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May 4, 2022

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. L No. 48

The

House met at 10 a.m.

SPEAKER (Bennett):

Order, please!

Government

Business

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House

Leader.

S. CROCKER:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

I call

from the Order Paper, Motion 1.

SPEAKER:

Any speakers to the motion?

The hon.

the Member for Placentia West - Bellevue.

J. DWYER:

Thank you, Speaker.

course, it's a great honour to stand in this Chamber and represent the great

people of our vast beautiful District of Placentia West - Bellevue.

Before I

get started, I would like to acknowledge today is International Firefighters'

Day throughout the country.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

J. DWYER:

Throughout our province we

have a lot of volunteer fire departments and firefighters and those men and

women, whether they get a call today or not, obviously have their life on the

line and they're probably adjusting how far they go fishing in the woods or

anything like that to make sure that they're not too far from the call. So to

them, on this day, I commend them for their service to our province.

It's

also Mental Health Week for our nation and that needs to be acknowledged as

well, because obviously with the way the economy is going and stuff like that,

we noticed that there's an increase in the amount of people that are dealing

with mental health issues, Speaker. Like I said, a lot of it is due to the

economy because we hear about all these different initiatives and stuff like

that with reports and where we're to in health care and all that kind of stuff,

yet I don't see in any of these reports where we're addressing the economy and

improving our standard of living through increasing the revenue coming into the

province.

I have a

very industrial district. I have Vale in Long Harbour; I have Bull Arm and the

refinery there in the isthmus area; a state-of-the-art, world-renowned fish

plant in Arnold's Cove that's been passed down through generation after

generation, which are employing the beautiful people of Arnold's Cove for a long

time. And not just Arnold's Cove, I know there are people from even Chance Cove

that come over and work; Little Harbour East, places like that, that come over

and work at the fish plant in Arnold's Cove.

To move

down the Burin Peninsula from there, we have a lot of enterprises that are out

fishing and bringing in revenue for their communities and the province. We have

Grieg, which I would like to tout as – they just had their grand reopening and

I'm very proud of the work that we've all done there to make sure that this

company becomes a great success for our province as well.

On top

of that, we have Kiewit that holds down the Cow Head facility in Spanish Room,

in the Marystown area and, like I said, to see Bay du Nord get announced, that

excited me for the simple fact that I do have that industrial footprint in my

district. For all the things that I just named off, these are big operations. If

we can get all those operations employed, then I think that would be, obviously,

a greater benefit to everybody in the province, so that we don't have these

cost-of-living issues that we're experiencing.

There

are a couple of things, I guess, when it comes to our economy, we all have to be

on board and we all have to be prepared to put in our five cents worth, I guess,

because it's like any idea, a lot of ideas are not seen right to fruition, with

that one initial idea, but with the right people around the table, everybody can

weigh in on it and we can build it to a fruition idea. I think that it's very

important that we do come together.

The way

I see being elected by the beautiful people of Placentia West - Bellevue is that

I'm here to represent them. Not that I have to agree all the time with the other

39 Members, but I have to make sure that I'm putting the best foot forward for

our district. That's what I'm trying to do here today, by letting the government

know that we have assets in our province that we don't need to be farming out

any work. We can do it right here.

When our

facilities are shutdown and our workers have to go to Alberta and Guyana and

Africa and all these places, they're world-renowned. They're the leaders in all

these other operations. We can't do it right here ourselves, it just makes no

sense to me. We have the state-of-the-art facilities, especially if you look at

like Bull Arm. We didn't build that for one project. Let's make that something

that we're proud of and we can draw the Equinors of the world and stuff like

that and to convince them that what we have here is second to none.

So why

would we get any platforms made anywhere else? Why would we get any

infrastructure done anywhere else with topsides and stuff like that? I mean, if

we're doing Bay du Nord, why wouldn't we do the topsides at Kiewit facility in

Marystown? It just makes sense.

It's

common sense. Obviously, it doesn't flow in every facet of elected

representatives, but, like I said, I take things back from a common perspective

because I feel that's who I am. I'm one of these people who have struggled to

pay bills, have had to worry about credit ratings and all this kind of stuff.

I'm no different than anybody else in my district and that's why they feel that

I am their voice, for the simple fact that I'm realistic about the situation

we're in. I'm also there to help them through their time of need and what they

need.

Like I

said, when you have a district the size of Placentia West - Bellevue that goes

from seven kilometres outside of Whitbourne right to Marystown, then it is a

pretty vast district and there are many needs. There are 36 towns, 16 fire

departments. It's a busy district on top of that.

But the

thing that I have noticed is that a lot of them all got the same needs, whether

it is health care or seniors' care, whether it is the roads. These are things

that are common to everybody. So these are things that we need to look at in our

economy to make sure that we are giving back to the people that are providing to

have this province running. But we are not doing that right now. We are falling

short of supporting the people that need the help.

You look

at our blue-collar workers. These people are still getting up every morning to

keep our economy going, yet it's doubled in price for them to get to work. It's

probably gone up a fair bit, as groceries have gone up, to pack their lunch to

be at work. Obviously, there's a five-step program and I guess somebody in my

position I really can't wait, I guess, as I said in Estimates, to see what the

other four steps are. Because the first step really didn't hit the mark, as far

as I am concerned, for the people in my district.

It kind

of fell short, for the simple fact that we helped a sector of the province,

which I am happy to represent as well, to make their life better, but we didn't

do it for everybody. In doing it for everybody, it probably wouldn't be the fact

of introducing or putting in a carbon tax at this point in time. That might be

good down the road but right now – today – fuel prices are not at a situation

where adding tax to the fuel that we've already got is going to help us.

There

were some small steps, like I said, to help the economy but in no way, shape or

form did it actually hit the needs of our people. By taking some of the

surcharges off fuel, we would have hit the mark right across the board for

everybody in our province. It just seemed to me that that would be the

no-brainer because the first step in anything is making sure that we are looking

after everybody. But when you turn around and you pick out those vulnerable

sectors and you help them then yes, that is a good thing. It is not a horrible

thing, but it certainly wasn't enough to make a difference in the running of

their households or being able to sustain the household that they already have.

So, like

I said, there are the same issues. But a lot of the issues, when it comes to the

roads – which is something that is a big part of our economy that people expect

– is that, years ago, we laid roads but we haven't done anything to maintain

them. Take Jean de Baie, for instance. They got a paved road probably 40 or 50

years ago. Other than having a couple of collapsed culverts fixed, that road

hasn't been touched.

Now

there's economic activity down there that's going to bring millions of dollars

to the local economy, yet we're falling short of letting the people peacefully

enjoy getting in and out of their community. People don't buy a new rig, and it

could be based on the fact that the roads are not fit to drive on. You may as

well buy a second-hand rig and keep fixing it because you're going to break a

new rig or a second-hand rig, then obviously a second-hand rig might give you a

little bit more disposable dollars in your pocket in order to get that rig

fixed. But either way, you're going to have issues. And cutting away from

potholes is probably just as hard on your rig as it is to hit the pothole

itself.

Sometimes what I find, especially this winter obviously was a bit of a strange

winter with the freeze and thaw, freeze and thaw, but to say that we're hitting

the mark on maintenance when it comes to roads, I would ask anybody to drive

through my district. Like I said, go down the road in Jean de Baie, go down the

road in Spanish Room and Rock Harbour and go down the road in Chance Cove.

Like I

said before, we have a world-renowned trail in Chance Cove which is beautiful.

I've been there and if anybody would like to go and check it out, I think you'd

be quite impressed, because when you get out around the back out by Patrick's

Cove part, it's just like you're in Costa Rica somewhere. The water is green.

There are these beautiful archways and all this kind of stuff, beautiful beaches

and stuff. We've been putting in some money to that trail.

But the

problem is getting to the trail. We have a road there that's the branch from

Route 1 to it's a bypass road if something happened on the highway is used as

everybody would be rerouted through there to go to the old Cabot Highway. It's

honestly not fit. We have a little bit of work done on it. Changed out a couple

of culverts and a couple of guiderails over the last couple of years. But these

are roads that are beyond maintenance now. They need to be replaced, completely

replaced.

It's

unfortunate because the money that we're spending is not going in the right

areas to make it a fulsome fix. We can't fix, let's say, 50 metres here and then

the next 100 metres is not fit to drive on it. Or the shoulders are gone or the

sides of the pavement are eroded. These are things that are in our economy that

people need.

One of

the things that are in our Residential Tenancies Act is about peaceful

enjoyment. That is what that whole sector of our government stands on: Making

sure that not only the tenant but the landlord and everybody gets to peacefully

enjoy the property that is at stake. Then why is that not the same conscience of

people that are living in these communities? They need to peacefully enjoy their

community. Right now, they are embarrassed to invite people for Come Home Year

because there is nothing to drive on. People are going to come back and be like

I can't believe that this is what we got invited to.

It might

have been better to probably have a year of that lieu time because a lot of

people that didn't get to travel over the last couple of years, they're coming

anyway. Whether they're grandparents or they're bringing home their kids to see

grandparents or whatever. But if we had that one-year delay, it would give us

more time to prepare, more time to have our roads ready and it would have given

us an opportunity to realize the price of fuel that we're looking at charging

people while they're here.

People

are still a little bit weary of what is the state of health care when they get

here. They already know that there are 100,000 people in the province that don't

have a primary care physician. What is the propensity for them to be able to get

the right care when they come here if something happens to them? God forbid, I

hope nothing happens to any of our visitors, but that is not realistic and

common sense would tell us that there is going to be a percentage that is going

to have to rely on our health care while they're here. The people of the

province right now can't rely on our health care, so how can we invite visitors

to come and have them rely on it as well?

I am

very proud of our government that there are Ukrainian refugees coming here. But

what are we offering them as a primary health care opportunity? They're going to

need these things. These are things that need to be in place in order to invite

the world to come to us.

So what

I am saying in saying this and about talking to this amendment is that if we

don't start to realize that improving the economy is going to improve the

peaceful enjoyment of not only our residents but our visitors, then we're out to

lunch. We're missing the mark altogether. I'll take some of the blame for that,

but I want to be heard and I want to be listened to and I want people to know

what the issues are in my district. Not just pass it off as no big deal or I'm

blowing hot air or anything like that.

I was

very disappointed, actually, last week, I heard of a family in Twillingate – and

a couple of sessions ago, one of the ministers said: you choose where you live.

Well, these people are choosing not to live in our province anymore. And do you

know what? It's for a very miniscule – something operational that I think could

easily have been handled. They're leaving due to a bus not being able to pick up

their son because of where they choose to live. It's no more than 50 or 100

metres for that bus to go that little bit further to pick up this young boy.

Sorry, Speaker, for picking on your district, but the former minister said this

family is choosing to leave our province. Such a simple request of our

government. I think that's where we fall short.

