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May 19,

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLVIII No. 31

The

House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Osborne):

Order, please!

Admit strangers.

Statements by

Members

MR. SPEAKER:

Today for Members'

statements we have the Members for the Districts of Exploits, Cartwright

L'Anse au Clair, Labrador West, Burin Grand Bank and Terra Nova.

The

hon. the Member for the District of Exploits.

MR. DEAN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

rise today in this hon. House to congratulate the Salvation Army Peterview

Corps for 105 years of good works in the community.

had the pleasure of celebrating this significant milestone with the

Peterview faith community on April 23. The event featured an evening of

song, prayer and good food, with representation from the Peterview town

leadership and the fire department.

The

Salvation Army has long been a pillar of community support and fellowship in

our province. They have an extensive history of ministry,

community-building, and charitable works and a tradition of helping the

needy that goes back over a century.

was deeply honoured to take

part in the celebration, and I wish the

Salvation Army Peterview Corps many more years of faith, fellowship and good

works.

ask all hon. Members to join with me in congratulating the Salvation Army

Peterview Corps for 105 years in the community.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

the District of Cartwright L'Anse au Clair.

MS. DEMPSTER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

rise today to recognize an aspiring young lady who has demonstrated keen

entrepreneurial capabilities from a very young age. Hailey Turnbull of

Charlottetown made her first quilt at 11. In the three years since, she has

been painting shells, making Christmas decorations, designing bracelets,

necklaces, keychains and much more.

Hailey sold her hand-crafted items at the local flea markets, and then after

a positive response she took it a step further setting up a Facebook page

called Hailey's Little Treasures to sell her products. Since then, she has

shipped all over Canada, as far away as British Columbia.

Hailey is the sole proprietor of her business venture, and she administers

all of its finances. From ordering to managing receivables and payables,

Hailey has a strong knowledge of business operations, and she excels in it.

She

also excels in school, partaking in sports and volunteering in the

community. She has doggedly pursued her ambitions at becoming a marine

biologist, with a wall in her bedroom devoted solely to this journey.

ask all hon. Members to join me in applauding Hailey on her drive as a

budding, young, independent entrepreneur, and to wish her much success as

she pursues her dreams.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

the District of Labrador West.

MR. LETTO:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Last

evening, the Town of Labrador City held their annual Volunteer Awards

Appreciation Evening to thank all the volunteers in the community. The

awards are designed to honour the citizens of Labrador City who have made

outstanding contributions to the community through their involvement in the

areas of sport, recreation, leisure and volunteerism during a calendar year.

The

most prestigious of those awards is the Town of Labrador City Builders

Award. There were two recipients last evening. Heather Bartlett, who has

contributed 25 years to softball and minor hockey, and Kay Wall who has been

a major force in building the youth centre and promoting youth activities.

Congratulations to both of those most deserving recipients.

Volunteers are the life blood of any community and nowhere is that more

evident than at the Smokey Mountain Ski club. I would also like to recognize

members of the Canadian Ski Patrol who were recognized for their many hours

of service: Beverly Flynn, Chris Janes, Sean Harkins, Jim Jewer and Cory

Walsh. Al Cooper was awarded the highest honour, the Division Executive

Award for his 27 years of service.

ask all hon. Members to join me in congratulating and thanking all

volunteers for their contributions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

the District of Burin Grand Bank.

MS. HALEY:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today

to recognize the staff and volunteers of the Burin Peninsula Health Care

Foundation. The foundation often partners with other organizations and

businesses in the area to raise funds to enhance health care services on the

Burin Peninsula.

This

past weekend the annual Kin and Friends Radiothon was held in support of the

foundation. Despite a power outage that delayed the airing of the event for

more than an hour, Mr. Speaker, the Radiothon brought in more than $106,000.

Proceeds from this year's fundraiser will go towards upgrades to the

chemotherapy unit at the Burin Peninsula Health Care Centre and other health

care projects on the Burin Peninsula.

Mr.

Speaker, I ask all Members to join me in thanking chairperson, Jerry Pike,

and all members of the board of the Burin Peninsula Health Care Foundation:

Stephen Baker, Dave Brenton, Shirley Coady, Fred Dodge, Edgar Fancey,

Loretta Lewis and Rita McCarthy, for their tireless commitment to helping

health care institutions to better carry out their mandate to provide

quality health care to our residents.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

the District of Terra Nova.

MR. HOLLOWAY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to rise in this hon. House to recognize

an outstanding group of young people and volunteers in my district.

The

Air Cadet League of Canada, formed in 1941, is celebrating 75 years of

encouraging the development of civic minded youth to undertake leadership

roles through enrichment activities such as effective speaking and music,

community volunteering, in addition to academic awards and scholarships.

May 14, I had the distinct honour to attend as a Reviewing Officer at the

Annual Inspection Ceremony of the Royal Canadian Air Cadet 567 Random

Squadron. Mr. Speaker, the squadron is celebrating its 63rd anniversary this

year.

During the event, I witnessed the marching coordination of 29 youth and

their extensive knowledge in emergency first aid. I was particularly pleased

to participate in the annual awards of achievement: the Commanding Officer's

Cup for outstanding cadet was awarded to Warrant Officer Gordon Cooper; the

Royal Canadian Legion Medal of Excellence for volunteer leadership was

awarded to Sgt. Cassidy Pardy; and, the Lord Strathcona Medal for excellence

in physical fitness and leadership was awarded to First Sgt. David Drodge.

ask all hon. Members to join me in congratulating the members of Royal

Canadian Air Cadet 567 Random and the accomplishments of all recipients

recognized at this event.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

The Commemoration

of the First World War and the Battle of Beaumont-Hamel

MR. SPEAKER:

For Honour 100 today, we

have the Member for the District of Mount Scio.

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, I will now

read into the record the following 40 names of those who lost their lives in

the First World War in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, the Royal

Newfoundland Naval Reserve, the Newfoundland Mercantile Marine, or the

Newfoundland Forestry Corps. This will be followed by a moment of silence.

Lest

we forget: Stewart Pinsent, Archibald J. Pitcher, Charles Pitcher, Corbett

Pitcher, Walter Pitcher, Richard Pitman, Percy William Pitt, Abel Pittman,

Arthur Henry Pittman, James Warren Pittman, William Pollard, Robert Pope,

Archibald Harold Porter, Henry Porter, Josiah Porter, Robert Branfitt

Porter, Garland Powell, Francis Power, James M. Power, James Matthew Power,

John Power, John Joseph Power, Nicholas J. Power, Patrick Power, William

Joseph Power, Edward Pretty, Edward Pretty, John Pretty, Frederick Joseph

Price, Harold Heber Prince, William Patrick Prowse, William Puddicombe,

Edward Pye, Jack Pynn, Michael Joseph Quigley, Albert Edward Quinton,

Augustus Quinton, Cecil Ralph, Charles Ralph, Frederick Randall.

(Moment of silence.)

MR. SPEAKER:

Please be seated.

Statements by Ministers.

Statements by

Ministers

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Health and Community Services.

MR. HAGGIE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'm

very pleased to rise in this hon. House today to announce a new safe

prescribing course being developed for health professionals in Newfoundland

and Labrador.

The

abuse and misuse of prescription drugs have become significant issues both

in our province and across all of Canada. As a government, we have opted to

take concrete actions to address these issues here at home, and this

initiative represents one of those actions.

The

new training tool comes at the recommendations of Newfoundland and

Labrador's multi-stakeholder advisory Committee on the Abuse of Prescription

Medications. It identified increased education as a keystone for reducing

inappropriate prescribing of certain targeted medications namely opioids,

stimulants and benzodiazepines. These three drug types are the most commonly

abused and misused prescription medications in Canada.

The

new course had been developed in partnership with Memorial University's

Facility of Medicine and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of

Newfoundland and Labrador. It's expected to launch in January.

will be mandatory for all new physicians seeking a licence in the province,

and will also be available to the health care provider groups who prescribe

these medications, such as nurse practitioners, dentists and pharmacists.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

thank the hon. minister for a copy of his statement today. I would like to,

first of all, thank Memorial University Facility of Medicine and the College

of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as the

hard-working staff in the Department of Health and Community Services for

their efforts in designing this new safe prescription course. I'm glad to

hear this will be available for new and experienced health care

professionals in our province.

However, Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to talk about the

Newfoundland and Labrador Prescription Drug Program which, through this

year's budget, we've seen a reduction of $7.5 million. We've seen a

reduction in over-the-counter drugs and diabetic strips, the adult dental

program, all impacting people in Newfoundland and Labrador. If you think

about mental health, the reduction in policing, access to courts and

services and health funding will all have negative impacts, Mr. Speaker.

hope this goes some way to help people of the province, but these cuts are

not going to help those who are dealing with drug additions today.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

too thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement. I am pleased

to hear about the safe prescribing course being developed by the faculty and

the college and by the department as well. It is a step towards prevention

and all who prescribe drugs should get this training.

Given that our prescription medication abuse is a problem right now in the

province, I would have liked if the department could have found a way to

make the course mandatory for all physicians who are here if it's a

problem now, they are part of that problem and for others who prescribe.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Transportation and Works.

MR. HAWKINS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, May 17-23 marks the National Road Safety Week throughout the

country.

Whether you are a new driver or someone with a licence for many years,

safety risk are ever present on our roadways.

we approach the May long weekend when many residents will be travelling

throughout the province, I want to offer some timely advice on how motorists

can stay safe.

Before beginning a long drive, always get enough sleep and eat something

before you start. Pull over and take breaks every couple of hours, even if

you don't feel sleepy. Grab a snack, get some fresh air and stretch your

legs by walking around. If you can, share the driving responsibilities with

someone else.

you have to pull over for any reason, move your vehicle off the road. Never

drink any alcohol before your trip. Always monitor the weather forecast in

the event of a storm or heavy rain.

Before setting off on a long car trip, ensure that your vehicle is in good

working condition ensure that the tires are properly inflated, all fluids

are at their proper levels and you have sufficient fuel.

Make

sure everyone in the car buckles his or her seatbelt. Drive according to

road conditions and always be aware of your surroundings. Keep a keen eye

for moose and other wildlife. Most importantly, reduce your speed.

Road

safety is everyone's responsibility. This National Road Safety Week, I

encourage all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to take an extra minute to

think about safety on our roads and highways and to adjust their own driving

habits so they arrive at their destination safely.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

want to thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement as well.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Official Opposition, I would like to recognize

May 17-23 as National Road Safety Week in our country. The title of this

week, sponsored by the Canadian Safety Council, is Reduce the Strain on Your

Muscles.

