at the rising

fuel prices and makes a determination as to what's reasonable to the fluctuation

of prices.

When you

look, Mr. Speaker, at the exorbitant cost the people of this province are going

to have to assume because of the Muskrat Falls Project, he can rest assured that

this administration, this government, will rate manage. It's too bad they didn't

put anything into effect when they were considering the Muskrat Falls Project.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Recent

changes to public exam requirements have been described by the Canadian Hard of

Hearing Association as discriminatory to students with hearing loss.

Minister, why did your government make these changes?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Education and Early Childhood Development.

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, there's a very

good reason why the previous PC Party administration decided to include a

reason why the previous administration decided to take us down this road, and

that's because listening is one of the six key categories in the kindergarten to

grade 12 Language Arts curriculum.

Most

students accomplish that through listening, through hearing. Students who are

deaf or hard of hearing utilize other cueing strategies like American Sign

Language, assistive technology or speech reading. So that's why the previous

administration brought this policy into effect.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Mr. Speaker, just over a year

ago the minister himself noted in a letter in response to the Hard of Hearing:

Accommodations for assessing listening are expected to be in place for a deaf or

hard of hearing student long before the exam is administered. Well, obviously,

we know that hasn't happened. That's why there's an outcry now from students and

the Hard of Hearing Association.

In 2016,

the Liberals slashed almost $100,000 in support for students who are deaf or

hard of hearing. In their 2017 Liberal budget, the government removed the line

item dedicated to support for students who are deaf and hard of hearing.

Minister, how much support are you cutting for these students this year?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Education and Early Childhood Development.

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, those

accommodations are supposed to be in place for Kindergarten to grade 12 students

long before they get to the public exam. It's true now, it was true last year

and it was true all the years before; they are entitled to get those

accommodations.

We are

working with the school districts to ensure that happens. The province is

spending approximately $120 million on special support services for students.

That includes American Sign Language, assistive technologies, other assistance

to ensure that students have all the tools that they need through the

curriculum, through the public examinations and other examinations they write.

Those accommodations should be there because we are paying for them to be there.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Mr. Speaker, what the

minister forgets, it's a change in policy last year and this year that they've

implemented, where they don't have the supports in place to accommodate those

who are doing public exams, who have a hearing impairment here.

So, Mr.

Speaker, they're not addressing that need and it puts a particular student at

risk of not being able to achieve the goal that they wanted to in their

academics.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Did the minister meet face to

face with the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association before making decisions that

directly affect these individuals?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Education and Early Childhood Development.

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, as is the norm

here in the House of Assembly, the Education critic for the PC Party continues

to demonstrate not just an ignorance of the decisions that were made while he

sat at the Cabinet table, but a complete and utter ignorance of the Kindergarten

to grade 12 system and all the supports and accommodations that are provided

therein.

Last

year, when this issue was reported by CBC, around exactly the same situation, I

asked staff to meet with the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association. They did meet

with that group. I thought this issue had been resolved. We explained very

clearly that when the previous PC Party Education minister brought this policy

in, specialists for deaf and hard of hearing students, other people who are

involved in the provision of special accommodations, were involved in the

development of their policy.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you.

Minister, so obviously the answer is no. And if you talk to the program director

of the Hard of Hearing Associations, they have acknowledged that these services

had not been put in place to accommodate students this year doing their public

exams.

Minister, can you tell this House, and those listening at home, what is the

minimum number of students required for programs at CNA?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Advanced Education, Skills and Labour.

MR. BYRNE:

Mr. Speaker, it is reasonable

to expect that before a class would be offered that there would be either a

reasonable complement of students. Having no student supply for a particular

class or very, very few students apply for a particular class would not be a

reasonable basis for a class to proceed.

I will

tell you what is also unreasonable but has been done year after year after year

for the last number of years. When the PCs were in charge of the government, the

College of the North Atlantic spent down cash reserves to the point where the

College of the North Atlantic nearly went into insolvency. That was not helpful

to the advancement of post-secondary education in Newfoundland and Labrador, and

it will not happen while this government is in charge.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Mr. Speaker, as a former

graduate of CNA, and I know the tens of thousands of other graduates would say,

that the college system has been great. It wasn't insolvent. The professionalism

was always adequate and exemplified the student process and the quality of

education that we had.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Minister, it was recently

reported that a reprieve may be given to CNA Bonavista campus, which will allow

them to continue with their college program.

Will a

reprieve also be extended to the campus in St. Anthony?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Advanced Education, Skills and Labour.

MR. BYRNE:

Let me correct the hon.

Member. Mr. Speaker, the teaching at the College of the North Atlantic was never

adequate. It was superior. He may refer to it as adequate, but it was superior.

We will continue with that tradition and we will advance it because now we're

engaging in professional development. We're increasing the opportunities for our

instructors to become more professional, to be able to get further

certifications.

Let me

be clear, Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member is arguing that where there are no

students requesting to be enrolled in a class, or there are one or two or three

or four students asking to enroll in a class, it is his position that the class

should continue. Why then, Mr. Speaker, were four academic programs shut down in

2013 and several classes cut?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

So the hon. minister is at

seven programs already cut down, and counting. We were talking about comparing

Bonavista and St. Anthony, which my understanding, talking to officials there,

an equal number of students have been enrolled in both of these programs or have

applied for it. So if you're going to make chalk of one and cheese of the other,

there is something wrong here with your assessment of the education process for

people in Newfoundland and Labrador.

I ask

the minister: Will he commit to not changing the delivery model for the ABE

program without reviewing all data, sharing it with the public and holding

stakeholder meetings?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Advanced Education, Skills and Labour.

MR. BYRNE:

Mr. Speaker, the programs at

Bonavista, the programs in St. Anthony, the programs in Baie Verte, the programs

in several campuses, the seven classes I'll differentiate between classes and

programs. That administration over there shut down permanently four programs,

including the Adult Basic Education program.

Newfoundland and Labrador is now the only public college system, that I'm aware

of, that does not offer Adult Basic Education. In fact, the decisions that were

taken in 2013, now upon review, it has become abundantly clear there was

absolutely no financial data which was available then or now to have supported

the conclusions that were reached.

Yes, Mr.

Speaker, before any changes are made to the Adult Basic Education program, I can

assure you there will be a thorough review.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

I need to clarify to the

minister that the information was accurate, and it did justify it. And not only

that, but in your own briefing notes that you got when you became minister it

states, the review of the 2013 assessment of the ABE outlined that it was more

efficient financially and more successful if the private not-for-profit sector

offered the program, which has happened in the last three years and been very

successful. We've gone from 17 offerings, 17 campuses through the CNA program,

to 24 now in the private not-for-profit sector. So, Mr. Speaker, the evidence

speaks for itself that this has been very successful.

Why is

the minister continuing to promote he is moving the ABE program back to CNA,

when he is aware that the present delivery model offered by the private

not-for-profit sectors are much more cost effective and successful?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Advanced Education, Skills and Labour.

MR. BYRNE:

Interesting line of

questioning, Mr. Speaker. Yes, that was the government that shut down ABE at the

College of the North Atlantic system. That was the government that did put

forward the numbers that suggested that a cost per student was at a certain

rate.

Well,

let me explain something to the hon. Member. Shortly after the contract was

awarded to the private training institutes, the private training institutes came

back and said, based on the enrolment data supplied by the government and by the

College of the North Atlantic in 2013, based on those numbers that were

supplied, we cannot fulfill the contract according to the private institutions.

They could not provide the contracts as were tendered, and they required an

additional $1 million per year to fulfill empty seats.

Now, Mr.

Speaker, if that's good financial management, that's a Tory way of managing the

finances.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Asphalt

recyclers are sitting idle in depots. They're an important tool to address the

potholes on our provincial roads.

Why is

this equipment not being used help fill the potholes?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Transportation and Works.

MR. HAWKINS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank

you for the question. I'd like to advise the hon. Member opposite that not all

the recyclers are sitting idle. If you check in Central Newfoundland, they're

actually out and we're mobilizing them. We've had a couple of issues on the

Avalon Peninsula we're working through and these certainly will be available as

soon as we're able to work through some of those challenges.