When we

look at the global big picture, yeah, there are some serious issues there. But

until we address the economy and we improve the economy – and Bay du Nord is a

good start, but we have to do a made-right-here solution. What's happening in

the rest of Canada, we can't bring – we saw through COVID we adopted everything

that other provinces were already after trying and stuff like that. But these

are bigger urban centres. St. John's wouldn't even be considered an urban centre

in another province.

that's the whole thing that I'm trying to say. Until we take this common sense

approach about A has to do with B and B has to do with C, but we can't get to C

until we go through B after A. It's a linear approach, but we have to address

the economy. We have the resources, let's utilize them for the benefit of our

province and stop having to sidle up to the federal government and going with

cap in hand and all that stuff. Which is fine because they're supposed to be our

partners, not our adversaries, they're supposed to be helping us get through

this economy, as opposed to adding another Carbon Tax or adding – well, the

sugar tax, I can't even get into that, that's just – I mean, we have to look at

healthier outcomes.

Right

now, we're spending the most money in health care, with the worst outcomes. That

should speak volumes. I mean, we have a minister here that's been there for

seven years.

If I had

a CEO in my company that hadn't fixed things in seven years, he wouldn't be

demoted, or she, they'd be let go. I wouldn't want anything else to do with

them, for the simple fact that their ideas are either antiquated or not being

listened to. There are lots of good ideas that are coming from this side, from

all Members of the House; we're just not being listened to, the same as the rest

of the people in the province.

The

problem with our province is that we haven't focused on our economy for a

made-right-here solution and for the people of our province. We've let the

federal government come in and utilize all our natural resources for the benefit

of the country, but not for the benefit of our province.

I don't

understand why the price of fish in Nova Scotia would be a better price than

here in Newfoundland. Just makes no sense. We definitely have just as clean a

water and just as good a fish. That seems to be out to lunch to me.

But

we're not going to tax our residents into having that peaceful enjoyment. But if

we put them to work, I'll guarantee you, they'll have some peaceful enjoyment

because they're contributing and they want to contribute. We need to have good

paying jobs.

I see

that my time is running short. I will talk to the state of our economy again

soon and the cost of living. I have a lot more points to make. But the next time

that I talk I will certainly be bringing up about our recruitment and retention

to help our health care workers that have put so much on the line and now that

they're burnt out, we're still failing them. We've had a recruitment and

retention program that says show up and we'll give you a job.

Anyway,

thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Stephenville - Port au Port.

T. WAKEHAM:

Thank you, Speaker.

It's a

pleasure to be able to stand again in the House of Assembly representing the

District of Stephenville - Port au Port and talk about the budget and some of

the adjustments that we have proposed.

But

before I do, my hon. colleague from Cape St. Francis sent me a little reminder

and I just want to read it out to you. In June of 2008, oil per barrel was

trading at $181.58. The gas prices in Newfoundland and Labrador were 118.6.

March 2022: oil per barrel was trading at $96.72. The gas prices are at 203.9.

So that's quite a spread. Some of it, obviously, may be due to supply, but how

much of it is due to tax? How much of it is due to changes in our tax structure

forced upon us, some of it, by the federal government, but others by our failure

to deal with a very difficult situation that people of Newfoundland and Labrador

find themselves in right now? Whether it's heating their homes or filling their

vehicles.

We have

talked about this continuously; we will continue to talk about it because we

believe that it deserves action. While lots has been done, there is lots more

that can be done and there is enough flexibility in the budget to allow that to

happen. So, again, we will continue to suggest that the budget needs to be

amended to reflect the fact that so many people in our province today cannot

afford to heat their homes.

When you

think about all of the people who work in this great province of ours that have

to commute to work. We don't have the public transportation systems, certainly

in rural Newfoundland and Labrador so that they can take advantage of those.

Carpooling is still going on, but at the same time, just think about the

significant impact of someone who has to drive an hour to work everyday and what

that is doing on their disposable income. The amount of money that they actually

have to spend on groceries. The amount of money that they actually have to spend

on kids activities. That's direct impact. That is a direct impact on the people

of Newfoundland and Labrador and we have to find a way to do it.

The

budget documents for the last two years talked about

CHANGE starts here , that was last year's theme. This year:

CHANGE is in the air. Unfortunately,

while there have been some good things, the changes are having a significant

impact on the lives of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Let's

talk health care for a second. Over the last seven years, we have seen a

significant change in health care in this province. I would argue that it has

not been for the betterment of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. The fact

that over 100,000 people do not have access to a family doctor is not a change

that is welcomed by the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is not a change

that we are proud of, or should be proud of. It is not a change that simply

happened overnight. It was forecasted; it was predicted. The NLMA predicted it

would happen. So five or six years ago, we should have been addressing this

issue. We should have been talking about how we increase recruitment.

The

Province of Newfoundland and Labrador has a wonderful med school. It is part of

the solution, but also part of the solution in our province and in the history

of our province has been to recruit people, physicians to come from other

countries and other provinces. Somehow or other, that stream has dried up. There

are lots of reasons why that has happened, but the number one reason is because

of lack of action by the Minister of Health in dealing with that issue upfront

and acknowledging it five years ago when it was brought to his attention. Not by

me, but by all the people in the regional health authorities, by the VPs of

medical services, by the NLMA and others.

again, there could have been, should have been a lot more action taken. So yeah,

do we now find ourselves challenged to find physicians for 100,000 people?

Absolutely we do. Part of the proposed solution, of course, is collaborative

health teams. We all welcome the opportunity for those. But when you're taking a

family physician away from somebody who has one, to say they're going to be part

of a collaborative team, how does that solve the problem?

colleague from Terra Nova gave us yesterday the example of the person in the

community of Charlottetown. I used to work in the hospital in Clarenville and

people from Charlottetown, that's their hospital. But to turn around and say to

this person that you can't be part of a collaborative team because you live in

Charlottetown, so you now have to go through some 1-800 number? How is that even

possible for that to happen?

In my

own district, nurse practitioners have stepped up. They've stepped up in Corner

Brook; they've stepped up in Stephenville, to offer their services. Not as part

of the health authority, but as independent practitioners. So they have offered

their services and they're filling up. They're filling up in fact so fast in

Stephenville with the one nurse practitioner there, that you have to pay $300 in

advance to reserve your appointment times for the coming year.

This

money is coming out of the hands of seniors. It's coming out of the hands of

people on fixed income, and it's coming out of the hands of people all

throughout my district, who have no option – who have no other option. At the

same time our government says sorry, we didn't plan for that. We're thinking

about how we might fix it. At the same time, there are significant savings in

the salaried physicians' budget that could have paid or reimbursed the people of

the province.

If you

can't figure out a way for the health authorities to compensate the nurse

practitioners for doing that work, then find a way to compensate the people and

reimburse them. Because nobody, as I've said in this House before, nobody in

this House would think that they would have to pay to see a primary care

provider – nobody. And I would argue that if it was your mother or your father

or your sister or your brother, you would certainly be upset about it. You know

what? They are. They are your families. Because all of us in Newfoundland and

Labrador should not be satisfied that people in our province are having to pay

to see a primary care provider. It's simply not good enough, and it can be

fixed. We don't need to wait for long-term solutions. We need it fixed now.

In my

district, we have a beautiful hospital. Fully equipped, capable of performing

lots and lots of different types of procedures, but at the end of the day,

people are worried. They're worried because they hear that the Health Accord is

talking about what they're going to take away, not what they're going to add in.

We have assets all over the province just like the Stephenville hospital,

whether it's the hospital in Carbonear, whether it's the hospital in Burin.

At the

end of the day, we shouldn't be talking about what can't be done there. We

should simply be talking about what can be done there. Stephenville Hospital is

not part of the problem; it's part of the solution. In the western part of the

region we have the Corner Brook Regional Hospital and we have the Stephenville

hospital. So when we talk about OR services or availability of ICUs, those two

facilities should be seen as one. They should be used as one facility.

And when

we talk about recruiting staff or specialists to those facilities, then we

should talk about them as one, and find a way so that we can intertwine those

facilities, so that it's not about whether you work at Western Health in Corner

Brook or whether you work at Western Health in Stephenville. You work in Western

Health. And whether we have six surgeons or eight surgeons, we have them for the

region. We don't have them for a facility. Those are the things that need to

happen. Those are the things that can happen, and should be done.

But

here's another example for you. In my district recently, I had received an email

from a nurse, a new graduate, who told me that him and seven other of his

colleagues were only offered temporary call-in positions, not offered a

permanent, full-time job. How is that even possible in today's environment when

we have such a shortage of nursing staff in our province that new grads who want

to stay in the area are not offered a permanent, full-time job? Try renting an

apartment when you're on a casual call-in. You may be getting full-time hours,

but you have no permanent job. Try going for a loan to buy a vehicle if you're a

casual call-in because you don't have a permanent, full-time job.

These

are the problems that are becoming evident and they simply do not need to exist.

There is absolutely no reason in this day in age when we have such a shortage

and want to retain our health care workers that they should not be made

permanent full-time. If there are challenges with working out schedules, so be

it, make it work, but I would argue that we should be hiring every single person

we can. Every single nurse should be hired on a permanent, full-time basis and

let's figure out how we make the system work.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

T. WAKEHAM:

That's just one simple thing

that can be done.

We talk

about sustainability; we've heard lots of that in the Health Accord. Is it

sustainable? I would argue sustainability depends on whether or not you're

prepared to sustain it. We talk about the fact that two surgeons in Burin aren't

sustainable because they're on call one and two, or two surgeons in Stephenville

aren't sustainable because they're on call one and two. There are lots of

specialists in St. John's working at the Health Sciences that we have two of. Is

that sustainable? Are they sustainable because they work in St. John's and

they're on call one and two? Is that any different than Stephenville, Burin or

anywhere else? I don't think so.

believe that, at the end of the day, we have facilities that need to be

utilized. People should not have to get in their vehicles and travel over

highways, over roads. I would challenge anyone to travel over the highway in

this province in the dead of winter trying to get to an emergency, or trying to

get a service somewhere else because we don't have it available.

That, of

course, brings me to another passion of mine, which I will continue to argue for

and continue to lobby for and continue to demand, that is about medical

transportation. Yes, we have a Medical Transportation Assistance Program, it has

made improvements over the years, but, quite frankly, I believe it's not good

enough. I believe that nobody in this province should have to pay for travel for

medical appointments.

Let's

Nobody should say I can't go to my medical appointment because I can't afford to

travel. And if you think about today's environment with the cost of travel, it

gets even worse. So whether you live five miles or 500 miles from a tertiary

care centre – we only have one tertiary care centre, we'll only ever have one,

but surely we can find a way, whether we're the payee of last resort, in other

words your insurance pays upfront first and then government pays.

But

people in this province deserve to have equal access. People in rural

Newfoundland and Labrador deserve equality of access and deserve equality of

affordability. Because if I live on Lemarchant Road and I have to go to the

Health Sciences to see a specialist, no big deal. But if I live in Kippens, or

Cape St. George, or anywhere else in rural Newfoundland and Labrador, it is a

big deal. It's a significant cost for me to travel to St. John's.

Part of

the other problem, not only have you got the additional cost when you get there,

but your appointment is cancelled. That is one of the biggest challenges in the

health system: communication, or should I say lack of. Because there is a lack

of communication. I think there's a lack of communication between health

authorities. It's great to say we're going to put them under one, but if you

have no information system that people are able to communicate with each other,

that's a problem.

As I

highlighted earlier, we're going out for an RFP for a new health information

system for Western hospital, because that hospital was designed to be paperless.