The

Canadian Safety Council encourages all to be mindful of our driving posture

and strain while sitting in the same position, while driving a long period

of time, can have on our bodies.

Mr.

Speaker, I'd also like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe long

weekend, as this is the unofficial first weekend of summer. I encourage

everyone to play safe, drive safe.

Before setting out this weekend, ensure your vehicle is in good working

condition, and that you, as a driver, are also in optimal driving condition.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

too thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement. There's no

doubt that these are important safety tips, but I'm going to add to what the

minister said, because I'm surprised he didn't include the move over

legislation in his message.

we're on a highway and see road crews or emergency vehicles pulled over,

slow down and give them a wide berth. Move over legislation needs stronger

enforcement in the province. We're hearing on the news some danger points

that have been happening. People are ignoring the law, putting themselves

and others in danger. No one should be hurt or killed while trying to do

their job, and no driver should be killed either for just driving.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Oral Questions.

Oral Questions

MR. SPEAKER:

The Leader of the

Opposition.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, here in the House yesterday we witnessed the Premier and his team

of leaders trying to pull a fast one. The amendment introduced by the

Minister of Education on the private Member's motion was the height of

arrogance, designed only to keep the Liberal caucus in line, and we've seen

where that got him.

So I

ask the Premier: Is it your plan to continue to hijack private Members'

motions to keep your caucus in line?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, as you know, in this House of Assembly and as you go through you

debate certain pieces of legislation or a private Member's resolution, as we

seen yesterday, it is not at all unusual to see parties and Members that

would actually offer amendments.

think what the Member opposite and the Leader of the Opposition is missing

that those amendments actually go through a due process that happens here in

this House of Assembly. I'm a little surprised today by the comments that

have been made by the Leader of the Opposition, that he would question what

happened here yesterday.

It's

a very common occurrence that we see in debate, as we've seen with the

Independent Appointments Commission. Often there are amendments that are put

in place, they're received, they're debated, no different than what we saw

here yesterday in the private Member's resolution. There was no intention

here to hijack, which led to healthy debate here in this House of Assembly

yesterday. So this is something that I anticipate we'll see into the future.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

think that was a yes.

Mr.

Speaker, there's been more confusion between the Premier and his Finance

Minister. The Finance Minister has stated that the $30 million slush fund

would be used for emergency situations. Now the Premier has said it was

going to be used to leverage other funds. So, Mr. Speaker, we're not sure

who's in charge there right now.

ask the Premier: With no clear plan for the $30 million slush fund, will you

now use some of this slush fund to reverse some of the terrible decisions

that you have made in your budget?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, the $30

million amount that's in the contingency fund is clearly for contingency.

The $20 million that is in the budget related to leveraging the federal

infrastructure programs is exactly for that.

I'd

ask the Member opposite: Is he suggesting that we continue to borrow money

that we don't know if we need spend to put into programs? Is he still

maintaining his position that the province should spend more than it takes

in, Mr. Speaker?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

that seems to be different from what the Premier said yesterday. Is it a $30

million slush fund or the $20 million? Maybe they have a $50 million slush

fund, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, Liberal MHAs have been placed in a terrible predicament with this

budget. The Premier has access to a $30 million slush fund, which could be

used to reverse some of the terrible decisions that are impacting people

throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

So I

ask the Premier: Will you consider reversing the Liberal levy, placing a cap

on gas tax, or reversing the closure of libraries? Will you reconsider some

of the choices you've made in this budget?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well

there's no doubt that Budget 2016-2017 was a difficult budget based on

information and the place that this province is actually in as a result of

the prior administration's mismanagement and poor planning. Do you know what

we see currently? No matter what the fund is in this particular government,

most of that right now is being borrowed.

think the Member opposite has kind of lost sight that even with this budget

and the measures that have been taken, there is still a $1.8 billion deficit

in this province today. This is actually borne by Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians. These are very extremely difficult times.

the Member opposite mentioned about the temporary reduction levy, that is

indeed temporary. We look forward to a day when the position of this

province is in better shape and we have access to make lives of

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians much easier, and we will do that because we

are concerned about the future of our province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The

Premier talks about the tough, difficult decisions they had to make, yet

they put a $30 million flush fund aside to use how they see fit instead of

reversing some of the decisions that are having significant impacts on the

people of our province.

They

may not reconsider some of their decisions. I think the people are

reconsidering their choice, who they elected in their Liberal government and

the Premier they elected last year. We know the Premier last year, during

the election campaign, made several promises. One was a commitment to invest

$8 million in economic diversification to turn that into $78 million this

year.

Premier: Where's that money budgeted, and will people see that $78 million

return this year?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, the

Member opposite continues to use language like slush fund, and I would beg

to differ with his choice of language. The $30 million contingency fund as

I have explained in Estimates, as I have explained in this House of Assembly

is particularly for contingencies, emergencies.

we have a forest fire that costs the province in excess of what is already

budgeted inside Fire and Emergency Services, that's what the contingency

fund is for. We will come back into the House and table those expenditures

in this House.

For

the Member opposite to insinuate that this is a slush fund for political

purposes is disingenuous and it's not reflecting the accuracy of what has

been presented in this House, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, I don't remember saying it was going to be used for political

purposes, but I thank the Minister of Finance for letting us in on that

secret. Mr. Speaker, now we're starting to hear something. Now we're

starting to hear a little bit more.

Now

I'll ask the Premier again, because he didn't know what the slush fund was

for. I'll ask him again. He committed to invest $8 million in economic

diversification to create a $78 million return. Now I just asked, but the

Minister of Finance got up. Maybe she's upset because I asked that question.

I'll

ask the Premier again: Have you budgeted the $8 million? Will you return the

$78 million? Where is that money budgeted?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, throughout the budget there are many opportunities to actually help

diversify the economy in Newfoundland and Labrador. Obviously, that would be

foreign language to what we seen from the Leader of the Opposition because

that is not something they were able to do in 12 years with $25 billion.

Indeed, what they did is they structured an economy, they structured a

province today, Mr. Speaker, that requires $148 a barrel knowing that

production would fall off. They had an opportunity to create economic

diversification in this province. They refused to do it. They ignored it,

and here we are left with the situation that we are in today.

is our intention with the group we have here, that I have here standing with

the government, to help diversify this economy. It's what it's all about. We

cannot continue to put all our eggs in one basket, that is the oil basket

which is what the previous administration did.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

That's another great campaign speech from the Premier we hear today.

The

question was very simple, Premier: Have you invested the $8 million? Where

is it in the budget, and when are we going to see your $78 million return? A

simple question.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

you know, economic diversification doesn't happen in five or six months I

would say, Mr. Speaker. This crowd knows all too well that they could not do

it in 12 years. There are many opportunities and we are working with groups

in our province right now in the agriculture industry, in the forestry

industry, within the fishing industry, leveraging that with our federal

colleagues, putting in place an environment where you can actually have a

chance to be successful. This was ignored.

All

they did was depend on oil revenue, waited for production, did nothing to

secure the future of our province except for put it on their kids' credit

cards.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It's

three times I asked and three times he never answered the question. It's

obvious the Premier is focused on the past. The people of the province are

focused on the future and they're looking for answers from this government,

Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. P. DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker, it's another

commitment broken. That's what it is. The Premier campaigned on listening.

The truth is they're not listening at all. They've chosen to ignore the

outcries from the public. They decided to ignore the outcries from their own

caucus on how this budget directly impacts the people of our province.

I'll

ask the Premier: Will you listen? Will you finally put people first? Revisit

some of these host of taxes and fee increases that are going to drive many

people into poverty.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

First and foremost, we are focused on people in Newfoundland and Labrador.

We are focused on all generations in Newfoundland and Labrador. We

understand the difficult decisions that had to be made. They are not always

popular political decisions, which is what the Members opposite decided

that's the route they would want to take.

have sat here or we've been in this House of Assembly for weeks and weeks

now debating the budget, but not once have I heard from the Members opposite

a solution. They continue to come back and say change nothing. Change

nothing means this: You are prepared to double our debt in just five years

to go to $2.7 billion.

that how you would measure success, I would say to the Members opposite, Mr.

Speaker? Is success continuing to borrow for the next generation to pay for

the benefits that you want to receive today?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The

Premier campaigned on attracting business, providing incentives for young

families and businesses to put down roots in our province. He pretty much

said he's going to do everything for everybody in the campaign is what he

said, Mr. Speaker. The budget has done the opposite of that.

Premier, tell us: How much revenue will be generated for the government this

year on your diversification plan?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As I

said, economic diversification takes an incredible amount of time to get

done. It doesn't happen in five months, I'm sure, or six months. If that

could have happened, I would have assumed the Members opposite would have

been able to have some success with that.

are having great conversations with small- and medium-sized business, some

large businesses that are interested in doing work in Newfoundland and

Labrador. First and foremost, before you can get any success any success

you create jobs for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, you have to get your

fiscal house in order.

The

Members opposite seem to want to ignore the fact that what they want to do

is just go out and to continue to borrow and borrow. Borrowing and borrowing

does not necessarily mean that success will be had. It's quite the opposite

I say, Mr. Speaker.

will work with our young people. We will work with the business community.

We will work with communities in all Newfoundland and Labrador to make sure

our future is sustainable.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'd

suggest the Premier has already done that. They did their LEAP. They

travelled the province. Their captains of industry went around. They did

their on-board tour. I don't think there is very many people in the province

on board today, mind you, Mr. Speaker.

Very

simply, he's talked about diversification and investment. He made a

commitment in all the things they've said to create $78 million this

year on an $8 million investment.

It's

very simple, Premier: What's the number? How much will you generate in new

revenue from diversification this year?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

call tell the Member opposite when those plans were put in place, it was

based on information he was giving to us. The information he gave to people

in Newfoundland and Labrador, forecasting a $1.1 billion deficit in our

province which turned out to be $2.7 billion this year.

The

Member opposite had that information in October of 2015. Had it before that,

I would suggest, if he had been doing the job he said he was going to do. He

kept the information from Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. He kept the

information from us. Then he's expecting this group here to come in and in

just five or six months, to clean up the mess they created, which they did

not even share with us prior to the election, did not share with people

during the campaign.

It's

shameful where he's going with this message today, I say, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The

campaign continues and the history lessons continue, but as I said the

people of the province are focused on the future and they want answers.

Public servants are looking for answers as well because we're contacted by

public servants every single day.

