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April 28, 2016

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLVIII No. 19

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER

(Osborne):

Order, please!

Admit strangers.

Before we start the proceedings today, I'd like to welcome to the public

gallery a former Member of the House of Assembly, Mr. Glen Little.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Also in our

public galleries today we welcome members of the Association of Midwives

of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Newfoundland and Labrador Council

of Health Professionals.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

We also welcome

to the public gallery today Pastor Jeff White of Port de Grave

Tabernacle.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

Statements by

Members

MR. SPEAKER:

Today we have

Members' Statements from the Members for the Districts of Ferryland,

Mount Pearl North, Bonavista, Mount Pearl Southlands, Labrador West

and St. John's East Quidi Vidi.

The hon. the Member for Ferryland.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

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

owner and operator of Lighthouse Picnics in the Town of Ferryland.

Jill Curran operates her business out of a 130-year old lighthouse in

Ferryland, specializing in gourmet lunches sourced from local suppliers

along the coast. Meals are prepared, packed in baskets and brought to

the people perched on the cliffs taking in the fantastic view of the

ocean and wildlife.

Lighthouse Picnics was awarded the Doug Wheeler Award during the Tourism

Excellence Awards gala at the 2016 Conference and Trade Show. This award

is presented annually to a person or group which has made a significant

contribution to the tourism industry in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Jill's entrepreneurial skills have made Lighthouse Picnics a tremendous

success, and she is a great ambassador for success in our tourism

industry in rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all Members of the House to join me in congratulating

Jill Curran of Lighthouse Picnics on winning the Doug Wheeler Award and

making a significant contribution to the tourism industry on the

Southern Shore.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The Member for

the District of Mount Pearl North.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

I rise in this hon. House today to congratulate Coffee Matters in Mount

Pearl and owners Scott Hillyer and Cyril Peach on recently being

recognized by the Huffington Post

as one of the best bakeries in Canada.

Coffee Matters recently opened one of its newest locations in the

District of Mount Pearl North. It is a state-of-the-art facility that is

able to accommodate anyone in our community. This business is a prime

example of the talent and skill that is possessed by local

entrepreneurs.

There's no doubt in my mind that Mr. Hillyer and Mr. Peach and their

team have all of the skills for success and will continue to be

recognized for their abilities and exemplary customer service. I

recommend to anyone who hasn't stopped in to Coffee Matters on

Commonwealth Avenue to do so and if I'm there, I'll buy you a coffee.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. KENT:

That's true.

AN HON. MEMBER:

(Inaudible) and I'll be there.

MR. KENT:

Not all at once.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. Members of this House on both sides to join

me in congratulating Coffee Matters Mount Pearl and their team on a

great accomplishment that they should be very proud of, and wish them

all the best as they continue to reach new heights.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The Member for

the District of Bonavista.

MR. KING:

Mr. Speaker, I rise

today to acknowledge the students and staff of Bishop White all-grade

school in Port Rexton. World Autism Day was celebrated on April 2 which

took place during Easter break; however, Bishop White decided to

celebrate on Monday, April 18, to support one of their students Jaxson

Tremblett. Jaxson has autism but that has not stopped him from being an

active member of the student body.

Students participated in a number of events such as watching a video on

autism awareness, after which they were each given a piece of the

puzzle, a symbol of autism awareness, writing what makes them each

unique. Jaxson's sister, Emily, made bracelets for each student,

distributing them along with buttons, tattoos and stickers provided by

the Clarenville

chapter of the Autism Society.

The highlight of the day was when ball hockey captain Compton Rose asked

Jaxson to drop the ball at the opening ceremony of the regional

tournament. Jaxson was unable to stay past the first period of the game

due to sensitivity issues, but being a true leader, Compton saw fit to

award Jaxson his sportsmanship award.

I ask all hon. Members to join with me in congratulating Bishop White

School.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Member for Mount Pearl Southlands.

MR. LANE:

Mr. Speaker,

recently, community leaders and volunteers gathered at the Reid

Community Centre to select Mount Pearl's Citizen of the Year. As usual,

this year's nominees were all tremendous community volunteers who all

share a love for Mount Pearl and an unwavering commitment to community

service.

The judges had a very difficult task in making the selection again this

year, but in the end they decided to choose a very deserving lady who is

the true definition of a volunteer.

Emma Thornhill is a founding member of the Mount Pearl Seniors

Independence Group and has played a significant role in helping this

tremendous organization grow into the largest active seniors group in

the province.

Since 2003, she has volunteered with the group as a board member, Chair

of the Membership Committee, member of the Afternoon Tea Committee,

member of the Health and Awareness Day Committee and was also a founding

member of the Drop in Centre which is a program that helps seniors to

become socially active with other seniors in the community.

In addition to her many contributions to the Mount Pearl Seniors

Independence Group, Emma is also a volunteer with the Vera Perlin

Society, Special Olympics and the Canadian Cancer Society. Newfoundland

and Labrador is a better place because of the contributions of people

like Emma Thornhill.

I ask all Members to join me in congratulating this outstanding

individual on receiving this honour and thank her for her unwavering

commitment to the community.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Member for the District of Labrador West.

MR. LETTO:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

I rise in this hon. House today to congratulate Mr. Peter Reccord on

receiving the Bishop's Award of Merit in the Anglican Diocese of Eastern

Newfoundland and Labrador. This award is given to individuals who have

contributed significantly to the advancement of the life and work of the

church in their parish, diocese and province.

Peter Reccord meets and, in many cases, exceeds all criteria of this

prestigious award. He has been a member of the Labrador West parish for

the past 50 years, serving on vestries, as warden, Chair of the Joint

Board of Management, and now delegate to Provincial Synod. Peter is

currently enrolled in the Exploring Faith program and is working toward

his diploma of theology.

As for his community involvement, Peter has served on town council,

school boards, Recreation Commission and President of Minor Hockey. He

is a long-time volunteer with the Labrador West Food Bank and a

long-time member of the Labrador West Lions Club.

If the church were to designate a person that exemplifies outreach,

Peter Reccord would be the one!

I ask all hon. Members to join me in congratulating Peter on being

awarded the Bishop's Award of Merit at Synod on April 23.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Member for the District of St. John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very

much, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to salute the Newfoundland Outport Nursing and Industrial

Association or NONIA, as it will be much better known to residents of

the province.

Many of us will be familiar with the NONIA store on Water Street in St.

John's, but we may not all know its history. NONIA was founded in 1920

and incorporated as a non-profit business in 1924. It originally helped

people in rural Newfoundland access health services by raising money to

pay the salaries of public health nurses. The money was raised by

selling hand-knit garments.

In 1934, government took over the public health, but the industrial side

maintained and continues to operate today, paying approximately 150

Newfoundland and Labrador knitters and weavers for their work and making

their wares available to consumers.

The craft of knitting is handed down through the generations and it is

not unusual for NONIA to have grandmothers, mothers and daughters all

producing for them.

On April 29 tomorrow Judy Anderson will retire as store manager of

NONIA after 17 years in that role. Keelin O'Leary will succeed her in

that position.

