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December 15, 2014

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLVII No. 56

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Verge):

Order, please!

Admit strangers.

Today it gives me pleasure to welcome to the public

gallery Mr. Lester Powell, who happens to be the father to the Member for

Cartwright L'Anse au Clair; and Mr. Tony Powell, along with Ida Powell.

Ida is a former long-time Mayor of Charlottetown.

Welcome to the House of Assembly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

Statements by Members

MR. SPEAKER:

Today we have members' statements from the Member for the District of St.

George's Stephenville East; the Member for the District of Placentia St.

Mary's; the Member for the District of Trinity Bay de Verde; the Member

for the District of Bonavista North; the Member for the District of

Cartwright L'Anse au Clair; and the Member for the District of Kilbride.

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

Stephenville East.

MR. REID:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to pay tribute to the firefighters of St.

George's Volunteer Fire Department.

In particular, I want to make special note of Brian Bennett, who

recently received his pin for thirty years of services, and also his brother

Jerome and Theo Bennett who are also long-serving members of the St.

George's Volunteer Fire Department.

Jerome has forty-one years of service, and Theo, who is

currently the fire chief, has twenty-four years of service.

Between them, they have close to 100 years of service with the fire

department.

The St. George's fire department has been in place for

forty-three years and has seen many changes in equipment, training and

practices, but one thing remains the same is the willingness of these

volunteers to come forward and serve their community.

I ask all members of the House to join with me in

paying tribute to the Bennett brothers and all the firefighters in Bay St.

George.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Placentia St. Mary's.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. F. COLLINS:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in this hon. House to pay tribute to five

centenarians from my district.

Mr. Speaker, on March 4 Anastasia Yetman of St. Mary's

turned 100 years old. On January

For Bridget Smith of Placentia, the magic milestone was reached on

July 31. Beatrice Murphy of

Placentia turned 101 on September 13, and Mary Drake of Placentia was 102

years young on February 1.

Mr. Speaker, I could not match the Member for St.

John's East, but he has a bigger pool to draw from than I do; in fact, it

would have been six, but Mrs. Annie Hayward of St. Vincent's passed away in

November at the tender age of 103.

She was reading the newspaper, Mr. Speaker, and keeping up with world

affairs two days before her death.

Mr. Speaker, it is almost impossible to grasp the

tremendous changes that have occurred on this planet during the amazing

lives of these ladies. When I

inquired as to their recipes for their longevity, one responded that it was

hard work and a smile in your heart.

Another said a good shot of scotch every day.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. members to join me in

congratulating Anastasia, Annie, Bridget, Beatrice and Mary, and extend our

very best wishes for good health in the future.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Trinity Bay de Verde.

MR. CROCKER:

Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to recognize Jennifer Rimmer,

this year's recipient of the Cecilia Carroll Award for Independent Living

for a person with a disability.

This award is bestowed upon a person who has

demonstrated a long-term and extraordinary personal commitment to full

inclusion of persons with disabilities in the Province.

As a deaf person, Jennifer has exemplified that role.

Jennifer, who is originally from the Town of Heart's

Delight-Islington, graduated from Memorial University with an undergraduate

degree in 2010 and was heralded as the first deaf person to exclusively use

American Sign Language throughout her university studies.

Jennifer continues to work tirelessly on community

the deaf community. She has made

presentations titled Understanding the Deaf Community that have helped the

hearing understand a little better.

The wife and mother of a three-year-old boy is employed

at the St. John's Airport, also provides respite work for a young deaf

adult, and is often called upon to provide translation services.

I ask all hon. members to join me in congratulating

Jennifer on winning this prestigious and well-earned award and wish her well

in all of her future endeavours.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Bonavista North.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CROSS:

I am very pleased to rise today to speak about school spirit and teamwork.

On November 29, I had the pleasure of visiting School

Sport NL Female Volleyball A Division Championships hosted at Gill Memorial,

in Musgrave Harbour. Gill is a

small community school and it hosted similar sized schools from across the

Province. Gill played Main River

Academy, while Eric G. Lambert met Bishop White All Grade in the crossovers

with the final combat between host Gill Memorial Academy and Bishop White

All Grade School.

In front of a supportive audience the little host team

from Gill battled through some games, but made it through the crossovers and

in the finals they bumped, jumped, blocked and smashed their way to a Gold

Medal and a Provincial School Sport banner.

The young ladies on the team are: Natasha Bemister,

Allyson Morgan, Sarah Hicks, Taylor Mouland, Kalei Cromwell, Kendra Dyke,

Tyra Burry, Kaylie Chaulk, Laura Whiteway, Sarah Simms, Courtney Pinsent and

Brandi Hicks, their coach John Abbott and manager Courtney Mouland.

I know that this success did not materialize without

the dedication of the players, the coaches, and the parents.

As colleagues let us unite to congratulate all of the competitors at

the provincials and salute Viking Gold.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MS DEMPSTER:

Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to

recognize Captain Lester Powell for his forty-five years of flying.

Over the past four-and-a-half decades, he has flown from the

Atlantic, to the Pacific, to the Arctic, but most of his stellar career has

been flying the friendly skies of the place he is so proud to call home

Labrador.

Captain Powell attended flight school in Moncton, New

Brunswick and made his first flight on September 28, 1969.

Since that time, he has logged over 45,000 hours delivering freight,

mail, and passengers to coastal Labrador communities.

Initially it was floats in summer and skis in winter on single-engine

aircraft prior to the days of coastal gravel runways.

Today, he is one of the most experienced Twin Otter pilots in Canada.

During his career, Captain Powell has completed more

than 1,000 medical evacuation flights, transporting sick and injured people

for medical care. Captain Powell

is the first of six brothers who would become fixed-wing pilots.

Powell would become a well-recognized and well-respected name in the

aviation industry.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. members to join me in

recognizing my wonderful dad and aviation icon, Captain Lester Powell, for

his lengthy career in the airline industry.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the District of Kilbride.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. DINN:

Mr. Speaker, 2014 is the International Year of the Family Farm.

At the annual agriculture show at Jack Byrne Arena on October 3, John

Lester and his family were recognized for their contributions to

Newfoundland and Labrador agriculture.

Lester families have been farming on Brookfield Road

for more than 160 years. John

and Mary Lester started their business a number of years ago on twenty-five

acres of land, growing only a few types of vegetables.

Today, Lester's Farm Market grows more than 100 varieties of fruits

and vegetables on 110 acres.

This very successful local business continues to change

and evolve. Lester's have a

nursery, a bakery, and an animal petting farm.

They have set up a youth club which gives children an opportunity to

try their hand at farming.

Lester's annual Pumpkin Fest has raised thousands of dollars for local

charities.

John and Mary Lester, two sons, Chris and Brad, and

daughter, Susan, along with over thirty employees, strive to maintain a

great atmosphere for customers.

I ask all hon. members to join me in recognizing a

great family of farmers.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Statements by Ministers.

Statements by Ministers

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY:

Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to highlight the good news

resulting from the calls for bids announced Friday by the

Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board.

The call for bids consisted of six parcels of land in the Flemish

Pass, the Carson, and Jeanne d'Arc basins.

The interest by the petroleum industry in the calls for

bids was significant and clearly demonstrates the long-term potential for

exploration and development within Newfoundland and Labrador's offshore.

In fact, the result for calls for bids in the Flemish Pass Basin of a

$559 million commitment to exploration by ExxonMobil Canada Limited, Suncor

Energy and ConocoPhillips Canada Resources Corporation is the largest bid in

the Province's history for a single parcel.

Exploration and production companies internationally

are increasingly interested in our offshore.

Statoil, for example, has indicated that Newfoundland and Labrador

remains one of its six core focus areas.

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to

exploration, including the Province's frontier regions.

As envisioned in our Energy Plan, we have enabled Nalcor, on behalf

of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, to invest in multi-client

seismic programs which has delineated three new basins offshore Labrador.

Nalcor, through the Offshore Geoscience Development Program,

continues to pursue seismic, electromagnetic, and seabed coring initiatives

from the Labrador Sea to the southern Grand Banks.

The Province continues to transition towards a new

scheduled land tenure system.

The next Call for Bids, which will be issued by the Canada-Newfoundland and

Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board in the spring, will be under the new

system and will provide operators with increased time frames for the bidding

process in more frontier areas.

The petroleum industry is the largest contributor to

provincial GDP at 33 per cent with oil production value of over $8 billion

and royalty revenues of $2 billion in 2012.

Continued exploration activity will help to sustain growth and

development, while supporting long-term economic and employment

opportunities for many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Humber Valley.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to thank the minister for the advance copy of

his statement. Of course, we on

this side of the House are very pleased and interested with the results we

saw on Friday of last week, and pleased with the outcome.

I would also like to congratulate ExxonMobil Canada,

Suncor Energy, and ConocoPhillips Canada Resources Corporation on the

successful bid we saw just last week.

It is particularly nice to see the new player, or welcome the older

player back, ConocoPhillips, to our jurisdiction.

We, too, have high hopes in the Flemish Pass and this

high level of interest we saw on Friday, as I said, is encouraging, as well

as the continued interest in the Carson Basin and the Jeanne d'Arc Basins,

as well.

Additionally, we have been very supportive of the new

land tenure system used by the C-NLOPB and we look forward to the Call for

Bids again next spring this so-called creating the environment for

success.

As we know this money will be spent over a six-year

period which could be extended into nine years in some cases, but as well

know exploration is key to sustaining our oil and gas.

All of us in this room, I am sure, as Newfoundlanders

and Labradorians, know the tremendous value that oil and gas has to our

economy. We look forward to

this. We are very pleased with

the results on Friday.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I, too, thank the minister for the advance copy of his

statement. It is indeed good

news that the largest bid in the Province's history has been made for a land

parcel in the Flemish Pass Basin.

I do not underestimate that.

However, a Nalcor official is quoted in the recent

Globe and Mail story saying he

would like to see competitive bids for at least three of the six parcels and

at least one new entrant. I

point out to the minister there was one bid, large though it may have been.

The minister notes correctly there were $2 billion of

revenue in 2012. I look forward

to hearing what the mid-year financial report will be with oil close to $60

a barrel.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

MR. GRANTER:

Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House to note our government's commitment

to engaging youth in marine studies.