Now,

the Members opposite campaigned on no job cuts. When the reality is we know

hundreds have already lost their jobs. The likelihood is there may be many

more coming in the fall.

ask you Premier: When will you inform public servants what they can expect

for long-term employment with the province? How many jobs are you going to

cut this fall?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, the Member opposite quite often today in this Question Period talks

about focusing on the future. Well, it's too bad he didn't take lessons from

his own misgivings in our province because he wasn't concerned about the

future at all. He wasn't concerned about the future, only his political

future. That's the reason why he didn't share information with people in

Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr.

Speaker, when it comes to our public sector workers, we value the great work

they do in providing critical services. We've committed to entering into a

good-faith bargaining. That is exactly what it will be.

the Member opposite suggesting what we should do is have this to be a public

negotiation? Is that what he thinks would be fair and indeed good faith?

will answer into good-faith bargaining with our organizations. We look

forward to that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, part of their good-faith bargaining, government has admitted they've

hired an external crisis communications manager.

ask the Premier: How much have taxpayers paid to date for your highly paid

spin doctor?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, the

Member opposite is not accurate. We have hired, through the Department of

Justice, the firm of McInnes Cooper, who have brought with them the services

that they feel are appropriate to support the incredibly talented

individuals that will be representing government as part of collective

bargaining.

For

the Member opposite to suggest that government made a direct hire is

factually inaccurate, and the Member opposite continues to muddy the waters

by not talking about the facts. Maybe it's time for him to start being

honest, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of

the Opposition.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Anyway, I'll move on from that one for this movement.

Mr.

Speaker, the minister just said they've hired McInnes Cooper, who has hired

a communications consultant.

I'll ask a question, and I'll be honest and truthful: How much have you paid

McInnes Cooper to pay your highly priced spin doctor?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, I

appreciate that the Member opposite finally has accurately reflected what

has been said in this House on numerous occasions, and I thank him for his

honesty this afternoon.

Mr.

Speaker, the collective bargaining process, as it unfolds over the next

number of months, will include a number of talented individuals, including

our very valuable public sector negotiators and members of the Human

Resource Secretariat. And as the collective bargaining process unfolds and

as we bargain in good faith, the costs that may be associated, that will be

determined.

this stage I'm sure the Member opposite can appreciate that we haven't sat

at the tables and the costs will be determined after we get at the tables.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Mr. Speaker, so the

Minister of Finance won't supply us with that information.

Mr.

voice its strong opposition to the government's proposed closure of

libraries. They said it is their responsibility to speak up when elected

representatives make a short-sighted decision that will deprive the people

of Newfoundland and Labrador of extremely important social, cultural and

educational services.

Does

the minister think his professor colleagues' concerns are just nonsense?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Education and Early Childhood Development.

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, we take

everyone's advice and feedback and criticism. We take it under advisement

and we welcome people to give feedback. Unlike the previous administration,

I'm not putting my thumb down on teachers and telling them to clam up. I've

been encouraging everyone to give feedback to us.

The

provincial libraries board made a decision to move to a regional model. They

made that decision based on a number of factors, including library usage,

population and ability to support a regional model. Unlike the previous

administration, we're not going to have a library system that's 50 per cent

underfunded in comparison to other jurisdictions in Canada. That's criminal

in my opinion.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Mr. Speaker, my

understanding from the libraries board is that you just dismissed their

input and the advice that they've given.

Many

are surprised how quickly your conviction has changed since becoming

Minister of Education in the Liberal government. Many ask is this a case

where the minister has traded principle for promotion.

Can

the minister clarify for the people of the province?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Education.

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, the fact of

the matter is that the public Treasury was raided; the previous

administration thought that we could borrow our way to prosperity, and we

most certainly can't. We were facing a $2.7 billion deficit that we were

misinformed about. The previous administration had a number that was about

one-third of that.

We've had to make difficult decisions one that, otherwise, we would have

chosen not to make. But the cold, hard facts are that the previous

administration thought they could borrow this province's way to prosperity,

and that's simply not the way it works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

So your government's

process and principles on educations is about making it regressive, making

it non-inclusive and being detrimental to learning? Great principles for

education.

Helen Fogwill Porter, writer and recipient of the Order of Canada, says she

can't believe that the Minister of Education would cut libraries to save

such a pitiful, small amount of money.

ask the minister: While you're constantly saying people's concerns are

nonsense, would you not agree that Ms. Fogwill's concerns are legitimate?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Education .

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, the amount

of money that is going to be saved as a result of this decision is

approximately $2.8 million. Almost $700,000 of that is going to be

reinvested into the regional libraries model.

know that the Member opposite and his colleagues think that $2.8 million is

a small amount of money. For them, that's the way they operate; that's the

way they view the world. Millions of dollars is just a negligible amount of

money. That's how they managed to dig such a deep hole that we're trying to

dig our province out of today. It's that mentality that created this

problem.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.

MS. PERRY:

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I

asked a question about funding for inclusion grants to the Minister

Responsible for the Status of Persons with Disabilities, for which the

Education Minister gave us a non-answer.

ask the minister again today: These are the people you used to advocate for;

these are the people that you represent today. Which groups are going to be

affected by the cuts you've made to inclusion grants?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Child, Youth and Family Services.

MS. GAMBIN-WALSH:

Mr. Speaker, we are

committed to working with persons with disabilities. We are committed to

working with the experts who are the persons with disabilities. Right now we

are working with the Coalition of Persons with Disabilities, we are working

with the Association for Community Living, and this is where the grant money

is being spent.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.

MS. PERRY:

Mr. Speaker, we strongly

feel the people deserve to know.

Can

you please tell us which groups will be affected by these cuts?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Child, Youth and Family Services.

MS. GAMBIN-WALSH:

Mr. Speaker, these

grants are an ongoing process. The community groups apply to us to do

initiatives that meet our action plan, and we address them, on an ongoing

basis.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.

MS. PERRY:

Mr. Speaker, yesterday

the minister stated that funding for certain groups was being reviewed.

So I

ask the Minister of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development: What criteria

will seniors' groups need to meet in order to obtain their funding, and when

will you let them know?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Child, Youth and Family Services.

MS. GAMBIN-WALSH:

Again, Mr. Speaker,

that is a system we are committed to developing and we are reviewing and

evaluating. It will be done over the course of this fiscal year.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Cape St. Francis.

MR. K. PARSONS:

I guess we got no

answer there again, Mr. Speaker.

The

Mayor of Bay de Verde says it was ridiculous that the Minister of Municipal

Affairs could say that his town didn't ask for government assistance. The

mayor says a lot of people will see their income cut by 50 per cent.

ask the minister: Government has a $30 million slush fund; will government

use this to help the workers?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Municipal Affairs.

MR. JOYCE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Once

again, I think it's kind of sad that the Member would use such a tragedy in

Bay de Verde for political purposes. Not once did that Member come over and

ask me what's happening in Bay de Verde. Not once did he come over and say

what programs are available, yet we hear him stand in this House of

Assembly, for a second day now, asking questions.

met with the mayor. Myself, the Premier and the Minister of Fisheries met

with the mayor. What the mayor said at the meeting, in front of about 15

people, he asked for a Guaranteed Income Supplement and he said I know

there's no such program.

offered programs after the fishing season if there is any the Community

Enhancement Program. We offered several other programs. We offered them

through the Department of Advanced Education and Skills, Mr. Speaker. To

this date, I did not receive one response from the mayor. We are there for

the people of Bay de Verde.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Cape St. Francis.

MR. K. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, I don't

know who's telling the truth. It's either the mayor or the minister. One of

them has to get their story straight, I suppose.

Monday, the Minister of Municipal Affairs said: We're helping. We're

working with Quinlans, Mr. Speaker. We're committed to Quinlans. We offered

assistance.

ask the minister: When are you going to offer assistance to the workers?

Quinlans has insurance.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Municipal Affairs.

MR. JOYCE:

Mr. Speaker, I find it

kind of offensive that you stand up and say that we're not here for the

workers. We went out and we met with the workers. We offered any assistance

to the Town of Bay de Verde and the surrounding areas. We are helping

Quinlans because that's what the town and the mayor asked us to do.

will be there for the people of Bay de Verde and the surrounding area. We

would offer any assistance that we already did to the mayor.

this date, Mr. Speaker, there has been no request, except the Guaranteed

Income Supplement which the mayor stated himself. If you think I'm wrong,

ask the other 10 to 12 people who were at the meeting. He said: I know

there's no such program.

ask the Member opposite, name once that you offered any assistance to come

over and meet and say what can we do for the people of Bay de Verde. Not

once.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Cape St. Francis, for a very quick question.

MR. K. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, I don't

know if the minister wants me to do his job, but it's his job to communicate

with the town.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. K. PARSONS:

The mayor of that

town is a volunteer that does hard work for his people and stands up and

speaks for his people. I hope the minister will listen

MR. SPEAKER:

I ask the Member to get

to his question.

MR. K. PARSONS:

Minister, when are

you going to go out and talk and help the people of this area?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The Minister of Municipal

Affairs, for a quick answer.

MR. JOYCE:

Mr. Speaker, I don't ask

him to do my job, but I ask him: Will he stop playing politics with the

tragedy that happened in Bay de Verde. That's what I would ask.

Mr.

Speaker, I offered the mayor and town council any time they want a meeting,

just contact us. I'll even tell you what I'll do. If you want to come along

to the meeting, you come along so you can help out.

Instead of standing and making politics, come and help the people of Bay de

Verde. Stop playing politics with (inaudible).

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

From

increasing class-size caps to turning Intensive Core French into a lottery,

the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development has laid immense

pressure on the shoulders of school administrators who have to make the

changes work and take responsibility for accountability for those decisions.

ask the Premier: What direct consultations were held with school

administrators prior to Budget 2016

to see how they could deal with these new restrictions?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Education and Early Childhood Development.

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, one of the

first things I did when I was appointed to Cabinet was I met with the

bargaining agent for all of the teachers and school administrators in the

province. I asked the NLTA to help us to find solutions to the problem we're

facing, to try to find efficiencies in the education system.

The

NLTA provided a submission that I had costed, that involved hiring some 600

new teachers to the tune of about $50 million and increasing taxes way, far

beyond what has been done in this budget. So I did consult. I wasn't able to

move forward with the advice I was given because increasing the budget by

$50 million is not finding efficiencies.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

it seems that listening to their 500,000 advisors means nothing.

The

NLTA heard everything for the first time on budget day. All of these changes

that are in there, first time on budget day. They had no idea what was

happening.

ask the Premier, if he can inform us of the analysis that was done to

determine what impact those decisions would have on school administrators,

teachers, students and parents?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Education and Early Childhood Development.

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, everyone

will remember that in January all departments of government, agencies,

boards and commissions funded by government were asked to try to find

savings in all of their budgets.

