Newfoundland and Labrador Hansard — Statements by Ministers — 19 April 2021 (50th General Assembly, 1st Session, Vol. L No. 3)

2021-04-19

Newfoundland and Labrador — Debates (Hansard)

PDF Version

April 19, 2021

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. L No. 3

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

SPEAKER (Bennett):

Order, please!

Admit strangers.

Statements by Members

SPEAKER:

Today, we will hear statements from the hon. Members for the Districts of

Labrador West, Harbour Main, St. John's Centre, Topsail - Paradise and

Conception Bay East - Bell Island.

The hon. the Member for Labrador West.

BROWN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to acknowledge the Labrador West Winter

Carnival committee members on another successful winter carnival. The added

challenges of the pandemic did not deter our community from making the best of

our pandemic winter.

Thank you to the committee members for taking the time

to make this event possible, and allowing families in our community to have fun

and enjoy the last few weeks of winter. Whether it was sharing pictures of a

family gathering of a boil up in the great outdoors or just spending the day to

pause and spread kindness, everyone thoroughly enjoyed the events.

A special congratulations goes to this year's teen

ambassador scholarship winners, Allison Piercey and Cassidy Hedd, and the speech

winner, Amanda Daniels. The teen ambassadors attended different events,

completed different challenges and made the best out of Winter Carnival 2021.

Congratulations to everyone who put themselves forward for these events.

I encourage all Members of this hon. House to join in

thanking the committee members who made the Labrador West carnival a success

this year.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Harbour Main.

CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As we celebrate National Volunteer Week, I would like

to acknowledge the many dedicated volunteers in the great District of Harbour

Main.

Volunteers are our everyday heroes, heroes who give

generously of their time and talents to bring positive change in their

communities, like the many church groups from Upper Gullies to North River; the

recreation committees in Conception Harbour; the 50-plus clubs in Makinsons,

Marysvale and Holyrood; the Avondale and Brigus sea cadets; every volunteer fire

department and councillor in our municipal governments and local service

districts. These are only a few of the many groups whose existence depends on

volunteers.

I'm confident I speak for all Members when I say that

each of us has a great appreciation for volunteers. As Members of the House of

Assembly, volunteers play such an important role in the election process and

keeping us connected to our communities.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. Members to please join with

me in saluting and thanking the many volunteers in our province who, as

individuals, believe in the importance of service to others before themselves.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

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

DINN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

If creation is the essence of entrepreneurship then Ivy

Allan and Greg Hanley, owners of Urban Market 1919, have created something

wonderful that raises supporting local to a new level, and they did this in the

middle of a pandemic while the economy was struggling.

With a small family loan, and support from Nidus

Development Incorporated, they embarked upon a business venture that is

revitalizing the former Brookfield dairy factory and adjacent properties, and

supporting locally made and supplied goods.

In five months, Greg and Ivy have grown from selling

the products of 50 to 150 small local vendors, everything from baked goods,

meats, produce, arts, craft and clothing.

They employ 14 people directly. Additionally, some

vendors quit their regular jobs to pursue their passion full-time; others have

hired extra staff to keep up with the demand created by Urban Market 1919. The

support of their staff, customers and vendors attests to the success of their

vision, hard work and creative spirit.

Please join me in wishing Ivy and Greg success as they

plan to expand their business and promote the history of the area, namely Alcock

and Brown's first non-stop transatlantic flight in 1919.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Topsail - Paradise.

DINN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I wish to extend a happy 99th birthday to the Janes

twins, Mabel Dawe and Alice Clarke, who grew up in Paradise.

Born in 1922, they came from a family of 10 children;

both married and had families. Mabel moved to Conception Bay South in 1940, and

Alice stayed in Paradise. Nowadays they live independently and, when pandemic

restrictions allow, they spend as much time together as they can.

Growing up the twins used to make their own fun as

young girls. In the winter they would slide down Paradise Hill, across Topsail

Road and onto Neil's Pond. Their games were limited to things like hopscotch and

skipping rope. As soon as they were old enough, the two worked for everything

they had. They would pick berries and sell them to Purity. The little money they

made went back to the family.

Knitting and hooking mats was another pastime. Using

old clothes, they would hook rugs that would be used, not only to keep the home

warm but also used to cover up and keep warm during the winter.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all to join me in wishing them a

very happy birthday.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

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

BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I pay tribute to our dear friend Anabelle (Ang) Short

Chatman who recently passed away. Ang was a CA to former Members Paul Oram and

Sandy Collins and recently MHA Craig Pardy.

Ang was love, of life, people and, most of all, family.

Her love was unconditional, whether it was the first time you met her, a

lifelong friend or family member. Her heart had room for everyone and we all had

a place in it.

This love she gave was returned tenfold by

constituents. A constituent visited the office one time, noticed it was cold and

returned later with a quilt.

Ang was an amazing worker who helped countless

individuals to solve their issues, big or small. Ang filled every room with her

laughter, infectious smile and larger-than-life personality. She liked providing

commentary. When she was in hospital and saw Dr. Des, she commented loudly: Love

to have that doctor down there check me out!

During her time with MHA Sandy Collins, people said

they were inseparable and referred to Ang lovingly as the second wife. Sandy

called her his best friend, buddy and confidant who always had his back.

Ang leaves the love of her life, Wade; daughter, Tanya

(Ken); and grandchildren, Joseph, Evan and Gracie.

We will miss you dear friend. Rest in Peace.

SPEAKER:

Statements by Ministers.

Statements by Ministers

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Premier.

PREMIER A. FUREY:

Mr.

Speaker, last week, after nearly a decade of collective efforts, a sixth bronze

caribou monument was installed in Gallipoli, Turkey, finally completing the

Trail of the Caribou.

The Gallipoli monument was a key legacy project of

Honour 100, the province's First World War commemorations initiative established

in 2012. Ask any Newfoundlander and Labradorian what significant historical

event has defined us and you will hear the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and the

First World War.

Proudly worn on the regimental cap badge, the caribou

is a symbol of courage and strength. The final caribou monument honours the

Royal Newfoundland Regiment's involvement in the Gallipoli campaign from 1915 to

1916, the only Regiment from North America to serve there during the First World

War.

In July 2020, InnovativeNL, a St. John's engineering

and project management firm, was chosen to undertake the fabrication and

installation of the Gallipoli monument.

Mr. Speaker, 19 students from the College of the North

Atlantic's Geomatics/Surveying Engineering Technology program also worked on

this historic project, utilizing 3-D modelling software to digitally scan the

Bowring Park caribou to assist with the fabrication process.

The bronze caribou weights approximately 1,500 pounds;

measures approximately 10 feet from the nose to the back; and approximately

eight feet from top to bottom. It sits 25 metres northwest of Hill 10 Cemetery

in Gallipoli, the final resting place of eight regimental soldiers including

Private Hugh McWhiter of Humbermouth, Bay of Islands, the Regiment's first

casualty at Gallipoli.

After the war, Padre Thomas Nangle began the arduous

process of burying our soldiers. During the 1920s, he successfully placed

caribou monuments at significant sites throughout Northern France and Belgium,

which have become affectionately known by all as the Trail of the Caribou.

My family and I had the privilege of following the

Trail of the Caribou through France and Belgium in 2016, the year that marked

the 100th anniversary of the tragic Battle of Beaumont-Hamel. It was an

incredibly moving experience.

Mr. Speaker, completing the Trail of the Caribou is a

historic moment for Newfoundland and Labrador. Many thanks to the Government of

Canada and the Republic of Turkey for recognizing the monument's historical

significance to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, and allowing us to

properly pay tribute to the Royal Newfoundland Regiment's service and sacrifice.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Premier for an advance copy of his

statement.

On behalf of the Official Opposition, I join with the

Premier in recognizing the completion of the Trail of the Caribou. The final

Caribou monument in Gallipoli completes a touching and fitting tribute to the

Royal Newfoundland Regiment's involvement in the First World War.

Turkey and all those who worked collaboratively to help honour our brave

Regiment. I'm also delighted that students from the College of the North

Atlantic and a local engineering and project management firm were able to play a

part in this monument.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Labrador West.

BROWN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the Premier for an advance copy of his

statement.

It is wonderful news that the last caribou is watching

over our own in Gallipoli. With the help of modern technology and homegrown

skill, 100 years later this has come to fruition – an amazing achievement.

I'd also like to recognize the efforts of Larry

Weatherbie from Tourism, who unfortunately passed earlier this year. He worked

closely with former Speaker Trimper in helping get the site approved by the

Turkish government, a great achievement of diplomacy and mutual understanding

between former combatants.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

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

COADY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise in this hon. House today to ask residents to

share their bold ideas on ways to strengthen, improve, and transform our

provincial finances in advance of Budget 2021. The portal to provide comment,

which first opened in January, will be available for submissions until April 30,

Harnessing the creativity, ingenuity and tenacity of

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians will help forge a path forward and tackle the

important issues facing our province.

Together, we can build a better future.

We will modernize and transform government, address our

structural challenges and move forward with strength.

Mr. Speaker, we have spoken with a multitude of

stakeholders including community, municipal, business and labour leaders. We

have received many engagements with citizens.

Now have your say on how to transform and strengthen

this great province. We welcome big, bold ideas on reducing the province's

deficit, minimizing the impact on public services and contributing to a more

diversified and growing economy. This insight, as well as the recommendations of

the Premier's Economic Recovery Team and Health Accord NL, will help to inform

our path forward.

I encourage residents to submit their ideas on

modernizing government online at engagenl.ca or by email at Budget2021@gov.nl.ca

by April 30.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Stephenville - Port au Port.

WAKEHAM:

Mr.

Speaker, I thank the minister for an advance copy of her statement. I'd like to

take this opportunity to thank the hard-working officials in the Department of

Finance who are undoubtedly working diligently to prepare the upcoming budget.

While I always encourage public engagement and public

discussion on our province's finances, I have to question how the minister can

expect people to provide commentary when she has not publicly released the

Greene report. Asking people for feedback with only 11 days left until the

deadline while hiding the Greene report is, frankly, disrespectful to the

public. The people of this province have valuable suggestions, but they can only

contribute if they are provided upfront and honest information, something the

minister is not doing.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

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

DINN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I, too, thank the minister for a copy of her statement.

