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April 22, 2015

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLVII No. 2

The

House met at 2:00 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Verge):

Order, please!

I think

I neglected to say admit strangers, but I see some people did get in.

Statements by

Members

MR. SPEAKER:

Today we have members'

statements from Members for the District of Humber Valley, Virginia Waters, St.

Barbe, the District of Port au Port, Trinity Bay de Verde, and the District of

Bonavista North.

The hon.

the Member for the District of Humber Valley.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BALL:

Mr. Speaker, thank you.

I rise

in this hon. House today to pay tribute to a community leader and a new friend,

Wanda Baker-Foster. Wanda spent her

life dedicated to many worthwhile causes within Deer Lake and across the

Province.

Wanda

embodied the definition of a true volunteer and community builder.

She also maintained a successful career while caring for her family, as a

dedicated wife, the mother of two beautiful children and a wonderful daughter.

Wanda

was an inspiration dedicating her time to a number of community groups including

Deer Lake Minor Hockey, Children's Wish Foundation, The Rotary Club, and the

Silver Blades Figure Skating Club.

January, Wanda lost her life in a battle with cancer at the age of forty-four.

She leaves behind her husband, Terry, and two children, Michaela and

Markus.

Mr.

Speaker, I ask all hon. members to join me in paying tribute to an inspirational

woman, dedicated wife, mother, daughter, and a dear friend, Wanda Baker-Foster.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the

District of Virginia Waters.

MS C. BENNETT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is

exciting when you hear about a group of young students coming together and using

their talents to help other children.

Today I rise in this hon. House to recognize the students of Ms Alison

Hammond's Grade 6 class at Mary Queen of Peace.

This

group of talented students came up with the idea of a knitting fundraiser to

support the children at the Janeway Hospital.

Led by their teacher, the young artisans came up with a variety of items

they could create and sell as part of their fundraising goal scarves,

headbands, hats, and of course, the ever-popular friendship bracelets.

The ideas were endless.

They set

a bold target of raising $300.

Production began and included many after school knitting sessions.

Finally, on the day of the fundraiser, the lineups for the students'

creations started before they were even ready to sell.

Before

they knew it they had quadrupled their target, raising $1,200.

Children

helping children is there anything more innocent and inspirational.

I ask

all hon. members to join me in thanking these students whose selfless creativity

and generosity demonstrate the true meaning of kindness.

Congratulations students, and keep knitting.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the

District of St. Barbe.

MR. J. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, I rise in this

hon. House to congratulate Todd Wight, co-owner and general manager of Ocean

View Motel, Rocky Harbour, on becoming Newfoundland and Labrador's first

Certified Hotel General Manager.

Todd was officially presented with his certification at Hospitality Newfoundland

and Labrador's Annual Conference and Trade Show in Gander, February 24-26, 2015.

Todd has

been co-owner and general manager of the Ocean View Hotel in Rocky Harbour, Gros

Morne National Park, since 2007. He

has twenty years of experience in the tourism industry, including seven years in

the hotel industry, and previous positions with Hospitality Newfoundland and

Labrador, Gros Morne Gatherings, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Outfitters

Association.

Todd is

also an active volunteer on a number of Newfoundland and Labrador tourism

industry boards, including Gros Morne Gatherings, and Western Newfoundland and

Labrador Destination Management Organization.

He also occupies a Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador representative

seat on the Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism Board.

Todd has

experienced success implementing his motto, Hire for Attitude, Train for

Skill.

Mr.

Speaker, I ask all members of the House to join me in congratulating Todd Wight

on becoming Newfoundland and Labrador's first Certified Hotel General Manager.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the

District of Port au Port.

MR. CORNECT:

I rise to congratulate the

winners and nominees who were honoured at the Stephen Awards Banquet held in

Stephenville on April 19 as part of Volunteer Week 2015.

Neil

Drew was honoured with the Citizen of the Year Award while Hannah Blundon was

the recipient of the Youth of the Year Award, both being recognized for their

invaluable volunteer service to the community.

Jesse Byrne won the Junior Male Athlete of the Year Award; Katara White

was presented with the Junior Female Athlete of the Year Award; and Chris Dugas

was presented with the Senior Athlete of the Year Award, for the third time.

Also,

eighteen Certificates of Merit for Outstanding Volunteer Work were presented.

Congratulations are extended to: Denise Alexander, Marie Alexander,

Millie Byrne, Barbara Chipp, the Late Barry Coates, Joannie Coffin, Gary Coffin,

Norma Childs, Wanda Conran, Evelyn Davis, Don Dunphy, Charles Earle, Reg Eddy,

Collin Giles, Paul Grenier, June Kelly, Tony Menchenton, Cody O'Quinn, and

Dorothy (Dot) Pike.

Mr.

Speaker, I ask all hon. members to join with me in congratulating all the

winners and all of the nominees of the Stephen Awards on their invaluable

contributions to our communities, our region, and indeed, our Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the

District of Trinity Bay de Verde.

MR. CROCKER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to recognize all those involved in

Baccalieu Idol, a musical competition at Baccalieu Collegiate in Old Perlican.

Baccalieu Collegiate has an outstanding and award-winning music program.

This competition was started to give students an opportunity to showcase

their musical talents. The first

Baccalieu Idol show was in 2003. The

show was a success and since has become an annual event.

Several of the school's former idols have gone on to record CDs and some

are members of bands today that are currently travelling our Province.

On March

21, Baccalieu Collegiate hosted the All Star Baccalieu Idol Reunion.

This concert was a fundraiser with all benefits going towards the

school's music program. These past

and current students were delighted to give back to the music program that

initially gave them so much. It was

a tremendous success raising over $3,400.

I ask

all hon. members to join me in congratulating all of those who organized and

participated in the Baccalieu Idol Reunion Concert.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the

District of Bonavista North.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CROSS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am

proud to rise today to recognize the Building Bridges Youth Theatre comprised of

students of Pearson Academy and some recent alumni.

Last

summer, a group of thirteen students from Grades 4-12 answered the call to spend

their entire summer holidays as members casting a play

I Minds A Time , which would be the

focus of the Barbour Living Heritage Village performances at the Neptune 2

Theatre.

The

locally-scripted play portrayed the settling of Newfoundland and Labrador, our

history and our culture through the eyes of Skipper Eli and Aunt Sophie via

drama, vignettes, and song. The

stage production started slowly but ended up being in great demand as sold-out

shows were the norm through the month of August.

The

troupe has grown this year to approximately three dozen eager youth, who write

and deliver four different performances, with the highlight being

Random Passage: The Settling of Cape

Island as a local adaption of Bernice Morgan's novel, set for where it was

written, Cape Island. We call it the

true Random Passage .

There are youth actors, singers, and writers very eager to entertain

locals and visitors alike at the Barbour Village through the 2015 season.

I invite

all of us to visit a performance of the Building Bridges Youth Theatre this

August and you will not be disappointed.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Statements by Ministers.

Statements by

Ministers

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am

pleased to rise in this hon. House to inform members about the Climate Change

Summit that I attended last week.

On April

14, the Province of Quebec hosted a Climate Change Summit in Quebec City to

which all Premiers and territorial leaders were invited.

The purpose of the event was to share experience on efforts to reduce

greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change, while

exploring the scope for further collaboration.

The summit provided an important opportunity to discuss climate change in

the run up to the United Nations conference in Paris in December where a new

international climate change agreement is due to be considered.

Mr.

Speaker, the thing that struck me about this summit was the degree of consensus

among the jurisdictions present.

Everyone agreed that climate change is a serious challenge and that all

provinces and territories have both the power and responsibility to take action.

There was consensus on the importance of improving resilience to those

climate change impacts that are now inevitable and also an understanding amongst

leaders that transitioning to a lower carbon economy is not only important, but

it is necessary.

The

scale of the climate change challenge is considerable and it sometimes locks

people into thinking about climate change in terms of the risk it poses.

However, a clear message from the summit was that great challenges also

bring great opportunities. Leaders

spoke extensively about the economic opportunities that early action to tackle

climate change can generate.

Mr.

Speaker, I was delighted to represent Newfoundland and Labrador at this

important event and confirm our Province's ongoing commitment to action.

For example, we have committed over $24 million through the Green Fund to

support greenhouse gas reduction projects for businesses and communities.

We have also improved the energy efficiency of over 5,500 low income

homes through our Residential Energy Efficiency Program, saving householders an

average of $720 on their annual energy costs.

In addition, we have worked with the iron ore mining, offshore petroleum,

and refining industries to identify how greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced

at their facilities and have recently completed consultations with large

industry to inform the development of a legislative framework.

Mr.

Speaker, good work has been done, but we know that more will be needed if we are

to meet the greenhouse gas reduction targets in 2020 and 2050.

We are committed to do this and look forward to continuing our work with

other provinces and territories, the federal government, external stakeholders,

and members of this House as we move forward.

I also look forward to further discussions with other premiers on climate

change when I host the Council of Federation here in Newfoundland and Labrador

in July of this year.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

First of all, thank you.

I want

to thank the Premier for the advance copy of his statement.

Of course, the environment is of primary importance to all of us in this

Province. Clean water, clear air,

and a pristine landscape, this is what we offer to the world when we invite

people to come to visit, but more importantly we invite them to come and live.

Protecting our environment must always be a primary duty for any government.

Interesting to note it is not mentioned in this statement today is

that today is Earth Day, a day for all of us to recognize the value of our

little part of the planet. Started

in 1970, Earth Day has grown to become a world-wide event celebrating a clean

and healthy environment. While we

celebrate Earth Day, I think it is fair to say that our environment has never

been more challenged than it is today.

Scientists from all around the world are reminding us that we need to

address this problem.

Dr.

David Barber of the University of Manitoba tells us that the Arctic ice is

melting at an alarming rate. In the

last thirty years, the melt is equivalent to the amount of water in Lake

Superior. This is happening at a

time when we are starting to emerge as Canada's gateway to the North.

climate change is a challenge, yet there are opportunities.

Developing new technologies, opening up opportunities for new business

models, and changing the way we run older industries will all be required in the

future.

The 2007

Energy Plan made many promises that this government has yet to keep.

This is not a matter of saying we should do more.

Mr. Speaker, we must do more.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East.

MR. MURPHY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank

the Premier for the advance copy of his statement here today.

While

the provincial government has been doing some good work around climate change,

what is even more remarkable than that, not one mention of climate change was

made in yesterday's federal budget.

Climate change means more extreme weather events that can be particularly costly

to this Province, Mr. Speaker. More

money is needed, for example, by municipalities for everything from larger

culverts to emergency response.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. MURPHY:

It is going to cost this

Province if we do not deal with it.

I agree with the Premier that work needs to continue, but shame on the federal

government for backing away from any federal commitment to this Province.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon.

the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is

hard to follow that, but I will try.