The

detailed proposals to the Government Renewal Initiative process. Those

detailed proposals included everything from anticipated feedback from

teachers or parents, impact on student achievement, if there would be any.

based our decisions on empirical evidence and best practices in other

jurisdictions in Canada. I'm proud to say that I believe these decisions are

going to work for our students and there will be no impact on student

achievement.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Mr. Speaker, the Minister

Responsible for the Status of Women said she had the Women's Policy Office

apply a gender analysis to Bill 1,

An Act to Establish an Independent

Appointments Commission.

Will

she tell us what the recommendations were of that analysis?

MR. SPEAKER:

The Minister Responsible

for the Status of Women.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, I'm one

of the Members of this House, and certainly I'm flanked by my many Members

of this House that are extremely proud of Bill 1, this government's first

bill.

From

the perspective of my accountability and responsibility as the minister

responsible for Women's Policy Office, we were engaged in the discussions,

the formation of the bill. We had lengthy discussions about how to not only

ensure that the bill provided the merit-based identification that we wanted,

but also how we could, when we operationalize the bill, we could ensure that

we had very much a focus on ensuring that boards, agencies and commissions

reflect the community, including a gender representation. I look forward to

executing that plan, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Mr. Speaker, the minister

also told us she had the Women's Policy Office apply a gender lens to her

budget to assess how her budget will affect women.

Will

she tell us some of the recommendations of that analysis? Was a specific

gender analysis done on the budget by the Women's Policy Office?

MR. SPEAKER:

The Minister Responsible

for the Status of Women.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, the

budget process and all of the things that we looked at as part of the

Government Renewal Initiative all of those things went through the normal

policy process that government undertakes, which includes the role that the

Women's Policy Office plays in doing analysis around policy changes that may

have been reflected in the budget.

As a

matter of fact, one of the things I've spoken about in this House in the

past is that the Newfoundland Income Supplement was driven from our

recognition that the budget was going to have an impact on low-income

seniors, particularly which there's a large representation of women in that

group. We felt very strongly about doing something to offset that, Mr.

Speaker.

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.

Notices of Motion

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government

House Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Yes, thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

Pursuant to Standing Order 11, I give notice that the House do not adjourn

at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 24.

Further, I give notice pursuant to Standing Order 11, that this House do not

adjourn at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, May 24.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further notices of

motion?

Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents humbly

sheweth:

WHEREAS the government has once again cut the libraries budget, forcing the

closure of 54 libraries; and

WHEREAS libraries are often the backbone of their communities, especially

for those with little access to government services where they offer

learning opportunities and computer access; and

WHEREAS libraries and librarians are critical in efforts to improve the

province's literary levels which are among the lowest in Canada; and

WHEREAS already strapped municipalities are not in a position to take over

the operation and cost of libraries;

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

House of Assembly to urge government to keep these libraries open and work

on a long-term plan to strengthen the library system.

And

as in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, again, these petitions are flowing into our office. There are

hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of signatures. People are angry. People

want their libraries. Not because people feel they're living in a utopia,

not because people have felt that they are entitled, which the Members of

government have said time and again in this House, but because they know the

important role that libraries play in their community, for their young

people, for their parents, for their senior citizens, for the health and the

wellbeing of the community.

find it very interesting, Mr. Speaker, that today the Minister responsible

for Education said that $2.7 million was cut from libraries and $780,000

will be reinvested. He said the libraries had to be cut because they were so

grossly underfunded. So he's going to consolidate and he's going to put

money back into the library systems to make the libraries that will continue

to be better funded.

Well, Mr. Speaker, the money is gone. The money is gone. From $2.7 million,

all that is being reinvested, all the minister said is being reinvested

right now is $780,000 to be reinvested. That's only 30 per cent of the money

that he is taking away from rural communities all over the province. That's

not a reinvestment. Does he think that people can't add? He's taking away

$2.7 million from rural communities and then only giving back $780,000.

That's not a reinvestment. That's pocket change compared to what he's taking

away from the people of rural Newfoundland.

makes no economic sense if he's saying that what they are going to do is

bolster up the existing libraries when he has already said they are so

grossly underfunded. If they are so grossly underfunded, why does he not

take the money that he has taken from those libraries and reinvest it into

the others? No, Mr. Speaker, this is pocket change compared to what he's

taking away from rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS. ROGERS:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition

House Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

I'm

glad today to rise and put this petition before the House.

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of

Newfoundland and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS changes to bus routes will impact start up time at St. Bernard's

Elementary and Mobile Central High; and

WHEREAS these changes were put in place with no consultation with school

councils or parents; and

WHEREAS this will cause issues for parents, after-school programs and

students;

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

School District to reverse the decision regarding busing and start time for

these two schools.

And

as in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, I had an opportunity last night to meet with residents of the area,

from Bay Bulls to Bauline, to look at this budget and the repercussions of

some of the choices that have been made in regard to our children from the

very youngest, from K to grade 12, and for the two schools we have in Mobile

from seven to 12 and the K to six in St. Bernard's. There's been a lot of

outcry in terms of how this was done, the repercussions of it for our

families and for our children in regard to start times for our very

youngest.

think we're going to look at times of 7 o'clock and shortly after of young

children waiting at stops for bus pickups, which is very serious in terms of

our very youngest. As well, changes in regard to earlier dates that, as a

result of the reduction in buses, are going to be resulting in pickups where

we have families with kids that the older sibling may take care of the

younger.

People commute for work and for their profession. Right now they're able to

access, because of the

schedule now, after-school care. I know in Bay Bulls

there are after-school programs and in Witless Bay. All of those kids now,

their schedules and after-school help whether that's involved with

academics or schooling or for sports all of that is now in place.

this totally disrupts that pattern for students and for families. It really

needs to be addressed in terms of why it was done. The parents I met with

last night were unclear in terms of what the return was for this and how

it's so disruptive for our children. We know a day that gives children time

to access what they need to access in the run of that day is important.

That's strictly tied to busing and their trip to school and back from

school.

I'm

certainly delighted to be able to present this on behalf of the constituents

in that region. I call on government to address this and address it

immediately.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents humbly

sheweth:

WHEREAS the Deficit Reduction Levy is an extremely regressive surtax placing

a higher tax burden on low- and middle-income taxpayers; and

WHEREAS surtaxes are typically levied on the highest income earners only as

currently demonstrated in other province, as well as Australia, Norway and

other countries; and

WHEREAS government states in the 2016 provincial budget that the personal

income tax

schedule needs to be revised and promises to do so;

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

House of Assembly to urge government to ensure that the Deficit Reduction

Levy be eliminated and any replacement measure be based on progressive

taxation principles, and that an independent review of the Newfoundland and

Labrador provincial income system begin immediately to make it fairer to

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

And

as in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, again, this petition coming to the floor and I'd like to point

out that a large part of the petition says that the House of Assembly urge

government to ensure that the Deficit Reduction Levy be eliminated.

somebody who receives this petition, I am duty bound to bring this petition

to the House of Assembly. And we've paid attention to it. Yesterday we

brought a private Member's motion to this House responding to this request

of the petitioners that the levy be eliminated. Yet, we had a fiasco in this

House where the government side of the House couldn't just accept that

motion and say 'aye' or 'nay.' They had to play a game, twist everything and

make us have a discussion that was disgraceful in this House of Assembly on

their side.

have had so many emails overnight and phone messages overnight since the

fiasco in this House yesterday, performed by the government side of this

House. I am very happy that we still have petitions that are coming in and

now I know we're going to be flooded with even more petitions after what

happened here yesterday, because they have no sense that this government

understands what the levy is doing to people.

some of the emails that came to me today said, they don't think the

government cares any more. They think the government does understand and

doesn't care, and that's even worse, Mr. Speaker. That's what I'm asking

this government is to listen to the plea of the people who are signing these

petitions. Remember, yesterday we had 18,000 that came in electronically,

separately, that we cannot present here formally as I'm doing with the

hand-written ones, which is something I think we need to think about in our

House, but that's another issue.

will continue presenting these petitions, Mr. Speaker, as they arrive.

Thank you very much.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Cape St. Francis.

MR. K. PARSONS:

Thank you very much,

Mr. Speaker.

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of

Newfoundland and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS changes to the bus routes impact start times at Holy Trinity

Elementary, Cape St. Francis Elementary and Holy Trinity High School; and

WHEREAS these changes were put in place with no consultation with parents,

families and against all the recommendations of the school council;

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

House of Assembly to urge government to immediately instruct each school

district to reverse its decision regarding busing and start times for these

schools.

And

as in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, I attended a silent protest this morning at two schools in my

district, and it was amazing. At the high school there were at least 100

high school students there, and they are so upset over this and fear what's

going to happen next year. They're looking at times they'll get home in the

evenings Torbay, some students told me this morning, they figure it's

going to be a little bit after 4 p.m. For people in Pouch Cove, Flatrock and

Bauline, they figure 4:30, quarter to 5 p.m.

Anyone that's involved in any after-school activities, that's very, very

serious for these people. Just think about the safety aspect of it all.

We're going to have children get on the bus in the dark. I know it's done in

other parts of the province the minister said yes, it's done in other

parts. Yes it is, but that doesn't make it right for the safety part of it.

We're talking Torbay area where traffic is high. Right now, the last study

that was done by the Torbay Elementary School showed something like 11,000

cars a day that passes by that school. That's a very heavy traffic area, and

you're going to expect children from kindergarten to grade six to get on a

bus in the dark. Students told me the other night that 56 days a year, they

figure, that it's going to be dark when they get on the bus.

There's no need of it. There is a solution to it. Right now there are some

double bus routes. I witnessed this morning that two buses were there at the

door and the students stayed on the bus for 15 minutes before they were

allowed to get off. So the buses were there a little earlier this morning in

the elementary school. So if these children were allowed to get off a little

early, that will give them the time to go take the high school students.

Mr.

Speaker, I was presented the other night at a meeting that was held with

about 150 people that showed up and a lot of students, parents,

grandparents, and everyone. I was asked by the students of Holy Trinity High

School to present a petition to the minister, and I have the petition here

today with 480 names of students. If you're not going to listen to the

parents, if you're not going to listen to the grandparents, please listen to

the students, listen to their concerns.

Here's a petition that I present today with 480 names on it.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. K. PARSONS:

Please, Minister,

listen to these students.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The

time for speaking has expired.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Mount Pearl North.

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of

Newfoundland and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS an extension is urgently needed at St. Peter's Primary school in

Mount Pearl in order to accommodate full-day kindergarten and the growing

school population;

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

House of Assembly to urge government to clarify its position and plan so

that St. Peter's Primary and other schools in Newfoundland and Labrador can

properly accommodate students when full-day kindergarten commences in

September 2016.