I ask all hon. Members to join me in thanking Judy for her service, and

to wish NONIA continued success.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Before we move on

to Honour 100, the Speaker recognizes Churence Rogers in the gallery

today as well and I believe, if my eyes are correct, I recognize MP

Ken McDonald.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

The Commemoration

of the First World War and the Battle of Beaumont-Hamel

MR. SPEAKER:

For Honour 100

today we have the Member for the District of Ferryland.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I will now read into the record the following 40 names of

those who lost their lives in the First World War in the Royal

Newfoundland Regiment, the Royal Newfoundland Naval Reserve, the

Newfoundland Mercantile Marine or the Newfoundland Forestry Corps. This

will be followed by a moment of silence.

Lest we forget: Lewis G. Hudson, Peter Hudson, Edward Hulan, Gerald

Hulan, Howard Hulan, Hubert Hull, Stewart Hull, Victor Willie Hull,

Alfred Humphries, Cecil Hunt, James Hunt, Robert Hunt, Arthur William

Hurdle, Robert J. Hurley, Thomas Hurley, Francis Joseph Hussey, Harold

Hussey, William Thomas Hussey, Alfred Hutchings, Richard Hutchings,

William S. Hutchings, Harold Hutchins, Aloysius Hynes, Harry Hynes,

James Joseph Hynes, James Walker Hynes, Lemuel Edward Hynes, Leonard

Hynes, Richard Edward Hynes, William Patrick Hynes, Herbert Stewart

Inder, Joseph Ingraham, Moses A.C. Ingram, John Alfred Ivany, William

Cox Ivany, William Garland Ivany, William M. Ivany, James Ivey, Arthur

Joseph Jackman, Bert Jackman.

(Moment of silence.)

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

It just has been brought to my attention, I don't see him, but

Councillor Danny Breen, I believe, is in the galleries as well.

Welcome to Councillor Breen.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

As well, before

proceeding to Statements by Ministers, last weekend the province did see

a tragedy in little Quinn. I'd like to recognize, many of the Members

here today are wearing either pink or purple to remember Quinn.

Statements by Ministers.

Statements by

Ministers

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Minister of Health and Community Services.

MR. HAGGIE:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

I'm very pleased to rise in his hon. House today to announce the

introduction of new regulations that will facilitate the safe and

responsible governance of midwifery in our province.

Developed in consultation with practising midwives from across the

country, educators, the Association of Midwives of Newfoundland and

Labrador, the Newfoundland and Labrador Council of Health Professionals

and other stakeholder groups, the Midwives Regulations will officially

come into force on September 30 under the

Health Professions Act .

With the introduction of these new regulations, all practising midwives

in our province will be required to meet established educational, exam

and other certification requirements and follow established best

practices for the protection of all involved. These new regulations have

been developed in accordance with national standards and we are pleased

to introduce them for the benefit of families throughout Newfoundland

and Labrador.

The new regulations will provide advance notice of the registration

requirements to stakeholders, including those currently practising as

midwives and expectant mothers.

Ensuring a smooth introduction of regulated midwifery in the province is

an important public protection initiative for our government and it is a

necessary first step as we continue to work with midwives and other

health care professionals to implement regulated midwifery in

Newfoundland and Labrador.

On a personal note, I'm delighted to introduce these regulations. My

late wife was a midwife who, in her prematurely shortened career,

delivered over 2,000 babies.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Leader of the Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

First of all, I'd like to thank the minister for an advance copy of his

statement today. At a time in our province when we're seeing reductions

in health care investments and reductions in health care services, it's

good to see some positive news today.

We recognize the value that midwives can add to our system. We recognize

the importance that regulations can have. We see that all practising

midwives in our province will be required to meet established standards

including education, exams and other certification requirements.

Mr. Speaker, I was quite pleased as a former premier that our government

initiated the process and moved this process along. I congratulate the

minister and the government in seeing it through to the end. This is

going to be very important for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Member for St. John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very

much, Mr. Speaker.

I, too, thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement. At

long last the midwives regulations have become a reality, thanks to the

hard work and determination of the midwifery organizations and some very

committed officials.

Young families who have been asking for midwives to practice here as

they do in every other province will be happy at this news. They won't

be happy that this government has decided, unlike every other province,

to privatize the midwifery service. It won't be under our health care

system, so families with modest or low incomes will be shut out by this

government once again.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Minister of Service NL.

MR. JOYCE:

Mr. Speaker, I

rise in this hon. House today to recognize that today is National Day of

Mourning.

On this occasion we take a moment to remember those who have been lost

or injured due to a workplace accident. This is also a day to renew our

commitment to improving health and safety in the workplace and to focus

efforts to prevent incidents.

I was honoured to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony today at

Confederation Building with the Premier, as we joined more than 100

people who laid a wreath in memory of a loved one or a co-worker. I want

to thank the St. John's and District Labour Council for organizing this

event.

I am pleased to note that WorkplaceNL has new information that shows the

incidence of workplace injury and illness in Newfoundland and Labrador

dropped to an all-time low in 2015.

Despite this positive news, there were 24 work-related fatalities in

2015 a reminder that we need to make safety our focus every day.

Mr. Speaker, promoting safe and sustainable communities is a priority

for our government, and we will continue to work with our partners to

help to ensure workers return home safe and sound at the end of each

day.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Member for Cape St. Francis.

MR. K. PARSONS:

Thank you

very much, Mr. Speaker.

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

want to extend thanks to the St. John's and District Labour Council for

organizing this event today. I felt privileged to be there representing

the Official Opposition.

It's a very important day when you look at people that presented wreaths

here today that lost loved ones. It's so important that we remember them

and we also make sure that safety is first and foremost in any

workplace. It's important that we educate people and it's important that

we have proper training in place. It's also important that we have

supervision so that people can go to work and be in a safe workplace.

I saw a little girl there today with a T-shirt on saying that she didn't

get a chance to see her daddy. It's so important that we make our

workplace safe for the families. Not only for the workers but for the

families, so that people can go home to a nice evening with their

families after a long, hard day at work.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The Member for

St. John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very

much, Mr. Speaker.

I, too, thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement. We all

take time today to recognize those killed or injured on the job. Nobody

should be harmed or die while trying to make a living.

Today is also a day to push for more safety measures to protect people

in their workplace, measures such as presumptive cancer legislation for

firefighters, one of government's election promises. Another important

step would be to put legislation in place covering front-line worker

emergency responders with PTSD and heart disease.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very

much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Further

statements by ministers?

The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

MS. COADY:

Mr. Speaker, I

rise today in this hon. House to highlight the strong potential for

growth in Newfoundland and Labrador's mining sector.

A total of 10 mineral commodities are produced or mined in the province,

and we are pleased to see that, over the last few months, the price of

iron ore has increased significantly.

Canada Fluorspar's St. Lawrence project is moving towards construction;

ERP Compliant Fuels is interested in Wabush Mines and talks are

continuing; and Vale is starting construction of the underground mine at

Voisey's Bay this summer.

