PDF Version

May

21, 2015

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLVII No. 18

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Verge):

Order, please!

Admit strangers.

I am pleased to welcome to the public gallery today

members of the Seniors Club from the Long Pond Salvation Army Corps in

Conception Bay South.

Welcome to the House of Assembly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

We also have several members of the Child and Youth Care Association of

Newfoundland and Labrador. They

are: Rick Kelly, Jamie Lundrigan, Natalie Bursey, Jackie Kelly, Tina Krol,

Jennifer Kettle, and Lori Leonard.

Welcome to the House of Assembly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Finally, in the public gallery today we have Mr. Ross Tansley, who is a

Reservist with the Canadian Forces.

Welcome, Sir, to the House of Assembly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Thank you for your service, Sir.

Statements by Members

MR. SPEAKER:

Today we have members' statements from the members representing the

Districts of St. John's South, Conception Bay South, Cape St. Francis,

Bellevue, Fortune Bay Cape La Hune, and Baie Verte Springdale.

The hon. the Member for the District of St. John's

South.

MR. OSBORNE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Selam Measho was reunited with her mother Genet Abraham

after four years. She was

kidnapped when she left a refugee camp in Libya to sell bread at the market.

Her family made it to Canada in 2013.

Due to the efforts of a community of people, Selam was

located in a town two hours outside of Amsterdam.

I stand today to recognize those involved in helping reunite her with

her family.

I would like to recognize Susan Glynn and Denise Dunne

who first brought this issue to my attention; Lisa Snow from Gerry Byrne's

office who got the ball moving with Immigration Canada; and Mrs. Williams

from Mount Pearl who contacted the Red Cross and got posters posted in

Germany and in Holland. I would

like to thank all members of the community who played an active role in

reuniting Selam with her family.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. members of the House to

join with me in welcoming Selam to Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the District of Conception Bay South.

MR. HILLIER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is my pleasure to stand in this hon. House today and

recognize the diversity and strength of the faith community in the Town of

Conception Bay South. The

strength of this group manifests itself in the Conception Bay South

Ministerial Association, a group of clergy who work co-operatively with the

town for the betterment of all its residents.

Today, I would like to recognize one specific project

between the church community and our town.

In the past, the Long Pond Salvation Army Corps has provided support

during local emergencies.

However, the town does not have the ability to provide heated space for

residents in case of prolonged emergencies.

In co-operation with the town, the Salvation Army Corps

has offered its church and hall as a warm space.

The town has committed to the necessary electrical infrastructure,

including an industrial generator.

If power goes for an extended period of time, the generator will

simply be switched on and any residents of the town who find themselves in a

position of need will have a warm place to go for the duration of the

emergency.

Please join me in recognizing this co-operative

initiative and all the great work that all the faith communities perform

throughout our Province.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the District of Cape St. Francis.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. K. PARSONS:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I rise in this hon. House to recognize the good people

from the community of Pouch Cove.

In 2000, the Pouch Cove Volunteer Fire Department needed a new fire

truck at a cost of $225,000. A

cost-sharing arrangement was made between the provincial government

contributing 50 per cent; the Town of Pouch Cove, 25 per cent; and the fire

department, 25 per cent.

To assist the fire hall with their share of the cost,

the late firefighter Willis Butt and his brother, Tom Butt, decided that by

collecting recyclables they could help with the expenses.

In 2001 they started the initiative, and the idea quickly grew as the

fire hall decided to collect recyclables also.

In addition, they collect twice a year once in May,

and once in September. Since its

inception in 2001, the Butt brothers have collected a value of $14,315.15,

and the fire hall has collected $58,710.39, a total of $73,025.54 in

collecting recyclables. Since

his brother's passing, Tom Butt, along with the fire department, still

continues to collect recyclables.

I ask all hon. members to join with me in

congratulating the two brothers and the Towns of Pouch Cove and Bauline for

supporting their fire department.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the District of Bellevue.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. PEACH:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise in this hon. House today to recognize Mr. George

Monk who celebrated his 104 th birthday on May 17, 2015.

This is such a remarkable milestone.

Through 104 years of memories and 104 years of life, Mr. Monk has

done more than most of us can dream of.

George grew up in Monkstown where he married and raised

a family.

It is almost impossible to grasp the tremendous changes

that occurred in our world since George's birth in 1911.

He began working with his father in a sawmill at a very

early age and eventually opened a small convenience store in Monkstown.

He continued to work both jobs until he turned sixty.

Upon retirement he and his wife moved to Clarenville.

George now resides in a retirement home in Clarenville

and is well loved by all the residents.

He is enjoying good health, wonderful memories, and doing everything

for himself. He is a man to be

admired.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all the members of this House to

join me in congratulating and celebrating George Monk's longevity on the

occasion of his 104 th birthday.

I wish him all the best in the future.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Indeed, congratulations to Mr. Monk of Monkstown, 104 is a great age.

The hon. the Member for the District of Fortune Bay

Cape La Hune.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS PERRY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise in this hon. House today to deliver accolades to

the Coast of Bays' talented participants in the fiftieth Central

Newfoundland Kiwanis Music Festival.

Thank you to our music instructors, Valerie Coombs and Brenda Jeddore

for their hard work and dedication with over 280 exceptionally talented

performers.

Congratulations to Damien Hibbs for his Adjudicator's

Award for Solo Speech and the Bay d'Espoir Academy Choir for their

Adjudicator's Award for Choirs.

The Best Vocal Ensemble went to the Bay d'Espoir Triple Trio and the Best

Choral Group was awarded to the Se't A'Newey Performance Choir.

Jessica Willcott won the Award for Traditional Folk Song.

It is an honour for me to extend congratulations to all

the performers, too numerous to list, who shone at the festival.

From singing to playing piano, to solo speeches our students

excelled, placing first, second and third in various categories.

I ask all members of this hon. House to join me, along

with classmates, teachers, and community residents in extending

congratulations to all participants for their excellent performances.

We hope you continue participating in many more music festivals.

Thank you for sharing your amazing gift of music.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the District of Baie Verte Springdale.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

On May 8, my wife and I had the honour to attend the

graduation ceremonies of Valmont Academy of King's Point and on May 15, we

attended the graduation ceremonies of Indian River High School of

Springdale. All forty-six grads

looked as bright as a button and as sharp as a tack as they donned their

beautiful wardrobes.

Denika Squires of Valmont Academy and Christian Pelley

of Indian River High delivered excellent valedictory speeches, offering many

thanks to all who helped them out over the years and offering nuggets of

wisdom for their classmates to consider.

My wife and I were really impressed with the calibre of

speeches and the well-organized ceremonies.

It is evident that school and community spirit abounds here.

Both school staffs are to be applauded for their

commitment to excellence in student achievement.

Both go the extra mile to see their students excel in all aspects of

school life.

In addition, the parents from all communities are to be

commended for their unwavering support.

Their numerous hours of volunteer work in support of the schools is

simply amazing.

I respectfully ask all colleagues to offer

congratulations to the exceptional graduating classes of Valmont Academy and

Indian River High.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Statements by Ministers.

Statements by Ministers

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CRUMMELL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House to note that

Service NL has received the Best Practices in Employee Support award from

the Canadian Forces Liaison Council.

The award was presented to the department in recognition of its

support for Ross Tansley's participation in the Canadian Forces Army

Reserve.

Mr. Tansley is a senior examiner in the Financial

Services Regulation division of Service NL who has served the Canadian

Forces Army Reserve for more than eleven years.

In the course of his service, he was a Platoon Commander for the

Domestic Response Company for Newfoundland during the Hurricane Igor relief

effort. He has also readied

himself for a variety of scenarios by continuously engaging in training

exercises throughout his career in places like Fort Pickett, Virginia, and

Gagetown, New Brunswick. The

provincial government has been proud to support Mr. Tansley's efforts, and

as he is in the gallery today, I would like to take a moment to recognize

him.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to note that this is not the

first time a provincial government department has won this award from the

Canadian Forces Liaison Council.

On March 9, 2011, the former Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural

Development was similarly recognized for supporting an employee's

participation in reserve activity.

The recognition our government has received in this regard can be

attributed to the Reservist Leave Policy we established in 2010, which

provides employment protection and benefits to employees who are members of

the reserves, and who request to take special leave for reserve service.

Mr. Speaker, Ross Tansley is representative of the

great people we have working in the public service in this Province, and the

Reservist Leave Policy is a great example of how our government supports

them. I thank Mr. Tansley and

all public employees who commit their time to serving their county in the

Canadian Forces Reserves. Your

efforts are deeply appreciated.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl South.

MR. LANE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for an advance copy of his

statement. Certainly we, in the

Official Opposition, want to also extend our congratulations to the

department for receiving the Best Practices in Employee Support award from

the Canadian Forces Liaison Council.

We are very supportive of the Reservist Leave Policy that we have

here with the provincial government.

Mr. Speaker, we have seen a long list of

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who have served our Province and served our

country very proudly, whether it be in the regular forces or whether it be

in the reserves. We certainly

want to commend Mr. Tansley and all the other Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians for putting their hand up and serving our country.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MS ROGERS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for an advance copy of his

statement. I thank Ross Tansley

for his valuable service to our community.

Reservists play a vital role on so many levels.

It is imperative that they are supported when they need to leave

their jobs temporarily for service in the reserves.

The Reservist Leave Policy was a major step government

finally took, following the lead of other provincial and federal

governments. These laws and

policies allow reservists to keep their positions and their seniority.

Before they were implemented, reservists would find that their

employers would refuse to commit to rehiring them.

It also maintains benefits such as health plans that are important to

reservists' families.

Congratulations once again to Service NL, and bravo Mr.

Ross Tansley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. S. COLLINS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I stand today to recognize the Child and Youth Care

Association of Newfoundland and Labrador's annual conference currently

taking place at the Holiday Inn in St. John's.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the conference, and I was

delighted to address the delegates this morning and congratulate the

association on ten years of advocating for children and youth in our

Province. Each year, these

individuals come together to exchange ideas on how to best serve the

children, youth, and families of this Province who require their service.

Child and youth care workers are employed in a diverse

range of roles, programs, and organizations.

Mr. Speaker, throughout our Province, an estimated 600 child and

youth care workers can be found in groups homes, family support programs,

community centres, outreach programs, youth treatment programs, day

treatment, family-based care, youth corrections facilities, hospitals, and

schools. The Child and Youth

Care Association of Newfoundland and Labrador provides training and

education opportunities for child and youth care workers, and advocates for

standards of practice.