And

as in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, I have brought similar petitions to this House of Assembly before

signed by residents of both Mount Pearl and St. John's. I'd like to pick up

on a couple of the points, specifically, in the petition that have come up

recently in the House of Assembly.

Most

parents, I won't say all, obviously, but most parents and most educators

believe that the correct thing to do is delay the implementation of full-day

kindergarten. I'm disappointed we're in that position. I'm an advocate for

full-day kindergarten. I think most people agree it's the right thing to do,

just not now.

It's

being implemented this year at the expense of the rest of the education

system in this province. It's just not right. There is a better way. A delay

is unfortunate, but it would solve some other problems that are now being

created in our education system.

The

minister has said in this House recently that I should have pushed the

previous government to advance the extension for St. Peter's Primary school.

Well, it's this current administration that has delayed the extension by a

year. It was on track for 2017. Now it will be 2018. So we're talking about

two school years where there's going to be grossly inadequate space at St.

Peter's Primary. A couple of portable classrooms are being added.

Unfortunately, there's no space on the school grounds for more, but the

school could actually use four more. So it is a real overcrowding problem.

Meanwhile, down the road, elsewhere in Mount Pearl, at Mary Queen of the

World, we have a school that's going to have six empty classrooms in

September. The answer and I know members of the school council agree

because I talk to them, and I talk to them far more often than the Minister

of Education. The answer is to create a French immersion stream at Mary

Queen of the World and address the zoning issues which would help deal with

some of the space issues at St. Peter's Primary.

Instead, we have a situation where classrooms are going to sit empty in one

school, while another one is bursting at the seams. There is a solution. If

the school board would listen and if the government would listen and if the

Minister of Education would listen, then we could make some progress.

look forward to speaking to this further, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further petitions?

Orders of the Day.

Orders of the Day

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government

House Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

would call Order 3, third reading of Bill 27.

would move, seconded by the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury

Board, that Bill 27,

An Act To Amend The Law Respecting Statutory Offices Of

The House Of Assembly, be now read a third time.

MR. SPEAKER:

It is moved and seconded

that Bill 27,

An Act To Amend The Law Respecting Statutory Offices Of The

House Of Assembly, be now read a third time.

it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

All

those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

CLERK (Ms. Barnes):

A bill,

An Act

To Amend The Law Respecting Statutory Offices Of The House Of Assembly.

(Bill 27)

MR. SPEAKER:

Bill 27 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.

motion, a bill,

An Act To Amend The Law Respecting Statutory Offices Of The

House Of Assembly, read a third time, ordered passed and its title be as on

the Order Paper. (Bill 27)

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government

House Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, I move,

seconded by the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board, for

leave to introduce a bill entitled,

An Act To Amend The Revenue

Administration Act No. 6, Bill 23, and I further move that the said bill be

now read the first time.

MR. SPEAKER:

It is moved and seconded

I apologize, which bill number?

AN HON. MEMBER:

MR. SPEAKER:

is moved and seconded by the hon. the Government House Leader that Bill 23

be now read a first time.

it the pleasure of the House that the minister shall have leave to introduce

Bill 23 and that the said bill be read a first time?

All

those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

Motion, the hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board to

introduce a bill,

An Act To Amend The Revenue Administration Act No. 6,

carried. (Bill 23)

CLERK:

A bill,

An Act To Amend

The Revenue Administration Act No. 6. (Bill 23)

MR. SPEAKER:

Bill 23 has now been read

a first time, when shall the said bill be read a second time?

MR. A. PARSONS:

Tomorrow.

MR. SPEAKER:

Tomorrow.

motion, Bill 23 read a first time, ordered read a second time on tomorrow.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government

House Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Yes, thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

move, seconded by the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board,

that the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole to consider Bill

MR. SPEAKER:

The motion is that the

House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole to debate Bill 15 and

that I do now leave the Chair.

it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

All

those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

motion, that the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole, Mr.

Speaker left the Chair.

Committee of the

Whole

CHAIR (Dempster):

Order, please!

are now debating the related resolution and Bill 15,

An Act To Amend The

Income Tax Act, 2000 No. 3.

Resolution

That it is expedient to bring in a measure respecting the imposition of

taxes on corporate income.

CHAIR:

Shall the resolution

carry?

The

hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Thank you, Madam

Chair.

Certainly I am humbled to stand in this hon. House today to speak to any

legislation, in particular Bill 15, the corporate income tax rate increases.

Madam Chair, the uncontrolled growth in expenditures, the dramatic fall in

revenues and oil production, exacerbated by the poor decision making from

the previous government, has produced a serious and unsustainable fiscal

imbalance that must be corrected. The choices we have made are not easy and

every Newfoundlander and Labradorian, wherever they live and whatever

services they use, will have to be part of the solution.

part of these difficult decisions made in

Budget 2016 , an increase in the

corporate income tax rate is being introduced. Retroactive to January 1,

2016, government is increasing the general corporate income tax rate, or the

CIT as it's referred to, from 14 per cent to 15 per cent as a means of

generating additional revenue. This change is expected to increase revenue

by about $17.2 million annually.

The

provincial CIT rates are set out in the

Income Tax Act, 2000 . The

small-business rate for Canadian controlled private corporations will remain

unchanged at 3 per cent on the first $500,000 of active business income

which is competitive with other jurisdictions. The province supports small

business because it is an important component of the local economy.

Due

to the serious fiscal challenges currently facing our province, this

government made a decision to introduce a separate bill to eliminate the

Manufacturing and Processing Profits Tax Credit effective January 1, 2016.

The manufacturing and processing profits will now be subject to the general

CIT rate of 15 per cent. The M&P Profits Tax Credit provided a significant

rate reduction of 9 per cent on M&P profits, a rate difference not provided

by any other jurisdiction. Only two other jurisdictions provide a rate

preference for M&P. The elimination of this rate preference will generate

about $8.8 million annually.

The

decision to include a series of new initiatives to increase revenue for

Newfoundland and Labrador was essential to address the unprecedented fiscal

situation that we were facing. Based on the status quo, had we done nothing,

the projected deficit for the province for 2016-17 would have been $2.7

billion.

Given the actions that we've taken to date, we've been able to cut that

projected deficit by one-third with the actual budgeted deficit for 2016-17

now at $1.8 billion. The tax measures being implemented as part of

Budget 2016 will realize a total revenue in '16-'17 of $647 million,

annualizing to $882 million.

Budget 2016

lays out a credible plan with clear objectives, transparent goals and

targets that employ an evidence-based process and a plan that will provide

for fiscal security in the years to come, Madam Chair.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

CHAIR:

The hon. the Member for

Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.

MS. PERRY:

Thank you, Madam Chair.

It's

a pleasure for me to rise in the House again on behalf of the people of

Fortune Bay Cape La Hune and speak to Bill 15. Madam Chair, austerity is

something that we have seen in great measure in this budget, and it brings

me no pleasure to stand in this House and speak to a bill that imposes

additional taxes on the private sector in Newfoundland and Labrador because

the commercial private sector is indeed the engine of growth. All economists

will tell you that in times of economic uncertainty, simulation of the

private sector is a key to ensuring growth continues.

increasing the corporate taxes, Madam Chair, we may unfortunately see some

closure of businesses, particularly in rural Newfoundland and Labrador, and

we're going to see compounded job losses in addition to the cuts that will

be made by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Unfortunately, some

businesses will have no choice but to lay off employees as well to

compensate for all the additional taxes and fees that we are going to see in

great measure, unlike we've ever seen before in Newfoundland and Labrador,

Madam Chair.

We're very gravely concerned about the impacts of this budget. As a rural

Member, and the only Member from outside the overpass in Opposition with a

free voice to speak up on behalf of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador,

I bring their concerns to this House of Assembly about the austerity

measures and the devastating impacts they will have on the people all across

this great province, Madam Chair.

And

everywhere we go ever since the budget was brought down, whether I'm in a

grocery store here in town or whether I'm in a grocery store home in rural

Newfoundland, everyone is talking about the budget; everyone is extremely

worried about the budget, Madam Chair.

gives me, as I said, no pleasure to be here in this House debating a bill

that actually imposes greater hardship on the hard-working folks of

Newfoundland and Labrador who take a lot of risks, Madam Chair, and take a

lot of chances in starting a business. I strongly believe we should be

applauding the efforts of our entrepreneurs and doing what we can to support

them, not stifle them, as they endeavour to create jobs and be the

innovators that we need them to be to move our province forward and to help

create the jobs that will retain our young people and those who are either

in the middle or nearing the end of their careers.

one wants to see job losses in Newfoundland and Labrador. The austerity

measures that this bill imposes, in part, I think, will contribute to

further decline in this province. It brings none of us any pleasure, Madam

Chair, to see what's happening to this province.

It's

so frustrating because in recognition last year of the fact that oil prices

were dropping and changes were required, our government announced an

increase in HST and, boy, were we ever attacked for that measure. The people

were led to believe, mistakenly, that the Liberal government would impose no

taxes. They would not increase the HST. Heaven forbid that you do such a

thing in a time of austerity. Job killer they called it job killer.

And

we have bill after bill after bill after bill that will be read in this

House of Assembly over the next few days that will kill job after job after

job after job, both in rural Newfoundland and Labrador and right here in the

province's capital, and in the great Big Land of Labrador.

certainly take no pleasure in this bill. I certainly do not want to support

this bill, Madam Chair. Like I said, I truly believe if we're going to

overcome this hurdle that we face it's a global oil crisis that we're

facing. We will have seen other jurisdictions take the measures that are

required to actually move us forward. I truly believe that history will tell

us that this budget was the worst thing that could possibly have ever

happened, with the worst kind of measures introduced to improve an area's

economic performance.

With

that, I will take my seat and I strongly present my opposition to the

measures taken by the Liberal government on the people of Newfoundland and

Labrador when they are regressing our economy to a point where I don't think

we've ever been before.

Thank you so much, Madam Chair.

CHAIR:

The hon. the Member for

Cape St. Francis.

MR. K. PARSONS:

Thank you very much,

Madam Chair.

just want to get up and say a few words we're talking a money bill

related to the budget and how it's affecting different people and different

things like that. Also, as I always say, it's an honour to just get up here

to represent the people from Cape St Francis, the beautiful District of Cape

St. Francis.

Madam Chair, this bill that we're bringing in today with corporation taxes

and stuff like that, we have to look at what we're doing to small business

and what this budget is going to do. There is a ripple effect that it's

going to have on businesses right through all of Newfoundland and Labrador,

and maybe even more so in rural Newfoundland and Labrador than anywhere.