I rise

in this hon. House today to recognize National Organ and Tissue Donation

Awareness Week, which is taking place from April 19 to April 25.

This week provides an important opportunity to highlight an issue that

impacts thousands of Canadians each year.

Whether

it is a friend, family member, or loved one who is affected, the need for organ

and tissue donation will touch many of us in this Province throughout our lives.

As our population ages the need for donations is increasing as well.

Health

Canada records indicate that approximately 4,500 Canadians wait for organ

transplants each year.

Unfortunately, the reality is that over 200 of these individuals will die while

waiting for a transplant. Despite

Canada having some of the most advanced transplant technologies, some of the

most highly skilled surgeons, and some of the best equipped transplant

hospitals, with only a fraction of Canadians registered to donate, our donation

rates remain lower than many countries in the world.

Mr.

Speaker, I believe we can do better.

The

Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is a strong supporter of organ and

tissue donation and transplantation.

Becoming an organ donor only takes a few minutes, but by doing so we can

potentially have a positive impact on the lives of up to seventy-five people.

In fact, we may be saving the lives of up to eight other individuals when

we become organ donors.

Mr.

Speaker, I encourage everyone in Newfoundland and Labrador to indicate their

desire to become an organ donor on their drivers licence applications or

renewals. For more information about

organ and tissue donation and to receive a donor card residents are encouraged

to visit EasternHealth.ca/Give or call toll-free at 1-877-640-1110.

The decision to become an organ donor can mean giving the gift of life

the most precious gift you can offer.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank

the minister for the advance copy of his statement.

Raising

awareness of organ and tissue donations is important because of the impact that

it can have on people waiting for transplants.

For many, transplants mean a new beginning.

As the minister just said, up to eight lives can be positively affected

by a single donor. You can give so

much by just saying you will donate.

The

minister also references that we have lower donation rates than many areas.

Right now in this Province, you have to opt in to be an organ and tissue

donor. We should continue to bring

awareness to organ and tissue donation; but, in addition, maybe it is time we

had the conversation of opting out of organ donation, also referred to as

presumed consent, instead of waiting for people to opt in to be a donor.

A 2009

report showed there was 25 per cent increase in organ donations when there was

presumed consent. Clearly, there

will be some legal, some philosophical conversations; however, this is a

conversation that needs to happen. I

reference Austria where they do have opt out and 99.98 per cent consent.

encourage government to start the conversation; the potential is there to

positively affect many lives because of it.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

I, too,

thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement.

This awareness week is extremely important to promote.

Organ donation can extend people's lives.

A recent poll found that while 91 per cent of respondents supported the

idea of organ and tissue donation, only 44 per cent had made the decision to

donate.

This

week the Canadian Blood Services and organ donation organizations across the

country are holding a drive to register 48,000 new donors in forty-eight hours.

I encourage government to do everything possible to encourage more people

to check the box on their driver's licence application or renewal and share

their wishes with their families.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am

pleased to rise today to talk about engaging with our partners, enforcement

agencies, and stakeholders in industry on the importance of prioritizing road

safety.

Provincial roads and highways are used by our residents and visitors alike.

Whether travelling or working on these roads, personal safety is

critically important, and each of us has a responsibility to help ensure

everyone's safety needs are met.

With

this in mind, the Department of Transportation and Works held the first Road

Safety Roundtable in the fall of 2013.

A second roundtable was held in the fall of 2014, and it is anticipated

that a third will take place this fall.

The purpose of the roundtables is to encourage dialogue between

stakeholders on how we can make our provincial roads a safer place for all.

The

roundtables include presentations by stakeholders and discussions based on three

pillars to creating a safe highway system: engineering, education, and

enforcement. A broad range of topics

has been discussed, for example: traffic control; site control; engineering

solutions that enhance safe work practices during road maintenance and

construction; communications between stakeholders; and development of methods of

educating drivers about safe driving practices in and around construction sites.

The

roundtables have been the impetus for the initiation of a safety awareness

program which includes a media campaign sponsored by Workplace Health, Safety

and Compensation Commission, the Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Safety

Association, law enforcement agencies, and the government.

Past

attendees at the roundtable include representatives from Transportation and

Works, Motor Vehicle Registration of Service NL, the Heavy Civil Association,

Occupational Health and Safety, the Construction Safety Association, NAPE, Royal

Newfoundland Constabulary, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Workplace Health,

Safety and Compensation Commission of Newfoundland and Labrador.

I would like to thank all of those who have attended and hope you will

continue to participate in next year's roundtable.

Their contributions are valuable and critical to the process of ensuring

safety is prioritized and upheld.

encourage all hon. members and motorists to always consider how each of us can

create a culture of road safety in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's South.

MR. OSBORNE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank

the minister for an advance copy of his statement.

When I got it, I could not help but wonder why something as important as

a Ministerial Statement would talk about a roundtable on road safety that took

place six months ago, or would announce a roundtable that is happening six

months from now.

The

reality is we all know the media stories that have been covered lately on road

safety and the need for guardrails and issues around road safety.

That is the reason for this statement: to give the impression that the

minister is on top of things and there is really nothing to worry about.

Mr.

Speaker, the biggest step to achieving road safety should be to have roads and

highways that are safe; roads and highways that are free of ruts, holes, and

other driving hazards; roads and highways that have adequate and safe

guardrails.

Mr.

Speaker, enforcement should also be another priority for government.

When you look at the fact that the Auditor General in 2013 identified

$37.3 million that had accumulated in outstanding fines, road enforcement is not

so prevalent an issue when people know that they do not have to pay the fines;

they can get away with paying their fines.

understand, Mr. Speaker, you are about to stand.

My time is up.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East.

MR. MURPHY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank

the minister for the advance copy of his statement here today.

Mr. Speaker, while the minister mentions road safety, he does not mention

the state of our highways, and they are in a state.

They themselves, because of a lack of maintenance and years of neglect,

are hazards in themselves, and that is part of the problem.

This government knows that the real answer is to have a road maintenance

program that does not involve politics.

What

about hearing from members of the public at large, for example?

He has talked about the other various interest groups.

Besides talking about engineering enforcement and education, he should be

talking about another very important element here too; it is about engagement

with the general public. Ask them

how they feel about their roads and listen to the answers they are giving you,

and then act on it.

Thank

you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

Further

statements?

Oral

Questions.

Oral Questions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yesterday, government's nineteen-page Speech from the Throne only mentions the

Province's fiscal situation just once.

That is to say they plan to balance the books five years down the road

that is the next decade.

So, I

ask the Premier: With seventeen consecutive months of year over year job losses

in our Province, why wasn't the Province's fiscal situation a priority in this

year's Throne Speech?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker, I think it is

fair to say that the Province's fiscal circumstances has probably been the topic

discussed more by myself, the Minister of Finance, and members of our government

more than any other topic in recent weeks and recent months.

It is very clear to us how important the fiscal challenges are that we

face. In fact, there are times I

have risen here in this House when members opposite have mocked me for talking

about the fiscal challenges that we face.

It is

very clear to the people of the Province, it is very clear to the Members of the

House of Assembly that we face a very, very difficult challenge, short-term

challenge that is facing us as a Province, Mr. Speaker.

It is not unique to us. It is

the same type of challenge that is facing other provinces, other jurisdictions

that are reliant on oil. We will

announce our way of dealing with that, our plan for the future, when the Budget

is brought down.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, I

say to the Premier, that it is really not mocking, it is a reality.

When just a few months ago the numbers that were being predicted are

quite different than what we have seen.

Mr.

Speaker, the RCMP is currently investigating the shooting of Don Dunphy by an

RNC officer. However, the RCMP were

involved in the risk assessment before the RNC officer showed up at Mr. Dunphy's

door on Easter Sunday.

I ask

the Premier: Given that the RCMP were involved in this situation, do you think

it is appropriate for them, the RCMP, to be completing this investigation?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker, the events that

have transpired are clearly tragic in so many ways and will have permanent

impact on a very large number of people and a community.

The circumstances that have taken place, they are no less than tragic.

There is no other way to describe it, Mr. Speaker, than a significant

tragedy that has taken place.

Mr.

Speaker, the RCMP are the police with jurisdiction for the particular area where

this matter transpired. As they took

over the investigation, they had a number of options that were available to

them. One of them was to assign an

independent oversight to their investigation.

They have selected a retired Supreme Court Justice.

I would suggest to members of this House, a well-respected retired

Supreme Court Justice who has significant experience and background and has

provided that person with unfettered access and oversight to the investigation.

Mr. Speaker, we should allow the RCMP to do their investigation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon.

the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

believe that all the details in this situation will likely not be known until

there is an inquiry into what happened on the events of Easter Sunday.

We believe it is appropriate for this inquiry to happen, to take place

after the investigation is completed as well.

I ask

the Premier: When can the family, and when can the people of Newfoundland and

Labrador expect to see this investigation completed?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker, I would expect,

and I do expect, that the RCMP will conduct a comprehensive, a full, fair and

frank investigation into the events that have taken place involving the tragic

loss of life of Mr. Dunphy.

Mr.

Speaker, I would not in any way put a timeline or a deadline, impose that upon

the police to complete their investigation.

There is no way for me to know when they are going to complete their

investigation. I asked them to do a

full, fair and frank investigation, complete their work in a comprehensive

manner, Mr. Speaker, and I look forward to seeing what the results of that

investigation are when they have completed their work.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Government has announced that 427 pensioners have been overpaid by $935,000.

However, we have reason to believe there are much larger issues within

oversight of payroll and benefits administration.

There are significant gaps within the government system.

I ask

the Premier: Are there any other issues that have not yet been disclosed with

respect to payroll and benefits administration?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We have

throughout government many capable, competent public servants who do great work

on behalf of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, and no less can be said

about the people who work with the Human Resource Secretariat, who provide

supports for employees of the public service, who manage our pension plans and

manage our payroll systems, and manage our benefits administration programs.

So, Mr.

Speaker, periodically with administrative functions, whether it is in government

or many organizations, periodically there will be errors that occur that will

reflect they will surface in audits, and that is why we do audits.

That is why we have internal control mechanisms in place, and when those

shortcomings are identified they are corrected.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

typical fashion from the Minister of Finance here, it was not about the people

who do the great work within our public service.

We on this side of the House believe that to be true.

What I

asked the minister was: Are you aware of any other issues that you have not

disclosed with respect to payroll and benefits administration?

It is about: Are there things that have not been disclosed yet?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN:

Anytime in any of our

systems, Mr. Speaker, whether it is payroll or benefits administration, anytime

there is something that is found that has an impact on our employees, they will

be notified. So I say, Mr. Speaker,

the people who do the work that I just described a moment ago, would

periodically run into a circumstance where they need to make contact with an

employee and have a discussion with them about a change that may have to occur

or something that has happened with respect to their benefits that they need to

correct. Those things happen on a

day-to-day basis in the administration of many plans, whether it is within

government or large organizations anywhere.