Just this past week, I visited Vale's Long Harbour processing plant with

the Member for the District of Placentia West Bellevue. The plant has

now moved from processing a mix of imported nickel matte and Voisey's

Bay concentrate to processing entirely Voisey's Bay material. I was

impressed by this massive, modern, innovative facility and by its young,

enthusiastic operations workforce.

Budget 2016 is an $8.48 billion budget that includes a significant

amount of investment in the province; for example, our government has

committed an additional $100,000 for each of the next three years in the

Junior Exploration Assistance Program to encourage mineral exploration.

Just last week, junior mining company, Rambler Metals & Mining PLC

announced that it has secured financing that would allow it to extend

the life of its Ming Mine to 21 years.

The mining industry remains a valuable contributor to our economy and

our government is laying the foundation for well-planned and

well-managed resource development in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Opposition House Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I certainly acknowledge and thank the minister for an

advance copy of her statement. We, too, on this side of the House

obviously Newfoundland, historically, have had tremendous wealth

generated from our mining industry. Certainly in past years and in the

future it is bright in terms of those resources and developing those

resources.

It is good to see the Canada Fluorspar project in St. Lawrence and over

the past number of years, our administration has worked with those

partners and it appears the market is now right to start the

development. We're certainly delighted to see that for the Burin

Peninsula.

As well, these are traditional industries that we continue to need to

grow and diversify. Under our administration we introduced the RDC to

look at research, to work with industries like mining, develop

innovation, to diversify traditional industries; but also to the

minister and the government on the other side, we're eager hear in terms

of overall diversification, what they're going to do to drive the

economy, because we need that and, to date, we see little details of it.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Member for St. John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very

much, Mr. Speaker.

I, too, thank the minister for the advance copy of her statement. It is

great to hear about the growth in mining but, in reality, government has

little control over how this non-renewable resource sector develops.

What I would really like to hear is government's long-term economic

plans for growth in a sustainable economy not so dependent on the whims

of global commodity prices.

We heard plenty of promises about diversifying the economy from them

during the last election, but nothing since.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Oral Questions.

Oral Questions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Leader of the Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, it is becoming quite clear the people have lost trust in

this government. There's growing mass confusion and concern about the

Liberal budget, and we're hearing from people every day. We're hearing

people every hour. Members of their own caucus are confused.

The Premier was on Open Line

this morning and couldn't provide any clarity on how they made their

choices. It sounded like he was confused on it as well, when asked about

the choices that have put our province into a tailspin.

So I ask the Premier: How can the people have confidence and trust in

your government when your budget will devastate people and the economy

in a budget that contains no hope and no plan?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

Well, the budget contains a lot of plans, I'd say. The first plan, step

one, is to clean up the mess that was left by this previous

administration.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

PREMIER BALL:

That's plan one;

that's step one. Without making the decisions that we had to make in

this budget, we would have been left with an astounding $2.7 billion

deficit.

Instead, with the decisions that we've made, that has been down now to

$1.8 billion. We know there's a lot of work to be done because there's a

big mess to clean up.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

PREMIER BALL:

I would like to

ask the former premier about how he made the decision back in 2007

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

PREMIER BALL:

and his Members

to decrease taxes to the highest income earners in our province, taking

away billions of dollars of money that could be used today to offset

this mess that we're in.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Leader of the Opposition.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. P. DAVIS:

Here we go, Mr.

Speaker.

Once again he can't explain why people should have confidence or trust

in him when all he can do is talk about what happened back in 2007 when

I and most of us over here were nowhere near this House of Assembly, Mr.

Speaker. It's 2016; he's the Premier of the day. He needs to figure out

why and how people can have confidence in him.

I'll ask the Premier this: Has your Cabinet and your caucus what you

call your team of leaders have they had a say in this budget, or is it

simply just a two-person show, yourself and the Minister of Finance?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

No, it's not a two-person show. We've engaged a lot of Newfoundlanders

and Labradorians. We have an $8.48 billion budget sprinkled throughout

every department right now. The minister you just heard her make some

comments today about things that are happening, things in Newfoundland

and Labrador.

We will have a good future, but first and foremost, we have to get the

financial house in order. You had over 12 years to do it, $29 billion;

$25 billion of it related to the oil industry and $4 billion in tax

decreases. Imagine today if you had a plan for the situation that we

were in instead of living in the day, living on hope that oil would stay

at $148 a barrel.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Leader of the Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

I guess he didn't like the response he got after his

Open Line appearance this

morning, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. P. DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker,

hard-working Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are concerned about this

budget. We're hearing from not only citizens but also business owners

and entrepreneurs who are concerned about the approach that the Premier

and his Liberal team have taken in this budget. The business community

is concerned that Liberal choices are already smothering the economy and

killing investment.

I ask the Premier: You have positioned yourself as a team of business

leaders, how can you justify the measures that you're taking? Only six

months in office and you're already killing the economy.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

Well, I would assure you that any business owner in Newfoundland and

Labrador, any community, any municipality in Newfoundland and Labrador,

they will tell you one thing. If you want to talk about smothering, you

talk about smothering Newfoundlanders and Labradorians in debt. That's

where you were leading this province. Just one year ago the budget that

you produced, you missed the mark not once

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

PREMIER BALL:

not twice but

three times, less than $900 million deficit last year

MR. SPEAKER:

I'm restarting

the clock again on the hon. the Premier. I'm asking for order and

decorum.

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

Your five-year plan this year, you missed the mark by three times the

amount by three times the amount. It would have been $2.7 billion.

I can tell you, as I said earlier when I started my comments to the

question, any business owner, any community in this province they know

one thing you have to do is get the debt under control. I'd asked the

former premier: Is he satisfied that interest costs and debt servicing

now outpaces education in our province?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Leader of the Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker, now

we know the Premier can't justify the decisions he has made, his own

decisions. It is his choices, but we do know one thing, Mr. Speaker. He

has lived up to one of promises and his promise to make sure that

Newfoundland and Labrador is the least, lowest and last. And that's what

his budget is going to do, Mr. Speaker. He is going to make sure that he

lives up to that promise.

Extra money will come out of people's pockets, Mr. Speaker. I've spoken

with a hard-working family man just this morning. He is a man married,

two teenage daughters. He is going to have to pay an additional $1,000

just on the new Liberal tax on insurance an extra $1,000 just on his

family insurance.

I ask the Premier: How does your decision to put taxes on insurance mean

a stronger tomorrow for that family?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

One thing I will say and we provided some information to the Third Party

at least they had the wherewithal to reach out and start looking for

some of the information. We are still very competitive when you look at

the tax rates that we have in Newfoundland and Labrador, still very

competitive when you compare us not only to Atlantic Canada, but many

other jurisdictions that we have in our country, and that includes the

levy.