Seeking to build a better future for the people of our province and seeking

their input is laudable, but to require residents to submit their ideas online

or via email is counterproductive and exclusionary. People without connectivity

devices or the technological savvy will not be heard.

If anything, we should've learned from the recent

election mess. We need to improve and strengthen participation and inclusivity,

not discourage it.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

Oral Questions.

Oral Questions

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I welcome all Members back to this hon. House and

extend a special welcome to the new MHAs. This past election exposed serious

weaknesses with the many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians denied their

fundamental right to vote.

While we all agree our province's election legislation

needs to be reformed, I ask the Premier: Does he still have confidence in the

Chief Electoral Officer?

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Premier.

PREMIER A. FUREY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As the Member opposite knows, that is an independent

Officer of the House and it would be inappropriate for me to comment on my

personal views. He responds to the House.

We have committed, as the Member opposite has agreed,

to undertake a modernization of the Elections Act. We're looking in the

rear-view mirror now: what went well, what didn't go well. It's incumbent upon

all of us in the House to improve the process moving forward to ensure that all

franchises are exercised to the best of our ability.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Last Thursday, Bill 1 was introduced into the House,

yet a review of the election has not taken place.

I ask the Premier: Will he commit to a full,

independent review by an outside expert and that this review be completed before

any legislation is debated in the House of Assembly?

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Premier.

PREMIER A. FUREY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We've committed to modernizing the Elections Act,

including tasking the Minister of Justice with seeking consultations from the

Members opposite, to ensure that we are bringing forward the most modern

Elections Act in Canadian history. We will continue to promote that and to

execute on that.

There are matters before the court. The judiciary is an

independent body of course, they can opine on other elements, but we're not

going to wait for their report, for their findings in order to modernize the

Elections Act. This should be a living document, a dynamic document that we are

updating regularly, and that's our commitment to the people of the province, Mr.

Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Our PC caucus is calling for an independent review to

ensure an unbiased analysis is conducted so that an election, like in 2021,

never happens again.

I ask the Premier: How can he introduce a bill without

having a full, independent and unbiased review completed of what happened during

election 2021?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Justice and Public Safety.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

HOGAN:

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

First of all, I would like to say what an honour it is

to be here speaking for the first time in the House of Assembly. I certainly

want to thank all of the voters in Windsor Lake who decided to put me here and

who have faith in me, have faith in the Premier and faith in the full team on

this side of the House.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

HOGAN:

I'm

sure, as Members in the House of Assembly know, the judiciary is completely

independent from the legislative branch of this government. There are

individuals who have decided to bring certain issues related to the election to

The

hon. the Minister of Justice and Public Safety.

HOGAN:

Thank you for the question, Mr. Speaker.

As Members know, the Opposition Members here represent

both Opposition parties and they're aware that the Premier has committed to

bringing new legislation for a new Elections Act that will modernize elections

in Newfoundland and Labrador. Everyone in this House of Assembly will have a

chance to question it, propose amendments and ask questions. It will be fully

debated for the public to see and for the Opposition Members to participate in

as well.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Stephenville - Port au Port.

WAKEHAM:

take it from that answer, Mr. Speaker, the answer is no.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister of Finance would she

table the draft copy of the Greene report that she has received.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Finance and public safety – sorry.

COADY:

President of Treasury Board.

SPEAKER:

President of Treasury Board.

Sorry, first day.

COADY:

You're doing a great job, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you for the question. It is an important

question. As the Member opposite is aware, and indeed all residents in

Newfoundland and Labrador are aware, Moya Greene's report and that of the

Premier's Economic Recovery task force is expected some time toward the end of

April. I do not have a copy of that report, Mr. Speaker, at this time but I am

expecting it in due course.

To his response to my ministerial statement, Mr.

Speaker, the Premier has said categorically that we will be doing a full

consultation process on the Greene report as it's received.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Stephenville - Port au Port.

WAKEHAM:

Mr.

Speaker, the Premier mandated the Minister of Finance to implement the

recommendations of the Greene report. If the minister does not have a copy of

the Greene report, I ask the Premier will he table the draft copy of the Greene

report that he has received.

SPEAKER:

The

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

COADY:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, for the question.

I will say that government has not yet received a copy

of the Premier's Economic Recovery task force. As the people of the province

know, and the Member opposite certainly does know, it will be received within

the coming weeks, and as has the Premier said during the election campaign it

will be made public. It will be discussed, reviewed; it will be debated and then

we will move forward with any implementation coming from that report.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Stephenville - Port au Port.

WAKEHAM:

Mr.

Speaker, the Greene report was supposed to have been delayed six weeks. I think

the six weeks have passed, to hear that there's still no interim copy of the

Greene report, I think it's a little late.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh,

oh!

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

WAKEHAM:

Mr.

Speaker, the federal budget will be released today. On March 20, 2020, Premier

Ball wrote the federal government to say that our province has run out of time.

I ask the Premier: Did he write the prime minister

setting out the province's top priorities for the budget? If so, will he table

the letter and the prime minister's response?

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Premier.

PREMIER A. FUREY:

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

I have not written the prime minister, but have had

many discussions with the prime minister about the priorities moving forward for

our government, including –

HON. MEMBER:

(Inaudible.)

PREMIER A. FUREY:

Cellphones, they're turned on all the time, of course.

We've put significant priorities in place, including

being the green battery that drives Eastern Canada and the northeastern

seaboard. We're looking forward to what today's budget brings, including notices

on child care, pharmacare and long-term care. This is what can happen when you

have a strong federation and co-operation, different than what the Member

opposite has proposed in the past.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Cape St. Francis.

WALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As a new Member, I look around this hon. House and I

see many former municipal colleagues. I'm sure that they will agree with me on

the importance of training for municipal leaders.

I ask the new Minister of Municipal and Provincial

Affairs: Will you be making changes to the

Municipalities Act, 1999 to require mandatory training for all municipal

councillors?

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Municipal and Provincial Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

hon. the Member for Conception Bay South.

PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, last week, we saw significant rainfall in

site of the new mental health and addictions facility.

Mr. Speaker, will the new minister immediately order a

review of the construction in this flood plain?

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.

LOVELESS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the question.

I saw those pictures from last week as well, the berms

that have been under construction around that hospital site were required no

matter if the new hospital was to be built or not. To answer your question: No,

I don't plan to do a further review of that, at this point.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Conception Bay South.

PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the pictures speak for themselves. This

was not a tropical storm or record-breaking rainfall. Why is the minister

continuing to surge ahead with a facility that we already know is $39 million

more than the next lowest bidder and will take a year longer to build, even when

the City of St. John's says it's being built in the wrong location?

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.

LOVELESS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I think what needs to be noted here is that those

pictures were not the true site of where that facility is going to be built, Mr.

Speaker. That's very important to note that; that's a good piece of information.

In terms of the conversation or the question that

should be asked here around what is going to be inside that building, and that's

services for people that are facing mental health challenges in this province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

LOVELESS:

get it in my district, and I'm proud this is the beginning of a good plan for

those that are faced with the difficulties around mental health.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Conception Bay South.

PETTEN:

Mr.

Speaker, the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association continues to speak

out about the lack of priority for vaccinating teachers.

While we all support in-school learning, teachers are

at the lower end of Phase 2 to get vaccinated. The NLTA believes this indicates

a disconnect and lack of concern for teacher safety.

Minister, are we not compromising the safety of our

teachers in the classrooms?

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

HAGGIE:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

It is great to be back. Thank you to the people of the

District of Gander and thank you to the Premier for plonking me back in this

chair again, I appreciate it.

In reference to the question, we are currently in Phase

2; Phase 2, for the benefits of Members, includes teachers. We will have that

concluded, possibly, as early as three weeks, in light of new vaccine delivery

information.

Mr. Speaker, we are keen to get on with this process,

to get on with vaccinations and to get on with our lives. We are not forgetting

anyone.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Conception Bay South.

PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate your reply, Minister, but we surely need

to protect all our front-line workers. Under your time frame, school will be

over before these teachers are vaccinated; not in three weeks, not according to

the timelines.

Minister, action needs to happen now, not later; three

weeks' time is fine, but that's still not answering when you have three weeks of

school ahead and we're running into the end of the school year.

The end of the school year is too late. Can this be

done sooner, Minister?

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

HAGGIE:

Mr.

Speaker, it's been awhile since my children were in school, but I don't think in

three weeks' time the school year will be finished. Quite frankly, that is the

time that we're looking at now with accelerated vaccine deliveries to have these

programs completed. I would suspect that we will be ahead of our schedule, but

I'd much prefer to under promise and over deliver.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

EVANS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Howard Russell of Port Hope Simpson is

now on life support. His family believes this could've been prevented if the

medical system hadn't failed him. The minister first said the weather was the

problem, then he went back and said it was an operational issue.

I ask the minister: Will he provide us with a straight

answer on how this government failed Mr. Russell?

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister Responsible for Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation, and

Labrador Affairs.

DEMPSTER:

Thank you, and I thank the hon. Member, Mr. Speaker, for the question on this

very important issue.

As the Minister Responsible for Labrador Affairs, I am

deeply troubled when issues are raised by Labradorians about difficulties they

encounter in accessing health care services. I have been engaged directly with

the family members from the earliest hours, I would say, Mr. Speaker. I did note

the Opposition's press release on day five.

I understand the stress and frustration that they have

experienced in advocating for immediate help, and while I cannot speak, nor will

I speak to individual circumstances for privacy reasons, I stand behind my

statement that as a government we can do better and we must do better. This

whole situation is being reviewed, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

EVANS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This situation could've occurred anywhere in Labrador.

I have been speaking to the family – the press release may have gone out on day

5, but I have been speaking with the family and other members of Labrador that

are concerned about this.

Mr. Speaker, the minister, when referring to medical

transportation in December, said: “I would argue there is discrimination in

favour of Labradorians ….”

Considering Mr. Howard Russell had to wait 36 hours for

a medevac and is now on life support because the medical transportation failed,

will he still confirm and affirm that he believes this to be true?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

HAGGIE:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

The Member, I think, doesn't advance her argument by

taking previous comments of mine out of context and trying to manipulate them.