So they have no choice but to do that. But why are you simply stopping at

Western Memorial hospital? Why are you not going out for an RFP for a complete

new health information system for the entire province? You can start with

Western, but you need to get this done. This needs to be a priority. It's a much

bigger priority than simply turning around and saying we're going to collapse

four health authorities.

So,

again, these are the things that are happening: health care and the cost of

living. I'm sure the Members opposite are all hearing those from their

constituents, because I'm certainly hearing it from mine and everybody else on

this side of the House is hearing it from theirs. So I cannot emphasize enough

that we have to find ways to help people. We have to find ways to put more money

back in people's pockets when it comes to the cost of living.

Some

time ago, a few years back, the government opposite introduced a levy. We all

remember the famous levy that was income based. The more money you made, the

more you paid in the levy.

Let's

talk about a new level. Let's talk about a reverse levy. Let's talk about a

rebate levy that's based on the fact that the least amount of money you make,

you get a bigger rebate back to help you with the cost of living.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

T. WAKEHAM:

To help you with the price of

gas. If you can bring in a levy to take money out of people's pockets, then

bring one in to put money back into people's pockets. That to me is what we need

to be looking at.

Short-term measures, yes, but these are extraordinary times. These are

extraordinary times and the people of our province need your help. I believe

that the government wants to help. I believe they've tried to help with some of

the measures they've introduced. But they themselves, the government, has

acknowledged it wasn't enough. So now we're asking to step up, to take some of

the money that's currently in your budget and reallocate it back to the people

of Newfoundland and Labrador through some type of rebate program.

It's

possible to do it; it's very possible to do it. I'm hoping that, at the end of

the day, the government will make sure that it happens. Before we leave this

House in June, let us leave here with a budget that has been amended, not by the

Opposition on this side of the House, but a budget that's been amended by the

government, because you're the only ones who can make this happen. You are the

ones that can make this happen. Do it, as I said yesterday, not because we want

it, but do it for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. Do it for your

constituents because your constituents are calling you. They are calling you and

they're asking you for help.

They

need help with the costs of home heat fuel. They need help with the price of

fuel at the pumps. They need help with access to health care. They need help

with being able to afford to go to their appointments. We all need that help.

They need that help no matter what district of this province you live in.

Again,

my plea to the government is to take another look. Take the change that's in the

air and bring it down to the ground. Bring it down to the budget. Make a change

in your budget. Make the amendment and make it happen so that we can have some

relief for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

That's

what we should be focused on this Chamber. That's what we should be focused on

in our budget discussion. The focus is on the people of Newfoundland and

Labrador.

Thank

you, Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

Before I recognize the next

speaker, I just want to remind everyone that at 10:55 the emergency alert system

will go off, so I'm not sure if everybody have their phones on mute. Even if you

do, it may still come on. So we may have a short interruption, but if we do

we'll just pause for a few seconds.

recognize the Leader of the Third Party.

J. DINN:

Thank you, Speaker.

I'll go

back to and follow-up on my colleague when it comes to dealing with issues

around poverty. It's about income, about putting money in people's pockets, if

you want to solve the problem. We've put motions forward here and we've

discussed the issues. There's a short-term approach and then there's the

long-term approach to this. It's pulling people out of the water. There's also

making sure that they don't fall into the water in the first place, into the

river.

We would

support anything along the lines that's going to provide temporary relief, but

also I think we still have to start addressing the bigger issues here in this

province.

In many

ways, as I said last night, you can see a lot of the issues in microcosm in my

district that we're facing, the social issues. I met this morning with the chief

of police to layout some of the issues. There are things that the police can do

and there are things that the provincial government can do. There are things

that the municipal government can do, the City of St. John's, but in many ways

we all need to be putting the resources there.

Because

what is happening is that we might think we're saving money in one area, but

we're going to pay the cost for it in some way. Whether it's incarceration;

whether it is the health care system. Whether we're going to be putting people

on long-term income support, whether there are mental health issues, drug

addiction, you name it; we're going to be paying for it.

If we

labour under the illusion that somehow we have zero-based budgeting, that we

find efficiencies, that we're actually saving money, it's an illusion that we're

living in. As much as I like to belabour that point as well, I will keep

fighting for that. I'll keep fighting for the long-term solutions: a living

minimum wage, a livable basic income, pay equity. All those things lift people

out of poverty. If we're lifting people out of poverty and giving them an income

that they can support their families in dignity, then that is helping everyone.

That is an investment.

I have

used this in the House of Assembly before, but my late brother used to say: Poor

people like us can't afford to buy cheap. In other words, you buy the best

service and you invest in what you need because you buy it once or you buy it

multiple times. The same thing here, if you think that, as a budget, we're just

looking at stopgap measures and we're not addressing the underlying causes, then

we're going to pay the price in the long run.

I want

to talk a little bit about schools and some of the issues and the education

system because this is another area where investment is key. I want to start

talking about an issue when it comes to the shortage of teachers and replacement

teachers and substitute teachers. I'll refer to an incident in Labrador West,

but it very much applies to a lot of schools.

I can't

begin to say how many teachers – and I'm sure my colleague, former educator

would relate to this – who said: We pray for the day, Jim, when we don't have a

prep period. When we can teach entirely within our subject area, where we deal

with our own students. There have been schools, certainly since the beginning of

this year, September, and before this, who don't have the substitutes, where

they have been, basically, filling in. That is basically it. Each day, there is

no prep period for a teacher and they are covering other people's classes. There

was a promise at some point that board personnel would be there. That has never

happened. Not to my knowledge. In any school that I have spoken to, that has

never happened.

What

does a prep period allow a teacher to do? I can tell you one thing, what you

will not find them doing in a prep period is sitting in the staff room with

their feet up on the desk reading a newspaper. Usually it means I am following

up on a phone call to parents. I am trying to get photocopying done, because I

don't have a secretary as a teacher. I can tell you that if there is PTSD for

teachers, it is to do with photocopiers. That I can tell you.

I walk

by the machine up there right now and the minute it starts to make – I go into

shock and my colleague from Bonavista knows exactly what I am talking about.

They are not designed for it. I am in the Third Party caucus, a small caucus,

and I tell you the support staff around there, holy jumping, if a teacher had

that. We don't. Or I am finishing off correcting or God knows what. That's the

life of a teacher.

I know

in the PERT report – I like this one – because it changed the opening and

closing of school days so that teachers have an eight-hour day. Bring it on

because I can tell you, I'll walk in and I'll walk out and my life will be so

much easier. But it is obviously written by someone who has no idea of what goes

on in the life of a teacher in the school system. Unbelievable that they would

actually promote that.

Primary

teachers, high school teachers – primary teachers, I can tell you, they are at

it from the get-go. And high school teachers, a little bit different in who I am

dealing with, but I can tell you my days were usually from 8 to 5 anyway, and

then I'd go home and I would carry on with it as well. So I can tell you right

here, this year has been especially traumatic and difficult on teachers because

they are not even gaining that time to do the work.

Labrador West, the high school has been down three teachers almost from the

beginning. So they have been basically covering since the beginning of this year

– as one retired teacher pointed out to me, it's a house of cards waiting to

collapse. It is a long-term problem that should have been dealt with a long time

ago.

brought the issues to the minister and he's certainly working with regard to one

and trying to deal with the housing issues. And to that, that's positive. But we

have got to find some way to bring teachers to this area because what you are

doing is you are burning out teachers. You are making it worse on the system.

We're

still down teachers and we're coming into the busiest time of the year for a lot

of teachers, in that area, but that's not the only school. So I can tell you

that I have brought it there, I have been in contact with the school and the

situation still needs to be resolved. It still needs to be dealt with. You still

have the school administrators who, in addition to their duties, are now

teaching in the class, as well.

That's a

school of about 500. I can tell you that I was never an administrator, but I

always needed a, administrator, full-time administrator, in any school I've been

to because they are the ones you go to when you're running into difficulty; you

need someone there. They have enough to do. So we've got to address that, but we

also got to address that in the rest of the school system. Because it's great to

have awards for teachers, but they want the resources in the classroom where

they can deal with it.

Teachers

are burning out. I spoke to a parent yesterday. Her child is in Grade 2. There

are 28 children in Grade 2. I taught high school, where I might have had 30

students in an academic class and you could get through that. It was actually

decent and you had students who were engaged. But I can tell you 28 students in

Grade 2, and let's assume for the minute, even if all students there had no

diagnosed exceptionalities, even if all students were engaged, had the supports,

academically competent, it would still be a challenge.

It's

untenable; that's three over the cap. The cap is 25; that's three over the cap.

I can tell you a lot of the primary grades, in addition to students that are

academically competent; you could have up to half the class where a student has

some diagnosed exceptionality. Some are violent and they need supports

themselves. I've dealt with the outcome of that. Grade 2, you would think can't

be a problem, but it is. The fact is you could have up to half the class of 28,

up to 14 who have some diagnosed exceptionality and teachers will tell me now we

still don't have the resources in place.

I don't

know if I told this story before, but years ago when I was president, and the

Minister of Education at the time, we were at the Education Week, and I remember

this vividly, because it didn't surprise me, but I'm sure it opened the eyes of

the Education Minister where a Grade 5 student proceeded to take his shoes and

his socks off and then clean out between his toes in the auditorium. I'm

thinking to myself, welcome to my world.

That's

the nature, that's a Grade 5 who then proceeded to turn around and shake our

hands. Now, I shook his hand, because guess what? That's part of the course.

That's primary and elementary for you, okay.

My wife

taught Grade 2 and I used to say to her: For God sake, honey, why don't you just

pick them up body and bones when they're throwing desks around and take them

out. She said: Jim, they're bigger than I am. Do you know what? She was right.

(Emergency Alert alarm.)

J. DINN:

There is it.

SPEAKER:

You can mute it.

J. DINN:

So I can tell you that the

issue I brought up here is because we've got the first Ukrainian refugee

families coming next week.

Now, I

have asked here in this Chamber what were the resources that were put in place

and provided to schools where children of refugee families will attend? The

minister assured me that the resources had been put in place. So like you

normally do, I do follow up with the schools involved and I do have a lot of

contacts from my days as a teacher and as NLTA president. I was told quite

clearly that they hadn't seen any additional resources and didn't know what the

minister was talking about.

There is

a gulf between what is said here sometimes and the reality in the school system

and it has to be addressed because I can tell you some of these schools where

the children will attend, they're already exceeding the class cap. That might be

acceptable if you had students who are academically competent; don't have a

language barrier; haven't been traumatized in a war setting; in a brand new

country, which is totally unfamiliar with them; probably just escaped with their

lives; and probably have learning exceptionalities themselves.

To me,

we should be doing everything we can to bring the class size down and give them,

our newcomers, and the children there, every opportunity to succeed.

I'll go

back a bit. I think it was The Telegram

reporter Juanita Mercer had asked the Premier: Given that the rationale for

returning to in-class learning was the concern about mental health of students,

she asked if the Premier would commit to more counsellors to reach the

recommended ratio of 1-250. The Premier dodged that question.

But I

can tell you that if you want to look at helping students then put those

resources in place, because, as a teacher, I depended on the guidance

counsellor. I depended on the guidance counsellor in many cases to guide me, if

I had a particularly difficult child or a child who was going through a rough

time, or a child who's transitioning, or a child that was facing homelessness,

addictions issues, mental health issues, they were gold. Yet, we do have

guidance counsellors in this case who might, on paper, have 250 or 500 students,

but they're between three or four schools. As I used to say in my conversations

with some of them, I guess if a student is going to have a crisis, they better

have it on the day that you're actually in their school.