For decades our fishery has been a cornerstone of our

Province's economy and culture.

The fishery is rooted in our history, and as we move forward it is important

that we engage youth who will be the harvesters, processors, scientists,

inspectors, and policy-makers of our future fisheries and aquaculture

sector.

Mr. Speaker, for this reason the Department of

Fisheries and Aquaculture Scholarship was created in 2008 to promote

awareness and appreciation of the Province's fishing and aquaculture

industries among graduating high school students.

This past year Nicole Kennedy of Spaniard's Bay was the winner of the

seventh annual Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Scholarship.

Mr. Speaker, funding has also been provided for a

number of youth-focused initiatives that encourage youth to pursue active

participation in coastal and ocean stewardship and learning.

An example of this would be The

Trading Books for Boats program that was created and launched by

Atlantic Coastal Action Program Humber Arm in 2002.

The program provides opportunities for students to collect data and

learn about topics such as marine ecosystems and species, aquatic invasive

species, marine debris, and ocean technology.

The provincial government has supported this initiative because it

engages and motivates youth to pursue success in the marine careers.

The department is also proud to support Students on Ice

Arctic Expeditions, an award-winning organization offering unique

educational expeditions to the Antarctic and the Arctic.

This program provides students, educators, and scientists from around

the world with inspiring educational opportunities to help youth foster a

new understanding and respect for our planet.

Approximately $60,000 in funding under the department's Coastal and

Oceans Strategy program has been provided to the Students on Ice Arctic

Expedition since 2010.

In addition to the Department of Fisheries and

Aquaculture Scholarship, the provincial government supports student

engagement in marine issues by providing funding for student placements at

the Centre for Fisheries Ecosystem Research, and the Dr. Wilfred Templeman

Memorial Scholarship for graduate students studying fisheries science at

Memorial University.

We look forward to continuing support for the youth of

our Province who show an interest in marine studies.

By strengthening their understanding and knowledge, we ensure the

future of our fisheries and aquaculture industry remains as vibrant as it is

today.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. Barbe.

MR. J. BENNETT:

I thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement.

I would like to take up where he left off.

He said he would like to ensure that the fisheries and aquaculture

industry remains as vibrant as it is today.

Well, heaven forbid that it should be no better than today.

I am taken back to the 1999 Seafood Industry in Review.

The hon. John Efford pointed out fifteen years ago that we had

reached $1 billion. Our seafood

industry reached $1 billion and we have been flatlined, Mr. Speaker, ever

since the flatline of $1 billion.

We have had no growth whatsoever.

Even more tragically, at that time we had 30,000 people involved in

our fishery; today we have 18,000 people.

The minister seeks to congratulate the government on a loss of 40 per

cent of the people working in the industry and no growth in fifteen years.

Mr. Speaker, this government may pretend to be

born-again fisheries advocates but clearly they are not.

They have ignored the fishery for eleven years and now they are

looking to get some credit by a few low-scale announcements.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I, too, thank the minister for the advance copy of his

statement.

I applaud all these efforts to encourage young people

to consider a career in the fishery, our one, true sustainable industry and

our oldest one, Mr. Speaker.

Congratulations to all the young people participating

and I wish them every success in these exciting opportunities.

Imagine an expedition to Antarctica.

It is important for the future of the fishery and the future of these

young people that we fight to protect our fishery in light of the Harper

Government's refusal to contribute financially to our fisheries future

because of the impacts of CETA.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CORNECT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to recognize

St. Kevin's High School in Goulds for developing the first in a series of

iBook textbooks focused on workplace health and safety that will be shared

with students around the Province and around the globe.

The Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation

Commission was proud to provide $22,000 in funding to support this

innovative project which establishes St. Kevin's High School as a Centre of

Excellence for student-created safety iBook textbooks.

By providing high school students

with the technology and resources to develop initiatives such as safety

iBooks, we are ensuring that students are better able to learn how their

knowledge and attitudes can improve their workplace health and safety.

Young people are the workforce of the future and have

unique health and safety challenges.

There are a range of factors that impact their well-being, including

unsafe working conditions and job-related factors such as heavy workloads,

long working hours and inadequate training.

Young people are also impacted by a lack of awareness of their rights

and responsibilities in the workplace.

Mr. Speaker, the Workplace Health, Safety and

Compensation Commission has developed important partnerships with schools

throughout educational initiatives such as Safe Work NL's Who Wants to

Save a Life? game show, the annual Young Worker Safety Radio/Video Ad

Contest, Skills Canada competitions, and the high school course Workplace

Safety 3220. These initiatives

have resulted in students becoming more aware of their rights and

responsibilities as they enter the workforce.

As well, these partnerships show that the Workplace

Health, Safety and Compensation Commission remains committed to making

Newfoundland and Labrador workplaces safer for young workers by increasing

awareness of workplace health and safety and how to prevent injuries.

Mr. Speaker, we are proud of the work carried out by

the students at St. Kevin's in helping to keep their peers safe at work and

I congratulate them on the launch of their iBook textbook.

I encourage all students in our Province to visit iTunes and download

the iBook Introduction to Young Worker Safety for free.

It can be viewed using the iBooks App on any iPad or MacBook

computer.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl South.

MR. LANE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to thank the minister for an advance copy of his

statement.

Mr. Speaker, we certainly would like to also applaud

St. Kevin's High School on this initiative.

We know when we talk about workplace safety, one of the most

vulnerable groups in the workplace where you have a lot of the accidents

occurring is actually with new workers.

So I think anything we can do to bring awareness to our future

workforce, to do it at a young age, is a very positive thing and I think it

will pay off down the road.

That said, Mr. Speaker, when we talk about occupational

health and safety in this Province, while this is a good initiative, there

are certainly other things that need to be done.

We look no further than the Fish Processing Sector Safety Council

that was announced three years ago, absolutely nothing done.

We have all of these cases of silicosis in Lab West at

IOC. There is a problem there.

We do not have inspectors.

We have not had an inspector there, I think, for five years.

They are flying them in and out.

There used to be three.

Now they are down to fly in and fly out.

We look at the plight of the former workers of the

Marystown Shipyard. Once people

become injured or they come down with industrial disease, then we have

issues in this Province as it relates to the Workers Comp system and getting

their cases reviewed.

So while this is a positive initiative, there is

definitely a lot of work to be done.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MS ROGERS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I, too, thank the minister for an advance copy of his

statement. Bravo to the staff at

St. Kevin's High School who have dedicated time and effort to educating

young workers about workplace hazards and their right to a safe environment.

Because of projects like this, we are seeing a drop in

young worker injuries although the statistics also say every day in this

Province two young workers are injured on the job.

So we must also teach young people how to be advocates for safety in

their workplaces, and to hold employers accountable for that.

We know, Mr. Speaker, that the unions have done a great

job on this. Now that the young

worker safety iBook will be available for free with an iPad or a MacBook, I

am hoping that students will have access to that at school.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

Oral Questions.

Oral Questions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, just recently the Premier stated that the removal

of the MPRs minimum processing requirements as part of the CETA

agreement is not going to have a negative impact on fish processors in

Newfoundland and Labrador.

So I ask the Premier: If this is the case, why is one

of the five pillars called worker adjustment and designed to provide

assistance for workers displaced by fish plant closure related to CETA?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to take a moment to applaud the work of

government officials and those working for government on behalf of the

people of Newfoundland and Labrador who have worked very hard on this file

in the last number of years, Mr. Speaker.

We have employees in government who have worked on this file now in

excess of five years, dedicated full-time, worked days, nights, and weekends

for extended periods of time. I

would like to extend my congratulations and appreciation to them.

As part of the agreement that we reached with the

federal government, a 70-30 split of $280 million submitted by the federal

government, and $120 million by our government, was built on five pillars.

It was about marketing, it was about fish science, it was about

research and development, it was about investment in infrastructure in the

fishing industry, and it was also, as the member opposite referenced, about

workforce adjustment, if that was to happen, Mr. Speaker.

The fund today and the utilization of that fund today,

we cannot anticipate and we do not anticipate a significant impact on the

workforce; but if that was to happen in the future, Mr. Speaker, this fund

was going to position Newfoundland and Labrador to ensure the safety of the

fishery.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, I am sure the Premier, as well as the officials

and then the employees, who I agree, worked a lot of hours over a number of

years in getting us to where we are today with all of this but there was

no question about this. Some of

the Premier's comments that he has made publicly just last week is not

surely helping this argument.

One of the problems is that government has not been clear, really, on the

values of MPRs to our fishery.

The 2006 report completed by Burke Consulting did not

place an exact value on MPRs; however, the report did recommend that further

evaluation of the MPR system be undertaken by 2009.

I ask the Premier: Eight years after the recommendation

and being such an important piece of the CETA negotiation, why hasn't this

additional evaluation been completed?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

On a discussion about MPRs which are minimum

processing requirements that we have in place in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Just to be clear for members of the House and for the general public

as well is that in Newfoundland and Labrador we have two jurisdictional

authorities in this Province over our fishery.

We have authority over licensing and we also have authority over

minimum processing requirements.

The federal government holds the ability to make

decisions over harvesting and what happens on the water.

We do not take over regulatory authority until products reach the

wharf, in which then we have those authorities.

Mr. Speaker, it is important for minimum processing

requirements they are important to the people of the Province.

They are important to fishing communities.

They are important to people who work in fish plants and the fish

processors. For us to give up on

that policy, we wanted to have an assurance that we could build a fishery of

the future. That is what that

funding is for.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Throughout this whole negotiation one of the things

that was very clear, especially from the federal government, was about

workers replacement job replacement.

The Burke consultants outlined this.

In order to put a value on MPRs they suggested that more work needed

to be done.

I ask the Premier: Since this was a foundation for the

CETA agreement, the fisheries loan, this fund, why did you not do this work

that was suggested by Burke?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The agreement that we reached with the Government of

Canada was based on a negotiation.

As we went through the process of negotiation, we included input in

consultation with industry stakeholders.

The FFAW was highly involved in the process of discussion about the

importance of MPRs and how we would

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

PREMIER DAVIS:

enter them into the trade agreements and trade discussions with the

While the member opposite is questioning MPRs and

questioning where we are as to how we reach value and so on they are all

important, good discussions but I would like to know, for the member

opposite, where does he stand with us as a government in our battle against

We need to hold Stephen Harper's feet to the fire in

ensuring that we get this agreement finalized.