With regard to this situation with the family, it is a distressing situation for

them and for the patient.

From the point of view of actions here,

Labrador-Grenfell has been in direct contact with his next of kin. I have

instructed Labrador-Grenfell to undertake a full quality assurance review, a

vigorous one, under the Patient Safety

Act. We will get to the bottom of this, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Exploits.

FORSEY:

Mr.

Speaker, in the 2019 election, the Liberal premier promised to reinstate the

24-hour emergency service in Botwood. The minister committed to that promise for

January 2021. Then, during the 2021 election, the Liberal candidate announced it

would reopen.

Can the minister provide the specific time that the

24-hour emergency service in Botwood will reopen?

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

HAGGIE:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, for the question.

The protective care unit in Botwood, all $20 million of

it, will be ready to accept patients from the community by June. Indeed, it has

already had patients move into the new wing in order to refurbish some rooms in

the old wing.

With regard to the requirements and the needs of the

communities in and around Botwood, the commitment was that when the unit was

fully staffed, a needs assessment would be done and arrangements made to match

service to demand. That will happen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

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

TIBBS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, after seven years and three

administrations, the Lionel Kelland Hospice is still not open. I was very happy

to see the Premier come out and make that commitment once again.

My question to the minister is: What is the status of

the hospice right now, as people still die in hallways of hospitals and in their

homes where they shouldn't have to. When is the finish date going to be

completed?

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

HAGGIE:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

The department have been in discussions with the board

of Lionel Kelland Hospice. The capital money has been transferred through

Central Health to enable them to get on with the renos.

The discussions at the moment are around staffing and

what the right model should be for what will be the province's first residential

hospice. I cannot give a date as to when those will conclude; they have been

delayed by COVID. But I can certainly go back and will be happy to discuss that

with the Member when I can get an update.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Topsail - Paradise.

DINN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Dentists are front-line health care professionals who

work in extremely close contact with patients, who obviously cannot wear face

masks during dental procedures. Dentists do not understand why they are not

higher up on the vaccine priority list as front-line health care professionals.

When will our province's dentists be offered vaccines?

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

HAGGIE:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

The dentists were included in front-line essential

health care workers and designated under Phase 2. There is a graphic on our

website which shows exactly when those vaccines will start.

We have actually started ahead of schedule. As I

referenced in answer to a previous question, we should be getting through those

groups within the next three weeks. We have, on Friday, reached out to the

Dental Association to make sure we don't miss anybody, Mr. Speaker. It's coming.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Topsail - Paradise.

DINN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Almost all of the COVID cases reported in Newfoundland

and Labrador are travel related, and COVID continues to surge in other

provinces. In a province starved for jobs, rotational workers are essential to

our economy.

When will every rotational worker in this province be

offered a vaccine?

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

HAGGIE:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

We've been very conscious of the stress that this

pandemic has placed on everybody, but particularly on rotational workers. That

is why over the course of the pandemic I think we made no fewer than six

adaptations to try and improve the circumstances under which rotational workers

can come home and do so safely. As the Member points out, the vast majority of

our cases, since the last surge died down, are from travel and travel within

Canada.

We will continue to examine the evidence and do what is

best for them to make sure they can do it safely. They, too, are in Phase 2, and

I would reiterate my previous answers for dentists and teachers.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Topsail - Paradise.

DINN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

When the minister mentioned earlier about

underpromising, it's difficult to take him on his word in terms of the schedule.

Mr. Speaker, a number of rotational workers that

identified as Indigenous have applied to receive their vaccine; many have work

schedules of two weeks on and two weeks off. They have been told they cannot

receive their vaccine during their isolation period.

If these Indigenous rotational workers are always in

self-isolation while in the province, how do they obtain their vaccine?

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

HAGGIE:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

That is not the direction that was given to the

regional health authorities. If the Member opposite has a name and an MCP

number, I would be happy to investigate that for him.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Terra Nova.

PARROTT:

Mr.

Speaker, can the minister please give an update on exactly how much funding has

been given to the Terra Nova FPSO and the number of local jobs that were created

as a result?

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology.

PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I think what the Member is referring to is the money

that would have come from the $320-million federal funding that was announced

back in January. What I can say at this point is that no funding has been

provided right now because we're still working on that deal. The $175 million is

contingent on the long-term extension and life of that platform, as well as the

creation of jobs, which we are still working on.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Terra Nova.

PARROTT:

Mr.

Speaker, can the minister given an update on the future of the Terra Nova FPSO?

Will the FPSO be retrofitted and upgraded here in this province and returned to

production to employ Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, or will it be shipped off

to Spain?

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology.

PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As everybody knows, the Terra Nova has been off since

December of 2019, pre-pandemic, and it has not be online since then. What I can

say is that we continue to work with the partnership here to ensure alignment of

all the partners in this.

We want to see the FPSO back working; we want to see

long-term work coming out of that and we will continue to do that. At the end of

the day, this is a private deal. This is not one that the province right now is

even a partner in, but we will continue to do what we can. We have offered money

from the federal fund, we've offered royalty relief, and we will continue to do

what we can in the best interests of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and

employees of this operation.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Terra Nova.

PARROTT:

Mr.

Speaker, the C-NLOPB has decided not to call for bids in the Jeanne d'Arc Basin

this year.

I ask the minister: Is this a sign that your government

is giving up on our offshore industry as an employer for local residents?

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology.

PARSONS:

could give a straight answer to that and just say, Mr. Speaker, that, no, this

is not a sign of anything except right now, as I've stated multiple times in

this House, we have an industry that's going through a tough time. One of the

first things that get cut, when you have a crash in the system like we've had,

is exploration budgets and capital expenditures. That's one of the first things

that you see go.

The reality is that we've had trouble there, the same

as we've had trouble all over the world when it comes to exploration. We have

done what we can in terms of offering exploration incentives. I would like to

point out that just recently we saw a drill ship come right here to the

province. We are going to see some work here in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Labrador West.

BROWN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, as we've seen over the weekend, the

Premier has offered medical help to Ontario. For years, Labradorians have faced

a shortage of family doctors; our air ambulance services are stretched thin.

Every day Labradorians are forced to come into St. John's to seek services once

available in Labrador.

I ask the Premier: Where is Labrador's help?

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Premier.

PREMIER A. FUREY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It's unfortunate that false equivalency has been put

forward as an argument. We are committed, as we said during the election

campaign and as Minister Dempster has suggested, to helping the people of

Labrador improve the access to care. That's something we believe firmly in and

we believe we can do a better job of.

But that's not the same as arguing that we shouldn't be

helping people in Ontario as they face the largest crisis in their history, Mr.

Speaker. I believe Newfoundlanders and Labradorians want to step up as they've

stepped up in the past. We'll be there to support our brothers and sisters.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

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

DINN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, will the Premier immediately re-establish

the All-Party Committee on Democratic Reform, answerable to the House of

Assembly, using the structure that existed prior to the election, but with the

additional mandate of providing recommendations on modernizing the Elections

Act.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Government House Leader.

CROCKER:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

As the Member opposite would know from our meeting

earlier today, we are in the process right now of striking our Committees,

something that we will be doing throughout the next couple of weeks as we move

forward into what would be the next part of the spring session.

I say to the hon. Member, we will certainly be looking

at that as one of the Committees we will strike as we go forward.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Labrador West.

BROWN:

Mr.

Speaker, why did this government not prioritize seniors in this Throne Speech?

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister Responsible for Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation.

DEMPSTER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to remind this hon. House that seniors are very,

very valued by this government. I can tell you if we were not grappling with the

mess from Muskrat Falls, we'd be doing more for seniors.

Right from Budget

2016 , Mr. Speaker, right out of the gate there is $122 million that

continues to be put aside despite the fiscal climate –

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh,

oh!

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

DEMPSTER:

for low income and for our seniors. Mr. Speaker, we have a number of programs

right across government that ranges from Provincial Home Repair to Home

Modification.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh,

oh!

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

DEMPSTER:

Mr.

Speaker, they asked a question but they don't want the answer. They do not want

to know what we are doing for seniors.

Mr. Speaker, we set up the Office of the Seniors'

Advocate, only the third such office in this country, so that they would have

another independent office to advocate for them and raise the important issues

(inaudible).

SPEAKER:

Your time has expired.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Labrador West.

BROWN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Labrador West is one of the only regions in this

province that do not have any form of affordable seniors' housing or any type of

assisted living. Many seniors are forced to leave their communities and

families.

I ask the minister: Why do seniors in Labrador West

continue to be denied the same services elsewhere in the province? Or does the

minister still believe Labradorians are unfavourably – favoured in the health

care system?

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister Responsible for Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation and

Labrador Affairs.

DEMPSTER:

Mr.

Speaker, I'm going a little bit from memory, but since my time in Housing since

2017, I believe we've been fairly – favourably to Labrador West. We have spent

about $3 million on upgrades in Labrador West; I understand right now that there

is a housing vacancy of about 19 units. We have just gone out to tender on five

of those units and we are going to be doing repairs to another five in-house.

hon. the Minister Responsible for Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation, and

Labrador Affairs.

DEMPSTER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I give notice that I will ask leave to introduce a bill

must not only be carried out in a fair and impartial manner with all of the

appropriate checks and balances to ensure this principle is upheld, it must be

perceived as being conducted that way; and

WHEREAS the recent Newfoundland and Labrador provincial

general election has brought serious allegations, numerous concerns and

inconsistencies to light, including but not necessarily limited to the

following: certain individuals knowingly being permitted to vote by telephone in

contravention to the Elections Act;

ballots being hand delivered by the Chief Electoral Officer to

acquaintances and neighbors; a number of computer and phone line crashes at

Elections NL, including on the final evening to apply for ballots, leading to

numerous citizens who applied within the established timeline not receiving a

ballot; an under-resourcing of Election NL's call centre which led to citizens

having to call numerous times to get through to apply for a ballot and some

simply giving up out of frustration and not getting a ballot at all; individuals

being provided ballots in person and over the phone without any verification of

identity and/or address; individuals receiving incomplete ballot kits;

individuals receiving multiple ballots; ballots being sent to the wrong civic

address; individuals applying for ballots online or by telephone not receiving

their ballots, and upon inquiring with Elections NL being told they had no

record of their application and were subsequently denied their right to vote;

Indigenous citizens being denied their right to vote due to language barriers

not addressed by Elections NL; numerous concerns with the process implemented by

Elections NL relating to the scrutinizing and witnessing of the opening,

counting and recording of the ballots; allegations of Elections NL staff taking

ballot kits and other related materials to their homes, as well as further

allegations of individuals being permitted to print their own ballots, which

were subsequently accepted by Elections NL; and

WHEREAS in a VOCM News story of April 9, 2021, an

anonymous whistle-blower inside Elections NL was reported as making the

following observation –

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh,

oh!