Mr.

Speaker, I think that was a good investment to have these machines available and

they can be mobilized. We're moving them around and we're actually doing a

significant amount of pothole repairs. As you know this year, we've had a lot of

real challenges when it comes to potholes and we're actually doing the best we

can. We'll continue to do that to ensure that we have a safe highway for the

people that are driving on it.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The

minister just confirmed there is some sitting idle. That's the question I asked;

he only answered part of it.

The

Minister of Finance confirmed the elimination of 60 positions in TW this past

year. The roads are in horrific state. What impact has the elimination of these

60 positions had on our provincial roads?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Transportation and Works.

MR. HAWKINS:

Mr. Speaker, just in case the

Member opposite doesn't understand, I thought I answered the question. I said we

mobilized in Central, which answered that piece of the question, and I said we

had issues in Eastern. I thought it was clear.

Mr.

Speaker, with regard to the positions we went through the organizational

chart, we looked through managers and directors and those positions. One of the

key things I want to make mention to the Member opposite that front-line workers

are not impacted by the changes that we made and, as a result of that, we will

continue to do the operations this summer as we done in previous years. It's a

managerial change we've made, Mr. Speaker, obviously looking at trying to find

better ways in which we can fit within the fiscal framework that we have.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I ask

the minister: Does your government have any plans to help clean up the garbage

in the surrounding area on the Outer Ring Road?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister for

Transportation and Works.

MR. HAWKINS:

Mr. Speaker, the garbage

that's on the Outer Ring Road, in addition to the garbage that's on Pitts

Memorial, that's in addition to the garbage that's across the Trans-Canada

Highway both east, west, central and all over is absolutely deplorable, that we

are in 2017 having to deal with these issues. It's an education piece that we

have to make sure that people do not litter.

I worked

very closely with Service NL over the past weekend. Before we actually take

actions, we must be in a position to enforce the regulations that people cannot

throw garbage out, enforce the regulations that people that are going to the

Waste Management Centres must have their garbage covered.

understanding, Mr. Speaker, is that Service NL had enforcement out during this

past weekend and were actually issuing tickets. I think it was probably in

excess of 30 this past weekend. We will continue to do that to address the

issue, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

The

Finance Minister continues to conduct public sector bargaining away from the

bargaining table, as evidenced by her public remarks this morning to the

Chartered Accountants Association.

I ask

the minister if she has received any written reports from conciliation officers

dealing ongoing public sector collective bargaining.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, for the Member

opposite, I want to correct her

preamble. The information that I shared this

morning is the same information I've been sharing with everybody in the province

who asked, which I shared on March 2.

We have

been talking about the issues that we are wanting to have a discussion about at

the bargaining table. We have seen little to no progress, and the discussions

that have been happening through the conciliation process have yielded nothing

different than the bargaining process to date, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

Obviously, this minister is really new to negotiations and doesn't understand

the process that people are used to being part of in this province and

elsewhere.

I ask

the minister, why does she continue to discuss collective bargaining matters in

public while the conciliation process she initiated is ongoing.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, I'm sure the

Member opposite is not suggesting that the considerable group of public service

employees who are working to support government's effort on collective

bargaining are inexperienced. Quite frankly, Mr. Speaker, my experience as the

minister has been that the advice from officials has been very effective.

When it

comes to the conciliation process, the process is designed to enable both

parties to have a meaningful dialogue and make progress. And, Mr. Speaker, our

government, at the conciliation table, will do what we need to do, and has done

what we needed to do; but, as of yet, I am not aware of any progress that has

been made at the tables.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to

remind the minister that, in fact, it is not the public servants or the

negotiating team who are speaking publicly but the minister herself.

Mr.

Speaker, at least six provinces are amending their legislation to include the

presumption that PTSD among first responders is a workplace injury.

Whereas, in

this province, the first responder has to prove the job caused their PTSD.

Consequently, many workers have compensation denied and treatment delayed,

making the PTSD worse.

I ask

the Minister of Service NL: When will he amend the

Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Act to include PTSD as a

presumptive work-related illness for first responders?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Service NL.

MR. TRIMPER:

Thank you very much for the

question.

I must

say, I think this is a very serious matter. I would note that while the process

of government is proceeding, I can assure the Members of the House that I am

very much focused on that, including a meeting this morning.

We will

be signalling that review. I look forward to entering into the House the

recommendations from the previous report which, frankly, has been sitting around

for way too long. I'm looking to carrying on and finally getting on with it.

Thank

you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

I ask the minister: Will he

also commit to expanding presumptive PTSD coverage to corrections officers who

do incredibly difficult work and all others who repeatedly work with traumatic

events and are at risk for PTSD?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House

Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'm

certainly glad to stand up here today and speak to the difficult work that our

correctional officers do. In fact, last week I took the opportunity to visit our

correctional officers at HMP to talk with them and learn more about what they

do. Something I would note was criticized heavily by the NDP who did not care

what the correctional officers do on a day-to-day basis. They didn't want to see

what was going on.

That

being said, I have had discussions with union leadership on this issue. I look

forward actually, we're going to sit down soon and discuss this issue and many

issues as it relates to the safety and well-being of our correctional officers.

They are a group who do challenging work 24-7 in this province. Certainly, I

support them in the difficult job they do.

I'm

willing to have this discussion; I just wish that the NDP would support them as

it relates to their work.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The time for Question Period

has expired.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Tabling

of Documents.

Tabling of

Documents

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Service NL.

MR. TRIMPER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

accordance with

section 56 of the

Automobile Insurance Act , I rise today to table the 2016-17 Annual Report of

the Board of Commissioners of the Public Utilities on Operations Carried Out

under the Automobile Insurance Act .

Thank

you.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further tabling of documents?

Notices

of Motion.

Notices of Motion

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Cape

St. Francis.

MR. K. PARSONS:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

I'd like

to move the following private Member's resolution:

BE IT

of Newfoundland and Labrador to take immediate action to establish joint

fisheries management.

That's

seconded by the Member for Ferryland.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

accordance with our Standing Orders, the private Member's motion just read by

the Member for Cape St. Francis will be the one that we'll request to have

debated on Wednesday, Private Members' Day.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further Notices of Motion?

Answers

to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Answers to

Questions for which Notice has been Given

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

MS. COADY:

Thank you.

Last

week in this House the Members opposite asked for the EY costs for the Muskrat

Falls report on review of the project cost schedules and related risks, interim

report, and I am pleased to table a letter from the Oversight Committee as to

those costs.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further answers to questions

for which notice has been given?

Petitions.

Petitions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount

Pearl North.

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland

and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

Members of the House of Assembly are elected to represent the interest of their

constituents; and

WHEREAS

recall legislation would increase democracy in our province by making Members of

the House of Assembly more accountable to their constituents;

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

of Assembly to urge government to introduce recall legislation into the House of

Assembly.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, last year I had an opportunity to present a private Member's motion on

this very issue and, unfortunately, it was defeated by government Members.

Recall

legislation is not a new concept. In fact, it was on the books in Alberta in

1936; one of the US states as far back as 1908. It's not a rare idea. Many US

states have had recall at some level of their democracy. Alberta has had it in

the past. British Columbia has it today. It doesn't destabilize a democracy, and

many would argue that it actually strengthens democracy. There are a number of

models of recall that are working elsewhere in Canada and around the world that

could absolutely be considered here.

I think

when we talk about democratic reform and it's a concept that all three parties

in this Legislature have talked about. We've done some things to move in that

direction. This is one example of low hanging fruit, so to speak. I think recall

legislation is an easy one and one that should be pursued.

I think

government should be more open to suggestions from people and to the Opposition

parties. I think introducing recall legislation is a way to make our system more

responsive to the public and more adaptable as well. We all know that public

input can lead to better decision making as well.

I think

recall legislation will shift the balance in favour of the people of province. I

can understand that there are Members in this House of Assembly on the

government side who may have an unsettled feeling in their stomachs when they

think about that, but I think we need to look to recall legislation as a way to

improve the democratic process in our province and in our society. None of us

ought to believe that we're so smart that we're incapable of being shown better

choices by the people who elected us, and I believe that can happen and does

happen.

