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October 11, 2022 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS Vol. L No. 3

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

SPEAKER (Bennett): Order, please!

Admit strangers.

In the public gallery I would like to welcome Ms. Lindsay Denine's Grade 10 French immersion social studies class from Holy Spirit High School.

Bienvenue!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: Today I would like to recognize Catherine Simms, an employee of the House of Assembly, who retired on September 30 after 21 years of service with the House of Assembly.

Cathy was a member of the original broadcasting team who produced the first broadcast of the proceedings of the House of Assembly on November 19, 2001. She continued to serve for many years as technologist and, in recent years, served as the highly capable manager of Broadcast Services.

I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize Andrew Petten, an employee of the House of Assembly, who retired also on September 30 after 37 years of service. Andy, as most of you know him, was hired by Transportation and Works on June 28, 1985, and started with the House of Assembly in Corporate and Members' Services on April 1, 2009.

I know that all hon. Members will join me in wishing Andy and Cathy a healthy and happy retirement, and I want to thank them for their dedicated service over the years. They will be dearly missed.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

Statements by Members

SPEAKER: Today we will hear statements by the hon. Members for the Districts of Conception Bay South, Exploits, Ferryland, Grand Falls-Windsor - Buchans, Harbour Main and St. John's East - Quidi Vidi, with leave.

The hon. the Member for Conception Bay South.

B. PETTEN: Thank you, Speaker.

On October 2, the Town of Conception Bay South hosted a dedication ceremony for the LAV III monument, which recognizes the 40,000 Canadian Armed Forces who've served in Afghanistan from 2001-2014 and commemorates the 162 Canadians who lost their lives.

The LAV III monument is a permanent community symbol of remembrance which symbolizes our continued support to our veterans and their families who lost their loved ones. It honours the 11 fallen soldiers who did not return home from Afghanistan and it's a tribute to the sacrifice of our military service.

The LAV III Monument Program was established to commemorate Canada's mission in Afghanistan. The Canadian-made LAV III could reach speeds above 100 kilometres per hour and protected soldiers against enemy firepower during the Afghanistan War. This full-size decommissioned replica was one of 33 to be dedicated in Canada, and the only one of its kind in Newfoundland and Labrador. The LAV III monument is on display in front of Conception Bay South's Town Hall.

I would like to thank the members of the LAV III dedication committee and a special thanks to Wayne Miller and Kathleen LeGrow, who were instrumental in securing the funding for the LAV III monument.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Exploits.

P. FORSEY: Thank you, Speaker.

This summer, Central Newfoundland was placed into a state of emergency due to a major forest fire in the region. This forced residents on high alert and some were displaced during this time. The volunteer groups in our area came to the aid of many, providing shelter, food and other needs and assistance to the people left stranded.

Some of those groups were the Exploits Search & Rescue, Salvation Army, local fire departments, Lions clubs, church groups, residents themselves and many more.

Speaker, I would like for all Members in this House of Assembly to join me in extending a huge thank you and gratitude to all the volunteer groups in the Exploits District and surrounding area.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Ferryland.

L. O'DRISCOLL: I rise today in this hon. House to recognize the many Come Home Year Committees in the Ferryland District.

This past summer many communities and towns in the Ferryland District welcomed thousands of people home from parts of Newfoundland and Labrador and as well around the world. I am pleased to be part of the numerous events that were held. Most volunteers have spent the past few years preparing for these celebrations and have devoted countless hours in ensuring success on each and every event.

With visitors engaging in an array of activities including cornhole tournaments, exceptional meals, activities for kids and adults, hikes, outdoor dances and local performers, it was enjoyed by all.

The Come Home Year Celebrations was a great success and showcased the spirit and friendship of the residents of the district. This was made possible because of the dedication and drive of the Come Home Year Committees.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all Members in this House to join me in congratulating all Come Home Year Committees for its many volunteers in organizing such memorable events for the citizens of their communities and their continued commitment to our province to highlight all that make us Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

C. TIBBS: Thank you, Speaker.

Keith Antle is retiring next month after 35-plus years of working with the Town of Grand Falls-Windsor.

Keith started as a summer student with the Parks and Recreation department and after graduating from Memorial University, he took on the role as a foreman of Parks and Recreation. He will now retire as the director of Community Services.

No matter what role Keith has had, his style remained the same: easygoing, accessible and welcoming; his door was always open. This philosophy is one of the reasons he will be greatly missed. Anyone can see that he is one of the most respected people in the Town of Grand Falls-Windsor, by staff, volunteers, organizations and partners.

For 35 years, Keith has been the first one in his office, often before 6 a.m., and the last one to leave each day. He has dedicated his life to making Grand Falls-Windsor a great place to live for many families.

For that, we say thank you, Mr. Antle. Enjoy your welcomed and deserved retirement with your wife Maria, close family and friends. Your community will miss you.

Thank you, Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Harbour Main.

H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: Thank you, Speaker.

Recently I had the honour of attending the 50th anniversary awards banquet of the Harbour Main-Chapel's Cove-Lakeview Volunteer Fire Department. I rise today to recognize the members who have served in the past 50 years and who currently serve today.

Thank you to the many volunteers who have given so much to ensure the protection of our communities. They selflessly give up their time and often put their own lives at risk. As first responders, they are our everyday heroes, and they are to be commended for their dedication and commitment.

I would like to specifically mention Dennis Mercer, Jason Lewis and Terrence Dalton for receiving their 15-year service awards. Darrell Wall for 20 years, Tom Costello for 25 years and John Corbett for 30 years of service. These people are a true testament to the dedication of the Harbour Main-Chapel's Cove-Lakeview fire department.

Speaker, I must acknowledge another distinguished firefighter from my district, Dave King of Brigus. He recently passed away September 17. For 55 incredible years, Dave was a proud member of the Brigus Volunteer Fire Department. The stories of his courage and sacrifice will be forever remembered by his colleagues and the people of the community he loved and served.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's East - Quidi Vidi, with leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: Leave.

SPEAKER: Leave is granted.

The hon. the Member for St. John's East - Quidi Vidi.

J. ABBOTT: Speaker, with leave of my colleagues here in the House, I'd like to deliver this statement.

Speaker, today I rise in this hon. House to recognize a long-standing volunteer in the beautiful and historic District of St. John's East - Quidi Vidi.

Born in Wesleyville in 1925, Mrs. Blanche Byrne moved to Merrymeeting Road in St. John's 70 years ago and became an active volunteer. Mrs. Byrne has volunteered with many community-based organizations including the Canadian Girl Guides, CNIB, Royal Canadian Legion and many health-based organizations. In 1997, Blanche was appointed ambassador for the Cabot 500 celebrations.

Blanche's dedication and commitment to community and province has been recognized with many honours and awards: Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee, the 50-year pin with the Royal Canadian Legion, the Meritorious Service Award in 1991, along with many other certificates of appreciation.

Speaker, Mrs. Byrne is watching us today on television, and I ask all my hon. colleagues to join me in thanking her for her volunteerism, and join me in wishing here a happy 97th birthday today.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: Statements by Ministers.

Statements by Ministers

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

P. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Speaker, on behalf of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, I would like to recognize today as the 10th commemoration of the International Day of the Girl Child.

This day brings attention and awareness to the challenges facing girls around the world. It is also a day to highlight the importance of empowering girls, and the actions being taken to achieve gender equality.

Speaker, our government has a number of ongoing initiatives to support girls. We have made free period products available in all K-12 schools; we have visited schools to showcase the value of non-traditional career paths to students approaching graduation; and next week in this very House of Assembly, 40 young women and gender-diverse people will participate in the Future of the Vote event to help inspire political participation for our next generation of leaders.

Speaker, the girls of today are the change makers of tomorrow. Our government will continue to work to ensure that we are creating a province where girls have the choice and opportunity to be whatever it is that they want to be.

I ask all hon. Members to join me in recognizing October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child.

Thank you, Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Harbour Main.

H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: Thank you, Speaker, and I thank the hon. minister for the advance copy of her statement.

Speaker, my colleagues on this side of the House join the minister in recognizing the International Day of the Girl Child. Girls continue to face challenges in our society, ranging from mental health challenges, eating disorders to gender-based violence.

Speaker, I, too, am excited about welcoming the 40 young women and gender-diverse people to the House of Assembly next week. We all need to do more to encourage participation in the democratic process and I hope that the Future of the Vote event is a success that will inspire the next generation of leaders.

I do note after many years, though, of waiting, government has finally committed again to bring forward pay equity legislation. Speaker, if we are truly creating a province where girls have the choice and opportunity to be whatever it is they want to be, surely equal pay for work of equal value is not something we should be debating in the 21st century.

Thank you, Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

L. EVANS: Thank you, Speaker.

I thank the minister for an advance copy of her statement.

This year's theme is Our time is now–our rights, our future. However, girls of today should not grow up in a world that treats them less because of gender. We remind this government, especially the minister, to be proactive and sincere on policies that achieve this goal, such as pay equity legislation, and not wait for ATIPPs from the media to shame you into action.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: Are there any further statements by ministers?

Oral Questions.

Oral Questions

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Conception Bay South.

B. PETTEN: Thank you, Speaker.

Speaker, the Auditor General's audit of Nalcor has uncovered egregious misuse of taxpayer funds.

I ask the Premier: Will you refer this report to the RNC?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

A. FUREY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Of course the Auditor General's report into Nalcor is troubling to all of us in this House. There are many things that were revealed that were troubling, I think, to every citizen of Newfoundland and Labrador. That is why this government took the extraordinary measure early in the mandate to get rid of Nalcor, Mr. Speaker –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

A. FUREY: – and rebrand this as Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro.

I wish that Nalcor hadn't gotten out of control: it had. The Auditor General has recognized that and we're certainly looking at all mechanisms available to us in the future, Mr. Speaker. But I have every confidence in Ms. Williams and her leadership team that they have taken the right steps to address these issues acutely, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

B. PETTEN: Thank you, Speaker.

If there are wrongs done, Mr. Premier, I would advise that you should contact the RNC to get it investigated properly.

While seniors are forced to move out of their homes, the Liberals have relaunched their outreach program and have sent staff door to door to justify their much delayed, flawed, cost-of-living rebate.

I ask the Premier: Does consultation work better before or after your government makes a decision?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

A. FUREY: Mr. Speaker, I wish there was consultation done with the PUB before Muskrat Falls; obviously, that didn't happen.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

A. FUREY: Two or three Question Periods without Muskrat Falls; you can kind of give me a break.

Mr. Speaker, we consulted with people –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

SPEAKER: Order, please!

A. FUREY: We consult with people every day, Mr. Speaker. It's part of being government. It's part of being elected Members, as I'm sure they all know. We have heard the voices of the people, Mr. Speaker. We started with a fulsome program response in the spring of the year. We recognized that there was going to be stress and strain on people with furnace oil, Mr. Speaker, that's why we put in the home heating supplement.