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

LANE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS in a VOCM News story of April 9, 2021, an

anonymous whistle-blower inside Elections NL was reported as making the

following observation:

“The former employee claims that an apparent lack of

direction exacerbated an already difficult situation, comparing it to a

'three-ring circus.' That included the sudden change in Elections NL's in-house

voting software and a registration process that they say left the door open to

potential voter fraud.

“The worker tells VOCM News duplicate and even

triplicate ballots were sent out after some voters reported they hadn't received

their ballots and because of the volume of requests, verification of a voter's

name, age and address became difficult, if not impossible, especially in

households with more than one voter.

“Their conclusion? 'This election should have been

delayed,' says the worker, because decisions were made 'hastily, with no

forethought' and that the election was not 'well planned' or 'well-executed.'”

WHEREAS the Chief Electoral Officer stated publicly

prior to the election, that Elections NL was prepared and able to successfully

conduct a pandemic election and this was obviously not the case; and

WHEREAS the Chief Electoral Officer has the ultimate

responsibility for the carrying out of fair, democratic elections in the

Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in accordance with the provisions of the

Elections Act, 1991 but preliminary

evidence suggests that he has fallen short in this regard; and

WHEREAS the Chief Electoral Officer reports directly to

and is responsible to this hon. House; and

WHEREAS we, as Member of this hon. House, have a

responsibility to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador to ensure all of our

Officers of the House of Assembly, including the Chief Electoral Officer, are

carrying out their duties in an ethical and competent manner; and

WHEREAS

Section 5.3 of the

Elections Act, 1991 , states: “The Lieutenant-Governor in Council, on

resolution of the House of Assembly passed by a majority vote of the members of

the House of Assembly actually voting, may suspend or remove the Chief Electoral

Officer from office because of incapacity to act or for misconduct, cause or

neglect of duty.”

THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Assembly

approve the following actions: Development of a terms of reference for an

initiation of an independent investigation of the recent provincial general

election to be carried out by an individual or entity as agreed to by all

parties and independent Members of the House; and upon completion of the

investigation, tabling and debating of the report in the House of Assembly,

including whether or not

Section 5.3 of the

Elections Act, 1991 , should be applied

based on the findings of said report.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Conception Bay South.

PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I move the following private Member's

resolution:

WHEREAS it is imperative that the province's election

legislation, policies and procedures be reformed properly so Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians are never again denied their fundamental right to vote and deprived

of the clear information they require to exercise their right; and

WHEREAS the most responsible way to determine which

changes must be made is first to get a thorough, independent and unbiased

analysis of what went wrong; and

WHEREAS it is not appropriate for the Chief Electoral

Officer to conduct the review because an investigation of the 2021 election will

place under scrutiny the work of the CEO himself and his compliance with the

Elections Act, 1991 , which requires

the CEO “to exercise general direction and supervision over the administrative

conduct of elections and to enforce on the part of election officers fairness,

impartiality and compliance with this Act”; and

WHEREAS it is appropriate during such an investigation

that the Chief Electoral Officer who oversaw the election be suspended; and

WHEREAS

Section 5.3 of the

Elections Act, 1991 , titled Removal or Suspension states: “The

Lieutenant-Governor in Council, on resolution of the House of Assembly passed by

a majority vote of the members of the House of Assembly actually voting, may

suspect or remove the Chief Electoral Officer from office because of an

incapacity to act or for misconduct, cause or neglect of duty”; and

WHEREAS the House of Assembly on December 4, 2019,

voted unanimously to establish a Select Committee on Democratic Reform, which

serves as a model of appropriate form to collaborate on various election reform

options before any amendments are brought to the House of Assembly;

THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that a respected, independent

individual be appointed to review the conduct of the 2021 general election to

determine what went wrong and to report the findings of this investigation to

the House within 30 days; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Mr. Bruce Chaulk be

suspended as Chief Electoral Officer during this investigation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a Select Committee of the

House of Assembly on Democratic Reform be struck to collaborate in developing

recommendations to reform the province's election legislation, policies and

procedures in light of the findings of the independent review.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SPEAKER:

The

said motion will be debated during the private Member's resolution on Wednesday?

PETTEN:

Yes, this will be the motion debated on Wednesday (inaudible).

SPEAKER:

Any

other notices of motion?

Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Lake Melville.

TRIMPER:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I managed to beat all of my colleagues.

In October 2020, the most sophisticated flood-risk

mapping ever completed in our province was presented to the District of Lake

Melville for the Lower Churchill River. This extensive investigation

incorporated several weather parameters, detailed LiDAR topographic mapping and

projections for climate change.

The predictions are that several homes in Mud Lake and

vicinity will, again, be subjected to extensive flooding within the next 20

years. We now know that several residents of our province and their property are

at significant risk of facing another disaster comparable to May 2017.

Therefore we, the undersigned, call upon this House of

Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to enhance measures

for the protection of property and relocate those most vulnerable to a safer

location.

Mr. Speaker, I brought this matter forward in December

of last year and, unfortunately, the election and its protracted timeline has

meant that now we find ourselves, literally today, with the largest river in

this province now approaching its flood.

I appreciate the support of the Minister of Labrador

Affairs and others that have been involved, I think, also in Transportation –

we've started a helicopter shuttle this morning to make sure that residents can

safely move back and forth because we have a very dangerous situation.

We have, as a government and through my own office,

established several important investments in monitoring equipment of ice, water,

flood forecasting and so on, but that still doesn't mean we can do anything to

control this large river. We do have now control structures at Muskrat Falls and

the Upper Churchill in Churchill Falls; however, we still have a very dangerous

situation.

Now, we have a million dollar study that is literally

state of the art and it is saying we will have a very serious problem within the

next few years. Mr. Speaker, I don't know, frankly, if it could be this year; it

could be this month coming up. I don't want to sound alarmist, but I do need

attention.

I'm very pleased to say that I have had an early

conversation with the minister now responsible and she is amenable to having

further discussions. I'm hoping that she will be able to come to Labrador, meet

with the residents and see the situation for herself.

I thank you for the time, Mr. Speaker, to raise this

very important matter before this House of Assembly, again.

Thank you.

SPEAKER:

Any

other petitions?

Orders of the Day.

Orders of the Day

CROCKER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I call from the Order Paper, Motion 9.

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER A. FUREY:

Mr.

Speaker, I move, seconded by the Leader of the Official Opposition, that the

Member for Baie Verte - Green Bay be appointed as Deputy Speaker.

SPEAKER:

The

motion is that the Member for Baie Verte - Green Bay be nominated as Deputy

Speaker.

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

SPEAKER:

All

those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

The hon. the Government House Leader.

CROCKER:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I call from the Order Paper, Motion 11.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 11(1) that this

House not adjourn at 5:30 p.m. today, Monday, April 19, 2021; seconded by the

Deputy Government House Leader.

SPEAKER:

The

motion is that we do not adjourn at 5:30 p.m. today.

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

SPEAKER:

All

and Labrador, I transmit a request to appropriate sums required for the Public

Service of the province for the year ending 31 March 2022, by way of Interim

Supply, and in accordance with the provisions of sections 54 and 90 of the

Constitution Act, 1867 , I recommend

this request to the House of Assembly.

Sgd.: _____________________________________

Lieutenant-Governor

Please be seated.

The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of

Treasury Board.

COADY:

Mr.

Speaker, I move, seconded by the Member for St. Barbe - L'Anse aux Meadows, that

the message, together with a bill, be referred to a Committee of Supply.

SPEAKER:

The

motion is that the message, together with a bill, be referred to a Committee of

Supply and that I do now leave the Chair.

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

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

SPEAKER:

All

those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

On motion, that the House resolve itself into a

Committee of the Whole on Supply, the Speaker left the Chair.

Committee of the Whole

CHAIR (Warr):

Order, please!

We are considering the related resolution and Bill 2,

An Act Granting To Her Majesty Certain Sums Of Money For Defraying Certain

Expenses Of The Public Service For The Financial Year Ending March 31, 2022 And

For Other Purposes Relating To The Public Service.

Resolution

it resolved by the House of Assembly in Legislative Session convened, as

follows:

“That it is expedient to introduce a measure to provide

for the granting to Her Majesty for defraying certain expenses of the public

service for the financial year ending March 31, 2022 the sum of $2,086,721,900.”

CHAIR:

Shall the resolution carry?

The Chair recognizes the hon. Minister of Finance and

President of Treasury Board.

COADY:

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Today, we've actually introduced two Interim Supply

bills. The approval of the first bill, which is Bill 2, the bill that you read

into the record, will serve to confirm the amount issued by special warrant for

the two-month period April 1 to May 31 with a total allocation of

$2,086,721,900.

Mr. Chair, by bringing the special warrant allocation

to the House of Assembly we are being consistent with the spirit and intent of

the Financial Administration Act ,

which specifies that appropriations should be approved in the Legislature.

Mr. Chair, I'll refer those in this House or those

listening to

section 28(3.1) which states and I'll quote: “Where at the end of a

fiscal year the House of Assembly is dissolved and an appropriation to defray

expenses of the public service is required for a period not exceeding the first

4 months of the following fiscal year, the Lieutenant-Governor in Council may,

upon the recommendation in writing of the board, order that a special warrant be

prepared for signature by the Lieutenant-Governor for the issue of the amount

estimated to be required.” That's

section 28(3.1) of the

Financial Administration Act under

which we requested, not the four months of Supply but two months of Supply,

April 1 to May 31.