We know some members opposite do not support CETA, but I can tell you

we certainly do, if Stephen Harper lives up to his obligations, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

I will make it quite clear to the Premier, and those who are following this

at home, I am certainly not one to be siding with Stephen Harper.

It did not take a trip to Ottawa for me to figure out that you could

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BALL:

I was not the one saying in this House that I am dotting the i's and

crossing the t's on this agreement either, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, in other negotiations, like the federal

loan guarantee for Muskrat Falls, the Province signed an MOU a year before

the final agreement was reached.

In this case, with a $400 million CETA fisheries fund, the government did

not have a signed formal agreement.

I ask the Premier: During negotiations on the fisheries

fund, and before your public announcement, why didn't you have a signed

agreement with both parties?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The member opposite must be the last person in

Newfoundland and Labrador, and the last one in Canada, who does not believe

we had an agreement. The Prime

Minister has said we had an agreement.

Senator Wells says we have an agreement.

We have said we have an agreement.

We have independent professors from the university saying that we

have an agreement, Mr. Speaker.

We had an e-mail from Bill Hawkins dated October 23,

right to officials in government, who also acknowledged we had an agreement.

Bill Hawkins was the Chief of Staff for the hon. Ed Fast at the time,

Mr. Speaker. He now works in the

Prime Minister's Office. Even

his e-mails acknowledged we had an agreement, Mr. Speaker.

There is no question; we had an agreement with the

federal government. It was

contingent on the federal government providing $280 million towards a fund

to allow for this Province and our government to ensure industry renewal and

industry development so we could have a positive impact on the fishing

industry throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Again, I say an e-mail exchange or a letter-writing

campaign with the federal government, in this particular case, we all should

have learned a lesson about that from our own experience over many, many

years. Without a signed

document, the Province is left without a dispute resolution process.

I ask the Premier: Why would you negotiate with Stephen

Harper and make a public announcement without a clear process, a clear

resolution process already established?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is clear now, Mr. Speaker, that the member opposite

is not with us on this. Where we

are

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

Members have asked questions and ministers and the

Premier are going to answer.

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

When we announced this last year, the Member for St.

Barbe was quite clear publicly when he said the CETA deal is going to kill

the fishery, Mr. Speaker. Now,

we are having questions from his leader opposite about the viability of the

CETA agreement and the tariffs and the fund and all of the agreements that

were reached. Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that we reached agreement with

the federal government. There

was no doubt in anyone's mind.

The people throughout Canada, people throughout

Newfoundland and Labrador who took the time to read the documents they are

very careful in the documents that allowed a negotiation that took place,

Mr. Speaker, e-mails we have as well, it clearly paints a picture that we

had an agreement.

Mr. Speaker, even in this e-mail here from Bill

Hawkins, who at the time was the chief of staff for Minister Ed Fast, says

he looks forward to he congratulated us on our announcement.

He looks forward to us moving forward together and receiving further

discussions on finalizing the deal.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, I have read all the documents too, and there is

no doubt when you read through those documents there was certainly an

expression there and one could read that there was an agreement in principle

being formulated. What was

missing, however

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. BALL:

What was missing, however, was getting those signatures on the paper.

The Premier should have known who he was dealing with and should have

had a document signed by both parties.

Instead, we have a loose assortment: some correspondence, some

e-mail, assortment of letters.

I ask the Premier: Have you obtained a legal opinion on

your letters, whether they are legally enforceable or not?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, what the member opposite is trying to

point out is that we had a deal.

All those documents paint a picture of a deal; they clearly paint a picture.

Those who have taken the time to read those documents agree that we

clearly had a deal, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Not only did we have a deal, but what happened after we announced the deal

last October I think is important as well.

Because the file from the federal government was taken from Minister

Ed Fast who was the chief negotiator, it was passed over to ACOA, Mr.

Speaker, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, who invests in Atlantic

Canada, invests in opportunities, and invests in the future.

They do not like Service Canada provide funding for

compensation. They are about

investments, Mr. Speaker. That

is where the file went. It went

to Minister Moore, and for seventeen months Minister Moore not once said

that we had to demonstrate economic loss, not until this fall.

They are moving the goalpost, Mr. Speaker, and we are not going to

stand for it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well it took almost a year after the announcement was

made here in St. John's did we even figure out who was actually going to

administer the program. As a

matter of fact, it was a minister of your government who felt that the

administration would be done within government.

It was the federal government who told you that it would be done by

ACOA. Mr. Speaker, we have

reached a stalemate with no signed agreement and no dispute resolution

process in place.

I ask the Premier: Will you bring this issue to the

Supreme Court to get an

interpretation on what exactly was agreed on during

the series of letters over a year ago?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This will provide more detail, Mr. Speaker, because I

know the people of the Province are keenly interested in this whole process.

October, 2013, we made an announcement to the people of

the Province that we had reached an agreement with the federal government.

Mr. Bill Hawkins, who now works in the Prime Minister's office, at

the time was chief of staff for the hon. Ed Fast, acknowledges and knew we

were going to make an announcement; regretted he was not able to send

someone to the announcement. It

says so in his e-mail that he looks forward to working with us into the

future. That is what his e-mail

says, Mr. Speaker.

Then, when the file goes over to Minister Rob Moore,

who is the federal minister supposedly representing Newfoundland and

Labrador, he took the file, Mr. Speaker, and in January soon after we

announced our deal he came to Newfoundland and Labrador, went to the board

of trade, and not once did he mention that we had a demonstrated loss, Mr.

Speaker not once.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, an internal audit of laboratory medicine at the Health Sciences

Centre was completed four weeks ago.

There were fifty-one instances where concerns were raised around

seven main areas of concern.

I ask the minister: Are you aware of this audit, and

does this cause you concern?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, assuring quality and safety in our laboratories and throughout

our health care system is a top priority.

So any time there is a review or audit, we take those concerns, those

findings, and those recommendations very seriously.

We have good, well-run accredited labs in this Province that achieve

the highest standards, and we are continually improving on those standards

as well, Mr. Speaker.

Every time there is an audit or review, of course we

take it very seriously, and we work to improve our performance accordingly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, it does not sound like the minister is quite aware of the audit

that I am referencing right now.

This laboratory medicine audit showed there were eighteen instances where

laboratory standards were either (

a) not developed at all, (

b) not being

implemented, or (

c) policy was not being followed.

Five years ago the Cameron Inquiry required all labs to be

accredited.

I ask the minister: What immediate action are you

taking to address these very significant concerns?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, the specific report that the member is referring to was just

received by my office this morning.

So I have every intention of fully reviewing it.

I can assure him and members opposite, and the public,

that every laboratory in this Province is accredited.

We are constantly improving our standards.

Quality and patient safety are our top priorities, and that will

certainly continue, Mr. Speaker.

I do look forward to reviewing the report in question.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, recommendation 15 of the Cameron Inquiry stated that leadership

training was necessary for management within the pathology division.

This audit showed there are problems with communication and

leadership throughout the department.

I ask the minister, or perhaps the Premier, or the

former minister: Why does pathology still have communication and leadership

issues five years after the Cameron Inquiry?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, we take concerns raised about the pathology lab or any other

laboratory in our system extremely seriously, and we will be reviewing the

audit report that has now been received by my office.

I know that Eastern Health is taking steps to address many of the

concerns that are outlined, but in terms of the progress that has been made

since Cameron, it has been substantial.

Most recommendations have been implemented.

In fact, we have invested over $43 million to respond directly to the

recommendations in the Cameron report, and fifty-five out of sixty

recommendations have been fully implemented, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, I am glad the minister is going to review it, but I can tell

him about some of it right now.

The Cameron Inquiry recommended efficiencies and improved protocols within

immunohistochemistry or IHC testing.

For the past four months, half of the samples that go in the lab do

not leave on time. These tests

are widely used in the diagnosis of cancer.

These delayed test results are causing undue stress for the pathology

assistants, and it is putting cancer patients at risk.

I ask the minister: What immediate action will you take

to ensure that cancer patients are receiving their lab information on time?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, it is important that lab results are processed efficiently and

effectively, and in a timely fashion as well.

That is part of the reason why some tests, certain tests have been

performed outside the Province for a period of time, as we have previously

discussed in this House, Mr. Speaker.

Again, we have invested over $43 million to address

recommendations coming out of the Cameron Inquiry, and that includes

improvements to our laboratory services as well, Mr. Speaker.

Continuous improvement is necessary everywhere in the health care

system, and certainly in the laboratory environment, that is no different.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the minister mentions $43 million,

because senior staff and pathologists at the Health Sciences have said that

actions taken in relation to Cameron have not been sustained.

This is shocking, and it is unacceptable.

This report has been out for over a month, and it is five years

post-Cameron.

What will you do to immediately address this?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, again, the report that the member is referring to was received

by my office this morning. So I

have not had an opportunity to review that report.

I understand that officials at Eastern Health are taking immediate

action. We want to address

whatever concerns exist related to the pathology lab.

I have received assurance that quality standards are being met and

that patients are safe. Patient

safety is always our top priority, Mr. Speaker.

I do look forward to reviewing the report.

I can assure you if further action needs to be taken then it will be.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, the report that I am referencing is dated November 12.

Why is the Minister of Health only getting it on

December 15?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, the moment that I became aware that there was an audit review

report that was being compiled, I immediately requested that report.

Eastern Health provided that report this morning.

I look forward to reviewing it in its entirety.

I am sure I will be having active discussions with

Eastern Health. My understanding

from brief discussions even this morning, Mr. Speaker, is that action

already has been taken. I look

forward to receiving a full briefing from Eastern Health on necessary next

steps.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister of Health: Just to clarify for the record

here, when did you first become aware of it?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, I became aware in November that there was a review being done.

I only became aware this morning that the report had been received by

my office because it was received this morning.

I was aware that an audit was being conducted.

That audit is now complete.

A report was provided to me today.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, we have a report that is dated November 12.

Now the minister has said here right now that he has been aware of

this since November, but he only gets the report on his desk on the morning

of December 15.

I ask the minister: Is this acceptable?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I will try again.