Everyone in here will agree that small business plays such an important role

in our economy, but it plays such an important role in our communities.

just look at what small business does as a charity thing. I know in the

district that I'm from, anytime there's a fundraiser, if there is anything

that's needed I'm sure, Madam Chair, in your district it's the same thing.

The

people who are running small businesses in our towns and in our communities,

and it can be in St. John's or it could be in a small community like

Bauline. No matter where you go, people need to go and they need support

from people. It could be a fundraiser for someone who is sick. It could be a

fundraiser for a team that's going away. Small business in Newfoundland and

Labrador it's who we are as people always come through.

I've

talked to a lot of small business owners and this budget is really going to

affect them. It's really going to affect what they can do. It's the

difference of having, probably in some businesses, two employees or three

employees and they probably have five now. Because they're not going to be

able to afford to keep the number of people, if they want to keep their

businesses going.

Like

I said, charities, you have to look and see what happens in we look at

everywhere in the province, again I'll say, we're very charitable people. We

are the best in all of Canada, bar none. When there's something in our

communities that is needed, we have people who step forward. We have people

who step forward to help a school band or to help a sick child, whatever it

is.

These small businesses have a very small margin to operate on. What it costs

for somebody to come up from Springdale to go to Grand Falls, it's an extra

16.5 cents on that gas bill to go there to fill up that tank of gas. That

person comes in, he's a small business owner, he has three or four

employees, and he looks and says: okay, my gas bill, I make this trip every

day now, it has gone an extra $20 a day for me to go and do what I have to

do. For a month's expense it goes up $500 or $600, along with everything

else. Along with these taxes we're going to put on, the extra fees he's

going to have to pay, the insurance he's going to have to pay on his

vehicle, or she's going to have to pay on her vehicle.

Just

think about what this is going to do to small businesses. I'm hoping it

doesn't shut them down altogether, but they're going to have to make serious

choices. The choices they're going to have to make, are they going to lay

someone off. In a small community, you just can't have that. That hits home

because it affects the whole community.

Like

I said earlier, when you look at small business, what they bring to

Newfoundland and Labrador is unbelievable. I look in my own community and I

look at a festival that we have. We have a store owner down there. They get

all their supplies, they get all their ice and all the beer and everything

else they need for a festival, like you would, and he arranges it all for

them. Then he goes and makes sure that if it's not used, this can be brought

back and all this. That's done in every community in the province.

have great business people in our communities, but what are we doing to

these people? They're supporting our communities. The extra tax, and the

cost of doing business now is going to skyrocket. It's going to skyrocket.

they're going to have to make a decision. They're going to make a decision

on what they have to do. Okay, well listen, the $100 we gave towards the

school band, we can't afford that anymore. We probably have five or six

employees, so we have to reduce how many employees we have.

It's

the little things that are really going to affect communities, and there's

no need of it. We're looking at this government with a slush fund of $30

million; $30 million that wasn't in the now, they can say what it is,

contingency fund, whatever they want to call it, but this wasn't in the

budget in the last 15 years, I believe. It wasn't there. It's something they

added. This is something new. You're talking libraries, let's make it a $29

million slush fund and give a million dollars to the libraries so 54

libraries can stay open.

Listen, I know they're talking about the fiscal situation we're in, yes, no

doubt about it, but these are choices that you make. You made a choice to

put $30 million in a fund that you're not sure whether you're going to use,

or you may use it, and please God you don't have to use it. I really hope

you don't have to use it. I really do. I don't want to see any disaster or

anything in our province. We see what the people in Fort McMurray are going

through now and it's devastating to those people. I don't want to see it

here, and I'm sure nobody does.

You

know what, this is something that you put in place, but if you took a

million dollars, make it 29 and save all our libraries. Save what you're

doing to small businesses in our towns. Just save what you're doing so you

can give them a break so they can do what they're doing, the great job

they're doing for their communities, for their volunteer organizations, for

all the charities that are in their communities.

You're looking at a slush fund that wasn't there in the first place. This is

something new that you put there. You put $30 million to the side, yet you

cut all these services. I'm sure if you asked the people on the other side,

most of them, I would imagine knowing the cuts that are in most of their

districts, they'd come up with a great idea to spend that $30 million on.

They'd tell you exactly what the people are I hope they are, I know they

are. They're listening to their constituents. They're hearing their

constituents. Their constituents are telling them, listen, I don't want cuts

in education. I don't want the school bus.

presented a petition here today with 480 names on it from students, young

people, who are saying we don't want to have to wait until 4:30 or 5 o'clock

in the evening to get home. Can we leave it like it is?

Can

you take out of that slush fund, the $30 million, I don't know how much

it's four new bus routes, I think. Would you be able to take whatever money

it is, maybe it's a couple of hundred thousand or a hundred thousand dollars

and save them so that they can have the education, so the families wouldn't

be so stressed out of what this is causing their families. That's happening

everywhere.

don't know how many. I think I heard that it's 37 new bus runs that they're

going to eliminate anyway, but I'd like to know what the cost is. We have a

$30 million slush fund that's there. Perhaps that can take away the stress

on students and everything else.

For

students to sign a petition to come here to the House of Assembly, that

shows me what this means to them. That really shows me that they're really

concerned. It's not too often you'll get 14, 15, 16 year olds to come and

sign a petition about something like that because most times they're so busy

with everything else they have.

Listen to the concerns they had the other night. It was about their

activities after school. Their classes will start now at 9:15 and they'll

get out around 3:30. By the time they get home their evening is gone,

especially here.

There was a report or something that was given. It was saying how this is so

much better for high school students. The report was done in the United

States. The time of the evening that the sun goes down in the United States

in the area they were looking at was a whole lot different than what it is

in Torbay, Flatrock, Pouch Cove and Bauline a whole lot different. We know

what it's like here in the wintertime, 4:30 in the evening, 5 o'clock, most

of the winter it's dark. That's when these students are going to be getting

home from school.

They're just asking look, this can be done better. This is something that

can be done and should be done. I'm just asking the minister and the people

over there to listen to them. I don't think it's too bad of a request.

have a fund that wasn't there since 2002, a new $30 million that was put in.

Just think about all the requests, just think about all the things in your

districts that people are upset about. Just think about all the libraries,

like I said earlier, school, education. Small things, I know. Money wise

it's not, but that $30 million could be used for a lot of things and it's

something new that you put in the budget this year.

Listen, I hope we never have to use it for a disaster or anything else

because I don't want to see that happening. We all know that. I'd also like

to see and I know the minister talked about the regional thing with

libraries. I tell you, the library in my district that I'm going to lose, in

Pouch Cove, gets well used. I tell you, seniors in Pouch Cove use the

library. If you ask them to choose between losing their library and a

seniors' advocate, they're going to tell you don't lose our library. We'd

rather not have a seniors' advocate. That would be asking the people a

question. Is there something wrong with that? Is there anything wrong with

making a choice?

CHAIR:

Order, please!

remind the hon. Member his time for speaking has expired.

MR. K. PARSONS:

This is all about

choices.

CHAIR:

The hon. the Member for

St. John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Thank you very much,

Madam Chair.

I am

happy to stand and speak to Bill 15,

An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act.

Basically, what we're debating here today is this bill would amend the

Income Tax Act, 2000 by increasing

the tax on corporations from 14 per cent to 15 per cent. So I'm very happy

to stand and to speak this bill.

all know the very tough economic situation that we're facing here in our

glorious Newfoundland and Labrador. The interesting thing, though, is that

our corporate tax regime is among the lowest in Atlantic Canada, even when

we increase the tax regime by about 1 per cent.

also know that what has happened in Newfoundland and Labrador is that the

corporate profits that have been made the previous government did, in

fact, lower the corporate taxes with the hope that the money made, money

saved by corporations, would be reinvested into the province. But, in fact,

that's not what has happened. Basically, they've put it in their pockets.

They have not reinvested that money into the province.

what we need to look at: Does Newfoundland and Labrador have room to move in

terms of corporate taxes? And we believe that yes, in fact, the province

does have room to move. Particularly we need to move; we need to be able to

generate new revenue.

What

has happened with this budget is that we don't see a whole lot of new

revenue generated. It's not new money. In fact, what's happened is, again,

it's the government's p3 approach to picking people's pockets, and that we

can see that some of the measures that have been undertaken by this

government, particularly with the levy, places an unfair percentage burden

on those who have less. We're seeing that because that's what the people of

the province are rebelling against.

many people have really sat down to figure out what are the implications for

them and their families with all the additional taxes, the additional fees,

the increase in fees, the levy, the cut in programs like the cut in the

adult dental program, the complete cut of the over-the-counter drug program

that will affect, again it affects mostly people who are working and who

are in around the $30,000 to $50,000 to $60,000 range, people who are just

getting by; oftentimes with mortgages and car payments and kids, child care

payments, student loan payments.

The

unfortunate thing is that it is really frightening people because with the

one-two punch of this government's budget approach where we know that there

is something coming in the fall as I mentioned yesterday here in the House

or the day before yesterday actually about the bond rating agencies talking

about they know that the cuts will even more severe in the fall budget and

that they were looking forward to that. So obviously government has been

speaking with them.

People are sitting on their wallets. So what the measures of government has

done is really put the brakes on the economy and it is shrinking the

economy; people are afraid, and understandably so really understandably

so.

Just

by putting the province's tax system in line with those of neighbouring

provinces and if we adjust our corporate tax incomes, our personal income

taxes, make them more progressive and, of course, what we need and what

people want is a review of our tax system to make it more progressive, to

make it more fair. People don't mind paying taxes; we know that. Surveys

have been done. People in Canada do not mind paying taxes for services they

believe that's part of what makes our country great, but they want those

taxes to be fair.

Who

wouldn't? Fairness really makes it more palatable and fairness is what I

think our country is about. It is about opportunities for everyone. So if we

looked at adjustments to corporate income taxes, personal income taxes and

sales taxes, the province could raise on the order of $300 million to $600

million nothing to sneeze at.