I'm very proud to say too, very proud to say, that we have implemented

an Income Supplement program for low-income families in Newfoundland and

Labrador, for seniors in Newfoundland and Labrador, that is very

competitive and will put money back in their pockets, much needed, I

would say, Mr. Speaker, and we're still very competitive in all tax

brackets. As a matter of fact, lower than we are in all areas in

2006-2007.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Leader of the Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

One of the first comments we heard from the Premier on

Open Line this morning was how

important it was to take taxpayers' money out of taxpaying and put it

back in the economy. It was a good comment he made this morning

exactly what happened back in 2007 and what we did as a government when

we were in power, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. P. DAVIS:

So, Mr. Speaker,

I'll let that father of the two teenage daughters know he can come in

for a briefing with the Premier.

Mr. Speaker, violent crimes are on the rise in our province. You just

check the news any day. Just this morning, armed robberies, home

invasions, violent crimes are simply everywhere and we hear it every

day. The Liberal budget is going to reduce policing in our province and

people are concerned about their safety and they're going to become more

concerned when they learn of these decreases.

I ask the Premier: Was there analysis done before you made the decisions

to reduce policing, and what impacts on these reductions what will

they have on public safety, Premier? Can you tell us that?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Minister of Justice.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Yes, thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

I am happy to answer this question and actually spent almost four hours

last night in this House answering questions from the Member across. So

he should know that there was actually no reduction whatsoever in police

services in this province with this budget.

In fact, there were positions that were announced last year that they

couldn't recruit for and were not filled, and those were the positions

that were eliminated. So there's actually no less boots on the ground

when it comes to policing in this province.

However, I can say the RCMP has enhanced 24-7 coverage in Grand

Falls-Windsor, and they're actually saving money by doing it and we

look forward to expanding that pilot.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Leader of the Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

Well, that's correct; we did have a good discussion. I thank the

minister and his staff for that last night in Estimates.

Mr. Speaker, the Harbour Grace court is a busy place, and that

courthouse and others are closing. So officers in Harbour Grace, in

Placentia, the Cape Shore, Whitbourne, Bay de Verde and all of those

areas are now going to spend hundreds of hours a year having to travel

to St. John's to go to court, instead of spending their times on the

streets protecting the citizens they're there to protect and the

communities they're there to serve.

So I ask the Premier: Has an analysis been done on how court closures

will impact policing in communities, and will you release those

analyses?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Minister of Justice.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you,

Mr. Speaker.

I'm happy to answer this question again, as I did last night. The fact

is that we've got great police forces in this province, whether it's the

RNC or it's the RCMP, and we've enjoyed working with them and meeting

with them to discuss the challenges we face, challenges that have

existed for some time.

Again, when it comes to these court closures, we know that it will face

challenges. Again, challenges that the Opposition faced when they were

closing courts in this province over the last 12 years.

So, again, we will work with our forces, and they will work with us over

the next four months to ensure there is no reduction in policing

services to these communities. Again, we had to make very difficult

choices based on the financial mess that was left to us, but thankfully,

we have great police forces that we'll continue to work with to ensure

safety for all the citizens of this province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Leader of the Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

Well, when they're going to be spending hundreds of hours a year,

hundreds and hundreds of hours a year travelling from all those areas to

drive to St. John's to go to court. Some of them do it on a daily basis

while they're working, Mr. Speaker. That is not boots on the ground in

all those areas; that's a reduction in policing.

In Estimates last night during our discussion, the department identified

there are roughly 120 RNC officers who are eligible to retire today.

They're eligible to retire. It's more than a quarter of the entire

force, more than 25 per cent of the entire police service.

I ask the Premier: What is your plan to ensure that policing resources

stay strong in the years to come? We know it takes a long time to train

police officers; it takes a long time for them to learn their jobs.

Instead of reducing recruitment, what are you doing to ensure those

resources stay strong?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Minister of Justice.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Yes, thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

As we discussed last night, we do know that there are 127 officers that

are eligible for retirement. This year so far we've actually had two

retire; compared to last year when there were 121 eligible to retire

and, I believe 15 retired.

I can say since 2005 there's been 151 sorry, 254 graduates of the RNC

program and 246, 97 per cent, are still working with us. Since that same

time, 152 retired and we actually recruited 246. I can say that we have

more recruits coming in. The Member opposite should know that there's no

reduction here.

We have a great working relationship with the RNC. I'm sure if it's a

concern for the chief of the RNC, he's more than willing to come and

discuss it with me. We'll have this conversation to make sure that our

policing continues to stay strong.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Member for Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Mr. Speaker, the

Minister of AES yesterday said in this House that it was the PC

government that closed the college campus in Springdale. I need to

educate the minister. It was actually the Liberal administration under

his former boss, Premier Tobin, who closed the Springdale, Lewisporte,

Bell Island and other campuses in the late '90s.

I ask the minister to now outline to the people of this province what

additional campuses and programs are the Liberals planning to cut this

time.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Minister of Advanced Education and Skills.

MR. BYRNE:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

I believe it was the former administration that did cut $22 million from

the College of the North Atlantic. With that big a number, sometimes you

can infer that maybe cuts would be coming to campuses. It was the former

administration that cut $22 million from the campuses.

Do you know what? There are a lot of campuses that, as a result of those

cuts, are not functioning, in my opinion, to their full efficiency.

We're going to work with those campuses to try and build up their

strength, unlike what you did.

Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Member for Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

With that

response, obviously, I'm worried about where rural Newfoundland is going

in post-secondary in their second budget that we'll see later this fall.

The Minister of Education in one of his most bizarre comments to date

stated that the high adult illiteracy rates were reason to shut down 54

libraries.

I ask the minister: How will cutting these learning institutions in so

many of our communities improve our literacy rates? He can't possibly be

that out of touch.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development.

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, what

I said yesterday was that we have had a long-term sustained high rate of

functional adult illiteracy. There is a reason for that. The reason is

what the previous administration was doing, including not delivering on

the adult literacy strategy they promised in 2007. What they were doing

was not working.

One thing they were doing was cutting and cutting and cutting the

library system and not keeping up with the cost of operating the library

system to the point where the library system was undergoing a slow

atrophication process.

The libraries that are slated for closure now had an average hour of

operation of 18 hours a week, that's all, frequently between 9 to 5,

Monday to Friday, when most people in the population simply could not

access them.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Member for Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Mr. Speaker, I

ask the minister: He should check with those communities that have 18

hours and ask them, do they want to get rid of that? I'll tell you,

they'll say no.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Does the minister

think it's reasonable for children, youth and seniors to travel for

hours to access books and learning materials now with the new setup?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development.

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, what

is unreasonable is to continue to cut and cut and cut a system and

expect it to operate optimally. That did not happen under the previous

administration.

The provincial libraries board, once we started the Government Renewal

Initiative in January it became quickly known to me that the public

libraries board had been advocating for a number of years to close

libraries due to the fact that they no longer could afford to operate

them. The cost of paying employees was going up and up with the 39 or so

percent increase in wages that occurred over the previous 12 years.

The cost of leases was going up. The previous administration got the

libraries board into several leases that were hundreds of thousands of

dollars. It just simply could not be sustained.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Member for Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Mr. Speaker, the

minister, who was the critic in the previous administration, was adamant

that they should stay open and now he's flip-flopped on that also.