How

arrogant would it be to believe that a Member is wiser than the voters who

elected the Member? Over the years we've taken all sorts of shifts in favour or

giving voters greater control over the way things work in our House and our

government. There were referendums on constitutional change regarding education.

There have been free votes in this House of Assembly from time to time. We now

have fixed-term election legislation that restricts a government's power to call

an election when it is most politically advantageous to the governing party. We

have whistleblower legislation, and I could go on and on.

This is

just the next logical step in democratic reform, Mr. Speaker. I'd encourage

government to seriously look at it.

Thank

you.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

To the

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

government has removed the provincial point-of-sale tax rebate on books which

will raise the tax on books from 5 per cent to 15 per cent; and

WHEREAS

an increase in the tax on books will reduce book sales, to the detriment of

local bookstores, publishers and authors, and the amount collected by government

must be weighed against the loss in economic activity caused by higher book

prices; and

WHEREAS

Newfoundland and Labrador has one of the lowest literacy rates in Canada, and

the other provinces do not tax books because they recognize the need to

encourage reading and literacy; and

WHEREAS

this province has many nationally and internationally known storytellers, but we

will be the only people in Canada who will have to pay our provincial government

a tax to read the books of our own writers;

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

of Assembly to urge government not to impose a provincial sales tax on books.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, I believe this is probably one of the easiest taxes to reverse, and we

know in fact that it's a rebate, a point of sale rebate, but this is in fact

the way people talk about it is that it's an imposed tax on books. It would be

one of the easiest ones to reverse.

The

other issue is that taxing books sends a message that books are a luxury, that

they're not a necessity, because there are a number of necessities that are not

taxed simply because they are a basic necessity to life.

When we

look at the fact that we have the lowest literacy rate, one would think that the

logical conclusion is, therefore, books are absolutely a necessity, and to tax

them not only sends a negative message about that but it also makes it harder

for people to be able to buy books.

We're

the only province in the country that taxes books, provincially. Nova Scotia and

PEI recently looked at doing it. They were going to look at doing it, but they

dropped the idea after the public really resisted. Our public is resisting, but

this government is not listening. They're not hearing their people.

In Nova

Scotia in 2015,

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS. ROGERS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In Nova

publishers, booksellers, students and librarians to tell the government they did

not want to see taxes on books.

Now, our

taxes are a collective thing that we do as citizens of the province to say we

fairly and justly pay our taxes so that the province can run and that the people

have the basic necessities in order to thrive.

Mr.

Speaker, this s not honouring that.

Thank

you very much.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.

MS. PERRY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland

and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

Marine Atlantic ferry rates continue to rise, becoming increasingly more cost

prohibitive; and

WHEREAS

increased rates have an impact on the cost of goods being shipped into our

province, as well as those products being exported out by local businesses; and

WHEREAS

the ever-increasing, cost-prohibitive means of ground transport into the Island

portion of our province has a negative impact on tourism;

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

of Assembly to urge government to open a line of communication with the federal

government and begin to advocate on behalf of the residents and businesses of

this province, not stopping until results are finalized.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, it's very unfortunate that we have to rise in this House and present

this petition because we hear on a regular basis in this House about the

wonderful relationship between our current provincial Liberal government and the

current federal Liberal government. So one would think this is already a done

deal.

We're

certainly, as residents of this province, are going to continually call upon

both levels of government until something is done to address this situation.

Because here we are in this province now, we can barely afford to live given the

measures of Budget 2016 and the

regression and stifling that have happened to our economy as a result of these

policy measures. We're being gouged at the gas stations. We're being gouged at

the insurance rates. We're being gouged with fee after fee after fee after fee.

We feel it is incumbent upon government to really take this situation in hand

and do something about these fees and ensure that there are no more increases.

In fact, we would like to see the fees we're currently paying be reduced.

Thank

you so much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

To the

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland

and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

the US Center for Disease Control now estimates that autism spectrum disorder

affects one in 68 children, which represents a 30 per cent increase from the

estimate two years ago; and

WHEREAS

early diagnosis of ASD is essential because there is a critical developmental

period when early intervention is vital for future success of children with ASD;

and

WHEREAS

in other provinces an ASD diagnosis can be made by specialists certified and

trained in ADOS;

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

of Assembly to urge government to allow other specialists trained and certified

with ADOS to make the autism spectrum disorder diagnosis.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Once

again, Mr. Speaker, members of the community of children and adults affected by

autism spectrum disorder, as well as members of the general public who really

understand how serious this situation is, continue to send petitions in to us to

stand up and speak on their behalf here in the House of Assembly.

Obviously, they continue to try to get government to hear what they're saying.

By standing and reading their petition, we support them in that effort to have

government listen to what they're talking about. Because the issues still goes

on, Mr. Speaker, and as the petition says early identification and intervention

is important with children

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

It is

important for children on the autism spectrum. Most diseases and most conditions

are like that; the earlier you recognize the situation, the faster you can deal

with it. It is especially true when it comes to the development of children on

the spectrum.

continue to have unacceptable wait times for a diagnosis. Yes, some steps were

taken. Wait times were reduced to six months in 2015-2016, with the addition of

another pediatrician doing the ADOS diagnosis, but there continues to be a long

wait time, longer in areas with larger population.

Families

outside the Avalon Peninsula, for example, and outside the Eastern Health

region, it's not just the wait times that are difficult for them; they also have

to travel away from home and sometimes outside of the province in order to

receive a diagnosis more quickly. So you have a financial burden on these

families that just continues. Again, government does not seem to be listening.

What we

need are more people, as the petition says, Mr. Speaker. We need more

specialists trained and certified with ADOS in order to do the diagnosis.

Thank

you very much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland

and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

smaller class sizes, adequate learning environment and effective curriculums are

paramount to success of our youth; and

WHEREAS

recent budget decisions have negatively impacted student supports, educational

resources and teacher allocations; and

WHEREAS

the provincial education system should ensure each child has the ability to

reach his or her full potential;

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

of Assembly to urge government to enhance the education system in Newfoundland

and Labrador; introduce initiatives which ensure smaller class sizes which will

provide more sufficient personal space per child and allow more individual

learning opportunities; develop efficient curriculums which enable youth to

develop both life skills and optimal academic achievement; provide resources to

ensure a fully beneficial inclusive model is in place; and to ensure all

children in our province have equal standard of education in their learning

environment.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, I've spoken to this a number of times about some of the challenges in

the education system. I did note a couple of petitions ago about looking at and

following CBC did a three-part documentary with teachers, counsellors, even

some administrators around the challenges in the school system and how they've

seen things evolve over periods of time. There have been peaks and valleys when

it came to challenges in the system, and points when there were resources put

in, but they've identified what these are parents, these are average citizens

in the communities who have come up with these petitions. They are echoing the

same thing that the teachers and counsellors and administrators have said, about

the need to invest in our education system.

These

are trying times. Things have changed in our society. There are challenges

around inclusive education, as was noted by my colleague here from St. John's

East Quidi Vidi about some of the issues around how you deal with learning

disabilities within a classroom setting and some of the resources about being

identified and diagnosed so you can get the proper supports.

We've

talked about mental health in our education system and how we'd be proactive

versus reactive by having programs in that. We've talked about preparing our

young people and our students for life skills and their ability to be able to

handle situations from a financial point of view, to an integration point of

view, to an empathy point of view, to an understanding of how they further

choose their careers.

We've

also talked about having the proper environment. We say a conduce environment:

space, so people can be counselled at a proper level, so that the teachers

themselves and counsellors within the school system have the mechanism, the

resources to be able to deal with situations.

We've

also talked about, and it's been identified and it's becoming more and more

prevalent, when you have a larger school and larger classes, when you have some

students who may have some challenges, we're now noting there's violence in

classrooms which disrupts their whole learning environment. It puts kids who

normally weren't facing any of these stressors, under stress. We've seen that.