Adding in a carbon tax, which this government has not done, hasn't done a

carbon tax instead, what it is doing is increasing the taxes on gas by

16.5 cents per litre. Adding in a carbon tax, which other provinces are

quickly doing, that's become best practices makes sense; that's where we

need to go would raise another $200 million, bringing the total up to $500

million to $800 million extra revenue for the province. In our current

fiscal situation, that's really important.

what that would do, that would also reduce the province's deficit by roughly

25 to 40 per cent. That's nothing to sneeze at. That's really important.

know that we can't eliminate this deficit quickly; it's going to take a long

time. Government has said that and we have said that. So we have to make

sure that the measures that are undertaken are fair and that they stimulate

the economy, they don't grind the economy to a halt.

all we're doing is picking people's pockets and reducing jobs, we are no

further ahead if we are increasing unemployment. Then what we have are

unemployed people. That costs government money. It also is a loss in tax

revenue as well. We need as many people working as possible. We know that

the people of the province are hard workers and we know that the people want

to get to work.

far, government hasn't been able to prove to us where they are creating

jobs. All we know for sure is that 650 jobs are being cut in this particular

budget. That's public service jobs. We know that for every public service

job that's cut, we lose 1.5 jobs also in the private sector.

The

increase to the corporate income tax I'll have to look at that fact again.

The increase to the corporate income tax rate was only 1 per cent. That's

what this bill is suggesting. So that leaves our province, Newfoundland and

Labrador, a rate of 15 per cent for our corporate income taxes.

Nova

Scotia and PEI are already at 16 per cent. New Brunswick is currently

boosting its rate by 2 per cent to 14 per cent. Nova Scotia and PEI are

already at 16 per cent. We are suggesting going to 15 per cent. It would

make sense for us to also for our corporate income tax to go to 16 per

cent. Alberta, who's in a really bad way not as bad as we are right now

are increasing their corporate income tax by 2 per cent.

One

of the things is that we know corporate income tax is not the main reason

whether a corporation will set up in a certain location or not. There are

lifestyles and social programs and services that are available to their

employees. A 2 per cent increase in corporate income tax is not going to

send our corporations away. Do we believe that a 2 per cent increase would

send away ExxonMobil or Suncor? No, there are other more important

considerations to them before they would say, okay, we are out of here.

Also, compared to Canada, when we look at what's happening in Canada, more

of Newfoundland and Labrador's economic growth went to profits and less went

to wages. So because of that again, that's what I started with, we saw

that what happened with our corporations when government did cut the tax

rate to corporations they did that thinking that money would be re-injected

into the economy and create more jobs. That's not what has happened.

Newfoundland and Labrador, actually we have a lower percentage of corporate

profits going to wages than anywhere else in the country. This raise in

corporate income tax would be a fair thing and it would be a good thing for

the province. A 2 per cent raise in corporate income tax is not going to

drive corporations away. It is not to cut jobs. As a matter of fact, it is

one way to increase

CHAIR:

Order, please!

remind the hon. Member her time for speaking has expired.

MS. ROGERS:

Thank you very much,

Madam Chair.

CHAIR:

The hon. the Member for

Topsail Paradise.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Madam Chair.

appreciate the opportunity. Thank you for recognizing me and allowing me to

rise today to speak to this bill which is related to the budget, Bill 15.

For

those people who are watching at home and they're kind of wondering, well,

is this the budget or is it not? Well, there are many different bills that

go through the House that are sometimes related to the budget and that are

attached to it because there is separate legislation needed to enact certain

parts of the budget.

people look on the Order Paper at home, you can look at it online from your

own computer. If you go into the House of Assembly you will see proceedings,

and there's a long list of bills there. There's a long list of bills that

refer to taxation measures. That is the taxation measures or the bills that

allow for the taxation measures that are part of

Budget 2016 .

Madam Chair, they are fairly lengthy. That is one of the concerns we're

hearing from the people of the province. Many people are saying, I

understand an increase in HST or I understand an increase in income tax. I

understand an increase in corporate tax, which is what this one is. I

understand fee increases, but what they can't understand or accept is when

you put them all together. The overriding impact on people of our province,

especially people who live in rural areas, in remote areas.

know in many parts of our province people are challenged just to be able to

access fresh food. You look in Labrador and the Straits of Labrador Madam

Chair, you are quite familiar with it, much more than I am, how living in a

remote community can be very, very challenging. When you add all of these

taxes and fees on the people who are challenged to get the everyday needs

that many of us who live in urban areas take for granted.

can stop at any one of a number of grocery stores on the way home this

afternoon. I'm about a 20 to 30 minute drive to get to my home from

Confederation Building. I can stop at one of a large number of grocery

stores and outlets to pick up fresh fruit, vegetables, breads and so on, or

any item we may need in a grocery store, as an example.

can stop by any number of service stations to fill up my car with fuel or to

get a repair, or fix a flat tire, but in rural parts of the province, those

types of what many urban people see as just a matter of finding the right

place or it's an inconvenience, for many people it's very, very difficult

and very, very challenging. When you add on the significant increase in

taxes and fees to people, especially people who live in those areas, then it

becomes really difficult. That's why all Members of the House have been

receiving so much impact from the people of the province.

had a Member opposite in a discussion, said: Well, you know, we're going to

get through this. I know Members in the Liberal caucus are being told all

the time: Look, this is going to pass. It will calm down. Everything is

going to be okay. Just remember the Clyde Wells days, remember the Roger

Grimes days, remember what Danny Williams did.

I'd

say to people, this is very different from any one of those because Clyde

Wells, Roger Grimes and Danny Williams were much to do and focus was on

public servants, reduction in services and reducing the size of the public

service. Well, this government hasn't done that yet. This government hasn't

started that process yet. That process is not going to start until the fall.

We won't see what happens until the fall. Now, they are going to be several

more months in. If the price of oil stays as strong as it has been it's

probably going to soften what they have to do. If the price of oil doesn't,

it's probably going to impact it.

know there is no diversification actually happening. We had questions on

that in Question Period today. We asked several times: What are you doing to

invest? How are you going to create this money? Where is that in the budget?

We couldn't get an answer. So that leads us to believe it's not there. It's

not going to happen.

The

only revenue fluctuations are still tied to oil. If oil stays strong they're

going to be in a better position and do less of an impact, but those hard

hits on the people of the province financially in taxes and fees has already

happened, and it's already had an impact on our province. It's had an impact

on corporations and business.

this of year we quite often think, well, it's time to paint my patio. I was

looking at a portion of mine the other day and I saw some wood rotting and

so on. I said, I'm going to have to replace some of that this year later on

when we get time to have a look at it and people will do that. Or they

have to replace their windows. Or their roof is leaking and they've tarred

it as a temporary measure. Now they have to replace shingles.

they don't know where the province is going to go and where the economy is

going to go, if they are any way tied to an income from the government or

public service we know there are probably 45,000 people who earn a

paycheque from public service either directly or indirectly then they're

not going to do that. That's 45,000 families who are not going to go to the

hardware store and buy new lumber to fix their deck. They're probably just

going to buy a can of paint or stain, and stain it again.

Instead of making those repairs and those investments, are you going to

replace your windows? Probably not. Are you going to take a vacation? No, I

probably shouldn't do that this year because we don't know what's going to

happen in September or October when the Liberal government comes out with

their budget number two. Let's go to a restaurant. No, we probably

shouldn't. Let's eat at home tonight. We'll haul out the barbecue, throw on

some burgers, and we'll have a barbecue at home because that's a lot less

expensive than going to a restaurant.

Well, what happens then is the restaurant says, I don't need all of you

staff anymore. You young students, who quite often are the ones who work in

the restaurants, I don't need 10 of you anymore. I only need eight of you or

seven of you. You're going to have to find work somewhere else. So they're

off.

Now

they're out added in the job market and trying to earn some money during the

summer before they go back to university in the fall. I mention them because

in many, many restaurants and bars and those social types of establishments,

especially here on the Northeast Avalon, that's who works there. That's who

works there on the weekends, the Friday nights and Thursday nights or

Saturday nights or whatever the case may be, are students. Once that

implosion starts to happen, it just continues to grow.

The

hardware store; we know many of the hardware stores, Kent and the Home

Depots and the Ronas, they quite often hire people who are retired. Many

people who are retired go to work there. A lot of them tell me they go to

work there because they get a good discount and they've got some repairs to

do on their house. But guess what? They're not going to buy those items,

that lumber and those supplies to do the repairs because people aren't going

to be in buying the lumber and repairs that the business usually does.

the employer is going to say, you know what? I don't need all of you retired

people anymore because our business has gone down. So I'm going to lay off

one or two or three or five or 10 of you. They're going to be losing their

opportunity for part-time work. I know lots of them who are retired who work

in those types of businesses. If they don't have that extra money that's

coming into them, they're not going to spend it.

I've

used the term before, that's how that economic implosion happens. While we

haven't seen what's going to happen this fall, the expectation that's been

set up by this government is that budget number two in the fall is going to

be tough on people. That's the expectation that's been set up not my

words, the words of Members opposite that it's going to be more difficult

decisions.

People are going to stop spending. They're going to put their money back in

their pocket and they're going to stop spending. That has significant

negative implications on the economy of our province.

saw what's happening in schools over the last couple of days. I was out to

Paradise Elementary this morning and stood with some parents and children.

We're hearing the stories. There's one I'm going to share with you. I don't

have time to do it today. Another time when I get up, this afternoon or

another day, I'll be glad to share it with you. We have many of them.

One

I heard was twins, siblings. I don't know if they're brother and sister, or

sister and sister, or brother and brother I don't know, but twins who both

wanted to do Intensive Core French. One of the twin's names was picked out

and the other one wasn't. One of the two children gets to do Intensive Core

French and the other one doesn't.

That's shameful. There's no other way to describe it. How do you tell your

children, who work hard and want to excel in school, there's no benefit to

working hard and doing good in school, there's none of that. It was done on

a draw and one of the twins gets to do Intensive Core French and the other

one does not.

don't know how when I know there's huge pressure on all of us. There's

pressure on us too to do everything we can to make sure this budget doesn't

go through and doesn't carry forward without significant changes. Members

opposite are under the same amounts of pressure, but those are your

constituents, those are the people of the province who are impacted.

When

I heard that story this morning I was kind of left I don't know what to

say about it. I don't know how to respond to someone who when a parent

says what do I do and my child never got Intensive Core French. We saw one

in The Telegram today where I know

the parent was irate of how this was done, how they found out. The

aspirations and desires of their child for that education is gone.

Madam Chair, I thank you for the time. I know time is short during these

types of debates.

CHAIR:

Order, please!

MR. P. DAVIS:

Hopefully later today or

tomorrow or the next day, I'll have more time to discuss more of these

matters.

CHAIR:

Order, please!

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Madam Chair.

CHAIR:

I remind the hon. Member

his time for speaking has expired.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you.

CHAIR:

Seeing no further

speakers, we'll call for the vote.

Shall the resolution carry?

All

those in favour?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

CHAIR:

All those against?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Nay.