Mr. Speaker, this week the Minister of Education stated that libraries

have become a place for seniors to check their email, a remark that have

many of our province's seniors highly offended.

Mr. Speaker, libraries provide so much more than books. Libraries are

common centres in the communities. Libraries offer services like tax

return assistance, reading circles, homework help, public speaking

competition for students. For many, the library is their only source of

Internet access.

I ask the minister: Will you admit that by closing libraries you are

depriving the people of our province from yet another critical service?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development.

MR. KIRBY:

I'm going to tell

you one thing, Mr. Speaker, it's pretty evident that it's pretty easy to

sit there in Opposition with half the information uttering half-truths.

I did not say that libraries had become a place for seniors to check

their email. That's not what I said, and you should check the public

record and get your facts straight.

Mr. Speaker, this previous government

AN HON. MEMBER:

(Inaudible.)

MR. KIRBY:

If you don't want

to hear the answer, don't ask the question is all I can say. We stand

here day after day trying to answer questions that the Opposition is

asking and they heckle right through Question Period. I don't think they

hear a word over there, Mr. Speaker.

The fact of the matter is the previous government cut and cut and cut

around the edges of the library system and expected it to operate

without sufficient numbers of funds. What we're doing now is introducing

a regional system that 85 per cent of the people in the population can

access.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Member for Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

Two years ago the Minister of Education said in this very House, I

believe that the Newfoundland and Labrador government should stop all

cuts to libraries . He requested additional funding for libraries.

I ask the minister: Does he stand by his belief or does he blindly

follow the orders of the Finance Minister?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development.

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, I

serve in this capacity at the pleasure of the Premier and I'm pleased to

do so. I'm pleased to work with the provincial libraries board who had

to make a difficult decision the other day around libraries and the

continuity of services. Those are people who value literacy, who value

reading and want to ensure that the public in Newfoundland and Labrador

has reasonable access.

The only glimmer of hope that I could see in what the previous

administration did is that the numbers of electronic materials

increased. In one of the annual reports it was said to increase by about

25 per cent. It's very obvious that people are accessing text

differently. We have to change the system, modernize it so we reinvest

in electronic access, the texts, books by mail and other investments.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Member for Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MS. PERRY:

Mr. Speaker, we

along with many others were very troubled to hear the recent

announcement concerning cuts to the provincial Breast Screening Program.

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed type of cancer among

women in Newfoundland and Labrador. My family, like most families in

this province, has been devastated by this disease.

Understanding the importance of early detection, I ask the minister: How

can your government justify making such a significant reduction in the

provincial Breast Screening Program, a step backwards in the area of

women's health.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. Minister

of Health and Community Services.

MR. HAGGIE:

Thank you very

much, Mr. Speaker.

In 2011, five years ago, the Canadian Task Force on Preventative Health

issued new guidelines for low-risk women for breast cancer screening.

Those included removing the breast screening clinical exam and removing

the requirement for mammography under the age of 50. These were of no

benefit to low-risk individuals. If the Member opposite has concerns

that she's in a high-risk category, I would suggest she talk to her

primary care provider.

MR. SPEAKER:

The Member for

Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.

MS. PERRY:

With 20 per cent

of women under the age of 50 diagnosed with breast cancer, Mr. Speaker,

I say it's 20 per cent too many. We're going to come back to that again

in this House.

The aquaculture industry on the province's South Coast is a fine example

of how to diversify a rural economy. My district has seen prosperity,

population increases and more people working than ever before. But under

this Liberal government, I have people telling me that they feel like

they are being targeted for just trying to feed their family.

I ask the Minister of Business: What is your diversification plan for

rural Newfoundland and Labrador?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

MR. CROCKER:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member talks about the aquaculture industry. This

government realizes the value of the aquaculture industry. It's one of

the things the Premier had in my mandate letter. It's one of the

objectives we will follow.

We've had the opportunity, throughout our short time in government, to

work with the industry. I've worked closely with NAIA and we will

continue to do so.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The Member for

Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.

MS. PERRY:

Mr. Speaker,

losing $500 a month at least plus more in additional taxes and fees is

not going to help people eat or feed their families. In fact, it is

going to drive them away.

Mr. Speaker, I hear no plan from the Liberals on rural investment.

Actually, with their decisions to close support centres and libraries in

rural Newfoundland and Labrador, three in my district alone, all I can

see are cuts. Our Poverty Reduction Strategy showed that when people

have access to these services, they have a greater chance at success.

I ask the minister: As the Liberals rips these services from rural

Newfoundland and Labrador, what hope and opportunity is left for our

people?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Minister of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development.

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Thank you,

Mr. Speaker.

I thank the Member opposite for her question. When it comes to looking

at the economy and looking at investment, we have a number of plans and

strategies that we have that we're working on.

When it comes to looking at investment in the tourism industry, we're

seeing incredible numbers this year already posted. When it comes to

planning and attraction of motor coach traffic, our actual numbers on

our website are up 16 per cent. We're continuing to work on regional

governance and work on that plan when it comes to how we deliver

services, like the public libraries.

People will have access to library services within a half an hour to

be able to access improved services with a minimum of 30 hours a week.

There are lots of things that we're investing in when it comes to trade,

when it comes to economic development, broadband, the list goes on and

on and on.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Member for the District of Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.

MS. PERRY:

Mr. Speaker, a

lot of people in rural Newfoundland and Labrador can't afford broadband

and without libraries, I don't know how they're going to access the

Internet. No plan, no investment, no hope. After all, it was the Liberal

Premier who infamously described our province as the last, the lowest

and the least. Well, another infamous quote that the Premier made and

it's currently making the rounds again is if you can't listen, you can't

lead.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS. PERRY:

I ask the Premier

if you were listening to the taxpayers of rural Newfoundland and

Labrador, when you decided to close the medical clinic in Hermitage,

schools in Whitbourne and Conche or AES offices across the province,

just to name a few of the

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS. PERRY:

devastating

cuts that Liberals are making to rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Minister of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development.

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Mr.

Speaker, I thank the Member opposite for her question. There are

certainly lots of investments in budget 2016-2017 when it comes to

looking at how we're going to diversify and enhance our economy and also

providing services all across this province.

If we look at the tourism industry, we have $13 million in a marketing

budget. We have $18.5 million in culture and heritage investments in our

province. We are also investing in venture capital. We're dealing in

infrastructure over $570 million is being spent in this budget on

roads, on schools, and infrastructure all over. In municipalities,

maintaining their Municipal Operating Grants.

There are a lot of good things in budget 2016-2017

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Member for Mount Pearl North, for about a 20-second question.

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, the

people of Botwood and surrounding communities are deeply concerned with

the axing of 24-hour snow clearing; however, that concern only worsened

when they received news those emergency room hours at the Dr. Hugh

Twomey Centre would be cut in half with no after-hours care.

I ask the minister: What do you say to these thousands of people who

have real concerns about travelling the highway to Grand Falls-Windsor

to access emergency care, when they can no longer be sure that the

highways will even be cleared and fit for travel?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Minister of Transportation and Works.

