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November 5, 2020

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLIX No. 64

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR.

SPEAKER (Reid):

Order, please!

Admit strangers.

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR.

CROCKER:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I have a point of order, Standing Order

49, offensive language.

Yesterday, during Question Period, Mr. Speaker, the

Member for Placentia West - Burin, in one of his questions actually said deaths

of children at the hands of this government. That statement is very offensive if

you think about –

HON. MEMBER:

False.

MR.

CROCKER:

And

false. At the hands of government, Mr. Speaker, if you think about it for a

minute, most of us over here have children, and to make that type of statement

is very disrespectful.

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Placentia West - Bellevue.

MR.

DWYER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My district is Placentia West - Bellevue and I retract

my statement.

MR.

SPEAKER:

Thank you.

We'll proceed with Members' statements.

Statements by Members

MR.

SPEAKER:

Today, we'll hear Members' statements from the hon. Members for the District of

Torngat Mountains, Exploits, Harbour Grace - Port de Grave, Burin - Grand Bank,

Humber - Bay of Islands, and also, by leave – I understand the Members will ask

for leave – Burgeo - La Poile and the District of Lewisporte - Twillingate as

well.

The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

MS.

EVANS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I speak today in this hon. House to pay tribute to each

community volunteer ground search and rescue team in my District of Torngat

Mountains.

Each community has a team of volunteers ready to go out

into the wilderness on land or on sea to help. What does help mean, Mr. Speaker?

It means searching, hoping to rescue. They volunteer so, if called upon, they

will be able to rescue. Each volunteer knows they can make a difference. They

train, they practice, they prepare. It does not matter what time of the day or

night the call comes in. It does not matter what the weather conditions are. It

does not matter where the search area. What matters is they have received a call

to help.

Many searches have resulted in rescue. The value of our

ground search and rescue volunteers can be measured in the lives saved.

Unfortunately, there are calls where there is no

rescue, no happy ending. It is those calls that have been the hardest. Yet, it

may be those calls where the greatest contribution is made, as loved ones sit

home waiting, they are reassured that the greatest effort is being made by our

men and women who know our land and know our seas; comfort in a world where

little comfort can be found.

You are the heroes and we thank you for your service.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Exploits.

MR.

FORSEY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to

honour all veterans in my district, although most of them are passed now, but

their memory and dedication will live forever.

As a boy growing up in Leading Tickles, I remember a

veteran, Mr. Herbert Rowsell, selling poppies in our community. I have also had

the fortunate opportunity to sit and chat with veterans like Mr. Lloyd Seaward,

who sadly passed this spring. Those brave individuals gave us so much for our

freedom and better opportunities in life.

Mr. Speaker, I would like for all Members of this House

of Assembly to join me in thanking and remembering all veterans, past and

present.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Harbour Grace - Port de Grave.

MS.

P. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As Remembrance Day approaches, I would also like to

take this time to say thank you to all veterans and Legion members throughout my

District of Harbour Grace - Port de Grave.

On November 11, as well as July l, veterans and Legion

members gather at war memorials in Harbour Grace, Upper Island Cove, Spaniard's

Bay-Tilton and Bay Roberts to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Those who left the safety of their homes and families to serve so we can enjoy

the rights and freedoms we live today.

A special thank you to all volunteers who keep our

local Legions running, to the members and veterans who teach and share their

touring experiences with young students who write Remembrance Day essays and

poems each year to honour our beloved veterans throughout Conception Bay North.

A heartfelt thank you to World War I veteran Matthew

Brazil; World War II merchant navy veteran John Pauls; retired Royal Canadian

Navy veteran and Royal Canadian Legion president, Branch 15, Harbour Grace,

Paulette Morrissey; and Sgt. Paul Wood of Bay Roberts currently serving with the

Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry posted to Halifax. Thank you to all

who continue to honour, serve and protect.

Lest we forget.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Burin - Grand Bank.

MS.

HALEY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

COVID-19 might have given us the blues, but as every

Newfoundlander and Labradorian knows, there's no cure for the blues like a good

old kitchen party. If current rules prevent us from going to such a party, why

not have the kitchen party come to us?

That's just what four former residents of my District

of Burin - Grand Bank have been doing for the past 34 weeks. Every Saturday

night Jim and Rowena Tarrant and Paul and Myra Bennett, known collectively as

the Mainland Kitchen Band, come together to livestream from Ontario, providing

an evening of lively tunes, sure to brighten the most melancholy of souls.

With sisters Rowena and Myra who hail from Little St.

Lawrence, proving their proficiency on the accordion, and Jim from Lawn and Paul

from Grand Bank, on stringed instruments, the group proves they are able to

handle a variety of music types.

Thousands tune in worldwide, Mr. Speaker, including

myself, to listen to great music and amusing dialogue. The four have a great

rapport.

I ask all hon. Members to join me in thanking Jim,

Rowena, Paul and Myra for helping distract us from COVID-19 for at least three

hours every Saturday night.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Humber - Bay of Islands.

MR.

JOYCE:

Mr.

Speaker, today, I'm pleased to recognize a long-time volunteer from my district.

Doris Butt of Curling is one of the recent recipients of the 2020 Seniors of

Distinction Awards.

Doris's involvement in the community spans many years,

both here in this province and other parts of Atlantic Canada. She has been

involved in many fundraising efforts, including with the Kidney Foundation and

the Heart and Stroke Foundation for over 35 years, has been a volunteer with her

church almost all her life and has been a foster parent.

She has volunteered with the Girl Guides, the Scottish

Heritage Society and was on the organizing committee of the Western Newfoundland

Heritage Fair. Doris's contribution also includes volunteering with sports

teams, including her involvement with the Humber Valley Speed Skating Club,

serving in various roles on the executive, as a coach and has led the club in

participating in three Canada Games.

I ask all Members to join me in congratulating Doris on

receiving the award and thank her for many years of service to her community.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Burgeo - La Poile with leave.

MR.

A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank my colleagues for providing leave.

I invite all hon. Members to join me today in paying

tribute to Hedley Clarke of Port aux Basques who we lost on September 13. Born

in Corner Brook, he was son of the late Philip and Selena Clarke. He leaves to

mourn with many wonderful memories his wife of 39 years, Joanne; his daughter,

Terri; son, Mitchell; and so many family and friends.

Hedley was a man of many talents and passions. Over the

years, he worked in many fields but the job he was most remembered for, and

certainly was his most enjoyable, was as a broadcaster with CFGN radio and the

voice behind the Port aux Basques Mariners.

Many evenings were spent listening to Hedley call the

play when our beloved senior hockey team was on the road. He was well known as

an athlete in our area, playing floor hockey, ice hockey, basketball, softball

and broomball. Since retiring five years ago, he took up biking in the summer

and snowshoeing in the winter. He loved time spent riding on his side by side

with Joanne and his close circle of friends.

He was a tremendous volunteer, activist, music lover,

coach, referee, conversationalist, friend, family man and citizen. The greatest

compliment I can pay Hedley is that no one could stay a stranger in his

presence. His genuine friendliness and pleasant demeanour is something we could

all aspire to. He made an impression on every person that he met.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. Members to join me in

honouring Hedley Clarke.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Lewisporte - Twillingate with leave.

MR.

BENNETT:

I'd

like to thank everyone for granting me leave.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and remember the

passing of a former resident of Twillingate and Gander, Mr. Elmo Baird. Mr.

Baird passed away yesterday at the age of 100 years.

As a young man, he enlisted with the Newfoundland

Overseas Forestry Unit and sailed to Great Britain to aid the war effort during

the Second World War. He soon felt the need for a greater commitment, joining

the Royal Air Force, who trained him as an aircraft mechanic. Duty brought him

to several theatres of war where he served diligently between 1939 and 1945. In

1947, Elmo returned home and married his sweetheart, Eleanor, recently

celebrating their 73rd anniversary.

Mr. Speaker, when asked how he would like to be

remembered, Elmo said, as “A decent person. That's all … And that I did my duty.

I've got nothing to regret.” Mr. Baird, you have done your duty and you have

done it well. Like so many, you have earned your rest.

We thank Mr. Baird for his service and wish his wife,

Eleanor; children, Margaret, Diana, Roger, Austin; and their families and

friends our condolences and prayers.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. Members to rise for a

moment of silence for Mr. Baird and all those who made the ultimate sacrifice

for our freedom.

Lest we forget.

(Moment of silence.)

MR.

SPEAKER:

Please be seated.

We're going to move to Statements by Ministers.

Statements by Ministers

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women.

MS.

DEMPSTER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am pleased to recognize the important work of the

Newfoundland and Labrador

chapter of Equal Voice.

Equal Voice is a multi-partisan organization dedicated

to achieving gender parity in politics. On the local front, Equal Voice NL has

been a leader in encouraging more women to run for office at all levels of

government by providing advocacy and training.

Recently, Equal Voice NL appointed two new co-chairs:

Karla Hayward and Gillian Pearson.

During my tenure as the provincial rep on the national

steering committee with the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians, I worked

closely with Equal Voice, both provincially and national. I have seen the

positive impact of their efforts first-hand and I look forward to working with

Ms. Hayward and Ms. Pearson on our common goals.

Mr. Speaker, as I look around this hon. House, I am

proud to be one of nine women sitting here today. However, nine of 40 are simply

not enough.

We know that when we have more diverse backgrounds and

experiences at our decision-making tables, we make better decisions for the

people we serve.

I ask all hon. Members to join me in committing to

support, sponsor and inspire more women to take on leadership roles,

particularly those who wish to run for elected office in Newfoundland and

Labrador.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Harbour Main.

MS.

CONWAY OTTENHEIMER:

I thank the minister for an advance copy of her

statement.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Official Opposition I

join with the minister in recognizing Equal Voice NL's two new co-chairs, Karla

Hayward and Gillian Pearson. As co-chairs of Equal Voice Newfoundland and

Labrador, Karla and Gillian will continue to advocate for gender parity, provide

programming and support women who wish to run for political office. I am

confident they will be strong advocates for Equal Voice Newfoundland and

Labrador.

I, too, am proud to be one of nine women sitting in

this hon. House of Assembly and I agree that nine out of 40 MHAs is just not

good enough. To improve this I implore all Members of this House to support

women who wish to run for elected office and to help achieve gender parity on

all of our municipal councils and provincial and federal legislatures.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS.

COFFIN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would also like to thank the hon. minister for

receiving an advance copy of her statement. I congratulate Ms. Hayward and Ms.

Pearson on their appointments and applaud the work of Equal Voice Newfoundland

and Labrador.

The hon. Minister is right, there needs to be more

women in this House. That is a role for all of us to encourage but, also, there

is especially a need to have more women in municipal politics where their voices

are sorely lacking. The NDP caucus looks forward to collaborating with the

government to design and roll out initiatives to help correct the gender

imbalance in provincial and municipal politics.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

Further statements by ministers?

The hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts and

Recreation.

MR.

DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker, thank you very much.

Today in this hon. House I celebrate the impact and

successes of our province's cultural sector.