The theme for this year's conference,

Caring in Context , focuses on the

many facets of providing care and support.

It reflects the diverse nature of the provision of care, from the

support needed for those who experience severe trauma to the development of

supervisory skills. A number of

renowned speakers are also participating in the conference including

Lorraine Fox with the University of California, Davis, and the San Diego

State University Foundation, and Connie Pike of the Coalition Against

Violence.

Mr. Speaker, our government remains committed to moving

forward in enhancing the lives of young people in a variety of ways:

addressing poverty, violence, and mental health issues; enhancing education;

working more collaboratively with Aboriginal communities; and enhancing

health care and wellness. An

investment of $475,000 in Budget 2015 allows for the creation of six new

Child, Youth and Family Services front-line positions in Labrador, allowing

our government to meet the commitment of a 1 to 20 ratio for social workers

to caseload on a provincial level.

We recognize we still have challenges in many of our remote

communities and we will continue to focus on improving caseloads in these

areas.

It is important that we work collaboratively with

organizations such as the Child and Youth Care Association of Newfoundland

and Labrador, as we continue to ensure the safety and well-being of children

and youth in our Province. Mr.

Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to once again congratulate the

Child and Youth Care Association of Newfoundland and Labrador on ten years

of providing much needed support to our most vulnerable children and youth.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for an advance copy of his

statement. Conferences are a

tremendous opportunity for like-minded professionals to come together, share

better practices, and rejuvenate one another in what can be very fatiguing

work.

Child and youth care workers work with children and

youth with complex needs. Many

of these children have experienced trauma and we know the far-reaching

effects of these lived experiences such as mental health issues, substance

abuse, poverty, homelessness, and sexual exploitation.

I noticed approaches such as trauma-informed care and

mindfulness being presented at the conference, and it is very beneficial for

workers to come together and share approaches as they help children grow

into healthy and happy adults.

The minister also mentioned again the issues of

violence and poverty, and it brings to mind the sexual exploitation report

that government commissioned and then hid.

I know the department is trying to move forward and I commend that,

but one way to do that is to acknowledge the harsh realities that exist out

there, even in this Province.

The Child and Youth Care Association of Newfoundland

and Labrador was formed in 1990, and on behalf of our caucus I would like to

congratulate them on their twenty-fifth anniversary and their tenth

conference.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MS ROGERS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Congratulations to child and youth care workers in

Newfoundland and Labrador, unsung heroes for all their hard work with

children and youth and their families.

I know how difficult but valuable this work is.

I too was once a child and youth care worker.

I applaud government for committing to achieve a

caseload ratio of one social worker to twenty children, even in remote

communities. I hope by working

with Aboriginal organizations it will result in more Aboriginal social

workers in the system. Their

expertise is crucial. Many of

the situations of children at risk in our Province have roots in parental

poverty and lack of support, including safe, affordable housing and lack of

mental health services for early intervention.

Government must put more resources into families so

fewer children will be taken into their care.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

I remind the member her speaking time has expired.

MS ROGERS:

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister Responsible for the Office of Public Engagement.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today in this hon. House to acknowledge the

recipients of the 2015 URock Volunteer Awards.

I was pleased to be joined by the Premier, my hon. colleagues, and

members opposite last Thursday night as we honoured this year's award

recipients at a special event in Mount Pearl.

The URock Volunteer Awards were established in 2010 to

celebrate the remarkable ways youth are giving back to their communities.

Along with the people who attended the event at the Glacier in

person, the event was livestreamed on our NLYouth.ca website and viewed

hundreds of times.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to

acknowledge the recipients of the 2015 URock Volunteer Awards, some of whom

are with us in the gallery today.

They are: Courtney Jones of Torbay; Meagan Sampson from Stephenville;

Nitish Bhatt from St. John's; Brittany Tibbo from Holyrood; Mackenzie Dove

from Clarenville; Megan Glover from Bay Bulls; Mallory Basha from Corner

Brook; and the Youth Leadership Council, a program of Choices for Youth,

which is an organization that works to empower at-risk and homeless youth in

St. John's.

The event was hosted by Mike Fardy, and featured live

performances by Jenna Maloney, Stompbox, and City on the Coast as well as

community booths from volunteer organizations.

Award recipients each received an electric guitar, customized by

students of the graphic design program at College of the North Atlantic, to

celebrate the innovative ways young people volunteer.

The following morning, to explore the potential of their prize, award

winners were given a guitar lesson by local musician, Steve Maloney.

Mr. Speaker, from raising funds for the Terry Fox

Foundation, organizing Christmas food hampers, caring for animals,

encouraging child literacy, and preparing meals through school breakfast

clubs, youth are finding innovative solutions and giving back to their

communities. The URock Volunteer

Awards celebrate those efforts and help to remind us that youth are

continuously effecting change by looking outside themselves and challenging

the status quo.

I ask all members of this House to join me in

congratulating the 2015 URock Volunteer Award winners.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement.

It is clear that youth of our Province are accomplishing remarkable

feats; many of them are going unnoticed.

On behalf of the Official Opposition, we commend these youth and

youth organizations for being recognized for the great work they do to

advance their community.

I have worked with some of these youth as part of

economic development networks and the emerging leaders team.

As a youth myself, and MHA for the Official Opposition responsible

for youth engagement, I brought critical issues to the House raising this

government's abandoned Youth Retention and Attraction Strategy, the cut

programs, and promises associated with it.

I questioned and called for the reinstatement of the Youth Advisory

Committee.

Although the electric guitars are nice, the $3,000

price tag may have more of an impact if youth are given the choice for maybe

a charitable grant or a scholarship to help further education or

development.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I too thank the minister for the advance copy of his

statement. Certainly,

encouraging young people to volunteer is an extremely important thing to do.

I am happy to congratulate the winners here today and also want to

congratulate all young people in the Province who volunteer in the

community. For every award

winner there are a hundred unsung heroes, and I know the award winners of

today realize that. My wishes

and my caucus best wishes to all of them.

Today's youth volunteer is tomorrow's adult volunteer,

as giving back to the community is a hard habit to break.

It is a good one.

Volunteer organizations work on shoestring budgets, I remind the minister,

and need all the help and encouragement they can get, both with awards and

more tangible supports.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Further statements by ministers?

Oral Questions.

Oral Questions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Last Tuesday, the Premier contradicted the minister of

culture on the Gallipoli caribou memorial.

Then on Wednesday, he contradicted the Minister of Advanced Education

and Skills on Memorial's tuition.

Yesterday, he contradicted the Minister of Fisheries on the OCI

agreement in Fortune.

I ask the Premier: Why are you saying that OCI has

lived up to their agreement in Fortune when this is clearly not the case?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

What I referenced yesterday was that OCI had made a

commitment to obtain another vessel they have lived up to that commitment.

They made a commitment to make improvements and investments in the

plant in Fortune. Their

anticipation was a million-dollar investment, Mr. Speaker.

It was almost $2 million of investment that they made in Fortune.

What I am saying is that OCI is committed to trying to

make this work. They have made

their efforts to make it work.

Their actions have spoken loudly to the commitment to the people of Fortune.

They have provided valuable employment to the people in Fortune, and

they will continue to do so this year.

We believe, based on the information in the catches

that are occurring right now, that the plant will be open and operational in

early June.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The plant in Fortune sits idle today while government

continues to allow OCI to breach the 2012 agreement and, on top of that,

government has allowed OCI to ship out unprocessed cod last year.

The Premier says that the OCI agreement in Fortune has nothing to do

with cod.

I ask the Premier: If that is true, why does your 2012

press release say that cod is part of the agreement?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The agreement with OCI was a plan for the future.

The exemptions are separate from that agreement, and I can tell you

why. There were numerous

exemptions that were talked about this House yesterday and talked about

publicly. A very small amount, a

relatively small amount, of the cod was actually shipped out last year.

Shipping out cod is about providing opportunity to find

new markets, new mechanisms to build industry and build business in

Newfoundland and Labrador, because we know we need to find a way to build

the industry of the fishery of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, this is about the best interests of those,

especially in rural parts of our Province, who rely on the fisheries,

communities who rely on the fisheries, FFAW who want to represent their

harvesters and their plant workers, and we are here working with all of

those stakeholders.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, my comment to the Premier was about his comments

that he made in this House and to the people of this Province and the people

of Fortune and that area just yesterday when he said this agreement back in

2012 has nothing to do with cod.

I ask the Premier: Do you stand by the comments that

you made yesterday?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I can tell the member opposite that their vision is

about cod; their vision is about sustainability in the long term.

The agreement was about trying to find a way to process yellowtail

here in the Province. What has

happened in the catches this year is that what they have seen during the

winter they saw last year in the winter is that the catch was smaller

than was anticipated. In their

business plan, they had anticipated a certain size of the catch that will

allow a certain level of production in their plant.

If that catch is not there and they are not achieving the catch and

the goal that they require, it makes it difficult to process what they are

not catching.

We have an option here.

We work with the company, we work with the community, we work with

the union, we work with the workers, Mr. Speaker, we work with the town to

ensure that work is provided in Fortune; or we say to OCI, thirty-two weeks

or nothing. Because we know what

OCI will do. They will pack up

and leave, Mr. Speaker, and we do not want that.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, part of entering into an agreement is that

someone needs to keep companies and people who invest in the Province

accountable to the agreements that they sign.

In 2012, OCI clearly signed an agreement with your government and

it says this, that cod production will begin in January 2013, with

approximately sixty jobs being created.

So what has changed since that agreement was signed, I

say to the Premier? Do you stand

by the comments that you made yesterday?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker, I will tell this House what I stand by.

I stand by working with the people of Fortune to ensure they have the

best opportunity in the fishery for those people who rely on processing jobs

in Fortune.

That is what we stand by over here.

We stand by the willingness to work with industry and business in

this Province no matter where it is to create jobs and create

opportunities for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

We stand by the growth of the fishery, Mr. Speaker.

We stand by giving them a chance to make a go of it in small

harbours, and small ports, and small towns.

That is what we stand by over here.

We stand by those people, and we want a fishery that is going to be

sustainable for the long term.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I can tell you one place that this Premier is not

standing by the people that is in Fortune, because there is no fish

processing line at that plant today, I say, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BALL:

Mr. Speaker, it has been reported that the government cuts to Memorial

University in Budget 2015 will be much higher than originally suggested.

We understand that a $20.9 million pension payment has been deferred.

So I ask the Premier: Can you confirm that this pension

payment was deferred?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Justice and Public Safety.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, I can confirm a number of things relative to

Memorial University and the pension plan.