Mr. Speaker, we have brought that bill forward as

indicated. The reason why there are actually two bills is the special warrant,

of course, was done while the House was not in session. It was actually

dissolved and therefore we used the provisions under the

Financial Administration Act . It's very important that government

operations including payroll and income support and other expenditure

obligations such as the calling and awarding of tenders, which is very

important, as well as the annual contractual obligations are able to move

forward in that period.

The Interim Supply bills will have no incremental

impact on government's financial position in '21-'22 beyond what will be

included in Budget 2021.

Interim Supply does not allow government to make new

spending commitments or introduce new programs. Really, any new funding

initiatives beyond normal business will require a budget vote or special votes

in the House of Assembly.

As I said, Mr. Chair, the Interim Supply number one

amount, April 1 to May 31, is $2,086,721,900. Following this particular

discussion and debate, Mr. Chair, all things being equal, we'll get to the next

bill, which will be Interim Supply from June 1 to July 31, Mr. Chair. That will

be allowing us to continue while we debate the budget.

Now, these numbers are based on 2020 numbers that were

debated, discussed, reviewed thorough the Estimates process here in the House of

Assembly. It is very important to know that the scrutiny and review of those

numbers have been done as recently as November – or leading into November,

really in October.

Interim Supply bill, number one – special warrant, I'll

use that term – is to ratify the amount that was approved during the special

warrant, during the election process, in line with the intent of the

Financial Administration Act that all

appropriations be approved by the House and the Legislature, again, reminding

everyone it is only for a two-month period. I think that is important for people

to understand. We took the smallest amount of time possible under this special

warrant, hopeful that we would get back into the House to do the Interim Supply

bill No. 2.

Mr. Chair, I think it's important that we note that the

first Interim Supply bill, of course, at the beginning of any fiscal year is

usually higher than any subsequent bills. I will note that this one is higher

than the second bill put before you. Why is that is that the majority of

funding, as I said in my opening remarks, is for not just payroll and income

support, but also for any tenders that need to be called or any contractual

obligations. That is under the Financial

Administration Act to ensure that can occur.

I will point out a couple of things that I think people

will understand. When you look at this in its totality, the whole four-month

period, the highest amounts are attributed to health care, for example,

transportation and infrastructure and education. That is some of the major

spending that occurs. Health care is always the highest level of expenditure and

transportation and infrastructure, because of the requirement of contracts for

large-scale infrastructure projects. Of course, education is required as well to

ensure that we are doing things appropriately and properly for the educating of

our citizens and how important our youth and our moving forward.

Again, please note, Interim Supply has no incremental

impact on the province's financial position in 2021-22 beyond what will be

included in budget 2021. It is simply to advance on funding for the upcoming

budget. It allows government to continue normal, day-to-day operations while the

new budget is being debated in the House. No new funding requests or new

budgetary items that are not approved by the House are included in Interim

Supply. It is based on a percentage of funding previously approved in

Budget 2020 . When budget 2021 – all

things being considered – is approved, the amount allocated through Interim

Supply will be deducted from the amount required through the main Supply bill.

So it is not incremental, it actually replaces.

Mr. Chair, I think that is sufficient to say. There are

two bills. I've given the amounts, I've given the rationale as to why and I've

given the appropriate sections under the Financial Administration Act . I'll certainly listen to debate and

answer any questions that I may be able to answer; then, looking at the next

Interim Supply bill for the next period, being June 1 to July 31, which will

allow us time then to have a budget and have it debated in time to rest the

Interim Supply bill so the operations of government can move forward.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to present this

to the House.

CHAIR:

Thank you.

The Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for

Stephenville - Port au Port.

WAKEHAM:

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It is indeed a privilege and a pleasure to speak during

this Interim Supply debate. On behalf of the people of Stephenville - Port au

Port, who I was elected to represent here in the people's House, I want to thank

the people of Stephenville - Port au Port for the honour, the privilege and the

confidence they have shown in me to re-elect me as their MHA.

I have always said it and I'll say it again: I will

always put people before politics. Unfortunately, Mr. Chair, putting people

before politics was not clearly evident during the past election, when despite

having options, the Premier chose politics over people. His words still echo

throughout the election. He told the people of the province it was his decision

and his decision alone on whether to call an election. The Premier rolled the

dice and lost. Yes, he has a small majority, but not the majority he dreamed

about and thought was possible.

A lot of good people put their names forward in the

last election to represent people in different areas of this province, but they

were unsuccessful in their bid. The biggest losers in this last election were

the people of the province who lost the opportunity to vote.

An election is a time where people are supposed to get

to choose who will speak for them and advocate for them in the Legislature,

where important decisions affecting their lives are made. It is imperative that

we ensure elections are held properly and people's constitutional rights to vote

are respected, because nothing is more fundamental in a democracy than a

citizen's right to choose their representative.

We are not just 40 individuals – 39 at the moment – but

we are the voices of the thousands of people in our province. When we speak, we

are giving voice to those we represent. Every Member deserves to be heard. Every

Member's views ought to be respected in this Chamber. We must treat one another

with respect.

Debates here will be vigorous and contentious. That is

necessary considering what's at stake. The decisions we make here or fail to

make here affect people's lives in profound ways. They can affect whether people

have jobs, or enough money to live on, or enough food to eat, or proper access

to health care when they need it, or quality education, or basic services like

drinking water and safe roads, or protection from crime or a bright future for

their children. So if we get passionate, it's because the people we represent

are very passionate about these issues.

In his response to the Throne Speech, the Premier

stated: “… two roads have emerged, but we must decide collectively which path we

take. We can either get bogged down in the day-to-day rhetoric of the status

quo, or we can all stand united against the menace in front of us: our economic

crisis and what it means for the people of the province.” We certainly do stand

united as a province in wanting to raise Newfoundland and Labrador from the

crisis we face, but where we sometimes differ is on how we would do that.

Our party has taken a strong, bold position that we

need to grow our way out of this crisis by focusing on getting people working.

Local jobs, local benefits, local economic activity and growth – local means

here in Newfoundland and Labrador. Local also means in every region so the

benefits flow fairly to all of our communities and people and no one is left

behind.

Now, it certainly sounds like the government has come

around a little bit towards our position, because the talk of deep cuts have

been replaced by more measured languages and we are starting to hear talks of

local benefits. Talk is not enough. Talk is worthless unless it delivers results

and it is the government that bears the responsibility for delivering. Only one

party governs. If you are serious about standing united, then you need to do

your part to drive collaboration by opening up the books, show us the fiscal

forecast; don't hide the information behind a veil of – quote – Cabinet

confidence; don't bury reports that people need to be seeing; don't delay access

to information responses; don't force us to go down that route at all. Lay the

information down proactively; embrace openness and transparency; bring the facts

to all-party forums so we know what's going on; listen to our input. Let us have

part in contributing to legislation before it comes to the House as a – quote

– done deal, where it is very difficult, if not impossible, to properly amend.

This is especially true for election reform legislation. We need to be at the

table collaborating on this long before the amendments reach the floor of the

House of Assembly.

Your government was elected to govern, not just for the

22 districts in which you have Liberal Members but for the entire province. What

is good for the District of Stephenville - Port au Port is good for the

province, and what is good for the province is good for the Stephenville - Port

au Port District.

We challenge you, if you are serious about standing

united then do your part. If you fail or refuse to do a better job of

collaborating, we will call you out on that and hold your feet to the fire

because that's our job.

Oppositions are often faulted for being too critical.

As our leader made clear on day one: we are critics because it is our role. The

people elect a government to govern, they also elected an Official Opposition to

serve an adversarial role, just like in a court of law. Nothing is perfect and

our job is to scrutinize, ask tough questions, point out flaws, offer

alternatives and try to make your initiatives better. So respect our role; take

this parliamentary forum seriously.

If everything in our province was going well, it would

still be important for us to serve as adversaries to the government here in this

Chamber, but everything in our province is not going well. A province

overflowing with resources, opportunities and skilled and determined people is

not living up to its potential. People are hurting.

Obviously, government policies are not working as they

should, so it is imperative that we do an even more vigorous job of critiquing

your approach and offering suggestions. Standing united for our province does

not mean rubber-stamping every initiative the government brings forward. If we

are truly united in our resolve to see this province grow stronger, then we will

do our jobs as an Opposition even more earnestly. We will double down on our

efforts because that is the best way that we can contribute to getting this

province on its feet and growing.

When we offer criticisms, do not accuse us of getting

bogged down in the day-to-day rhetoric of the status quo. When we raise

day-to-day issues on behalf of the people, we do so because they are important

to the people. Do not dismiss any of these issues. Do not show disrespect for

any of our questions, we ask them for a reason. In fact, we could raise

questions and issues in Question Period for hours each day and still not exhaust

all the concerns brought to us. It's always a struggle to narrow down our

questions to the short time allocated.

We will do our best to be respectful of ministers as

individuals, but we will be holding your feet to the fire. That should not make

any minister uncomfortable; you ran for this role and accepted your position

knowing that you would be held accountable.

James Freeman Clarke was an American theologian and

author who lived in the 1800s. He stated, and I quote: “The difference between a

politician and a statesman is that a politician thinks about the next election

while the statesman thinks about the next generation.” Those words are still

true today.

Let all 40 Members of this 50th Assembly work hard and

commit to becoming stateswomen and statesmen and not simply politicians.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

CHAIR:

The

Chair recognizes the hon. the Minister Responsible for Women and Gender

Equality.

PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It certainly is great to be back here in our hon. House

of Assembly. I'd like to congratulate and welcome all new Members, of course. I

would like to, of course, thank the people of the beautiful district of Harbour

Grace - Port de Grave. It certainly has been a long winter, but, needless to

say, there's lots of work to do so I'm certainly happy to be back here in this

hon. House.

I also want to take this time as well, Mr. Chair, to

commend and thank the women who stepped forward. I think it's the most in

history, the most women candidates that we've had run for every party in all 40

districts, so that certainly deserves applause and recognition. There are nine

women represented here in the House of Assembly, of course. There's much more

work to be done, but, again, thank you and to commend those women who did step

forward, of course, and gender-diverse individuals who stepped forward for this

provincial election.