If you

want to talk about putting resources in here – about priorities, I'm going to go

back to this $5 million for the Rothschild: What $5 million could do in terms of

helping people who are having trouble filling their oil tank; what $5 million

could do to help deal with the issues in our school system to make sure that

children have every success.

I can

tell you that primary teachers around now, three times a year they go through

this, running records where they take every student out and you basically get

them to read until they reach their frustration point, and you do an assessment.

Now,

imagine doing that with 28 kids, how long that would take because to the

children who are really good, you're going to have to do quite a bit before you

get to that frustration level. Then trying to do that while, by the way, you

have 27 other kids in the class who are – well, they're not independent

learners, that much I can tell you. That's the reality we're asking.

So from

my point of view, I don't know when it comes to the committee that's looking

into the teacher allocation, but I'm hoping that what it will come out with is

something that we're going to have find ways to reduce classes – even 25 at the

primary level is just way too much.

I taught

good day when they all showed up and I can tell you, at the end of an hour, I

was more exhausted than I was in the three academic classes I had at 30. They

challenge, and I had an instructional resource teacher in with me who would at

least be able to say, yeah, Jim, you're doing all right. Because there are days

when you walk out of there and say I'm obviously not a good teacher because it

just wasn't making sense, I wasn't getting through.

But I

can tell you that those resources – because you reach some, and that is the key

thing. You always reach some and you often have more of an impact on students

than you think. Because you think you haven't done a good job and usually you

run into a few and say, okay, am I going to have to duck a fist or something at

this point in time or – but you find out that it's always a good relationship,

and we do our best.

But I

can tell you, from a teacher's point of view, as the former president of the

Teachers' Association, as a husband and a father of a retired primary teacher

and a current primary teacher, what they're looking for are the resources.

I can

tell you the sick leave provisions that were brought in back in 2006 have not

benefited teachers. In many ways what we have done, too, we have removed that

benefit, we've removed the whole notion of severance pay; we've removed every

incentive, really, for people to come to work there.

Now, I

will be honest with you. When I started teaching, severance was the furthest

thing from my mind. I didn't know if it was fit to eat. I didn't know if a

pension was fit to eat. I was just happy to have a job. But I can tell you right

now, why would I go in to the teaching profession, take on five years, six years

or seven years of university, rack up debt, go into a job where I'm starting at

maybe around $70,000, probably try to pay off a mortgage and get ahead, when I

can easily find a job that pays a lot better and a lot more quickly?

So I

think in many ways, in my last few seconds here of this, let's look at putting a

priority in terms of if we want to solve this problem, putting the resources in

the school so that teachers aren't burning themselves out filling in for a lack

of subs. Also, how do we make this more financially attractive so that we can

attract the best and the brightest to the profession? Because, from my point of

view, our children are the most valuable resource this province has, simply put.

Thank

you, Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Topsail - Paradise.

P. DINN:

Thank you.

Always a

pleasure to rise in this House and speak for the wonderful people of Topsail -

Paradise who elected me and I'll continue to do that. Because it is Mental

Health Week, I do want to mention the motto for this year's week. It's: This is

empathy. Before you weigh in, tune in. I think we really need to keep the

dialogue open on mental health and mental health issues here in the province.

There's some work that has been done, but there's a lot of work that needs to be

done. In particular, when we look at long-term continuity of care and treatment

for those who struggle on a daily basis.

I also,

like the Member for Placentia West - Bellevue, want to send out my appreciation

as we celebrate International Firefighters' Day. What they do on a daily basis

for the many communities within our province is above outstanding. I have a

little better understanding of what they do. A number of years ago, I

participated in Fire Ops 101. The past premier was there and I believe the

Member for Virginia Waters - Pleasantville was also there and can probably

attest to what we went through.

We did

five drills in full gear, full outfit. We had to rescue a person from a car

using the jaws of life. We had to drag a charged hose up three or four stories

to rescue someone. We had to repel off the top of a building. We had to go into

a smoke-filled tube to beat out a wall to rescue someone, again, in full gear.

And it's really an eye opener. There are some people that actually opted out of

some of the drills. I won't say who but there were some who opted out. Not the

Member; I don't believe he opted out on any. But we were in a controlled

environment doing those drills. I can't imagine what they do in real life.

There

were some firefighters were slightly bigger than myself and the hon. Member

across the way and going in full gear, with two tanks on your back and trying to

get in through what seemed like a two-foot pipe. I don't know how they do it,

but they do. So congratulations and appreciation goes out to our firefighters on

International Firefighters' Day.

We are

debating the budget and we're debating amendments and subamendments and trying

to do the best for our province. We all represent fantastic districts throughout

the province. I look at government across the way and they represent some great

districts: Waterford Valley, St. John's West, Humber - Gros Morne, Carbonear -

Trinity - Bay de Verde, Cartwright - L'Anse au Clair, Gander, Corner Brook,

Harbour Grace - Port de Grave, Mount Scio, Burgeo - La Poile, Windsor Lake,

Virginia Waters - Pleasantville –

B. DAVIS:

It is a beautiful district

also.

P. DINN:

– the beautiful District of

Virginia Waters - Pleasantville, Fogo Island - Cape Freels, St. John's East -

Quidi Vidi, Baie Verte - Green Bay, Fortune Bay - Cape La Hune, St. Barbe -

L'Anse aux Meadows, Burin - Grand Bank, St. George's - Humber, Placentia - St.

Mary's and Mount Pearl North. So quite the list of wonderful districts

throughout the province.

The

reason I read that list out – and it is not to imply that the Members are not

doing a good job; that is not what I am implying. But when we go through this

debate and you have an opportunity through this debate to stand up and either

defend the budget, speak to the budget, to either talk about the good things

that are happening in your districts, it is disheartening that through this

debate we don't see individuals standing on that. It could be for any reason, I

guess. It could be that they've been told not to stand. It could be that there's

no one in their district experiencing the hardships like our districts are. I

don't think that's correct, because I know I've gotten calls from the other

districts. Or is it because you can't defend the indefensible in terms of the

budget? Or is it simply if we don't talk, we get out of the House earlier and we

close her down earlier?

I don't

know if I could do it. I say that not having to have gone through it. I don't

know if I could, on this side of the House or any side of the House, not take

the opportunity to stand up and either speak to the budget, or speak to the

accomplishments of my district, or speak to the hardships of my district and

work on solutions to make it easier on them. As I said last night, to make it

less taxing on the members of our districts and of the province as a whole.

I've

gone down through the list there last night when I was talking about just simply

the gas prices. Transportation: The gas prices are affecting our transportation,

and it's affecting both sides of the House. It's affecting the whole province.

So it's very difficult to be silent on those issues.

On the

cost of food throughout this province, again I talked to it last night. It's

very difficult to remain silent on the cost of food and how it is affecting all

our districts. I spoke to the shelters and affordability of a home. I alluded to

an incident last night of a young couple who just got engaged and have moved

back in with their parents because they couldn't afford to pay the rent and feed

themselves at the same time. That's in every district. I don't know how you can

be silent on that.

Medications: Again, we spoke about seniors especially, splitting pills and

trying to make medication go further than it is, and utilizing expired

prescriptions and outdated insulin. That's not just happening over here; that's

throughout the province. Again, I can't be silent on that – I can't.

Treatments: We talked about individuals who are trying to get treatments. The

Member for Stephenville spoke to people who come in and then they're told, when

they get here, it's been cancelled or postponed. Just the travel costs of doing

that, I can't be silent on that. That's happening in every district.

course, heating your home, individuals who paid $500 and $600 a month are paying

$1,000 and upwards. That's happening in every district. I can't be silent on

that. We spoke to the cost of rapid tests on individuals. Come Home Year: We're

expecting individuals to come home – all good; don't have an issue with that. We

need something like that. However, if you can't get a simple rapid test, there's

still that anxiety of having loved ones come home and wanting to have gatherings

– we're going to have lots of gatherings and different events throughout Come

Home Year and people would like to have access to a rapid test. And again,

that's throughout the province. I have to speak up; I can't be silent on that.

The

health care issues throughout the province, especially when you talk about the

smaller communities that we'll say are off the beaten path, I will say some of

the pathways to those communities are well beaten and in need of a lot of

repair, but you have individuals down there who may need health care and may

have emergencies. You have individuals coming in from out of province who want

to see these beautiful nooks and crannies of our province. That's what they want

to see. That's where they want to go. And they have to get there. They have to

afford to fill the tank of whatever they're driving, if they can get a rental

car and if this new program works. It's still a cost to get there. They get down

there, and should they have an accident and require medical assistance, then I

can't be silent on that. I have to speak up on that for individuals doing that.

We talk

about, again, the mental health: This is empathy. Before you weigh in, tune in.

Empathy

is putting yourself in other people's shoes. All our districts, they are

not all created equal. Some districts are a little better off than others, but

as an elected Member I have to show empathy. I have to put myself in their shoes

and I have to speak up on behalf of them.

They did not elect me to be silent. They did not elect

me to sit back and hope to get out of the House earlier, or get up and try to

defend the indefensible. They elected me to represent what is happening in my

district and the province as a whole. I think it was on the news today that

someone mentioned walk a mile in my shoes and that is what we have got to do. I

say we got to walk it because, I guess, most of us cannot afford to drive it. So

we are going to walk it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh,

oh!

DINN:

But

the point being is that if anyone walked in the door – if someone came in for

Come Home Year and stood up here and watched this House of Assembly for the last

couple of days, they would ask the question: Well, who is representing the rest

of the province? They would ask that question. Again, I am not implying that

there is not good representation, but going through this process, where you have

an opportunity to stand and speak either on the benefits and what is good that

is happening in your province, I'd take that opportunity. If I have an

opportunity to get up and speak about the hardships of my district and how we

need to address it, I'll be up speaking on that.

It is too important not to stand up for the people who

elected you. That is what we are here for. We all take an Oath of Office. We all

sign a Code of Conduct. We've all signed the same documents. Look, I know it's a

bit of theatrics here and there's a bit of a political game. I understand that,

but I know, on this side of the House, we will stay in this House as long as it

takes to get the people's work done. That's the way we are and that's the way we

should be.

If we go an extra week or we run to July ,

not an issue. But I hope there are good reasons why individuals are not speaking

up for their residents. I really do; I hope there is. I hope it's not to get

through the process as quickly as possible and move on. I hope that's not it.

I know

some Members over there probably would love to stand up and speak on behalf of

their constituents. I know it's a team approach, and I know you have to follow

along with the consensus or the majority of your caucus. I understand that. But

something as important as the budget and something as important as the concerns

and issues that are being brought forward, they are important. And to allow

individuals to get up and speak to that is part of democracy; it's the heart and

core of democracy for allowing us to do that.

I've

received calls from other districts, districts here, all over when you take on a

critic role. Health and Community Services is a very difficult portfolio, no

doubt about it, with lots of hard-working, front-line workers who do over and

above what's expected of them on a daily basis. So I know that's a difficult

portfolio. But in a shadow minister's role I'm getting the calls from all over

the province. I cannot say that they must've called their own Members first, and

either their own Members referred them along or they just didn't get an answer,

I don't know. I know the issues around cost of living, the issues around health

care are in every district. Health care is life and death for people.