Since 2005, we have been working with memorial to invest in the

pension plan that is part of legislative requirements to the tune of

about $129 million. As part of

Budget 2015, we have worked with the university to try to find some savings

in a number of areas, and one of the areas that we have targeted is the

pension plan, Mr. Speaker.

As I am sure the member opposite has heard from

representatives of the university, they recognize that they have a

responsibility it is a pension plan that belongs to their members, not to

the people of the Province, the general public, and they recognize they have

to find a solution to that, and they are committed to try and find that

solution.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, in September, the former Premier reached an

agreement with the Public Service Pension Plan Reform and it was called a

sustainable solution. Last

month, we saw the government reach an agreement with the Teachers' Pension

Plan, but now, they are deferring payments from the Memorial Pension Plan.

How can you say that this is a sustainable solution by

kicking this payment down the road for the next generation?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Justice and Public Safety.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KING:

Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of the agreement we reached on the Public

Service Pension Plan, and we are very proud of the agreement we reached on

the Teachers' Pension Plan, because it shows the leadership of our Premier

and this government and our commitment to the public service employees.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KING:

We also recognize, Mr. Speaker, that members of the pension plan at Memorial

University are not part of the public service nor the teacher pension plan.

We have been talking to them.

They recognize they have ownership of that particular problem.

They recognize and thank government for the tremendous investment we

made over the last ten years to try and sustain that plan, but they also

recognize they have to get the deficit in order for the long-term viability

of the plan, and that is what they are working towards.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would suggest to the minister, this not about saving

if you are actually deferring a payment that will have to be made.

I ask the Premier: Was there any discussion with your

government with the Board of Regents or with Memorial University on this

deferred payment?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Justice and Public Safety.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KING:

Mr. Speaker, we have had significant discussions with Memorial University on

this particular issue, just like we did with the teacher plan, with members

of the Teachers' Union and with the Public Service Pension Plan with NAPE,

and we will continue to have those discussions.

I say to the member opposite, this is not about kicking

the problem down the road. It is

about taking the challenges head on this year and recognizing that there is

a $20 million problem to solve.

If we wanted to play politics, we could simply pay the money this year, get

through an election, and then break the news to them that there is a $20

million problem.

This Premier has taken the leadership to make the right

decisions today because it has to be made.

We are telling Memorial that we have to find a solution to the

problem. We will work with them

but they have to be a partner in that problem, and we have to start at it

today.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We know the process here about the pension plan reform.

This was an actuaries report and there was $20.9 million that they

were expected to pay this year.

I ask the minister: Was this a suggestion by your

government to defer this pension plan payment?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Justice and Public Safety.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KING:

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite would well know, any decisions that were

made as part of a Budget that has been tabled here by the Minister of

Finance would be decisions of this government, but what I can say to the

member opposite is that we have had significant discussions about all

aspects of our Budget as it pertains to Memorial University.

Over many days, we have had officials in.

Over a period of weeks, perhaps even over a period of months, I do

not recall, but I participated in most of those meeting, Mr. Speaker.

I can tell you there were significant discussions about trying to

right-size the budget of Memorial in the context of the Budget challenges

the Province faced, and right-size the pension liability over there,

recognizing we could not continue to sustain a deficit pension problem, Mr.

Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, it is difficult to right-size a liability, I say

to the minister. A liability is

a liability, it is tough to right-size that.

This government announced the construction of a

long-term care facility in Pleasantville in 2008.

That is seven years ago, Mr. Speaker.

It finally opened last September.

Government had seven years to develop and implement a human resources

plan for that facility but they are currently short twenty-six staff.

Because of that, we now have thirty beds that are still not open.

I ask the Premier: Why haven't you been able to fill

these positons and open the long-term care beds?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, patient safety is a top priority.

We are not going to open beds unless we have sufficient staff in

place to do so. That is the

expectation I have of Eastern Health.

We are constantly recruiting LPNs and PCAs as well.

We have recruited many, but there has also been attrition, which is a

major challenge we are dealing with throughout the health system.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. KENT:

There are many initiatives being undertaken to recruit and retain staff.

We are working with the Centre for Nursing Studies.

We are working with Advanced Education and Skills.

We are working with the College of the North Atlantic.

We have been recruiting internationally.

We have many other efforts, including bursaries and other incentives

in order to retain and attract staff.

We will continue those efforts, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In all fairness, seven years to construct the facility

and you did not have time to recruit people, put people in place for when

the doors opened. Mr. Speaker,

that is just not good enough for the people of this Province.

Government is having a hard time finding workers at the facility

because simply they did not plan during the construction period.

Now we understand they are running the facility on overtime to fill

the staffing vacancies.

I ask the Premier: You knew this issue was coming for

years, why didn't you plan before you opened the facility?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, the St. John's long-term care facility loses, on average, five

employees a month due to turnover.

We are talking about a facility that has 545 employees.

There are many efforts being made to recruit and retain staff.

To deal with this current situation, we have also opened fifteen

additional beds at Chancellor Park.

We are constantly monitoring the wait-list.

We are constantly working on the long-term care bed supply and we

also have a detailed human-resources plan being developed to address some of

the longer-term staffing needs.

That human resource plan, that workforce plan, will be unveiled in the weeks

ahead, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, when a child or youth is in the continuous custody of CYS, CYF

is the sole guardian. They have

the right to make all decisions regarding the child, including decisions

around medical treatment and where they live.

At sixteen, a youth can sign out of continuous custody, but

government policy states that they cannot sign back in.

I ask the minister: Will you change this policy so

youth who realize they have made a mistake about a critical life decision

can have their continuous custody reinstated; doesn't everybody have a

second chance?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. S. COLLINS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I can say to the member across the way, I give him an

unequivocal word that that is not the case.

Any youth who signs out of care can come back in with a youth

services agreement.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I have spoken on this quite a few

times here in the House of Assembly.

A youth services agreement is a voluntary service; but again, if a

youth comes out of the system, they are more than welcome to come back in.

I will make sure there are no barriers whatsoever.

If a youth wants to enter back into the system with youth services

agreement, we are going to be there for them, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, we are talking about vulnerable youth with complex needs.

They very well may voluntarily choose to sign out of care, but they

are being told and we can confirm this that they cannot sign back in.

This is an unnecessarily harsh policy.

I ask the minister: Can you confirm that there are no

barriers whatsoever we are being told there are; can you confirm that

there are none?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. S. COLLINS:

Mr. Speaker, I can confirm again unequivocally that if a youth checks out of

service, if you will, they can come back and sign back on with a voluntary

youth services agreement, I can assure you.

Again, it gives me an opportunity to talk a little bit

about the enhancements that we have made to that since 2011 since changing

the legislation the changes we have made to that legislation to be able to

enhance it and services that we are able to provide.

If given the opportunity, I would like to be able to talk a little

bit about the umbrella of services that are available now to youth.

If they come out of that system, I can guarantee you,

Mr. Speaker, I can guarantee the member across the way, they are eligible to

come back in with youth services agreement.

It is there, and again, I will do everything I can as minister in our

department to support that youth.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl South.

MR. LANE:

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister Responsible for Workplace, Health Safety

and Compensation Commission said he had not heard from the Marystown

Shipyard Families Alliance since April.

They replied to him at 7:39 this morning.

They were clear that making another trip to St. John's at their own

expense was not possible and one of the Co-Chairs is ill and unable to

travel. Despite these obstacles,

they keep trying to get this government's attention.

I ask the minister: Will you show some compassion for

these families and clear your

schedule for a one-day trip to Marystown?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister Responsible for the Workplace Health, Safety and

Compensation Commission.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. S. COLLINS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I can confirm I did receive that email this morning and

I can confirm I intend on replying to it.

As I had said earlier, I responded to the initial email back on April

15. I was quite clear that I

would meet with the group in St. John's, given the fact that I am in the

House and performing duties in here.

I can meet with them in the morning, afternoon, evening, whatever

works best for them. If they are

not able to come in here, certainly once the House closes and we have some

time, I would be more than happy to go out there.

For the member to grandstand and say not compassionate

is completely foolish. Let's get

down to the facts. Let's leave

the politics out of it. That is

what I want to do.

When I sit down I want to sit down with the two ladies

who emailed me. I do not need

the member across the way advocating on their behalf.

I am quite happy to hear their concerns because they are important,

and I plan to hear them very soon.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl South.

MR. LANE:

Mr. Speaker, I will let the people of Marystown decide who is being foolish

and who is not.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the minister said he would meet,

as he just said, with the families alliance at any time, morning, noon, or

night, as long as the House was closed and it did not interfere with his

weekends. Well, Friday, May 29,

is a weekday. The House is

closed and he has to pass by the turnoff to Marystown to get to his

district.

I ask the minister: Will you meet with the alliance at

the Marystown Hotel at 2:00 p.m. next Friday?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister Responsible for the Workplace Health, Safety and

Compensation Commission.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. S. COLLINS:

Mr. Speaker, I certainly do not need the member across the way setting my

schedule. I can assure you, as I

can assure the good folks in Marystown and particularly this alliance I

can assure them I am certainly willing to meet with them.

Again, I am not sure why this is even here and why we

are making politics of it. I

know the member inserts himself in this each and every time he can for

grandstanding purposes. I do not

set your

schedule when you go and charge off to the taxpayers when you

attend a dinner at the Good Shepherd.

You do not set my schedule, and I will meet with the members.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl South.

MR. LANE:

Mr. Speaker, as the minister indicates that he only performs his ministerial

duties four days a week with Fridays and weekends off, I ask the Premier:

Will you direct the minister to meet with the families alliance in

Marystown, or will you do it yourself?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family

Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. S. COLLINS:

Mr. Speaker, while the member across the way does not understand what

ministerial duties require and being a rural MHA and a person with a young

family, I certainly balance all of those quite well.

I can assure you my constituents are very happy.

The people I represent in my department are very happy.

I have committed to him and I have said I do not know

why we are speaking about this now I have committed to meet with the

group. I will do so at the

earliest possible opportunity to do so.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have another question for the minister.

I just came into some information relating to the questions and I

felt it pertinent to get it out now.

I have been told that the minister talked about a youth

services agreement that a young can sign back into, but my question was

about continuous custody, which they cannot sign back into, which makes CYFS

their guardian. They cannot sign

back into that.

I ask the minister again: Can you confirm in this House

that this is indeed the case?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. S. COLLINS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am happy to say that we have actually extended that

continuous custody from the age of sixteen to eighteen.

By its very nature and by the very name, it is continuous custody.