It was playwright and actor Robert Chafe who noted,

“Our culture is our voice, our way of announcing ourselves in the world. It is

the beating heart of this place, ever evolving, diversifying, and

strengthening.”

The latest available data by Statistics Canada revealed

that our cultural sector generates approximately $451 million towards our GDP,

and that our province exported over $56 million worth of cultural products in

A key part of our cultural industries is the film and

television industry. It generates skilled jobs and creates economic spinoffs in

our province. I also note that for the first time ever, this province has two

television productions occurring at the same time:

Surrealtor and Hudson and Rex .

Both productions highlight the calibre and capabilities of the industry right

here at home.

Mr. Speaker, now more than ever, tech innovation is a

driving force behind the cultural industries. Most recently the St. John's

International Women's Film Festival celebrated its 31st season, held virtually

for the first time, and the response was fantastic. The festival screened 51

short films and presented 11 features, earning over 7,000 views on its streaming

platform.

Also this year for the fist time, MusicNL participated

in Innovation Week by offering sessions with active industry professionals to

examine what tech-based strategies would work in light of the uncertainties

surrounding COVID-19.

Mr. Speaker, our arts and heritage sector has adapted

and modified operations to safely open to the public. Our Arts and Culture

Centres recently reopened and have sold out shows using a mix of live

performance and streaming to reach audiences.

Our multi-faceted culture is expressed and celebrated

each and every day by artists and heritage practitioners in visual arts,

literature, film, music, traditions and practices, built heritage, languages,

food, oral histories and storytelling.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. members to join me in

saluting all of them.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Grand Falls-Windsor - Buchans.

MR.

TIBBS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I'd like to thank the hon. minister for the advance

copy of his statement, as well.

Newfoundland and Labrador is home to a unique culture

that many admire and enjoy. Our culture alone is a tourist attraction in itself.

Our people are what makes our tourist industry thrive.

We are excited to see TV productions such as

Surrealtor and

Hudson and Rex take place in our province. As a government we must

do more to further expand the calibre and capabilities of the film industry here

in the province.

Along with this, the tech industry is equally as

important. Due to the ongoing pandemic, we are seeing online concerts and

platforms such as Facebook Live and drive-in shows like the recent show by Chris

Andrews and Shanneyganock and friends.

Mr. Speaker, the number of talented artist and

musicians in our province is unparalleled in the country. It is great to see our

Arts and Culture Centres up and running again, offering shows to the people of

the province. Adding the virtual component was a great idea that allows people

who may not feel comfortable to attend a live show to watch from the comfort of

their own homes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all Members in the House to join me

in celebrating all of those who represent our culture and heritage each and

every day with the pride that we have.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Labrador West.

MR.

BROWN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to thank the minister for an advance copy

of his statement.

It is a wonderful thing that we can draw on such

financial benefit while we celebrate and share our culture with the world. I

want to congratulate all the artists who made all of the aforementioned

productions possible. Their hard work is what puts Newfoundland and Labrador on

the map for people from outside of this province to come visit, to relocate to

and invest in this province. I urge the government to continue to focus on

developing and nurturing this industry as it has a viable future for many years

to come.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

Further statements by ministers?

Oral Questions.

Oral Questions

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR.

CROSBIE:

Yesterday, Mr. Speaker, C-NLOPB released their call for bids. The results are

very disappointing, given that the parcels included in this round were of high

geologic potential and only one in 17 received.

Will the Premier admit that this is a reflection on his

government's failure to attract exploration investment to the offshore?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Premier.

PREMIER FUREY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you for that question.

I think, like every Member of this House of Assembly,

we would've like to have seen more bids yesterday. The harsh reality is this is

a global economic crisis. The energy sector globally is facing downward

pressures. This is not unique to St. John's; it's not unique to Newfoundland and

Labrador. This is a global economic crisis and downward pressure on a commodity.

We are doing our best to ensure that we're best positioned to capitalize on this

commodity when it returns.

So instead of focusing on the negatives, let's focus on

the positives, like the two robust discoveries by Equinor, the commitment by

CNOOC to drill in 2021 and BP and BHP to drill in 2022.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR.

CROSBIE:

Mr.

Speaker, no doubt the Premier wants us also not to focus on the negatives

presented by the two drill rigs which are now holed up in Bull Arm rusting away,

and distract us from the fact that Norway is prospering.

The Premier and the minister's much-touted exploration

program promised to bring exploration dollars and jobs to the province. This

program saw only one bid received.

Will the Premier admit the program clearly is a

failure?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology.

MR.

A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I can't say that we were surprised by the results

yesterday, given the situation that we find ourselves right now in the oil

world, we'll say. While we are happy with the fact that we have billions of

dollars invested right now that we know will be explored, that these companies

have committed to, the reality is that we as a province, just like the rest of

the oil-producing world, are going through a difficult time.

I do want to point out, again, just to clarify for the

Member opposite and for everybody, this is not just felt by us. He mentioned

Norway. I have something here from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate that

talks about how “The decline in demand for oil and lower prices have led oil

companies to reduce their exploration budgets for the year ….” In fact, this

year they only drilled half the number of wells in Norway as they did the year

before. It's not just us feeling it; it's everybody feeling it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR.

CROSBIE:

This is while we're going to be drilling no exploration wells for the

foreseeable year.

Industry groups called for exploration incentives from

government for months, saying that putting the right policies in place would

attract new investment which will protect and create jobs and produce many local

benefits.

With the program the Premier personally announced a

total failure, and Trudeau and O'Regan having turned their backs on our

province, what is the premier going to do now?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology.

MR.

A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh,

oh!

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

I would like to hear the answer.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh,

oh!

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

I would like to hear the answer from the Minister of

Industry, Energy and Technology.

MR.

A. PARSONS:

Yes, Mr. Speaker, and I would like to give it.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR.

K. PARSONS:

(Inaudible.)

MR.

A. PARSONS:

Again, I say to the Member for Cape St. Francis, if you ask me a question I

would love to answer it, but I'm trying to give an answer now.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh,

oh!

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR.

A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

What I would say to the Member opposite is that the

preamble to his question was actually false and inaccurate. He said there will

be no drilling for the year. The reality is that CNOOC has committed; they have

got a rig retained from Stena. They will be drilling in the first or second

quarter of 2021. We have BP and BHP that have committed.

Again, I realize that this sector is going through a

tough time, but the reality is – here's a headline from

OilPrice : “Exploration Activity Offshore Norway Plunges After Oil

Price Crash.” The reality is that anybody that is in this field is going through

a tough time, but I would like to think that the creative measures we are taking

will lead to a brighter future.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR.

CROSBIE:

Let's hope that rig that the minister refers to doesn't join the other two rigs

that are holed up in Bull Arm or go to Norway like the third one.

The minister should remember a statement from the

Minister of Health: “Hope is a girl's name, not a strategy.”

Now, yesterday this minister –

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh,

oh!

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR.

CROSBIE:

Minister of Industry, could not say when the weather will require warm idle at

the Come By Chance oil refinery, could say not how many jobs are involved, could

not say whether the buyer will want the province to assume the environmental

liability. Issues like these can make a deal fall apart.

I ask the Premier: Will he take the file over from the

minister and give it proper attention?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Premier.

PREMIER FUREY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Unlike the Member opposite, I'm quite comfortable with

my colleagues and have great faith in my minister to manage the file.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER FUREY:

I know the Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology has been working

tirelessly with his officials and talking to the unions at Come By Chance to

facilitate the best deal possible so that we can recognize the full value of

this for the women and men who work at that important asset for Newfoundland and

Labrador, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR.

BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Two years ago the health clinic in Portugal Cove-St.

Philip's was closed by Eastern Health, leaving seniors, children and all

residents without essential community-based health care, including mental health

services.

With the minister's commitment to promoting

community-based health care, will the minister direct Eastern Health to reopen

the health care clinic in Portugal Cove-St. Philip's?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

MR.

HAGGIE:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Community-based health care is a priority for our

department and has been. I would refer to the fact that the significant

proportion of health care is now being provided virtually and that this has

become a huge asset to people in widespread areas of the province.

We have seen a 700 per cent increase in virtual care.

Wound care can continue on almost an individual basis in people's homes, Mr.

Speaker. We are moving from old ways of doing things to new and more effective,

efficient and patient-centred ways of doing things.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Conception Bay South.

MR.

PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have a senior couple in my district who've been

married for 59 years. That's right, 59 years, a long time.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

PETTEN:

The wife is in long-term care for the last four years, and now with failing

health, her husband is being denied his wishes to be united with his wife. All

the while, there's an empty bed in her room. I've worked on this and we can't

find any answer.

Mr. Speaker: When are we, as a government and as a

people, going to start showing some compassion to the seniors of this province

and give them the dignity they deserve?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

MR.

HAGGIE:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Whilst I can't speak to specific cases, what I can say

is that we are building new capacity in long-term care to deal with those

challenges.

The Corner Brook facility, for example, Mr. Speaker,

has adjoining rooms that will allow for couples to be reunited. We have old

infrastructure and as we replace that and make it COVID friendly, with single

occupancy rooms but adjoining, we will get to the stage where we will be able to

accommodate seniors couples; but, at the moment, different levels of care

required to be looked after in those facilities that can best care for them,

that is our priority. Reuniting them will come as we build our infrastructure,

Mr. Speaker, through my colleague in TI.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Cape St. Francis.

MR.

K. PARSONS:

Mr.

Speaker, all he's asking for is these people to have the dignity that they

deserve.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

K. PARSONS:

Almost two dozen elementary school children are forced to walk a long distance

on Torbay Road to attend school. Torbay Road has no sidewalks and very little

shoulders, carrying upwards of 17,000 vehicles a day. Yesterday, we learned that

nine buses are sitting idle.

Minister: Can one of these buses be assigned to Holy

Trinity Elementary so these young children can get to school safely?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Education.

MR.

OSBORNE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'm not aware of nine buses sitting idle. That's

say, Mr. Speaker, that all eligible students that are beyond 1.6 kilometres have

been looked after. It did require an additional 145 buses put in the system, 145

drivers.

I will also say, Mr. Speaker, that there are some areas

where we have more courtesy students accommodated this year than previous years

and some areas where there are less.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Ferryland.

MR.

O'DRISCOLL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister, it's all about the safety of the children and

that's what we have to look at.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

O'DRISCOLL:

Mr.

Speaker, many parts of the Ferryland District are without cellphone coverage. In

today's society we use our cellphones as a lifeline. Government is constantly

touting the benefits of digital service.

Will the minister act immediately to upgrade cellphone

coverage in the Ferryland District?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology.

MR.

A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'm certainly happy to speak about cellphone coverage

in this House. It's a topic that I brought up many times both on the other side

and here. The reality is, it is something that needs to be improved in this

province and we have to work with the federal government in which to do so.