So if

you can sit and not get up and speak on behalf of the people who've elected you

and let them know that you're doing what you're elected to do and you care and

you have empathy, you know what they're going through and you want to let them

know it and you want to let this House know it and you want to defend and speak

up for them. Then stand up and do it.

Again, I

say in advance, I don't think I could just sit and listen, I really don't. Now,

in three years time, when I'm over here, that may be a different thing. We have

to speak up on behalf of the individuals that elected us and for why they

elected us. Maybe the government districts have it all in hand, I don't know,

but I do get calls.

I was

out to a town hall in Carbonear and Port de Grave last week. We had a great

discussion – not my district but they wanted to speak to the critic for Health

so we went out, myself and the leader went out to that one. They are doing

similar things; they are asking to speak to the critic of Finance and

Transportation. They want to talk to this side of the House and vent. I call it

vent because a lot of them are unhappy and they used the comment: out of touch.

We go

out. We answered the question; we had a good discussion. I will tell you – I

know during the session that I was at – we didn't knock the current Member. We

don't know what is going through in that district. We don't know if we just got

a cluster of individuals. But the point being, there is discontent in every

district based on the cost of living, based on our health care crisis we're in,

based on a lot of issues.

I go

back to Mental Health Week. This is empathy: “Before you weigh in, tune in.” I

think we have to continue to do that. We have to tune in. Part of tuning in is

standing in this House, letting your district residents know and letting

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians know: We are hearing you. We are listening to

you. We are walking in your shoes as best we can and we're going to continue to

do so. You did not elect me to be silent.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER (Warr):

The hon. the Member for Cape

St. Francis.

J. WALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is a

privilege to stand here again today to speak to the amendment that we put

forward to Budget 2022 . It's always a

privilege to represent the beautiful District of Cape St. Francis and the fine

constituents.

Before I

get into my comments with respect to the amendment, several colleagues have

recognized today as being International Firefighters' Day. I do want to

recognize the two fine departments in my district: Torbay volunteer and Pouch

Cove volunteer. Both departments are well equipped with state-of-the-art

equipment and infrastructure. Both departments answer Code 4 medical calls,

which is a huge benefit to the constituents of my district. We all know the

parameters that Eastern Health ambulatory services are under and how stretched

that they are, and the volunteers with Pouch Cove volunteer and Torbay volunteer

do excellent work in providing that level of care to the constituents.

They do

handle hundreds of calls, annually, from Code 4 medical calls to fire scenes,

accident scenes, what have you. It is quite interesting to listen to what they

have to say when it comes to their level of training, their level of commitment

to the departments and, of course, to the municipalities.

Like my

colleague said earlier from Topsail - Paradise with respect to, I think, he said

about the Firefighter Challenge. As mayor I had the opportunity some years back

to take back in the Firefighter Challenge with the full bunker gear, with the

breathing apparatus, the helmet, the whole works. I can tell you, Mr. Speaker,

I've been quite active all my life, in all kinds of sports, but when you put on

that gear and you go through that course, it tests you to the limit. As it was

said, it was done in a controlled setting. Put that into an emergency setting

and you have a different quintal of fish all together, I can tell you that.

So I

want to give a shout-out to all of the volunteer firefighters in my district. My

son Zacharey is a seven-year member of the Pouch Cove volunteer. I'm very proud

of him and the work that he does with his colleagues. But I would like to

recognize two outgoing individuals from the Torbay volunteer fire department,

retired Chief Mike McGrath with 47 years of service and 18 years of service as

chief, retired just this past couple of months, and Deputy Chief Jerry Dunphy.

behalf of, I'm sure everyone here in this hon. House, I do recognize and applaud

their level of commitment, dedication and achievement in volunteer firefighting

and the difference that they have made to my district as a whole. So I'd like to

thank them for that, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

J. WALL:

Speaker, I know that there

are many challenges that each of our districts face when it comes to what was in

this budget. Now, I'd like to speak about Transportation and Infrastructure. I

do know that the hon. minister has a heavy workload, a heavy responsibility for

the province and I acknowledge that. We've had many conversations, myself and

the minister, with respect to the work that he and his officials, his

department, has to do throughout this province. There are many challenges that

the minister is facing.

But I'd

like to speak to Route 20 that runs through my district. My constituency

assistant and I, a couple of weeks back, took one full day and we spent it

driving the provincial roads in my district. I'm getting – as I'm sure other

people are as well – dozens and dozens of phone calls, emails, conversations at

the post office, at the grocery store with respect to the amount of work that's

needed and, unfortunately, the damage that people are incurring on their

vehicles with respect to the roadwork. I'm hearing it. I know the minister and

his officials are hearing it. It's something that every district is dealing

with.

As I

said, my CA and I took the full day and went throughout the entire district on

Route 20. I believe we had 102 – if I'm not mistaken – pictures of various areas

throughout the district with respect to paving needs, potholes, guide rails,

shoulders, bridges and signage. Everything that was forwarded to me – and, of

course, I listened to my constituents – we took those areas, took all the

pictures with the civic addresses as best we could and provided them to the

department.

I'm very

appreciative of the work that the minister's staff does in my district. They

have a daunting job, but it's work that is necessary for the well-being of the

residents who travel over the roads each day, those that have incurred

particular damage to their vehicles, working towards better roadwork and network

of travel for all of us here in the province, especially as I speak to the

District of Cape St. Francis.

I'd also

like to bring up the topic of Marine Drive in Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove.

Again, we've had this conversation, the minister and I. I appreciate the

Minister of Transportation reaching out to Mayor Denis Hickey of the Town of

Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove and his council with respect to the issue with

Marine Drive. It's been in the media, of course.

I feel

obligated to speak to that here today, not only to recognize the issue and to

recognize the work that the council is doing, because, of course, they have the

safety of the residents in mind, but to thank the minister for that particular

scope of work. I know that it is a large piece of work when it comes to Marine

Drive, but I do thank the minister and his officials for his attention to that

with respect to correcting that issue in the Town of Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer

Cove.

It is a

concern. It is a safety concern. The mayor and council are very in tune with

what is going on there and I do thank the minister for his attention to that. It

is something that is not an overnight issue. It has been going on for quite some

time. However, the issue has been recognized and I look forward to an update

from the minister and his officials with respect to working with the Town of

Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove.

Mr.

Speaker, with respect to the budget, I have spoken to it several times here with

respect to seniors in my district. Seniors are the ones I am hearing from most,

as I am sure most of my hon. colleagues are as well. I had a senior reach out to

me with respect to what the budget was going to do for her – what

Budget 2022: CHANGE is in the air is

going to do with respect to this particular senior and the money that is going

to be kept in her pocket with what was offered here. So she did the math and it

was approximately $350 with respect to the reduction in her home insurance, her

vehicle renewal and the Seniors' Benefit.

Mr.

Speaker, $350, no doubt, is a benefit in someone's pocket, but it doesn't make a

huge difference when the fill-up on her oil tank was an extra $600. So this $350

per year is welcomed, but as I said when I spoke yesterday, we need to do more

and we ought to do better. I realize the parameters that the Minister of Finance

and President of the Treasury Board is under. I have acknowledged that in this

House. It is a difficult position, but collectively and collaboratively, as our

leader has said many times, we need to work together to do better, to see what

can we do more for our seniors, our aging demographic. Each district is becoming

more and more heavy with seniors. The age limit is rising at all times and we

need to be mindful of that.

Now, Mr.

Speaker, I spoke yesterday and I am sure everyone can remember what I said with

respect to a young couple from Torbay that are moving out of province. It proves

to show that people do watch the proceedings in this hon. House because I had

another couple reach out to me this morning. I was in my office at 8 and I had a

phone call from a young couple who are moving out, again. They're moving to

Alberta.

This is

not the same couple as yesterday; this is another couple who saw me speak

yesterday in the House and who reached out to be again with respect to the level

of taxation that we are faced with and what money they're keeping in their

pockets. It is unfortunate. These are two people who've I've known for many

years, who have two children, who were involved in programs – these people

volunteered. This makes a difference to our communities. I know there are

municipal leaders on the other side of the House, friends of mine, who've led

their communities for many years, and they know the importance of these people

in their communities to the level of volunteerism, to the level of taxation when

they're running a home-based business and what that brings in to the municipal

coffers.

Time and

time again, this is happening. Time and time again, it's becoming more difficult

to listen to it and to bring it to this House. We want the best for all our

residents. I know the Minister of Finance does as well, and the Minister of

Transportation. All ministers here – all hon. Members want the same thing. But

it is, Mr. Speaker, becoming more and more difficult to listen to these

individual stories. It does – it hits you to the heart. I've said that before.

It is more difficult to listen to time and time again.

couldn't say a whole lot to this couple that reached out to me this morning,

other than to wish them well, and that I hoped that they would have stayed here,

but their plans are made and they are moving on. I fear that is going to become

more and more common as we go forward. It's something that we have to do better

on, no doubt about it.

Mr.

Speaker, in my shadow Cabinet role for Municipal and Provincial Affairs, like my

colleague from Topsail- Paradise said shortly ago, I'm getting many calls from

across the province when it comes to municipalities, from municipal leaders who

are finding it more difficult with respect to their municipal budgets, the

services that these individual municipalities have to provide. I know the hon.

minister spoke earlier this week in a minister's statement with respect to the

money that's going to come from the department back to the municipalities.

That's welcomed, no doubt. It's welcomed. But the municipalities are finding

that it's not going far enough.

The

level of responsibility that municipal leaders – and being a former leader, I

know the importance of it, to have your boots on the ground as the first line of

defence for any issue in government: municipal, provincial or federal. They come

to the mayor, they come to your councillors and they come to your staff. The

level of responsibility that these elected officials are faced with is becoming

more and more each year.

Just let

me fall back to the fire department for a moment. I had the privilege of sitting

with my colleague from Harbour Main; we sat in Estimates with respect to Justice

and Public Safety. When you look at fire and emergency services and the

responsibility for the municipalities that they have with respect to their local

fire departments and today being International Firefighters' Day, it ties in

very well. They have to make sure that their volunteer firefighters are well

protected, with the best possible infrastructure and equipment that they can

have. That is a daunting, heavy load when it comes to that budget in their line

item for municipalities.

I can

take an example from myself. We were faced with replacing our number one pumper

in the Town of Pouch Cove. The town applied several years ongoing to the

department for funding and we were turned down. The council saw the need to pay

for that pumper ourselves. We saw that need and we did that, $560,000 for a

state-of-the-art pumper vehicle for the Town of Pouch Cove, which also provide

service to the Town of Bauline.

There

were no provincial or federal funds to pay for that fire truck. I know the

Minister of Justice and Public Safety has said many times that it is not the

department's responsibility to pay for fire trucks for all municipalities. I

realize that. The minister has, again, $60 million worth of want on his desk and

he can give out $1.8 million this year, down from $2.7 million last year. That

is concerning when you have the level of firefighting equipment in our province,

which is being depleted year after year. There are many departments out there

who have outdated fire equipment.