So I

say, Mr. Speaker, this is routine things that happen in benefit administration

programs or payroll systems, and they are dealt with by the officials when they

occur.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well,

really to add some clarity around the question again because we have not heard

what people want to hear.

Is it,

yes or no? Are there any other

issues that have not yet been disclosed with respect to payroll and benefits

administration? It is really a yes

or no answer.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Let me

just say it one more time. The

Leader of the Opposition would oversimplify something that is sometimes very

in-depth and very important. So,

simple yes and no answers are not always applicable.

Mr.

Speaker, the administration of payroll systems, the administration of benefits

like the people who work in the public service have, require complex structures.

There are a lot of people doing the work on behalf of the employees of

this Province.

I say,

Mr. Speaker, let me repeat again, when something happens that impacts our

employees, they are made aware of it.

The people who work with our Human Resource Secretariat make that contact

and make corrections if they are necessary.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

understand there are issues around insurance benefits, leave management, the

implementation of a new human resource management system, so we have suggested

and have asked that the Auditor General should be called in to investigate those

concerns.

I ask

the Premier: Will you ask the AG to do a thorough investigation into this

matter?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN:

Extending invitations to the

AG seems to be a pretty popular thing on behalf of members of the Opposition.

Maybe they are not aware, Mr. Speaker, that the AG can come in any time.

There is no restriction placed on the AG.

If the AG has any reason to believe there is something that needs to be

audited in any aspect of government's operations, he is free and anyone from his

office is free to come in any time at all.

In fact,

the AG does an annual review. The AG

will select various departments that he may want to zero in on and do a complete

audit. Members of the Public

Accounts Committee the Chair of that Committee, in fact, is a member of the

Opposition would very well be aware that the AG does audits all the time on

various aspects of government's operations.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The

Minister of Finance we know the AG can go in there when he or she wants to.

What I asked was but it is not unusual for a minister or for the

Premier to invite the AG, just like they did with the Humber Valley Paving

contract. You can ask the AG to go

in and do that. That was my

question. I guess you are refusing

to do that.

Government was forging ahead to collect this money from seniors, but we now

understand that they have decided not to collect from survivors or those living

in long-term care. We on this side

of the House believe that government should not be going after seniors for this

money.

I ask

the Premier: What criteria are set for who pays and who does not pay?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN:

Mr. Speaker, the events that

gave rise to the overpayment that the Leader of the Opposition is talking about

were very unfortunate. Through no

fault of their own, there are some 400 retired public servants who find

themselves having been in receipt of an overpayment of their pension.

We realize that this has had and will have a huge impact on many of their

lives. That is a very unfortunate

circumstance.

Mr.

Speaker, to his question, what we are trying to do here is to (

a) acknowledge

that the overpayment needs to be the new amount that is required to be paid

out needs to be adjusted and that has happened.

In many cases these overpayments sometimes are substantial, sometimes

they are small amounts. What we are

trying to do is to make sure that any overpayment arrangement does not provide a

hardship for those individuals.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Virginia Waters.

MS C. BENNETT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Four

years ago, this government rolled out a new human resource management system

called PeopleSoft. This system was

intended to take care of such things as payroll and benefits data.

Government spent over $30 million on the project.

Three different departments were involved: Finance, Human Resource

Secretariat, and the chief information office.

Today we know there are huge gaps in the infrastructure you guys

implemented.

I ask

the minister: Why didn't government provide the proper oversight to ensure that

the $30 million infrastructure investment was implemented correctly?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The

member is correct. Government did

implement a new human resource information system.

The old one had been in place for many, many years.

It was quite antiquated and, quite frankly, it was not supporting the

people of the Province, it was not supporting the employees of the Province, and

did not respond to the requirements of government.

So, they implemented a new system, went to the market, invited proposals,

did a short list, and selected a company to provide that new software system.

They

engaged a consultant to help with the implementation process, while using the

people that are in government. As

with many complex systems when you are making a transition from an old,

antiquated system into a new system, there is going to be a time where there are

implementation bugs to be worked out, and that is what we are working through,

Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Virginia Waters.

MS C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, this government

spent over $30 million on the new system.

This government is unstable.

About fifteen government ministers have been responsible for rolling out this

new system.

I ask

the minister responsible today: Will he be accountable to the people of the

Province and explain how they spent over $30 million and failed to deliver a

reliable, accurate human resource management system?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN:

One of the things I can tell

the member opposite, in anything that this Administration has done since we took

power back in 2003 we will be not only accountable for, but we will stand and

justify to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador everything that we have done,

all of the actions we have taken, all of the money we have spent, all the new

initiatives we have undertaken.

Yesterday, we heard in the Speech from the Throne highlighting some of the

significant investments we made and we are accountable for those.

We will answer to the people of the Province whether or not we spent them

appropriately and whether or not they believe that they have good value for the

investments this government has made over the last twelve years.

Any time

we make a decision, Mr. Speaker, we will always be accountable for that

decision.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Cartwright L'Anse au Clair.

MS DEMPSTER:

Thank you.

Mr.

Speaker, the Minister of Transportation and Works has now admitted that the 2016

start-up date for the new marine service in Labrador is not achievable.

Nearly one year after the RFP closed, despite three delays and many

assurances that the service would be in place in 2016, we now learn this is just

not going to happen.

I ask

the minister: It is time to be upfront with the people most affected by this

service; what is the new start-up date?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to make the hon. member opposite aware that my

department, our Premier, and this Administration are committed to the people of

Labrador as we are to the people in all of this Province, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

BRAZIL:

engaged in an RFP process that was very engaging.

It was very professionally-ran. We brought in a fairness monitor to

assess exactly what was included in that to assure that the best return on our

investment would be realized.

Mr. Speaker, we are facing a fiscal reality here.

As part of that fiscal reality, we have gone back to the table to look at

exactly what it is that best serves the people of Labrador.

As we move that process forward, we will have a better time frame in the

near future.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Cartwright L'Anse au Clair.

DEMPSTER:

listened to the Throne Speech yesterday talk about Labrador being a priority.

It is not worth the paper it is written on.

Now you cannot afford to give a boat last, least, lowest again.

Mr. Speaker, the existing contract with the

Apollo expires in 2016 in anticipation

of the new service being available for that time.

The minister has publically stated they will be offered an alternate

solution.

I ask the minister again, since I got no answer to the

first question: What contingency plan do you have in place to take the service

beyond 2016?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As I mentioned earlier, we are committed to the people

of Labrador and we are committed to improving the ferry service there.

As we work towards that process, we are engaging the contracts.

We have two great proponents in four contracts in Labrador that we work

with. Our intention is to continue

to work with those companies to ensure not only do we continue the service, but

find ways to improve it as we move forward on the process of our RFP, Mr.

Speaker.

I have only, as recently as an hour ago, had a meeting

with the Nunatsiavut representatives and the First Minister Responsible for

Transportation and had a very open discussion, in which we engaged about ways we

can improve in Labrador. Mr.

Speaker, I have met with councillors up there, I have met with mayors, I have

had direct dialogue, I have had a lot of input, and we are going to continue to

do that (inaudible)

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

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

MR.

KIRBY:

Mr.

Speaker, in last year's Budget, this government committed to implementing

full-day Kindergarten for 2016. Now,

yesterday, in the Throne Speech, there was absolutely no mention of full-day

Kindergarten.

I ask the minister responsible:

Was this on oversight on somebody's part, or are you still planning to

implement full-day Kindergarten for 2016?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Acting Minister of Education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

DALLEY:

Mr.

Speaker, yesterday's Speech from the Throne referenced further commitment by our

government to continue the work to improve education in this Province.

We value education; it has always been a priority.

Along the way, as we know, education is not static; it is continuous.

We continue to look for ways to improve it.

We have made commitments around full-day Kindergarten.

Yesterday there was no reference of it, but there was no reference of a

lot of things in the Speech yesterday with respect to

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh,

oh!

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR.

DALLEY:

reference to a lot of things to do with education, Mr. Speaker, because there

are so many aspects of education.

With respect to full-day Kindergarten, our government

is committed to full-day Kindergarten.

As the Budget rolls out in the days to come and we look at the enormous

investment that this government is making in education, Mr. Speaker, we will

certainly be able to give the answer to the member opposite.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon. the Member for St. John's North.

MR.

KIRBY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In the 2014 Budget this government stated, and I will

quote, that they would begin the process to implement a universal full-day

Kindergarten program to enhance the early emotional, social and academic

development of children.

So I am not sure what the minister is saying.

Are you still committed to implementing full-day Kindergarten in 2016 or

are you not? Is that on the cutting

table? Or are you still going to go

ahead and implement your commitment for 2016 for full-day Kindergarten?

Yes or no.

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Acting Minister of Education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

DALLEY:

Mr.

Speaker, obviously I am new to the role as Acting Minister of Education, but I

have watched the discussions back and forth in the House.

Sometimes I understand the member opposite needs it to be clear.

Well, let me be clear; we are committed to full-day

Kindergarten. We have said it.

We said we are going to start the process, and we have started the

process. I cannot get any more

clearer than that, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh,

oh!

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon. the Member for The Straits White Bay North.

MR.

MITCHELMORE:

Mr.

Speaker, the new hunting and fishing guide announced fee hikes impacting tens of

thousands of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

I ask the minister: Why increase these fees without

consulting hunters and fishers before you pick their pockets?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

CRUMMELL:

Mr.

Speaker, nobody likes it when fees are increased.

There is nobody in this House who enjoys when fees are increased.

There is nobody in this Province who is happy when fees increase.

We are not happy that fees are increased as well.

Mr. Speaker, we did to go out and consult the people of

the Province. We made them

understand and they do understand the fiscal realities that we are living in

today. We talked about fee

increases. We talked about tax

increases as a ways to deal with our budget situation.

We clearly heard that they want us to continue to look

after the resources. They continue

to want us to maintain the sustainability of the resources that are out there.

Mr. Speaker, fee increases are part of paying for that.

It will help our public Treasury as well.

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for The Straits White Bay North.

MR.

MITCHELMORE:

seems like the minister is quite happy to take money out of the pockets of

everyday Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

The outfitting industry which presells their hunting

packages were not consulted before government slapped non-resident licences with

a 50 per cent increase. Operators in

rural Newfoundland and Labrador are having money snatched from their bottom

lines that will impact the economy due to your government's lack of vision for

small business.

I ask the minister: Since you failed to consultant the

industry, will you release your review that justifies these attacks on small

business and jobs in rural Newfoundland and Labrador?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

CRUMMELL:

Mr.