We additionally know that the middle class is really feeling the stress and the strain of inflation, beyond their control, beyond all of our control, Mr. Speaker, but we wanted to do the extraordinary measure of ensuring that they had money in their pockets –

SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Premier's time has expired.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

B. PETTEN: Thank you, Speaker.

We live in the present and not in the past. People in January and February are going to be looking to fill their oil barrels when there is no $500 monies being paid out, Mr. Speaker.

The mayor of Fogo is speaking out publicly because seniors are forced to move out of their homes, as they cannot afford to turn on the heat. On the Liberal watch, the cost of living has skyrocketed so high that seniors are forced to give up their homes.

I ask the Premier: Will your carbon tax increase on home heating fuel keep more seniors at home or force them out in the cold?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

A. FUREY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'm honoured and privileged to realize that the Opposition thinks that we, as a government, controls inflationary pressures that exist throughout the world, Mr. Speaker. We didn't start the war in Ukraine, Mr. Speaker. We didn't cause COVID, Mr. Speaker. We are looking at local solutions for national and international issues, and we will continue to do so.

With respect to the carbon tax, I think the Member opposite is fully aware; I've made my position firm to the federal government. We won't be signing up for that when it comes to home heat in this province, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

B. PETTEN: Thank you, Speaker.

We're looking for the Premier and his government to take some responsibility, not deflect, not smoke and

mirrors, Mr. Speaker. That's what the people of the province want.

The minister responsible for Seniors said – I quote – the carbon tax is the right policy instrument and we

need to stick with it, come high or low, when it comes to how popular it is or it is not.

I ask the Premier: Does he stand by his minister's statements?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

A. FUREY: Mr. Speaker, as I've made very public in a letter to the Minister of Environment, federally, I don't think right now is the time for this particular instrument. The inflationary pressures that exist on households across this province, on middle-income families, Mr. Speaker, is unsustainable. It's not the right time. The price of oil as we all know has increased, that has solved the market issues and the disincentive with respect to oil and gas that the federal government is trying to achieve.

It's not our policy instrument; it's theirs, Mr. Speaker. We've made our voice known. There are other instruments available to the federal government including some things like the RAA that was introduced in the United States so that the incentives can be implied to the right area, Mr. Speaker.

I think that we have some of the best areas in the province right now with respect to renewable energies, which the United States has also recognized in transitioning to the future, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

B. PETTEN: Thank you, Speaker.

Yet, the Premier and his government supported the carbon tax this past spring. We lobbied hard against it; they supported it. Now you're telling me that all of a sudden you don't support it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

B. PETTEN: What's happening?

Tell the people the straight goods, Mr. Premier.

The Minister of Environment and Climate Change said: I have no issue with supporting carbon tax and I'm very supportive of what we're doing with respect to the carbon tax.

This Liberal government supports a tax which will cause the people of this province, especially seniors, to pay more for heat in their homes.

How will the Liberals let the cost of home heat fuel rise?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

A. FUREY: Mr. Speaker, I'm happy to repeat that we've made our position clear with the federal government, given the changing landscape, the changing marketplace, the inflationary pressures, externalities that are beyond our control, Mr. Speaker. What we can explain to the them is that we won't be supporting a rise in carbon tax today, Mr. Speaker, given the inflationary pressures that exist. The marketplace is taking care of the disincentives that were trying to be achieved by the policy instrument; we don't believe it's the right time to put extra stress and strain on the families of Newfoundland and Labrador – period – Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

B. PETTEN: That's incredible, Mr. Speaker. It's news to everyone in this province because this government has been a big supporter of the carbon tax and supportive of Prime Minister Trudeau's climate change plan. The Premier even went to Scotland; he was down with the photo op supporting all this. Now, all of a sudden, he's against it. I guess it must do with the change in the incentive of the public sentiment.

AN HON. MEMBER: Another vote.

B. PETTEN: Yeah, another vote.

Speaker, it has been reported that a nurse at the Health Sciences emergency room pleaded at the hallways full of very sick people on stretchers to “please write their MHAs and beg them to fix this.”

It's outrageous that our health care workers have had to resort to this.

Premier, why is this still happening under your watch?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

A. FUREY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Let me take the opportunity to address the

preamble. It was not me who stood in this House and said do I believe in climate change, Mr. Speaker. No, it was a Member opposite who said that, the Member who posed the question, doesn't believe in climate change – doesn't believe in climate change.

What we say is that the instrument that's being proposed to tax home heating oil is not right, right now, Mr. Speaker. We're not ignoring climate change; we're saying that the instrument is wrong and misdirected.

With respect to the health care, Mr. Speaker –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

A. FUREY: I'm happy to continue to –

SPEAKER: Order, please!

Order, please!

The hon. the Premier.

A. FUREY: With respect to the emergency room we recognize that that's an important issue; we recognize that that's a problem for people who are waiting to receive emergency services. It's a problem across the country, but we are employing local provincial solutions, Mr. Speaker.

Including, by the way, building a new emergency department, speaking regularly with stakeholders, including today meeting with the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the NLMA and Eastern Health.

SPEAKER: Order, please!

The time has expired.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

B. PETTEN: Thank you, Speaker.

I want to correct the Premier on something. I stood in this House this spring – check Hansard – I said I believe in climate change, but I don't believe in carbon tax. Check your records, Mr. Premier, and read from Hansard .

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Harbour Main.

H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: Speaker, in March –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Harbour Main.

H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: Speaker, in March –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

SPEAKER: Order, please!

Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Harbour Main.

H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: Speaker, in March the province was made aware of the 2021 suicide rate and it is heartbreaking. In Labrador-Grenfell Health, the province saw almost a 150 per cent increase year over year. Nationally, it is the leading cause of death in First Nations and Inuit communities.

I ask the minister: Why does this government continue to fail the people of Labrador in providing long-term mental health care?

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

T. OSBORNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Earlier this year during budget, we provided $2.5 million. This year, going forward, it's $4.5 million annually, Mr. Speaker, for Our Path of Resilience, working to reduce incidence of suicide in the province, promoting life in the province.

There are a number of initiatives that the province has put in place. This is a very serious issue, Mr. Speaker, and I know suicide rates fluctuate year by year. We did see an increase this year; we've seen increases in previous years, Mr. Speaker, but it is something that this government takes very seriously. We've worked towards solutions, including the new plan that we've announced and released this year.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Harbour Main.

H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: Mr. Speaker, despite what the minister is saying, suicide rates are increasing significantly. In July, the government released Our Path of Resilience: An Action Plan to Promote Life and Prevent Suicide in Newfoundland and Labrador .

I ask the minister: How many of the 12 actions in this plan have actually been implemented and when does the minister expect all of the actions to be in place?

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

T. OSBORNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This plan, as the Member opposite has identified, was released this spring, Mr. Speaker. Officials in the department and in the health authorities and with other stakeholders throughout the province are working towards this plan.

I did hear an individual who worked on the plan on the radio this morning saying that the increase in the rates of suicide this year, Mr. Speaker, fluctuate. While it's very disappointing and heartbreaking, it's not surprising because rates do fluctuate from year to year. Some years they're up, some years they're down, but the individual who worked on the plan said it is a solid plan. It is a good plan for the province and as the initiatives in the plan are worked on and worked towards having them fully implemented, Mr. Speaker, we should see improvements in the (inaudible) –

SPEAKER: Order, please!

The minister's time is expired.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Harbour Main.

H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: Speaker, a 150 per cent increase over a year? Just not acceptable.

The state of mental health care in Labrador is simply not acceptable. On top of the chronic shortage of mental health care professionals, at least 31 per cent of Labrador residents are without a family doctor.

I ask the minister: When can the people of Labrador expect your government to take their mental health seriously?

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

T. OSBORNE: Mr. Speaker, we do take mental health seriously. This government has seen huge improvements in the reduction of wait times for mental health. The former minister of Health and the Premier in this province has worked very hard on ensuring that there are more resources available, that wait times for mental health services –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

SPEAKER: Order, please!

T. OSBORNE: – have been reduced.

Mr. Speaker, there is a shortage of health care professionals, globally, throughout Canada. We hear stories in every province, Mr. Speaker, about the shortage of health care professionals.

We are working in this province to increase the number of health care professionals. We have put a number of resources in place: incentives, signing bonuses, bursaries, very dedicated recruitment campaigns.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

P. DINN: Thank you, Speaker.

We have heard many times on mental health that it is long-term continuity of care that is missing. I have heard from individuals with lived experiences and they say mental health does not do well on wait-lists. That is what is happening here with this government.

Yesterday marked another week of the Whitbourne emergency room being closed. It's been closed for months. The emergency rooms that are actually open are busting at the seams, staff are begging for relief and patients are waiting hours in ambulances to get the care.

When will emergency rooms in this province and their closures finally end under this government?

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

T. OSBORNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We have done very well with reducing the diversions of emergency rooms in this province, Mr. Speaker. Bonavista had 120 hours in July of closure, down to zero in September; Baie Verte had 276 hours in July, 258 in August, Mr. Speaker, down to 47. We have had Kittiwake with 378, down to just over 200 in September. Fogo had 163, down to zero in September. We have had Green Bay with 192, down to 48 in September.

We are working on it. The health authorities are working on it. We are putting additional resources in place. We are putting incentives in place and we are actively recruiting. We are working on it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

P. DINN: Thank you, Speaker.

I would suggest those reductions are the result of our long, hard-working health care workers returning from vacation. They deserved it.

Over this summer, the deputy mayor of New-Wes-Valley, who has been a paramedic for 20 years, expressed his concern with emergency room closures. He said, “I'm afraid what's going to happen when the luck runs out.”

I ask the minister: Will you act before the luck does run out?

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

T. OSBORNE: Mr. Speaker, I have just outlined a number of the rural emergency departments that have gone from very high numbers down to much lower numbers; some of them no diversions or closures at all. So we are started to work on it, Mr. Speaker. We are started to work on it.

You will hear very soon, Mr. Speaker, this government has approved the provision of helicopter services. That is in the works. It's going to be organized by Eastern Health. They will service our Category B sites in the event that one of them are on diversion.

That is happening real time. That should be up and running very soon, Mr. Speaker. We are working on the issue. For the Member to say we're not is political.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

P. DINN: It's amazing. From the career politician, he's calling me political.

Speaker, many paramedics in this province never make it to retirement. It is only a dream, as many leave their jobs well in advance due to the massive workloads, the stress on their jobs.

What is being done to ensure we retain our valuable first responders and allow them to work towards a well-earned retirement?

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

T. OSBORNE: Mr. Speaker, we've outlined – in fact, it was in the Speech from the Throne – some of the initiatives that are put in place for our first responders, our ACPs and PCPs. We've put incentives in place. In fact, it's $50,000 for a PCP or ACP to return to this province, if they've got any attachment to the province, in order to recruit.