I have

spoken to Members on both sides of this House who are faced with that with their

local fire departments. That is an issue that is on the floor of this House when

it comes from $2.7 million down to $1.8 million when you're looking at fire

protection for our municipalities. That concerns me as a former municipal

leader, as having family and friends who are in the volunteer fire service. It

is our responsibility to do more and to do better.

When you

look at the number of municipalities across the province who have outdated

equipment – and it's on both sides of this House. I've spoken to elected

officials on the municipal level across the province, from here to St.

Lunaire-Griquet. It's a heavy weight on the shoulders of municipal elected

officials.

I have

to say, I was disappointed when I saw that reduction in that line item in the

budget for Justice and Public Safety from $2.7 million down to $1.88 million.

That does concern me because I know it's not the full responsibility of the

department to provide a truck to every municipality; however, we ought to do

better when it comes to protecting our volunteer service, those brave men and

women who do so much for all of us on a regular basis.

Mr.

Speaker, my colleague from St. John's Centre touched on the teachers with

respect to what they have to do on a daily basis in our schools. My wife is a

teacher, a kindergarten teacher at Cape St. Francis Elementary. I'm very proud

of her for that. Teachers are a special breed, no doubt, when it comes to having

the patience and providing the guidance for our young people. I spent 27 years

in my former career as a counsellor with mentally delayed and autistic adults.

You need a level of patience for that, as well.

I've

said it many times that my training in the group home prepared me for politics.

Do you know what? You might smirk, but it does give one a sense of having to

listen, having to be a problem solver, having to put yourself in their shoes and

come to their level to solve the issue that they're dealing with. So it has

prepared me for municipal politics. I'm very grateful that I'm in this chair

representing Cape St. Francis and dealing with the issue now that I have to deal

with on a district basis.

But to

get back to the teachers. I've witnessed first-hand that it's not an eight-hour

school day. So whatever comes in the Premier's report with respect to teachers,

I know that my wife would welcome an eight-hour school day. With respect to the

point that he made of having prep periods: Prep periods are very beneficial if

they're there, but now they're having to cover for other classes. This is

becoming more and more common when it comes to teaching in the run of a day.

Teachers are no doubt overwhelmed with the level of workload that they have,

and, of course, the needs that are in individual classes as well, that they deal

with, sometimes without the proper supports.

I know

that the Minister of Education is listening. We have discussed teaching issues

in my district in the past and the minister has been quite responsive. I do

appreciate his attention to that; however, going forward, we need to keep in

mind our teachers, the benefit that they pass back to us with respect to

teaching our children and our youth.

They'll

be in this House one day. They will be in this House one day and they will be

the leaders for our province. So we have to do the best that we can in order to

make sure that they have a great education and, of course, to support our

teachers at the same time.

Mr.

Speaker, I do appreciate the opportunity to speak on this amendment. It is

always an honour to represent the beautiful District of Cape St. Francis. I look

forward to the conversation going forward as we hear from other speakers. I

thank you for your time, Mr. Speaker, and your attention.

Thank

you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Transportation and Infrastructure.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

E. LOVELESS:

I appreciate the standing

ovation on the other side, I really do. I guess my mom had wisdom when she named

me Elvis because I can say, thank you, thank you very much.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

I guess

I'll begin like all of us do and say thank you to the people of our districts

that vote us, give us the honourable opportunity to stand here on behalf of

them. I say to them thank you, but what's important as well is to thank my wife,

my children and my family because my dad does watch the House of Assembly and he

enjoys it. He gives me feedback on both sides. So I can share with you over

there, if you want me to, some of the feedback

But do

you know what he always says to me? Always walk with respect for whomever,

whatever side you are on and if you giveth, you will receive it. I know politics

sometimes here, we get heated and stuff, but I think it is paramount for all of

us, when we do stand here, we stand as a voice for our seniors, our youth and

everybody that's struggling right now. And we know there is a lot of struggling

going around.

I want

to say at the beginning. Thank you to many in my district, like in other

districts, when we talk about volunteers. We talk about the mayors, thank you;

councillors, youth workers, firefighters, firettes and you've got recreation

people. On the recreation theme, I spent a week of watching hockey and I met the

Member across when he had some words to say out in his district, and teams from

my district.

It was

an absolute pleasure because I have a passion for hockey. My son is a hockey

player as well, spent a lot of time in – but we don't realize, though, because

the coaches coach these teams and they do take heat from parents, that's the

nature of it because it's a competitive sport. So I don't think we thank them

enough. Plus, growing up in small school, volleyball was a popular sport for me

and coaches also take the time – their free time – to spend time in the

gymnasiums preparing those for tournaments and stuff.

I want

to recognize the Bay d'Espoir Academy, the middle of the month they're hosting

the badminton provincial tournament. I think there are 150 athletes who will be

coming to that area. So I'm going to go there and certainly be a part of it, be

a part of the opening ceremonies and to certainly go through the school and have

a chat with the teachers and administrators that are there.

Mr.

Speaker, I want to talk about the visit to my district last week when the

Premier was with me. It was a very important visit. The Premier came out and we

went directly to the hospital in Harbour Breton. We met with all the staff that

were there and we met with seniors. I have to tell you, there was a guy, an

older gentleman, Mr. Durnford that was playing the accordion in the other room

and the seniors were dancing. I said to the Premier: I have to interrupt you.

You can talk here, but I have to go and dance with the seniors.

Even

though we were talking about a very serious matter here, but inside the seniors

were having fun. I went and shook every hand because it's important. They had

smiles on their faces. But we visited one senior and she made it clear to us

that the hospital in Harbour Breton: we need doctors. It's not a long-term care

facility, it's a hospital; we need doctors. We reassured her that we're doing

everything, and we are doing everything. We heard it from the nurses and we

heard it from the nurse practitioners and we heard it from the administrators.

They appreciated the visit, they appreciated the sincerity and it was important.

We left

that and then went over to – and I'll say, many Members opposite say when you're

on your feet it's not me, it's not my words. What I'm going to tell you right

now were not my words either. We had 17 around a round table that included

mayors, councillors and ambulance reps. I asked them to be there because their

voice is paramount.

During

the meeting, I said we don't have a lot of time but I'm going to limit the time

because I want every voice heard because it represented all areas of the

district. The mayors that couldn't be there in the isolated communities, we went

to the communities, we went to them to hear their voice.

The very

important message that came from that meeting that we had with those voices in

those communities was the negativity has to stop. It's challenging enough as it

is trying to get doctors to areas, medical professionals, but the negativity has

to stop.

I'm not

pointing finger at anybody in terms of the negativity, but we hear it on the

media. One mayor described it as: I can't blame doctors not wanting to come to

rural Newfoundland and Labrador because we're out there, those that are

responsible that are trying to get doctors to come to the rural parts of the

province are actually discouraging it in their words.

So I

challenged all the mayors. They challenged us. We need to do better. I challenge

the other side as well, when you're on your feet – because I take exception to

the fact that government is to blame for the current state of the health care, I

do. I'm over here; you're over there, yes.

Minister

Haggie – I'm not supposed to say it but – the Minister of Health and I have had

a very good relationship over the years and to be honest with you it hurts when

someone calls for his resignation. I'm going to be totally honest with you. Many

of my constituents say the same thing, because it's not on his shoulders. He

just went through 2½ years of the pandemic. We all faced those difficulties.

It's not on that individual's shoulders and it's not on the Premier's shoulders.

It's not on the shoulders over there.

We know

where health care is, we know the challenges, but the messages that I got from

point where there's too much negativity. We need to stop, as a society. Each

individual, we have a responsibility as individuals to make it right.

That's

what I'm bringing back from my district as well. Absolutely, there are people

that are challenging me, absolutely. I respect that, but that important word is

respect. I don't mind people challenging me, but when you go outside the limits

of being disrespectful, or when you stay within the limits of disrespectful,

that's a problem for all of us. We're all doing our best and health care right

now, the challenges around it, is beyond challenging, but we will get there.

visited an isolated community and then we visited the school. The atmosphere in

that school, I wish we all could walk through there. The Premier and I sang

happy birthday to a young fellow that was there, Sam. But it was a very positive

environment. And just seeing what the students were – because we all talk about

rural Newfoundland and the challenges in isolated communities and what they are

doing. This student was online with a student from Westport, I believe,

Clarenville was there, but there was four different communities that were on.

The

interaction was – I could have stayed there all day. But the students were

positive. They were learning. The staff were learning and they appreciated the

visit. One of the staff members said: We need to do more of this, because the

students there had the Premier of the province there, they had their MHA there.

It was important to them.

When we

are being challenged by the other side, do you listen? Yeah, I do. I do listen.

I listen to my own father who can be a critic sometimes and your family, but

it's difficult. We are over here to do a job and it's not an easy job.

I know

there is only one Member over there that was in Cabinet and he said yesterday he

recognized the challenges in Transportation and Infrastructure. There are many

challenges, but we also have to remember – and I hear this from people in the

province, too – you are spending our money. It is not our money. It is the

taxpayer's money of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The

Leader of the Opposition said yesterday that we don't have a spending problem. I

don't know if I agree with all of that because when we spend, we spend more

money – we don't want to be just paying off the interest on our credit card. We

need to go to the principle as well. It's no difference over here in terms of

what we are doing because the more we spend, we are putting ourselves in harm's

way in terms of the finances. We need to be able to support the seniors and the

youth years to come, even when we are not here. There will be other people here.

So that's the challenge. There's no difference in your own household.

Where

should the future of rural Newfoundland and Labrador health care be? We had a

big conversation about that and through my conversations with the Minister of

Health and with the CEO of Central – and I am going to say here and I know it

comes from across the way, that's your prerogative to say that, that the CEO is

not in Newfoundland and Labrador. But I'm going to tell you, the conversations

we have, she understands Newfoundland and Labrador, from my perspective in

dealing with her, from the Coast of Bays perspective. Because the collaborative

care clinic approach will be focused in my district, I appreciate that. I

believe it was through the relationship that I had with her that she understood

that. She understands rural parts of Nova Scotia. She understands rural parts of

New Brunswick. She gets it and I support her leadership.

She

could retire and move on, I've asked her, don't retire yet because we need

important files dealt with for health care in rural Newfoundland and Labrador. I

believe she gets it.

I take

exception when that is thrown at her. It's like, well, she's out of the

province. That's you right to say it, but I don't agree with it. I say focus on

working with her, in the other example of not working with her. I believe it's

important.

The

Premier – when we were around the table – he also talked and the message was

received. When we left the hospital, we had the lady that was in charge of

nursing and we had the administrators say that the visit and the reassuring

words that doctors are required in that hospital in Harbour Breton, we will find

them.

But the

challenge, because I know years ago when I worked with the former MHA down in

the same district, recruitment was always a challenge. Doctors had been coming

in and going out. It's just we have not come to the point where there's been no

doctors. I didn't think we would ever see it down there, but we have.

The

clinic in Bay d'Espoir, in St. Alban's, they've dealt with that for two years

now, the challenges, and it's been rough. It has been tough on the people, on

the seniors, ambulances being called. There are stories that people are

struggling. I get it and I'm listening, but because I'm listening doesn't mean I

have the answers.