CHAIR:

Carried.

motion, resolution carried.

bill,

An Act To Amend The Income Tax Act, 2000 No. 3. (Bill 15)

CLERK (Ms. Murphy):

Clause 1.

CHAIR:

Shall clause 1 carry?

All

those in favour?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

CHAIR:

All those against?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Nay.

CHAIR:

Carried.

motion, clause 1 carried.

CLERK:

Clause 2.

CHAIR:

Shall clause 2 carry?

All

those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

CHAIR:

All those against, 'nay.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Nay.

CHAIR:

Carried.

motion, clause 2 carried.

CLERK:

Be it enacted by the

Lieutenant Governor and House of Assembly in Legislative session convened,

as follows.

CHAIR:

Shall the enacting clause

carry?

All

those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

CHAIR:

All those against, 'nay.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Nay.

CHAIR:

Carried.

motion, enacting clause carried.

CLERK:

A bill,

An Act To Amend

The Income Tax Act, 2000 No. 3.

CHAIR:

Shall the

long title

carry?

All

those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

CHAIR:

All those against, 'nay.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Nay.

CHAIR:

Carried.

motion, title carried.

Motion, that the Committee report having passed the resolution and a bill

consequent thereto, carried.

CHAIR:

The hon. the Government

House Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

I move, Madam Chair,

that the Committee rise and report Bill 15.

CHAIR:

The motion is that the

Committee, report resolution and Bill 15,

An Act To Amend The Income Tax

Act, 2000 No. 3, carried without amendment.

it the pleasure of the Committee to adopt the motion?

All

those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

CHAIR:

All those against, 'nay.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Nay.

CHAIR:

Carried.

motion, that the Committee rise, report progress and ask leave to sit again,

Mr. Speaker returned to the Chair.

MR. SPEAKER (Osborne):

The hon. the

Deputy Speaker.

MS. DEMPSTER:

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 Way and Means reports that the Committee have considered the

matters to them referred and have adopted a certain resolution and recommend

that a bill be introduced to give effect to the same.

When

shall the report be received?

MR. A. PARSONS:

Now.

MR. SPEAKER:

Now.

motion, report received and adopted.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government

House Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, I move,

seconded by the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board, that

the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole to consider Bills 16,

18 and 21.

MR. SPEAKER:

It has been moved and

seconded that the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole and

that I do now leave the Chair to consider Bills 16, 18 and 21.

All

those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

motion, that the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole, Mr.

Speaker left the Chair.

Committee of the

Whole

CHAIR (Warr):

Order, please!

We're now debating the resolution on Bill 16.

Resolution

That it is expedient to bring in a measure respecting the imposition of

taxes on capital income.

CHAIR:

Shall the resolution

carry?

The

hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

didn't hear the Clerk. Is it Bill 16?

CHAIR:

Bill 16, yes.

MS. C. BENNETT:

It's an honour to

stand in the House again to speak. As was discussed earlier this afternoon,

the decisions that been outlined in

Budget 2016 are meant to deal with the fiscal situation that the

province finds itself in.

have a fundamental problem of poor planning and mismanagement that had been

identified by the Auditor General and others and, quite frankly, the

inability and inconsistency of the former administration to manage a fiscal

plan has left the province to deal with an unprecedented deficit,

unprecedented borrowing requirements and unprecedented fiscal pressures.

This

meant difficult decisions had to be made and through the leadership of our

Premier, we've developed a plan to regain control of the province's

finances. As part of the difficult decision made in

Budget 2016 , an increase in the

financial corporations tax rate is being introduced. Effective January 1,

2017, the tax rate will increase from 5 to 6 per cent. Due to the

significant financial problems facing the province, the government has

considered increasing various taxes and fees.

Increasing this rate will raise approximately $5.8 million annually in

additional revenue. It is not anticipated that a 1 per cent increase will

have any impact on the activity of the companies which pay the Financial

Corporations Capital Tax or the size of that tax base.

While there may be an opportunity for financial institutions to utilize the

interprovincial capital tax allocation formula, which is based on the

location of salaries and loans to shift some of their tax base to lower

capital tax rate jurisdictions, such risk is low; given the Financial

Corporations Capital Tax burden is minimal compared to the broader financial

positions and the interests of those taxpayers.

Prior to the change announced in

Budget 2016 , banks, loans and trust companies with permanent

establishments in Newfoundland and Labrador have been paying capital tax at

a rate of 5 per cent. It is payable on capital allocated to Newfoundland and

Labrador including paid up capital stock, contributed surplus, retained

earnings, long-term debt and reserves. Other companies with aggregate

capital less than $10 million, the first $5 million is exempt.

Our

government has a plan for the future of the province, one that will not

leave the burden of debt on our children's shoulders like the previous

administration was willing to do.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

CHAIR:

The hon. the MHA for

Mount Pearl North.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'm

glad to have an opportunity to speak in debate today. What we're seeing here

are a number of bills that relate to the budget. It's not the budget bill

and it's not the budget motion, or I expect there would be a lot more

discussion. These are still matters that relate to the province's finances

and it's important for people to have their say.

One

of the real beauties from a Member's perspective of bills that are financial

in nature is it allows you a fair bit of latitude. It allows you to raise

issues in the House that you might not otherwise get a chance to raise.

That's particularly valuable when you want to raise concerns on behalf of

your constituents.

There are communities and constituents all over the province who have been

negatively impacted by this budget. We've heard some of those stories in

recent days and recent weeks. I think we'll hear a lot more before all is

said and done.

got a note today that was particularly disturbing. Members know I have been

speaking frequently about some of the issues related to schools in my

community. While I've focused a lot of my remarks around St. Peter's

Primary, there are other schools that have significant concerns as well,

such as the one I'm about to speak of Mary Queen of the World but it's

bigger than that.

Just

recently in fact, earlier this week the Member for Mount Pearl

Southlands and myself both met with the school council at St. Peter's Junior

High. They expressed numerous concerns, not just about the immediate impact

of the budget, not just about the effects they're going to feel as a school

community in September, but they had bigger concerns than that and broader

concerns than that about what's going to happen over the next number of

years, particularly given the impact on our primary and elementary schools

in Mount Pearl. There's going to be a ripple effect that they will feel in

the next number of years.

St.

Peter's Junior High has been fortunate in some ways. During our time in

office there was one extension added to St. Peter's Junior High. We approved

and awarded a contract for a second that's currently under construction that

will result in a new gymnasium and a new cafeteria and some additional

classrooms for the school.

Thanks to our minor baseball association in Mount Pearl and working with the

City of Mount Pearl, there's also a new sports field being developed between

St. Peter's Junior High and Newtown Elementary that will be operational this

summer.

There are schools that have probably bigger, immediate concerns and issues.

The school council was quite vocal in its concerns about the impact of this

budget and the impact on our French programs, and the impact on class sizes,

and the impact on special services and the resources that are available.

Whether it's a Liberal government or a PC government, for some time

adequately resourcing special services in our schools has been a challenge.

That's not a brand new challenge that emerged when the Liberals took office,

it isn't. It's one we've been struggling with for a long time and it still

needs to be addressed, and lots of efforts have been made over the years to

address it, but the challenge now with this budget is that those problems

are compounded. Those problems are going to get much worse.

had a very productive discussion with the school council in St. Peter's

Junior High. I appreciated the opportunity to hear directly from them about

some of their issues and concerns. I look forward to having more

opportunities in this House to raise those concerns around not only the

multigrading and the class sizes in our primary and elementary schools,

which are really serious issues that need to be discussed, and the attack on

intensive core French in elementary school. That all needs to be discussed,

but there are also issues at a junior high level as well, and it was good to

get some time with the council to highlight some of those issues.

Back

to intensive core French; you've heard me say in this House multiple times

that there are concerns with the primary elementary system in Mount Pearl.

We have a situation where we are going to have a half-dozen empty classrooms

in one of the schools in my district on Topsail Road, Mary Queen of the

World school, which is a fantastic school. The building is quite old, but

it's been extremely well maintained. It has all kinds of new infrastructure

from windows to the roof to electrical. There have been many upgrades over

the years. So the building, while at some point needs to be replaced, it's

in pretty good shape.

What's inside the building matters far more. This school has a top-notch

administration, a really engaged parent community, great teachers, great

support staff. It would be a great place for more of our students to be, but

because zoning issues haven't been properly addressed we have a situation

now where we are going to have six empty and because of budget cuts

classrooms this fall.

we have space challenges in primary and elementary schools in Mount Pearl,

then I really believe what will sound like a long-term solution could be an

immediate solution that would make a great difference in the long-term by

creating a French immersion stream at Mary Queen of the World. The school

board may need to address zoning as well, and while that will cause some

grief and some upset for people, I think most people, if they were look at

the situation objectively, recognize that status quo is not acceptable.

take exception to some of the comments the minister has made in this House

on the issue. I'm not saying, and the school council is not saying, let's

pick a group of children at one school and for next year bus them to another

school. That's not a long-term solution. What I'm advocating for, and I'd be

happy to work with the minister and with the school board on this because I

legitimately believe it's the right thing to do, is let's create a French

immersion stream at Mary Queen of the World that would take some of that

pressure off the St. Peter's, Newtown stream the St. Peter's, Newtown

schools. I think that would make a real difference.

have space that could be utilized at Mary Queen of the World, but because of

teacher reductions at Mary Queen of the World, because of cuts in this

budget, intensive core French has been impacted. Mary Queen of the World is

not a school where there have traditionally been draws conducted for

intensive core French but the draw took place yesterday, and of all the

issues issues arise at our schools from time to time and you hear from

parents, you hear from teachers, you hear from constituents, but this is

probably the one that has upset parents at Mary Queen of the World the most

in my time, and I spent 10 years representing Mary Queen of the World as a

member of City Council, as deputy mayor and mayor, and I've spent over eight

years now representing the school community as their MHA.

I'm

getting calls and emails from people that are really upset by some of what

is happening in our education system right now. But one note that I got just

today that I want to share with you related to this issue, I got a note from

one of the parents of one of the three children that weren't successful in

the Liberal Intensive Core French lottery yesterday. There are three

children who won't get to participate in ICF with their classmates in

September.

So I

got a note from one of the parents of one of the three children who didn't

get randomly selected yesterday. She is devastated. Her teachers recommended

this for her. I am incredibly upset. She is a smart, sweet, good girl who

deserves a good education. She is selfless and shaved her entire head for

Shave for the Brave this year after raising almost $1,000.

She

says: I moved my kids back home to Newfoundland in 2007 after my husband

passed away so they would have a better life and education, and now this. I

honestly cannot believe my child's education has come to this. I don't know

who else to voice my frustrations to.

People don't feel that they have a