I became aware in November that there was an audit being conducted

in November. I received the

report on that audit from Eastern Health this morning.

I fully intend to review the recommendations that are provided in

that audit because I want to ensure that safety and quality is paramount in

all of our laboratory facilities.

I am pleased with the significant progress we have made

since the Cameron Inquiry. We

have improved quality. We have

improved patient safety within our diagnostic services, and within our

overall health care system. That

progress and that improvement will continue, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Humber East.

MR. FLYNN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, last April, the government committed to a

$500,000 study to determine how best to deliver radiation services to the

Province. This study was due in

August. In November when we

asked, the minister said it would be available in the next number of weeks.

I ask the minister: What is the status of the $500,000

study?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, I welcome the member to the House of Assembly.

Earlier in this sitting, we did discuss this very issue

because the provincial radiation review is ongoing.

There have been some delays.

I expect to receive the report on that review within the next number

of weeks. I look forward to

reviewing its findings.

In the meantime, that ongoing review of provincial

radiation will not pose any threat to the West Coast hospital project.

It will also not result in any delays whatsoever to the new West

Coast hospital.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Humber East.

MR. FLYNN:

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health said that the functional program for the

new Western Memorial Regional Hospital is being finalized, but he is willing

to answer whatever questions we have.

Last week he confirmed that there was a 45 per cent reduction in the

number of labour and delivery rooms in the new hospital.

I ask the minister: Can he also confirm that the number

of ultrasound machines will be reduced from the current six, and if so, to

what level?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, I do not have the specific information from the draft

functional plan that the member is asking for, but I will certainly get it

and I will certainly provide it in this House.

What I can assure you is that as a result of the work

that is going, and as a result of the new functional plan, the number of

beds in the new hospital facility to the West Coast hospital will increase.

The number of services available in the West Coast hospital will

increase. The service level and

the quality of care will be better overall as a result of this new

development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MS DEMPSTER:

Mr. Speaker, in the Department of Advanced Education and Skills alone the

Population Growth Strategy is late, the Immigration Strategy is late, the

action plan for the inclusion strategy is late, the Poverty Reduction

Strategy is two years late, and the Adult Literacy Plan is almost eight

years late.

I ask the Premier: Why does your government continue to

miss deadlines, break promises, and operate in the absence of strategies?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN:

Mr. Speaker, I go back in Newfoundland and Labrador a long time not

telling my age here and I have watched politics from way back in the early

1970s. There were a lot of

strategies by the Liberal government that were shelved and collected a lot

of dust, I can guarantee you, that never seen the light of day until we took

government.

We have been working on those strategies, Mr. Speaker.

As a matter of fact, they are very important to the Province.

Population growth is absolutely important.

That is the reason why we have been focusing on immigration.

That is the reason why we have been focusing on workforce

development.

These strategies take a lot of time, Mr. Speaker, and

they are well underway.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MS DEMPSTER:

I guess they are coming soon, Mr. Speaker.

We know the importance of their population growth; that

is why they are reducing the beds in Corner Brook.

Five strategies late in one department; meanwhile, we have the

highest food bank usage in Canada, some of the lowest literacy levels in

Canada and an Office of Immigration cut in half, despite a desperate need to

grow the population.

Again, I ask the Premier: Don't you see that a failure

to plan is a plan to fail?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills.

MR. JACKMAN:

Mr. Speaker

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Seniors, Wellness and Social

Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is interesting, the member gets up and cites things

that suit a purpose and may not always have the information, Mr. Speaker.

I can speak to her that the Poverty Reduction Strategy

is well underway. The final

session of that one, I believe, is on January 19.

I would go back to December 18 when she got up and asked a question

about the inclusion strategy, Mr. Speaker.

I can list to her almost all of the money of the $6 million that she

mentioned that was spent.

She is absolutely wrong about what she is trying to

portray to the people of the Province, Mr. Speaker.

It is not acceptable and I can show her where the money was spent

right after Question Period, if she is interested.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Premier is reported as saying that Stephen Harper

has changed things so much regarding the

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MS MICHAEL:

Did I hear incorrectly, Mr. Speaker?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much.

The Premier is reported as saying that Stephen Harper

has changed things so much regarding the fishery investment fund that it is

going to be unreachable.

I ask the Premier: If he is so convinced that there is

nowhere else to go regarding this fund, will he rescind his agreement for

CETA?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker, I made it quite clear; we had a negotiation with the federal

government. We reached an

agreement with the federal government.

We reached an agreement with Stephen Harper's government that

includes a fisheries innovation and renewal fund that will be cost-shared

70-30 with the federal government; they would pay 70 per cent and we would

pay 30 per cent. We expect them

to live up to their obligation.

I can tell you, if they do not live up to their

obligation our deal was that you provide us with this fund and we support

CETA. Mr. Speaker, it is very

simple. It is not difficult to

do. If you provide the fund, as

we agreed to, then we support CETA.

It is a very simple concept, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I ask the Premier: Why would he continue to agree to

CETA if the fund that he thought existed to assist with the development of

our fishery as the Province moves into a more open and aggressive market

with open European countries does not exist, as he thought it did?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we are going to follow all avenues

available to us as a government and a Province on behalf of the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador to ensure that Stephen Harper lives up to his

obligations.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker, we have already started the work of going down those roads.

When we visited Ottawa last week, we also took the chance and

opportunity to visit with some MPs and Senators.

We have written all the MPs and Senators for Newfoundland and

Labrador.

We will be talking to and bringing our story to the

leaders of the federal parties, Mr. Speaker.

We will bring our story to the people of Canada, through leaders and

provinces and municipalities and industry leaders.

We will bring our story to the EU as well, if we have to, because

that is what we need to do for the people of the Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL:

I ask the Premier: If the fishery cannot be assisted, why would he support a

deal that can lead to more expensive prescription drugs

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS MICHAEL:

uncontrolled rights for corporations, and can force municipalities to put

tenders out on an international stage?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It certainly sounds to me like the Leader of the Third

Party is going to support us in our efforts to ensure that Stephen Harper

lives up to his commitment to the people of the Province.

Mr. Speaker, I am not so sure that members opposite in the

Opposition, the Liberal Opposition, are in support in the same way; but I

can tell you what we are going to do over here, as the Premier of this

Province and as a government

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

PREMIER DAVIS:

we are going to fight for the

people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER DAVIS:

We are going to fight for the people who work in fish processing, in fish

harvesting. We are going to

fight for the fishery of Newfoundland and Labrador.

We are going to fight for communities, Mr. Speaker.

We are going to fight for all regions of Newfoundland and Labrador,

and we are going to fight to ensure that Stephen Harper lives up to his

obligations.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MS ROGERS:

Mr. Speaker, the Provincial Hearing Aid Program is backed up by a full year.

That is a year for people who cannot hear, causing isolation,

confusion, and frustration. A

constituent of mine contacted me because he was in danger of losing his job

while waiting.

I ask the minister: How many people are on the

wait-list for hearing aids?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN:

Mr. Speaker, these kinds of issues for all individuals in Newfoundland and

Labrador have always been a concern of this government.

That is the reason why we have invested heavily in regard to our

social programs: $219 million into Income Support, supporting the most

vulnerable people of our Province.

If the hon. member across the way can forward the name

in regard to the issue, I will certainly look into it and have my officials

react to it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. John's Centre, for a quick question.

MS ROGERS:

Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister, because he is not hearing: What is he going

to do about the year backlog for people waiting for hearing aids?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN:

Mr. Speaker, like I just said, we invest heavily in regard to the most

vulnerable people in our Province.

We try to address their individual issues.

We work with the industry as well in regard to the

various providers across the Province.

There is a process they have to go through in regard to being

evaluated and assessed, Mr. Speaker.

We will keep working that system and we will keep helping the people

of the Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The time for Question Period has expired.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Tabling of Documents.

Tabling of Documents

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

I hereby table the report of the Auditor General

entitled, Report to the House of Assembly on Review of Departments and Crown

Agencies, dated December 2014.

Further tabling of documents?

Notices of Motion.

Notices of Motion

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MS ROGERS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I give notice that I will

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

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

MS ROGERS:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I give notice that I will on Wednesday, December 17, be

moving the following private member's motion:

THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Assembly

urge government to immediately strike an all-party committee on mental

health to conduct Province-wide public consultations, review the current

state of provincial mental health services, receive expert testimony on best

practices in mental health care delivery, and report its findings with the

goal of improving mental health programs and services to better serve the

needs of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The motion is seconded by the Member for Signal Hill

Quidi Vidi.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I give notice that the motion just read by my colleague

will be the motion for Wednesday, December 17.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further notices of motion?

Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl South.

MR. LANE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the

undersigned residents humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS the Edinburg h Group has been granted permission

to proceed with the development of 110 recreational cottage lots at Ocean

Pond near Whitbourne; and

WHEREAS the roadway accessing the new development was

built by and maintained by cottage owners for the past thirty-five year; and

WHEREAS the existing Ocean Pond road cannot possibly

withstand the heavy construction equipment and traffic of a 110 lot

development; and

WHEREAS there has been questionable transactions making

the piece of property a Crown grant to which no answers have been provided;

and

WHEREAS there was access given to this property through

Crown land as well as a change in the boundary of the original land licence

shortly before the purchase by Edinburg h Group but after the grant was

finalized;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

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

Newfoundland and Labrador to stop the current development by Edinburg h Group

and hold a meeting with the Ocean Pond group to outline government's plan

for the area and allow existing residents to have input into decisions made

in their cottage area.

Mr. Speaker, I have several signatures here from cabin

owners, from residents of Ocean Pond.

As has been indicated, there was certainly a transaction which

occurred up in that area that was not made public.

It involved Crown land that belonged to the people; it was part of

that deal. Again, it was not

made public.

There was a road that was put through Ocean Pond to

that development before there was even an environmental assessment done on

that particular development, Mr. Speaker.

Residents have many, many concerns about it.

Particularly, the main one being the fact they were never consulted;

they were never given an opportunity for proper input.

They are calling upon government, as is indicated in

this petition, to halt the development, have a public meeting, and allow for

the residents and the cottage owners of Ocean Pond to have that opportunity

to ask questions; and, most importantly, to get straight answers on how this

occurred and what are all the ramifications around it, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you for your time.