Somebody

can tell me right now that they have a problem, I might not have the answers but

I'm telling you, I might not be on with Paddy Daly, every day, I don't need to

be on with Paddy Daly or any media. The Member who's the leader now was in

Cabinet back years ago, he knows that lobbying is done behind closed doors.

There are heated conversations behind closed doors and there are tough decisions

behind closed doors. I leave that with everybody as well.

In terms

of rural Newfoundland and Labrador, where it needs to be is a team approach.

Doctors coming to rural parts of the province, I think, come there with the

understanding – and the last doctor that left Harbour Breton made it very clear,

it has nothing to do with money. It was the language barrier and it had to do

with his children. He's a Muslim and the church is not out there. I respect

that.

How can

I tell a man that – and his wife's family live in Hamilton, Ontario. Those are

the reasons he moved. That's not the Minister of Health's fault. That's not the

Member for Baie Verte's fault. That's not the Member for Ferryland's fault.

That's the reality. That's the reality around rural medicine and the delivery

of.

But I

believe – because I have them in my district – that paramedics want to live in

rural Newfoundland. We need to support them, and the nurse practitioners. There

needs to be a team environment. When a doctor knows they're going out to a team

environment, I believe he's going to make a difference. And that was the message

that we had at the meetings, and it was well received and they appreciated it.

And

virtual care – virtual care is a reality, no matter who's governing wherever we

are. It's not the only answer to medicine or delivery of health care, but it's a

support. It's a layer of support. I'll use the words of one of my humble

constituents that said it's not just about attracting a doctor; it's about

attracting a family. I know the advocacy group in my district, one councillor in

particular, she was mayor and they've done a great job. They've actually went

themselves.

I even

had my brother-in-law from Peterborough, Ontario who's got a doctor – I haven't

told the Minister of Health yet – that wants to come to Newfoundland to

practise. How do the doors open? We need to open up the doors. If there's such a

thing as fast-tracking it, let's do it. I'm willing to have the conversation. So

I reached out and said give me his contact information and I'll open up a door

for him and his wife.

I've

heard it said that government is taking doctors out of rural parts of the

province. We have a responsibility to correct that message, though, whether

you're in Opposition or you're in government. Government is not taking doctors

out of rural parts of the province. And I gave an example why one of the doctors

was leaving. I've said it before and I'll say it again that it's not

government's fault. I referenced in terms of the Minister of Health and the

challenges that he has. I asked for people to really support and not bring that

person down who's in that role.

listened to a lot of the Members opposite in terms of their speeches. So I want

to say to the Member for Harbour Main, I was listening. The Member for Ferryland

talked about a burden on taxpayers. And I'm not going to mention that project.

I'm going to say what my constituents tell me as well. The unfortunate part

about that project is its burden on Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, where they

feel that it should not have been. That is all I'm going to say on it. That is

their words; it is not my words.

Both

levels of government had to find $500 million a year so rates wouldn't double.

If we hadn't found that, the seniors' bill of – I'll use my parents – $300 a

month for heat would have been $600. If we want to change what goes on in this

House, acknowledge it. Show the respect to the people; they want to hear it. We

can lead from both sides of the House.

I think

I am getting near my time, but I am certainly going to use it because I have

much more to say. The Member for Exploits: No voice in Central Newfoundland and

Labrador. I take great exception to that. But –

AN HON. MEMBER:

(Inaudible.)

E. LOVELESS:

Hold on now, I take exception

to that. The thing about the Premier's office, I support it because it is

another layer of support for voices in Central. You over on the other side are

not the only ones who have received phone calls. I have received calls from

constituents as well that said they support it. They do. They can pick up the

phone and call these individuals. I know these two individuals and they have

experience federally and provincially. I know you have your opinions; I have

mine, too.

I just

want to say that Central Newfoundland is not just Grand Falls-Windsor and

Exploits or even Gander, because we consider ourselves Central. The people from

the South Coast, we buy lots of vehicles up in Central Newfoundland. But I

listen to you.

The MHA

for Terra Nova spoke yesterday and the other time, leaving the impression that

no one cares. I know you're not going to agree with it over there, but I take

exception to it. Standing on your feet to say no one cares and there is no hope

and stuff. That is the negativity that leaders in my district are asking that

has to stop. There are realities around it; yes, we get it. But the sky is not

falling. People in this province – seniors are listening to that and they feel

there is no hope. Now, he has the right to do what he is doing and that is his

choice.

I have

so much more to say because I haven't even talked about Transportation and

Infrastructure. Always a pleasure and I look forward to more (inaudible) –

SPEAKER (Bennett):

The minister's time has

expired.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Health and Community Service.

J. HAGGIE:

Thank you very much, Speaker.

In my

capacity as acting interim deputy Deputy Government House Leader I move,

seconded by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, that this House

stand in recess until 2 p.m.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

In accordance with paragraph

9(1)(b), this House stands recessed until 2 p.m. this afternoon.

Recess

The

House resumed at 2 p.m.

SPEAKER (Bennett):

Order, please!

Admit

strangers.

Good

afternoon, everyone.

In the

public gallery today, I would like to welcome Jayme Guy. Jayme is the subject of

a Member's statement this afternoon and she is joined by her family members:

Derrick, Betty, Courtney, Jessie, Elaine and Gerald.

Welcome.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

Statements by

Members

SPEAKER:

Today we will hear statements

by the hon. Members for the Districts of Labrador West, Topsail - Paradise,

Torngat Mountains, Exploits, Placentia West - Bellevue and St. Barbe - L'Anse

aux Meadows, with leave.

The hon.

the Member for Labrador West.

J. BROWN:

Thank you, Speaker.

I rise

today to give recognition to a group of students who have created a group called

The Be Kind Project. Their goal is simple: end the stereotype surrounding teens

and show the community that being kind is cool.

The Be

Kind Project has been encouraging residents to how one act of kindness per week

they have made an impression on the community by participating in a number of

events that show random acts of kindness.

They

have held presentations for school Grades 7 to 12 on the Pink Shirt Day,

volunteered and helped with the 50-plus club, collected donations for the food

bank, participated in Ronald McDonald House fundraisers and much, much more.

I want

to thank The Be Kind Project for making our community a bright place and taking

every opportunity to spread kindness throughout Labrador West.

I ask

all hon. Members to join me in thanking The Be Kind Project for flipping the

narrative surrounding teens and encouraging anyone to always be kind.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Topsail - Paradise.

P. DINN:

Thank you, Speaker.

From

April 4 to 10, 16 high school teams across the province played in the 2022 Royal

Newfoundland Regiment Memorial High School Hockey Tournament that was held in

Topsail - Paradise. For six exciting days, top high school hockey teams hit the

ice for a chance to win the Beaumont Hamel Centennial Cup.

The

Royal Newfoundland Regiment Memorial High tournament is in memory of those who

fought and died with the famous regiment during the First World War. The

tournament began in 2016 as the Beaumont Hamel cup, designed to commemorate the

100th anniversary of the devastating battle. Despite being nearly wiped out

after Beaumont-Hamel, the regiment went on to earn the royal designation from

the British Crown in recognition of its actions in battles at such places as

Monchy-le-Preux, Courtrai, Masnières and Gueudecourt. Those battles are

commemorated at the annual hockey tournament in the Trail of the Caribou

championship and the final games are played for the Beaumont Hamel Centennial

Cup.

I want

to offer congratulations to all who played to honour the Royal Newfoundland

Regiment and the people who serve. Congratulations, as well, to the champions,

the O'Donel Patriots, winners of the 2022 Beaumont Hamel Centennial Cup.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Torngat Mountains.

L. EVANS:

Thank you, Speaker.

Inuit

Elder John Jararuse passed away April 18, 2022, at the age of 74. My first

thought was: “We will never get over this loss.” Elder John was the greatest

keeper of our knowledge and truth about Inuit history.

He was

born in Hebron, Nunatsiavut. At the age of 11 years old, his entire community

were gathered in the Moravian Church and told they would be moved south to other

communities. His family were among the first Hebronimiut to move to Nain.

Witnessing such a detrimental act on his family and his community members,

seeing the lasting impacts over generations, he sought to strengthen and

preserve his Inuktitut language, culture and history.

Nunatsiavut President Johannes Lampe stated: “John was very passionate about his

roots, his culture and in promoting, enhancing and preserving Labrador Inuktitut

– having served many years as the interpreter/translator for both the Labrador

Inuit Association and the Nunatsiavut Government.”

served on the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement Ratification Committee and

the Torngat Mountains National Park Co-Management Board. He assisted in

archaeological research in Hebron over the years, providing very valuable

information about the life history of his ancestors.

He was

greatly loved by his family, especially his grandchildren and

great-grandchildren.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Exploits.

P. FORSEY:

Thank you, Speaker.

On April

27, Mr. Gordon Lannon of Bishop's Falls celebrated his 100th birthday.

He was

born in Fermeuse in 1922 and grew up in Kilbride. He graduated from Holy Cross

in St. John's and worked several jobs before joining the army. After leaving the

army, he worked on the railroad for 44 years and retired in 1985.

In 1946,

he married Marie Hannon and moved to Bishop's Falls and raised eight children.

He has been an active member of the community and a long-time active member of

the Royal Canadian Legion and Knights of Columbus. Last year, Gordon and Marie

celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary.

Speaker,

I would like all Members of this House of Assembly to join me in wishing Mr.

Gordon Lannon a happy 100th birthday.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Placentia West - Bellevue.

J. DWYER:

Thank you, Speaker.

Today, I

recognize a young lady in our beautiful District of Placentia West - Bellevue,

Ms. Jayme Guy of Arnold's Cove.

Jayme is

very focused on academics and athletics. In 2019 she received a hockey

scholarship with Rothesay High School, New Brunswick. After one semester of

living her dream, she decided to return home to complete high school at

Tricentia Academy due to COVID-19.

Jayme's

had a very successful sports career, winning three AAA hockey championships. She

represented our province twice at AAA Atlantics. She's a two-time AAA defensive

player of the year, 2021 recipient of the AAA hockey player's choice award, and

just this past month she won the U18 provincial minor hockey championship and, a

week later, went on to win the Tier 1 high school volleyball championship .

Jayme will also be travelling to New Brunswick as a member of Team Canada's U20

women's ball hockey team in July.

Jayme's the valedictorian for her graduating class of

2022, which gradates this Friday, and will be attending Memorial University with

plans on becoming a doctor.

I ask all hon. Members to join me in congratulating Ms.

Jayme Guy of Arnold's Cove on her accomplishments to date and wish her great

success with her future endeavours.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for St. Barbe - L'Anse aux Meadows, with leave.

HOWELL:

Speaker, I ask leave of my colleagues to deliver a Member's statement.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Leave.

SPEAKER:

Leave is granted.

The hon. the Member for St. Barbe - L'Anse aux Meadows.

HOWELL:

Thank you to my colleagues.

Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to a remarkable constituent, nurse,

colleague and friend in the District of St. Barbe - L'Anse aux Meadows, Jeanette

Hostetter. This lady passed away on January 30, 2022, just fourteen days shy of

her 90th birthday. Ms. Hostetter came to St. Anthony in the mid 1950s as a young

nurse through the Mennonite Central Committee, along with many other

professionals who made remote Newfoundland and Labrador communities their home.