Speaker, we consulted with the outfitting industry during our consultations for

our moose management plan that we have moving forward.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh,

oh!

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR.

CRUMMELL:

have over 1,700 people participate in those consultations; 15 per cent of them

were outfitters, according to our data.

We talked about a variety of things.

No, we did not talk directly about fee increases, Mr. Speaker, but we

talked about the sustainability

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh,

oh!

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR.

CRUMMELL:

of the resource, Mr. Speaker. We

talked about what it is going to take to sustain the moose population, the

caribou population, and the black bear population for outfitters and residents

and non-residents going forward.

We spend millions of dollars a year making sure that

these resources are sustainable, that we do the research and science behind

that, and we think the outfitting industry, over time, can make this

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR.

CRUMMELL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Humber East.

MR.

FLYNN:

Outfitters have said that they were not consulted and the minister finally

agreed, but the 50 per cent increase in big game licence has gone by without any

consultation.

I am asking the Minister of Tourism: Did Environment

and Conservation consult with you before arbitrarily raising these rates, or did

he also leave you in the dark?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

CRUMMELL:

Mr.

Speaker, I met with the outfitting association just last week.

The Minister of Tourism met with them just a couple of months ago.

The Minister of Tourism committed $100,000 over three years to help

sustain their industry organization.

We are looking to provide some funding as well.

They came to us and that was one of their asks.

They had many asks that they put on the table.

Mr. Speaker, again, when it comes to the fees for

outfitters, we looked at ways that we could have raised revenue for the

Province, we looked at what the fees were for non-residents, we looked at other

jurisdictions, and we decided to bring the fees up to where the levels are in

other jurisdictions. So

non-residents, coming to this Province, are now going to pay their fair share

compared to what they pay in the rest of Canada, Mr. Speaker.

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Humber East.

MR. FLYNN:

Mr. Speaker, these small

business owners stand to lose thousands of dollars I spoke to one in excess of

$20,000 because of the staggering increase in fees.

Outfitters have sold packages in advance, signed binding contracts, with

no way to recover the cost. They are

requesting that you hold off on these increases for at least a year.

We have to stop paying lip service to the tourism industry.

I ask

the Tourism Minister: Will you demand the Environment Minister reverse this

decision and lessen the negative impact on the tourism industry?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Environment and Conservation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CRUMMELL:

Mr. Speaker, when you look at

the outfitting industry and the business model that they follow I have been

online. I had a look at how they

charge their rates. Mr. Speaker,

some of the outfitters charge their fees, their rates, and then they have their

licence fees separate from that. A

lot of them do that. Everybody is

going to be impacted.

Now, Mr.

Speaker, when you look at a business model and I was in business for

twenty-five years you look one, two, three years out.

Costs can change. Insurance

rates can go up. Cost of labour

could go up. The price of gas could

go up.

Mr.

Speaker, if you take an average hunt, for a moose, for instance, it is about

$5,000 for four or five days hunting.

If an outfitter decided to raise their rate 10 per cent for next year, he

would pick up the lost money for this year.

He would pick up more money for next year and out years.

It would be very profitable for them.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon.

the Member for Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

Concerns

have been raised about the protocol surrounding the decision for police to visit

Donald Dunphy's home on Easter Sunday.

I ask

the Premier: Will he commit to establishing an inquiry under the Public

Inquiries Act to look into the protocol and events surrounding the shooting of

Donald Dunphy?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, as I had mentioned earlier, it is a tragic event that occurred

involving the loss of life. Mr.

Dunphy's loss of life is tragic in many, many ways.

Right

now, there is a police investigation ongoing.

The police investigation is also partnered and paired with an independent

oversight by a retired, respected Supreme Court Justice who has great experience

and background in criminal procedures and criminal law.

I think

it is appropriate before we reach any further decisions or attempt to make any

further decisions that we wait for the outcome of the investigation, which I

hope to be a comprehensive, full, fair, and frank investigation carried out by

the RCMP.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I ask

the Premier: Will he please tell this House who deployed the police officer to

Donald Dunphy's house and why?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, I think it would be very inappropriate to try and speculate and lead to

what the outcomes of the investigation are going to be.

I take it the RCMP are doing a full investigation of all of the

circumstances surrounding the actions and what led up to the actions on that

terrible and tragic day. I think it

is just wrong for us to try and speculate or reach a conclusion, or discuss

details of a matter that is still before police investigation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I ask

the Premier: Will he explain the chain of command between government, the

Protective Services Unit, the RNC and the RCMP, and who gives instructions to

the Protective Services Unit?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker, I think it is

quite clear that the questions being raised by the member opposite are directly

in relation to the loss of life that her previous questions refer to.

I think it would be very inappropriate to discuss any aspect of what is

being investigated by the RCMP until we find the results of that investigation,

receive a report from the RCMP, we have a report from the retired Supreme Court

Justice who is having oversight to it.

I look forward to receiving those reports.

We will make decisions after that, what the next step should be.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon.

the Member for St. John's Centre.

MS ROGERS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I ask

the Premier: Are the contents of the email supposedly written and sent by the

RNC officer concerning details of the Dunphy case reflective of the policies of

the Protective Services Unit?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Justice.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As the

Premier said on a number of occasions, the whole issue of the Dunphy shooting is

very tragic, and all of us in this House, I am sure, extend our condolences to

the family.

Let me

be very clear as the Minister of Justice, on behalf of government, to the

member's question. We are not

prepared and will in no way entertain discussing the details that are pertinent

to an ongoing investigation in that case before this House of Assembly until the

investigations are concluded. At

that point in time, as we have been very clear, the Fatalities Act provides me,

as the Minister of Justice and Public Safety, with an opportunity to call an

inquiry if I deem it necessary. It

also provides Cabinet, the Lieutenant Governor in Council with an opportunity to

call for an inquiry if they deem it necessary.

Up until those investigations are concluded, we are not prepared to

discuss those details.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

I remind

the minister his time has expired.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's Centre.

MS ROGERS:

Mr. Speaker, I ask the

Premier: Did anyone in government assist in the writing, editing, or

dissemination of that email?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Justice and Public Safety.

MR. KING:

I can only say, Mr. Speaker,

it is a travesty what I am hearing here this afternoon.

The member opposite is asking the Premier of this Province or the

Minister of Justice to stand on their feet and discuss an ongoing criminal

investigation in this Province. It

is absolutely ridiculous what you are getting on with here today.

There is

no place for any of us in this House of Assembly to discuss the nature of what

transpired between the RNC and Mr. Dunphy and his family and what is currently

before an ongoing investigation. I

say it is shameful for the member to stand on her feet and raise that line of

questioning here in this House of Assembly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The time

for Question Period has expired.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Presenting Reports

by Standing and Select Committees

MR. SPEAKER:

I recognize the Member for

Baie Verte Springdale.

MR. POLLARD:

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the

Select Committee appointed to draft a reply to the Speech from His Honour the

Lieutenant Governor, I am pleased to present the report of the Select Committee

which reads as follows:

To His

Honour The Lieutenant Governor, the hon. Frank Fagan.

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.

I move,

seconded by the Member for Fortune Bay Cape La Hune, that the report be

adopted.

MR. SPEAKER:

When shall the report be

received, hon. Government House Leader?

MR. KING:

Now.

MR. SPEAKER:

Now.

motion, report received.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. Government House

Leader, I believe you are going to move that the debate be deferred.

MR. KING:

Yes, Mr. Speaker, with

apologies.

I move,

seconded by the Member for Baie Verte Springdale, that debate on that matter

be deferred.

MR. SPEAKER:

Is it the pleasure of the

House to adopt the motion?

All

those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

Further

reports?

Tabling

of Documents.

Notices

of Motion.

Notices of Motion

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

MR. DALLEY:

Mr. Speaker, I give notice

that I will ask leave to introduce a bill entitled,

An Act To Amend The Hydro

Corporation Act, 2007. (Bill 3)

Mr.

Speaker, I give further notice that I will ask leave to introduce a bill

entitled,

An Act To Amend The Canada Newfoundland and Labrador Atlantic Accord

Implementation Newfoundland and Labrador Act.

(Bill 2)

MR. SPEAKER:

Further notices of motion?

The hon.

the Minister of Transportation and Works.

MR. BRAZIL:

Mr. Speaker, I give notice

that I will ask leave to introduce a bill entitled,

An Act To Amend The Works,

Service and Transportation Act.

(Bill 4)

MR. SPEAKER:

Further notices of motion?

Answers

to Questions for Which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's North.

MR. KIRBY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland

and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

many parents have expressed concern about the impact of overcrowding at Beachy

Cove Elementary on student's mental and physical well-being; and

WHEREAS

many parents have questioned the impact of major space restrictions at Beachy

Cove Elementary and the ability of the school to continue delivering quality

curriculum to their growing student population; and

WHEREAS

plan, tender, and construct the approved intermediate (Grade 5-9) school in

Portugal Cove-St. Phillips;

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

of Assembly to urge government to provide all necessary resources in Budget 2015

and beyond to have the Portugal Cove-St. Phillips intermediate (Grade 5-9)

school constructed, commissioned, and operational for students in September

As in

duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, this is not the first time I have presented this petition.

I understand the community is still collecting signatures on this

petition. It is an important one for

the Town of Portugal Cove-St. Phillips for parents out there, for teachers, for

the education community in general.

On a

positive note, the Minister of Transportation and Works has called for tenders

for the construction of this school.

By my count he could correct me if I am wrong I believe there are five new

schools that have been promised now that are going to be constructed and opened

for September 2016. Four of them are

on the Northeast Avalon in the communities of Conception Bay South, Paradise,

Portugal Cove-St. Phillips. They

have

AN HON. MEMBER:

Torbay.

MR. KIRBY:

Torbay as well.

In the case of Torbay, the school board wanted to build a school that was

big enough to go up to Grade 8, but the member for the area said he did not want

a school that was that big; he wanted a smaller school.

So now the school board is going to send an extra grade to that school

for him so they can jam them in sort of the way that they have it done out in

Beachy Cove Elementary now. We will

have to wait and see.

This is

a tall order to get all these schools constructed for September 2016.

Believe it or not I say to the minister, there are people out there who

do not believe that is possible. I

will give him the benefit of the doubt, but this is a really tight timeline.

The people who signed this petition are extremely important in holding

this minister and this government to their commitment.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

Orders of the Day

Private Members'

Day

MR. SPEAKER:

This being Private Members'

Day and it now being 3:00 p.m., we go to Member for Conception Bay South to open

debate on the private member's motion that stands on the Order Paper in his

name.

The hon.

the Member for Conception Bay South.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. HILLIER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is a

pleasure to stand here this afternoon and bring forward this private member's

resolution dealing with a seniors' advocate.

I read into the record the actual motion:

BE IT RESOLVED that the House

of Assembly urge government to establish a Seniors' Advocate Office.