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the

undersigned residents of Newfoundland and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS Route 434, Conche Road, is 17.6 kilometres of

unpaved road; and

WHEREAS the current road conditions are deplorable; and

WHEREAS the Canadian Automobile Association ranked

Route 434 the seventh worst road in Atlantic Canada;

and

WHEREAS it is government's obligation to provide basic

infrastructure to all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians; and

WHEREAS an improved paved road would enhance local

business, fish processing operations and tourism, which is vital to the

health of the communities affected;

We the undersigned, petition the House of Assembly to

urge the government to allocate funds in the Provincial Roads Program to

pave Route 434.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, this is the biggest issue in the Town of

Conche. They have been

advocating for some time for pavement, whether it is a one-time deal or a

multi-year plan, to pave this particular piece of road infrastructure

because it means a lot for the economy of this community.

Whereas you have an active fish processing facility with hundreds of

transport trucks travelling over this highway.

You have a tourist attraction there which sees thousands of tourists

in season. You have a writers'

retreat. You have a bed and

breakfast and a restaurant. You

have other local business and commerce that is happening in this community.

There are a lot of commuters who are travelling back

and forth to the hub, to Roddickton-Bide Arm, and also commuters who are

coming into town to work.

Government has already invested about $6 million to rebuild and realign this

road. There needs to be an

investment made to look at paving this route, because there is a dedicated

grading system currently there.

It is costing money, to see this infrastructure that is being lost off the

sides of the road into the banks, creating potholes, and putting down to the

bedrock.

The longer government delays making Conche an even more

vibrant economy, the worse it is for the town, for the local regional

economy, and for the provincial economy when it comes to the tax base

overall.

So, I enter this petition on behalf of my petitioners

in Bide Arm, Englee, St. John's, and Roddickton.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

MR. EDMUNDS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the hon. House of Assembly the petition of the

undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS Labrador's coastal communities already pay

extremely high hydro rates; and

WHEREAS small businesses are struggling to stay in

operation against rising costs; and

WHEREAS Nalcor, a Crown corporation, is proposing a

11.4 per cent increase to residential hydro rates and a 20 per cent increase

to business rates;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge government to work with

Nalcor to establish rates that are fair and consistent to the whole

Province.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Now, in the great Province of Newfoundland and

Labrador, Mr. Speaker, there are four Aboriginal groups.

There are Inuit, Innu, Mi'kmaq, and NunatuKavut on the South Coast of

Labrador.

The proposed hydro rate that is proposed by Nalcor, Mr.

Speaker, impacts three of those four Aboriginal groups.

It impacts the Inuit in Northern Labrador.

The Innu in Northern Labrador are in the process of trying to

negotiate a final agreement for New Dawn.

It also impacts NunatuKavut on the South Coast of Labrador.

I have heard government across the way stand up many, many times

talking about how they support the Aboriginal community in our Province, and

when I see proposals like this, I question government's statements as to

their actual commitment to the people in this Province who were here first.

The other issue, Mr. Speaker, if you look at the power

line, the transmission line from the proposed Muskrat Falls Project.

On the south coast there is a community called Forteau.

That power line goes right through the community, and they cannot get

any power. You could plug in an

extension cord and get power, but it will not be done.

Yet, these people are the ones who are going to be hit with an 11.4

per cent hydro rate and a 20 per cent hydro increase.

These communities are part of the Province.

We would not have had a problem with Nalcor saying we

are going to the PUB with a 3 per cent increase rate.

There would not have been a problem at all, Mr. Speaker, but when you

start differentiating between who you think you can go to and what you think

you can get away with in terms of making increases the reason I say that,

Mr. Speaker, is because the last time, as I said, it went to Central

Labrador and Labrador West, 25 per cent increase.

It was pulled off because there was too much opposition to it.

What do you do? You run

around and you pick on people who you think are not going to oppose it.

Well, in this case it is being opposed and it will continue to be

opposed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MS DEMPSTER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the

undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS Labrador's coastal communities already pay

extremely high hydro rates; and

WHEREAS small businesses are struggling to stay in

operation against rising costs of operation; and

WHEREAS Nalcor, a crown corporation, is proposing an

11.4 per cent increase to residential hydro rates and a 20 per cent increase

to business rates;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

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

Newfoundland and Labrador to work with Nalcor to establish rates that are

fair and consistent to the whole Province.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, I think we are about ten days away from

Christmas, but there are a lot of people in the District of Cartwright

L'Anse au Clair and in the North Coastal communities who are not feeling in

the Christmas spirit. What is

happening right here is wrong.

Myself and my colleague from Torngat have been on our feet every opportunity

that we have had, giving voice to this injustice that is happening in small

Aboriginal, coastal communities.

We had an application that was put forth in 2013 that

was very, very different than this, Mr. Speaker.

What happened? Some

communities, some of the larger areas were going to get a 25 per cent

increase, that got pulled back.

What is happening now is once again the most vulnerable, the people on the

fixed income, the businesses that already have rising high costs are the

ones who are going to be hit.

We have an obligation, Mr. Speaker.

I believe we have a moral and an ethical obligation to stand for

those people and to be a voice for the people who cannot be a voice for

themselves. What is happening

here is wrong. We are not happy

about it. My colleague is

absolutely right when he talks about the megaproject that is going down

through that we are not seeing anything from.

Mr. Speaker, this government, if they want to do

something, stand up and say we will look at subsidies for this because this

is wrong. Write letters to the

PUB and say what is happening here, because you are targeting these tiny

communities, is wrong.

Do not stand up and say we support the process.

In standing up and saying we support the process, you are saying we

will lose no sleep over the fact that small coastal communities are going to

be hit with an increase of 11.4 per cent, and that small businesses are

going to have to live with the reality of a 20 per cent increase.

What will happen there, Mr. Speaker, is that businesses are going to

close their doors.

We are hitting the most vulnerable, our small fishing

communities that are already struggling, Mr. Speaker.

I will continue. This is

wrong. The last application was

pulled off the table. This

application can and should be pulled off the table, and I hope it is.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

MR. DALLEY:

A point of order, Mr. Speaker.

The member opposite said they should be subsidized.

She should acknowledge that the rates in Coastal Labrador are

subsidized, everywhere from 70 per cent to 85 per cent, Mr. Speaker, despite

the challenges which we certainly acknowledge here as well.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

There is no point of order.

Further petitions?

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

East.

MR. REID:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have another petition to present on the health care

in the Heatherton to Highlands area of the West Coast.

To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the

undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS there has not been a permanent doctor in the

clinic in Jeffrey's for almost a year; and

WHEREAS the absence of a permanent doctor is seriously

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

Highlands area and causing them undue hardship; and

WHEREAS the absence of a doctor or nurse practitioner

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

is necessary for their continued good health;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

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

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

doctor or other arrangements to improve health care service in the

Heatherton to Highlands area.

Mr. Speaker, there has been a doctor at the clinic in

Jeffrey's for a number of years, and for the last year they have been unable

to find a doctor to go to that clinic.

This is not a new position that the people are asking for.

This is a position that has been budgeted for in last year's budget

and exists for a number of years.

It is not a new position.

It is something that has been there in the past.

People in the area are not getting the medical care

they need in the area. People

have to travel long distances to get just the basic care they need.

Even to get a prescription refilled, they have to travel to

Stephenville and usually wait all day in outpatients to get a prescription

filled.

Also, the Town of St. George's is losing their doctor

today. So that will put the

people in St. George's into a similar situation where they will be without a

doctor. People there will have

to travel to Stephenville as well to get medical care.

All of these people from outlying areas travelling to

the Stephenville hospital leaves that hospital in a situation where they

have longer wait times. It is

not unusual for people who go to the outpatients or the emergency room there

to have to wait all day to get in to see a doctor.

I have talked with officials at Western Health and I

have talked to the Minister of Health to inform them of the seriousness of

this situation. I am hopeful

that in the not too distant future some action will be taken to address the

crisis situation that is developing in health care in the Bay St. George

South area.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Orders of the Day

Orders of the Day

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

At this time I call from the Order Paper, Order 2,

third reading of a bill,

An Act To Amend The Pensions Funding Act And The

Public Service Pensions Act, 1991, Bill 39, and I move that the said bill be

now read a third time.

MR. SPEAKER:

It is moved and seconded that Bill 39 be now read a third time.

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion

that Bill 39 be now read a third time?

All those in favour, 'aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay'.

Carried.

CLERK:

A bill,

An Act To Amend The Pensions Funding Act And The Public Service

Pensions Act, 1991. (Bill 39)

MR. SPEAKER:

This bill has now been a third time and it is ordered that the bill do pass

and that its title be as on the Order Paper.

On motion, a bill,

An Act To Amend The Pensions

Funding Act And The Public Service Pensions Act, 1991, read a third time,

ordered passed and its title be as on the Order Paper.

(Bill 39)

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

For the record, the seconder to that motion was the

Minister of Health and Community Services.

Mr. Speaker, I now call from the Order Paper, number 3,

third reading of a bill,

An Act To Modify Eligibility For Other

Post-Employment Benefits, Bill 40.

So moved by me, seconded by the Minister of Municipal

and Intergovernmental Affairs, that the said bill be now read a third time.

MR. SPEAKER:

It is moved and seconded that Bill 40 be now read a third time.

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion

that Bill 40 be now read a third time?

All those in favour, 'aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay'.

Carried.

CLERK:

A bill,

An Act To Modify Eligibility For Other Post-Employment Benefits.

(Bill 40)

MR. SPEAKER:

This bill has now been read a third time and it is ordered that the bill do

pass and that its title shall be as on the Order Paper.

On motion, a bill,

An Act To Modify Eligibility For

Other Post-Employment Benefits, read a third time, ordered passed and its

title be as on the Order Paper.

(Bill 40)

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This time I call Order 6, second reading of a bill, An

Act To Amend The Social Workers Act, Bill 38.

So moved by me, seconded by the Minister of Health and

Community Services, that the said bill be now read a second time.

MR. SPEAKER:

It is moved and seconded that the said bill be now read a second time.

Motion, second reading of a bill,

An Act To Amend The

Social Workers Act. (Bill 38)

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is a pleasure to rise in the House this afternoon to

introduce Bill 38, which, as was just noted, is

An Act To Amend The Social

Workers Act.