Again, a big thanks to Harbour Grace - Port de Grave,

the people there. This is my third general election. Time flies, who knew back

in 2015 – this is our third election, but, needless to say, I'm very grateful

for the support that the people continue to show me. It certainly is a great

honour and privilege, every time we stand in the House we're representing the

people who put us here. I always say, every time I stand, how important it is to

remember that, Mr. Chair. It's much bigger than the 40 people here in the House

of Assembly, we're representing the entire province. I always keep that near and

dear to my heart in everything I say and do in my position as MHA and now

minister.

I'm very excited and I'm very grateful for the

opportunity to be the Minister Responsible for Women and Gender Equality. I'm

very grateful to the Premier that he has recognized the importance of making

this a stand-alone portfolio.

As we know, and as I've said, much work has been done,

but we need to do much, much more to advance the matters facing women and girls

and gender-diverse individuals.

At this time, I also want to thank the ministers who

came before me in this portfolio for their good work. I intend on certainly

working with them to build on the work that needs to be done and, of course,

apply a gender-based analysis lens to every program and policy and everything

that will be developed and generated by the Government of Newfoundland and

Labrador, to apply that lens and, of course, mitigate the impacts that

historically have been there facing marginalized groups and women and girls.

Just to talk a little bit about my district as well;

very exciting news, which I think I started way back at the beginning – it was

one of the very first priorities that I talked about often here in the House of

Assembly, inside and out – is the need for the replacement of the long-overdue

Coley's Point Primary School.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PARSONS:

colleagues, as you can see, Mr. Chair, still support me on this every time I

talk about it – $16.2 million was awarded to replace this aging facility. I'm

happy to say we're near completion and, hopefully soon, ready to move in this

year.

It's a beautiful building. It's located adjacent to

Amalgamated Academy in Bay Roberts on Eric Dawe Drive. The people out there, the

school community, the parents, the students, the educators, everyone as a whole,

even in our neighbouring communities, of course, are very excited about moving

into this brand new, state-of-the-art facility.

I had a tour just recently, but now I can't wait to get

in there, of course. We see that new facility in there. It is very, very

exciting. Again, our government certainly came through on that commitment. We

all knew; it was promised years ago, but finally it has happened, and we can

actually see the results. It's a big, beautiful, bright, colourful building, and

I simply cannot wait. Again, I want to thank the people there who made this

priority known to me, as an MHA, back then. Again, $16.2 million.

Of course, roadwork, we all know it's that time of

year, Mr. Chair. We have a small but mighty construction window to get the

much-needed roadwork done throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. The Harvey

Street project was also a huge priority made clear to me by residents in my

district, in particular the Town of Harbour Grace. Phase 4 has been complete.

We've worked together with the federal government, as well, of course, our

provincial government and our municipalities to make that happen. Phase 4 is

complete, and now we're waiting for Phase 5 to begin. We're just waiting on some

good updates on that.

As we know, we collaborated with my colleague, MP Ken

McDonald, the member for Avalon, the federal member, as well as the Department

of Transportation and Infrastructure, which has been very supportive. I look

forward to seeing that work getting started on that very, very busy, historic

street actually, Harvey Street, Route 70 of the Conception Bay Highway. Prior to

the Veterans Memorial, it was the only way to get through, to take your

excursion around the bay in our very historic and strong District of Harbour

Grace - Port de Grave. So I look forward to that.

Also, it is National Volunteer Week here in our

beautiful country. I want to take this time as well to thank the people, to

thank all of the volunteers. As all know here – and we can all appreciate across

every district, every organization – I think it's safe to say that our

volunteers are indeed the most valuable assets. Would you all agree? I think so;

certainly, a big thanks.

That leads me into, of course, we're gearing up – COVID

did put a little bit of a break on the Newfoundland and Labrador Summer Games,

which is slated for Bay Roberts and the surrounding communities to host in the

Conception Bay North region. We were supposed to host this summer past there

last year but, unfortunately, COVID had other plans. I am told, and the

commitment has been made, that we will host in Bay Roberts the next Newfoundland

and Labrador Summer Games.

Significant money, more than $200,000 and counting, to

go in for infrastructure for wellness. That's also a huge priority of this

Premier and this government, to not simply receive treatment but to achieve

wellness in Newfoundland and Labrador. Mr. Chair, as we know, there's always

much more room for improvement with regard to wellness. Statistics prove that

across the county, with regard to diabetes in particular, we have the highest

rates here in Newfoundland and Labrador. I'm happy to see that there is a

commitment to doing just that, to getting us where we need to be, to be healthy

and to build upon those good health practices and vitality. Lots of priorities

there for that with regard to the infrastructure for the Summer Games.

I will say that another priority that has been made

clear to me is to establish a wellness centre in the Bay Roberts and the

immediate area, to have a year-round pool, because that's something that we need

here in the area. We live in an expanding area in the District of Harbour Grace

- Port de Grave, so lots of good things happening, of course.

Again, I would be remiss if I didn't mention our

volunteer firefighters, the men and women who run into those burning buildings

and structures in emergencies of all kinds when the rest of us are seeking

shelter. A big hats off to them for what they do. I think it's safe to say that

we all sleep easier at night knowing they are there ready to answer the call

24-7, Mr. Chair. A big thanks to our emergency first responders across the

board.

Also, I want to touch on some budget highlights for the

Office of Women and Gender Equality in

Budget 2020 , supports for women and girls. An additional $425,000 in funding

to advance the work of the office of the status of women, including the

development of a Premier's Roundtable on Gender Equity and the expansion of the

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program; very important initiatives and

priorities. Mr. Chair, $3.2 million in operational funds for women-serving

organizations. I will say I can't wait to get out there, get on the ground and

meet with the stakeholders because, Mr. Chair, those people are the experts in

the community. I'm happy to say that the partnership is so strong, which I am

learning about as taking on this new role and the co-operation in conjunction

with our federal government as well.

Of course, we're all eagerly awaiting the budget, which

is going to be brought down today, which I understand is going to be very

focused on a COVID recovery with a special focus on women and girls,

gender-diverse individuals and child care. As we all know and as we've all

learned, it's very important, especially coming out of COVID.

Mr. Chair, on that note I will take my seat. My time is

winding down again. It's very good to be back here in the House of Assembly. The

people of Newfoundland and Labrador have made it clear; they've spoken. They

want us to continue this very, very important work that we're doing.

I'm confident in this Premier and this team. It's the

right time; it's the right team. That said, I look forward to working with every

Member in this hon. House. I respect you all. Congratulations on your

re-election. I look forward to working with you all.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

CHAIR:

The

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

DINN:

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'll echo my colleague from the Official Opposition

with regard to the election. In a way, a budget, like an election, is very much

about serving the needs of people, all people in this province regardless of

their abilities, that they all have a say. Yet, we know that in the election –

and I'll have more to say on this as we debate the private Member's resolution

and the budget in general.

There are many people left out in this election. Many

of the same people who were left out in the election are also left out of the

economy. There are many of those. I would say we've all encountered the

constituents who tell us: I don't vote. I'm not voting, period. In many ways,

that's probably music to the ears of any politician looking to get elected or

re-elected because it means that if they're not voting for anyone, they're not

voting for the competition either, but it shouldn't be that way. Everyone should

vote and everyone should have a reason to vote.

Yet, we've heard enumerated here in the House the many

examples of people who were unable to vote because of, sometimes, the lack of

education, the lack of mobility, the lack of access to even a phone in the

house, lack of connectivity, computer devices and so on and so forth. In many

cases, these are also the people who may very well find themselves not able to

participate in the economy or to thrive in this setting.

I notice that the big word, “consultation,” factors

largely here. Even in the Throne Speech it was noted, Mr. Chair, that we need

“to put aside our partisan issues and commit to work together” to put the good

of the province first. I would like to remind this house that we had that

opportunity prior to the election in a minority government to work together. We

passed two budgets, Mr. Chair, in a minority government and in each case, it

would have been easy enough, in a non-confidence, to vote against them and bring

the government down. We chose not to because it was in the better interest of

our constituents, of the people of this province.

What we had hoped for and what I firmly believe – and

I've said this in my opening comments previously – I don't believe any one

party, person or individual leader has the answers to how we're going to resolve

the issues, but I do believe working together, we do. That was what was on the

table beforehand.

I know there were some things in the budget that were

there that we liked; others that we didn't. We didn't get everything that we

would like to see but there was a movement forward. I think there was an

opportunity to continue without an election in the middle of winter, during a

pandemic, when we could have had the Moya Greene report in front of us, when we

could have had a fulsome debate, when we could have found out where each party

and each Member stands on this and where we could have moved forward, I think,

with something that was rare and wonderful, that would have been something

constructive. People then, when the election did come, would have had the

opportunity to decide where they stand and who they wished to vote for.

Nevertheless, we had probably the longest election in

the history of our province and probably the history of our country. Consider

this: the cost of a mail-in ballot was anywhere from $15 to $25. That's the

price of the election, and then still people didn't get – it'll be interesting

to see what the total cost was. You cannot put a cost on the democratic process;

however, the fact is that if we had this at a time when people were vaccinated,

when the weather was better, I would put it to you that we would have saved much

more money on this and we could have put that money towards other priorities and

challenges facing us.

On the topic of priority, let's take a look at the

small business that I referred to in my Member's statement. It was a small

business that proceeded with a small family loan and support from Nidus

Development, yet they went that route because there was no government money

available for small businesses during a pandemic to start up and there was no

bank funding. Now, think about this – here's a sure bet –to me, if we're going

to look at an engine for the economy, it's about driving the small

businessperson, the small entrepreneur.

They have created something that has a multiplier

effect with all businesses around them, yet they could not get the government's

support. I won't go through them at this point in time, but we know the number

of large corporations that have received government funding only to shut down

operations or to receive government support. If anything else, I'm looking at

these small businesspeople that are revitalizing a neighbourhood in my district

and need the support – if we talk about priorities.

Secondly, minimum mage: I think somewhere down the line

we have to start having that conversation about minimum wage, because if you

want to resolve the issues of poverty and that, put more money in people's

pockets. It's interesting, I often hear people talking about: How can you get

anyone to work at a job when they're getting CERB? Well, let's flip it around.

Maybe it's because we're not paying them enough to incentivize going back to

work. It's pretty bad that when CERB or the government measures are looking

better.