So if you were in that as a child, you would progress on through and

after the age of sixteen, you would be allowed to stay within that service.

If you check yourself out voluntarily, you may again,

as I had stated earlier, you may voluntarily re-enter the program again with

the youth services agreement.

I am not sure how much clearer I can be, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, you can sign out voluntarily of continuous custody, but you

cannot sign back into continuous custody.

You cannot do that.

Again, I ask the minister: Are you saying to this House

that is that case? You said the

youth services agreement, but continuous custody is the question here.

I ask you again. There is

a difference.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. S. COLLINS:

There absolutely is a difference, Mr. Speaker, and he just elaborated he

just answered his own question, continuous custody.

You are in the program as a child.

You transition over after the age of sixteen.

You are in continuous custody.

There is no break in service.

If you voluntarily check yourself out of that

continuous custody, you are able as I had said, no barriers to re-enter

again under the youth services agreement.

AN HON. MEMBER:

(Inaudible).

MR. S. COLLINS:

If the member would allow me to finish, I am happy to stand on my feet and

answer his question another ten times because I would like to be able to

talk about the enhancements we made back in 2011 and how that is serving the

youth of the Province.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Mr. Speaker, the minister tabled overinflated forestry job numbers in the

House. Given that your own

government department stated in 2008, before paper mill and saw mill shut

downs, there were only 300 value-added forestry jobs.

I ask the minister: Why are you inaccurately stating

there are more than 1,000 direct value-added jobs today?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister Responsible for the Forestry and Agrifoods Agency.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. GRANTER:

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure of the line of questioning, whether he is

questioning the good people at my department or not who work through the

numbers as he requested.

The pulp and paper sector as the numbers were

presented here in the House of Assembly direct 534, indirect and induced

534; sawmilling, 210; value-added, 1,075; harvesting, 720, with indirect and

induced at 720, for a total of 2,539; plus the additional 450 government

employees who work in the forest sector in the Province, Mr. Speaker, adds

up to the total presented in the House.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Three thousand indirect and induced jobs are five times the number as what

government purported in 2008.

Mr. Speaker, in April, 2013, Dr. Wade Locke delivered a

presentation on resources and Newfoundland and Labrador's future at Grenfell

Campus. Dr. Locke's job numbers

for forestry, logging, and paper manufacturing state more than a 2,000 job

loss since 2005, with just over 1,000 direct jobs in 2012.

This more accurately reflects today's direct employment.

I ask the minister: Is your government endorsed

economist, Dr. Wade Locke, wrong on his numbers or are you?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon. the Minister Responsible for the Forestry and

Agrifoods Agency.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. GRANTER:

Mr. Speaker, I am not going to stand in this House and criticize or evaluate

the good work of either people inside government or anyone on the outside of

government, whether you are a public servant or not.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. GRANTER:

Mr. Speaker, I find it absolutely appalling that a member opposite would

actually criticize either people inside government or people outside

government. I genuinely

presented the numbers that were presented to me through my department with

regard to the number of people directly, indirectly, and induced, Mr.

Speaker, in the forestry industry of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MR. OSBORNE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Picture our award winning tourism ads, Mr. Speaker,

pristine fields of dandelions, large icebergs, and clothes hanging on the

clothesline, a positive image to the people of the world.

Mr. Speaker, picture this, miles of debris, large household items in

ditches, garbage blowing in the wind, all on the route from the airport.

Last year, Transportation and Works cleaned up the Outer Ring Road on

June 29 while thousands of visitors were arriving at the airport.

I ask the minister: Will you commit to an earlier

cleanup of the Outer Ring Road this year so our visitors' first impression

is the same positive impression they see from our tourism ads?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The hon. member must have listened to the two

interviews I gave this morning.

One with Cecil Hare at CBS, and one with VOCM, where I noted and outlined

that the cleanup for the Outer Ring Road will proceed this year on Sunday,

June 14. The posted signs will

go up in the next number of days telling people.

We will be doing our public announcements, Mr. Speaker.

We have to mobilize almost forty staff.

This is a cost to the taxpayers, but a valuable cost, to show that we

have a clean, viable Province here and at the Outer Ring Road.

We are also working very closely with the City of St.

John's to ensure that we eliminate this type of debris being on our

highways, Mr. Speaker. Phase I

will happen on June 14, ahead of the time frame, and the following will

happen a couple of weeks later.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Staffing is so tight at the St. John's Long-Term Care

Facility that annual leave for staff may be denied over the summer.

There are not enough temporary call-in staff available to fill

positions.

I ask the Premier: What is government's plan to deal

with this current situation?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Justice and Public Safety.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As the member opposite would know, staffing is always a

challenge summertime in any government department whether it is education,

health, or within the Confederation Building here or otherwise.

We are committed, as we always are, to work with our Department of

Human Resources, through all departments, particularly with Eastern Health,

to make sure we do our best to accommodate employees and ensure vacation

time is provided, but at the same time that important positions are always

staffed appropriately.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

We know we have a complex situation over there.

It is already understaffed, beds are closed, there is a waiting time

and now the staff are not going to get a summer break.

Mr. Speaker, in Estimates the minister noted new staff

are being recruited but he also said existing staff are leaving at such a

rate that they cannot open a new ward.

I ask the Premier: Why are staff leaving the St. John's

Long-Term Care Facility?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated earlier today in Question Period, attrition is a

reality throughout the public service.

It is a reality in any organization.

The St. John's Long-Term Care Facility loses on average five

employees a month due to staff turnover.

We are talking about a facility with 545 positions.

That said, Mr. Speaker, we are constantly working to

recruit and retain the staff we need, particularly licensed practical nurses

and personal care attendants. We

have solid human resource plans in place.

We have opened up additional beds at Chancellor Park, and we know the

member opposite does not support that.

We are undertaking a number of other initiatives as well, Mr.

Speaker, including international recruitment.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MS ROGERS:

Mr. Speaker, this morning I attended a meeting with housing advocates who

desperately need housing for supportive housing projects.

They would know how to use the assets of Newfoundland and Labrador

Housing to address some of our growing housing crisis.

I ask the minister: Has he consulted with

municipalities, housing advocates, seniors groups, community groups working

with homelessness, or even considered the recommendations of the OrgCode

report before deciding to sell Newfoundland and Labrador Housing assets?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I can tell the member opposite and Members of the House

of Assembly, that Newfoundland and Labrador Housing actually does a

considerable amount of consultation in partnership with community groups and

organizations, Mr. Speaker. They

have a very strong network that they work with throughout Newfoundland and

Labrador.

They partner with members of industry and business who

have a desire to make improvements to housing opportunities throughout

Newfoundland and Labrador. They

also regularly consult with the on-the-ground organizations that are very

close, and housing is very important to them, Mr. Speaker.

They do a good job, Mr. Speaker, over at Newfoundland

and Labrador Housing. We are

proud of the work they do. They

continue to do good work and provide good opportunities for Newfoundlanders

and Labradorians.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MS ROGERS:

Mr. Speaker, that is not what I am hearing from the groups regarding

consultation of the sale of assets belonging to Newfoundland and Labrador

Housing.

I ask the minister: Why would he sell Newfoundland and

Labrador Housing assets that belong to the people before he even has a

comprehensive provincial housing strategy or plan?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker, there are a number of projects and plans that Newfoundland and

Labrador Housing are engaged with at any given time.

They are very broad. They

vary greatly throughout Newfoundland and Labrador and they have different

opportunities and different programs and services.

They have some that are about land assembly, land

development, land development opportunities to partner with private

business. Mr. Speaker, they also

partner with private business in the development and growth of housing that

is affordable for those who need those types of housing.

So they have a broad range.

They have a strong network with community groups and

organizations throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

I know for a fact they talk to those groups on a regular basis.

They engage with them on a regular basis, Mr. Speaker, and they do

that throughout the Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The time for Question Period has expired.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Tabling of Documents.

Notices of Motion.

Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the

undersigned residents of Newfoundland and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS government has a responsibility to ensure that

Internet access is broadly available so people have the right to access the

Internet in order to exercise and enjoy the rights to freedom of expression

and opinion, and other fundamental human rights; and

WHEREAS the Town of Goose Cove still remains without

broadband services; and

WHEREAS residents rely on Internet services for

education, business, communication, and social activity; and

WHEREAS wireless and wired technologies exist to

provide broadband service to rural communities to replace slower dial-up

service;

We, the undersigned, petition the House of Assembly to

urge government to assist providers to ensure the Town of Goose Cove is a

recipient of broadband Internet services in Newfoundland and Labrador.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, this petition is signed by all residents

of Goose Cove. It is an

important matter for them, and something that, when it comes to the

internet, I have been speaking with providers.

They are very interested in providing the service, but there are cost

barriers to making sure of the infrastructure.

So I would hope that in the broadband program, the

money that is carried over, that should a positive proposal be put forward

and we can lever the right partnerships, we can get this done for the people

of Goose Cove that is just a few kilometres outside of the Town of St.

Anthony to build a stronger region when it comes to new business

opportunities and economic development, and housing starts and growth in

that town.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Also making the opportunity for municipalities to do the work in business.

We see more things are going online all the time when it comes to the

services and being able to commute and share what a municipality is doing

with its residents.

We have seen where this government has provided funding

to various communities across the Province and there are still well over

100 communities without broadband internet.

This is a town, a town that is incorporated, that is not an

exponential cost, it should be provided

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. MITCHELMORE:

to the eighty-four households of Goose Cove so we can see opportunities

and give people equal opportunity and access to important telecommunications

services that are needed, that are needed to build a prosperous economy and

community.

So, Mr. Speaker, this is not the first time I have

presented this petition, and I am sure it will not be the last time.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

To the House of Assembly of the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the

undersigned residents humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS privatized nursing homes lower operating costs

by paying lower wages, de-unionizing, laying people off, and cutting staff

in these facilities; and

WHEREAS studies have established that for-profit

nursing homes are associated with lower quality of services and poorer

resident health outcomes, including an increased risk of hospitalization;

and

WHEREAS Auditors General of the Provinces of Nova

Scotia, New Brunswick, and Ontario have reported that P3s cost taxpayers

more;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge government to immediately

stop the privatization of long-term care.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to stand and represent the

voices of people from Grand Falls, Port au Port, Port Leamington, Botwood,

other places here Bishop's Falls, Grand Falls again, Springdale, Birchy

Bay, people in the Province who are quite concerned about the new direction

that this government is going in with regard to long-term care.

What is very disturbing is that this government seems

to be ignoring what has happened in other parts of Canada when long-term

care has become part of public-private partnerships.