We've

had counsellors identify there are kids at a certain age will not go to class on

certain mornings because they know there's a disruption going to happen in their

class and they come up with an ailment to be able to stay home. That obviously

tell me we have something wrong with how we're addressing our issues. If it

means we have to address things in a different manner, we have to do that.

Mr.

Speaker, I will get an opportunity to speak to this again and outline some of my

concerns.

Thank

you.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount

Pearl North.

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland

and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

government has not implemented curriculum to teach the basic monetary skills

needed by our youth; and

WHEREAS

the government of our province has a responsibility to act in the best interest

of our youth; and

WHEREAS

the youth of our province deserve the greatest level of respect and

consideration;

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

of Assembly to urge government to introduce financial education into provincial

curriculum to prepare youth for the monetary and financial challenges of life

upon entering the workforce.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, I've raised this issue in the House of Assembly on behalf of

constituents a number of times in the past. I've had an opportunity to tell the

House about a group called FLY financial. FLY stands for Financial Literacy for

Youth. It was founded, I guess about a year-and-a-half ago. Its purpose is to

teach basic financial and money management skills to high school youth through

their career development classes.

This

group of volunteers has been to a few of our high schools in this region.

They've presented to hundreds of students. The team is made up of alumni from

Memorial University and they present to high schools, primarily in this region,

as I said, but they're looking to expand across Newfoundland and Labrador.

They

believe, and I believe, that the lack of financial literacy is causing people to

be taken advantage of by credit card and lending companies, for instance. I

think the lack of financial literacy can have a huge impact on people's

financial futures.

There

was a survey that indicated 34 per cent of Canadians said they're relying on

hoping to win the lottery in order to finance their retirement. Obviously,

that's not a viable strategy.

Young

people are not being taught enough about debt or savings. Teaching young people

about debt and savings could help future generations. We live in a time when

bankruptcies are on the rise in our province. The current state of our economy

really does call for increased awareness of personal finances, and individuals

can find themselves in trouble by acquiring too much debt which is all too

common this day in age.

Lending

institutions are making lots of money from charging interest and people need to

understand exactly how those arrangements work with financial institutions, with

lending companies, with credit card companies. I think Albert Einstein said

compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. Those who understand it

earn it, those who don't pay it.

This

group that's doing work in our high schools is looking to positively impact the

career development curriculum to teach youth valuable skills. This is something

we shouldn't have to rely on a group of well-intended volunteers to do. This is

an issue that needs to be addressed in a much more I guess with greater

emphasis placed on it within the high school curriculum.

There

are lots of financial personal decisions that we all have to make. We need these

life skills taught in our school system. I think the work of FLY financial is

great, but I join them in calling on government to actually imbed some of that

right into the high school curriculum.

Thank

you.

Orders of the Day

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Deputy

Government House Leader.

MS. COADY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I call

from the Order Paper, Order 3, Concurrence Motion, report of the Government

Services Committee.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Bonavista.

MR. KING:

Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker.

It's a

pleasure to rise here today and speak to is it 15 minutes or 20 minutes that I

get?

AN HON. MEMBER:

(Inaudible.)

MR. KING:

So 15 to Concurrence. This is

my second time getting up speaking to the Budget, the first being on the

non-confidence motion.

AN HON. MEMBER:

(Inaudible.)

MR. KING:

Oh, I get 20. Thank you.

First

off, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to echo your comments earlier today where you

congratulated the Member for Exploits on his birthday. He's 58, and I don't know

if I should say that, but he doesn't look a day over 57, Mr. Speaker. All jokes

aside, he's been a great friend to me sitting here. We bounce ideas back and

forth to each other and it's an honour to sit by such a distinguished person.

The last

time I got up to speak, Mr. Speaker, I touched a nerve with some people out

there, the Internet trolls especially. They didn't like the fact that VOCM gave

me a bit of media coverage calling a backbencher says MUN can take a page out of

CNA's book. You know you're doing a good job when you upset the Internet trolls.

They hurl insults at you. They attack without merit. They attack you personally.

One of

the things I had the biggest laugh out of, because that story that came out of

VOCM was based entirely on a Facebook video that I put up on the Budget Speech,

and you had one of those Internet trolls get up there and say: He never speaks

to anything about his district. He talks about polar bears and upside down

flags, but never speaks to anything about his district. Well, if that person who

made that comment actually listened to the 20-minute speech, he would have known

I talked about the gas tax, which benefits the reduction in gas tax which is a

benefit to the District of Bonavista.

I talked

to a commitment to our communities through the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund;

I talked about the multi-year infrastructure plan with the roads. That's another

big thing for the District of Bonavista. I talked about tourism; I talked about

the fishery. So if they're going to make a comment about me, at least they

should be accurate.

Mr.

Speaker, enough time wasted on those clowns.

AN HON. MEMBER:

(Inaudible.)

MR. KING:

Probably.

AN HON. MEMBER:

Facebook's alive now.

MR. KING:

Facebook's alive now.

I have

no issue with anyone making constructive criticism but when they attack you at a

personal nature and with no merit, there's no basis to it whatsoever.

Getting

back to the backbencher says MUN can take a page out of CAN's book. This gets to

my first topic, Mr. Speaker, the College of the North Atlantic, the Bonavista

campus, there's been quite a bit of discussion over the last number of days,

weeks with the suspension of the cook and baker program.

I want

to clarify one thing said in Question Period today by the Member for Conception

Bay East Bell Island. It's not a cancellation of a program; it's a suspension

of a program for one year.

Last

Tuesday I was fortunate enough to meet with the present CEO of the College of

the North Atlantic, the Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour, and I

spoke with stakeholders from the community. My goal at that meeting was to get

the program back in the campus for this coming fall. However, as of last Monday

there were three students registered, Mr. Speaker, and a cost of $250,000 to run

that program. It's a shame that we're suspending it for this year, but we are

focused on getting some enrollees at the college for that program last year.

I'm

going to get back to more media coverage and I'm sure my critics wouldn't like

that either MHAs encouraging college graduates to come forward. These are very

successful graduates who left the cook-baker program; they're out doing great

things right now.

I helped

form the post-secondary advisory committee at the College of the North Atlantic

in Bonavista, which there are stakeholders all across the district in different

fields. I like this saying: Success breeds success. So if we can work with the

College of the North Atlantic to promote our successful students, it goes a long

way in growing our campus and growing that program.

Mr.

Speaker, the Opposition and others decided they were going to fear monger about

a closure of the Bonavista campus, but what came out of that meeting and what's

coming out of Modernization Plan 2019 is a commitment to our rural campuses. We

had a firm commitment at our meeting on Tuesday to do good things at the

Bonavista campus, to work and grow that campus so that anyone who questions our

commitment to our rural campuses has absolutely no merit in their statement.

What we

talked about was distance learning, modernizing the College of the North

Atlantic so we can offer more programs in our rural campuses. It's very similar

to the CDLI program that they have with the Department of Education, where you

have the students in the class and you take a program like office administration

where they can do it online. There will be an instructor in the classroom and

they can do all their work online. That offers more programming for the campus,

gets more bums in the seats, grows our campus, straightens our region, Mr.

Speaker, because we can base those programs on the needs of our region very

exciting, very forward thinking.

We also

look at other ways that we can grow our campus, through contract training. If

there's enough interest in a particular program, you get that program offered.

It helps stimulate the campus and our rural economy.

One of

the biggest things and the Member for Conception Bay East Bell Island, I

don't agree with him on this. I like the fellow, but I certainly don't agree

with his comments on ABE. He talked about the cost associated with the private

colleges versus the public system. What he neglected to mention is the campus

cost of losing ABE. Bonavista campus was hit very hard when we lost ABE. What

ABE would do in the Bonavista campus was have your students there, they would

have a career counsellor and then they would transition to another program at

the campus. That kept our numbers strong. That got people who are in the ABE

program into another trade and got them employed much quicker in a higher paying

job. That's my comment on CNA.

There

are four big industries in my district, Mr. Speaker. We have the fishery,

forestry, agriculture and tourism. I'm going to speak to the fishery a little

bit near the end of this speech, but I want to talk a little bit about the

forestry. I had a great conversation this morning with Kevin Sexton of Sexton

Lumber. He is doing some great things in Bloomfield-Lethbridge when it comes to

innovation, when it comes to hiring full-time employees, to getting a really

good product into the market.