One of the ways we can improve the work-life balance and the workplace issues for our health care professionals is to recruit. Because if we've got people working side by side with the health care professionals who have done a phenomenal job, who have carried a very heavy load, we will help them lighten that load.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Stephenville - Port au Port.

T. WAKEHAM: Thank you, Speaker.

A former minister of Health, when asked about the sugar tax had this to say, and I quote: “The last thing we need to do is create extra bureaucracy to collect a tax for a marginal benefit.”

A previous Finance minister said, quote: “It wasn't something that we thought a province of 500,000 could take on.”

The Health Accord didn't recommend it, the people of Newfoundland and Labrador don't need it and the Premier's own ministers see that there's no need. It's nothing more than a tax grab and we don't need it.

I ask the Premier: When will you axe the tax?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

A. FUREY: Happy to take the question, Mr. Speaker.

What the people of Newfoundland and Labrador can't afford is to continue to lead the country in cardiovascular incidents, cerebral vascular incidents and strokes. Lead the country in diabetes. Lead the country in obesity. Lead the country in rates of amputation for diabetes.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

SPEAKER: Order, please!

A. FUREY: We need to do something. The status quo isn't working.

We're trying everything we can, including improving the system, but we also want people just to make a healthier choice, move their hand to the right or left and pick a less sugary drink, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Stephenville - Port au Port.

T. WAKEHAM: Speaker, to answer the Premier, I thought that's exactly what the Health Accord was commissioned to do. Yet, the Health Accord says nowhere about implementing a sugar tax.

Again, the Premier said earlier in this Question Period he didn't want to put extra strain on the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. Yet, this sugar tax is ill-conceived, poorly planned and terribly executed. As a matter of fact, earlier last week the Premier made a comment to say that this is just the start.

I ask the Premier: What other products are you planning on putting the sugar tax on?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

A. FUREY: Mr. Speaker, we're interested in making sure that people are making the right decisions, the healthy decisions. We need to change the way we're behaving in Newfoundland and Labrador. This is one item –

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

SPEAKER: Order, please!

A. FUREY: I can tell you what doesn't work, Mr. Speaker. The Member opposite made a career on trying to take nurses out of the health care system, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

A. FUREY: We're investing in the health care system, Mr. Speaker, not taking people out of the health care system.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

SPEAKER: Order, please!

I heard the question. I want to hear the answer, too.

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Stephenville - Port au Port.

T. WAKEHAM: The last time I looked the government had introduced a Rethink Your Drink campaign, which would be great if they didn't have a penalty clause associated with it called the sugar tax.

The Seniors' Advocate noted that one of her priorities was to study how seniors are impacted by the high cost of living.

I ask the minister responsible for Seniors: Do you think the introduction of a sugar tax and an increase in carbon tax is going to make life more affordable for seniors?

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

S. COADY: Thank you very much, Speaker.

I welcome the students from Holy Spirit here this afternoon for a spirited Question Period.

Speaker, the Member opposite is yelling about who supports this tax and why should it be supported. Well, allow me to say, the Canadian Pediatric Society, the World Health Organization, Canadian Cancer Society, Canadian Diabetes Association, Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Now, unless the Member opposite knows something that all these organizations that are dedicated to the health of the population don't know, I would suggest he understand why we're trying to implement this. I'll also say to him, because he's next going to say something about what was implemented in other jurisdictions, I'd be happy to answer that question.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Ferryland.

L. O'DRISCOLL: My only three words would be: you're out of touch.

Speaker, a constituent of mine was recently on a plane coming from Alberta on his rotation when he struck up a conversation with his seatmate. It turns out the person was one of the 11 insulators coming from Quebec to work on the mental health and addictions facility.

Speaker, we have seen this story before. Why is the Furey government allowing workers from outside our province to work on our public infrastructure inside our province?

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

E. LOVELESS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It's an important question in terms of projects such as the mental health institution that we're building, a very important building. In terms of people employed, we've had – I don't have it in front of me, but I believe in several months we had 100 per cent local employment. I think the next percentage was 98 per cent.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

E. LOVELESS: So we're doing our best to take care of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians on our projects. But sometimes expertise does come from outside the province to work on these projects. But we aim to employ at least 100 per cent Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Ferryland.

L. O'DRISCOLL: I'll say again, Speaker, out of touch. I don't know where those numbers come from.

Speaker, the new long-term facilities in Gander and Grand Falls-Windsor employed lots of outside workers while our skilled workers sat at home and watched – shameful.

Can the minister tell this House how many out-of-province workers are currently employed on publicly funded infrastructure projects here in Newfoundland and Labrador?

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

E. LOVELESS: As I said, Mr. Speaker, our aim is certainly to employ 100 per cent of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. But the specific number that he's asking me, I don't have it in front of me. I'd be happy to get it and provide it to him.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Ferryland.

L. O'DRISCOLL: I certainly appreciate that, Speaker.

There's a hotel in Corner Brook with an entire floor reserved out for out-of-province workers employed with the new hospital.

Why does this government insist on letting outside-the-province workers have these jobs, while highly trained workers from Newfoundland and Labrador are unemployed?

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

E. LOVELESS: Mr. Speaker, I will say I had an opportunity to go through that building and it was very impressive and impressive work done by Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

As I said, our aim, our goal is certainly to employ 100 per cent of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Our record shows that we're doing a good job. Sometimes, yes, if we don't get 100 per cent, we're disappointed, and expertise sometimes does come from outside the province, but we aim for 100 per cent. I think our record shows that we've done a good job.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Cape St. Francis.

J. WALL: Mr. Speaker, there are workers out there disappointed, I can tell you that. There are also students out there disappointed.

There's a critical shortage of heavy duty equipment technicians in our province. However, after completing the first year of the program and the required 3,000 hours to move on, students are now being told it could be years on a wait-list before their second block.

Why is this government forcing more skilled professionals out of our province?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills.

G. BYRNE: Mr. Speaker, I'm very, very happy to inform the House that this government is supplying a record amount of financial assistance to our apprentices and to employers to be able to hire apprentices. We're always looking for new ways and innovative ways to make sure that those who train for the trades of today are also available for the trades of tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank the hon. Members for the incredible support that has been provided to apprentices throughout our entire province. We have built on the legacy of those who have built our province and those are truly apprentices.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Cape St. Francis.

J. WALL: Speaker, I can tell you there are many students in this province – maybe some in this gallery here today – who are going to be out in the cold because we have been told there are only four schools teaching the block one. However, College of the North Atlantic in Stephenville is the only school that offers subsequent blocks and they cannot meet the demand.

Speaker, we have 100 per cent employment for these graduates but they are currently being set up to fail.

I ask the minister: What is being done to resolve this bottleneck in Newfoundland and Labrador?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

J. HAGGIE: Thank you very much, Speaker. It's great to be here in a new role.

In answer to the question, we are working with the CNA to try and align very closely the courses that we deliver with the requirements of the labour market. We have information from Immigration, Population Growth and Skills. We are working with Ms. Kidd and her team – I met with them recently – on such an issue. We recognize that there are challenges and we're working to resolve them.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

J. DINN: Thank you, Speaker.

In 2020, provincial Liberals clawed back CERB benefit payments dollar for dollar for income support recipients despite advice from anti-poverty groups not to do so. Yet, under their watch, they had no problem turning a blind eye to blatant cronyism that turned Nalcor into a haven for writing blank cheques on everything from humidors to hot tubs.

I ask the Premier: What does he have to say to the single parents on income support going hungry so that their kids can eat?

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development.

J. ABBOTT: Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to respond.

In terms of our Department of Children, Seniors and Social Development, we have an income support program that we are proud of in terms of meeting the needs of the people of the province. We're looking at areas how we can improve; we're doing a consultation right now on that. At the same time, we're developing a social and economic well-being plan that will incorporate all aspects of the social determinants of health so that on a go-forward basis, we have the right programs, the right policies and the right funding in place to address the issues such as the Member raised.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

J. DINN: While the minister might be proud, I can tell you that the parents who are forced to use food banks or watch themselves or their children go hungry are not.

Premier, it's blatant cronyism and a double standard what's happening.

Speaker, recently an 85-year-old lady spent more than 10 hours at St. Clare's emergency room in pain and desperate for medical attention. You received this email, she asks: Why is government giving $500 cheques to higher-income individuals instead of putting money towards our public health care system.

I ask the Premier: What is his response to this constituent?

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

T. OSBORNE: Mr. Speaker, I can answer from a health perspective. Having people wait a long period of time in an emergency department is not acceptable. We strive to do better, Mr. Speaker, we have been looking to do better; part of that is the recruitment of additional health care professionals to ensure that we lighten the load for the health care professionals that are there.

What we would say, Mr. Speaker, is the emergency departments prioritize the patients that come into an emergency department and the individuals that have higher need are seen sooner. Mr. Speaker, we would certainly like to get the numbers of health care professionals up and reduce those wait times even further.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

L. EVANS: That is definitely not enough, Speaker.

Speaker, Newfoundland and Labrador's suicide numbers increased 25 per cent in 2021 but more than doubled in Labrador-Grenfell region. I was saddened but really not surprised at the numbers. I was also deeply disappointed to hear the Minister of Health this morning blame it on the pandemic. Now, I hear the phrases about rates fluctuating year to year. But we all know suicide rates for the Innu and Inuit of Northern Labrador are linked directly to intergeneration trauma as a direct result of the social and economic marginalization. That is what impacts our mental health. That is what drives us to give up hope.

That is really what drives us to kill ourselves, Minister. That needs to be answered.

Will this minister admit to this and outline real action to help heal our communities? We will accept the return of the freight boat as a small start.

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

T. OSBORNE: Mr. Speaker, the pandemic wasn't the cause of those; the pandemic may have contributed to part of the increase. There are a number of factors that contribute to the increase, Mr. Speaker, isolation for somebody who is suffering from mental health can be very serious. Mr. Speaker, there are financial pressures that people have experienced through the pandemic as well.

So not to diminish the question that the individual asked, because it is a very important question, but there are a number of factors that lead to and contribute to suicide in this province.

It is a very serious issue. Nobody wants to see any increase in numbers. They do fluctuate from year to year, Mr. Speaker; however, the goal is, with the new plan that government has announced, to see reductions year over year in those numbers and that is what we are working toward.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

L. EVANS: Chronic social and economic marginalization is the result of, basically, colonialism. I think that needs to be addressed to get the suicides under control in my district.

Speaker, in the winter of 2019 teachers in my district told me directly they were worried about the removal of the freight boat from the island because they knew it would impact teacher retention and recruitment in my district. Now we see teacher shortages resulting in the shuffling of teachers and forcing high school students to take online courses instead of being in the classroom.

I ask the Premier: Will he step up and offer true reconciliation by returning the freight boat; not only to help teacher recruitment and retention but the overall economic and social welfare of my communities?

Thank you.