I am happy to say that we are just in the process of

concluding multiple cellphone projects in other areas of the district including

the Humber - Bay of Islands, Cartwright - L'Anse au Clair and we're working on

the 2020 bid round now. I'm not sure if there was any applications put in from

Ferryland, but if there were I would be happy to discuss them with the Member in

the hopes of being able to provide cell coverage to Ferryland.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Stephenville - Port au Port.

MR.

WAKEHAM:

Mr.

Speaker, the local service district of Mainland and the Town of Kippens have

requested funding from government for an engineering assessment study on serious

coastal erosion issues in both Mainland and Kippens.

Will the minister commit to providing funding to have

this assessment study completed before we have a repeat of the destruction in

Daniel's Harbour?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Municipalities.

MR.

BENNETT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Our department is quite aware of the situation out

there. I've had several conversations with the Member opposite.

The situation we're dealing with is a residential area.

It doesn't impact municipal infrastructure, so current infrastructure programs

don't fit within the guidelines. I'm more than willing to continue to explore

options and discuss it with our federal colleagues, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Terra Nova.

MR.

PARROTT:

Mr.

Speaker, it's sad to see that the minister is more concerned about

infrastructure than he is people's lives.

Mr. Speaker, I have a constituent who's in a

wheelchair. She started kindergarten; she lives in a local service district. Her

approved bus stop is on a gravel road; however, the department refuses to plow

the road. Yesterday, four community volunteers had to pick this little girl up

and walk her to the end of the road, putting her at risk.

I ask the minister: Will he table the policy that his

department keeps referring to that is preventing this little girl from going to

school and having the dignity she deserves?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.

MR.

BRAGG:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks for the opportunity to speak on this

question.

Where people choose to live and their ability to get to

school is important –

MR.

PARROTT:

(Inaudible.)

MR.

BRAGG:

is where people choose to live. I choose to live in my hometown of Greenspond;

you choose to live in your district, so we choose where we live. We may not be

able to choose other things in our life but we can choose where we life.

Mr. Speaker, I guess I shouldn't have been so

distracted on the word “choose,” but if you look at it, people are starting to

live further and further off the grid, outside of municipalities, outside of the

normal areas. They're starting to develop cabin lot areas. The province has a

road inventory that they've had maintained for the last number of years. We have

not moved into any extra roads at this time and we are ensuring to maintain the

roads we have at the best ability we can.

We have over 10,000 kilometres of roads – paved roads

and unpaved roads – in this province, Mr. Speaker. If those people work and live

outside that area, they should get together, band together, get a local

contractor and clear their road.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Harbour Main.

MS.

CONWAY OTTENHEIMER:

Mr. Speaker –

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh,

oh!

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS.

CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: – this is not about choice. Government's priority

should be ensuring that all children have access to school.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS.

CONWAY OTTENHEIMER:

Mr. Speaker, last night and this morning I've spoken

with unemployed oil and gas workers from many communities in my District of

Harbour Main. Their stress levels are high. People are tormented. Their worries

are real. They fear for their future.

I, once again, ask the Premier: What are the immediate

and concrete solutions he can offer for the thousands of men and women in our

province who have lost their jobs and have nowhere to turn?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER FUREY:

Thank you for that question.

We're all incredibly empathetic and compassionate to

people who face uncertainty and find themselves unemployed in this time of

uncertainty with respect to a global economic crisis.

We're working – as I'm sure you are and we all are

working – tirelessly to afford them opportunities to emerge from this pandemic.

They will come. We have secured the $320 million and working with the expertise

there to ensure that our offshore is well-positioned as this commodity rebounds

so that we can capitalize on the hard-working men and women in this workforce.

We have one of the best workforces in the world. It's

developed over time and we can't lose it. That's why it's so important to

reflect wholesomely on that $320 million so that we can invest that to protect

the future of Newfoundland and Labrador and the industry.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Topsail - Paradise.

MR.

P. DINN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Those are lovely words. They are words but I think the

people want action. They want jobs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

P. DINN:

Mr.

Speaker, there are serious health concerns across the province. I have a

resident who has deteriorating eyesight due to macular degeneration and

cataracts. His annual eye appointments confirm his eyesight is worsening.

Minister, what do you tell this person who has at least

two years left on a wait-list for sight-saving surgery?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

MR.

HAGGIE:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

It gives me a chance to update the House on the fact

that there is an open call for proposals from interested ophthalmologists to be

able to do cataract surgery in their own private clinics, Mr. Speaker. That will

add capacity for 3,500 new procedures in this fiscal year alone.

In addition to that, Mr. Speaker, we are working with

ophthalmologists across the province to come up with a provincial referral

system with a central intake. I wait with eager anticipation to see what the

ophthalmology community come up with in terms of proposals to utilize the money

that's sitting there waiting for them.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Placentia West - Bellevue.

MR.

DWYER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The guide rails and road shoulders in my District of

Placentia West - Bellevue are becoming a safety hazard on both the Trans-Canada

Highway and Route 210, and off many branches of my district.

I ask the minister: Will he address the serious safety

concerns from my constituents and visitors?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.

MR.

BRAGG:

Mr.

Speaker, thank you very much and I thank the Member opposite for the question.

The Member opposite should be happy to know that in

every region of this province this year, we let out contracts for guide rails.

If there's a case where there's a

section or two sections down from a recent

accident or a recent rainfall, I would advise that the Member would reach out to

the depot responsible in that district and ask them to make a request to get

that done and repaired as soon as they possibly can.

Mr. Speaker, we take very seriously the safety of our

roads, of our shoulders and of our guide rails. I thank the many people in this

province that work daily to keep our roads safe during this next coming six

months anyway, when we look at the winter season and over the course of the

summer. I thank them for the time they served there.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

MS.

EVANS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I hope the minister doesn't start justifying the

failure of his government to address concerns of the Innu Nation, our Indigenous

people, on where they choose to live, Mr. Speaker.

With many people travelling further and further for

medical attention and medical services, the time they wait for their

reimbursement on medical refunds can be up to six months. The refunded

percentage is not covering all their expenses.

I ask the Minister of Health: What's your department

doing to help these patients, Mr. Speaker?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

MR.

HAGGIE:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

For those people who receive income support, there is

money upfront. For Labrador residents, that's up to $1,000 in advance for their

air ticket. For people who use the Medical Transportation reimbursement program,

if the appropriate documentation is submitted with the original application, the

turnaround times are averaging 30 days – Mr. Speaker, one month.

I'm pleased to tell the House that system has improved

dramatically. If there are specific problem areas, that is nearly always due to

some documentation problems. If the Member opposite has a specific case, if she

brings that to my attention, I'd be happy to work through that with her.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Exploits.

MR.

FORSEY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In our PC Blue Book we will cover a hundred per cent of

medical transportation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

I'd like the Member to ask his question.

MR.

FORSEY:

Two

hundred and eighty thousand cubic metres –

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh,

oh!

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR.

FORSEY:

Two

hundred and eighty thousand cubic metres of forest fibre were unlocked from

Abitibi cutting permits.

Minister, why are local domestic cutters from Exploits

District being denied permits?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture.

MR.

LOVELESS:

thank the hon. Member for the question.

The resource that's referenced here is an important

one. We've had conversations about the resource in Central Newfoundland and

Labrador. If there's a particular one that you're referencing, I've said to you

before we can certainly have a conversation around that and I've said it to the

other Member in Central as well. If there's something specific, bring it to me

and we'll certainly discuss it.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Mount Pearl North.

MR.

LESTER:

I'd

like to remind the minister that conversations are not going to keep people's

homes warm this winter.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

LESTER:

Mr.

Speaker, last spring during the spring sitting of the House of Assembly we

raised concern about the food security of our province. Two weeks later, the

then premier was out saying that we were running out of food.

Now with the second wave gripping our continent and

country, I ask the Premier: What has been done to make sure food will be

available and affordable to all people of our province?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

MR.

HAGGIE:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Issues around food security came to my department with

the repatriation of wellness after the great divorce of 2014. We have a whole

variety of programs and I wouldn't dare to speak to those under Fisheries,

Forestry and Agriculture.

We have provided significant support to Food First NL.

We met with Mr. Smee on more than one occasion. We gave them nearly $600,000 for

community food program support during COVID. One hundred and thirty groups

benefited from that. We had a Community Food Helpline. We've had the Red Cross

involved and we have about $146 million from the Safe Restart Agreement which

can be redeployed. Longer term, we have over 63,000 hectares of prime land

available to start new agriculture, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Bonavista.

MR.

PARDY:

Mr.

Speaker, 90 per cent of the District of Bonavista still have their local dump

sites, all of which are overcapacity and environmentally challenged.

I would ask the minister why it has taken so long to

bring the District of Bonavista into one of the boards and have it more

regionalized.

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Municipalities.

MR.

BENNETT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I've only been in the role now approximately nine

weeks, Mr. Speaker, and waste management has been a big priority within my

department now. We're working closely with all of the waste management boards

throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. I do have a meeting coming this Monday

with the Eastern Regional waste management board and we will be dealing with

some of the issues in regard to that particular area and along with some other

discussions.

Waste management is a concern right throughout

Newfoundland and Labrador, but it's an issue that we want to make sure we do it

right when we make these changes and implement the strategy that was put forward

by Ms. Hann.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Grand Falls-Windsor - Buchans.

MR.

TIBBS:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

My question is for the Premier himself. Premier, when

you lobbied support from the people of my province, you assured them

transparency, so let's see what it looks like.

I take my place here today on behalf of every

blue-collar worker of Newfoundland and Labrador and ask our Premier: Does he

agree with having workers from Quebec come into our province for work while so

many of our own sit home with no paycheque? Or will he join me now in a

commitment to finally start putting Newfoundlanders and Labradorians first?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Immigration, Skills and Labour.

MR.

BYRNE:

Thank you –

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh,

oh!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Immigration, Skills and Labour.

Order, please!

MR.

BYRNE:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh,

oh!

MR.

BYRNE:

believe there's a conversation or individuals are engaged in a spirited

exchange.

With that said, I would like to engage in a spirited

exchange on behalf of the workforce of Newfoundland and Labrador, because that's

why I've already sat down with Mr. Darin King of Trades NL, while my senior

officials have had regular conversations with him and we have received his input

about a potential, proposed template for a benefits agreement.

Mr. King has acknowledged that in instances such as a

new contractor coming into Newfoundland and Labrador or one that has been here

for several attempts, they would agree and support workers coming in from other

provinces. That's a conversation that comes not from government but from Trades

NL, and I welcome further refinement. That's why I'm directly engaged with

Trades NL to look at their details and to use that as a template document for

consultations.

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

minister's time has expired.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS.

COFFIN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Minister of Finance outlined that there would be

multiple opportunities for MHAs to have input into the Premier's task force on

economic recovery. We've asked about these opportunities, but neither the

Premier nor the task force have reached out.

I ask the Premier: Will he commit to having a MHA from

each party and an independent representative on this task force?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Premier.

PREMIER FUREY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Dame Moya Greene is working hard, seeking consultation

with multiple Members. I'm sure she will reach out as the opportunity affords

for input from different parties and different Members of this House of

Assembly, and will put forward recommendations where this House can have a

fulsome debate about the recommendations in the future.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS.