Mr. Speaker, members will recall that this bill is very

similar to Bill 32,

An Act To Amend The Registered Nurses Act, 2008.

That was debated during this sitting of the House just on December 2,

so in the last couple of weeks.

The primary focus of Bill 38, which we are now debating

in second reading today, is that quality assurance provisions to the Social

Workers Act is very similar to what we did with the Registered Nurses Act

just a couple of weeks ago less than a couple of weeks ago.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Social

Workers is established under the Social Workers Act and is the regulatory

body responsible for registering social workers and regulating the practice

of social work in the Province.

The association currently has over 1,400 members.

One of the most significant ways in which the

association currently regulates the practice of social work is by

administering a disciplinary process.

The Social Workers Act already contains provisions which establish a

disciplinary process to deal with allegations regarding the conduct of a

social worker. Currently, the

disciplinary process is the only means in the act that is available to the

association to address those allegations.

In order to engage the disciplinary process, the

conduct of a social worker must be very serious and it must be conduct

deserving of sanction. Conduct

deserving of sanction, Mr. Speaker, is defined in a similar manner in the

Social Workers Act as it is defined in the Registered Nurses Act 2008.

Conduct deserving of sanction includes professional misconduct,

professional incompetence, incapacity or unfitness to practice as a social

worker, and acting in breach of the act, regulations, or the bylaws which

adopts the code of ethics applicable to social workers.

This bill will provide the association with a different

mechanism to address allegations that are not appropriate for the

disciplinary process. Adding

quality assurance provisions to the act is a way for the association to

address concerns where the social workers practice before those concerns

become serious enough to be considered conduct deserving of sanction which

requires disciplinary action.

A quality assurance review is yet another way for the

association to assist in improving the quality of care and services provided

to clients of social workers, and in dealing with concerns at an earlier

stage before becoming part of the disciplinary process.

The quality assurance program created by this bill would include

mandatory continuing education and professional development that would

promote continuing competence and continuing quality improvement in social

workers.

Mr. Speaker, the proposed quality assurance provisions

will require the appointment of a quality assurance committee.

This committee will be responsible for investigating a concern on a

referral from the registrar, the complaints authorization committee, or on

its own accord. The mandate of

the quality assurance committee will be to deal with concerns regarding a

social worker's practice that do not meet the higher threshold of conduct

deserving of sanction. In these

circumstances, while the concerns need to be addressed, the intervention of

the disciplinary process may not be necessary to adequately address the

concerns.

The quality assurance committee may appoint a social

worker to act as an assessor and to assist in conducting the investigation.

Once a quality assurance review is underway, the quality assurance

committee and the assessor have a number of powers to allow for the

gathering of information and documents necessary to conduct the review.

These powers include: the power to subpoena records; the power to

order a social worker to undergo an evaluation; assessment, or examination;

the power to review a social worker's practice; the power to order

periodical random audits of aspects of a social worker's practice to enter

and inspect the premises where the social worker practices; and the power to

access and inspect records.

The social worker is required to co-operate with the

quality assurance review. The

social worker or another person may also be required to be present at an

interview to provide information relevant to the quality assurance review.

Once a review is completed, a report is to be prepared based upon the

information gathered. The report

is then to be presented to the quality assurance committee.

The report may contain recommendations aimed at remediating any

deficiencies or addressing any areas of concern in the social worker's

practice.

Mr. Speaker, unlike Bill 32, which amends the

Registered Nurses Act, 2008, this bill does not specify the type of

recommendations which may be made.

The bill is worded in such a way that it could include the types of

orders that may be made under the Registered Nurses Act, such as requiring a

social worker to undergo an examination, evaluation, assessment, or review

of his or her professional practice, or capacity, or fitness to practice; to

obtain counselling; to complete a course of studies or an educational or

training program; to restrict his or her social work practice; to obtain

supervised clinical experience.

However, the quality assurance committee may determine

that other action is appropriate to address concerns identified during the

review. For example, the

committee may recommend that the social workers write a letter of apology to

the person who made the complaint, or another person impacted by the social

worker's actions. The committee

has the authority to make any recommendation that it considers appropriate

to remedy any deficiency in a social worker's practice.

While the expectation will be that the social worker

will comply with the recommendations contained in the assessor's report, the

quality assurance committee may also order that the social worker comply

with those recommendations. If a

social worker fails to comply with an order of the committee, this

non-compliance must be referred to the disciplinary process as an allegation

of conduct deserving of sanction.

The significant difference between a recommendation and

an order is that only the failure to comply with an order is grounds for a

referral to the complaints authorization committee, thereby engaging the

disciplinary process.

Furthermore, if it becomes apparent during a quality assurance review that

the social worker may have engaged in conduct deserving a sanction, the

quality assurance process is terminated and the matter is then referred to

the disciplinary process. In

this case, all records and information related to the quality assurance

review must also be provided to the complaints authorization committee.

Mr. Speaker, the quality assurance review and the

disciplinary process will actually be complementary.

Depending on the nature of the complaint received, a social worker's

conduct could be examined either through the quality assurance process or

through the disciplinary process.

This bill gives the Newfoundland and Labrador

Association of Social Workers another means of addressing areas of concern

regarding a social worker's practice.

This, in turn, will assist in strengthening and improving the

practices of social workers and will provide enhanced protection for the

people of Newfoundland and Labrador who rely upon their services.

Protection of patient records and personal health

information during any review process will, of course, remain paramount.

The association already has access to personal and sensitive

information during the registration process and during a disciplinary

proceeding. The association will

ensure that the information collected under a quality assurance review will

be protected and will be secured in the same manner as such information is

currently protected.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to take some time to highlight

another change that is contained in this bill.

The Social Workers Act will also be amended to include a requirement

that social workers report to the registrar conduct deserving of sanction of

another social worker. This is

required when a social worker has knowledge of such conduct deserving of

sanction from direct observation or objective evidence.

Further, if a social worker is terminated from employment due to

conduct that is deserving of sanction, then there is also a requirement

imposed on the employer to notify the association of such conduct.

Officials in my department have worked very closely

with the association regarding these proposed quality assurance provisions

and the amendments to the Social Workers Act.

At the request of the association, this bill will come into force at

a later date. Delaying the

proclamation of the bill will provide the association with the necessary

time to fully develop its policies and procedures regarding quality

assurance. It will also provide

the association with sufficient time to appoint the quality assurance

committee.

Mr. Speaker, quality assurance provisions are currently

in effect in five statutes in this Province: the Health Professions Act; the

Medical Act, 2011; the Optometry Act, 2012; the Psychologists Act, 2005; and

the Pharmacy Act, 2012. With

Bill 32,

An Act to Amend the Registered Nurses Act, 2008, and this bill,

there will be over 11,000 health professionals in this Province representing

twelve health professions who could be part of a quality assurance review.

Mr. Speaker, social workers provide very valuable care

and services to the people of our Province each and every day.

They work with our children.

They work with adolescents.

They work with seniors.

They work in the fields of education, of justice, and, of course, within the

health care system. The work

they do is obviously very important.

As is the case with all health professionals, they take great pride

in the quality of the care and services they provide to their clients.

As a self-regulated profession, Mr. Speaker, social

workers hold each other up to a high standard of practice.

To ensure that social workers continue to practice in accordance with

applicable standard, the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Social

Workers needs the tools to address deficiencies and concerns in a social

worker's practice, or his or her conduct, when they are identified.

In the absence of the social workers voluntary compliance with

remedial recommendations, the association should not be left to wait until

the concerns become more serious before they can be appropriately addressed.

Mr. Speaker, this bill will strengthen the authority of

the association to assist in fulfilling its mandate to protect the public by

maintaining a high standard for social workers who practice in Newfoundland

and Labrador. It will also help

maintain and improve, where necessary, the quality of services provided by

social workers to the people of the Province.

I hope that all members of this hon. House will join me

in supporting this important piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I will conclude my comments at this point in time, as I

will have an opportunity to speak again later in second reading.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am happy to stand and speak to Bill 38 dealing with

the Social Workers Act. Again,

it is very similar to a piece of legislation we dealt with earlier in this

session where we talked about quality assurance as it relates to nurses.

In and of itself, quality assurance is obviously a great thing; it

actually played a large role in Question Period today.

Quality assurance of any regard in any profession, in any system,

needs to be there and needs to be strong.

In this case, when we talk about social workers and the

important part that they play in our system, then obviously we would like to

have a QA aspect to their legislation.

Now, that being said, again, I support the bill in theory.

It is obviously necessary.

Social workers being a self-regulating organization, I think they

pose a very serious, strict standard to themselves again.

Because what happens to one or what might hurt one will hurt all,

therefore, you want to make sure that the highest standard is maintained.

That being said, I do have some very specific questions

as it relates to this piece of legislation that I will ask now so the

minister and/or his officials will have an opportunity perhaps during the

Committee stage to respond to them.

These are just questions that were put to me by social workers to ask

and again, the minister will have an opportunity, probably not during the

second reading stage, but during the Committee stage to address these.

It was actually brought to me by social workers who, since this was

put on the table, I have had an opportunity to discuss it with.

Looking at

section 39.1 where we talk about the quality

assurance program, in and of itself, I believe it is peer regulated.

So the specific question that was put to me was: Who makes up the

board? Who goes on the board?

Who chooses who is on the board?

I apologize that in this case this may have been explained during the

briefing session, but this is one of the few pieces of legislation where I

was unable to attend the briefing.

I figure it is easy enough the minister's staff are quite willing

to answer these questions and, again, they will put this out there now.

When we talk about QA and

section 39.1, when we

establish and maintain the program, who makes up the program?

Who will formulate it?

Who will make it up? Again, is

it made up just of peers? Is it

the minister's discretion? Is it

board's discretion? During the

Committee stage it would be fine.

That is

MR. KENT:

You are talking about (inaudible)?

MR. A. PARSONS:

Yes.

The second part, and this is a case of, look, we get a

lot of legislation and sometimes it is hard for us being lay people of the

different professions that we are setting the legislation for them.

So what I have done, I go directly to the individuals and the members

of that group.

One of the questions was, when we talk about 39.1(2),

The quality assurance program shall include mandatory continuing education

and professional development.