Mr.

Speaker, we first committed to establishing this advocate office last fall in

2014. We felt now is an appropriate

time to bring the motion forward and go forward with this office.

We believe this independent power to represent the rights and interests

of seniors must be enshrined in legislation.

Seniors deserve a strong, clear, independent voice to advocate on behalf

of seniors.

Seniors'

issues are a concern for everyone in Newfoundland and Labrador.

For those of us who are not yet seniors, but will have the privilege of

growing old one day, we will all be seniors.

Mr.

Speaker, we have all quoted various statistics dealing with seniors and

demographics that affect seniors and affect all of our population for some time.

One that we use quite often is that 18 per cent of our population over

93,000 people are aged sixty-five plus.

By 2025, one in four Newfoundlanders and Labradorians will be over

sixty-five.

We have

the most rapidly aging population in Canada.

Overall, people are living longer and with that come pressing health care

issues, such as increased incidence of dementia, as well as other disabilities

and chronic conditions. With the

population of Newfoundland and Labrador aging rapidly, the need to establish a

seniors' advocate office to represent today's seniors is more and more pressing.

We have

lost a lot of young people to outmigration.

The cod moratorium of the 1990s sent many young people out west for work.

Many have not returned. A

major component of this population will be the children of today's seniors.

So we have a boom in seniors, while many of their children who could help

care for them and speak on their behalf live outside the Province.

Mr.

Speaker, I would like to put a face on this issue of seniors' advocacy as we

move forward this afternoon. Today

is my mother-in-law's ninetieth birthday.

We have not always seen eye-to-eye as a mother-in-law and a son-in-law,

but we have buried the hatchet and we get along quite fine now.

AN HON. MEMBER:

(Inaudible).

MR. HILLIER:

There you go.

Mr.

Speaker, Florence lives in a supportive care home.

She is a good friend with the Member for Placentia St. Mary's.

She says she has voted both ways in her lifetime.

She is in good health. So, on

behalf of the forty-eight members here I wish Florence a happy birthday.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. HILLIER:

Mr. Speaker, Florence has seven children.

Any one of them could be her advocate at any time on most issues.

Unfortunately, this is not the case for many seniors in our Province.

Hence, we are bringing forward this motion today to ensure that all of

our seniors have an advocate.

Mr.

Speaker, we speak with seniors on a daily basis.

We speak with seniors when we come out of church.

We speak with seniors at the supermarket.

We speak with seniors at the gas station.

Invariably, they want to know, what are your priorities for seniors?

How are you going to help seniors move into the next phase of their

lifetime?

Mr.

Speaker, last month, I sat down with the seniors in my community, and I

referenced this here at another point in time.

It was evident that they were concerned about a bunch of things.

They were concerned about health care.

They were concerned about access to prescription medication.

They were concerned about housing.

They were concerned about recreational opportunities.

They were also concerned about finding their way through the bureaucracy

of government in order to access services.

That is where we are going today, Mr. Speaker, with this private member's

resolution on the seniors' advocate office.

Mr.

Speaker, that group of people should be able to go into their retirement, go

into their golden years, without those concerns.

I say, what are seniors' issues in this Province should be the issues of

every single one of us in this Province.

Mr.

Speaker, we define senior in this Province as someone who is sixty-five-plus

years old. With increased longevity,

that plus could be twenty years, that plus could be thirty years, or that plus

could even be forty years. Within

those plus years, we have varying degrees of skills, we have varying degrees of

experience, we have varying degrees of health and, as a result, we have varying

degrees of ability to advocate for one's self.

With

this motion today, we want to ensure that those who are unable to advocate for

themselves will have their needs looked after by an advocacy office.

Mr.

Speaker, government will point to the new Department of Seniors, Wellness and

Social Development as a testament to their prioritizing seniors' issues.

To be clear, we sincerely appreciate the work of the division of seniors

and their director. All too often,

as we saw earlier this afternoon, when we called government out on a failure to

manage, they shield themselves with the public service in an attempt to divert

attention from this Administration's failure to lead.

Unlike

the Division of Aging and Seniors, a seniors' advocacy office would be

independent from government. The

independence of this advocacy office would be enshrined in legislation.

This independence would ensure that a strong, clear voice represents the

rights and interests of seniors.

seniors' advocate would not report to a government minister, or Cabinet.

A seniors' advocate, Mr. Speaker, would report to the House of Assembly

similar to the Child and Youth Advocate, the Citizens' Representative, and the

Auditor General.

Mr.

Speaker, seniors are a population that is vulnerable.

Seniors are vulnerable to poverty.

Seniors are vulnerable to isolation and loneliness.

Seniors are vulnerable to health issues.

Seniors are vulnerable to neglect and abuse.

We need a strong, independent voice to identify, develop, implement, and

evaluate the services and programs they and their families require.

We also

need to keep in mind that seniors have a wide range of experiences and needs.

We need to legislate the creation of a seniors' advocacy office to ensure

seniors have a powerful and independent voice to represent the diversity of

seniors. There are a host of issues

that could benefit greatly from the input of a seniors' advocate including

age-friendly communities, diversity, income and finances, secure housing, active

living, lifelong learning, advanced care planning, and we could go on, Mr.

Speaker.

putting together this resolution today we sat down and said now what would be

the specific role, what would this person's job look like?

The role of a seniors' advocate would include monitoring policy,

programs, and services to ensure they are meeting the needs of today's seniors'

health care, transportation, et cetera.

The role

of the seniors' advocate would include raising awareness around ageism and the

experiences of seniors. The role of

the seniors' advocate would include collaborating with seniors, their families

and caregivers, policy makers, and front-line service providers to identify

systemic issues that affect seniors and make recommendations to government

accordingly.

Mr.

Speaker, this advocate would be appointed to the seniors' advocacy office,

selected by the proposed independent appointments commission which is another

Liberal commitment that we have made for some time.

It would be on the basis of merit, not partisan affiliation.

Mr.

Speaker, other advocacy offices in Newfoundland have already set a precedent

here. For instance, the Office of

the Child and Youth Advocate was established by statute the Child and Youth

Advocate Act proclaimed in 2002.

The Advocate for children and youth is a statutory office of the House of

Assembly. The Advocate reports

directly to the Legislature, through the Speaker of the House of Assembly, on

matters relevant to their mandate.

Advocacy

services are provided to children and youth through a central office located in

St. John's, with outreach to all areas of the Province.

Services can be accessed by contacting the office by telephone, email.

Services can also be in person during advocacy outreach, conducted

throughout the Province by advocacy staff.

Mr. Speaker, this is a model similar to what we are envisioning as a

seniors' advocacy office.

Another

office that we have here in Newfoundland, which would be similar to that model,

is the Office of the Citizens' Representative.

That provides Province-wide ombudsman service, again going back to 2002,

and is an independent office of the House of Assembly.

The

primary work of the Citizens' Representative is to accept complaints from

citizens who feel they have been treated unfairly with respect to their contact

with government offices and agencies.

The Citizens' Representative and his staff attempt to mediate citizens'

complaints and if this is not possible, will undertake an impartial and unbiased

investigation. If the complaint

cannot be resolved throughout the investigation, an investigation report is

generated, and recommendations can be made to the House of Assembly.

Again, Mr. Speaker, a similar model to what we are proposing for a

seniors' advocacy office.

Mr.

Speaker, this is not something new to Newfoundland.

This is not something that we are inventing.

The first seniors' advocacy office was opened in British Columbia just

about a year ago. The role in

British Columbia is similar to the role that we have outlined here for our

seniors' advocate. That is,

monitoring senior services, promoting awareness, working collaboratively with

seniors, families, policy makers, service providers, and others to identify

systemic issues that affect seniors and make recommendations to government.

Mr. Speaker, BC's seniors' advocate believes that every province needs a

similar advocacy role for seniors to protect a vulnerable population that is too

often neglected.

To quote

Ms Isobel Mackenzie, I think that seniors are a diverse group of people with

diverse needs. Having an office that can

focus on those issues that affect significant numbers of seniors is important to

ensure that they don't get drowned out in all of the other competing agendas.

Mr.

Speaker, Alberta has since opened a seniors' advocacy office as part of their

health advocates office and we know that the Opposition in Saskatchewan is

calling for a similar office.

Mr.

Speaker, if we were to go back through recent history and ask ourselves where

the seniors' advocate would get involved, what issues would the seniors'

advocate become involved with here in Newfoundland, we go down through the issue

that we have with bed blockage, for instance.

The aging baby boom came as no surprise to anyone, yet government did not

prepare for all of this demographic change.

We, therefore, have seniors stranded in acute care beds for lack of

long-term options.

It is

estimated that one-third of these patients have dementia.

We are not meeting the health care needs of our population because

government failed to understand and prioritize the needs of an aging baby boom.

This bed blockage is costing the system considerably, leaving seniors in

limbo. Mr. Speaker, this is an issue

that a seniors' advocate would certainly have been involved in.

We look

at the Province's denture plan 2013.

Government made significant cuts to the adult dental plan with zero consultation

with dental health professionals.

The adult dental plan now covers only half a set of dentures per year.

Denturists cannot make dentures fit properly when beneficiaries can only

be approved for half a set of dentures per year.

This is a program that demonstrates a lack of respect for seniors,

compromising their dignity. Mr.

Speaker, seniors' dignity is an issue that a seniors' advocate would be involved

in.

Mr.

Speaker, to summarize, we simply urge government to establish a seniors'

advocate office. We have identified

a need for it, we have set out the role of such an office, we have identified

precedence in other parts of the country, we have identified similar offices in

our own Province, and we have identified cases where a seniors' advocate would

undoubtedly have gotten involved. We

now need the support of the remainder of this House to make this a reality.

Thank

you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS PERRY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is

certainly an honour and a privilege for me to rise in this House of Assembly

today to speak to this very important private member's resolution.

Seniors are a very important part of our population, Mr. Speaker, and I

am sure each and every one of us holds seniors near and dear in our hearts.

I have often had friends say to me sometimes perhaps I have missed my

calling because one of the greatest joys I have in life is working with seniors

in particular.

When you

look at the job of being a politician it is not always easy, it is often very

challenging, but it is very rewarding as well. One

of those greatest rewards comes from the work we do with our seniors and the

assistance we provide to seniors.

listened to my colleague in his introduction speak about the issues they see as

to why there is a need for an advocate.

The fact that people are living longer, Mr. Speaker, is something that we

should all be very, very proud of.

It means we get to enjoy our parents, our grandparents, our aunts and our

uncles, our moms and dads, for so much longer.

That is due, in large part, to significant improvements in our overall

health care and our overall well-being as a people.

The

motion calls for the establishment of an office to represent seniors.