COFFIN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'm sure that everyone here looks forward to being

fully engaged in developing a recovery for our economy.

Mr. Speaker, the value of an hour of work is the same

no matter who completes that work, for the same work. Again, I remind the

minister that 93 per cent of respondents to a provincial survey published by $15

& Fairness have said that they support a $15 minimum wage.

Will the minister accept this call from the public of

our province and commit to taking this first step towards a living wage for the

workers in our province?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Immigration, Skills and Labour.

MR.

BYRNE:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I'm so delighted that all parties have decided to

engage in a discussion about a potential for a universal guaranteed annual

income. We're making strides and working collaborative with each other. One of

the things that I also would note is that there is a lot of input being received

by important people who have really strong opinions and important opinions about

this. One of the suggestions that have been offered is that, really, a living

wage should be offered, which is really $18.85 an hour.

The concept of a $15 living wage, often it changes

sometimes according to the conversation that you have as to what exactly is the

target because, Mr. Speaker, one of the things that I think is worthwhile of a

discussion is what would be the merits or the intention for a wage for a student

versus a single person, versus someone with families? I am really anxious to

have this discussion because it's so important for each and every one of us in

our province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.

MR.

J. DINN:

Mr.

Speaker, the coldest part of the year is fast approaching, and as in previous

years we are already receiving a large volume of constituent cases of people,

especially seniors, who are without adequate food, heat and shelter. For

example, we have already gotten calls from seniors who are couch surfing or

spending their entire day at the mall because they can't afford to heat their

homes. This year people are still on fixed incomes, but the cost of food, heat

and shelter have increased significantly.

I ask the Minister of Children, Seniors and Social

Development: What specific programs have been put in place to ensure that our

seniors and our most vulnerable neighbours are not left cold and hungry again

this winter?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development.

MR.

WARR:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The hon. Member actually brings up a very good point,

when you look at the aging demographic here in the Province of Newfoundland and

Labrador. We talk about our valuable resources; our seniors are people that we

certainly need to pay attention to. COVID-19 has certainly highlighted more

specifically the concerns around seniors: poverty reduction, homelessness,

mental health and so on. I've had the opportunity to meet with Dan Meades of the

Coalition for a Just Recovery.

As well, Mr. Speaker, I took the opportunity a couple

of weeks ago to speak with the Seniors' Advocate, Dr. Suzanne Brake, who I had

the opportunity to quiz and question. We had a wonderful session.

I look forward to bringing, as part of my mandate

letter, the strategy on homelessness, Mr. Speaker. I'll certainly report back as

soon as I can.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.

MR.

J. DINN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I encourage the minister to do that as quickly as

possible. Our seniors really cannot wait.

Mr. Speaker, we, as most people, were alarmed to hear

that people caring for our most vulnerable seniors can be hired sometimes with

fake documents and without comprehensive screening and background checks.

I ask the Minister of Health and Community Services:

What oversight is or will be put in place to ensure that this does not happen

again?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

MR.

HAGGIE:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

It was also a concern to the department. I would point

out for the benefit of the House, that this is an employee of a private company.

The health authority is responsible for standards, maintenance and inspections.

I'm pleased to report to the House that these facilities get inspected on a

regular basis, monthly; and, in addition, there are unannounced inspections too,

Mr. Speaker.

Criminal activity cannot be condoned in any form. I

have asked the health authority to go back and make sure that its monitoring was

appropriate and, if it was, we'll look at ways that it may need to be improved

in the future. This is an issue between a private individual who may or may not

have committed a crime and a private employer. So we look forward to the results

of the investigation with interest, Mr. Speaker.

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.

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 Industry, Energy and Technology.

MR.

A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I just wanted to follow up and provide some more

clarification around a question from the Member for Ferryland during Question

Period where he asked about cell service.

What I can provide the House is that service providers,

such as Bell, can apply to the program that we have put out, but it requires

them to partner with interested communities in a partnership agreement and

everybody is a part of the funding.

From what I can gather, I'm not aware of any

communities within Ferryland that applied, but what I would say to the Member is

that if he has evidence to the contrary, that's where we can have a conversation

about what we do going forward.

Thank you.

MR.

SPEAKER:

Further answers to questions for which notice has been given?

Petitions.

Petitions

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR.

CROSBIE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Federal participation is necessary to support the White

Rose project and Newfoundland and Labrador's offshore oil and gas industry.

Thousands of jobs are at risk and 30 per cent of our

economy is based on oil and gas and any economic recovery is dependent on a

vibrant oil and gas industry.

The economic activity this will create over the next 30

to 40 years will enable the province to transition from fossil fuels to greener

alternatives with positive impact on our environment.

This industry employs thousands of workers, both

directly and indirectly, which will provide financial stability and helps to

ensure the province's long-term sustainability into the future.

This industry has provided and will provide into the

future billions of dollars to assist in providing the goods and services for the

people of our province.

Therefore, we petition the hon. House of Assembly as

follows: to urge the government to nationally champion the benefits of oil and

gas to the federal government for their support to restart West White Rose and

our offshore exploration and development industry.

Mr. Speaker, this check today shows that this petition

has close to 1,200 signatures. I'm pleased to present it to this House. I heard

the Premier say minutes ago, we have one of the best skilled offshore workforces

in the world and we don't want to lose them.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

CROSBIE:

Unfortunately, I say to the government, that's exactly what is happening as we

sit here. People are out of work and fear being out of work and are thinking of

their options. I speak to them daily.

The Premier also referred to the federal $320 million

as if this was a full answer to support for our offshore. I would remind the

Members, Mr. Speaker, former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney was overly polite

when he called this a smaller amount, and indeed it is. This is intended to

support an entire industry, but is one-tenth of the value of the support package

provided to support one producing well, called Hibernia, when Mr. Mulroney was

prime minister and my father, John Crosbie, was a champion and an advocate for

the interests of workers in this province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

CROSBIE:

would prioritize an advanced energy project that strikes a balance between

enormous national and economic opportunity and managing our global climate

change commitments.

That's the leadership we need from Ottawa, not what

we're getting from Trudeau.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Industry, Energy and

Technology.

MR.

A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate the enthusiasm from all Members of the

House, and I congratulate the Member for his Facebook election head that he just

taped right there. It's certainly full of passion.

What I would say is that we all know the industry is in

a tough time, but the fact is we are doing what we can. That's why we are

actively going through proposals to look at what we can do in scope of jobs. The

question I have is so we have proposals from Husky and from multiple other

companies as it relates to getting people back to work. Is the Member saying

that we should pick one over the other? Because that's what it sounds like he's

saying.

Now, this is the same person that said put all the

money and put an equity stake in Husky; said put all the money into Husky. I ask

the Member, if we put all the money into Husky, what are we going to do for

everybody else?

If the Member is so fond of quoting former politicians,

I would compare him to former premier Peckford who said they sold the shop,

because that's what that Member would do.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Conception Bay East - Bell Island.

MR.

BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Every day emergency medical professionals, emergency

medical responders, primary care paramedics and emergency medical dispatchers

provide vital medical emergency and transmission services to residents of

Newfoundland and Labrador. These duties are essential for delivery of medical

services in all regions of our province, especially at times of serious health

crises when residents need access to immediate medical attention and/or

transportation by ambulance to acute care facilities for lifesaving medical

treatments.

Service agreements between government and its private

ambulance owners have lapsed with no resolution in sight. As we have the

collective agreement between the unions and said operators, with the collective

bargaining process coming to an end with no resolution at hand, these

hard-working essential employees will have no alternative but to take strike

action. Such actions land squarely on government's lap.

Therefore, we petition the hon. House of Assembly as

follows: We, the undersigned, called upon the House of Assembly to urge the

Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to work with these groups involved to

put in place new agreements immediately, ensuring no interruption in ambulance

and medical services across our province to ensure there is no interruption in

vital services.

Mr. Speaker, as we know, we've had an open debate

around this particular issue and it's been lapsed for years. There have been

discussions around new agreements coming in place; new processes have been

kicked down the road for a period of time. The problem we have here – and it's

by the providers and it's by the general public – is the fear that any

disruption will cause extreme harm to the people in Newfoundland and Labrador,

particularly, if you look at some of the rural communities here who rely on

their first responders for their immediate interventions around health care.

Mr. Speaker, what the industry is asking – this is

coming directly from the industry from all corners of this great province of

ours – is to get an agreement in play right away, not we're getting close, not a

year down the road, not when we do another study on it. Look at it immediately,

sit down, have the negotiated agreements put in play so that there's some

stability in our medical providers when first responders are dealing with our

ambulance service, Mr. Speaker.

We're not asking for something that's not obtainable;

we're not asking for a big costing to government. We're asking to put in play

what's necessary for proper health care and first responders' necessities here,

Mr. Speaker.

We ask that this be moved immediately so that we can

have, early in the new year, some stability in our road ambulances and the

process and access that people would have to vital interventions immediately.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Government House Leader.

MR.

CROCKER:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I call Orders of the Day.

Orders of the Day

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Government House Leader.

MR.

CROCKER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I call from the – third reading, sorry, Mr. Speaker, of

Order 3, Bill 46.

I move, seconded by the Deputy Government House Leader,

that Bill 46,

An Act To Amend The Credit Union Act, 2009, be now read a third

time.

MR.

SPEAKER:

is moved and seconded that the said bill now be read a third time.

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt this motion?

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR.

SPEAKER:

All

those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

CLERK (Barnes):

bill,

An Act To Amend The Credit Union Act, 2009. (Bill 46)

MR.

SPEAKER:

This bill has now been read a third time and it is ordered that the bill do pass

and that its title be as on the Order Paper.

On motion, a bill, “An Act To Amend The Credit Union

Act, 2009,” read a third time, ordered passed and its title be as on the Order

Paper. (Bill 46)

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Government House Leader.

MR.

CROCKER:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I call from the Order Paper, Order 4, Bill 49.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Deputy Government

House Leader, that Bill 49,

An Act To Amend The Other Post-Employment Benefits

Eligibility Modification Act, be now read a third time.

MR.

SPEAKER:

is moved and seconded that the said bill now be read a third time.

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt this motion?

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR.

SPEAKER:

All

those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

CLERK:

bill,

An Act To Amend The Other Post-Employment Benefits Eligibility

Modification Act. (Bill 49)

MR.

SPEAKER:

This bill has now been read a third time and it is ordered that the bill do pass

and that its title be as on the Order Paper.

On motion, a bill, “An Act To Amend The Other

Post-Employment Benefits Eligibility Modification Act,” read a third time,

ordered passed and its title be as on the Order Paper. (Bill 49)

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Government House Leader.

MR.

CROCKER:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I call Order 5, third reading of Bill 50.

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Government House Leader.

MR.

CROCKER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I move, seconded by the Deputy Government House Leader,

that Bill 50,

An Act To Amend The Auditor General Act, be now read a third time.

MR.

SPEAKER:

is moved and seconded that the said bill now be read a third time.

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt this motion?

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR.