I can tell you the housing issues in my district are

the result of years of neglect. I called once regarding a block of houses in my

district where they actually got an extra tenant because a woodpecker or a

starling has managed to pick its way through the rotted wood, a housing unit, to

make its home there. I don't know if it's paying rent, but I can tell you right

now, it's been basically this neglected for, I would say, decades.

Health care for seniors: I don't know how many I've

received lately where the Department of Health has become more of a collection

agency than a caregiving institution. It's interesting that in the Throne Speech

it refers to “the social determinants of health, making affordable, fresh,

healthy and nutritious local food choices accessible to Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians is a priority of My Government.”

Well, then, I can tell you that's the biggest problem

when a two litre of Pepsi is cheaper than a two litre of milk; when we have

those who are on income support who lost it because they applied for CERB; who,

at the same time, when they were receiving CERB, the access to food banks

dropped significantly. Why? Because people had money for the first time to

actually put food on the table, decent food.

Then there's education. The issues I hear from both

teachers and parents alike, even during COVID-19, is the concern that basically

the measures are being tailored to a budget, not necessarily to what they need

to keep the school safe, Mr. Chair.

You've heard me say this before – and I'll elaborate on

it more later – if anything, if we're going to make budget-based decisions then

we will never work our way out of the problems that face us. We will never put

decent food on the tables of people who need it. We will never end up supporting

the small-business people who need it. We'll never end up supporting seniors who

are concerned with whether they can live in their home or not. If there's

anything, Mr. Chair, we need to be focused on now in determining priorities:

What do the people need to thrive? Put aside the zero-based budgeting and

budget-based decision-making.

Thank you.

CHAIR:

The

Chair recognizes the hon. the Government House Leader.

CROCKER:

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chair, just for the information of the House, in

the bill that was distributed a little earlier, there was an error in the

typing. The Clerk, I think, and the House officials are going to distribute a

new copy that corrects the error.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

CHAIR:

Thank you.

The Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for Harbour

Main.

CONWAY OTTENHEIMER:

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

First of all, Mr. Chair, I'd like to thank all the

people of the Harbour Main District. I am truly humbled by their support, their

trust and their confidence in me in re-electing me to be a Member of the House

of Assembly in the 50th General Assembly. It's really a privilege for me and I

take this responsibility so very seriously.

There are many things I've learned from this election,

and I'll be speaking about it as well later on this week, some of the concerns

that I have, but I'm going to speak right now more about the positive. I think

that has to do with the connection that I felt going door-to-door through this

long 10-week campaign. No doubt, it was rough, it was challenging, the

uncertainty of the entire election, not only for the candidates but for the

voter. At the ground level I have to say that I heard many concerns about the

election and about the whole process. It was very troubling and very upsetting

and stressful for many people.

One thing that I think is important at this time is to

look back at the last 13 months. I think the reason we need to take this as an

opportunity to reflect on what happened in terms of the COVID virus. That's

perhaps the most important, pressing issue and concern that I heard from the

people in the District of Harbour Main.

We all will agree that it was unprecedented, it was an

unnerving – and still is an unnerving – experience. But we all want to get past

these difficult last 13 months and we want to see that there is a light at the

end of the tunnel. We do know that the vaccinations are rolling out, although I

would argue they are rolling out quite slowly. I've heard concerns from my

constituents about that very fact. We need to see more people getting the

vaccine quicker so that we too can build an immunity, like other jurisdictions

that have far more than we do, which is, I understand, about 20 per cent of our

population.

Getting back to the COVID virus, I think it's important

that we reflect on what this year has taught us. I think by looking back on the

past year and learning from that we will then be able to go forward and deal

with the many pressing issues that are facing our province. The pandemic itself

has had an extraordinary effect on our lives, on each one of us here and our

constituents that we represent in the entire province.

During the campaign, I had the opportunity to hear from

many people when knocking on hundreds of doors throughout the district,

especially in the first three weeks when we were able to do that before the

variant hit. I guess what I mostly heard was about the loss that has been felt

by the people that we represent. I'll give some examples just to put it in

perspective.

I spoke to women who couldn't be, for example, with

their daughters who were giving birth to their grandchildren. They couldn't be

there to give the support they wanted to be able to give, but were unable to do

that. I've spoken to husbands that weren't able to be there through the entire

process in the hospital while their wives were giving birth – and not being able

to be there, the pain of that loss.

I've listened, as well, to daughters and sons who have

spoken with such sadness and regret that they have not been able to visit their

parents and grandparents in the long-term care facilities. I also spoke with

another lady who sadly couldn't really be with her mother. She was there at the

last moments of her death, but it was too late for her to be cognizant of the

fact that her daughter was there. That was very painful speaking with that woman

and that constituent who was not there for her mother.

Families have had to make painful choices to postpone

funerals, for example, of loved ones because of health restrictions. That's the

reality. It's so sad. I know from personal experience myself, a dearly loved

family member passed away during the election. We weren't able to have a funeral

for her or be with our huge family to share in the grief and the sadness and to

comfort one another.

Mr. Chair, these have been difficult times, there's no

question. Annual trips that people have had scheduled to visit family and

friends have had to be postponed. We can say that FaceTime is okay, but it just

doesn't cut it. I've heard from constituents who were aggrieved by the fact that

they could not gather as a community of faith and worship in their particular

religion. Even going to buy food at your local grocery store and buy necessities

has raised the anxiety levels of people in the district.

Mr. Chair, at the heart of all of these hardships, I

guess one thing we've recognized is that we are all aware that we're vulnerable,

we're defenceless and it's okay to recognize and acknowledge those feelings. The

threat that has been posed by COVID-19 is going to pass. We are winning and will

win that battle. Just the simple act of wearing masks, washing our hands,

physically distancing and, yes, the vaccine: those things will get us through

this disease that we face. We also should not forget the people who have died

from the virus and those people who have lost family and friends.

Mr. Chair, when I speak about COVID-19, I think it's

important because we need to put it in perspective. It shows our vulnerability,

but it also shows the immediate concern that our people that we represent face.

They are also concerned about the plan and about jobs. They need to see that

this province and this government have a clear, strategic economic plan. Mr.

Chair, this is a concern. It's a big concern that is out there.

Has our government contracted out this job of

developing the economic plan to someone else, to Moya Greene? The job of Moya

Greene was supposed to be twofold: it was to address the immediate fiscal

challenges and to come up with a growth plan. But we still haven't seen that,

Mr. Chair, so that's a real concern. What I say, when I say it's a concern and

that we haven't seen it, goes to the issue of transparency. That's an important

theme that I think we have to focus on and we need from our government. This has

to be a government for the people.

Transparency, Mr. Chair, is more than a buzzword. It

means people in our province have a right to know and understand what is

happening, especially when decisions are being made that impact their lives in

such a significant way. When we do not know as of yet what our economic plan is,

that is very concerning. We need to see that the government has been thinking

clearly and has been getting our economy growing and getting people working.

I'm concerned when I read the Throne Speech; we heard

it, that it was quite vague. We need to understand where we are going with this.

People want more information about the government's plan, Mr. Chair. One of

those things, in order for us to have transparency, we need transparency. That

will ensure accountability. Without those two features, I think we have cause

for concern.

Mr. Chair, with those thoughts in mind, I would like to

conclude.

Thank you for your time.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

CHAIR:

The

Chair recognizes the hon. the Minister for Transportation and Infrastructure.

LOVELESS:

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

To begin, I'd like to reference that and congratulate

my colleague, the Member for Lewisporte - Twillingate, who was elected to the

Speaker's Chair. Congratulations also to the Member in the Chair, as we speak,

for Baie Verte - Green Bay, who's a colleague and certainly a friend.

Congratulations to you as well. Congratulations to everyone upon their recent

election to this House of Assembly.

I know we say it a lot but we don't say it enough, and

that's referencing and recognizing the Table Officers and those that make this

House of Assembly function. We certainly say thank you for all that you do.

Individually, we all speak – and I'm speaking for

myself, as in the last election we referenced our families. I am the same to say

thank you to my family for their support. Family definitely is the core and the

foundation of it all. Most, if not more important, would be to the constituents

of Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune for giving me another term to represent them.

I take great pride in the job that I do and I'm sure

others echo those thoughts as well. I look forward to the next four years in

terms of working together for the betterment of the people of Fortune Bay - Cape

La Hune and in my role as Transportation and Infrastructure Minister for the

Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

We are talking today around Supply and money that we

need to keep the lights on and, certainly, more importantly, to pay those that

provide the service to us as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. There are a lot

of departments that are listed here, from Tourism to Industry to Immigration to

Fisheries. We say thank you to those employees that provide the valuable service

to keep those departments functioning.

Mr. Chair, in terms of the election, we all know now

that there's going to be a review, and it's needed. All I say about the

election, the results of, to people in my district, I'll say now, it's over,

there's a government elected, get on with the business of the day. I take that

seriously in my role as MHA and as minister, I will do that and look forward to,

as I said, to the next four years.

They say your past determines where you go in your

future. So I say thank you to the Premier for giving me the opportunity to spend

some time in Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture. I had one of my friends say to

me that when you went in to Fisheries we figured there was going to be a total

focus now on the fishery, other than the other industries, but that was not my

plan. I tried to provide a balance, but I did say that the fishery definitely

was important to me. It still is and will be; I know, too, my colleague who's in

that department now.

Just recently, I'm hearing stories in my district about

good crab prices and the catch rate is up there. We're expecting the same thing

for lobsters. So the news that we have a higher price in crab shows confidence

and, hopefully, it follows for other species in the fishing industry as well,

and just the importance of the traditional fishery.

I had many sit-downs with inshore fishermen in my

district during the election and always take pleasure in those conversations. We

need to continue to support the inshore fishermen, I know the current minister

has in his district as well, and we have them in a lot of districts across this

province. We need to listen to them and whether it's the Atlantic Fisheries Fund

that I heard from some inshore fishermen that is helping them, but they need

more help. We need to listen to them.

I want to reference quickly the aquaculture industry.

There are a lot of benefits in my district from the cage building to other

inside industries benefiting the towns around and certainly the district as a

whole. The previous speaker talked about jobs. There are jobs in this industry

and there is potential for more. If we want to talk about jobs, that's a

directive right there in terms of creation of more. I know we need to have a

balance around the aquaculture industry and we're doing that.