What we

talked about is challenge he's facing right now. Like I said, he's very

innovative, Mr. Speaker. Last year, he upgraded his plant to allow for

finger-jointing of lumber. If you don't know what finger-jointing is, I'm just

going to give you a quick brief on it. So you have two small pieces of lumber,

which would normally go to waste, what Kevin is doing and what they are doing at

Sexton Lumber is take that, finger-jointing it, using adhesive, bonding it

together and it's actually stronger than your normal piece of lumber.

they're able to take short pieces, which they would have to throw away, and make

it into lengths that can be utilized here in Newfoundland and Labrador and

throughout Canada into the US. One of the issues that he talked to me a little

bit about was the fact that people are a little uncertain about the product.

Now, Mr. Speaker, when I did the Marine Engineering program at the Marine

Institute and I'm not going to be like the Member for Conception Bay East

Bell Island and say it was adequate; it was outstanding, the program that I did

up there.

One of

the things that we did was strengthen materials. I can tell you with this

finger-jointing of these boards when it's tested, it breaks, not at the join but

somewhere else on that board. You have a quality product that's actually

stronger than your regular piece of lumber. But right now, there's a bit of

hesitation within the industry and within municipalities to approve that sort of

lumber.

Mr.

Speaker, I've got a piece of paper here and it talks about the stamp that's on

the and I don't want to use a prop but it talks about the approval, all the

specifications for approval that are industry standard for lumber.

Unfortunately, what we have to do now is educate the inspectors within the

municipalities to talk about yes, this piece of lumber is adequate to borrow a

phrase actually better to build your homes with, to use within construction.

We've

had CBS, Paradise, St. John's and Mount Pearl kind of questioning the merits of

this. So we have to do a better job of saying to their inspectors, no, this is a

good product, and we need to work within the construction industry to get that

out there.

I want

to give a shout out to Kevin Sexton and Neil Greening who I spoke with this

morning. It's just not the innovative things that they're doing; they're also

working with government, Mr. Speaker. Currently, we're working on forest

management agreement and Sexton is one of the industries that are providing

advice to us on a management agreement, so this is going to be a long-term

tenure type of a program that's going to see stability in the industry.

Under

the previous government, you'd see small allocations and then they had to

reapply. You'd see the lumber yards shut down for weeks at a time and then

they'd slowly get more allocations. This year, we started off initially with

40,000 cubic metres of lumber and increased that to 140,000. That's going to

give them long-term stability for this season, Mr. Speaker.

The

former member for Terra Nova I saw on Facebook said: Why don't they just let

them have access to the Abitibi land? Well, Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of

Fisheries and Land Resources said last week they didn't want the government of

the time didn't want

AN HON. MEMBER:

The PC government.

MR. KING:

Yes, the PC government didn't

want Newfoundland industry to get that lumber because they were waiting for the

next great thing to come by. In fact, people like Sexton couldn't even get a

phone call answered. Their MHAs, who they would deal with, would argue with them

and fight against them. So what we're seeing is collaborative approach to what

we're doing in our forestry industry.

I'd be

remiss if I didn't speak to the fishery because it is one of the most important

industries that we do have, Mr. Speaker. One of the issues that we have in our

district right now, the District of Bonavista, is that both Bonavista and

Trinity Bay are blocked with ice. So it's something I've been working on with

the Minister of Fisheries and Land Resources, expressing the concerns that I've

been hearing on behalf of my constituents. I've reached out to my federal

counterparts again.

The

latest email I sent today, Mr. Speaker, because I do want the people at home to

know I am on your side, I am fighting for you. Good afternoon, Ministers Hadju

and LeBlanc so the minister responsible for Employment Insurance and the

minister responsible for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans as MHA for the

District of Bonavista in the Newfoundland and Labrador Legislature, I'm writing

to express my concerns regarding the ice condition in the Bonavista and Trinity

Bays and its impact on my constituents.

For the

past several weeks, ice conditions in both bays have prevented fish harvesters

from getting to their respective grounds and catching their crab quotas. This

had an adverse effect on plant operations at the OCI facility in Bonavista, and

thus has caused a number of people not to get called back to work. Normally,

both harvesters and plant workers would be well into their season; however, the

ice conditions have prevented this. Many of these have had their benefits run

out or close to running out. I'm requesting that EI benefits be extended until

such a time when both harvesters and plant workers get back on track with their

employment.

that's what I sent as early as today. I've been talking to Minister Crocker

quite a bit about this, my federal counterparts, but I feel it very important to

keep pushing this issue because it is important. People are running out of EI

right now and it's getting very serious. Ice is something that they cannot

control, and unless we get a good strong wind to push that ice back out,

sustained over several days, that's going to be very much the case for the

foreseeable future.

Getting

back to a little bit of the fishery; some good things we're doing in our fishery

is our Seafood Innovation and Transition Program. This is geared toward focus

areas of revitalization of the groundfish sector, innovation technology,

industry research and development, and strategic marketing initiatives.

What we

realize as we transition from shellfish to groundfish is we need a new approach.

Days of cod block being shipped out or salt fish being shipped out are gone by

the wayside. We have new fish that has replaced cod as the cheap white fish.

What we want to do is create a better quality product.

One

thing that I'd like to see, Mr. Speaker and I don't think I'm speaking out of

turn when I say it is a focus on our processing facilities. We have Icewater

in Arnold's Cove which is doing amazing work. I'll give a shout out to my

colleague from Placentia West Bellevue because he's got a great facility

there. What we'd like to see, I'd like to see and what I get from fish

harvesters, is we'd like to see more processing locations here on the Island so

that fishermen can get their fish to market in a timely manner. What that also

does, Mr. Speaker, is create more jobs in secondary processing.

I would

advocate for the OCI plant in Bonavista to have that opportunity. They've got

enough space; they got the licence. So I'll be reaching out with OCI to see if

they can take advantage of some money within the $100 million fisheries fund

because I think that's a great opportunity. We have fishermen who want to ship

locally. We have people who want to work locally in both the shellfish and the

groundfish industries. So I think we're poised for that good transition right

now.

One

thing that often comes to question is the management of our fish stocks, and

it's always controversial. You know what, sometimes you have to step into the

controversy because there's a good point made about how our fishery has been

managed over the last number of years. The easy answer is to always pick a fight

with Ottawa, which I don't agree with.

I look

at DFO right now where we are hiring more scientists. Stephen Harper cut DFO

science to the bone, but we're focusing on groundfish initiatives, groundfish

science and doing it on a yearly basis. We have to get more science based, put

more money and effort into the science, but while doing that we can't forget

about the harvesters and the processors, all the key stakeholders in our

industry.

I think

that's kind of where we went by the wayside over the past number of years.

Instead of being all individuals fighting against each other, what we need to do

is actually work together to grow our fishery, especially in the groundfish

sector, and protect our resources, our dwindling resource in the shellfish such

as shrimp and crab.

Mr.

Speaker, finally and that's my thoughts on the fishery, because you think of

the District of Bonavista you think fishery and it is very, very important to my

district, to the people.

I talked

to a group of fishermen on Friday afternoon. In a small community, such as Old

Bonaventure and New Bonaventure, they're pretty close together, but there's $2

million of raw product that gets shipped out of there every year from 14 fishing

enterprises, Mr. Speaker. That's very, very significant.

Finally,

I want to talk a little bit about agriculture. I'm not going to get much of a

chance because I only have a minute and 20 left. I'm hoping to get another

chance to speak on this budget because I do have my opportunity in the main

motion, but seeing how our time goes. I want to give a shout out to all the

farmers in the District of Bonavista.

In a lot

of places you see a region where there are a lot of older farmers. There's no

secret that the average age of a farmer in our agriculture industry is quite

high, but in the District of Bonavista, I see a number of young farmers getting

into the industry. That was very prevalent at the College of the North Atlantic

on April 20 when there was a livestock production seminar held.