SPEAKER:

All

those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

CLERK:

bill,

An Act To Amend The Auditor General Act. (Bill 50)

MR.

SPEAKER:

This bill has now been read a third time and it is ordered that the bill do pass

and that its title be as on the Order Paper.

On motion, a bill, “An Act To Amend The Auditor General

Act,” read a third time, ordered passed and its title be as on the Order Paper.

(Bill 50)

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Government House Leader.

MR.

CROCKER:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I call Order 6, third reading of Bill 51.

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Government House Leader.

MR.

CROCKER:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I move, seconded by the Deputy Government House Leader,

that Bill 51,

An Act To Amend The Condominium Act, 2009, The Co-Operatives Act

And The Corporations Act, be now read a third time.

MR.

SPEAKER:

is moved and seconded that the said bill now be read a third time.

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt this motion?

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR.

SPEAKER:

All

those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

CLERK:

bill,

An Act To Amend The Condominium Act, 2009, The Co-Operatives Act And The

Corporations Act. (Bill 51)

MR.

SPEAKER:

This bill has now been read a third time and it is ordered that the bill do pass

and that its title be as on the Order Paper.

On motion, a bill, “An Act To Amend The Condominium

Act, 2009, The Co-Operatives Act And The Corporations Act,” read a third time,

ordered passed and its title be as on the Order Paper. (Bill 51)

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Government House Leader.

MR.

CROCKER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Finally, for third readings, I call Order 7, Bill 52.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Deputy Government

House Leader, that Bill 52,

An Act Respecting Tourist Accommodations, be now

read a third time.

MR.

SPEAKER:

is moved and seconded that the said bill now be read a third time.

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt this motion?

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR.

SPEAKER:

All

those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

CLERK:

bill,

An Act Respecting Tourist Accommodations. (Bill 52)

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

bill has now been read a third time and it is ordered that the bill do pass and

its title be as on the Order Paper.

On motion, a bill, “An Act Respecting Tourist

Accommodations,” read a third time, ordered passed and its title be as on the

Order Paper. (Bill 52)

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Government House Leader.

MR.

CROCKER:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I call from the Order Paper, Order 2, Committee on Ways

and Means.

MR.

SPEAKER:

is moved and seconded that the House does now resolve itself into a Committee of

the Whole on Way and Means.

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt this motion?

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR.

SPEAKER:

All

those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

On motion, that the House resolve itself into a

Committee of the Whole, the Speaker left the Chair.

Committee of the Whole

CHAIR (P. Parsons):

Order, please!

We are now continuing; we are debating the related

resolution on Bill 43.

Resolution

“That it is expedient to bring in a measure respecting

the imposition of taxes on carbon products.”

CLERK:

Clause 1.

CHAIR:

Shall clause 1 carry?

All those in favour, 'aye.'

The Chair recognizes the Member for Cape St. Francis.

MR.

K. PARSONS:

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Again, it's an absolute privilege to be here and

represent the beautiful District of Cape St. Francis and the beautiful people in

the District of Cape St. Francis.

Madam Chair, I know today we're speaking about a money

bill and it has to do with our environment. I've listened to speakers that spoke

on this bill already. I think a lot of it has been discussed and it's important

of our environment and how we protect our environment is very important, but

this bill also gives me the opportunity to speak on anything really that is

involved in our province.

Last night, the Newfoundland and Labrador Soccer

Association did a lifetime membership for Mr. Gord Dunphy.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

K. PARSONS:

just want him to be recognized here today because I know he's a very important

part and a good friend with a lot of people on both sides of this House. They

had a great ceremony last night and I'm sure that if it had to be other times,

it would have been a full house and thousands of people there because everybody

really appreciates what Gord has done for soccer in our province, particularly

on the Burin Peninsula. I listened to some kind words that were brought forward

from the Member for Burin - Grand Bank; they were very kind words. I'm sure that

Gord really appreciated it.

Madam Chair, Gord Dunphy is what soccer is all about in

Newfoundland and Labrador. His career was 50 years long and he did everything.

He started playing soccer as a young man and played in different leagues of

junior and moved on, but his contribution to the St. Lawrence Laurentians is

where his heart and soul is. He wears everything on his sleeve.

He was president of the St. Lawrence Laurentians. He

was coach. They won three provincial Challenge Cups back in '92, '98 and '99. He

won a national bronze medal in 1999. In 1999, he was also selected as Coach of

the Year. Gord has put more into soccer than anyone I know. I don't know a lot

about soccer but I know what Gord Dunphy has done. Gord Dunphy is a friend to a

lot of people in this province and soccer is part of it.

The thing that I liked about Gord the last number of

years is what we call the Gord Cast. He's doing the announcements of soccer on

the Burin Peninsula. It's gone to places all over the world. It's gone to places

like Argentina; it's gone to the Middle East. People really enjoy Gord's

contribution to the sport.

Madam Chair, Gord Dunphy is a good friend and a good

man. He only has one problem that I can really see: He's a Leafs fan. I look

forward to collecting a few more dollars off Gord. Myself and Gord had a bet

last year on the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Gord, thank you for

the $20 I received from you.

Anyway, my friend, I really want to wish you the best.

I know you're going through a hard time in your life right now. There are a lot

of supporters that think the world of Gord Dunphy and there are a lot in this

House that think the world of Gord Dunphy.

Keep your head up. Good luck, my friend, in your future

endeavours.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

CHAIR:

Order, please!

The Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for Mount

Pearl - Southlands.

MR.

LANE:

Thank you, Madam Chair.

It's great to have an opportunity to speak once again.

Yesterday, I spoke to this bill; I actually spoke to the bill. Today, I have

another opportunity, and where it's a money bill, you can talk about whatever

you want. I have a couple of others matters I want to raise.

The first matter I want to raise – and this would be

for the Minister of – what's his title now – Immigration, Skills and Labour,

there you go; for the Minister of Immigration, Skills and Labour, just to put a

little bug in his ear. I have had a couple people reach out to me. I don't know

if other Members have, but people who have been impacted by the shutdown of Come

By Chance. There are a couple impacted by that and then there was another

person, I believe, that was impacted by the Husky shutdown and so on.

The question they were asking and, I guess, the points

they were making were that in their particular cases, they didn't qualify for

EI. They were working, but they never had enough hours to qualify for EI. The

point they were making was that in the past when you had situations, for

example, where the mill shut down in Grand Falls-Windsor or where there have

been fish plants that have shut down and so on, the government would meet with

the workers and so on and people impacted and make sure that there was a

transition in place and that everybody qualified for EI. If not, there were

programs put in place by the government.

I put that out there to the government, to the Minister

of Immigration, Skills and Labour, in particular. The people who have been

impacted by the Come By Chance shutdown, by the Husky and so on – White Rose

Project – you really need to make sure to reach out to those employees and make

sure that they're all looked after in the short term, at least, and to ensure

that they all do qualify for EI and so on. No different than what you would have

done for other major employers in this province, such as fish plants and mills

and so on. I ask that you take that under advisement.

The other thing I just want to talk about, again, is

the Dominion workers, of course. A number of us have talked about the impasse

and the Dominion workers; we certainly hope they can reach an agreement and so

on. Coming from that, I guess, was a motion that was brought – a private

Member's motion – forward by the Member for Labrador West and unanimously

supported in the House about a basic living wage, working wage and so on. That's

certainly part of it, no doubt, but there are other issues that are happening,

not just at Loblaws but with the other large retail sector employers as well,

like Loblaws.

I think we need to have a look at – again, I guess this

would apply to the Minister of Immigration, Skills and Labour, as well – perhaps

it's also time that we have a look at our labour legislation that we have here

in the province to see if there are things that we could be doing to improve it

because some of the stories I've heard from workers, whether they be at Dominion

or at the competing retailers and so on, are stories about – I'll just give an

example – where somebody gets called into work for a five-hour shift. Of course,

we can't give them a full-day shift because we want to make sure we keep

everybody temporary, not permanent. We don't want full-time hours because we

don't want to pay benefits so they'll manipulate the staffing in such a way that

we don't have to pay benefits to anybody, but then you call someone in for a

shift and you say, I want you to come in from say 12 to 4 or 12 to 5, whatever

the case might be, and then 3 o'clock comes around and says we're slow now, go

home.

Somebody had to pay for child care perhaps, arrangement

transportation, whatever, with the intent to come in to work for five hours or

six hours and then the employer, on the fly, says we're slow now go home. Now,

all of a sudden, you're losing an hour or two hours pay. It's not like they're

sending you home with pay. They're just sending you home without pay.

Then you have situations that work the reverse of that

where someone is scheduled to come in for a shift from say 12 to 5 and 5 o'clock

comes along and they say we're busy now, now you have to stay for an extra

couple of hours. They're saying, well, my babysitter is only arranged until 5

o'clock. Well, that's not our problem, that's your problem. You have to stay for

an extra hour or two hours or whatever, it got busy, so to speak.

These are things that are, to my mind, abuse. I

understand that there has to be flexibility for employers. Split shifts are

another thing. People could argue split shifts, depending on the kind of

business you're in, it may be necessary; but I would suggest, if you're a large

business, a large retailer like that and you're open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. or

whatever the hours are, you don't need to be doing split shifts. It's crazy to

say to somebody: Come in now for four hours in the morning, so your morning is

gone at work, then stay home for the rest of the day. You can't do anything else

because I need you back here again at 6 o'clock to work another two or three

hours and so on. It's just messing with people's lives. It's totally unfair. I

really believe that it's taking advantage of the situation.

I understand, again, there may be employers, depending

on the type of business you're in, if someone has a business where – I don't

know, I just throw it out there. Let's say if you had some kind of a business

that you were supplying sound equipment or something and someone says you need

to come in the morning to set everything up and then you need to come back in

the night to take it all down, or whatever. I can understand where scheduling

you have to have someone there for certain periods of time.

But if you're a large retailer and you're open all day

from, again, 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. at night, there's none of this downtime, so to

speak. You can arrange schedules to have people work eight-hour shifts or

whatever and work normal hours. You don't have to be messing with their lives

the way that they're doing. Again, it's simply taking advantage of people. It's

manipulating the rules that exist under the current legislation to your ends.

Here's another one: I had someone reach out to me. They

worked at a chain restaurant that we would all be familiar – we won't name it;

that's not necessary. They had a policy, for example, on tips. You had to give 5

per cent of the bill. The waitress or the waiter, server, whatever you want to

call it, 5 per cent of the bill goes to the kitchen in tips. You might argue,

okay, well if you're getting on the bill 10 or 15 per cent, you're giving 5 per

cent to the kitchen, fair enough. You could argue that maybe that's okay.

There were cases, for example, if you had a bunch of

young people come in and they didn't tip. So somebody runs up a bill for 50

bucks or 100 bucks, whatever – say it's $100 on a bill – and they didn't give

you a tip; the waiter or the waitress would have to take $5 out of their own

pocket and pay to the kitchen. That's their policy, because 5 per cent of the

bill, not 5 per cent of the tip, goes to the kitchen as a tip. I brought that to

the labour board and I said: This is absolutely ridiculous. They agreed with me.