He spoke a little bit earlier about one of the concerns they have is

finding their way through the bureaucracy.

I have to say, Mr. Speaker, that as an MHA, that is something I pride

myself on helping seniors with. It

is something I pride myself on helping everyone with seniors, youth, adults.

Anyone who needs help navigating the system, that is the very reason for

our being one of, Mr. Speaker, in addition to our lawmaking role here as

legislators. So, I see our role as

MHAs as being crucial in helping our seniors navigate the system.

Our

Premier, Mr. Speaker, one of the very first things he did when he took office as

Premier was establish a new Department of Seniors and Wellness, and in that he

made a very strong statement to each and every one of us in his caucus, and to

the Province as a whole, of the priority he places on seniors and how important

seniors are to him. Creating this

new department, I believe, certainly does reflect the changing reality in

Newfoundland and Labrador that we do have an aging demographic.

The

member opposite talked about statistics.

By 2025, Statistics Canada estimates that Newfoundland and Labrador will

have the highest proportion of seniors in the country.

So I absolutely agree that seniors are a very key priority.

As we move forward, we must be very cognizant of the fact that anything

and everything we can do to help them in the best manner possible is what we

should be looking at, and I do see a lot of fabulous initiatives that are

underway.

Mr.

Speaker, I have to say there are in this Province already a large number of

advocates for seniors. True, many

seniors do not have children. My mom

had thirteen and I do not have any.

So when I think about aging, I am very cognizant of that fact.

When I look at the health care system, when I look at programs and

services, I am always cognizant of the fact that, we have to look at this as we

are all going to be there one day and we want the very, very best possible for

our seniors, and for all citizens in our Province.

Some of

these agencies, institutions and groups that are in place for seniors include

the Provincial Advisory Council on Aging and Seniors.

This is comprised of thirteen members from across the Province.

The group consults on a regular basis with seniors on issues, on policies

and programs and services that are impacting older citizens and they provide

feedback to government to enhance programs and services that are in place.

As I

just mentioned, the Seniors and Aging division within the Department of Seniors,

Wellness and Social Development is a centre of expertise on seniors' issues.

They have a full contingent of staff who work very closely with

individuals and groups on their various issues to help ensure that their needs

are being met. Seniors can, as I

spoke to, and certainly do contact their MHAs when they have issues of concern.

Speaking

about one of the reasons why I love my job so much and the rewards you see, one

of the huge impacts that we have been able to realize in helping seniors is the

generic drug pricing policy. What a

benefit to all of our citizens, and especially our seniors who can now afford

the type of medications they need to help them continue to improve their

longevity. That is one example of

many. I am going to refer to many

more in a short while.

The

Office of the Citizens' Representative, which is independent of government it

has no connection whatsoever to government, it is an advocacy office hears and

follows up on concerns raised by any citizen if they feel they have not been

fairly treated. Our citizens'

advocate, I do believe, Mr. Speaker, does an excellent job in that regard.

Again,

going back to our role as MHAs and policy-makers, I am proud of a lot of things

we have accomplished and achieved here in this House of Assembly, Mr. Speaker.

One of the many is our Adult Protection Act, which we recently brought

in. That provides a level of

protection to all adults who lack capacity and who are experiencing neglect and

abuse.

really touches my heart when we speak to it in the House, especially when we

were passing that act. I remember

feeling very strongly and almost welling up at times at the thought of the abuse

and neglect that can and do happen.

We are doing everything we can through the citizens' advocate, through our new

act, and through the existing agencies to try and help these people in any way

we can. We have come a long way, Mr.

Speaker, and no doubt, a long way yet still to go.

In terms

of the types of initiatives that are in place today for seniors, I spoke about

the generic drug pricing policy, which lowered the cost of drugs for everybody,

but the Newfoundland and Labrador Prescription Drug Program has a component

which is called the 65Plus Plan.

That provides coverage of eligible prescription drugs for seniors who are over

sixty-five years of age who receive Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income

Supplement. For seniors who are

above that income bracket, the generic drug pricing policy was a significant

help to them.

The

other area I find we helped significantly with as MHAs, we helped with

paperwork, Mr. Speaker. We helped

individuals and citizens fill out applications, particularly seniors, many of

whom, in my experience like my mom, she stayed home and raised thirteen

children. For her, filling out an

application form was not easy.

So, as

an MHA, that is something I take great pride and personal satisfaction from,

when we can sit down at a table and help people put these applications together.

Then, at the end of the day, they receive improvements to their home

whereby they can continue living in their own home for much longer periods.

modification to their bathrooms, or whether it is fixing a leaky roof or windows

that are not energy efficient. That

program certainly does a lot in my opinion to help seniors and all those people

who are more vulnerable in our society.

In terms

of long-term care and community support services, the

Close To Home document that was prepared and released in June 2012

has a ten-year strategy to guide and transform the delivery of long-term care in

the Province. We think with an

investment of nearly $700 million, the provision of long-term care and community

support services across this Province is continually improving.

Again, there is always room for improvement in any area.

We are certainly very focused on making sure seniors remain a huge

priority.

We also

have in place, Mr. Speaker, a Community Rapid Response Team pilot project.

The provincial government is investing $3.1 million to four Community

Rapid Response Teams. They will be

comprised of health professionals who will assess patients at emergency

departments to determine if medically stable patients can return home safely

with enhanced community-based health services, thereby avoiding an admission to

hospital. While the primary target

group for this initiative is seniors, the service will be available to all

adults, and teams are up and running in St. John's, Corner Brook, and Grand

Falls-Windsor. These are some types

of the initiatives that we are looking at putting in place to help seniors.

I do

remember in 2007 some things always stick in your head when you are in

politics. Some things you never

forget. As I was going door-to-door,

I was learning so much before even being elected about what the job would

entail. At almost every door there

was a different issue or a different concern, something you knew that you would

be advocating for on their behalf when you went to the House of Assembly if you

got there.

One

person in particular sat down and we had a lovely visit in her home.

Her question to me was: What are you going to do for seniors?

Mr. Speaker, when I went back to that same house in 2011, this person was

so overjoyed with how much attention our government has paid to seniors.

Even something like the Newfoundland and Labrador Low Income Seniors'

Benefit, which our government has increased over the last few years, today, that

amount is up to $1,036. I know that

come October, November of each year seniors look forward to that payment.

They know these additional funds are coming.

It does help alleviate some of their financial concerns, no doubt.

When we

look at what is out there for seniors in terms of people to speak up for them on

their behalf, I would argue that there are some fantastic groups in this

Province that are doing just that on behalf of seniors.

We also have and I have not talked about these a whole lot, but

completely independent of government, Mr. Speaker, you have seniors groups like

50 Plus Clubs. I know I have five or

six active 50 Plus Clubs in my region.

When they want to talk to me about issues or have concerns, I am a phone

call away and I am at their door. We

bring their concerns back, in this case to the Minister of Seniors, Wellness and

Social Development. The department

works very diligently and the minister, to address those concerns.

We also

have the Seniors Resource Centre, Mr. Speaker, which is a completely independent

body; the 50+ Federation, as I said, independent; the Newfoundland and Labrador

Public Sector Pensioners Association; and other groups such as this who provide

advocacy on behalf of seniors.

Certainly from my point of view in times of fiscal restraint, I would like to

see as much done as we possibly can in terms of programs and services directly

to the senior. I think we have come

a long way in that regard. I have

alluded to a few. I am sure more

will be discussed as the afternoon goes on.

Seniors

are indeed among a very special group of people in our Province.

They have paved the way for us.

They are the reason we are here.

Everything and anything we can do to make life better for them is what

matters. I think those are tangible

things. Tangible things like

improvements to their houses.

Tangible things like the amount of money they are bringing into their

households. Tangible things like

repairs through the Newfoundland and Labrador Home Modification Program, the

energy efficiency program, like the REEP program, Mr. Speaker.

Seniors

are wonderful. As an MHA, I

certainly will advocate for each and every single one, not just in my district

but in the Province as a whole.

Anyone who wants to call me with a seniors' issue, I am here, and I am sure most

of my colleagues in this entire House feel the exact same way.

Certainly I look forward to the rest of this debate this afternoon and I look

forward to, as a Province and a government, continuing to implement programs and

services as identified by the seniors themselves as programs they need and to

continue working with them towards improvements overall.

certainly feel confident that the Department of Seniors and Wellness does a

phenomenal role in this regard.

Again I go back to how I started earlier today.

The Premier has, in one of his very first actions as Premier, established

a new Department of Seniors and Wellness.

It clearly speaks to the priority he places on seniors, the priority we

as a government place on seniors, and I look forward to more fabulous things

coming from the Department of Seniors and Wellness.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Virginia Waters.

MS C. BENNETT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am

pleased to stand in this House today on behalf of the constituents of Virginia

Waters and speak to this private member's resolution that my colleague has read

into the record for today.

Mr.

Speaker, independent power to represent the rights and interests of seniors is

important. That is why we are

advocating that a seniors' advocate, which is an independent office, be

established. It is an independent

voice to advocate on behalf of seniors to government.

As has been spoken to many times already in this House, seniors' issues

are a concern for everyone in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Certainly for those of us who are not seniors yet, if we have the

privilege of growing old one day, we will certainly be seniors.

Mr.

Speaker, members of this House are well aware that Newfoundland and Labrador has

the most rapidly aging population in Canada.

Overall, people are living longer and with that comes pressing health

care issues, such as the increased incidences of dementia as well as other

disabilities and chronic conditions.

I have

Wellness and Social Development. I

would like to talk for a minute about the difference between those two and let

me be perfectly clear; we sincerely appreciate the work of the division of

seniors and their director. All too

often, when we call government out on their failure to manage, they shield

themselves with the public service in an attempt to divert attention from this

Administration's failure to lead, but the reality is that this department

employs four people serving almost one-fifth of the entire population.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS C. BENNETT:

Unlike the Division of Aging

and Seniors, a seniors' advocacy office would be independent from government.

The independence of the seniors' advocate would be enshrined in

legislation. The seniors' advocate

would not report the government minister or Cabinet; the seniors' advocate would

report to the House of Assembly, similar to the Child and Youth Advocate, the

Citizens' Representative, and the Auditor General.

So, why do we need a seniors' advocate?

Quite frankly, the issues facing seniors and seniors themselves are

diverse.

We need

to keep in mind that seniors have a wide range of experiences and needs.

We need to legislate the creation of a seniors' advocacy office to ensure

that seniors have a powerful and independent voice and represent the diversity

of seniors.

There

are a host of issues that could benefit greatly from the input of a seniors'

advocate including age-friendly communities, diversity, income and finances,

home housing, active living, lifelong learning, advanced care planning, safety,

and violence prevention. Mr.

Speaker, one of the most important reasons we need a seniors' advocate is that

seniors are a population that are vulnerable to poverty, to isolation and

loneliness, to health issues, neglect and abuse, including financial abuse.