There

were about 20 people there from as far away as Mobile and Wareham in Bonavista

Bay, to people in my region. If you get into meat production, it's great, but

what I also see is a younger group of vegetable and dairy farmers in my district

as well, Mr. Speaker.

I see my

time is running out. I will be supporting

Budget 2017 . I'm happy to stand here to speak to it on behalf of the

constituents of the District of Bonavista.

Thank

you for your time, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It's

certainly a privilege to rise and speak in Concurrence for the Estimates of

Government Services. Through the Estimate process, we went through a number of

areas through this Committee and through the Estimates. I just want to recognize

the staff who participated, along with the ministers for particular departments

and recognize the work they do as public servants.

Being on

the other side and being involved in the Executive and being involved in

Cabinet, I have a great understanding of the amount of weeks and months they put

in in terms of preparatory work and the type of work they put in. So I certainly

recognize the work that was done by the public servants in the Estimates to get

us there, to get the budget done and to come to Estimates and to assist the

ministers in providing the information.

We went

through Finance, a significant portfolio obviously; the Public Service

Commission; Human Resource Secretariat; Women's Policy Office and OCIO as well,

we touched on. We'll do the Consolidated Fund Services here in the Legislature

in the coming days, I suspect.

One of

the things with Budget 2016 and

Budget 2017 and some of the things

we've seen and some of the confusion in regard to some of the vision or

direction of the current administration in regard to reducing expenditures, the

one they looked at and often reference is positions; the positions of the public

service.

We've

been asking over the past year, even looking for 2016 numbers in regard to what

that actually means to the public service and what it means to individuals out

there in regard to what the future holds for them. One of the things we saw last

year with 2016 is that there was a lot of confusion, a lot of mixed messages in

what was happening, what the direction was, if you will.

When the

budget was brought down in 2016, there was going to be a budget to generate

revenues, then there was going to be a mid-year update, then there was going to

be in the fall a second budget to deal with expenditures and layoffs, and then

preparatory work rolling into 2017.

Obviously, as we know, that didn't happen. There were significant fee structures

put in place. Almost 300 were put in place, which the response to that was that

it was too much too quick. I think we're seeing the results of that in the

economic indicators. You look at the budget document that was provided this year

in 2017, The Economy , and you look at

some of those economic indicators what occurred last year in the slowing

economy, and even more so what's predicted this year. Which indicates that the

plan that was brought in by this current administration in 2016 hasn't worked

and looking forward to 2017 it's very much status quo, and status quo in regard

to we've got a huge grab for cash through revenue with, I mentioned, 300 fees

and various taxes. I think there was one modified in this current budget this

year, which was the gas tax. Which I understand there's an enabling piece of

legislation we'll have to discuss here in the Legislature as we move forward

over the coming days and weeks to deal with that.

So that

has caused concern and has caused huge indicators in the economy in regard to

the results it's had, in regard to slowing our economy, certainly from all our

demographics in our society: middle-class families, seniors, young people

looking for that first job. All of those have been affected by some of the

choices that have been made. That's what it's about, too. We can all differ on

various approaches, but what was done before, what's done today, is all about

choices. There are choices you can make in the approach you're going to take to

deal with any fiscal situation. It can be balanced approach; it can be an

approach where you tax and fee to the point of having negative consequences and

not reaching where you want to go. So it is about choices.

mentioned when I started about some of the positions in regard to the effects in

the public service, and recognizing that because of the fiscal situation there

had to be decisions made and expenditures and we need to look at those

expenditures. There were 650 full-time equivalents announced that would be lost

in the 2016 budget. A full-time equivalent, it's not an actual full-time

position for an individual, if you will, or a position for a person. It would

equate to a unit of work, which would be reflective of a 40-hour week, eight

hours a day and there could be half a unit actually in a particular department

or particular division which would equate to an FTE.

So very

early on after the budget came down in 2016, we were asking here for the

Minister of Finance to tell us what does that equate to, what are the savings

that reflect those 650, and how many jobs are we talking about here. Because

obviously if you bring this in, you must have done your analysis in terms of how

does that 650 FTE break out into jobs in particular departments, and what are

the savings for that particular year, annualized out. Because that's what you're

looking at, you're looking at the full envelope of operating revenues that are

required for that particular department.

continued to ask and we received very little in terms of response to it, but

eventually we put some questions on the Order Paper, asked to get some feedback

on that. It was just recently we got some information in regard to and we are

not even talking about this budget, we're talking about last budget in regard to

those numbers. Based on what we could tell when you broke out those 650 FTEs and

they mean in regard to positions, we still question whether there's not even 200

more positions that would come out of the public service to reflect those 650

FTEs.

Again,

we asked that question here in the House and I don't think it's been given to us

in detail if that's concluded. There were some estimates given in regard to

March of 2017, what's been concluded in that, yet it hasn't been made quite

clear if that's the conclusion of it and that's important, recognizing

operations in the public service and recognizing what's reflective and going to

be laid out in Budget 2017 , because

they would combine. One fiscal year would flow into the other if you haven't

done what you said you were going to do in that fiscal year.

So we

certainly need that from the current administration and government to let people

know. That factors into your overall budget; that's annualized in regard to

savings and different issues that you're through on.

Some of

the other items in the Estimates we discussed with the minister in regard to the

particular budget and what's reflected in it, certainly one of them in Finance

we talked about was revenue generation, one of the things that was brought in

last year by the current administration with regard to the fluctuation in oil

price and internationally in terms of how you predict that fluctuation in

prices, what information you use, all those kind of things.

We had a

discussion about that. One of the reasons we had that was because in last year's

budget, the minister brought in a risk adjustment related to a barrel of oil. At

that time she referenced the fact that their government would take a prudent

approach and budgeted $125 million in risk adjustment to protect against adverse

impacts from commodity price fluctuation and volume.

regard to the revenues generated, this year there was certainly a windfall that

helped the current administration. I think it was almost $400 million that was

related to increased production from our oil-producing facilities offshore, as

well due to a higher than what was predicted value for a barrel of oil that was

predicted last year. So that helped them in terms of certainly getting and

hitting their targets.

One of

the other things that helped too was that for the 2016-2017 fiscal year, with

this oil risk adjustment the minister referenced, they had $125 million in as an

oil risk adjustment. If it had to have been drawn down, it would have been an

expense that would have been shown. Because of what happened, as I said, in

regard to production, in regard to the price of oil, that wasn't used. So

obviously, from a deficit reduction target, it showed us much better because

that $125 million didn't need to be leveraged in regard to if the barrel hadn't

come in and what was predicted, if production had fallen off for some reason. So

we are certainly in a much better state.

The

interesting thing when it was presented was that it's volatile, internationally,

in terms of predicting this. I know there were 14 so-called experts, I think we

call them if they are or not, I'm not really sure in regard to predicting

that data and analysis as to where oil prices were going to go in the future, in

the current year and certainly future years. That's used by all governments in

terms of predicting what you're getting in oil revenues, how you factor that

into your budget and where it goes.

Interestingly enough, I think we ATIPPed who was being used by the current

administration, and I think basically it's the same. So there were 11

international folks, firms that do this work. Basically it was the same firms

that were used by our administration that is used by the current administration

in providing that highly technical data to predict where oil prices would go.

Last

year in the budget forecast 2016-2017, they had $125 million in for oil revenue

risk adjustment. In 2017-2018, there's no oil risk adjustment for this

particular year. You go to 2018-2019, there's $50 million; 2019-2020, $80

million; and it continues to go further into those years to that five-year

period.

So the

question would be and as they say, details have been scanty. Last year they

had $125 million in. This year they budgeted nothing, but for the next five

years there's a risk adjustment for oil in the budget. Nothing has magically

changed in this particular year in regard to the volatility of oil, in regard to

production, in regard to OPEC, in regard to non-OPEC members and whether they're

going to produce more or going to produce less, whether shale gas and oil is

going to affect it; but, amazingly, in this particular year there was no oil

risk adjustment put in. Even though there was one last year, and after this

current fiscal year there are ones put in for the next five years.