They said: It is absolutely ridiculous.

Apparently they went to the employer. I called them

back, I said: What's going on. They wouldn't return my calls. I knew something

was up. Finally, when I got that person back again from the department they

said: Mr. Lane, I agree with you. It's wrong, but unfortunately, the way the

legislation is written around tips, we don't have the teeth to be able to

address this situation. We think it's wrong but we can't technically stop it. I

said: B'ys oh b'ys, there's something wrong with this.

There are all kinds of things that are happening to the

lowest paid workers in this province that have families to support. If we're

going to look at a basic income, that's part of it, but we also need to be

looking at the labour laws and how these laws are being manipulated and abused,

as far as I'm concerned.

Thank you for the time, Madam Chair. I appreciate it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

CHAIR:

The

hon. the Member for Stephenville - Port au Port.

MR.

WAKEHAM:

Madam Chair, I'll just take a few minutes here today to talk about the budget

and what we've been doing. We've had about six weeks of sitting here in the

House in this particular session and we certainly have raised real issues for

real people, including the questions, of course, that my colleagues asked today.

All of our caucus talked about real issues impacting real people in their

districts.

These are the types of issues that people are facing

every single day in this province. Outside of these walls there are real issues,

real concerns, and it's our job to bring them forward and to let people know

that we care about what is happening to them and we will work to try and find

solutions to these issues that they continue to ask about.

Every day, I think, in this House we've asked questions

on our offshore oil and the threat that we are facing. I think we have talked a

lot about the tremendous loss of jobs that are real, that have already impacted

people and the fear of the unknown, the fear of how many more jobs are

potentially lost. The budget document itself alluded to a potential loss of over

13,000 jobs this year. These are serious, serious challenges.

We sit here today and we've passed the budget. It

passed unanimously. It didn't pass unanimously because it was a great budget; it

passed unanimously because everybody in this House, and on this side, recognizes

the challenges that COVID has brought to our province, our country and, indeed,

the world. We sit here today with final approval after seven months of

expenditure on a budget has happened. Really, it's not a normal situation by any

means.

The real challenge is going to be dealing with the

serious issues that face this province and that we all face. In the coming

months a new budget is expected, of course, to be delivered in April. It's

normally delivered in the spring of the year. That new budget will have to

contain significant measures to move this province back on track. We cannot keep

ignoring the challenges that we have. It is imperative that we face them head on

and deal with them. All of us will be looking forward to a budget next year that

moves forward and takes action that is desperately needed to happen.

We've talked about the lack of support from Ottawa. I

have to say that I don't know how people are not disappointed. I can't believe

that people would not be disappointed with $320 million. I know it sounds like a

lot of money and, yes, it's good that we have it; it's great that we're going to

be able to provide relief, but $320 million. As I said the other day, they

managed to find $200 million to invest in a casino in Ontario. That pales in

comparison.

When you look at the amount of monies, the billions of

dollars that have been provided to other provinces throughout this country,

we're just simply asking to be treated fairly. I don't believe that $320 million

is a fair treatment. I will continue to argue for that. The Premier has alluded

to it's a first step, but at the end of the day, we don't seem to see any notice

that, in fact, there is any more coming. We have not heard anything that gives

us any confidence that there's more money coming.

As a matter of fact, the Minister of Natural Resources,

federally, stood up and proudly pumped his chest about how his government had

given more money than any other government since the Mulroney days. He talked

about the $2 billion, our Hibernia dividend, but he forgot to mention that it is

being paid out over something like 38 years. So, again, there's a real problem

here with the lack of support from Ottawa.

We've spent a lot of time talking about workers, those

without jobs, those on strike, including the Dominion workers in my own District

of Stephenville - Port au Port. We now know a mediator has been appointed. We

anxiously look forward to that work being done and this strike being settled.

It's gone on way too long. The same people who a few short months ago were being

hailed as heroes and essential workers, going to work when other people were

closing their doors and told to stay home. There are other essential workers

that we've talked about waiting to get the pay they deserve, rotational workers

and the challenges they face in trying to make a living – those are all issues

that are faced right now.

We've heard lots of discussions about health care,

including in my own district again where the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical

Association has said in a release that we have a catastrophic shortage of

doctors. We've heard lots in the budget about the new team that is being

established to give us the advice we need to transform our economy. We've heard

that before. We heard that when you took a million dollars from the Treasury and

hired McKinsey. We had clear messages from McKinsey and even from Mills about

the kind of things we needed to do. Now it seems we're going to have a new team,

basically raking up the same ground and hoping to get more fruit out of it.

There's a phrase called implementation failure. It is

used to describe what happens when you've been given the right advice but you

fail to put it into action. When a government is unprepared to act on the advice

it receives, what is the point of seeking the advice in the first place? All of

the spin and feel-good rhetoric, they're not going to change the reality that

people face around their dinner tables. It's not going to lead to jobs and if it

doesn't lead to jobs, what's it really worth at the end of the day?

Spinning a good story is not going to lift the province

up. You just don't tell people that everything is going to be okay; you have to

show them. People in this province are discounting the words and they're

starting to measure the results. Frankly, Madam Chair, it's not about party; it

never was. It's about the people. It's about putting Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians first. It's a responsibility of elected leaders to show leadership

in the face of crisis, not to blame the crisis for failing to act.

I'll finish with a quote, Madam Chair, which simply

says, “It is easy to sit up and take notice. What is difficult is getting up and

taking action.”

Thank you, Madam Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

CHAIR:

The

Chair recognizes the hon. the Minister of Finance.

MS.

COADY:

There are two more speakers.

CHAIR:

ask that people stand. It is hard to see. I know you're raising your hands, but

please stand when you'd like to speak.

The Chair recognizes the Member for St. John's Centre.

MR.

J. DINN:

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I guess I want to talk a little bit about what I

haven't always talked about in these sessions. It certainly is about my own

district and some of the reasons why I've gotten into this. I guess there are

certain lessons I've taken away. I want to go back to looking at some of the

lessons of the pandemic and lessons here for this House as well.

It's interesting, some of the challenges that face my

district, you've heard them: the homelessness, the poverty, the addictions and

the issues of mental health. We also have a number of small businesses. I don't

venture too far from my own district. It's where I went to school.

Holy Cross is where I went. I think it was Mammy's

Bakery at the time. You'd sit in school and you knew lunch was coming because

you could get the smell of the bakery wafting through the windows. You could

also get a bag of ends for 25 cents, which are the scraps from the various baked

goods. A pretty good deal, actually, when I look at it.

My dad worked on the railway, so it was nothing for me

after school, and my siblings, to go down to the rail yard and Dad would be

there. We might get a chance to get on the train if we were lucky. Of course, we

figured we were driving the train. Little did we know, the train basically was

taking care of itself.

If you drive by there now, that rail yard, the

turntable, everything is gone. I often think in many ways when we did the Roads

for Rails agreement if indeed we made the right choice, as opposed to upgrading

the main trunk to a standard-gauge railway. We could have had something that

could have shipped goods a lot more quickly, but the fix was in on that in many

ways. I look at it, I think we made the best deal possible, but we were

shortchanged because keeping up the roads in this place is a difficult enough

challenge.

HON. MEMBER:

(Inaudible.)

MR.

J. DINN:

That would be it. I would think in many ways it would've solved an awful lot of

our problems as well. Nevertheless, it's about sometimes looking at, down the

road, the long-term vision and the investment that comes with it.

Certainly, if you go down at the end, just on Water

Street there and you dig through the pavement, you will find the rails,

actually, to the old streetcars that were there at one time. I look back at

these times and look at the changes that have transformed my district and

transformed the province. I don't always know if they're in the best long-term

interest or not.

I do know that in my district where I go to get my hair

cut they're local businesses. You go up on Ropewalk Lane and you can see it's

sort of the centre part of the district and yet it, too, has Browning Harvey

that manufactures Pepsi. I think they've been there for over 75 years. A long

mainstay, one of the last when you look at the major bottlers that still have a

business interest here. I have the green spaces: Mundy Pond, Martin's Meadow,

Tessier Park and Victoria Park. They're significant; in many ways jewels within

my district.

Then there are the schools. I do have a special

interest in the four schools because of my own background. There's École

Ste-Thérèse or St. Teresa's, Bishop Abraham, École Rocher-du-Nord under the

francophone school board and one independent school, Lakecrest. To me, they're

basically producing our greatest resource: our people, the next generation.

I used to say to teachers when I would speak to them as

president – and I do believe this – maybe not in my lifetime, maybe not in your

lifetime but in the lifetime of your grandchildren, maybe in the lifetime of my

grandchildren or great-grandchildren, I do believe at some point we're going to

be moving beyond this planet. We'll have a colony set up somewhere. We'll be

beyond that. That's going to be the new world. How do we plan for that? How do

we capture here in Newfoundland the technology?

We have a very brilliant people within our school

system, children and students who stand to make this province great. A lot of

what I look for in the resources here of how do we start doing things, investing

in the province locally, in the small businesses. We've seen them here that the

minister of – the investment in seal oil capsules, for example. I think it's in

those elements where we can start capitalizing on our own ingenuity, our own

industriousness here, focusing on the fishery, which is a renewable resource.

For me, in many ways that's the future.

The one thing I've enjoyed the most here, I guess, in

this last year, if there's any enjoyment to be taken out of this pandemic, is

when the chips are down we work together. We could have done better as well, and

I'm thinking in terms of the joint public health and safety committee. We had

the opportunity – I sat with the COVID food group, and there is a real effort to

try and deal with the situation facing us in a collaborative way.

We have the Committee on Democratic Reform, which the

Member for Mount Pearl - Southland chairs, and we're looking at a Select

Committee to deal with guaranteed basic income. I do believe this: We have major

problems in this province, no doubt about it, with the food insecurity, poverty,

health issues and so on and so forth. I think it's best that we find ways, Madam

Chair, to work together, to get beyond, and I guess in a perfect world get to

the next fixed election date and see what we can do to get this province

together, to right it to where it needs to be so that we can move forward.

I do not believe that any one person or any one party

has the answers, but I do believe the answers lie here within this Chamber and

within the people of this province. I think that's something we can achieve. We

all have a role here to play; the Opposition to point out where government is

deficient, government to make the legislation that will help this province.

I do believe that despite that, while we're playing

those parts we can also find ways to reach across and to work together. I've had

that opportunity with a number of ministers as well to resolve issues in my

district. I think if anything brings me joy or fulfillment, is certainly that

sense of being able to resolve issues for individuals. That's the thing I enjoy

the most. I think that's something we all enjoy here; otherwise, I don't think

we would have gotten into this job for any other reason.

I do believe there's an opportunity here to work

together collaboratively, and I'm talking about all parties and the independents

so that we can find some way out of this mess and get the province on the path

to the prosperity it deserves.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

CHAIR:

Thank you to the hon. Member.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

CHAIR:

The

Chair recognizes the Minister of Finance.

MS.