A lovely word that partnerships, it makes it sound very nice and

something very good to do, but we know that every P3 hospital in Ontario has

experienced huge cost overruns and all the financial information has been

hidden from the public. In North

Bay in Sault Ste. Marie, the hospitals have more than doubled in capital

costs alone, these P3 hospitals.

The rumors in Niagara are that the hospital cost has

increased dramatically, though nothing is public yet, and this word comes

from a report that has been done.

Mr. Speaker, the experiences out there in this country,

and in Europe and in the UK, are showing us that P3s cost more money.

They do not give the same level of services.

They create fewer staff because the bottom line for P3s is making a

profit, and we cannot have profit making being done on the backs of our

people who need long-term care.

The people who are signing these petitions and sending

them in to me know what they are talking about, because they know what is

happening in other parts of the country.

They are asking this government to pay attention and to not take the

direction that is being talked about by them, a direction that is talked

about by their Premier and the Minister of Finance and the Minister of

Health.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile, standing on a point of order?

MR. A. PARSONS:

Yes, Mr. Speaker.

Prior to the petition that was just

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. A. PARSONS:

Prior to the petition that was just read there was some back and forth

between the sides and a comment was made by the Member for Terra Nova that

there were bigots on the other side, and that the other side should get

their bigots in order. Now, I believe

there was a ruling made in this House on Tuesday and yesterday about

unparliamentary language, and I would say that such language, according to

Bosc and O'Brien page 618, is offensive, provocative, and insulting.

I would ask the member to withdraw the commentary, to

apologize, and to refrain from such comments in this House.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The Speaker did not hear such commentary.

I will take time over the next day or so to look at Hansard, to

review the webcast, and to see if there is any evidence to back up the

member's claim.

Further petitions?

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

MS DEMPSTER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the

undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS most communities in the District of Cartwright

L'Anse au Clair do not have adequate broadband service; and

WHEREAS residents, businesses, students, nurses, and

teachers rely heavily on the Internet to conduct their work and cannot

afford to wait until 2016 or later to access a potential plan in partnership

with the Muskrat Falls development; and

WHEREAS there are a number of world-class tourism sites

in the region, including UNESCO site at Red Bay, Battle Harbour Historic

Site, and the Mealy Mountains National Park;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

pray and call upon the House of Assembly

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS DEMPSTER:

to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to work with the

appropriate agencies

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS DEMPSTER:

to provide adequate broadband services to communities along the Labrador

Coast.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, many times I have stood on my feet and

brought forward petitions on broadband issues on behalf of the District of

Cartwright L'Anse au Clair and every day I get new emails.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS DEMPSTER:

Every day I get new emails of frustration with the broadband issues that is

crippling tourism in the district, that is crippling business use in the

district, and that is absolutely almost of no use to the people who reside

in the area, Mr. Speaker. In the

Labrador Straits we have seen recent improvements, but down in Southeast it

continues to be atrocious.

The town of St. Lewis, Mr. Speaker, told me this

morning in an email their speed was 0.06.

Even the service provider said a bare minimum should be 0.79.

The Town of St. Lewis said it took a half a day to download emails.

I understand their frustration because when I am home in the

district, most of the time I cannot even access my own email.

I would not dream of trying to download or do work, Mr. Speaker.

This is a very serious problem for the region.

It is a problem for tourism.

It is a problem for businesses that cannot even use a basic Interac

machine, Mr. Speaker. It is a

problem for the professionals there who are trying to further and advance

their education through online courses and things like that.

Mr. Speaker, a bare minimum for high-speed Internet

should be 1.5 megabytes per second is my understanding.

We are nowhere near that in the area.

I understand that there is a new updated proposal with new figures

that the provider has submitted to the provincial government.

Mr. Speaker, I would encourage the Province to work

with the feds and the service provider to try and bring the residents in

southeast, in those five or six communities, up to where they need to be

with the rest of the Province.

In this technological age of 2015, we should not be stuck where we cannot

even send and receive a basic email.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Conception Bay South.

MR. HILLIER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

A petition to the hon. House of Assembly of the

Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition

of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS the Town of Conception Bay South is the second

largest municipality in the Province with a population of approximately

26,000 people; and

WHEREAS recent dangerous incidents on community streets

have highlighted concerns of high speed and inadequate traffic control in

Conception Bay South; and

WHEREAS residents, organized groups and the town

continue to raise awareness about pedestrian safety along main streets and

the lack of police presence in Conception Bay South;

We the undersigned, petition the House of Assembly to

urge government to review the level of policing in Conception Bay South with

an objective of increasing policing services and improving public safety for

residents.

Mr. Speaker, I have brought this petition forward on

several occasions. I would first

like to point out I am not criticizing in any way the work that the RNC

currently do in the Town of Conception Bay South.

They approach their jobs in a very professional manner.

I feel the issue here is tied more to the degree of policing,

perception of residents, and the visibility of police in the community.

Mr. Speaker, this petition came about from two points

of focus. First of all, there is

a major concern in the district regarding speeding and dangerous driving.

Route 60 and the Foxtrap Access Road are provincial highways, major

highways running through the town.

On those highways we have eight schools with students walking 1.6

kilometres on each of those highways, to each of those eight schools.

Recently, Mayor McDonald also expressed concerns about

safety on the Conception Bay South Bypass Road as a result of several

accidents over a couple of week period.

This is not only a concern on major highways.

It is also a concern on residential streets.

Our deputy mayor recently said speeding and dangerous driving are

currently the biggest issues we have to deal with in our town.

Mr. Speaker, recently a Facebook group has come forward

expressing concerns about this.

I dealt with it as a ward councillor.

I dealt with it in the area of the Minister of Justice's street.

He is certainly aware of it.

Mr. Speaker, at one point in time the RNC had a

neighbourhood policing office in the Town of Conception Bay South.

This has been phased out since 2013 and has not been replaced.

The Minister of Justice will tell us that the model of

neighborhood policing is no longer the model of the RNC and that the RNC are

now basing their policing as an intelligence-based policing.

This may well be the case, Mr. Speaker, but residents are clearly

concerned that they do not see a regular police presence in their

neighborhoods.

Thank you very much.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. George's Stephenville East.

MR. REID:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have a petition to present on health care in the

Heatherton to Highlands area.

The petition reads: To the hon. House of Assembly of

the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the

petition of the undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS there has not been a permanent doctor at the

clinic in Jeffrey's for almost a year; and

WHEREAS the absence of a permanent doctor is seriously

compromising the health care of people who live in the Heatherton to

Highlands area and causing them undue hardship; and

WHEREAS the absence of a doctor or nurse practitioner

in the area leaves seniors without a consistency and quality of care which

is necessary for their continued good health;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of

Newfoundland and Labrador to take action which will result in a permanent

doctor or other arrangements to improve the health care services in the

Heatherton to Highlands area.

Mr. Speaker, this is a petition I presented to this

House a number of times before.

I continue to receive petitions and I will continue to present them to this

House until this situation is looked after because it is a very serious

situation when people in an area do not have access to the basic services of

a doctor or nurse practitioner.

The primary care is not just there, Mr. Speaker, in

these communities. It causes all

kinds of problems. People have

trouble getting to see a doctor.

They have to travel long distances to get in to see a doctor.

They have to wait in emergency rooms, usually all day.

They do not have a consistency of care.

They have locums who visit the community every couple of weeks or so

for a few days. They do not have

a consistency of care, which is necessary for good health.

The doctors they are seeing do not know their history, so they are

not giving them the type of care people deserve.

I am disappointed a doctor or nurse practitioner has

not been found for this clinic in Jeffrey's.

The petition says the situation has gone on for over a year, but it

is my understanding a doctor has not been there for about a year-and-a-half

now, Mr. Speaker.

A similar situation exists in St. George's as well.

The doctor has been gone there for about half a year now.

It causes problems throughout the system, not just to the people in

those areas but also to people who have emergencies who are going to the

hospital in Stephenville. They

cannot get in. They have to wait

longer times because they have people thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the time

to present this petition.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER:

Orders of the Day.

Orders of the Day

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

First of all, I move, seconded by the Minister of

Fisheries and Aquaculture, Motion 7, pursuant to Standing Order 11 that the

House will not adjourn at 5:30 p.m. today, Thursday, May 21, 2015.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. KING:

I further move, Mr. Speaker, seconded by the Minister of Fisheries and

Aquaculture, Motion 8, pursuant to Standing Order 11 that the House not

adjourn at 10:00 p.m. today, Thursday, May 21, 2015.

MR. SPEAKER:

The motion is that this House not adjourn at 5:30 p.m. today and furthermore

that the House not adjourn at 10:00 p.m.

All those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay.'

The motion is carried.

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

At this time I would like to call Motion 1, that the

House approves in general the budgetary policy of the government, the Budget

Speech.

MR. SPEAKER:

Resuming debate on the Budget Speech, the amendment.

The hon. the Member for Humber East.

MR. FLYNN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The last time I stood here I talked about the broken

promises, I guess, of the people of the Corner Brook area.

I may get an opportunity the next time I stand here to speak to that,

but today I would like to speak to the House on my critic role, which is

tourism. I feel I have some

knowledge of that, having served in the industry for nearly forty years.

As we get into July, it will be forty years since I entered the

tourism industry and I feel I have some sense of where this industry has

gone.

Again, having served as President of Hospitality

Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Cruise Association for a number of years,

I have certainly seen some very positive activity within the industry.

I congratulate, not only this government on that growth, but

governments past because we have come a long way to the industry.

Being from the West Coast, I always felt and my

decision to move there, one of the main reasons why we went there is that we

had actually four seasons, unlike many other areas of the Province.

I was very happy with that and I think we have some great product.

When I look at Marble Mountain and the opportunities that we have

there, when I look at Gros Morne and the opportunities we have there

although it would not hurt for some of the mainland companies to actually

get our geography straight, but that is an issue that we raised earlier this

week.

I think why I stand here today and talk about why

tourism matters; tourism spending in Newfoundland is a $1.1 billion industry

which is spread out right across the Province annually.

This is particularly important to rural parts of the Province.

Because of the lack of opportunities, this is one of the brighter

signs that we have.

Currently, tourism supports 8 per cent of the

provincial jobs. The demand is

actually outpacing the supply.

There are more than 2,400 tourism businesses located right throughout the

Province. Representing 83 per

cent of these businesses are small- and medium-sized businesses.

In recent years, job growth in tourism has outpaced job

growth in Newfoundland and Labrador overall with a 41 per cent growth in

average hourly compensation in the tourism occupation since 2008.