The question that was specifically put to me is: Well, we already do that,

so what aspect of this legislation, what makes this different than what we

already do? This might be a case

where there may be something we do not know, because a lot of times the

legislation is not vague but it does not answer all these specific

questions.

That is one of the questions I would put out there.

Is this different than what these individuals, these men and women

already do? They already do PD

days. They already do training.

Like many professions, you have to keep up to the times in terms of

regulations, the best methods of operation, et cetera.

So that is one of the questions I will put out there for the

Committee stage.

Also, one of the ones that came to me under 39.3(1)

The quality assurance committee may appoint persons registered as social

workersas assessors. Again,

the question that was put to me very specifically by social workers is who

chooses who the assessors are?

How do you become an assessor?

Again, a bit more specific on this.

I put this out there, and I do not think this falls under the

minister. Maybe it falls under

the group.

I do not know how these things unfold when you make up

legislation that involves certain individuals.

For instance, I just use what I know.

If there was a piece of legislation affecting lawyers, then it would

be up to the Law Society to let the registration, the membership, know.

Look, this is coming down the tubes.

This is what we are dealing with; let's talk about it.

In this case, were the general rank and file notified

or let know? Were there

education sessions, or just putting that out there so they know; or will

this happen during the date between us doing it now and the date where it

becomes enacted or published?

Will it happen then?

The issue I have there in that sense is it is hard to

change the legislation if we have already passed it if there is an issue.

Now, I do not think there will be an issue.

I am not saying there will be an issue.

I am saying was that opportunity put out there for the rank and file

individuals all over the Province?

There is a large group, as the minister stated.

There is about 1,400 members.

How do they go about letting people know, specifically when it comes

to some of these? We are looking

at assessors here. I have

somebody appear who is assessing me; how did they get that role?

How do we go about that?

The last

part is quite a serious part here, when we

talk about the

section where you have the duty to report.

This would be specifically when it comes to, we have workers and we

have management. We have a duty

to report wrongdoing, basically, is what we see here.

If the wrongdoing leads to an investigation and if that investigation

leads to a finding, will the employers, will management be notified of this

right away so they know how does this exactly work?

Again, I do not need to belabour the content of the

bill because it is very similar to one we have seen before.

I think it is certainly good in theory and it is certainly necessary.

Many of us in this room deal with social workers on a daily basis as

part of our constituency work.

The job they do is important.

The job they do is necessary when you are dealing with, especially, children

across this Province. In this

case, I just want to make sure the individuals themselves, the social

workers, have all the knowledge they need when this moves forward.

You must understand the gravity of the rules that are put in place so

you can do your job properly.

There is nothing else to add to this, except that when

we get to the Committee stage, I am sure the minister will have had an

opportunity to get the answers to these questions.

I certainly appreciate that.

Thank you.

I look forward to the Committee stage of this process, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Baie Verte Springdale.

MR. POLLARD:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

First of all, I want to thank the people of the

District of Baie Verte Springdale, which is comprised of thirty-four

communities, for their trust they have placed in me to represent them in and

out of this Assembly, of course.

Everywhere I go I am cognizant of the fact that I am representing the people

of the Province and the people of the district.

Of course, we all do that.

We all take our jobs very seriously.

We love our jobs as well, Mr. Speaker.

We are all passionate about it.

Secondly, I would like to thank the minister and the

Department of Health and Community Services for their briefing and for their

very thorough, comprehensive, well-organized, and well-planned briefing, Mr.

Speaker. Since I became

parliamentary secretary, I do understand and appreciate the tremendous job

the Department of Health does over there.

They are a very dedicated and professional group of individuals.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to read the explanatory notes

on this bill. This bill would

amend the Social Workers Act to, number one, add quality assurance

provisions to enhance public protection and accountability.

Number two, it would allow the complaints authorization committee to

refer an allegation to the quality assurance committee.

Number three, it would require a social worker who has knowledge of

conduct deserving of sanction of another social worker to report that

knowledge to the registrar.

Number four, require a person who terminates the employment of or dissolves

a partnership with a social worker based on knowledge of conduct deserving

of sanction of that social worker to report that knowledge to the registrar.

In essence, Mr. Speaker, Bill 38 amends the Social

Workers Act to add provisions which will give authority to the Newfoundland

and Labrador Association of Social Workers to participate in a process of

quality assurance with a social worker.

Of course, the ultimate goal is to make sure the people of the

Province are receiving good care and good services right across the Province

from professionals such as social workers.

Mr. Speaker, as the minister pointed out earlier, there

are over 1,400 social workers right across the Province who are registered.

They practice in the fields of health, child protection, and justice.

They work in regional health authorities.

They work in community organizations.

They work at government departments.

They are employed in various settings, and their skillset equips them

to provide a variety of services to the people of the Province.

As a government, we are acutely aware, Mr. Speaker, of

the quality care and services that social workers give to the children and

youth and to the families of our Province day in and day out.

They work with families on a daily basis to find appropriate supports

to address areas of concern, and to resolve all kinds of conflict.

I want to commend them for their stellar work, for the

outstanding job they do. They

have a tough job to do, Mr. Speaker.

They face all kinds of challenges.

They are up to the task, but they perform stellar work indeed.

I just want them to know this afternoon that as a government we do

appreciate the social workers right across the Province, Mr. Speaker.

Health profession governing bodies are responsible for

the regulation of health professions in this Province and, as such, they are

responsible for establishing standards of practice and standards of conduct

for their members. They set the

boundary, so to speak, Mr. Speaker, or parameters if you like, outlining how

the social workers carry out their duties.

They are also responsible for registering individuals who meet the

health profession's educational, training, and certificate requirements.

Only those individuals who meet the registration requirements are

permitted to practice in this Province.

These regulatory bodies do an outstanding job.

They do very good work every day in fulfilling their role for the

people of this Province who avail of the services of health care

professionals. One of the most

important duties of a health profession regulatory body in its protection of

the public is to administer the disciplinary process set out in its

governing statute.

Each health profession governing statute contains a

detailed disciplinary process that is generally consistent across all health

professions. Each step of the

disciplinary process is set out in legislation.

The process begins with an allegation that a health professional has

engaged in conduct deserving of sanction, something that is of more serious

nature such as misconduct or incompetence, Mr. Speaker.

The registrar, with the consent of the complainant and the health

professional, may resolve the issue and may not go any further.

However, if it is not resolved, the complaint is then

referred to an authorization committee to conduct an investigation.

Where there are reasonable grounds following the investigation to

believe that the health professional has engaged in conduct deserving of

sanction, something that is serious, the complaint may be referred to an

adjudication tribunal for a hearing.

Where a health professional has been found guilty of

conduct deserving of sanction, the adjudication tribunal has the ability to

make the following types of orders in other words, there are three options

available to them: number one, it may order that the health professional be

suspended for a fixed period of time, that he or she may meet certain

conditions imposed by the adjudication tribunal; or it may order that the

health professional surrender his or her certificate and may not practice

any more; or number three, may order that the health professional will pay a

fine.

An adjudication tribunal may also require a health

professional to obtain medical treatment, obtain counselling including

substance abuse counselling or treatment, engaging in continuing education,

and permit periodic inspection of records related to his or her practice.

Mr. Speaker, these orders play a very important role in

the protection of the public with the end-game to make sure that the public

is receiving good care on a continual basis.

We know that on a daily basis there are always checks and balances

and everyone is to be accountable.

In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, these amendments will

support the role of the association to protect the public interest by

ensuring that competent social workers are providing quality care and

services to the people of the Province.

That being said, I take my seat and I look forward to everyone

supporting this bill this afternoon.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER (Littlejohn):

The hon. the Member for Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I am pleased to stand and also to speak to Bill 38, An

Act to Amend the Social Workers Act.

Everybody in the House who was elected in 2011 will remember that it

was in 2011 that the new Social Workers Act was proclaimed.

It was an extremely important piece of work because it moved focus

away from social workers themselves as individuals to looking at the

profession.

The association, while it is there to protect

individual members, is also there to make sure that the profession stands as

a profession, that the association itself is a professional organization,

that they have in place everything that is needed to show that they are up

to date with all of the requirements for any professional organization.

We have had a number of bills over the last eight years

that I have been in this House dealing with the various professional

organizations, especially within health care.

Of course, this group today, while they are social workers in a

general sense, they are social workers who are under the Health and

Community Services division and work within health and the community.

So it is extremely important that they have a

professional document, a document that deals with everything that one

expects a profession to be concerned about in this day and age.

I am pleased to know that the ministry did consult with the

Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Social Workers, and that they were

very pleased to take

part in the consultation that took place.

My understanding is that they are pleased with the piece of

legislation that is before us today.

Now, I do not have to outline the details of the piece

of legislation because the minister has done that, but there are some points

I would like to point out. One

is that the social workers already had mandatory continuing education for

twenty years, which is excellent, because mandatory continuing education

ensures that the profession is kept up to a high level, and it is an

important piece of quality assurance.

So it makes sense that in the amendment we are dealing with today,

the whole thing of continuing education is seen as part of quality assurance

and now is placed in the legislation under the quality assurance process.

So that is extremely new.

Quality assurance is fairly new within these

professions not that they did not care about the quality of their members

before; of course, they did. As

a program, as a process, it is fairly new.

For the ministry and for the association, I understand that there is

a lot of discussion going on to try to determine the best way to implement

quality assurance in terms of programming and administration because you

cannot put this kind of a thing in the piece of legislation and talk about

quality assurance without the realization that something has to make it

happen. Quality assurance is not

just words; there have to be programs put in place.

That means that there has to be extra staffing, and there is going to

have to be financing of the program, and there is going to have to be

education of the professionals on how it works and training of those who are

assessors under the quality assurance program.

This is pretty complex and so there will be another

whole stream in the organization that will have to be set up.

I think it is extremely important that the government ensure that the

resources are there to make sure that quality assurance is not just words on

paper and in this bill, but it is going to be something that is really going

to happen, that we are going to be able to ensure that all social workers

have everything they need in order to work at the top of their game to use

that kind of language that they are in very, very stressful situations.

It is a very, very difficult job being a social worker.

They find themselves in very stressful situations.

Whether they are inside an institution or whether they are out in the

community, it is not an easy piece of work.

Being able to be who you are professionally, being able to be who you

want to be as a person in that profession, can become very difficult.