COADY:

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

It's wonderful to have such co-operation in the House

this afternoon. This would be the last debate of the budget for 2020 and I

wanted to make sure that we all thanked the Department of Finance and the

officials in the Department of Finance for their outstanding work in making sure

that we had not only Interim Supply – because it's not a usual year but they had

done Interim Supply on a number of occasions – but also the budget. They worked

very diligently to ensure that we had a budget by the end of September, Madam

Chair.

I want to also thank and recognize all officials

throughout government for the time and attention they took for Estimates. I know

that is a very important part of the review of the budget, and I want to thank

officials for ensuring they were fulsome in their disclosures and discussion for

Estimates.

I also want to recognize and thank Members of this

House of Assembly who undertook great scrutiny, great diligence and in the

ultimate end, great support for this year's budget. I think we all can agree,

partisan issues aside, that it was a very stable budget for very unstable times.

We're in the middle of a pandemic, and this budget really focused on health care

and providing over $100 million, Madam Chair, for COVID response, which is

essential. We're hopeful for ensuring that we are prepared with protective

equipment, we want to make sure we're prepared for testing and we want to make

sure we're prepared in the hope of a vaccine.

This budget also focused on the economy. We all know

this has been challenging times for the economy. Many Members have spoken about

the challenges in the oil and gas industry and challenges in the tourism

industry and challenges because of the global pandemic. So what we saw in this

budget were supports for the oil industry, supports for small business, supports

for technology, supports for the mining industry, supports for tourism,

forestry, agriculture and the arts. All of this was found within this budget,

and I am grateful for the support of all colleagues in this House for ensuring

we had those supports.

The budget also focused on families. We know how

important it is to support families, and the $25-a-day child care was an

important investment that the people of the province are making. I know that was

unanimously supported in this House. There were supports for education and

ensuring that we had both a solid educational system but also a solid

post-secondary educational system, and we did maintain, of course, the controls

on tuition.

There's $123 million for income support and the

Seniors' Benefit, and I know there are oftentimes in this House that we've

debated and recognized the needs of seniors. We've debated and recognized the

needs of those that are struggling and need supports from government. There's

close to $50 million for housing and housing supports, Madam Chair.

I did note a couple of colleagues talking about how

difficult a time we are having right now globally because of the pandemic and

how that's impacting things like oil and gas. I'll remind the people of the

province and Members in this House of Assembly, that prior to COVID and prior to

the challenges because of the pandemic, we had welcomed eight new entrants in

our offshore. We had, I know in natural resources alone, over $18 billion

confirmed for invest in this province. Madam Chair, I think it's important to

recognize that the global pandemic has impacted that, but don't ever think that

we have not recognized or understood this government's impact in terms of growth

in our economy.

I want people to understand the reason why I have hope.

The reason why I think that we are going to emerge from this particular pandemic

strongly is because I've seen the level of investment that has been brought to

this province by this government. I have seen the commitment to the economy by

this government. I have seen the commitment to families by this government. When

you ask for action, I think I can point out quite strongly the actions in this

particular budget.

I close today, Madam Chair, saying that it is not just

hope that we have for this province, it is a deep understanding of the strength

of this province. It is a deep understanding of the economic opportunity of this

province. It is a deep understanding of how resilient the people of this

province are. Yes, this budget takes action, but I base that action on the hope,

the resilience and the strength of not only the people of this province, but

also the economic opportunities presented in this province.

I thank Members of this House for their support of the

budget. I appreciate the strength and support of Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians. I encourage them to continue to keep each other safe as we move

through this pandemic.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

CHAIR:

Order, please!

Shall the resolution carry?

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

CHAIR:

All

those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

On motion, resolution carried.

A bill, “An Act To Amend The Revenue Administration

Act.” (Bill 43)

CLERK:

Clause 1.

CHAIR:

Shall clause 1 carry?

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

CHAIR:

All

those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

On motion, clause 1 carried.

CLERK:

it enacted by the Lieutenant-Governor and House of Assembly in Legislative

Session convened, as follow.

CHAIR:

Shall the enacting clause carry

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

CHAIR:

All

those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

On motion, enacting clause carried.

CLERK:

Act To Amend The Revenue Administration Act.

CLERK:

Shall the

long title carry?

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

CHAIR:

All

those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

On motion,

long title carried.

CHAIR:

Shall I report the resolution and bill carried without amendment?

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

CHAIR:

All

those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

Motion, that the Committee report having passed the

resolution and a bill consequent thereto, carried.

CHAIR:

The

Chair recognizes the Government House Leader.

MR.

CROCKER:

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

I move that the Committee rise and report the

resolution and Bill 43.

CHAIR:

The

motion is that the Committee rise and report the bill carried without amendment.

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

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

CHAIR:

All

those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

On motion, that the Committee rise, report progress and

ask leave to sit again, the Speaker returned to the Chair.

MR.

SPEAKER (Reid):

The

hon. the Member for Harbour Grace - Port de Grave.

MS.

P. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Committee of Ways and Means have considered the

matters to them referred and have directed me to report that they have adopted a

certain resolution and recommend that a bill be introduced to give effect to the

same.

MR. SPEAKER:

The Chair of the Committee of the Whole reports that

the Committee have considered the matters to them referred and have directed her

to report that the Committee have adopted a certain resolution and recommend

that a bill be introduced to give effect to the same.

When shall this report be received?

MR.

CROCKER:

Now.

MR.

SPEAKER:

Now.

On motion, report received and adopted.

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

Government House Leader.

MR.

CROCKER:

I'm

sorry, Mr. Speaker, I lost my way.

HON. MEMBER:

(Inaudible.)

MR.

CROCKER:

thank the Members opposite for their gracious invitation, but for right now I'll

decline.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Deputy Government

House Leader, that the resolution be now read a first time.

MR.

SPEAKER:

is moved and seconded that the resolution now be read a first time.

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt this motion?

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR.

SPEAKER:

All

those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

CLERK:

it resolved by the House of Assembly in Legislative Session convened, as

follows:

“That it is expedient to bring in a measure respecting

the imposition of taxes on carbon products.”

On motion, resolution read a first time.

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Government House Leader.

MR.

CROCKER:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I move, seconded by the Deputy Premier, that the

resolution be now read a second time.

MR.

SPEAKER:

is moved and seconded that the resolution be now read a second time.

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt this motion?

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR.

SPEAKER:

All

those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

CLERK:

Be it resolved by the House of Assembly

in Legislative Session convened, as follows :

“That it is expedient to bring in a measure respecting

the imposition of taxes on carbon products.”

On motion, resolution read a second time.

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Government House Leader.

MR.

CROCKER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I move, seconded the Minister of Digital Government and

Service NL, for leave to introduce a bill entitled,

An Act To Amend The Revenue

Administration Act, Bill 43, and I further move that the said bill be now read a

first time.

MR.

SPEAKER:

is moved and seconded that the hon. Government House Leader shall have leave to

introduce a bill entitled,

An Act To Amend The Revenue Administration Act, Bill

43, and that the said bill now be read a first time.

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt this motion?

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR.

SPEAKER:

All

those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

Motion, that the hon. Minister of Finance to introduce

a bill, “An Act To Amend The Revenue Administration Act,” carried. (Bill 43)

CLERK:

bill,

An Act To Amend The Revenue Administration Act. (Bill 43)

On motion, Bill 43 read a first time.

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Government House Leader.

MR.

CROCKER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I move, seconded by the Minister of Transportation and

Infrastructure, that Bill 43 be now read a second time.

MR.

SPEAKER:

is moved and seconded that the said bill now be read a second time.

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt this motion?

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR.

SPEAKER:

All

those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

CLERK:

bill,

An Act To Amend The Revenue Administration Act. (Bill 43)

On motion, Bill 43 read a second time.

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Government House Leader.

MR.

CROCKER:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I move, seconded by the Minister of Immigration, Skills

and Labour, that Bill 43 be now read a third time.

MR.

SPEAKER:

is moved and seconded that Bill 43 be now read a third time.

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt this motion?

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR.

SPEAKER:

All

those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

CLERK:

bill,

An Act To Amend The Revenue Administration Act. (Bill 43)

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

bill has now been read a third time and it is ordered that the bill do pass and

that the title be as on the Order Paper.

On motion, a bill, “An Act To Amend The Revenue

Administration Act,” read a third time, ordered passed and its title be as on

the Order Paper. (Bill 43)

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Government House Leader.

MR.

CROCKER:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I move, seconded by the Deputy Government House Leader,

that we take a short recess for the arrival of the Lieutenant-Governor.

MR.

SPEAKER:

has been moved and seconded that we take a short recess.

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR.

SPEAKER:

All

those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

Recess

MR.

SPEAKER:

Are

the House Leaders ready?

The Opposition House Leader, the Third Party House

Leader ready? Okay.

Order, please!

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS:

Mr. Speaker, Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor has arrived.

MR.

SPEAKER:

Admit Her Honour.

All rise.

(Mr. Speaker leaves the Chair. Her Honour the

Lieutenant-Governor takes the Chair.)

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS:

It is the wish of Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor that all present be seated.

MR.

SPEAKER:

Your Honour, it is my agreeable duty on behalf of Her Majesty's dutiful and

loyal subjects, Her Faithful Commons in Newfoundland and Labrador, to present

Your Honour a bill for the appropriation of Supply granted in the present

session.

CLERK:

bill, “An Act For Granting To Her Majesty Certain Sums of Money For Defraying

Certain Expenses Of The Public Service For The Financial Year Ending March 31,

2021 And For Other Purposes Relating To The Public Service.” (Bill 42)

HER

HONOUR THE LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR (Judy May Foote, PC, ONL): In Her Majesty's name, I thank Her Loyal

Subjects, I accept their benevolence, and I assent to this bill.

MR.

SPEAKER:

May

it please Your Honour, the General Assembly of the province has at its present

session passed certain bills, to which, in the name and on behalf of the General

Assembly, I respectfully request Your Honour's assent.

CLERK:

bill, “An Act To Amend The Insurance Contracts Act.” (Bill 41)

A bill, “An Act To Amend The Revenue Administration

Act.” (Bill 43)

A bill, “An Act To Amend The Revenue Administration Act

No. 2.” (Bill 44)

A bill, “An Act To Amend The Revenue Administration Act

No. 3.” (Bill 45)

A bill, “An Act To Amend The Credit Union Act, 2009.”

(Bill 46)

A bill, “An Act To Amend The Loan Act, 2020.” (Bill 47)

A bill, “An Act To Amend The Revenue Administration Act

No. 4.” (Bill 48)

A bill, “An Act To Amend The Other Post-Employment

Benefits Eligibility Modification Act.” (Bill 49)

A bill, “An Act To Amend The Auditor General Act.”

(Bill 50)

A bill, “An Act To Amend The Condominium Act, 2009, The

Co-operatives Act And The Corporations Act.” (Bill 51)

A bill, “An Act Respecting Tourist Accommodations.”

(Bill 52)

HER

HONOUR THE LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR:

In Her Majesty's name, I assent to all 11 bills.