There is no doubt tourism helps preserve Newfoundland and Labrador's

unique culture, heritage, and indeed history.

Equally as important, it helps grow the economic opportunities of our

rural communities.

Now, I have to congratulate the industry and

government. We heard all of the

comments over the past week about all of the negative things the government

has done. Well, I want to

congratulate them on a number of opportunities throughout this speech,

because I think they are worth bringing up.

When the government looked at Vision 2020 and where

industry and government would like to see this industry go and where it

would like to be by the year 2020, that was an important part of the

planning for the growth of the tourism industry.

I think it is worthwhile to point out that there were three prime

focuses in that growth: one was the tourism strategy for the Province

overall; the other one of course, which is very important, access to the

Province and the transportation challenges that we have; and, indeed some of

the regulatory issues that we have within the industry.

I would like to briefly touch on two of those as we go

through. I think I have already

spoke about and complimented government to have the vision and industry,

because we are there with the people.

I would like to touch on two important areas: the access and

transportation and regulatory.

There are a number of key focus areas that we have got to concentrate on in

access and transportation and the regulatory issues.

I will get into them as I hit onto each one.

I would also like to compliment the industry, who has

had a tourism marketing council, along with government, and the great ads

that they have taken across this country and promoted what I believe is the

best Province in Canada. Even

with the challenges we face today, Mr. Speaker, these are great

opportunities to promote this Province.

There are things that actually work here in the Province.

I would truly like to congratulate the staff, many of them who have

been my friends over the past forty years and have given me advice.

They have done a great job.

So, as we get out across the Province, it would be

nice, I will admit, to see more of my area promoted in these ads but we

will give it time, and hopefully people will speak up, see the value of all

the product that is indeed on the West Coast, and particularly in Humber

East.

I would like to congratulate the business sector for

all of the investments that they have made over the years into the tourism

industry. They have stepped up

to the plate, and over the past fifteen years we have seen the service level

of this industry grow substantially, and the number of star ratings for

hotels as we go across the Province, have generally increased by 50 per

cent. So something is working.

Then when we see the advertising budget for the

Province for this year, the money is put back to the 2013 levels that were

promised by government. So $15

million is what the advertising budget is.

So I guess now I will take on my role as critic, because it is

important to point out while that increase was great, and you did promise

industry that, and it is nice to have some direction where to go, I think it

is important to point out that we are still below 2013 level because

basically the rate of inflation has cut into that budget by about $1 million

since its inception. In actual

fact, we are still working with less money in 2015 than we had in 2013.

The last numbers that I saw and I will round these

figures off here we have basically put $15 million into our advertising

budget; this is an investment for a rate of return.

The Province is actually bringing back, as a result of that $15

million investment, about $140 million in taxes.

That is significant, so we should never look at cutting that budget

back because it is a great return on investment, and I am sure if the

Province could only invest in other infrastructures and other projects like

that we would not be in the position we are today.

Indeed, it is nice to see that budget brought back to its 2013

levels, but we are still weak on the amount of money that we have there

compared to other provinces.

Mr. Speaker, today, just before coming into the House,

we have another letter from the outfitters.

I think that is important to point that out here today because

government got to have an understanding of the tourism industry and, for

that matter, any industry.

Because before we can make policies that actually affect industry, it is

important that we consult with them, that we plan ahead; but obviously, with

the rate increase this year of the big game licences, this has been probably

the most significant negative effect I know it was important to raise

money for the Budget, but we cannot jeopardize the 500 or 600 jobs that are

there in the big game industry because of the greed of government.

Really, I wonder sometimes if the left hand knew what

the right hand was doing when they were actually raising this tax on the

operators throughout the Province.

A 50 per cent increase is hard for any small business to be able to

absorb. Contrary to what the

minister has said, that means your salary for that year.

So we are expecting some of these owners not to have an income for

that year because of errors that I believe this government has made by

raising that fee so much. I

would be happy to share with the minister some of the letters we have had

come in about the negative effect this is having on their industry.

Unfortunately, and I know we have debated this a number

of times, when I go out in 2014 and sell my packages, I cannot foresee that

there is going to be a 50 per cent increase by government in the charge they

are making to the industry people.

So they have no way now of collecting that money.

They are not big corporations.

They cannot absorb that kind of hit in their pocket.

I am basically saying to the minister, reconsider the

action you have taken because this is certainly one area that will be a

detriment to the outfitting industry in this Province.

I am afraid that not all businesses are going to be able to survive

what I call a reckless, unannounced, with no consultation, increases into

this area. Really, it shows not

strong leadership, but it really shows the lack of leadership this

government had in doing that.

Now I am going to refer to another, what I call,

blunder. Again, not showing

strong leadership. You had a

provincial booklet that went out to the public with 30 per cent of the

businesses left out. Mr.

Speaker, surely someone must have realized that we cannot send out booklets

with 30 per cent and 40 per cent of businesses not listed.

Someone should have recognized there was something wrong when that

happened.

Having been a small operator for nearly forty years, as

I said earlier, when I am into January and February and March, I am

wondering how I am going to pay the bills and make it to the summer season.

As a result, as operator I might have been mopping the floor.

Guess what? I might have

been in the kitchen cooking and I might have had to clean the toilets.

Yet, we have to pay these bills.

These are just part of the job description of a small business in

rural Newfoundland and Labrador, and probably in Canada, but I will not

profess to speak about the rest of Canada because I do not know.

While the operator is at fault to some degree,

sometimes we have to say, do you know what?

We have to go back and check this again because there is something

wrong. In this case, there is

definitely something wrong when you had 30 per cent of the businesses left

out of the provincial travel guide.

It is jeopardizing the tourism product in the Province and it is also

jeopardizing the tourism businesses in this Province.

Many parts of this Province, Mr. Speaker, particularly

the rural parts of the Province, have a short season and trying to recover

from being left out the travel guide, it is absolutely ridiculous.

I really find it hard to comprehend that government could not catch

that before these booklets went out.

I know my time is running out and I am not going to

have time to go through all the notes I had here, but I would like to

briefly touch on the Marine Atlantic issue, Mr. Speaker, because since 2002

we have seen these numbers drop by 35 per cent.

This is important for the people of the West Coast.

It demonstrates, if you look at the occupancy rates on the West Coast

because they are seeing significant well, they are seeing decreases in the

numbers over the years.

Marine Atlantic plays a vital role to the development

of the tourism industry. What is

our strategy? This is where I

would like to refer back to government's committee and industry's committee

when they spoke on the access to information.

I am just going to read a passage out of this.

Access and transportation continues to be a major

strategic priority for the growth of the tourism industry.

Travel to, from, and around the province, whether by sea, air, or

road is often inhibited by issues of affordability, capacity, infrastructure

and quality. Newfoundland and

Labrador's tourism industry depends on an accessible, affordable and

reliable transportation system in order to grow and government must

establish a comprehensive multi-modal transportation strategy that will

ensure a reliable, affordable and efficient system that can meet the

evolving needs of the users.

Some key areas where they suggested we focus is

obviously a strategy for Marine Atlantic.

Mr. Speaker, we do not have a strategy for Marine Atlantic.

We had two letters in the past year, according to the minister

maybe it was three, I stand to be corrected.

We have two letters that have been sent to Ottawa.

That is not a great strategy when you are dealing with one of the key

pieces of infrastructure, not only to get tourists to this Province but,

indeed, the economic growth of the Province.

We do not have a relationship with Ottawa that we can

actually do anything about it.

We have turned our back to Ottawa.

Really, Mr. Speaker, in such a key area, this Province should be

discussing with Ottawa these very, very important issues.

It is fine to point your finger at their federal

counterparts but we have to show, in my opinion, what we are doing in

return. Two letters, in my view,

just does not cut it. Having

tourism businesses on the West Coast, talking to operators on the West

Coast, it is really disturbing to see there is such beauty, there is so much

nature there, and to see these opportunities being missed by a lack of

co-operation with the federal government.

The other issue I wanted to raise we have, over the

past number of years, cut the officers across the Province.

I would just like to read from, again, the industry and government

paper on this because I think it is important.

This is in the regulatory issue here.

Small and medium-sized businesses are not only the

backbone of the tourism industry, but also the backbone of the economy.

As such, it is essential that the federal, provincial and municipal

regulatory requirements and processes are flexible, straightforward and

eliminate unnecessary red tape in order to facilitate business growth and

development. For businesses to

successfully operate in a supportive and innovative environment, a concerted

effort must be made to ensure legislation is effective and enforced.

It says three key areas that we have to concentrate on,

and I am going to read all three of them out.

Ensure Room Levies are industry led, focused and managed.

Of course, Mr. Speaker, with a 2 per cent raise now that this

government has decided to introduce, to expect a room levy at this point in

time would be ludicrous, and obviously it cannot be done.

My time is running out here, so I am going to get to

the other one. This one is an

important one, and I am going to be taking this up a little bit later.

Ensure equal-playing field through the enforcement of the Tourism

Establishment Act and Regulations, specifically targeting unlicensed

accommodations throughout the province.

The third one is to protect our natural resources.

These are all key pieces of material that we as a

Province, and I think as this provincial government, has failed to act upon.

They have been sitting on it and I could go on to others, including

the tourism signage across our highway and so on.

There are lots of areas where I can give credit, but I think it is

important to point out what has not been done, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER (Littlejohn):

The hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CRUMMELL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to speak to the Budget

debate here this afternoon. The

Member for Humber East spoke a little bit about tourism.

I am going to respond to that before I get into my notes.

It has some relativity to my Department of Environment and

Conservation. He talked a little

bit about the outfitters and the fees.

So let me just speak to that just to clear the air.

Mr. Speaker, I actually as a young man worked for a

couple of years in an outfitting camp.

I have some knowledge about how these camps operate.

I certainly did not work on it from the business side of the

operation, but did certainly understand and have huge empathy and

understanding of what happens in these camps on a day-to-day basis.

I spent two full summers on a salmon river and I

understand some of the challenges that outfitters face when you are trying

to bring in from the mainland, trying to provide a product that you can sell

and book in advance. So I

totally get it; I totally understand that.

I have spoken to the outfitter organizations and individuals in the

last little while and I understand their concerns about the fee increases.

Mr. Speaker, when we look at the fiscal realities of

where we find ourselves right now and I will get into that a bit further

about why we are here right now with our fiscal reality we have to find

ways to face that and deal with that.

To be responsible, we have to do it in responsible ways.

Mr. Speaker, nobody likes to increase fees.