MR. HAWKINS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

I thank the Member for his question. As I mentioned yesterday when we

talked about 24-hour snow clearing, we know that there were three

pressure areas of the province that we provided that. We did not provide

24-hour snow clearing for the entire province.

One of the things that we are doing that will be different next year

it will not be implemented until next winter is the fact that we will

not have a dedicated service to that, but we will make sure that safety

is number one. Our supervisors will have that in place so we'll have

snow clearing available

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Member for St. John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very

much, Mr. Speaker.

The Marine Atlantic service across the Gulf of St. Lawrence was a key

provision under the Terms of Union between our province and Canada.

Oceanex has launched an action in federal court which could lead to the

elimination of the federal subsidy on goods shipped by Marine Atlantic,

thereby driving up the cost of goods to consumers in this province.

I ask the Premier: If the province has requested or plans to request

intervener status in this case to ensure the people of the province

continue to benefit from the subsidy that Canada pays on goods shipped

via Marine Atlantic?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

I agree with the Member opposite. The Marine Atlantic service to

Newfoundland and Labrador, which is really the main transportation link

that we bring in goods and services, that we all use to support our

province.

The current case that's ongoing right now there is a case management

discussion that's happening right now. It's our intention this case

will be heard, we understand to be late fall. We've met with the

officials of Justice who are preparing a position for us to be as a

province right now.

I can assure you one thing. Our job, working with the officials in

Justice, is to make sure we protect the interests of Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians, and that is exactly the position we will be taking.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Member for St. John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very

much, Mr. Speaker.

I think the Premier just said yes. I'm not sure. It was hard to tell.

I want to add then, Mr. Speaker, that the already high cost of food will

necessarily go up if this subsidy is dropped. This would add to the

increase in food prices, which is inevitable because of the Budget 2016

hike in the cost of gasoline. People are not going to be able to feed

themselves.

So I ask the Premier: Will he commit that he will do his duty and ensure

that the province intervenes on behalf of the people? I still don't know

if that's what he said.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Premier.

PREMIER BALL:

What I said to

the Member opposite and I thank her for her question, by the way,

because it is a very important subject.

Protecting the interests of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, working

with the officials at Justice, realizing that this is a commitment, a

constitutional right that we have within our province, we will take a

position that benefits Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. That is the

position we will take. This is a case right now that we anticipate will

be heard later on this fall.

I want to go back to one other comment she made. There were two

questions there. She fails to recognize and fails to accept the fact

that we have put a program in place to help those people, those

low-income earners, those seniors you're talking about that can't afford

the food as you say.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

PREMIER BALL:

The fear

mongering you continue to do, will you please accept the fact that there

are supplements put in place. It is a temporary levy

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

PREMIER BALL:

that affects

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and we will make sure that we protect

the vulnerable (inaudible).

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Member for St. John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Mr. Speaker, last

week I attended the AGM for Bridges to Hope, the food bank in my

district. The number of people using their food bank has tripled in the

past few months alone. Many are families who had never used food banks

before.

I ask the minister: What is she going to do about the fact so many

hard-working people are forced to go to food banks even before they've

been hit by her regressive budget?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr.

Speaker, I thank the Member opposite for the opportunity to stand again

in this House and speak about the Newfoundland Income Supplement, which

is a program designed to make sure that those people in our province,

particularly low-income seniors, individuals, single parents, people

with disabilities, have a relief from the revenue measures that we've

had to implement as a result of the prior government's poor planning.

Those low-income individuals will have the opportunity to receive income

to offset the increases through the Newfoundland Income Supplement.

We're also enhancing the Seniors' Benefit program and also making sure

that we've provided funds to AES to help those individuals who may be

impacted by this budget there as well.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The Member for

St. John's Centre for a very quick question.

MS. ROGERS:

Mr. Speaker,

let's look at the minister's Income Supplement. A family of four earning

$36,000 must pay the minister's levy of $300. They lose the $250 Heating

Rebate, leaving them in fact with an Income Supplement of $38 a month.

Then they also lose the provincial portion of their HST rebate and get

hit with the minister's increases in gas tax, sales tax and her

additional fees. So her Income Supplement is no big help.

I ask the minister: Will she table a detailed analysis showing

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The Member for St. John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

I ask the minister: Will she table a detailed analysis showing how her

Income Supplement is actually going to help hard-working, low-income

workers in this province?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr.

Speaker, I'll thank the Member opposite for the quick question. I'm

actually going to do better than provide her with technical briefings.

It's obvious the other side of the House here doesn't want the facts.

I'm going to do better than that. We're going to post online a tool so

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who are in the low income and our

constituency assistants and their constituency assistants can provide

the facts to low-income people as opposed to falsehoods that the

Opposition have continued to perpetuate since April 14, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The time for

Question Period has expired.

During Question Period I heard rumblings from the Opposition that I was

being unfair with time for answers. I will ask the Clerk to provide to

the Opposition House Leader the times for both questions and answers.

I've been very clear with the House that questions are 45 to 50 seconds,

answers are 45 to 50 seconds. I've cut answers off at 50 seconds just as

I have cut questions off. The Clerk will be happy to provide the time.

The only exception to that is when heckling interrupts a question to the

point that I stop the clock and reset it for an answer. The same will

apply if the heckling is from the other side and I stop the clock and

reset it for a question. The Speaker is fair. If somebody wants to

challenge the Speaker, I ask them to stand and do so right now.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Tabling of Documents.

Tabling of

Documents

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Thank you,

Mr. Speaker.

Yesterday in this House a Member opposite asked me for the detailed

description of the status of layoff notices. I would like to table that

information in the House for the Member opposite.

I would also like to table for the Members of the Official Opposition

the information that the Third Party has been already provided, because

we haven't been asked for that by the Members of the Official

Opposition, which is the comparison of provincial personal income tax

payable for 2017.

I'd also like to provide for the Members of the Official Opposition, who

have not requested it, the 2016 Atlantic provinces comparison of

personal income tax payable.

I'd also ask the Speaker to allow me to also table for the Members of

the Official Opposition, who have not asked for the information, the

comparison of provincial income tax payable in 2006 and 2016, Mr.

Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Further tabling

of documents?

Notices of Motion.

Notices of Motion

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Minister of Health and Community Services.

MR. HAGGIE:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

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

An Act

To Amend The Hearing Aid Practitioners Act, Bill 25.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further notices

of motion?

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you,

Mr. Speaker.

I give notice under Standing Order 11, I shall move that the House not

adjourn at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, May 2, 2016, and I further give notice

under Standing Order 11, I shall move that the House not adjourn at 10

p.m. on Monday, May 2, 2016.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further notices

of motion?

Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Member for St. John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

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 Deficit Reduction Levy is an extremely regressive surtax

placing a higher tax burden on low- and middle-income taxpayers; and

WHEREAS surtaxes are typically levelled on the highest income earners

only, as currently demonstrated in other provinces, as well as

Australia, Norway and other countries; and

WHEREAS government states in the 2016 provincial budget that the

personal income tax

schedule needs to be revised and promises to do so;

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

the House of Assembly to urge government to ensure that the Deficit

Reduction Levy be eliminated and any replacement measure be based on

progressive taxation principles and that an independent review of the

Newfoundland and Labrador provincial income tax system begin immediately

to make it fairer to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance in Question Period said that I need

a primer and that, in fact, she's going to give us information, the

facts on which to base the calculations for her wonderful Income

Supplement. Well, Mr. Speaker, that's exactly what I did. I used all the

information that government has given so far on their Income Supplement.

As I said in my question, Mr. Speaker, if we have a family of four with

one earner making $36,000, they are going to have to pay the minister's

levy of $300. They're going to lose their Heating Rebate because that's

been disqualified. That means they're down $550. They may get about $900

for an Income Supplement, but already they've lost $550. So that brings

it down to $450 for an Income Supplement. If you average that out over

the month, that's about $38 a month.

This same family is going to have to pay 15 per cent on their home

insurance. They're going to have to pay, with all the additional taxes

and the increase in the taxes on gas, about 20 cents a litre more on

gas. They're also going to have to pay more to register their car.

They're also going to have to pay a number of other fees. So I'd say, in

fact, that wonderful, great big Income Supplement will be a great big

zero. It will be a zero or maybe it will be a few cents a day.

We're talking about a family of four with two adults and two children

who are making $36,000 a year. That's not a whole lot of money, Mr.

Speaker. Their supplement, the supplement that this minister is so proud

of, basically amounts to nothing.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS. ROGERS:

Thank you very

much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Opposition House Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I bring the following petition to the House of Assembly:

To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and

Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned

residents of Newfoundland and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS the Witless Bay Line is a significant piece of infrastructure;

and

WHEREAS the continuation of the Hebron and Long Harbour projects and the

commercial and residential growth on our region has increased the volume

of traffic on this highway;

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

the House of Assembly to urge government to continue to upgrade this

significant piece of infrastructure to enhance and improve the flow of

traffic to and from the Trans-Canada Highway;

And as in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, this piece of highway connects Route 10, the Southern Shore

to the Trans-Canada Highway. Over the past number of years, it has

certainly become instrumental in regard to just general travel for

residents back and forth between the two regions, but certainly from

commercial industrial activity and employment. Many residents from my

area travel back and forth to Bull Arm, Long Harbour, and even commerce

back and forth, even the fishing industry in regard to transportation of

various fish species back and forth across that piece of infrastructure.

Over the past number of years the previous administration we invested

somewhere around $1.5 million to the various sections of that piece of

highway. It continues to need upgrades, some maintenance work to

maintain it, but very heavily used.

From an economic development point of view and we've heard chatter in

this House from the government on economic diversification. We haven't

seen a lot of details, but from this piece of infrastructure it's

extremely important. I certainly urge government and the Minister of TW

to continue to have a look, do maintenance and continue to build this

infrastructure that's so crucial to the Southern Shore and the access to

the Trans-Canada Highway.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Member for St. John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very

much, 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 Deficit Reduction Levy is an extremely regressive surtax,

placing a higher tax burden on low- and middle-income taxpayers; and

WHEREAS surtaxes are typically levied on the highest income earners

only, as currently demonstrated in other provinces, as well as

Australia, Norway and other countries; and

WHEREAS government states in the 2016 provincial budget that the

personal income tax

schedule needs to be revised and promises to do;

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

the House of Assembly to urge government to ensure that the Deficit

Reduction Levy be eliminated and any replacement measure be based on

progressive taxation principles and that in an independent review of the

Newfoundland and Labrador provincial income tax system begin immediately

to make it fairer to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

And as in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Once again, Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to stand and present this petition

on behalf of the people who have signed it. Many people, some of whom

turned out last night to a town hall that I attended here in St. John's,

a town hall where people spoke very specifically to this issue of the

levy. It is something that is weighing heavily on middle- and low-income

people, starting with people with incomes of $20,000, who just manage to

keep things together.

An individual, and sometimes families with that income, are just

managing to hold things together. A family earning under $25,000 and

having to pay $600 because of two people in the house having to pay $300

each because it's based on persons that is an extreme amount of

money for them. That family with one or two children is just managing.

They haven't got a cent from paycheque to paycheque.

Here on my desk I have hundreds of emails that have come into me

hundreds of emails. That's one of the messages from so many of the

families, Mr. Speaker. They live from cheque to cheque. They don't save

any money, not because they don't want to, it's because they cannot.

I've had a tweet from a person who said we don't know what else we can

do to live as a family of five, with five mouths, a family who no longer

has a land phone. They don't have TV. They can't pay for extras for the

children like dance classes. Now they are saying how are we going to be

able to pay not only this levy, but the increases in fees and the

increases in taxes that have been laid on them.

People really don't know what to do. We talked here in this House

already today about food and about the need of people to feed their

families. If we think the lineups at food banks are long now, it is

going to increase. This is not a joke, it's serious. One easy way for

the government is to adjust this levy, Mr. Speaker

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very

much. I'll continue the next time because I have many more.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Member for Cape St. Francis.

MR. K. PARSONS:

Thank you

very much, Mr. Speaker.

To the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament

assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland and

Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS the federal government cannot justify discriminating against

Newfoundland and Labrador when determining dates for the recreational

ground fishery;

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

the House of Assembly to urge the government to be vocal in calling the

Newfoundland and Labrador, promote fairness and safety in tourism in our

province.

Mr. Speaker, I've presented this petition a number of times. To tell you

the truth, I was hoping by the time the 1st of May came along that this

would be put to bed and people in the province would know what's

happening with the recreational fishery.

It's very important, Mr. Speaker, especially in these times of doom and

gloom and everything else in our province, that people can look forward

to going on the water and it's safe. That's the main thing I emphasize

every time, is safety, that they don't be pushed out on weekends when

the wind is high and they're taking chances, and taking chances with

their lives.

Also, Mr. Speaker, people are wondering because a lot of people want

to plan holidays and people are coming home. I have a brother that I

spoke to last week who said, did you hear anything on the fishery? When

is it? Is it going to be the same time? I said I don't know. People want

to know because they plan trips and they plan their vacations around

this.

It's important that we, as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, have the

opportunity to go out and catch a fish like we've always done. It's

important to all Newfoundland, rural and people in around St. John's.

Everybody loves to go out and catch a cod.

I emphasize that these they brag about their great relationship with

their cousins and I know they're speaking to their cousins in Ottawa.

Can they get this done and get it done so the people of Newfoundland can

know when this fishery is going to happen.

Thank you very much.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Member for Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.

MS. PERRY:

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 the Deficit Reduction Levy, as introduced in Budget 2016,

unfairly targets the middle class; and

WHEREAS the Deficit Reduction Levy asks low-income earners to pay more

than their fair share instead of increasing taxes to high-income

earners;

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

the House of Assembly to urge government to immediately stop the

introduction of the temporary Deficit Reduction Levy.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, this levy has been a great cause of concern for many in

Newfoundland and Labrador. The discussions we've had with people since

budget day are truly, truly heart wrenching.