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

J. HAGGIE: Thank you very much, Speaker.

With regard to the recruitment of teachers for Northern Labrador, we mentioned in my response last week that this has and continues to be a challenge. I am pleased to inform this House that since I spoke in the House, we have actually recruited a teacher for Nain, in addition to those who are already there – a step in the right direction. Not enough, but we will continue to work to improve that.

With regard to connectivity, we have reached out to our colleagues across government to see what other maneuvers we can engage in for the school there, particularly, as my understanding is the clinic, for example, seems to have pretty reasonable internet connectivity. I am happy to report back to the House on progress, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The time for Question Period has expired.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees

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

B. WARR: On behalf of the Select Committee appointed to draft a reply to the Speech from Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor, I am pleased to present the report of the Select Committee which reads as follows:

To Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor, the hon. Judy M. Foote, PC, ONL.

May it please Your Honour: We, the Commons of Newfoundland and Labrador in Legislative Session assembled, beg to thank Your Honour for the gracious speech which Your Honour has addressed to this House.

That is respectfully submitted.

Thank you, Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: Any other presenting reports?

Tabling of Documents.

Tabling of Documents

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

S. COADY: Thank you very much, Speaker.

Pursuant to

section 26(5)a of the Financial Administration Act , I am tabling two orders-in-council relating to funding precommitment for fiscal years 2023-2024 to 2033-2034.

SPEAKER: Also, in accordance with subsection 18(9) of the House of Assembly Accountability, Integrity and Administration Act , I am advising the House that members of the Management Commission are: the Speaker; the Government House Leader; the Opposition House Leader; the Minister Responsible for Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation; the Minister Responsible for Labrador Affairs and Deputy Government House Leader; the Member for Bonavista; the Member for Burin - Grand Bank; the Member for Torngat Mountains; and the Clerk.

Any further tabling of documents?

Notices of Motion.

Notices of Motion

SPEAKER: The hon. Deputy Government House Leader.

L. DEMPSTER: Thank you, Speaker.

I give notice that I will, on tomorrow, move the following motion: That notwithstanding Standing Order 63, this House shall not proceed with Private Members' Day, on Wednesday, October 12, but shall instead meet at 2 p.m. on that day for Routine Proceedings and the conduct of government business

AND THAT, if not earlier adjourned, the Speaker shall then adjourn the House at midnight.

SPEAKER: Any further notices of motion?

Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

J. HAGGIE: Thank you, Speaker.

I may have misspoke slightly on Thursday in answer to a question from my colleague from Torngat Mountains. I said that we, the department, had met with the NLTA about recruitment strategies the previous day. It was, in actual fact, the previous week.

However, to make up for that, I actually met with the NLTA president and executive director on this subject this morning.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: Petitions.

Petitions

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Bonavista.

C. PARDY: Thank you, Speaker.

Many roads within the District of Bonavista have destructive potholes, no different than what it was when we were in the spring 2022 sitting of the House of Assembly. Over a 20-kilometre stretch of one of our two main routes, Route 235, serving our historic district remains untouched. Residents are perplexed why these destructive potholes would remain throughout the tourism season, into the fall, leading to vehicle damages.

We, the undersigned, call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to immediately assure that there will be no destructive potholes on either of our two main routes, 230 and 235, after July 1, 2023. With ingenuity and an improved master plan, we feel that there ought to be no destructive potholes remaining in the entire district after July month, going forward.

We talk about tourists travelling our roads, and we usually send them down 230 and we ask them to come up scenic route 235. Well, if you travel the scenic Route 235, there's a 25-kilometre stretch where the potholes haven't been touched. So we have a Mr. Russell, from CBS in his 2018 Toyota LE, who had considerable damage, supplied the department with three quotes; no response back yet.

A good friend of the Member for Baie Verte - Green Bay, Mr. Jim Swyers, business person in Bonavista, in August month was travelling the road when a person in a rent-a-car pulled over on the side of the road – a couple from New York – and had damage to the tire. They brought them back to Bonavista where they had a two-night layover to wait to get the car back in order to travel back to St. John's.

We have sent lots of these in. The government does not accept any liability for these potholes, even though they exist from the spring of the year into the fall of the year.

How much ingenuity does it take to fix a pothole? Not a lot. I toured the aquaculture industry on the South Coast, the mussel farm in the Member's district I just referenced, and they have a lot of creativity and ingenuity in the way they operate and we can't get a pothole filled on a 25-kilometre stretch of road that is causing damage. Go figure.

Then we hear of NASA's DART program, which is the Double Asteroid – the collision test. That is very creative and, again, us here in the District of Bonavista and our government, we can't fill in a pothole that causes damage.

Thank you very much.

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure for a response.

E. LOVELESS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Member for his petition.

I am aware of the routes that he is referring to because we talked about it previously. I think all MHAs in this House of Assembly realize the challenges around – I will challenge him in terms of the simplistic view that he is taking on filling a pothole. Yes, we agree, but there are many potholes in this province.

Where we need to get is, how do we tackle the maintenance program itself. We are working diligently on that; I believe that we will have a good plan in place moving forward. All I say to that is: Stay tuned.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Ferryland.

L. O'DRISCOLL: Thank you, Speaker.

These are the reasons for this petition:

The Witless Bay Line is a significant piece of infrastructure.

Whereas many commute outside the Avalon on a daily basis for work, as well as the commercial, residential and tourism growth in the region has increased the volume of traffic on this highway.

Therefore, we petition the House of Assembly as follows: We, the undersigned, urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to upgrade this significant piece of infrastructure to enhance and improve the flow of traffic to and from the Trans-Canada Highway.

Speaker, I have spoke on this a number of times since I came in, I'm going to say, in the last three years, I have certainly done many petitions on this road. I would say to the MHAs that are driving here when they come to the House of Assembly, instead of driving on Trans-Canada, drive across the Witless Bay Line and drive in to St. John's to get to your hotel or get to wherever you're staying and experience the road. I dare to say there are not many roads for eight or nine kilometres worse than that.

Now, we have some sections that have been paved over the years through a couple of ministers, but there are eight or nine kilometres that it would rattle your teeth for sure. And if you're drinking a coffee – and I've had some of our Members drive and say, b'y, that's impossible to drive, it's incredible. I get calls from people that have mobile trailers that they're driving and they'll drive out to St. John's and go the Trans-Canada rather than drive across to Witless Bay Line, it's too hard on their equipment and fellas that have motorcycles.

I listened to the minister speak on the maintenance, and I will certainly speak on the maintenance in our area. I have seen some improvements; they've done some roads and some ditching in our area. It's going to make a difference later on, and that's what's important to get done. The same in this area, you have to get the maintenance done. It's very important. I would also touch on the brush cutting in the areas as well.

So it's very important, as he touched on, to getting the maintenance done. I certainly agree with it. A lot of the communities are very happy with what's going on. It will prevent further washouts. Including the Witless Bay Line, there would be areas in there that it's impossible – fellas with motorcycles that it's just impossible to drive. They're going across to the opposite side of the road. I've driven it many times myself and you're taking your chances. You go in there on a foggy night, you're driving 70 or 80 kilometres and you can't see the pothole or you can't see the holes that are there.

It's something I just put that out there for the minister to have a look at and hopefully make it in his budget for next year.

Thank you.

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure for a response.

E. LOVELESS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thought the first thing he was going to say was thanking me for the investment in his district this season, but he didn't do that. But I'll wait for that the next time, Mr. Speaker.

In terms of that road, I've driven that road and I've talked to some business owners that are on that road as well. It's like many, it's like the Terra Nova road; it's like many roads in this province, in this hon. man's district, this man's district, this lady's district, districts everywhere in this province.

We all know we have a certain amount of money that's budgeted for this. It's always a challenge, no doubt, but we will continue to consider that route, as well as many other routes in this province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

E. JOYCE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'll read the petition and background:

WHEREAS our environment must be protected and the Environmental Protection Act must be followed to ensure the safety of our environment for future generations; and

WHEREAS the World Energy GH2 has submitted a plan to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to build wind turbines in Western Newfoundland; and

WHEREAS the company director has stated publicly that the government told the company to register only Phase I of the project; and

WHEREAS the company director stated they need the three phases to make the project viable;

THEREFORE we call upon the hon. House of Assembly as follows: We, the undersigned, call upon the hon. House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to reject Phase I of the World Energy GH2 project and complete an environmental impact study on the World Energy GH2 project as one to ensure the complete project is evaluated and the environmental study is not circumvented.

Mr. Speaker, I bring that up again today because, as I said last week, the company said we're just going to put Phase I. Once we get Phase I, then Phase II and Phase III will come. The minister in response to that on last Thursday, I think it was, Mr. Speaker, I'll just use my phone to read from Hansard on it. He said: “There will absolutely be no project splitting allowed to occur. The Member is correct; Environment has a strong standpoint on splitting a project. That will not occur.”

Mr. Minister, I take your word as a hon. minister and a person. So if you really feel that there's no project splitting, you should cancel Phase I and order them now as we speak because right now, as this project is moving forward, Mr. Speaker, there is no consultations in the Humber - Bay of Islands where it's going to be mainly affected for Phase II.

So, Minister, you put it in the record that there will be no project splitting, that the department will frown upon this.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

SPEAKER: Order, please!

E. JOYCE: I know this is very serious, but I say to the minister, if you believe what you said in Hansard , that there is no project splitting, I call upon you now to say publicly that they will have to put in the full project, Phase I, II and III, so that the people of Humber - Bay of Islands will have a say, not on the front end, but once they get $500 million spent on the buildings, you got to give them Phase II and Phase III.

Minister, these are your words. I ask that you stand up and say now that there will be no project splitting; there will be one project for the three phases.

Thank you.

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Environment and Climate Change for a response.

B. DAVIS: Thank you, Speaker.

On August 5, as I've said before, I'll thank the hon. Member for bringing forward the petition. I can assure the House of Assembly, the people of this province and the people on the West Coast of this province that there will be absolutely no project splitting with respect to this project. The guidelines have been released. The draft guidelines have been released. Sorry, I misspoke there. The draft guidelines have been released.

There'll be consultation from the public on those draft guidelines before any final guidelines will be put out. The proponent has to honour all those requirements within the draft guidelines as well as when they become final, as we move through this process, which is exactly the legislative process that we follow each and every time.

There will be no project splitting. I want to reiterate that point. We announced that it would be going to an environmental impact statement on August 5, in which case they'll give an opportunity for the public consultation both in the draft guidelines and the final guidelines that will be coming out, as well as when they submit their final report.

There is absolutely – and I can't reiterate any more clearly than that – no project splitting. There was no consultation within our department to advise the proponent that they could offer up parts of the project; that is not on. That's not the way it works. They understand that. We've told them that and they've said so in other media that I've seen before.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

L. EVANS: Thank you, Speaker.

We, the undersigned, are concerned citizens of Newfoundland and Labrador who urge our leaders to advocate on behalf of the residents of Northern Labrador for the Newfoundland and Labrador PUB to review the decision to apply a price freeze on summer fuel products, that's motor fuel and home heating fuel in zone 14.