Nobody likes to do that, but we looked at fees across the board.

Every Newfoundlander and Labradorian has seen some kind of impact on

their lives to a degree, whether it is Motor Vehicle Registration, which I

am responsible for with Service NL, or increases in your fishing licence, or

small game licence, or your moose licences.

People have been impacted in the Province as well.

Mr. Speaker, when you look at when we are talking about

outfitters and increasing those fees by 50 per cent, yes, it seems to be a

little bit much. When we looked

at other jurisdictions and we looked at what was being charged in other

jurisdictions for people who are not from here, who come from away to come

and hunt a resource that we spend millions of dollars a year to maintain, to

enhance, to make sure that it is sustainable, we think it was only fair that

we could get those fees up to a level that is comparable to other

jurisdictions.

Even then, Mr. Speaker, there is no way we will ever be

able to the recoup the investments that we make into that.

It is investments that we make on behalf of the people of the

Province to make sure that outfitters do have a product, they do have a

resource that they can sell, and a product they can sell to people who come

from away.

Mr. Speaker, I spoke to the outfitting operators a

little while ago; I committed to them that we would try to find a way to

help them with this new burden.

There are ways that they can pass these fees on.

Some outfitters if you go online they will charge their set rates

for the run of a week, or a four or five-day hunt that are set rates, with

licence fees separate from that.

So you would have a separate fee over here and if that fee changes well,

that is what you paid. It says

right on your licence when you buy it from the government, it is right

there.

Those outfitters will not be impacted, but the majority

of outfitters do have that all-inclusive package.

I recognize that and I do get that, and they do sell packages in

advance. How do outfitters

respond to changes in the economy, changes to their business?

They have a business model that obviously has some flexibility to

find efficiencies and how they operate or to pick it up in the following

year.

For instance, Mr. Speaker, if the cost of labour goes

up, or the cost of fuel goes up, or the cost of insurance goes up and they

have already got their packages pre-sold, well, obviously there is going to

be an impact in their business.

Being a businessman myself, in my former life, what you would do is find a

way to pick it up the next year.

So if you have a few dollars that are lost this year, you would find a way

to pick it up next year.

What we have achieved and what we have done, Mr.

Speaker, is talked to the Outfitters Association of Newfoundland and

Labrador and we came to terms this is just out there now; we just sent a

letter earlier this week and we are going to allow them to pay for the

licences that they secure from Wildlife and Conservation, that they secure

from us, pay them in 2016. By

January 31, 2016, they will be able to pay for the licences.

Mr. Speaker, they can now start selling their packages today for

2016-2017 going forward and they can raise their rates to a level where they

can recoup what the rate increases were for this year and years going

forward and, in fact, find ways to put more money in their pocket.

Most of these hunts, Mr. Speaker, when you look at

moose and the rate a moose hunt now is about $500; I do not have the

figures here in front of me for a fee from us.

They charge up to between $4,000, $7,000, $8,000, $9,000 and $10,000

for a five, six, or seven-day hunt.

It depends on what kind of hunt it is going to be.

If it is remote and you have to fly in, if you are using a helicopter

and you have to get there, success rates of the camp, different elements of

the experience, you can charge up to $7,000, $8,000, $9,000 or $10,000.

Well, if you charge a 5 per cent fee, you can pick up

that $175, which is double the fee on top of what you are paying there now

for the moose alone, in one year and even more so, Mr. Speaker.

So what we are offering here is something, I think, is palatable.

I think it is something that the outfitters of Newfoundland and

Labrador will receive very warmly.

When you look at caribou, the caribou licences now are

gone up to around $700 gone up 50 per cent.

Newfoundland, insular Newfoundland, is the only place in North

America, and perhaps the world, where you can hunt caribou.

Caribou here are trophy caribou.

They are charging anywhere from $6,000 and $7,000 and $8,000 up to

$10,000 and $12,000 for a hunt for caribou.

It is a valuable resource.

Almost 50 per cent of the licences that we give out for caribou are

given out to the outfitting industry.

So Newfoundlanders and Labradorians only get access to half the

resource that we are able to harvest.

So, Mr. Speaker, we have been taking outfitters concerns into

perspective, into consideration when we are making these decisions.

So, again, Mr. Speaker, there are ways that outfitters

can recoup those monies. Just

like any other business has to recoup their monies when they see fee

increases or insurance goes up, or the cost of labour goes up or the cost of

fuel goes up, or the cost of food goes up.

I think we have been very responsible.

Certainly, what I have committed to do with the

outfitters association is to keep the lines of communication open, to meet

on a more regular basis to better understand their industry and their wants

and needs, because they are the experts.

We totally get that. We

want to be partners with them.

We want to continue to make sure the resource is sustainable, the resource

they are offering to people that come from away.

It is an important piece of business for our Province.

Mr. Speaker, the commitment is there.

We will continue to work hard to make sure that the outfitters of the

Province are viable, that there is a resource there they can access, and

that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians will support them in every way they

can.

I just want to talk a little bit about the Budget and

where we are today. I hear on

the other side on many occasions, they talk about what happened to the

money, what happened to the oil money.

I have talked to several people about that because it does resonate

out there. People have a

legitimate right to ask that question.

It is money that goes into this Province from the offshore and

royalties and other benefits as well.

We have seen significant economic growth over the last ten years and

significant dollars come into the coffers here, Mr. Speaker.

The money that we got out of the oil patch was

investments that were made right here in this Province.

We did not take that money and just throw it away.

We invested in many things, and you could add it up pretty quickly

where the money went.

Just a few buckets that I can mention here now will

attribute for a vast majority of the revenues that we took from the

offshore. We spent over $6

billion in infrastructure in this Province in the last ten years.

Almost $6.6 billion, I think if the numbers are correct.

New and renovated schools, new health care facilities, upgraded road

infrastructure, and new and enhanced municipal infrastructure.

In my district alone, we have a new high school.

It is a $40 million high school that is going to open up this

September. Mr. Speaker, it is a

significant investment in my district.

It is long in coming.

The Convention Centre here in the city is another $30

million. You look around this

Province or you look around this city, which I am a member who represents

the west end of St. John's; it is incredible what we have seen in the city

from investments made by this government.

We are talking about $6 billion there.

When you look at other ways we have used that money,

Mr. Speaker, we decreased taxes, we decreased fees up to the accumulative

effect over the last ten years is $3 billion; $3 billion that is in the

pockets of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians that they spent to continue to

grow this economy, that they continue to create jobs if they are small

business people, and that is $3 billion.

Right there, that is $9.6 billion that we are talking and counting,

and counting.

Mr. Speaker, when we look at what we paid down on our

debt. We paid $3.4 billion down

on our debt. We did that four

years ago; five years ago, I believe it was.

We are up to $12 billion, almost $13 billion in that math alone.

We are at $13 billion before we start talking about other investments

we made in this Province, Mr. Speaker.

If we look at the public service, if we look at the

people of the Province, the people who work for the people of the Province,

people who do the work day in and day out, the cumulative effect over the

last ten years, a 30 per cent salary increase.

We have hired on more people, absolutely.

We hear it when we hear the Opposition say perhaps we have too many

people working for government. I

am not ready to go there yet and talk about and debate that, but here we

are.

Mr. Speaker, if you add up the money, 60 per cent of

all the money that government spends is on salaries.

If you look at the cumulative effect of 30 per cent salary increases

and the people we just hired, we are up to $2 billion or $3 billion there.

We are up to like $16 billion, $17 billion in four buckets that I

just talked about. Where did the

oil money go? Mr. Speaker, it is

right there in front of us.

When the Opposition say we have wasted that money, Mr.

Speaker, nothing is further from the truth.

We have made smart investments.

We invested in the people of the Province.

We invested in our public service.

We expanded our programs, we expanded our services.

We invested in education and health care.

We invested in aquaculture, Mr. Speaker.

There are so many other areas we invested money, and we did it very

wisely. We have helped to

diversify this economy, and we have also invested in Nalcor.

Let's talk about Nalcor just for a minute.

Nalcor, the Opposition over there, they make it like they are the

big, bad guys; they are the big, bad boogeymen or something.

They are something we should be ashamed of, something that should not

exist.

Mr. Speaker, the people of the Province own that

company. It is the people's

energy company. This company is

something we are investing in that is going to pay us back for generations

to come, for years and years to come through Muskrat Falls.

Yes, we spent money out of revenues from oil to invest in Muskrat

Falls. We took that money and not

only invested in Muskrat Falls, we invested in oil and gas projects, but a

large amount of that money did go into Muskrat Falls, Mr. Speaker.

Nalcor is going to be self-sufficient by 2017.

What is that going to mean for the people of the Province?

In 2017, they are going to start paying money back in.

They are going to pay off the $3 billion that was going to be

invested into that company by oil money, by money that we have borrowed.

That money is going to be paid off by 2025.

So, by 2025 we are going to pay off that $3 billion.

Every year after that there is going to be a minimum of a

billion-plus dollars that is going to go into the coffers of this

government, of the people of the Province, of the companies they own.

We will make a decision on how that money is going to be spent.

We will make a decision on roads and health care and education and

Memorial University, and maybe that day will come when we will have free

tuition and the place that we would like to get to.

Nalcor is going to be a big piece of that.

It is a visionary piece of what we have done as a government.

For anybody to stand up and say that is a waste of money, Mr.

Speaker, they are talking through their hat.

They are not speaking the truth.

They do not understand how it works.

Mr. Speaker, by 2041, we are going to take over

Churchill Falls us, the people of the Province.

Surely, we should own that resource right now fully.

So, over a billion dollars a year Quebec Hydro is getting from

Churchill Falls. By 2041, that

number is probably going to be, what, $2 billion, $3 billion a year?

Mr. Speaker, 2041, my children I am fifty-two now.

My two oldest daughters are going to be the same age as I am right

now, the same age as I am. They

are going to be fifty-two years old when we take that over.

AN HON. MEMBER:

(Inaudible).

MR. CRUMMELL:

Yes, and I am fifty-two. I feel

like I am thirty-two, I feel like I am forty-two.

I feel like I still have a long time to live yet.

I am going to have grandchildren, hopefully, by then.

AN HON. MEMBER:

(Inaudible).

MR. CRUMMELL:

Okay, I am not quite thirty-two or forty-two.

Mr. Speaker, the point being, it is in their lifetime

that they are going to see this.

We are going to have billions of dollars coming in from hydroelectricity

resources. We have diversified

our economy by bringing revenue from other streams.

Nalcor is going to do that.

That is exactly what Nalcor is going to do.