This is an opportunity I welcome, every time I come

here, to thank you for all of your hard work, especially during the pandemic; I

know how difficult it has been. I also want to thank all of those who support

you, those throughout the public service.

I really want to thank all of our essential workers

because I know how hard they work, putting their own lives at risk many times

just to keep the rest of us safe. This is an opportunity to thank them, to thank

you and to wish you all the best as you return to your constituencies. I know

some of you, of course, your constituencies are closer than others.

Thank you for the way that you have approached the

business of the House, particularly during the pandemic. I know that it's been

tough on a lot of people; a lot of people have been hurting as a result of

COVID-19. But what's been reassuring, I think, for the people of Newfoundland

and Labrador is to watch their leaders in action and the tone that you've set,

because the tone gives people reassurance that our province is in good hands.

Not just from the leaders here in the House of Assembly, but throughout our

province, the leaders in business and the leaders in our social sectors. It's

all very important for all of us to realize that mental health is something that

impacts all of us.

I want to thank Dr. Janice Fitzgerald and her team,

from whom we've all been taking advice. I think that is why we've done so well

here in Newfoundland and Labrador, when others throughout our country are not

doing as well. I encourage everyone to continue to follow her advice so that we

can all stay safe and not have to worry like our neighbours are having to do in

other parts of the country. The Atlantic bubble has worked well. I'm hoping that

it will continue to work well. It's working well because of all of you as well

and the way that you have approached the pandemic here in Newfoundland and

Labrador.

Thank you for your hard work. It's always good to be

here to have the chance to commend you on what you do and to commend you on your

dedication. I especially appreciate the way that you have all been working

together. It's been obvious for anyone who has been watching the debates and

listening to what you all had to say about being able to work together that you

have taken that leadership role of getting our province through a very trying

time.

We all know that this is the best province in the world

in which to live, certainly the best province in the country. Because of the way

you have handled all of the issues that you have had to deal with, we are doing

well in Newfoundland and Labrador, so thank you, on behalf of the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador, for your leadership that I know will continue past

this session.

I'm also excited and I want to compliment you on the

changes to the Standing Orders . If I

smile when I say that, it's because I'm so excited to see baby Alexander here.

What a wonderful addition to the House of Assembly. What a great decision that

you all made. So congratulations for doing that. I look at the future when I

look at Alexander and we know that with that particular change, our House is in

good hands.

Thank you so much for all that you do. I appreciate it

and on behalf of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, thank you. If I could

just make one request: Keep that positive tone going. It's really important as

we all deal with this terrible situation with the pandemic. We know that we want

the people of Newfoundland and Labrador to come out of this better and feeling

positive and having a good way of handling issues that arise in their own

circumstances because of your leadership and the positive tone that you have

set.

Thank you so much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

HER HONOUR THE LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR : I can't stop smiling. I think she welcomed me

actually – he, I'm sorry. See, I've got this she thing.

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS:

All rise.

(Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor leaves the Chamber.

The Speaker returns to the Chair.)

MR.

SPEAKER:

Please be seated.

It's tradition that we usually ask the party leaders to

have some comments at the closing of a session, so I'm going to call on the hon.

the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR.

CROSBIE:

Mr.

Speaker, thank you kindly.

Her Honour mentioned tone in the House, and owing to

the slight degree of excitability I detected earlier today, I will strive to

give my remarks, as we approach the end of the fall 2020 sitting of the House, a

calming tone.

I'd like to, on behalf of my caucus, welcome the new

Premier and look forward to further debate led by his able leadership of the

government as time passes. On behalf of my caucus, I'd like to look back briefly

on what's transpired and also forward to what's to come.

First of all, I'd like to extend the gratitude of our

caucus to all those who worked hard to make this sitting possible. It's been an

unprecedented year with the COVID-19 pandemic raging all about us. It's not an

accident that this province has been spared the worst of the pandemic's ravages.

Although many have been affected, some tragically lost their lives; other

jurisdictions have fared far worse than ours. Through the all-party Committee,

that I had a hand in initiating, we provided our advice to the government on

ways to reduce our exposure and protect our people. Those measures have largely

worked.

People continue to protect themselves and their

families by self-isolating, wearing masks and physically distancing from one

another, despite the hardship this causes many families, especially our seniors

in long-term care homes and our rotational workers. Exposing our vulnerable

loved one unnecessarily to a potentially deadly virus would be reckless and

irresponsible and so we each do our part.

In this House we physically distance from one another

and we do it for reasons different than in older days when social distance was

measured in sword lengths. The public galleries are closed, although from force

of tradition the Speaker continues to recite: “Admit strangers.” We have managed

to function effectively and get the people's business done.

Let me thank the Table Officers, the House staff, staff

at Hansard, the Legislative Library and many others who have facilitated the

people's work in the House. Let me thank those who ensured the budget Estimates

Committees functioned effectively in this time of crisis. The procedures were

unprecedented but the work got done. We were able to hold the government to

account, which is our role as the Opposition.

Let me thank the staff in our own offices, just as the

other Members, I'm sure, will thank theirs. Much of the work MHAs do happens

behind the scenes. It simply would not be possible to juggle all those

responsibilities without the assistance of the professionals whose job it is to

ensure our work as Members is done as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Let me also thank the public for tuning in to watch the

proceedings. I'm constantly amazed when I run into people who say: I was

watching the House today. It's important to have the public spotlight on the

work we do because this is not just any workplace, this is the people's House.

The business we do here shapes the lives and the future of more than half a

million Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

I would thank the journalists who also hold our feet to

the fire. That's their job, their role, their obligation. They call it as they

see it. They put the facts before the people, and that kind of scrutiny is

absolutely vital in any healthy democracy.

I would thank, as well, all Members, all staff and all

hard-working public servants who are ready to go to work on a sitting day in

December in the interest of those hard-pressed financially with locked-in

pensions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS.

COFFIN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I think we are at the close of what is an absolutely

historic session of our House of Assembly. We have had a great many new and

interesting challenges and I think we have met those challenges head on and done

a fine job with that.

I'd like to say a formal congratulations to our new

Premier, and welcome to our House. As raucous as it can be, it is still quite

interesting and I feel as if we have gotten to know one another on new levels.

In fact, a little while ago I was reflecting on our sitting, and if I can be a

little bit metaphorical for a moment, it reminded me of nan's quilt. Nan's quilt

reaches from St. John's East - Quidi Vidi all the way up to Labrador West and

tucks us in and holds us snuggly. Nan's quilt is made up of 40 squares; each

square reflects our respective districts.

As I have listened and watched and saw all of the MHAs

perform here, I have a much better sense of what was in each of those squares

and how each of those squares represent our districts and the diverse work that

happens in our districts and the diverse individuals in our districts, but it's

all part of one large piece that keeps us warm and safe and comforted. We are in

a time when Newfoundlanders and Labradorians need that comfort and that

assurance, and the safety and security that when Nan tucked you in at night, you

knew you were in a very safe place and you were going to be okay, no matter what

was outside.

Mr. Speaker, we have been in the longest minority

government ever this province has seen. I think that speaks volumes to how well

we have co-operated and how well we respect one another and how dedicated we are

to making the right decisions to ensure that Newfoundland and Labrador is on the

right path. We are, however, also in one of the most critical social and

economic circumstances that this – perhaps the most critical economic and social

circumstances that this province has ever been.

Throughout the last year, we have addressed many of

those. There are still a great many things to address, if I could take a moment.

We have created virtual proceedings. Huge amounts of work have been done and now

we are prepared in the event that COVID again becomes prevalent in our society

that we can operate our House virtually. That is a really important move.

We had a historic opening. Immediately after COVID shut

down our House, we had 10 Members come in and do the business of the House with

the blessing of the other 30. I have, and eventually I will put this in a lovely

frame, signed Orders of the Day from then and I will cherish that for a very

long time. That was quite a special thing.

We have also done a number of other historic things. We

have amended an Interim Supply bill. Not everyone was happy about that, but I

think that was notable in that it was done and it was done for good reason. I

think we all realize the benefits associated with it.

We established a Select Committee on Democratic Reform.

This is a historic undertaking, as well, and a great deal of work has come about

as a result of that. I think that we can modernize our democracy here in

Newfoundland and Labrador by the contributions of everyone to that Committee.

Most recently we've seen a guaranteed basic income

Committee struck. I think this is innovative, it is progressive and I believe

that it will be a significant undertaking and will be to the great benefit of

everyone in our province. I look forward to that work beginning.

I want to thank the Member for St. John's Centre and

the Member for Labrador West for bringing forward many of these bills and

collaborating with that. I also want to point out that we have fought for labour

rights. We have fought for living wages. We have seen these debates come to the

House of Assembly and I think that they are in the forefront and they are very

important. I believe that we are going to see more work done on that and that,

too, will be a benefit to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. We've

addressed individual housing concerns but we still have a ways to go.

If I can take a moment, I want to acknowledge the

workers of this province and the outstanding service that they provided keeping

our shelves stocked, our roads safe and our families healthy and educated. Time

doesn't allow me to mention every worker, but they can be assured that their

commitment and dedication has not gone unnoticed.

I also want to thank, and I cannot thank enough, the

hard work of the staff of the House of Assembly. I do believe every day

something new happens, and it's very interesting to hear how they've raised

their work and they have addressed all of the challenges that they have faced

with impeccable professionalism and dedication to their jobs.

I also want to thank the staff from across the public

service and all of our political staff as well. All have gone above and beyond

to ensure that everything has worked efficiently and effectively in the past

year, and especially since COVID has become a new reality. Well done to everyone

indeed. I commend you and my caucus commends you for the outstanding work that

you do on our behalf and for the people of this province.

I would like to end with a quote from Nelson Mandela.

We have done a great deal, but I think he sums things up rather nicely. There's

still a lot to be done. He says: “… after climbing a great hill, one only finds

that there are many more hills to climb.” I look forward to us helping one

another climb those hills together.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Premier.

PREMIER FUREY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Forgive me; I've never seen this place so quiet.

Mr. Speaker, first and foremost, I would like to thank

the people of Humber - Gros Morne for electing me as their representative in

this Legislature.

It's been a busy session of robust discussion and

debate for Members of the House. The COVID-19 global pandemic has touched every

family, community and business in our province and, indeed, around the world. As

hon. Members of this House of Assembly, during the fall sitting we came together

to discuss legislation that supports the socio-economic well-being of all

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians as we collectively, as a group, face the global

pandemic and economic crisis.

In this climate, our government is investing hundreds

of millions of dollars to make our province the best possible place to live and

create new sustainable jobs for the futures of our families. Investments in such

things as child care, infrastructure and businesses all contribute to a better

quality of life and a stronger economy. In this session we've successfully

passed Budget 2020 and, Mr. Speaker,

may I add, the first budget for Newfoundland and Labrador during a global

pandemic. At its core it maintains the principles of ensuring every taxpayer's

dollar is closely scrutinized, accounted for and used prudently to its full

potential.

Some key actions in

Budget 2020 included $25-a-day child care in 20