Zone 14 is composed of the six Innu and Inuit communities in Northern Labrador. In past years, there was no price freeze on fuel during the summer months in zone 14. That is, historically, the maximum retail adjustments by the PUB were not suspended during the summer months; instead the prices adjusted week to week just like the rest of the provincial zones.

In June 2021 and again in June 2022, the PUB suspended maximum retail price adjustments for zone 14, resulting in questions from residents as to why this was done. It was really confusing. Our communities in zone 14 rely heavily on hunting, fishing and gathering our food supply; therefore, we are heavily dependent on gasoline to be able to access our natural food supply.

We feel that the summer price suspension was put in place without adequate consultation as to the impacts this summer price freeze would have on our people.

Therefore we, the undersigned, call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to advocate for a review of the decision to suspend the maximum price adjustments for zone 14 during these months.

Speaker, this is about a price freeze that people don't really understand, because they weren't consulted. But in actual fact, the price freeze actually impacts our people in Labrador, not only in my district of Northern Labrador but Southern Labrador as well because we are the only places, Northern Labrador and Southern Labrador that we have a price freeze.

Now, in late June, the PUB froze the price in Northern Labrador at $2.457 a litre. Eight days later, after that price freeze was put in effect, the gas prices dropped across the entire province by 20 cents. Looking at Southern Labrador, they were froze at $2.35. Really, what I like to call is the difference between the Island prices and Labrador prices. In the Northern Peninsula, if you actually gassed up, when the price freeze was put in place, you would be paying 36.2 cents a litre less.

In September 28, people in Northern Labrador were paying 78 cents more a litre than on the Island. People in Southern Labrador were paying 58.2 cents more a litre than in the Northern Peninsula. We need a review and we need adequate consultation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.

J. DINN: Thank you, Speaker.

I take this opportunity to present a petition on reforming the justice system to better serve survivors of sexual assault. This time 60 people have signed it. It has been a while, so I will read the full

preamble and what they are calling on.

WHEREAS the global #Me Too Movement has laid bare the gross inequalities and obstacles facing survivors of sexual assault who seek justice; and

WHEREAS serious concerns about how the justice system handles criminal offences related to sexual violence are evident based on statistics about the reporting rates of sexual assault in relation to other crimes. These concerns also emerge from the reported experiences of survivors; and

WHEREAS in Canada, one in three – or 31 per cent – victimizations are reported to police but only one in five sexual assaults are reported to police; and

WHEREAS survivors hesitate to report sexual assault because they don't believe they will see justice; and

WHEREAS these facts and conditions all combine and result in a failure of the justice system for survivors of sexual assault.

THEREFORE we, the undersigned, call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to acknowledge that the status quo is failing survivors of sexual assault; undertake a review of the K-to-12 curriculum to identify gaps in education about consent, healthy relationships and gender-based violence; implement alternative justice options, such as transformative-restorative justice practices and/or options rooted in Indigenous legal traditions and practices in response to gendered-based violence throughout the province; have the Minister of Justice ask the chief judge of the Provincial Court to consider a practice directive which would prohibit opposing counsel from approaching witnesses and which would prohibit counsel from yelling at witnesses; introduce mandatory training for provincial judges on trauma, PTSD and consent model on the federal requirement; and consult with key community stakeholders to identify and appropriately fund new initiatives to prevent and address all forms of gender-based violence.

I think we should take one part of this very seriously – that, basically, survivors hesitate to report sexual assaults because they don't believe they will see justice. In my time as MHA, a number of the women who have come to me, looking to get out of abusive relationships, are reliant on court orders, restraining orders, you name it and they don't have confidence. They do not feel protected. We have had examples, I guess, in my district of people who have gone to the police, looking to file a complaint, only to be counselled to do the opposite.

I think, here, at this point in time, Speaker, let's get on with this and make this better for the survivors of sexual assault.

Thank you.

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

J. HOGAN: Thank you, Speaker, and thanks for the opportunity to speak to this issue.

I thank the Member for his

preamble which outlines a lot of issues that individuals who deal with sexual assault face in the justice system, and I agree it is very difficult. As I said to the public many times, we do want to give individuals the space to make decisions that they feel comfortable with. Sometimes they are unable to come to decisions because there is not, necessarily, the right resources available to them to deal with the situation and court might not be the answer for all people.

So having said that and listening to what the recommendations were in the petition, I do want to outline two items that we are dealing with and we have taken steps from in the Department of Justice. One being we have funded a $300,000 program from Memorial University to do a study into education to provide a restorative justice approach to individuals who are in the K-to-12 system. That application for funding was on my desk for a matter of days. As soon as I saw it, I thought it was a great idea and really important to help deal with the education issues that surround sexual assault and sexual violence in our province.

I also met with the new chief judge at Provincial Court this morning. We talked about a number of things in relation to the justice system in the Provincial Court. One of the items we did talk about was training for sexual assault issues for Provincial Court judges, and I am very pleased to see and hear him say that he is happy to work with us and, in fact, deal with this issue of training as soon as possible.

We will let him get his feet wet a little bit. He is only been appointed a week or so ago. But certainly that was an issue that we talked about this morning. I am happy to tell everyone in the House, the members of the public that is something that we will continue to work on as we move forward.

Thank you, Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: Orders of the Day.

Orders of the Day

SPEAKER: The hon. the Deputy Government House Leader.

L. DEMPSTER: Thank you, Speaker.

Orders of the Day, Motion 3.

SPEAKER: The hon. the Deputy Government House Leader.

L. DEMPSTER: Speaker, I call from the Order Paper, Motion 3.

I move, seconded by the Deputy Premier, that under Standing Order 11(1) this House not adjourn at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 11, 2022.

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

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

SPEAKER: All those against, 'nay.'

Motion carried.

The hon. the Deputy Government House Leader.

L. DEMPSTER: Thank you, Speaker.

I call from the Order Paper, Motion 1.

BE IT RESOLVED that the following Humble Address be presented to His Most Gracious Majesty the King, expressing the heartfelt sympathy of this House on the death of Her Late Gracious Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, and also conveying to His Majesty the happiness felt by the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador upon his accession to the Throne:

TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY:

Most Gracious Sovereign:

We, Your Majesty's most loyal and dutiful subjects, the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador in Legislative Session convened, humbly beg leave to approach Your Majesty to express the profound sorrow felt by this House and by the loyal people of this province with Your Majesty and all the other members of the Royal Family, at the irreparable loss sustained by you and them in the death of our Late Beloved Sovereign Queen Elizabeth the Second.

We mourn keenly the death of our Revered Queen, whose deep sense of responsibility, whose devotion to the duties of Her High Office and whose wise and sympathetic leadership we acknowledge with profound gratitude. We pray that Almighty God may abundantly comfort Your Majesty and the Royal Family in your grief.

With feelings different but very deep and sincere, we now hail Your Majesty's accession to the Throne. We express the fervent hope that Your Majesty's reign will continue for many peaceful and prosperous years.

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Address be engrossed and sent to the Governor General of Canada to be forwarded to His Majesty the King.

After 70 years of service, Speaker, I think, despite having lots of bills and legislation, that it only be fitting that I take a few minutes to speak of Queen Elizabeth's reign, much of it already known, but I think it's certainly –

SPEAKER: The Clerk has reminded me that we need a seconder for that motion.

L. DEMPSTER: I need a seconder. The guy who hails from close to the Queen, on the other side of the pond, seconded by the Minister of Education, Speaker.

SPEAKER: Thank you.

L. DEMPSTER: Thank you.

Much of what we already know, but certainly deserving to be read into the record, Speaker, it was a sad day across the Commonwealth on September 8, when we all learned of the news that Queen Elizabeth II had died at the age of 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland with the Royal Family by her side.

Absolutely incredible that she occupied the throne for 70 years and 214 days. Elizabeth was Britain's longest reining monarch and second longest reining monarch in recorded history.

She became Queen in 1952 at the age of 25 and was the first monarch to be crowned Queen of Canada. As the mother of a 25-year-old daughter, I reflected on that and I thought, my goodness, how much she had given up and how disciplined our Queen was for those 70 years, always putting crown and country before herself.

She was Queen of Canada for almost half our countries existence. We've heard many say since her passing that she was the only Queen that most of us knew. As a matter of fact, Speaker, 96 per cent of this province's existence since Confederation in 1949, she was serving. Over the span of 70 years, Queen Elizabeth II made 22 official trips to Canada and she was present for some significant moments in Canadian history. I won't read them all. I think about the opening of the First Session of the 23rd Parliament in '57, Canada's centennial anniversary in 1967 and the Summer Olympic Games in Montreal in '76.

But perhaps what's really noteworthy and significant – it stood out to me as I was doing a little bit of research – was the Queen travelled to Ottawa specifically to take

part in one of the most significant events in Canadian history and a fundamental pillar that established Canada as a modern state. She signed the proclamation that patriated our Constitution giving Canada complete independence from British law. This also brought about the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in which our democratic rights and privileges are enshrined.

Throughout her reign, Elizabeth saw 12 Canadian prime ministers rise and fall – it's amazing. She appointed 13 different Governor Generals, with the last appointment being Mary May Simon in July of '21. Many of us would've met Mary May Simon, she was appointed by the Queen.

Her first visit to Newfoundland and Labrador was in '51, when, then, Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh ended their extensive tour of Canada. She actually visited our province a total of three times.

There are many, many notes here. I'm just sort of skimming some of it, Speaker.

I want to mention this because our province was just saddened to learn of the passing of the late John Crosbie Perlin. In 1978, her visit to the province included several events including the Royal St. John's Regatta and a banquet dinner at Memorial University. It was at that dinner that the late John Crosbie Perlin of St. John's first met Queen Elizabeth during this visit. He had this to say when he was asked about Queen Elizabeth: he said she was kind and courteous and had a way of putting people at ease. He also said she had a great sense of humour.

I think as leaders in the province, the 40 Members that take our seat, we can take something away from that. It's important that people feel valued in our presence, that they feel seen, but always I think there's a bit of work-life balance and, at the end of the day, we maintain a sense of humour through it all as well.

She was here in '97 – that's probably the visit that I remember most – when we celebrated the 500th anniversary of John Cabot's voyage across the Atlantic.

Also noteworthy is that during that visit she also made stops in Sheshatshiu, one of our two First Nation reserves in this province, and North West River, where Queen Elizabeth opened the Labrador

Interpretation Centre.

I was delighted just last September maybe to take the Justice Minister, we had some time after meetings. I said I can't think of a better place to take you if you want to learn about Labrador and some of our history and our Indigenous histories and cultures than to North West River to the Labrador

Interpretation Centre. Queen Elizabeth actually did open that facility.