Mr.

Speaker, it is with this in mind that I would like to speak to the issue that is

facing numerous seniors in our Province, and that is the issue of pension

overpayments. Let me be clear, we

have been speaking out loud and clear on this issue because it has brought undue

stress and uncertainty to many of our pensioners.

While we

do not question the professional capabilities of the liaison Mr. Bonnell, I will

tell you that we take issue with the fact that this government has put him in

this capacity, despite the fact that we have recently learned he is a former

treasurer for a Conservative district association and a former bank manager for

some of the pensioners involved. We

take issue with the fact that these resources could be better focused on

recovering unpaid fines, make sure oil royalties were completed, and the myriad

of things that we have been challenging government to do a better job of

managing their finances with.

We take

issue with the fact that government has their sights set squarely on the wallets

of these pensioners, when we know in the long run they will spend more time and

resources trying to recover what money they can.

Quite frankly, we take issue that this government is ignoring their moral

and legal obligation.

Mr.

Speaker, let me share some comments from many of our constituents about this

situation, and I quote, Shame on government for causing this man undue stress.

It was governments mistake, now live up to it.

Don't even make the attempt to squeeze blood from a turnip.

I'm sure you can find savings elsewhere without causing hardship for our

pensioners.

Another

example: This is wrong. The amounts

owed are small compared to overall government finances.

It was government's mistake.

The government should absorb the loss, given the catastrophic loss it will be

for low-income seniors. They will be

forced to decide between paying the heating bill or buying food.

No one should have to make that desperate choice.

Another

example: The government made the mistake, let them take the hit for it.

How is a pensioner supposed to know that he was overpaid by $18.00 a

month? That government should be

ashamed of themselves. Aren't there

audits required yearly or at least every two years?

This should have been caught years ago.

Somebody really fumbled the ball ... .

Lastly, an example of what our

constituents are saying to us: a true injustice.

Mr.

Speaker, I refer to the moral licence this government has for asking for this

collection of money. After months of

detailing government's financial mismanagement, sadly we are forced to look at

another example, one that is hitting some of our very vulnerable people;

vulnerable people who would have the advantage of having an advocate that worked

for them with a seniors' advocate.

This issue is one that is hitting some very vulnerable people.

I am referring to the clerical error that resulted in 427 seniors being

overpaid their pensions.

The

minister wants to correct the mistake, and the correction is asking seniors to

pay back money they received in error over many, many years.

He has decided not to collect the money from people in long-term care

facilities. He has decided not to

collect the money from survivors, but I continue to be dumbstruck to understand

the rationale for this decision to ask for the money back.

The

reality is, Mr. Speaker, absolutely government has a responsibility to protect

the public purse. It is with this

responsibility in mind that the Leader of the Official Opposition has been

holding government to task. Besides

asking for answers regarding the cancellation of Humber Valley Paving's bond, we

have been challenging government to do a better job in auditing oil royalties,

collecting unpaid fines, expeditiously implementing recommendations of the

Auditor General, and explaining write offs of taxpayers' money to numerous

businesses.

All

these areas represent risk to the public purse and hundreds of millions of

dollars, but instead of aggressively addressing these-risk areas, the Tories

plan to collect a diminished amount of money, and now with an extra cost, the

cost of collecting by asking seventy and eighty year olds to pony up.

These pensioners are being hit by hastily developed and now evolving

government repayment plan, while most of them are already burdened to survive.

Why

couldn't the ministers need to correct it mean to stop future payments and

carrying on? Why has government

chosen to keep people worried and anxious about repaying this money at a time

that the minister now says collection will be limited and even more costly than

the original plan?

Let me

speak now to the legal authority.

Though, there is a statutory right under the Public Service Pensions Act to

recover overpayments, there is also a body of case law which can prevent

recovery of overpayments when individuals have changed their circumstances in

reliance on the understanding that the amount they received was the amount to

which they are entitled to.

For

example, there is a Newfoundland Supreme Court case where the principle was

applied to compel an appeal board to consider whether the attempt of the

department to recover overpayment be denied.

The attempt to recover was denied.

It is unfair to force elderly pensioners to repay monthly money they

honestly received and relied upon to organize their affairs through no fault of

their own. Any overpayment

arrangement offered by the Province, however lenient, would be exacerbated by

the fact that from this point forward their pensions will be reduced to the

correct amount.

Further

to this,

section 33 of the Teachers' Pension Plan Act is nearly identical to

section 29 of the Public Service Pension Plan Act.

This is the statutory provision that creates the right of the Province,

and in this case the corporation, to recover an overpayment.

I would note, in both cases that the

section of this legislation says

these words, may collect. This

means there is discretion, and it is not mandatory to recover such an

overpayment pursuant to either statutory provision; however, if a decision is

made to pursue recovery of an overpayment, that does not mean the person from

whom it is sought to recover an overpayment does not have what I believe a

strong defence to the overpayment recovery attempt.

The

Newfoundland Supreme Court case I referred to is an example of how the equitable

defence of change in circumstance can be used to prevent the minister from being

permitted to recover the overpayment, and I read from the judge's decision in

the court case. I have been shown no

reason why a defence of change in circumstance, not apply to mistakes of fact of

law made by a Crown official where the legislation authorized in recovery does

not explicitly exclude this defence.

He goes

on to say, the individual in question would have changed her position to enjoy a

more relaxed and a rich standard of life during a period when she was receiving

the overpayments by mistakes. It is

reasonable to expect that they would make expenditures which they would not have

otherwise made upon receipt of those overpayments to which they believe they are

entitled to.

Mr.

Speaker, a seniors' advocate in this situation could easily be asked by these

427 to look objectively at the moral licence this government has to make this

request and, I would argue, at the legal right this government has to make this

request and advocate on behalf of these seniors who are ranging, in some cases,

in their seventies and eighties waiting to hear what this government is going to

do. I do not believe the people of

the Province want seventy and eighty year olds sitting in their homes worried

about when somebody is going to call and give them a description of how they are

going to be paid. So far these

seniors have received multiple phone calls and will continue to receive multiple

letters. Mr. Speaker, some would

argue that that is elder abuse.

Again, a reason why a seniors' advocate independent of government, independent

of government ministers, could do the work of advocating on behalf of seniors.

Quite

frankly, Mr. Speaker, this situation of pension overpayments is the exact reason

why there is a significant difference between what this Premier has done to

support seniors and what the Leader of the Opposition wants to do when he wants

to support seniors, and that is provide an independent advocate that works in

the best interests of seniors only and not in the best interest of the

government.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Exploits.

MR. FORSEY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is

always a pleasure to stand up in this House of Assembly and speak on any type of

legislation and statements that come to the floor.

Today, in particular, I am really pleased to have the opportunity to

address the House of Assembly especially when it comes to our most vulnerable,

which is our seniors.

Mr.

Speaker, this government which I am a part of and our Premier, along with all of

us, everybody in this House, and I mean everyone in this House, certainly have a

focus and a heart for looking after our seniors.

probably will take an opportunity to just talk about it on a personal issue, in

a personal way, that I am sure a lot of us can do the very same thing.

I had the good fortune to be able to look after my parent for a number of

years who had serious disabilities, but the programs that were in place, Mr.

Speaker and I know you are quite familiar with a lot of them that this

government provides made my job a lot easier, and the services that we were able

to provide for my parent.

As a

matter of fact, after her passing, I have the opportunity again now to look

after a parent which is one of my in-laws, my wife's parent, under the same

circumstances, Mr. Speaker. I think

we all have a feel for what we need to do.

We are becoming seniors some of us are getting pretty close ourselves

and we are going to be looking for this sort of thing.

This

government has put a seniors' department in place.

Our Premier, when he was sworn in back in last September, early October,

one of his mandates was to set up the department for seniors.

I must say, our minister is doing quite the bang up job on it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. FORSEY:

That particular department

was set up to sort of set a path for where we want to go as a government, and

what we want to do and the initiatives we want to bring in to support our

seniors and there have been many, but what we were able to do with the

formation of this department was to put all of our services provided to seniors

in the one department. Prior to

that, we were running all over the place.

If we wanted something to do with housing, we went to one department.

If we wanted something to do with health or dental or whatever it was, we

had to go to another department.

Now, it is all under the umbrella of one department.

Looking

after our seniors and our seniors' needs I think is one of the main focuses

certainly of this government and of this Premier; otherwise, he would not have

formed the department that he did.

It was new, it was his idea, and it was a great initiative for this government,

Mr. Speaker.

In doing

so and I know the Opposition, I am sure their heart is in the right place,

like ours is, but I was listening to a talk show a while ago and I remember the

host saying the Opposition says that we are overspending, but they want us to

spend more.

We have

a department right now that is working very, very well, but the Opposition wants

us to spend more money for an advocate, which is going to be a greater cost to

the government and to the Province.

They say one thing over here, but they are saying a different thing over here.

You cannot do that.

You cannot say that someone is overspending, but then when they stand up

they want you spend more. That does

not even make sense. I really do not

understand their reasoning. They

will get up there and they will say that we are overspending.

Mr.

Speaker, I listened to a couple of speakers today, and I listened to my

colleague for Fortune Bay Cape La Hune who spoke about a lot of the services

that we provide. She did a very good

job, and I am sure could have continued longer if she had the time.

I know that I am probably going to be repetitious, but that is what you

get when you are speaking on such a topic like seniors that we have so much

consideration and interest in.

We are

now and will continue to listen.

That is why we have the department for seniors.

We also have the Citizens' Representative which is the go-to person.

It is already in place. If

there is an issue in the Province and they feel they have been done wrong, or

they need some assistance to make sure they are on the right path besides the

department, besides the MHAs who live in the districts and represent the

districts, that is the Citizens' Representative's job.

That is what he is there for.

He can access all that information for any citizen out there, senior or not, and

can look after their interest.

Also,

Mr. Speaker, the Provincial Advisory Council on Aging and Seniors and I do

believe my colleague for Fortune Bay Cape La Hune mentioned this one has

thirteen members throughout the Province.

This group consults with seniors on issues, policies, and services

impacting older adults and provides feedback to government.

Mr.

Speaker, seniors can contact their MHAs.

Every district out there has an MHA and I am sure we are all available to

the seniors. I will just speak for

the District of Exploits. I have

always had the opportunity to visit the 50 Plus Clubs and the seniors clubs.

I have sat down with them. We

have programs in place for funding that they can apply to for their recreation,

for healthy aging, and for wellness.

They take advantage of that. They

love it actually. Every group of

seniors out there who I deal with really takes advantage of this and appreciate

this because it gets them out, it keeps them active, and it keeps them healthy.

That is what our goal is, to keep people more

MR. POLLARD:

Engaged.