So we need to make sure there are programs in place to ensure that

the individual social workers can feel they are who they should be as social

workers.

This is not just an easy use of language.

This is not just, oh, we have put quality assurance into all of the

professional pieces of legislation.

It is how are we going to make sure they are going to be able to be

proud of who they are and perform in their profession so the people of the

Province receive the services they need to receive.

That is the most important thing.

It is not just so that a social worker can say I am a good social

worker, I am proud of who I am, and everybody can see I do good work; it is

so that the people of the Province get top service from the people in the

front lines in these industries.

One of the good things about the assurance process

and we saw this when we discussed quality assurance last week, I think it

was, with another professional group is that the committee that is set up

under the legislation can make recommendations when there is a concern about

a practice. This is extremely

important, that they can make recommendations.

They will not be dealing with misconduct.

Misconduct is another piece of the pie, if you want.

If quality assurance were to indicate that misconduct is taking

place, then there is another process that would take care of that, not

quality assurance.

The social workers association now will have greater

freedom to do alternate dispute resolution.

They already do it, but now they will have greater freedom in doing

that. One of the things about

alternate dispute resolution is that the experience is that in working

together in trying to deal with a resolution, a dispute, in a way that is

co-operative rather than being people on opposite sides of the fence banging

their heads together, that you actually come to resolutions more quickly.

This is very important, that the members of this

association can perform that way, can do what they find to be a process that

benefits them as an association, benefits their members, and therefore

indirectly or maybe directly benefits the people they serve.

Having said that, Mr. Speaker, I am happy to approve

this piece of legislation. It is

putting our social workers on a more professional footing with social

workers in other parts of the country because not just anybody is a social

worker. Lots of us care about

people in the community and we do maybe service jobs in the community, but

to say that you are social workers means that you have to be recognized in

your training and in your education by this association to be able to call

yourself a social worker. We

just cannot think because we talk to people and sit in the community talking

to people that we are social workers.

You have to be accredited.

You have to be recognized.

The association does that.

Now government is putting in legislation and with the

real support of the association, the fact now there is a new level not

that the association was not doing some of this before, but now with it in

legislation it does bring it to a new level and does relate the ministry to

the association in terms of mutual responsibility for making sure that what

is now going into the legislation will actually take place.

With that, I assure the minister we will be voting for

the legislation, and I thank the ministry for co-operating with the

Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Social Workers in putting this

together.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

If the Minister of Health and Community Services speaks now, he will close

debate.

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to begin by thanking members for their

participation in the debate: the Member for Burgeo La Poile, the Member

for Signal Hill Quidi Vidi, and of course the Member for Baie Verte

Springdale as well. He did not

thank his constituents today, so I will do it for him.

On behalf of the member, I just want to thank the good people of Baie

Verte Springdale for being good people covered.

He is a good constituency man, Mr. Speaker.

I am pleased to now close debate in second reading on

An Act to Amend the Social Workers Act.

As I said earlier, the Social Workers Act currently contains

provisions which establish a disciplinary process to be followed when

dealing with allegations that a social worker has engaged in conduct

deserving of sanction.

We are amending the Social Workers Act, through Bill

38, to add provisions that authorize the association to engage in a process

of quality assurance with a social worker, which I think is good for the

profession, as the Member for Signal Hill Quidi Vidi pointed out, and good

for the people of the Province.

These amendments will provide the Association of Social

Workers with another means of addressing concerns with a social worker's

practice. The addition of these

quality assurance provisions enable the association to engage with a social

worker to address the concerns before they get to the point of being conduct

deserving of sanction that then requires disciplinary action.

As I said, there are currently five health profession

statutes that contain quality assurance provisions.

With the passing of Bill 32 that was debated earlier in this session

and now Bill 38, where we are going to amend the Social Workers Act, we will

now have seven health profession statutes that contain quality assurance

provisions. I think this is a

very positive step forward, Mr. Speaker.

The ability to proactively assess and address potential

issues earlier further strengthens our health care system.

As previously noted, at the request of the association, these

amendments are subject to proclamation and will come into force at a later

date. This will provide the

association with the necessary time to fully develop its policies regarding

quality assurance and with sufficient time to appoint a quality assurance

committee. My officials will be

working to assist the association during this process.

This was actually an issue raised by the

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker; I appreciate that.

This was an issue that was raised by the Member for

Burgeo La Poile, the Opposition House Leader.

He was asking about the timing of the enactment of this legislation.

We will work with the association to ensure that they have the

necessary time to fully develop their policies related to quality assurance.

They also need time to appoint the quality assurance committee.

It is at the request of the association that we are delaying

enactment to a later date. I

hope that addresses one of the questions raised by the Opposition House

Leader.

The Member for Burgeo La Poile also asked about the

composition of the committee. I

am certainly happy to speak to that as well.

The committee will be appointed by the board of the association.

I will speak to that in just a moment.

I am looking for some precise detail to provide him with as well.

Sorry, Mr. Speaker.

As I was saying, the board will appoint the committee.

The board will educate members prior to the proclamation.

They will be directly involved in that process.

As I said a few minutes ago, we have worked very closely with the

association in development of the bill.

To the member's point, the committee composition will

be determined by the board. We

anticipate that there will also be public representation on the quality

assurance committee. In terms of

continuing education, while it is always something that social workers have

been engaged in, it will now be a legislative requirement.

I can also confirm for the Opposition House Leader that the quality

assurance committee will appoint the assessors as well.

The delayed proclamation is just like the nurses' bill,

to allow the development of policies and procedures, to appoint the

committee, and to educate members.

I would anticipate that all of this will happen in 2015 and that the

legislation will be enacted in 2015.

We will continue to work with the association to ensure

the quality assurance program is implemented.

The board has certainly indicated a willingness and a desire to take

this on. I think that covers the

member's questions, as I check my notes here.

The quality of care that is provided by health

professionals and the improvement of that care is obviously a high priority

for the Department of Health and Community Services.

I really believe that these amendments will further enhance both

safety and care for residents of Newfoundland and Labrador.

I want to thank my colleagues again for participation

in the debate. I do appreciate

their participation. I hope that

all members will join me in supporting these amendments to the Social

Workers Act. I thank the Member

for Burgeo La Poile for his questions as well and to the other two

colleagues for participating in the debate.

At this point, I will close debate in second reading,

Mr. Speaker.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Is it the pleasure of the House that the said bill be now read the second

time?

All those in favour, 'aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay'.

Carried.

CLERK:

A bill,

An Act To Amend The Social Workers Act.

(Bill 38)

MR. SPEAKER:

This bill has now been read the second time.

When shall the bill be referred to the Committee of the

Whole?

MR. KING:

Now.

MR. SPEAKER:

Now.

On motion, a bill,

An Act To Amend The Social Workers

Act, read a second time, ordered referred to a Committee of the Whole House

presently, by leave. (Bill 38)

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

At this time I move, seconded by the Minister of Health

and Community Services, that the House do resolve itself into a Committee of

the Whole to consider

An Act To Amend The Social Workers Act, Bill 38.

MR. SPEAKER:

It is moved and seconded that I do now leave the Chair for the House to

resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole to consider the said bill.

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

All those in favour, 'aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay'.

Carried.

On motion, that the House resolve itself into a

Committee of the Whole, Mr. Speaker left the Chair.

Committee of the Whole

CHAIR (Cross):

Order, please!

We are now considering Bill 38,

An Act To Amend The

Social Workers Act.

A bill,

An Act To Amend The Social Workers Act.

(Bill 38)

CLERK:

Clause 1.

CHAIR:

Shall clause 1 carry?

All those in favour, 'aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

CHAIR:

All those against, 'nay'.

Carried.

On motion, clause 1 carried.

CLERK:

Clauses 2 and 3.

CHAIR:

Shall clauses 2 and 3 carry?

All those in favour, 'aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

CHAIR:

All those against, 'nay'.

Carried.

On motion, clauses 2 and 3 carried.

CLERK:

Be it enacted by the Lieutenant Governor and House of Assembly in

Legislative Session convened, as follows.

CHAIR:

Shall the enacting clause carry?

All those in favour, 'aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

CHAIR:

All those against, 'nay'.

Carried.

On motion, enacting clause carried.

CLERK:

An Act To Amend The Social Workers Act.

CHAIR:

Shall the title carry?

All those in favour, 'aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

CHAIR:

All those against, 'nay'.

Carried.

On motion, title carried.

CHAIR:

Shall I report the bill without amendment?

All those in favour, 'aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

CHAIR:

All those against, 'nay'.

Carried.

Motion, that the Committee report having passed the

bill without amendment, carried.

CHAIR:

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I move that the Committee rise and report Bill 38, An

Act To Amend The Social Workers Act.

CHAIR:

The motion is the Committee rise and report Bill 38.

All those in favour, 'aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

CHAIR:

All those against, 'nay'.

Carried.

On motion, that the Committee rise, report progress and

ask leave to sit again, Mr. Speaker returned to the Chair.

MR. SPEAKER (Littlejohn):

The hon. the Member for Bonavista North.

MR. CROSS:

Mr. Speaker, the Committee of the Whole have considered the matters to them

referred and have directed me to report Bill 38 without amendment.

MR. SPEAKER:

The Chair of the Committee of the Whole reports that the Committee have

considered the matters to them referred, and have directed him to report

Bill 38 without amendment.

When shall the report be received?

MR. KING:

Now.

MR. SPEAKER:

Now.

When shall the said bill be read the third time?

MR. KING:

Tomorrow.

MR. SPEAKER:

Tomorrow.

On motion, report received and adopted.

Bill read a third time on tomorrow.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to move now to Order 7, second reading of

a bill,

An Act To Amend The Municipalities Act, 1999, Bill 41.

So moved by me, seconded by the Minister of Municipal

and Intergovernmental Affairs, that the said bill be now read the second

time.

Motion, second reading of a bill,

An Act To Amend The

Municipalities Act, 1999. (Bill

41)

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I am certainly pleased today to rise in

the hon. House to speak to the amendments of the Municipalities Act, 1999.

Mr. Speaker, since this government has come to power

our focus has been on families and communities, ensuring that our local

government leaders have the supports necessary to make their commitments

sustainable, their communities sustainable and att