Respected Innu elder and activist Elizabeth Penashue was there during the Queen's visit to Sheshatshiu and remembered that visit fondly as they set up a tent on the beach in Sheshatshiu where community members would visit. During that day she says her tent was full of children and elders.

As the minister for Indigenous Affairs, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that many times when you read about the Queen that she was committed to reconciliation and she spoke often about the work that remained to heal. Having myself met, who is now King Charles, myself and him when he visited here, I believe it was in June, had a conversation. He was quite interested in the things that our province is doing around reconciliation. So now when I learn about the history of the things that his mom would've been involved in, those things sort of come naturally, being passed on to him.

She always maintained a warm, personal relationship with Indigenous people. During her first visit to Canada in '59 you will see that she visited many Indigenous communities.

A couple of things I want to say about her as a female, because she certainly raised the bar, she broke glass ceilings; she was a very strong leader. In 1945, she became the first female member of the Royal Family to become a full-time, active member of the British Armed Forces. She trained as a driver and as a mechanic. You know, a pretty different roles than what we are used to seeing her in. By the end of the war, she had risen to the rank of junior commander.

In addition to being the longest serving British monarch, Her Majesty was also married for 73 years, the greatest length of time of any British sovereign – 73 years. I have had a number of 60th anniversaries in my district and that's a long time. But 73 deserves a mention.

The Queen supported organizations that reflected her own varied interests such as education, health, professional institutions, children, science, the environment, arts and community work. Also noteworthy is that Her Majesty had links as royal patron or president with over 500 charities, professional bodies and public service organizations.

There is no doubt, as I clue up, Speaker, that Elizabeth provided a strong example of a woman leader. She was a constant figure in the life of Canadians. She devoted her life to serving people. She commissioned her 15th prime minister to form a government just days before she passed, and many of the media outlets were commenting on that.

The one thing that – I will sort of sit down after this – I wanted to mention, as I stand here in the presence of 40 MHAs that represent the constituency that make up Newfoundland and Labrador, this is one thing that always left me in awe with the Queen: She offered leadership and comfort in times of uncertainty, hardship and change. There is no doubt that people look to their leaders for that calm and assurance. I think as MHAs we can take a page as we go through various tumultuous times.

I may not have done quite justice to that, Speaker, but we certainly thank her for her service and we certainly wish King Charles all of the best in his reign.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Harbour Main.

H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: Thank you, Speaker.

It is with great honour that I stand here today on behalf of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition in the Newfoundland and Labrador Legislature of the House of Assembly. It is with great honour that I not only speak, but I also express our sorrow and deep sympathy of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on her death.

We will be forever grateful for many things in the Opposition. We will be grateful for her devotion and her dedication to the duties in Her High Office. We will be grateful for her wisdom and for her leadership during the tenure of her reign, which was over 70 years.

I think, Speaker, that it is quite fitting today, being International Day of the Girl Child, that I speak with respect to the passing of Her Majesty. I indicate that there is no better role model than Her Majesty for young girls today. We see that she has provided all of the attributes, characteristics and values that young girls today need to follow and to emulate in order to have meaningful and positive lives ahead of them.

We wish to convey to His Majesty, as well, the happiness we feel for his accession to the Throne. We wish him many peaceful and successful years ahead.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Labrador West.

J. BROWN: Thank you, Speaker.

As my colleague for St. John's Centre said, we do send our condolences on behalf of the Third Party to His Majesty King Charles for the passing of his mother, a grandmother and great-grandmother. We talk about Her Majesty as the Queen but she was also a mom, she was a grandmother and she was a great-grandmother who actually, outside of most tradition, spent a lot of time with her children and her grandchildren. To be the monarch but to also continue and follow with your family duties as well as an active mother and grandmother and great-grandmother is impressive in itself.

She was the only monarch I had ever known and same with my father and most of my family. I think my grandfather would probably be the only one who could remember but he was only a boy when her father was the King, so it is a massive change in the Commonwealth that we are going to have a change of face and it's interesting here, even on the first bill here this morning, Charles III. A lot of people are going to have to get used it and it's going to be a very interesting change after 70 years of a presence that we had here.

But like I said, we, as the Third Party, do offer condolences to His Majesty and that passing because it is significant. Even though these are public figures, that's still his mother, that's still a grandmother, that's still a mother and it's very hard on families to lose someone with such a long presence. I do sincerely offer my condolences to them.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: Seeing no other speakers if the Deputy Government House Leader speaks now, she will close debate.

The hon. the Deputy Government House Leader.

L. DEMPSTER: Thank you, Speaker.

I thank my colleagues across the way for paying tribute to Her Majesty. She may have passed but I think her memory will live on for as long as we have memory, and we'll speak about her often and we thank her for being the role model that she was as a leader, and certainly many, many attributes that we will be able to emulate from her and we wish His Majesty the very best in his time reigning.

SPEAKER: Is the House ready for the question?

All those in favour of the motion?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

SPEAKER: All those against, 'nay.'

Motion carried.

The hon. Deputy Government House Leader.

L. DEMPSTER: Thank you, Speaker.

I call from the Order Paper, Motion 2.

SPEAKER: The hon. Deputy Government House Leader.

L. DEMPSTER: Speaker,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Assembly as follows:

WHEREAS

section 4 of the Child and Youth Advocate Act provides that on resolution of the House of Assembly, the Lieutenant-Governor in Council shall appoint as a Child and Youth Advocate.

THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that Linda Clemens-Spurrell be appointed as the Child and Youth Advocate effective October 25, 2022.

I need a seconder?

SPEAKER: Yes, you need a seconder, please.

L. DEMPSTER: Speaker, seconded by the Minister for Children, Seniors and Social Development.

SPEAKER: The hon. Deputy Government House Leader.

L. DEMPSTER: Thank you, Speaker.

I'm just going to take a couple of minutes to share some information on Ms. Linda Clemens-Spurrell. She has almost 30 years of experience in the social systems within the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. She began working as a public servant in 1993, as a front-line social worker and then Department of Social Services in the area of child welfare. So certainly a lot of value over those 30 years.

Ms. Clemens-Spurrell holds a Master of Social Work degree from Memorial University that emphasized leadership, social justice, diversity, research, anti-oppressive practice, community development, social policy and intervention with individuals, families and groups. This advanced skill set has been utilized in the various roles she has occupied throughout her career.

Noteworthy, Speaker, that Ms. Clemens-Spurrell social work career has included front-line social work experience, policy and program development, training and quality management, as well as front-line supervision and progressive senior management positions within the Department of Social Services, Eastern Regional Health Authority, Department of Health and Community Services and the former Department of Child, Youth and Family Services.

Prior to her appointment as the Child and Youth Advocate, Ms. Clemens-Spurrell served as assistant deputy minister for the Child and Youth Services Branch of CSSD, a position she has held since 2019, where she engaged with colleagues from across the country on matters of significance to child welfare. Ms. Clemens-Spurrell is a registered social worker with the Newfoundland and Labrador College of Social Workers and her career has focused on the needs of children and youth of this province.

As a registered social worker, she believes in the importance of advocacy, collaboration and mutual respect. Speaker, I want to add that Ms. Clemens-Spurrell came into the Department of Children, Seniors and Social Development while I was the minister there and I got to see every day her work ethic, and you would've too, Speaker, as the parliamentary secretary at that time. She poured her heart and soul and we got to see that up close and personal. I think her days were long there, and maybe sometimes you wanted to send her home at a certain time.

I think when we reflect on the things that I have just read into the record, that Ms. Clemens-Spurrell has certainly had a well-rounded, long career. During my time there, I know she spent many hours at the Innu Round Table, for example, building relationships with Indigenous peoples around this province. I believe that she certainly had a close look, starting on the front lines and working her way up. She certainly is aware of the provincial needs and scope. I certainly can speak with a great deal of confidence when I say I believe she understands the role of a Child and Youth Advocate.

From time to time, there would be reports come in to the department there from the Advocate, and we would always embrace those recommendations with a goal to make life better for the children in this province. So as a 30-year career, I think we can say that she cares and I believe, Speaker, that Ms. Clemens-Spurrell will fulfill her duties in a capable and competent manner, and I believe that the province will be well served under the mandate of Ms. Clemens-Spurrell.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

B. PETTEN: Thank you, Speaker.

It gives me a pleasure to get up and speak on this motion for Linda Clemens-Spurrell. Actually, earlier today I met Linda for the first time – very impressive, and I think that office will be well served with her being present as the Child and Youth Advocate. I think she'll do a great job.

Speaker, the Child and Youth Advocate is one of seven statutory offices established by statute and that report to the House of Assembly through the Speaker. I mean, that's important to say they're just one of seven.

The office works independently of any government direction in carrying out their mandate. They protect and represent the rights, interests and viewpoints of youth under the age of 19. However, this extends until their 21st birthday if they have been in care or custody arrangements.

Speaker, we just recently made some changes with our own caucus duties and one of the things we're going to concentrate on or put more emphasis on is youth and youth needs. And I think that just broadens it.

I spoke to Ms. Clemens this morning and we alluded to that fact. Underneath a lot of our societal issues now, our youth are suffering. For whatever reason it's getting down to them and we need to really – if we don't start there in society, we'll never get it right. You have to start at the bottom and build your way up.

And right now the most important asset we have is our youth and our children and we need to put whatever care and whatever protections in place for them. It's very important. And I think Ms. Clemens will do a great job in doing that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

B. PETTEN: Speaker, this includes individual advocacy, voices heard and rights are respected, reviews and investigations, systemic advocacy, issues that affect groups and child and youth, and education outreach. Like I say, very important.

Speaker, I'd also like to thank Ms. Karen Gray, our Acting Child and Youth Advocate since January, for doing an outstanding job until this appointment of Ms. Clemens-Spurrell.

Speaker, it's not easy work. The issues facing children and youth in care, as often documented in published reviews of the Advocate's office, paint a grim picture of the lives of these young people and the challenges of the system they are interacting with.

We continue to hear reports of social worker vacancies, turnover, high workloads and impacts on individuals and their families. Inadequate housing, poverty, mental health and addiction issues are often cited as key factors.

It's something else I spoke to the new Child and Youth Advocate this morning about as well, that's something that I need to bring some more attention to my own district. I'm sure right across the province we're experiencing it. There seems to be a lot of it in my own district, and it's something that I think that we all, as 40 Members in this House of Assembly, need to realize that that's the reality we're living in. Today is 2022; it's not the way it was when we were children, Speaker.

Speaker, Ms. Clemens-Spurrell has an impressive résumé with over 30 years experience, including as a front-line social worker. She's held divergent and progressively more responsible positions throughout the system which will suit her well in her new position.

Ms. Clemens-Spurrell holds a Master of Social Work and is member of the Newfoundland and Labrador College of Social Workers, and believes in the importance of advocacy, collaboration and mutual respect.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my colleagues in the Official Opposition we wish her every success.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

J. DINN: Thank you, Speaker.

We, too, will not only support this motion, but also certainly wish Ms. Linda Clemens-Spurrell all the best in her new appointment.