Obviously, we know that, if you put it in, it's going to affect your deficit

target. So if you had to put in $125 million this year or had to put in $50

million, it would certainly affect your deficit target that you're setting.

We're just wondering why that would be. It's hard to figure because the world

price of oil and the variables that affect that and change it haven't changed.

They are what they are. The world is what it is and oil and gas pricing

certainly is what it is.

That's

something that we wonder about in regard to why that would be and what the

economic strategy is there. It seems hard to understand why you would budget an

oil revenue risk last year, $125 million, and this year nothing, and the next

five years you're going to budget it again. That's certainly an issue that came

up as well.

One of

the other things I wanted to reference as well is I heard the hon. Member up

earlier and he mentioned the fact of relationships with Ottawa and that type of

thing. At times, we've had in our history since '49 good relationships. Other

times not so good, but it was always about putting the interests of

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians first.

doesn't matter what political strip was in office. Most Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians support leaders and parties that approach the perspective that

we're Canadians. We're part of this great federation, but, as well, as a

provincial jurisdiction and one of 10 provinces in the great federation, we

certainly deserve to get the benefits for being part of Canada.

We've

given a lot to Canada and we expect our fair return back. No more than anybody

else in this federation, but that we get our return and what's important to us.

Whether it's the fishery, whether it's development of our offshore resources,

whether it's things like the Atlantic Accord that there were negotiations with

to make sure that the revenues to us is similar to if they were on land in

Alberta. That was the whole intent of the Atlantic Accord.

There

were difficult days with that, but at the end of the day it was negotiated and

the best interests of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, I believe in the long

term, were served. Because we had the start of a new industry that continues to

bring great wealth to us today and I believe will in the future as well.

One of

the things we've heard in the past while from the current administration is the

extra input we're getting from the federal government in regard to dollars. Now,

I recognize that the current administration in Ottawa has put vast amounts of

dollars into various programs. We'll be getting that on a per capita basis I

assume, as any other envelope that we would get, and that's important.

One of

the things we talked about in terms of our fiscal situation was equalization,

and asked the question, why haven't we even had the discussion? We hear on the

other side, you didn't do anything about it when you were there. Well, that's

inaccurate because there was always a First Ministers' Conference.

In 2012,

I think it was, Prime Minister Martin at the time asked Finance Ministers from

across the country who were meeting somewhere in Canada for input into the

renewal for the equalization which was coming up in 2014. That input was given,

and the government of the day at the time brought in, I think it was Minister

Flaherty at the time who was Finance Minister in the Harper government,

basically rolled over the current equalization program, adopted pretty well what

was in place with very few minor changes and rolled forward.

That's

the prerogative, I guess the way it works with the federal government because it

is their program. They can ask for input from provincial jurisdictions. They can

listen, they cannot listen, but at the end of the day it's up to them to roll it

over and that's what they did. There was representation made, but they decided

they were going to pretty well keep it the way it is and roll it over.

Much

like what happened with the Health act or the Health and Social transfers that

the current administration were involved with just a little while ago with the

federal government, where traditionally it had been 6 per cent renewal in regard

to increasing health and the Harper administration said 3 per cent. The current

Trudeau administration said they weren't going to go with 3 per cent but at the

end of the day they did, and they basically decided.

All the

First Ministers went up and had a meeting. They were all pretty adamant they

weren't going to sign on for 3 per cent. They didn't want it. Well, guess what?

The federal government decided this is what we're going with, you're getting 3

per cent, they signed off, here you go.

Now, a

lot of the First Ministers, ours included, decided they weren't going to buy

into that. They were going to stand strong. They were going to fight the federal

government. Lo and behold, a few days after they were out of the room. They were

all lined up, they were signing up for 3 per cent.

So I'm

just making the comparison, equalization is the same thing. Representation is

made, you hope they listen, but if they don't, well, it's the federal

government's call.

Now, in

regard to the overall equalization policy and formula and how it's I think

most recognize that changes need to be made when you look at the demographics,

when you look at the fiscal cap, the fiscal capacity, various components and how

when it was originally designed it doesn't meet the needs of the various regions

of the country today.

particular, a region like Atlantic Canada where some of the indicators, you look

at demographics in regard to for us, one of the fastest aging populations,

what that means. If it's on a per capita basis and on population, if the health

care and services which equalization is supposed to balance out across the

country, if you have a higher sector to your population, as you get older, age

65, 70 and 80, and there's greater per capita expenditure on health care, from

an equalization point of view that needs to be recognized and tied into the

formula in regard to how you deliver that service. Then you look at demographics

and all of those kinds of things.

I just

want to go back and talk about for a second, before I clue up here the

expenditures we're getting from Ottawa and where it's coming from. The budget

document, Exhibit I: Where the Money Comes From, there's a pie chart that shows

where it comes from.

If you

2016, it was about 12.8 per cent. In

Budget 2017 , it's about 12.6 per cent. So it's probably gone up point nine

of a per cent; yet we continue to hear that over and above the per capita

spending, which is really not even reflected there, that we're getting this

enormous influx of cash from the federal and maybe we are, but it's not

demonstrated in these documents that are part of the last three budgets when you

look at them and compare them. That was something as well as we went through the

Estimates and looked at what was important in regard to getting our fair share

and what that amount would be.

Before I

clue up, I just want to mention I think the hon. Member mentioned, too, when

he was up and spoke about the fishery and some of the challenges we have.

Unfortunately, when we look at some of the allocations in the current budget,

this administration, I think under DFA, I think there's about $7.4 million that

we're expecting from the federal government, but that's only coming if we're

able to get an agreement. That $7 million is part of a, supposedly $100 million,

which there was supposed to be more, that was the Atlantic Canada Fund.

Mind

you, the Atlantic Canada Fund was nothing we were ever part of. We had, through

CETA, recognized what was coming. What we're seeing today is the downturn and a

transition needed to shellfish to groundfish and had a $400 million shared fund

to help us do that.

What we

see this year in the budget from the current administration, from 400 we went to

100, to $7 million that we may get if we get some agreement as part of this

process we're talking about here. In addition, we know there's a reduction in

CFER. With the Marine Institute. There has been reduction there. We've heard

about monies for science. We haven't seen any of it on the ground. I think

they're talking about almost 10 years to get a baseline, even though we invested

out provincial money into the Celtic

Explorer to give us that base information and we're not even sure where

that's to.

So,

Madam Speaker, it's been certainly good to speak to Estimates, and I look for

further opportunity to speak in this hon. House.

Thank

you very much.

MADAM SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Baie

Verte Green Bay.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. WARR:

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

It's

certainly a pleasure to rise here today and speak on behalf of my colleagues

here on the government side and represent the good District of Baie Verte

Green Bay, and always a pleasure to do so, Madam Speaker.

mentioned I think at the beginning of this sitting that I would continue to read

a piece of writing that I read a while ago, and that was to produce a healthy

province is to realize that success depends on us, as a people, possessing a

real willingness to change and a desire to fight for success. One of the hon.

Members had mentioned in my last opportunity to rise that she didn't want to

hear that anymore, but I'll continue to read that for as long as I continue to

stand.

I know

that we're debating the Estimates on Government Services today. I didn't get the

opportunity to rise in my chair to speak to the Estimates on I sat on both the

Social Services Committee and the Resources Committee. Certainly it was just a

real opportunity to learn as a new MHA, an opportunity to see the inner workings

of how these Estimates Committees meet and to discuss, and the openness and the

opportunities to ask questions on behalf of our Official Opposition and the

Third Party, and us sitting as Members on that side as well.

From my

own perspective, I wanted to thank the Committee who sat on our Resources

Committee. They were: the MHA for Conception Bay East Bell Island, the MHA for

the beautiful District of Cape St. Francis, the Member for St. John's East

Quidi Vidi, the Member for Fogo Island Cape Freels, the Member for

Stephenville Port au Port, the Member for Exploits and the Member for Harbour

Grace Port de Grave. I had the opportunity and the privilege, obviously, to

Chair that Committee.

We sat

with the following departments: the Department of Natural Resources; the

Department of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour; the Department of Fisheries

and Land Resource; and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Industry and

Innovation.