MR. FORSEY:

engaged.

I thank the Member for Baie Verte Springdale for that.

I lose a word every now and then but he

picks it up for me. I really

appreciate that, so do not move.

When I

visit them they talk about actually, I will talk about one group.

One group went out of the district because we did not have a bowling

alley in our district; they had to go to Grand Falls-Windsor.

They went to Grand Falls-Windsor for bowling because we were able to

support them in their trip and their activity, and they asked me to come along

with them. They really enjoyed it.

Mr.

Speaker, MHAs are the main contact for seniors.

They come to my office like they do I am sure in all district offices.

They come in and they say I am looking for a form for the rebate, the

Home Heating Rebate program. We have

hundreds of them come in. They come

in and they want to know about the Home Repair Program.

They want to know about the REEP program, and then they will ask for the

applications. They will ask us to

help them fill it out. That is what

we are all about.

I do not

think a seniors' advocate is going to go out into the district and sit down with

a senior and help them fill out an application.

It is not going to happen.

That is what we are there for, Mr. Speaker.

The

Seniors and Aging division with the Department of Seniors, Wellness and Social

Development is a centre of expertise on seniors' issues.

When it comes to seniors' issues, the Seniors and Aging division within

the Department of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development is the place.

That is where they need to go.

Mr.

Speaker, I also recall some of the things this government has put in place.

I know I do not have time to talk about all of it, but my colleague

brought up the Adult Protection Act.

I remember when we introduced that here in the House of Assembly a couple of

years ago I had the opportunity to speak on it.

In a lot of cases, years ago I guess adults were probably being neglected

and probably being abused, but like everything, we have come a long way, Mr.

Speaker.

brought in this protection and this act for anybody out there.

By the way, I know there has already been a report done on it a couple of

weeks ago. This can apply to someone

in their own home if they are being abused, someone in a personal care home or

in a nursing home. So that

protection is there, and it does not affect the one who is reporting it.

The one who is reporting it does not get involved in the report.

That was

a very, very important act we brought in there, Mr. Speaker.

It will continue to help our adults who cannot really look after

themselves and cannot protect themselves.

For the ones who are still active and the aging who are getting out and

having recreation, Mr. Speaker, we have put lot of supports and funding in place

for our seniors.

I would

just like to touch on a couple of investments we have made as a department

through, now the Department of Seniors.

I mentioned Newfoundland and Labrador Housing a little earlier and the

Home Repair Program. Well, the

Affordable Housing Agreement, this year we signed an unprecedented five-year

agreement with the federal government of $68 million, which extends into the

Home Repair Program, and 2,100 households with low income to repair their home

have already taken advantage of it.

This is like a huge program.

When I

say affordable housing affordable housing, yes, for people, but these are

senior people. These are mostly

seniors who take advantage of this so they can live in comfortable housing, live

independently, because it is affordable.

They do not have to go through the expense and the cost they went through

years ago, Mr. Speaker, because of the services that we brought in.

The

Residential Energy Efficiency Program I know I referred to it earlier as the

REEP program and that is what it is, the Residential Energy Efficiency Program

$12 million over three years to assist up to 1,000 low-income homeowners per

year with energy retrofits. That is

the kind of things we are doing as a government.

That is the initiatives we are bringing in as a government, and it is all

under the one umbrella now which makes it a lot easier.

There

are so many other programs that we have brought in.

I know my colleague from Fortune Bay Cape La Hune mentioned the drug

program, which is an awesome program; also the dental program, which is an

awesome program.

I meet

with seniors on a day-to-day basis in my district.

I am sure every member does, because we have a soft spot for them.

We want to listen and we want to help them.

I do not think we would pass a senior and say we are not doing anything

for them. That is not going to

happen. That is not where we are.

So, as a

government, and as a member of this government, I feel that the initiatives we

have taken have been tremendous.

Yes, we have more to do. There is no

question about it, but I am glad our Premier brought in the department for

seniors.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. FORSEY:

Absolutely, we all appreciate

it. I am certainly pleased to be

able to work with the minister for the department of seniors.

We have all been able to access the information that we need, as an MHA,

to bring it back to the people we want to look after, which is our most

vulnerable and our most favourite, which is our seniors, Mr. Speaker.

With

that, I will take my chair.

Thank

you very much for the time.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's Centre.

MS ROGERS:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

I am

very happy to stand and to speak to this private member's motion that reads:

IT RESOLVED that the House of Assembly urge Government to establish a Seniors'

Advocate Office.

Clear,

plain and simple, no ambiguity here, nothing to wonder about.

I believe that the issue is clear, that the issue is that simple.

I would

like to start off by congratulating this government for establishing a

Department of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.

I know the department is getting its feet under it, that it is looking at

innovative ways of serving the needs of seniors across the Province.

I have to say, Mr. Speaker, I applaud that initiative.

I am very, very glad to see that.

I have

had several opportunities to speak to the current Minister of Seniors, Wellness

and Social Development on a number of issues that affect seniors.

I believe he was very attentive.

I believe he took some of the concerns I brought to him on behalf of my

constituents, I believe he took them seriously, but there are a number of issues

that are not being addressed, or that the department cannot address, or that the

department does not feel is in its mandate, or that this government is not

prepared to address. Some of those

issues we have to look at. We have

to see, what would be the role of a seniors' advocate?

I would

also like to start off by saying we have to stop talking about seniors as if all

our seniors are vulnerable, little, frightened, isolated, incapacitated people.

That is not the truth. As we

age, oftentimes we need different kinds of services, or as we age we may need

more services. For some, their

senior years are more difficult because of issues of poverty, because of issues

of health or ill health, because of issues of geographical isolation or distance

from support services.

cannot keep talking about our seniors as if it is just one big block of

vulnerable, frightened, timorous people.

As a matter of fact, Mr. Speaker, many seniors are able to speak on their

own behalf. We are seeing more and

more activism on behalf of seniors undertaken by seniors, and that is a good

thing.

imagine you would be wondering, well, am I supporting this or not?

Absolutely, Mr. Speaker, I am supporting this private member's motion.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS ROGERS:

I am absolutely supporting

this private member's motion, not because the new Seniors, Wellness and Social

Development department is not doing a good job I am confident that it will

attempt to do the best job it possibly can.

We have

to look at the reality that we are facing.

We all know we have all talked about this that the proportion of our

population is aging. That

proportion, that geographic, that demographic shift is happening rapidly.

There are no if, ands, or buts about it.

That presents certain challenges to us.

We are

going to have to be very vigilant, extremely vigilant about the basic human

rights of seniors in Newfoundland and Labrador.

We are going to have to be very vigilant about the needs.

Also,

when we see our shrinking health care dollars particularly when we see the end

of the Canada Health Accord. When we

see our shrinking health care dollars and it is not that seniors are a drain

on our health care system. We know

that the cost of health care increases in end-of-life services, not necessarily

that seniors are overburdening our health care system.

There

are a lot of seniors who are in great shape and have been in great shape.

They will live their sixties, their seventies, their eighties in great

shape so we have to stop seeing them as absolutely vulnerable.

We have to stop seeing them as a drain on our health care dollars.

That is not the reality of the lives of seniors in our Province, but

again because of our geography, because of poverty, because of ill health and

chronic health conditions, there are certain problems and there are certain

challenges.

This

role of seniors' advocate is definitely not about helping people to fill out

forms. That would be absolutely

ridiculous, and I do not think that is what is being proposed.

We have to look at, our challenge and we have heard this in the House

in the fast few months, the economic challenge that we have, with the shrinking

cost of oil and how that has impacted us.

So, we are going to have to constantly balance in the next little while

this what the government is telling us constantly balance costs and costs of

services. How do we keep costs

affordable by maintaining access to care and maintaining actual access to care?

What

would be the role of the seniors' advocate and again, we are supporting a

seniors' advocate because in December of 2014 my colleague, the Member for

Signal Hill Quidi Vidi, in this House called and asked the Premier to establish

an office of a seniors' advocate. We

are definitely, definitely supporting this.

What she said is that an independent seniors' advocate would oversee the

provision of provincial senior services such as health, personal services,

housing, transportation, income supports, to name a few.

The role of that seniors' advocate is to look at everything that

government does through the lens of the experience of seniors and the needs of

seniors.

It is

long overdue. We see that there is a

movement in other provinces and in other countries to have a seniors' advocate

to do that kind of work. What kind

of work would a seniors' advocate do?

Well, you can be darn sure, Mr. Speaker, that the seniors' advocate would

be listening to people who are talking about changes in the adult dental

program. They want to take a look at

that. They want to sink their teeth

into that issue, because that is an issue that affects not only whether or not

somebody has pearly whites, but it affects people's general health, also a

general sense of well-being.

seniors' advocate would look at the issue of housing.

We know almost every mayor in Newfoundland and Labrador last year

identified housing as one of the main issues in their communities and identified

that they felt that there was a housing crisis, particularly as it relates to

seniors. We have seniors all over

the Province who are living in houses that are too big for them, yet they cannot

afford to downsize. We also have

seniors who are renting. I know I

have mentioned this in the House a number of times.

We have the highest proportion in the whole country of seniors in receipt

of OAS and GIS, which means that their average income is $1,100 a month.

imagine if you are a senior living alone and you have to rent.

So, a very modest estimate renting a safe, accessible unit for a senior,

$700, you would be hard-pressed. Mr.

Speaker, we know you would be hard-pressed.

Certainly in St. John's, in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Lab City, you would

be a hard-pressed to find anything under $1,000.

Let us

pretend you could actually find something for $700.

Now you have $1,100 a month to live on.

So your rent is $700. Your

heat and light, conservatively, is $200.

Your phone and cable because that is not a luxury, that is a necessity

that is $100. So out of $1,100,

already before you talk about transportation, before you talk about food, before

you talk about clothing, before you talk about getting a haircut, before you

talk about buying your granddaughter a graduation present, your expenses before

any of that are $1,000 a month, and your income is only $1,100.

You

could be darn sure that a seniors' advocate is going to look at something like

that, because a seniors' advocate is going to say we have a problem here.

We have a growing population of seniors.

We have the highest percentage of seniors in receipt of OAS and GIS.

We have the highest percentage of seniors in the country, therefore,

living below the poverty line. If I

was seniors' advocate, I can tell you I sure would want to be looking at that.

I would

want to look at every policy and every procedure and every piece of legislation

that might affect how seniors are able to live and thrive and survive in our

communities. Because the prosperity

that we experience today, the society that we have today, was built on their

backs, by the sweat of their brow.

All of us are the product of a senior right now even though some of us are

still seniors. Unfortunately, many

of us, our folks have passed on because of our ages.

What

else would a seniors' advocate look at?

I would think that a seniors' advocate would look at the whole issue of

rent supplements and how they affect seniors.

So if you