I, too, had the opportunity to meet with Ms. Clemens-Spurrell and I want to thank the Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development for that opportunity. It's certainly an opportunity to meet a person, have that conversation and you can sort of get the make or the cut of that person in that discussion and who they are. It's very clear, not only from meeting with Ms. Clemens-Spurrell, but also from hearing the Deputy Government House Leader speak to her, I think, in many ways, the qualifications that make her the right person for this job.

It's a significant responsibility, a significant set of duties that the Child and Youth Advocate has to undertake. Obviously, it's someone, I look at it, that Ms. Clemens-Spurrell has had 30 years of experience. She's been a front-line social worker. That's dealing with nuts and bolts, hands on, in the trenches, if you will, with the issues. She has a Master of Social Work but also in leadership, social justice and intervention. Definitely an advanced skill set for sure.

I think if anything else, it's a wide-ranging, diverse set of skills, Speaker, a wide-ranging, diverse experience which is going to enrich her work in this role. It's probably going to make her more grounded to bring all the different components together.

I think, if anything else, in my conversation with Ms. Clemens-Spurrell – we talked a little bit about priorities and about the collaboration and one of the things we spoke is collaboration between education, between schools and social work. One of the issues I have often encountered is that the sharing of information usually goes one way from schools to the health care system or from schools to social work, yet schools are an integral part of a child's well-being. Often, it is the school where some of the first, I guess, medical issues, social issues are first identified. I was encouraged to hear that Ms. Clemens-Spurrell is very supportive of that collaboration between the two.

Certainly, we talked about the inquiry into Innu children in care and that is something that she is going to be paying close attention to; about having further conversations about poverty; about the systemic issues that impact a child's success in school. It is often teachers, I guess, in the school system and that child comes in that day and they come in from home and you don't know what they are bringing in with them, and I am talking about the emotional trauma that they might have just gone through.

Maybe they haven't had a meal to eat in days, and often I would realize that the children who are in front of me also are being served by Children, Seniors and Social Development and the justice system and if anything else is we need to be aware of that and to address it.

Underlying most addictions as, I think, many school councillors will tell you – underlying just about every addiction is a mental health issue. Addictions don't exist in a vacuum. They don't exist, necessarily, independent of something else and I think there is a real, genuine concern here. I heard the Member for Conception Bay South speak to this, and it is something that we have got to address but look at the mental health issues that underlie this.

Secondly, and I guess close to a final point I will make on this, is that the children who we see in front of us – I am speaking here as an educator, Speaker. That is not necessarily who they will be later in life. When you get to meet some of your former students, who have sometimes gone on to succeed, in spite of my efforts or whatever else, as I say, they have gone and lived normal lives without me.

I think if anything is to keep in mind that it is good to have an office represented by a person who has a deep understanding of these needs and who will be a strong advocate for children, who are often voiceless themselves.

I'll end by using a quote from a news

article recently; it was Innu Nation Deputy Grand Chief Mary Ann Nui. She said that, “Children are the future of our communities, and we need healthy children and families to build our nation …. We have to understand what happened to our children, what is continuing to happen, and look at what changes can be made.”

While she is speaking to the children in her Nation, I think that can be equally said about all children, about the need to make sure that they have the best possible future; our province and our country have the best possible future. I think it is key, then, to have a person of Ms. Clemens-Spurrell expertise, background and experience to be in this position, to advocate on their behalf, Mr. Speaker.

We wish her well in her new position.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development.

J. ABBOTT: Speaker, it's certainly my pleasure to speak to the resolution and for Ms. Clemens-Spurrell to become the next Child and Youth Advocate.

I know Linda from her work in the department; she will be an exceptional Advocate. I saw that in the context of the work that she is doing and has done, literally, over the past 30 years. In my conversations with her, the one thing that has always impressed me is her interest and her professionalism, but focused on the best interests of the child and youth that she would have to address.

As you can appreciate, the complexity of child protection is one of the more extreme or more difficult roles that any public servant in this province has to address. Interfering at times, cajoling at times and then using the legal systems at times to make sure that the best interests of the child is there front and centre in the work that our social workers do, the courts will do and others.

There is a lot of discretion and professional judgment required by our social workers in the practice of child protection. At the end of the day, all roads have led, up until now, to Linda Clemens-Spurrell in our department and in our system. She knows our system probably the best, I'd say, within the province; has worked extensively throughout our system, as mentioned earlier, working from the front lines, right up to an executive position in the department.

So having somebody of her calibre willing and wanting to take on this role, I think, is a testament to her professionalism and her vocation as a social worker to make sure that she can continue her work now in a new role.

Obviously, she gets to build on the work of the previous Advocates and, as mentioned, both the former Advocates who have really built up that office have developed a process to adjudicate and take issues forward, then advocate on their behalf and then issue very substantive reports that make significant recommendations that my department and others have to follow.

For those who are following those and read those reports, they are extensive. They outline the strengths of our system, but more importantly for the Advocate, in the past and will be on a go-forward basis, where are the gaps in our services? Where are the deficiencies? Where has the system failed the interest of a child?

It's that role that the Advocate is required. If you look at the Officers of this House, the statutory Officers, I would rate the Child and Youth Advocate really as probably the most critical of all the Officers that we have because the welfare of our children obviously has to rate first within our society.

Linda Clemens-Spurrell is well positioned to take on this role. It will be a new role for her but one I know that she will excel in. I'm sure I will be having numerous conversations with her as she undertakes her work in the days, weeks and months ahead.

But her advocating for the interest of children within the department amongst her colleagues, both in the department, in the other parts of our system, with our health system and elsewhere, to make sure their interests are protected, are advanced and are secured to the degree that law and society wants that to happen, then she is definitely the person to do that.

I wish her well, I wish her family well and hopefully her parents have resolved the communication in their household as the role that Linda has now taken on and that she will be supported by them as she will by us here in this House.

Mr. Speaker, I certainly want to speak and support the resolution.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: Seeing no further speakers, if the Deputy Government House Leader speaks now she will close the debate.

The hon. the Deputy Government House Leader.

L. DEMPSTER: Thank you, Speaker.

I just want to thank Members on both sides of the House for their words of Ms. Linda Clemens-Spurrell. It certainly sounds like unanimously she has the support and the confidence of this Legislature.

I neglected when I spoke the first time to thank Karen Gray. We want to thank her. It's not an easy office to work in; very difficult work and she did an incredible job while she was there. We certainly want to thank her.

I want to thank the speakers and I want to wish Ms. Linda Clemens-Spurrell, the very best as she moves forward in this new role.

Thank you, Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: Is the House ready for the question?

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

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

SPEAKER: All those against, 'nay.'

Motion carried.

I, too, would like to congratulate Linda on her appointment as the Child and Youth Advocate. Linda is joining us in the public gallery here today.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: I wish you great success.

The hon. Deputy Government House Leader.

L. DEMPSTER: Thank you, Speaker.

I call from the Order Paper, Order 4, second reading of Bill 5,

An Act Respecting the Establishment of the Newfoundland and Labrador Future Fund.

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

S. COADY: Thank you, Speaker.

I move, seconded by the Deputy Government House Leader, that Bill 5,

An Act Respecting the Establishment of the Newfoundland and Labrador Future Fund, be now read a second time.

SPEAKER: It is moved and seconded that Bill 5,

An Act Respecting the Establishment of the Newfoundland and Labrador Future Fund, be now read a second time.

Motion, second reading of a bill, “An Act Respecting the Establishment of the Newfoundland and Labrador Future Fund.” (Bill 5)

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

S. COADY: Thank you very much, Speaker.

I have to say it is lovely to be back in the House of Assembly again debating important legislation and having the opportunity to debate issues that are of great importance to the people of the province. I'm glad to be back here today, wonderful to see people participating rigorously in debate.

Today, I'm pleased to speak about a strong future for our province, one that is founded on a financial plan that is strategic, responsible, reduces our debt and helps to build toward a stronger, smarter, self-sufficient and sustainable Newfoundland and Labrador.

Our financial management plan is comprehensive and addresses our financial challenges. It's a three-part plan, Speaker, one that I've spoken to many different bond-rating agencies about, and everyone in this House is aware that our bond-rating agencies have moved us from a negative watch to stable. I'm very pleased that we are able to do that. One that has helped us move from $2.1 billion in deficit now to this year, in budget at least, it was $351 million. Of course, the financial update will be coming in the next few weeks, Speaker.

But this three-part plan dealt with – one I think is very important was fixing Muskrat Falls. Our government is making major steps towards providing both secure and clean hydroelectricity for the province, but also ensuring that it does not become as big of a financial burden to the citizens of the province. Our rate mitigation plan, with the responsible path forward we found with the federal government, we were able to mitigate those concerns.

The second big thing is really prudent fiscal governance. That means keeping expenditures in the province under control, continuing with the transformational and modernization initiatives that we're undertaking and ensuring that we maximize the value of every provincial dollar.

The third big piece of this plan is really about responsible debt management. We need to continue to reduce our debt load, to lower the cost of debt servicing and enhance our Treasury management. We're doing all those things. It's fairly comprehensive.

Interest costs on our debt is one of our largest expenditures. Approximately a billion dollars a year, Speaker, that we actually have to pay in interest. It's like throwing it out the door; we have to pay it in interest. It's like paying a high value on your credit cards. This high cost of borrowing reduces the money available for programs and services to support the people of the province.

In light of this, we have prioritized additional responsible debt management, as part of the overall financial plan that is strategic and responsible and builds, as I said, towards that stronger, smarter, self-sufficient, sustainable province. This financial management plan is comprehensive and we are going to continue to work towards it.

A Future Fund is an important piece of that overall financial plan. It is a fund that will take a portion of non-renewable resources and/or any one-time sources of funding and it invests them. Monies accumulated will help pay down debt, thereby lowering the cost of borrowing.

Speaker, I think this is a very important discussion that we're going to have here this afternoon and I want to make sure the people of the province understand this legislation in terms of what it will do and what it won't do. So we're going to take a portion of our non-renewable resources and put it into a Future Fund and we're going to use it to pay down debt.

In 10 years' time, as we continue to build on the Future Fund – after a 10-year period, the money accumulated may also, in addition to debt repayment, be used for things like decommissioning activities in our offshore or can fund strategic priorities. But we're talking about in 10 years' time, Speaker. Up until that point, the only use is for extraordinary circumstances or to pay down debt.

The intention of the Future Fund is to have a positive impact on the province's financial position by strengthening the financial standing of the province, lowering the cost of borrowing, and really making sure that we relieve the debt burden for the generation today and generations for tomorrow. It's both prudent and responsible, as I've said.