Forestry: definitely important, certainly to Central

Newfoundland in terms of the resource. Agriculture: I visited many farmers

during my time there. It was important to them to hear and see the minister

responsible visiting their farms and they thanked me for that. It is all about

increasing our food security footprint and it is listening to them, listening to

the stakeholders. I believe listening to the stakeholders is crucial to proper

planning, whether that be fisherpersons, fish plant workers, farmers, forestry

workers, whatever the case may be, listening will make for proper planning. I

look forward, as I said to my colleague who is now there, he will continue on to

do the great work.

I do have a few minutes left and I'd like to say thank

you to the Premier as well for giving me the confidence to be in the Department

of Transportation and Infrastructure. I know it is a big department and it

effects a lot that goes on in this province. We can't over signify the

importance of our roads, as we all know, and certainly the importance of our

infrastructure.

Just this past week, I had the privilege to be part of

three announcements – two of them with MP Hutchings and some mayors on the West

Coast, we announced dollars for some towns on the West Coast. Some of them were

small in scope but we all know sometimes small projects make a big difference

for those communities.

Also last Friday, for the Eastern part of the province,

with Minister O'Regan and the mayor of St. John's and others, we announced some

which is very important. I'm proud to be a part of that.

Today, we will hear and find out what's in the federal

budget and that's certainly important, not just for my department but for all

departments in this government and for the Province of Newfoundland and

Labrador. We look forward to that because I think more now than ever we have to

recognize that partnership is crucial, most important and we need to work

together to get through COVID-19. It's not just a provincial problem or a

Canadian problem, it is a world problem and so it's going to take world

solutions. We're moving forward and people are becoming more confident. They're

getting vaccinated and we look forward to the day where we can all clap and be

happy about the fact that we're back to somewhat normal.

In terms of Transportation and Infrastructure, Mr.

Chair, I want to talk about just a couple of the priorities, I guess, in the

department that I look forward to working on those files, and that's certainly

the new mental health and addiction facility. I can't speak enough to it. It's

not just about the facility but the services that it will provide. I heard many

times in my district during this election and over the last many, many years

about the challenges that face families and individuals in terms of mental

health. I look forward to supporting them through a new building, but more

important, what's going in that building to support them.

My time is up. I just want to say it's been a pleasure

to speak again. I look forward to the other speakers forthcoming.

Thank you.

CHAIR:

The

Chair recognizes the hon. the Member for Humber - Bay of Islands.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

JOYCE:

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'm just going to spend a few minutes to speak on the

Interim Supply. First of all, as we all do, I welcome everybody here, all the

old hands and the new ones that were elected in the House of Assembly. It is a

privilege. There are only 40 of us in the province that have that privilege and

right, so congratulations to everybody who ran and got elected.

Of course, I would like to thank the people of Humber -

Bay of Islands, Mr. Chair, once again for placing their trust in me in the

election and representing their issues and concerns. It's always a pleasure. You

never take it for granted and you never take it lightly.

I just want to thank them, Donny Johnson and the same

campaign team that we had since 1989; the same campaign team and still the same

campaign manager. Just a long-term friendship with a lot of people and I just

want to thank all of them for all of their support on both sides of the Bay of

Islands and in the Curling and Humbermouth area.

Mr. Chair, I just have to recognize last week, the last

eight or 10 days, there was a bit of a scare out in Western Newfoundland about

COVID. I think a few Members mentioned earlier about the anxiety for people. I

was reached out to by the Premier and the chief of staff and we worked together

to help ease the tension, get testing done and get press releases out. I just

want to recognize the Premier and the chief of staff, Peter Miles, for reaching

out to me. We're all working together to help the residents.

I also want to thank the staff of Western Memorial who

helped out, the town council of Meadows who supplied their town, and all the

residents and all the people within two hours. I think there were 1,400 people

that phoned in wanting to get tested to ensure that their community was safe all

throughout. To all hands, a great job. To the government itself who handled it

in a professional way, hopefully we'll learn a bit the next time if there's a

bit of an outbreak, that we can have a live press briefing because of it. I have

to say that it helped a lot. There were a lot of concerns and I just want to

recognize that, Mr. Chair.

We're here debating now Interim Supply. I know I wrote

the minister on it, on Interim Supply, and I got a reply back today. I thank the

minister for that. This is the first time that you get a special warrant that's

approved again in the House to be transferred over to Interim Supply. The

minister is saying that is the spirit and intent of the act but just explain.

When you get a special warrant, what you need the money for you have to table

within three days when the House is open – what projects it is for; in this

case, the subheads. If there's any extra money, you table it.

I know the minister and staff wrote me, and I can only

go on with the intent. What we're doing now is that the government put in

Interim Supply for what they thought was necessary, and now we're going to

approve what they put in through the special warrant. Usually when Interim

Supply comes in, we get the subheads; we get what the money is for. I understand

there were some upfront costs with it through Transportation and Infrastructure,

but through special warrant, we should have a copy of that if we allow the

special warrant to go through. If we approve this Interim Supply, then we're

just saying we're giving it to each subhead. I just want to put that on the

record.

I have no reason to believe that is not the intent of

the minister in the spirit of the act, as the letter said, but usually that's

the difference between a special warrant and Interim Supply. Today, if we

approve this, which I assume we are, then we're going to approve the special

warrants that the government put in place that we never had an opportunity to

see. I just want to put that on the record as a concern that I had.

The minister did respond. Her staff did respond in

writing to that. I'm not here questioning anybody; it's just the process itself.

If it is the spirit and intent, I'm fine with it, but I'll just explain the

process. I've never seen it done before that way in this House in all my years.

I just wanted to put that on the record.

During the election, one of, and probably the major

thing I've heard, is the deficit. We all know the problems that are facing the

Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in a deficit. I know people saw the

interview with Clyde Wells; I was around at that time. I remember I made this

statement in the House several times before. It was in 1992 and there was an

election coming up in 1993. Then, Clyde Wells at the time, as the premier of the

Province, was going to have – we made path of deficit reduction and we're going

to continue.

Everybody on the Liberal side was saying we're going to

lose the election. Clyde Wells – I remember going across to Gilliams and I

mentioned to him what people's concerns were. His quote was: Eddie, I'd rather

lose the election with honesty than win with dishonesty. Clyde Wells went on

with his plan. He went out and told everybody: Here's why we have to do it.

Here's our plan we're going to do. In 1993, he won more seats than he did in

1989 for the deficit reduction plan.

It's a big issue. If you had the interest – and if

people in this House ever think – on your house that you paid on your house, the

interest on your house is more than any other expenditure you have, except for

health care. It can't last. It just can't last. I understand the situation that

the government is in, but I think we have to sit down as a province and find

some way to try to work out a plan. Probably not do it in two or three or four

or five years, but set up a plan so that we can give it to the people of the

Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, give it to them in a responsible way and

say here's what our concerns are, here's what we're planning on doing.

There are going to be some people who are going to be

upset. Members in this House every day – every day that we're going to be in

this House, there are going to be Members going over and speaking to ministers

in government and saying we have an issue in the district. We're going to be no

different from every ordinary citizen in this province. That's the issue of

being in governance, but that's the issue for us also to realize that we can't

get everything we want. If we did, every cent from Transportation and

Infrastructure for roads could be spent in any rural district here in this

province, either one.

We have to be able to work together. I heard the Member

for Stephenville - Port au Port talking about how we all have to work together.

A good example was last week with the Premier, the chief of staff, the

Department of Health and Western Health, how it can be done when we all come

together for the right reason.

I'm just hoping that we can look at the deficit as a

right reason that we all need to come together, because it is a major, major

concern for a lot of residents in this Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. I

have no problem with working with the government, as I've shown in the past, to

ensure that we do it in a way that's going to benefit all Newfoundland and

Labrador.

Of course, during the election in Humber - Bay of

Islands, the roads were an issue, but I know there was a fair amount of roads

that were finally done last year, that was done when we had the major floods

back in 2018. There was a lot of work done last year in Humber - Bay of Islands

with the roads.

There are always concerns about health care and family

doctors. We know, and I would say just about every district here are hearing

from residents that we just can't get enough family doctors. What the solution

is, I don't know – more recruitment to try to help out. But those are the issues

that I've been hearing throughout the election. It is a real concern. I always

hear the minister say that we have more now than before. That is probably true,

but the issue is there are still some people without a family doctor. They're

still raising concerns on it, so we have to try to strive to do a bit better.

With the water and sewer, that's always a big issue. I

know with the departments of Environment, and Transportation and Infrastructure,

they're always trying to make towns and give them better, safer drinking water

and sewer, which would promote a lot of businesses in the area. Again, that's

going to be contingent on the federal government also, because Newfoundland and

Labrador can't do it on their own. We're going to need help from the federal

government, who, again, are having their budget today. They have some of their

own issues because of COVID.

We all recognize the drastic results from COVID on our

economy, on people. We have to try to set the course so that we can get back on

track and start getting that deficit down, but do it in a responsible and in a

long-term way. As long as we get a plan and stick to it, I think the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador will help out.

There's no doubt, Mr. Chair – and I've been here a long

while – the Official Opposition has a major role to bring issues to the

government. Many times, there's confrontation. I remember back with Beaton Tulk

and a few more, when we'd be hearing – we'd go back and forth. Before it was

over, we'd leave and go out and have a meal together. That's what we need. We

need that spirit. We need that co-operation together.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll be back again for another

few words later.

CHAIR:

Thank you.

The Chair recognizes the hon. the Minister of Finance

and President of Treasury Board.

COADY:

Thank you very much.

I was listening very intently to the hon. Member for

Humber - Bay of Islands. Just so that I can clarify, the

Financial Administration Act , for the Member opposite and for those

that may be questioning the sections of the act and how does this process of a

special warrant work, there are actually two sections of the

Financial Administration Act .

One is

section 28(2) which does allow for a special warrant and 28(2) is

more for continuing service if you have insufficient funds,

Document details

Collection	Newfoundland and Labrador — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	2021-04-19
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	2021-04-19
Language	en
Format	htm
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	9425f61f938a733e9b19c3e28603df366b2267c2

Source file is stored in the law ingest library (htm).