That is exactly what Hydro is going to do.

We have the Upper Churchill, we have the Lower

Churchill, and we have Gull Island.

Mr. Speaker, we would be crazy not to invest in that in the next five

to ten years when we get ourselves in a better spot, when oil prices go back

up again. We need to go there.

It is one of the last green energy reserves in North America.

North America is hungry for green energy, hungry as can be.

Mr. Speaker, if we can get to that point into our

future where we have Churchill Falls, we have Muskrat Falls, and we have

Gull Island humming along creating revenue for the people of the Province,

we are still going to be out there investing into the oil.

The oil business is not ending tomorrow or the next day.

We are finding new reserves all the time.

Listen, a hundred years from now, I mean yes, things

are changing. Fossil fuels, we

are going to be burning less and less as time goes on.

The population of the world is expanding.

The need for fossil fuels is not going to go away in the next hundred

years, Mr. Speaker, and that is a fact of reality.

It is still going to be needed.

We are still going to invest into exploration.

We are still going to invest into extraction.

Mr. Speaker, natural gas, where is that going to be ten years from

now? Eventually we are going to

get to a point where we are going to be able to monetize that.

Eventually we are going to get to the point that we are going to be

able to make money off that.

The oil companies and the gas companies that are the

experts in this field, Mr. Speaker, are going to reach that point and they

are going to do the business case that says now is the time to extract that

natural gas off our shores and monetize it.

That day will happen; I am sure of that.

It probably will happen in my lifetime and I hope it does, but do you

know what? It will surely happen

in my daughter's and my son's lifetime, and their children's lifetime.

We are a natural energy warehouse.

It is what we are, Newfoundland and Labrador.

We have our fishery, we have our timber, we have our natural

resources, and we have our environment that tourists like to come and see

and enjoy. We have all that.

So the diversification of our economy is important, Mr. Speaker, but

our ground root revenue stream is going to be natural resources I think

forever and a day. That is not

going to change. We are a small

population in the Northeast Atlantic that has resources that are still yet

to be found. Mining is going to

play a big role as well.

So Nalcor, again, is not the big bogeyman.

Nalcor should be a big brother to us.

We should be making sure that the company has all the resources it

needs to be as successful as it can be because, Mr. Speaker, that is the

answer to our future. What we

are doing there is exactly visionary.

That is what you call visionary.

So the people out there who are saying it should not

happen, Muskrat Falls should not happen, well, what would you have done?

How would you replace Holyrood?

We know what Holyrood is right now.

We are still trying to keep that going.

Mr. Speaker, I think Nalcor will do a good job in keeping that

operating for the next four years until we decommission Holyrood, but we

could not continue to burn fossil fuels when we have this resource up there.

Yes, it costs a lot of money upfront, but it is going to pay

dividends into the future, Mr. Speaker, pay dividends for the people of this

Province into the future for generations to come.

It is a beautiful thing, Mr. Speaker, when you look at

it. There are people in North

America who are envious of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

We can stand on our own two feet.

Right now, we are in a little tough spot, and that is all it is.

It happens in people's lives.

It happens with provinces, it happens with countries, and it is short

term. We are in a good spot

overall.

The future has never been brighter for this Province.

Anything that you see here happening now and the money we have to

borrow and the place to get to that we can pay off our deficit, that day is

going to happen, Mr. Speaker.

The fundamentals are in place for Newfoundland and Labrador to grow, to be

the place it can be, to grow our culture, to grow our people, to grow our

children.

Mr. Speaker, I will not stand for too much longer; I

just want to just call out the good things that are happening.

The doom and gloom that I hear, it is all politics and politics is

important. We need to have that

back and forth. We need to

challenge what ideas are out there.

I firmly believe that the ideas that have been hatched

on this side of the House, that have been nurtured and brought forward, are

good things for the people of the Province.

We have more ideas and we have more visions of what we can be going

forward. I believe we have the

balance that it takes and we have the people that it takes to carry us into

the next four or five years, Mr. Speaker, and I certainly look forward to

the election this fall because it is going to be interesting.

There is going to be a lot of conversation about what

we should and should not be doing, and we need that in a democracy.

We need to have that conversation.

I look forward to hearing what the Opposition have to say, both

Opposition parties. Because do

you know what, Mr. Speaker? They

add value to who we are as a people, everybody in this Province.

By challenging what we are doing is a good thing it is a good

thing.

The NDP play a critical role within our government,

within our Province; they play a very important role.

They make sure that we have a social conscience, and I believe

everybody over here does have a social conscience.

They do a very good job of that and they do a good job every day, day

in and day out. They do not play

too much politics, Mr. Speaker.

Anyway, what I will say in the end is I am happy to

stand here today and just talk a little bit about our future, where we are

going to, where we came from and again, the future is great.

I think my children are going to be in a better place, I am in a

better place than my father was, and my father was in a better place than

his father was, and that is what I truly do believe.

Mr. Speaker, thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MR. KIRBY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is a pleasure to rise again and contribute a little

more to the Budget debate. I

wanted to participate in the private member's debate yesterday and I did not

have an opportunity because we ran out of time.

The motion yesterday was dealing with getting rid of government

waste. I just want to make a

couple of comments.

The Member for Signal Hill Quidi Vidi said yesterday

that motion that the Member for St. George's Stephenville East made was a

waste of time. I would never

make that observation on anybody else's work here in the House of Assembly,

and I patently disagree that was a waste of time because I think any debate

that deals with getting rid of government waste is a good use of our time.

That is not a surprise because the member also made the

same comment about it being a waste of time when we were debating whether or

not we should cut the fat and get rid of the parliamentary secretary

positions. Those exact words

were used; this was a waste of time.

Of course, that also was not a waste of time.

She also talked about how all the Members of the House

of Assembly voted against their private member's motion on the minimum wage

that they had last spring. I

spoke on that private member's motion that day, Mr. Speaker, and I will

remind Members of the House of Assembly that, as I said, I grew up in a

family of small business people.

My mother worked for thirty-seven years in a general store that my parents

owned in Lord's Cove, and my mother is permanently disabled from standing on

her feet behind a counter for thirty-seven years.

I know something about how hard small business people work.

While all Members of this House of Assembly, I believe,

accepted the recommendations of the Minimum Wage Review Panel, government

has not enacted those recommendations.

The Liberal Opposition supported the recommendations of the Minimum

Wage Review Panel. The Minimum

Wage Review Panel, in addition to recommending a

schedule of increases to

the minimum wage, talked about how important it is to give six months'

notice to small business so you do not, basically, screw up their business,

for lack of a better term.

The motion that was put forward on the minimum wage by

NDP and if you repeat a fallacy over and over again that does not make it

fact. The reason why I voted

against that motion is because it had absolutely no consideration for small

business. They wanted an

immediate increase retroactive back to 2010, no notice, basically, to small

business. I do not support that

still, and I know small business people do not support that still.

I just wanted to get that clarified.

Sometimes there are private members' motions in the

House of Assembly and the party caucuses vote certain ways and I do not like

it. I do not call it a waste of

time. I recall back in November

of 2013 the government put forward a motion supporting an increase in the

Low-Income Seniors' Benefit.

Everybody except for the NDP members voted against the low-income tax

benefit for seniors. I did not

like that. I did not call it a

waste of time, but I think it is indicative of where it is the NDP wants to

take the Province.

In addition to basically increasing taxes or at least

not decreasing taxes on poor seniors in the Province, the former Leader of

the NDP always talks about how she wants to increase income taxes on the

rich people of the Province. I

always wonder where all these rich people are because I do not know who they

are. I do not know a whole lot

of rich people in this Province.

Of course she is talking about people like the

tradespeople who work for IOC in the Member for Labrador West's district.

Those are the rich people she wants to increase personal income taxes

on, people who have decent jobs.

People like health care providers, or PCAs, or LPNs, or RNs, or pharmacists,

or lab techs, those are the rich people the NDP wants to increase taxes on.

People like public sector workers of all sorts.

All the people who are lucky enough to get a good job working

offshore, those are the rich people the NDP wants to increase taxes on.

So do not tell me about somehow we do not understand how to properly

manage an economy. I have far

more confidence in the Leader of the Liberal Party

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KIRBY:

the Member for

AN HON. MEMBER:

Humber Valley.

MR. KIRBY:

Humber Valley, I apologize, than I do in anybody on that side.

In the last provincial election the great idea that the former leader

came up with herself, as far as I know, was to impose a 3 per cent surtax on

oil companies. It was all

researched out and they knew exactly how it was going to and it turns out

it was not researched at all. It

was in complete contravention of all of the agreements that we have on

Hibernia, on Hebron, and on White Rose, the whole nine yards.

It was in contravention of all of that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. KIRBY:

Then when David Cochrane asked on CBC how are you going to deal with that

because it is completely in contravention of all those agreements, she said

basically she would come into the House of Assembly, if they were the

government, and tear up those contracts and basically destroy all the hard

work that everybody has done building the oil industry in this Province by

showing that they cannot have faith in a government in this Province.

I will take no advice from people who think that way, thank you very

much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KIRBY:

I just wanted to set the record straight on that.

Now back to the Budget debate itself which I said the other day

should have been titled: lost opportunity and misplaced priorities.

The member got up that time, I think he is the Minister of Service

NL, is he, the Member for St. John's West?

I do not know the number of times that people have changed

ministerial responsibilities over there.

It is hard to keep track of it.

There are some people over there who have been a minister of about

ten different things probably since 2011, or maybe even more than that.

The poor Minister of Natural Resources, he is also now

the Minister of Education. We

have the Minister Responsible for Seniors and a whole wack of other things.

He has Newfoundland and Labrador Housing.

He has AES. It is really

hard to keep track, but he talked about doom and gloom and so on, but it is

not doom and gloom. It is

important for the Opposition to point out the shortcoming of government.

That is what the private member's motion was about

yesterday. It was not a waste of

time. Nobody who stands up in

this House of Assembly and represents their constituents well and discusses

the issues, whether I agree with it or not, is wasting anyone's time.

We are here for a reason: to debate.

If you do not like the debate, if you do not have time in your busy

schedule to be here in the House of Assembly, then go somewhere else and do

not worry about wasting time.

An example of a lost opportunity, remember the vessel

replacement strategy. I remember

I heard at one point ministers in this government saying they were going to

build up to ten ferries in this Province.

Where are they building ferries at now?

In Romania. The ferries

that were supposed to be built in the Member for Terra Nova's district, in

the Member for Burin Placenta West's district, and other places around

this Island, those ferries were supposed to be built here and now they are

building them