The Future Fund Act will establish the Newfoundland and Labrador Future Fund. The Future Fund provides a mechanism for investing a portion of non-renewable resource revenues and proceeds, for example, from major asset sales. More specifically, required contributions to the Future Fund will include: a portion of non-renewable resource royalties received in the previous year, and net proceeds of tangible and intangible assets sold for greater than $5 million.

At this point, Speaker, we do not take a portion of non-renewable resources and move them into any kind of strategic fund. That has not happened in this province. And if we do sell an asset, say we sell a building or we sell our offshore oil assets, that would go into the general revenue fund. So now we're saying we're going to have this Future Fund, which is important.

I will table, because I think it's an important part of our debate, the regulations at this time. There has been some discussion around the regulations. And it explains the portion of the non-renewable resource royalties that are required to be deposited. So I'm happy to do that.

The contribution rates range from a low point of 2 per cent of royalties – and that's if you're only taking in about $250 million in oil royalty revenues – to 75 per cent of royalties that exceed the $2.5 billion. So you can see that it is incremental, it's reasonable, it's responsible, it's prudent and it's capturing more of the upside, while still maintaining discipline over oil revenues when we receive a lower amount.

In a general sense, Speaker, we get between – just for the general public – $800 million and a billion dollars per year in oil royalty revenue. So people can see that that's the general. But there have been times when it's been lower, and there have been times when it's been much, much higher.

So I wanted to table that so that the people in this Assembly here today have a copy of the regulations. I will say that it's going to strengthen our finances, as I said, many, many times, ensure that we pay down expensive debt and lower the cost of borrowing as well as plan for the future

In addition, the act will amend the Financial Administration Act to allow for the transfer of money – and this is important – between the Future Fund and the Consolidated Revenue Fund. That's to allow for the transfer. For example, when this comes into force, we'll be transferring money that we would have in our budget to this fund. So it's allowing that to occur.

Now, again, I'll repeat, money may be withdrawn from the Future Fund to service public debt or pay an amount required due to an extraordinary circumstance. So let's talk about extraordinary circumstances. Extraordinary circumstances mean a circumstance that in the opinion of the Lieutenant-Governor in Council, has materially impacted or is projected to materially impact the province's fiscal position.

The Canadian Auditing Standards define materiality as an amount that could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of the financial statements. So I'm going to give you a good example: the pandemic. That's an extraordinary circumstance. It materially impacted the province.

Hopefully we'll never have one again, Speaker, but should it occur, that will be an opportunity at that point in time for the Lieutenant-Governor in Council to say that this is an extraordinary circumstance, we need to withdraw an amount, but only during those extraordinary circumstances or to pay down debt for 10 years. So it gives time for the amount to build up in the fund.

The Future Fund will be managed by the Department of Finance with a board of trustees to provide oversight. The performance of the Future Fund will be transparent to the public, as the trustees will prepare three-year activity plans and annual reports as required by the Transparency and Accountability Act . These reports will include annual financial statements of the Future Fund audited by the Auditor General and, of course, tabled here in the House of Assembly.

Speaker, this is an important piece of legislation; it's an important piece, as I said, of our financial plan. Think of it this way. If this Future Fund had been in place since the beginning of our oil revenues, we would have over $3 billion, plus all of the compounding interest. We've had a couple of decades of oil royalties, so you'd have all that money collected based on the formula. Again, I'll table the formula as to how much would be included every year. As I said, it ranges from a low of 2 per cent because, of course, oil royalties are important to the budgeting process within the government.

We're not trying to hamper our ability to pay for programs today, but we need to make sure we capture that upside.

There have been times in this province, Speaker, we have collected well in excess of $2 billion, yet we have just spent it all in that one year without anything strategic, without really considering how that money should be used, without allowing it to have compound interest.

So as was said in the Speech from the Throne: “Just imagine, had this foresight existed in the past, the saving grace it could have been during tough fiscal times.”

I will end on that. I think it is responsible. I think it has taken into account other types of plans across the country. It has made reasonable assumptions as to what we can afford in the province, ensuring that programs and services of today are maintained, are well-funded, while making sure we are really capturing that upside to help fund both paying down the debt, which we all know is really high in this province – the highest debt per capita in the country by a long shot. So it is paying down that debt and that will help lower our cost of borrowing.

Again, we spend about $1 billion a year just on the cost of our debt. It doesn't pay down the debt. It just pays for the interest on the debt and it will also help us save and be responsible for generations to come, especially utilizing non-renewable resources.

I thank you for the opportunity to bring this forward. I thank my colleagues in the Department of Finance for all of their incredibly hard work. We are really moving through the strategic plan for strong financial management. You have seen a number of pieces come through this House, and I think that we are making good progress. I think that's why you are seeing it reflected by bond-rating agencies. We want to continue on this path to continue to strengthen, to continue to ensure that Newfoundland and Labrador is a stronger, smarter, self-sufficient and sustainable province.

Thank you, Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Stephenville - Port au Port.

T. WAKEHAM: Thank you, Speaker, and I thank the minister for her comments.

The idea of a Future Fund has been around for a significant period of time and in this particular case now we are talking about a Future Fund which seems to imply that somehow or other we have balanced budgets. Because the idea of a Future Fund or putting money away is like – the last time we were given a fiscal update, we had an operating deficit. So I don't understand how we can take money when we have an operating deficit.

It is like spending at the grocery store with your credit card and taking your paycheque and putting it in a savings account. I'm not sure how that works. But the thing we don't know, the transparency we don't have, is the fact that none of us, on this side of the House, have any idea what the fiscal position of the province is right now.

We've seen $200 million given out last week. We're now talking about a Future Fund, yet we have no idea what the fiscal position of the province is because the government has failed to be transparent. Has failed to share this information. We don't disagree with a Future Fund. We don't disagree with the monies being given back to the people of the province, but we're here today, just like we were down at the Colonial Building, with no idea where the money is coming from.

So again, it implies that somehow or other we have a balanced budget this year, or a surplus? Are we projecting a balanced budget again next year? Is this what's allowing us to – quote – now start a Future Fund? Those are legitimate questions, and again it comes down to the transparency. Tell us where we are as a province, and then we can jump on board and say absolutely. But right now, we have no idea. We have no idea of what the financial position of the province is, yet we were asked to support a $200-million payout, and now we're asked to support a Future Fund.

As I said, these are good concepts. But, at the end of the day, we have no idea because we have not been presented with the fiscal update for the fall. I would suggest that if this was brought to us after the fiscal update was presented, we'd be in a much better place to have comments on it, to be able to critique it. But we have no idea because it hasn't been shared with us or with the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The other thing that it talks about in this particular situation is the idea that we're going to sell off assets to put into the Future Fund. Again, another part of a secret society: the lack of transparency. Five million dollars or thereabouts spent on a report done by the Rothschild to tell us, or to say what assets they would like the government to sell off or propose to sell off, yet none of us, on this side of the House, none of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador watching, are allowed to know what's in that report. We have not been shared one iota of what's in the Rothschild's report.

Today we stand, again, and are talking about creating a Future Fund and selling off assets to put money into a Future Fund and we have no idea what assets are being proposed.

We have no idea – perhaps the deals are already done. Perhaps Marble Mountain, there is a deal already to sell it off. Perhaps the Liquor Corporation has been sold. We have no idea, because the people of Newfoundland and Labrador are not allowed to know. They are not allowed to know what is in the Rothschild's report. They are not allowed to know what assets are being sold.

This is a problem when it comes to transparency and accountability. Again, the Future Fund sounds like a great idea, but the fact that you're talking about putting money into a Future Fund from the sale of assets – they are one time; we all agree with that. Some of our assets actually generate revenue for the province – the Liquor Corporation being one. But again, we're here debating the Future Fund without knowing what the future holds because we're not allowed to know.

We're not allowed to know what is in the Rothschild's report. We're not allowed to know the fiscal situation of the province before we debate this. We're not allowed to know. If we were allowed to know, why wouldn't we know? Why don't we know? How come the fiscal update is not given to us before we debate this? It is a simple question. It is not a difficult question. The fiscal update of the province should have been presented to us and then we could have a great discussion on a Future Fund. But, no, not there; nothing there.

The other piece of this, again, comes back to that whole royalty piece under royalties. The minister has explained some of the things in the regulations which we didn't have prior to coming in to the House, which helps explain that, at the end of the day, this money is going to be kept for 10 years unless it is used for debt repayment or extraordinary circumstances.

I would question, do we really need a Future Fund to pay down debt? We're running a billion dollars in interest right now, according to the minister. So if we get additional revenue in a given year and run a surplus, do we need a Future Fund to tell us to put that surplus to the debt? I don't know the answer that, but I think – I haven't seen it in the past that we actually need a Future Fund to tell us where to put our debt.

Is it a Future Fund? Some people have called it a slush fund. Some people have suggested that, at the end of the day, it's simply going to allow for movement to take place when, in fact, you have a balanced budget and something happens, then you'll be able to take money out under extraordinary circumstances to make sure you balance your budget, especially if it's coming towards an election year.

So there are lots of questions like that, that I'm just not so sure about where this is going. Where are we going with this Future Fund? Again, if the province's fiscal position is such that allows us to be able to create a Future Fund, then good. But most of the revenue that the minister talked about coming in over the last number of years is extraordinary revenue – it is. Oil prices go up and they go down. We're continuing to balance our books and create surpluses. But, again, I don't know if we need a Future Fund in order to take a surplus and put it on a debt. That's the piece I don't know.

I don't know what, as I said, the position of the province is right now. Are we projecting a surplus this year? Are we projecting a surplus next year in the fiscal forecast? If we are, wonderful – wonderful. We would all love to see government return to a balance budget or a fiscal surplus. But I do not see any of that information in this Future Fund right here.

So those are the things, I guess, that are critically important. We have no idea what assets are being proposed to be sold and we've talked about the idea of a percentage of royalties going into this particular fund. Novel idea, good idea, but, again, if we're running a deficit, it's pretty difficult to put money away when you don't have enough money to cover your expenditures.

Ask any household in Newfoundland and Labrador that question today, most of them don't have the ability to put money away because they're trying to cover off their expenditures.

So, again, it implies that the financial position of the province is better than what it was. But, again, we're not privy to that information. I don't know if Members opposite are all privy to it, but certainly nobody on this side of the House is privy to that information.

It continues to be a challenge. The concept is great; enjoy the concept; look forward to that, but, again, without information, it's very difficult to stand here and talk about a Future Fund when we have no idea what it's based on. Other than you're going to sell off assets and you're going to turn around and put a per cent of the royalties you get into the fund. That's the essential thing that this is about, selling off assets and taking a per cent of royalty revenue and putting it into a fund without any explanations as to how they're going to do it or where the assets are going to come from.

Assets are only going to be sold once, we all recognize that, and we've had this debate many times in this House about assets and the sale of assets. It continues to be an unknown because, again, after $5 million of expenditure on a report, we're not allowed to know. The people of Ne