Fresh out of nursing school in Philadelphia, Jeanette joined the International

Grenfell Association in 1956, working as an OR nurse, an outpatient supervisor

and in the early 1970's, along with Dr. Gordon Johnson and team, created the

first collaborative travelling eye clinic serving Northern Newfoundland and

Labrador for 25 years. This crew often travelled and worked for weeks on end,

doing clinics in all of the remote nursing stations.

Following her retirement in 1991, Jeannette operated a bed and breakfast,

travelled extensively and through her faith was baptized in the River Jordan.

She was an active church member, in the Hospital Auxiliary and supported many

charities.

ask all hon. Members to join me in honouring a life of dedicated service to

others, the life of Jeannette Hostetter.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

Statements by Ministers.

Statements by Ministers

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture.

BRAGG:

Speaker, forest fire season has started for the Island and will begin in

Labrador on May 15. The season remains in effect for the entire province until

September 30.

I would like to remind everyone enjoying the

province's beautiful outdoors this summer that you all have a role to play in

protecting our forests from the threat of wildfire. Be cautious when lighting

fires in and around forest areas, never leave one unattended and always ensure

fires are completely extinguished.

I strongly encourage anyone planning a fire to learn

the outdoor burning regulations and to check the Forest Fire Hazard Index Rating

Maps on the on the

Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture website to determine the

wildfire risk for the location in the province.

A permit

to burn must be obtained from a provincial Forest Management District Office to

burn vegetation, wood and paper during the forest fire season. However,

recreational campfires, backyard fires and boil ups do not require a permit,

provided they are conducted safely in accordance with provincial and municipal

regulations.

Our

fleet of water bombers and dedicated team of professional wild land firefighters

are strategically positioned throughout Newfoundland and Labrador and are ready

to take action to protect the public, property and forests. To report a

wildfire, call 1-866-709-3473.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Exploits.

P. FORSEY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I

thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement.

The

natural beauty of this province is all our responsibility to protect and must

not be taken for granted. Every year because of a few careless acts, our forest

is put at risk. Speaker, from now until September, it is forest fire season. If

you have any questions and before lighting a fire, I would encourage you to

reach out to your local enforcement. They are here to help you and very

knowledgeable.

behalf of the Official Opposition, I applaud the incredible work of our forest

workers; they are on the front line of our forest at all times. I would also

like to recognize the vigilance of everyday people in protecting our wilderness

through responsibility, use and reporting fires.

closing, I want to remind everyone that our duty, as Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians, is to be stewards of this land and ensure our future forests are

here for generations to come.

Have a

great spring and please enjoy our beautiful forests responsibly.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Third Party.

J. DINN:

Thank you, Speaker.

I thank

the minister for an advance copy of his statement. When it comes to preventing

forest fires, everyone certainly plays a part. But individual efforts are not

enough and we need government to step in when the sum of our actions fall short.

That is why we are once again calling on government to restore the water bomber

in Labrador West so that there are no gaps in our fire suppression services.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

Further statements by

ministers?

The hon.

the Minister of Justice and Public Safety.

J. HOGAN:

Thank you, Speaker.

I am

very fortunate to work with a great group of people in the Department of Justice

and Public Safety, and today I would like to recognize the correctional staff

for the important work that they do day in and day out.

Each

year the first week of May is recognized as Corrections Week.

It is a time to acknowledge the demanding and challenging job of correctional

staff who work 24-7 to ensure that all correctional facilities in the province

remain safe and secure for inmates, staff and members of the public.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought additional obstacles,

but, through it all, staff remained committed to ensuring that the inmate

population and those who provide services in the facilities stayed as safe as

possible and connected to ensure the proper

supports were delivered. Despite these extra demands, correctional staff arrived

each day with compassion, empathy and enthusiasm.

This enthusiasm is also on display through the

participation of corrections staff in many community activities that aim to make

the province a better place to live and help some of our most vulnerable

citizens.

Speaker, I would also like to acknowledge our

government's investments in infrastructure for the construction of the new

correctional facility that will replace Her Majesty's Penitentiary and the

extension of the Labrador Correctional Facility. These projects will provide a

better place of work for our correctional staff and more opportunities for

rehabilitation of inmates through enhanced programs and services.

I ask all hon. Members to join me in thanking our

correctional staff for their service and contribution in their workplaces and in

their communities to support the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Harbour Main.

H. CONWAY OTTENHEIMER:

I thank the minister for

an advance copy of his statement.

behalf of the Official Opposition, I would like to take this opportunity to

recognize this week as Corrections Week. I would also like to thank our

province's correctional offices for their efforts in making our correctional

facilities as safe as possible, especially correctional officers who work

alongside community organizations to offer supports, rehabilitation programming

and those who seek to improve the conditions within the facilities.

I have

met with several organizations who seek to improve life within prison. A

gentleman said to me that people should not come out of any prison system in

worse condition and that supports should be in place so that when offenders are

released they are ready to work and live responsibly in our province.

I urge

the minister and the government to keep this in mind while we wait for a

replacement for HMP. We still need to think about the programming in place for

all our facilities and how we can help improve society and the working

conditions for correctional officers by improving conditions within prison

institutions.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Torngat Mountains.

L. EVANS:

Thank you, Speaker.

I thank

the minister for an advance copy of his statement. The Third Party recognizes

the need for greater supports for both correctional staff and inmates. We

therefore take this opportunity to call for more psychological care and other

wrap-around supports for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. With preventative

measures such as these, fewer people will end up in the prison system in the

first place and we will all benefit from safer, healthier communities.

Thank

you, Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

Are there any further

statements by ministers?

Oral

Questions.

Oral Questions

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Official Opposition.

D. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Speaker.

On April

6, the Premier set the expectation that the Rothschild report would be released

through the Access to Information, saying the report will be – and I quote –

redacted accordingly and in accordance with the legislation. It was revealed

yesterday the report will not be released at all, citing Cabinet confidence.

The

Premier doesn't control the ATIPPA process, but he does control what is and what

is not hidden behind Cabinet confidence.

I ask

the Premier: Will you use your power and release the report publicly?

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER A. FUREY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As the

Member opposite is aware, as the minister has said many times, there's

commercially sensitive information in the document. We will have full public

debate on whatever we choose to do subsequent to the documentation and

evaluation.

This is

an important moment in Newfoundland and Labrador's history. We all recognize the

substantial debt, but we don't really have a full grasp of the value of the

assets that we own right now, Mr. Speaker. It would be unwise and frankly would

be commercially wrong and not prudent to release that information, as we're

trying to position our assets for the future, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Official Opposition.

D. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Speaker.

So we

spent $5 million of the taxpayers' money to do an overview of the assets owned

by the taxpayers, yet we won't share that information with the taxpayers of this

province. Real problem with that, Mr. Speaker, and so do the people of this

province.

Speaker,

the Premier can do the right thing and be transparent with the people of this

province, but he's choosing not to. He has to understand that the people of this

province paid for the Rothschild report to review the assets that they own. I

remind the Premier, the people of Newfoundland and Labrador own these assets,

not the Liberal Cabinet.

I ask

the Premier: Why don't you believe the people of the province deserve to know

what is in the Rothschild report?

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER A. FUREY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As the

Member opposite is aware, there's been much public commentary on the advice

that's being given by the Rothschild group. Many have said that it would be

wrong, frankly, to release that commercial reports available to us, Mr. Speaker.

We want

to get the best value and see what is the value of these assets and then how

they are appropriately positioned in a Newfoundland and Labrador moving forward,

Mr. Speaker. We're investing $5 million to assess the value, unlike some other

projects which invested $5.2 billion, and ended up with – wait for it – $13

billion in (inaudible).

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Official Opposition.

D. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Unfortunately, the people of this province are telling us that they don't have

faith that what will be done will be done in the best interest of the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador, and it won't be taking care of Liberal friends in

business as they have with other entities here in Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr.

Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

D. BRAZIL:

Speaker, one individual who

received the Income Supplement told me that they used the extra money to buy

rapid tests. The money didn't go towards groceries. It didn't go towards

medication. It didn't go towards heat. They were forced to spend it on rapid

tests, available for free everywhere else in Canada.

I ask

the Premier: Is this good enough?

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Health and Community Services.

J. HAGGIE:

Thank you very much, Speaker.

We have

a robust PCR testing program available, and there is a flow chart on the web. If

you require a PCR test, rapid or otherwise, it is available at no charge through

the RHA facilities. If you, on that flow chart, do not need a PCR we do not

provide them because they are not recommended by Public Health and are deemed

not medically necessary. They are there for those people who need them at no

cost, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Official Opposition.

D. BRAZIL:

So for months we were touting

that we wanted people to use the rapid tests so that we would ensure that they

would be safe and that they wouldn't pass on the virus to somebody else, so it

was a safeguard in the tool box for our health care system here. Now, all of a

sudden, it's swung 360 degrees, Mr. Speaker.

Speaker,

income support recipients are forced to spend their limited resources on things

other provinces offer for free. This summer, when tens of thousands come to our

shores for Come Home Year, instead of spending money on the local restaurants,

they'll spend their money on rapid tests. This is an embarrassment for our

province.

I ask

the Premier again: Will free rapid tests finally be made available widely to

avoid the national embarrassment?

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER A. FUREY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We take

advice from Public Health. Public Health has best positioned us throughout this

pandemic, I would argue the best in the country, and in fact the best in the

world. And we will continue to take that advice, Mr. Speaker.

Because

frankly, Dr. Fitzgerald understands that 360 comes back to the beginning, and

not 180 which I think is what the Member opposite was trying to imply.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER A. FUREY:

What we are doing, Mr.

Speaker, is we recognize the importance and the use of rapid tests, Mr. Speaker.

As the minister has explained, testing is available for the public if required;

rapid tests are a special kind of test that need to be deployed appropriately,

Mr. Speaker.

We're

looking as we go through the school year and into the summer, as the minister

has said publicly, to see how to better deploy those, but right now the advice

comes from Public Health, as it should, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Official Opposition.

D. BRAZIL:

It would be better if the

Premier was upfront with the people of the province. We know what it's about;

it's about monies. Monies that they haven't put in the right places in health

care that has been detrimental; they're not willing to invest to keep people

safe in Newfoundland and Labrador. We've seen evidence of that in this past

budget also, Mr. Speaker.

Yesterday we heard the sad news that since March of 2020, 13 people have died

waiting for the necessary cardiac surgery, that the health care system needs to

provide these surgeries faster and that the wait-list needs to be reduced by

two-thirds.

I ask

the Premier: When will you finally act to improve cardiac care in our province?

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER A. FUREY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and

thank you for the important question.

certainly empathize with anyone waiting for cardiac services, but as Dr. Connors

was publicly out yesterday stating, we've made great progress in a short period

of time. We continue to work with him and the cardiac surgeons in the cardiology

department to ensure that we're providing the best of care, Mr. Speaker.

himself, Dr. Connors, said that the cardiac system is not in crisis, that

patients can get access, when required, albeit sometimes a little slower. But we

are – his words – moving in the right direction, Mr. Speaker. And he got a lot

of positive things to say about the cardiac program and the hard-working women

and men who work in that program in Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Official Opposition.

D. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I can

say that Dr. Connors and his team have made great strides to improve health care

in Newfoundland and Labrador, unlike the Liberal