Again,

Madam Speaker, I want to recognize and thank the Table staff, the Clerks and to

the staff of those departments. They put in a lot of hard work to prepare these

Estimates for the ministers of those departments. When you have an opportunity

to go through those books, it gives you an indication of a lot of hard and good

work that goes in on behalf of people who work in this great Confederation

Building.

Before I

get into a couple of items that I wanted to speak to, again, not having the

opportunity to stand last week, I certainly wanted to recognize last week, being

Municipal Awareness week. I think there are lot of us in this House who probably

got our start in politics from the municipal politics and town councils. I know

for me, Madam Speaker, as a young deputy mayor of the Town of Springdale, I

learned very early about the good work that happens in some of our town halls

and local service districts as well.

I have

42 communities in my district, of which most of them are incorporated towns but

we do have some local service districts. I want to commend anybody and everybody

who gives up of their time to put back into their communities.

I know

in my own district, I'd like to recognize we're losing a couple, actually two

or three mayors who've spent in excess of 20 years in municipal politics and are

leaving. Like is said, I want to throw out a bouquet to these people for giving

of their time. Certainly, I want to encourage people to take a serious look at

municipal politics and give back to your communities, as we all have as well.

I wanted

to recognize this week, Police Week, and thank the Minister of Justice and

Public Safety for inviting me to the opening of that today. I have all the

respect in the world for the police services of our province, Madam Speaker,

with two provincial police forces in the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police. I want to recognize municipal police forces, as

well as military police, anybody who are in the police field.

It goes

back personally for me, Madam Speaker, as I've had the opportunity and the

privilege to spend some years of my life, early life, as a member of the Royal

Newfoundland Constabulary. A very proud and time-honoured police force and I'd

be lying to you, Madam Speaker, if I didn't tell you that I miss it just about

every day. Going back and seeing those officers, some of them who I had the

opportunity to train with, seeing them again today in full uniform brings back

great memories for me. Obviously, I certainly treasured those.

I want

to talk about my meetings with the community councils that I've had an

opportunity to again, I talked about the fact that we have 42 in the district.

In my 16 or 17 months in politics, I've had the opportunity to sit down with

every one, I think, besides one, and that community is Brent's Cove. Actually, I

had a date to meet with that council and it got cancelled on my behalf, Madam

Speaker. I had an incident that happened that I couldn't miss.

But it

is interesting, as we travel throughout our districts and getting sort of a feel

for where we are as a district just coming new into government. We certainly

listen to our friends and colleagues across the way who speak about we are

always talking about the overspending, the $25 billion worth of oil revenue that

they had come in over their 12 years of reign. I guess until you know the full

story, sometimes it's hard to argue. I just go around my own district, Madam

Speaker, and looking at some of the infrastructure that's in place.

We still

have four communities throughout the district that are still operating with

gravel roads today: Snook's Arm, Nippers Harbour, Perbeck's Cove, Tilt Cove.

Those people are still travelling over gravel roads today. I've had the

opportunity to visit every one of those communities and listen to the people.

Madam

Speaker, I've had the opportunity to sit down with a lot of the ministers and

speak to them about the district and where I see the district today and where

I'd like to see the district in a couple more years. It's concerning to me.

Probably

the most concerning issue I have, Madam Speaker, is water. I know in speaking

with the Minister of Municipal Affairs, we've had many discussions over water

issues. We still have way too many actually, one is too many, but we have way

too many communities today that are still on boil water orders. It perturbs me

to no end.

When I

look at having the opportunity to visit the community of Seal Cove, I took a

sample back to Service NL in Springdale. I took a sample of that water. It's

absolutely terrible.

Dealing

with the community of Port Anson over the last couple of weeks; and I realize

the time of year that we're just into a spring runoff. If there's ever a time

that your water is going to be cloudy, it's at this particular point in time of

the year, but there is a difference between cloudy and dirty. I would suggest,

Madam Speaker, we are talking about dirty water.

The

other community that I've had the opportunity to sit down and visit with was the

community of Shoe Cove down near the community of La Scie. That community is

experiencing severe water issues as well.

When you

go home at the end of an evening or at the end of a day's works and you can sit

back and turn on your taps and enjoy clean water, to be able to brush your teeth

and bathe in clean water, Madam Speaker, I look at that today as a God given

right. Especially in a province like Newfoundland and Labrador where we have an

abundance of water and an abundance of clean water, it's unfortunate we still

have communities within our districts that don't enjoy that privilege that I

certainly have.

Madam

Speaker, when I look at the difference and I know one of the MHAs, one of my

colleagues opposite brought that up one afternoon here in the House, about the

difference between being a rural MHA and an urban MHA, and it's huge, Madam

Speaker. It may have been my colleague across the way, but it's a big

difference.

I leave

the House here at 5:45 on a Thursday afternoon when we shut down. We have a 5

hour trip home. It's late when we get home. Then you're trying to get a business

day in the district, which is Fridays. Then Saturdays you leave for brunches,

and then Sunday it's back on the road, back to the capital city. It's a huge

difference.

When I

represent 42 communities, I think there may be close to 30 fire departments,

community councils, local service districts, it becomes a full-time job trying

to be and there are a lot of MHAs in this House, Madam Speaker, who go through

the same thing every week that I do. You're trying to listen to all the issues

and try and do your best to make sure that those issues that your constituents

have, or communities have, get to the ears of the different departments. I thank

all the ministers within our government. They're doing a great job given the

financial circumstances we find ourselves in front of them today.

Madam

Speaker, you heard me talk about a couple of things in the Resources Estimates,

and a couple of items I wanted to speak to actually were Natural Resources.

Certainly, I'll argue with the Member for Labrador West about being the mining

capital of Newfoundland and Labrador, and they are. They've done well, but I

want to speak to the mining community in Baie Verte Green Bay because we've

seen many mines come and go, Madam Speaker.

Even

today, people talk about their districts and the downturn in the economy. Well,

I'd like to talk about the upswing in the economy in the District of Baie Verte

Green Bay. It has to do with the mining activity on the Baie Verte Peninsula

and the prospects throughout our district.

We're

still having a fair amount of work in the area, and a lot of drilling programs

are taking place. Mining has historically been and continues to be an important

economic driver for our province, and certainly for our district. It's one of

the province's oldest leading industries and is a major contributor to the

economy of the province.

Mining

in our province has its origin, I say to the Member for Labrador West, on the

Baie Verte Peninsula, and with the Dorset soapstone quarry in Fleur de Lys

showing pre-European use of the geological resources of the province.

MR. LETTO:

(Inaudible.)

MR. WARR:

I'm just making sure you're

listening to my remarks here.

The

first major mining development in Newfoundland began in Tilt Cove, I say to the

Member for Labrador West, in 1864. Tilt Cove is on the Baie Verte Peninsula.

Actually, Madam Speaker, Tilt Cove at one particular point in time was the

world's largest producer of copper. To my hon. colleagues, I don't know if you

know that, but it's

AN HON. MEMBER:

What year was it?

MR. WARR:

That was 1864. We had major

mines in Betts Cove, and Little Bay soon followed. Then there was Consolidated

Rambler Group with Rambler, Ming East, and Big Rambler Pond Mines. This is

truly, Madam Speaker, the original mining capital of the province. Families here

have made their livelihood from the mining industry for generations and carry on

with their pride within this development.

Today

our mining and mineral companies, many in the province, Madam Speaker, many of

which are international, directly provide high paying jobs to more than 7,000

men and women in Newfoundland and Labrador. Despite lower commodity prices,

mineral shipments are forecast to be $2.9 billion in 2017.

The Baie

Verte region is truly an example of how innovation, exploration and development

of our mineral resources lead to a dynamic growing industry. I look at, right

now on the Baie Verte Peninsula, Madam Speaker, directly and indirectly involved

in the mining sector, I would suggest on the Baie Verte Peninsula, there are

probably 400 to 500 people working within that sector. The nice thing about it,

Madam Speaker, I know for a fact, speaking with my good friend, the general

manager of Anaconda, he talks about the average age in that particular mine is