Mr. Speaker, I can understand, I think, how someone who's never done

without food or done without heat probably don't realize the impact that

this levy is going to have. As a person who has great experience with

hard times, and having come from a rural area that has seen some really

hard times, I can assure you for a senior citizen or for a single mother

with two or three small children, trying to find $300 is a lot of money.

For someone who's working in the oil industry or making millions of

dollars, it's probably one less supper at Raymonds.

The people we're talking about don't even know what it would be like to

go inside the door of a place, Mr. Speaker, like Raymonds. We have to

live in the real world and the real world for many people in

Newfoundland and Labrador is middle to low incomes.

Of everything we've seen in the budget it's all devastating; it's all

deplorable. None of it is what the people asked for. None of it is what

the people voted for. The most upsetting thing of all we've seen is the

levy.

I really don't know who they're listening to, or who they're taking

their advice from. Just last Friday night, a former Liberal premier of

this province even suggested the levy be done away with. Listen to the

people; go with the higher income tax brackets. I don't know who they're

listening to. They're not listening to the Liberals. They're not

listening to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker.

The message is quite clear from every single resident of this province:

Stop the levy. It's absolutely terrible. The economic consequences and

the social consequences that we are going to see a result of this budget

and, in particular, this levy, are quite dire. Time will prove that this

is the worst ever budget ever seen in Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Government House Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Yes, thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

I call Orders of the Day. I would call from the Order Paper, Motion 3,

Bill 10.

Orders of the Day

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Thank you,

Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I'm honoured every day that I stand in this House to speak,

an honour that's bestowed on me by the people of Windsor Lake. I'm

honoured that I've been asked by our Premier to take on this very

difficult job, a job that I've been asked to do on behalf of the people

of the province. I have to say that I'm not pleased to rise in this hon.

House today to speak to Bill 10, the

Loan Act, 2016 .

Since January to date, this government has been able to secure five

market issues of borrowing totalling some $1.985 billion. For Members of

this House and, Mr. Speaker, for those listening at home, I realize that

maybe we need to resolve to Committee because we're in the second phase

of this. With your permission, I will sit down and allow House officials

to move us to Committee and I'll start over once we go.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the

Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr.

Speaker, I move, seconded by the Minister of Justice and Public Safety,

that the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole my

apologies for jumping into the debate that I'm so eager to have on

Ways and Means to consider certain resolutions and a bill relating to

the imposition of tax on the Loan

Act, 2016 , Bill 10.

MR. SPEAKER:

It's been moved

and seconded that the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole

and I do now leave the Chair.

All those in favour?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

Against?

Carried.

On motion, that the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole,

Mr. Speaker left the Chair.

Committee of the

Whole

CHAIR (Dempster):

Order,

please!

We are now debating the related resolution and Bill 10.

Resolution

CLERK:

That it is expedient

to bring in a measure to authorize the raising from time to time by way

of loan on the credit of the province a sum of money not exceeding

$1, 6 00,000,000.

CHAIR:

Shall the resolution

carry?

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

MS. C. BENNETT:

Thank you,

Madam Chair.

I appreciate the support of the House staff as we move to Committee of

the Whole to finish and move through the debate and discussion around

Bill 10, the Loan Act, 2016 .

Madam Chair, I'm honoured every day that I stand in this House to speak.

It's an honour bestowed on me by the people of Windsor Lake.

I'm honoured to have been asked by our Premier to take on a very

difficult job. A job I've been asked to do for the people of the

province. I have to say I'm not pleased to rise in this hon. House today

and speak to Bill 10, the Loan

Act, 2016 .

Since January to date, this government has been able to secure five

market issues totalling $1.985 billion: $235 million issued for a term

of three years; $300 million issued at a term of 31 years; $350 million

issued for a term of 10 years; $600 million issued for a term of 10

years; and most recently, $500 million issued for a term of five years.

Madam Chair, as I told my young son today while trying to explain to him

why the people of the province are disappointed at his mom and why they

have questions for our government, the government that she represents, I

had to share with him that I am the only person in the province who has

had to sign loan documents that would equal mortgages of $200,000. I

signed the equivalent of 9,500 mortgages for $200,000 based on the debt

I've had to accept on behalf of this government.

He understands mortgages and like many parents, we speak to him about

debt and why spending more than what you have is not wise. Budget 2016

reflects the very difficult choices we've had to make. Madam Chair, this

is what a person told me: That was a pretty tough budget but one that

was necessary. I personally think you are making the right decisions in

the right places. I know it's not easy on the people of the province or

myself Sorry to say but the province needed this budget .

Madam Chair, I know this has been a difficult budget for people to

accept. We have reflected on every single decision and wish there were

other ways. The magnitude of the $1.8 billion deficit that could have

been much larger leaving this province, and continues to leave this

province, in a very serious financial situation.

Since 2003, governments have spent too much money. They cut taxes at a

rate that we could not afford and now we must find our way back. We are

going to work with the people of Newfoundland and Labrador to get back

on track. We all have a lot more work to do, but our government is

committed to finding the excess within Government Services, we're

committed to finding waste and we're committed to saving every single

job that we can save.

Madam Chair, I want the people at home to know that government

recognizes how challenging this is and that we are working very hard to

find ways to make it easier. We have significant borrowing requirements

this year, a total of $3.4 billion for this fiscal year alone as set out

in Budget 2016. That's hundreds and thousands more of those $200,000

mortgages that my son's mother has to sign on behalf of the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador. Money that this government needs in order to

have the money to pay people, the money to pay for services, the money

to pay former administration's debts, the money we need to pay the

bills.

To ensure we can access this money, the money that we don't have, we

have to keep talking to the banks, convincing them to lend us money. We

need to be active in the bond markets while the budget approval process

is ongoing; therefore, the province requires interim borrowing

authority. That's why we introduced Bill 10 to establish the

Loan Act, 2016 . The $1.6

billion interim authority stays in place and will be supplemented by a

request for additional authority requested to the passage of the budget.

Our government has had success in the long-term market in spite of the

challenges that we've been facing that are facing our province and

other provinces as well in the long-term bond market. These challenges

come from things like the sharp fall of oil prices and the resultant

impact on the provincial economy, and the further changing of the fiscal

situation in the province as outlined in the mid-year.

The recent reaction to this difficult budget by the banks and

bond-rating agencies makes me optimistic that we will get the access to

the money that we don't have. It is clear that this government's

commitment to action to deal with the fiscal situation is allowing

Newfoundland and Labrador to secure much-needed borrowing.

Our government is looking to the future and continuing to evolve the

relationships with our investors. We must be able to access the money

that we need to pay our employees, to pay for services and to pay for

the things that the province has a responsibility to provide.

In Budget 2016, we laid out a fiscal plan that allowed our province to

regain control of government finances. The choices we have made have not

been easy, but necessary to deal with the unbelievable unbelievable

lack of planning and mismanagement of the former administration. That,

coupled with our inability to manage a financial plan, has left our

province to deal with unprecedented debt, unprecedented borrowing and

unprecedented fiscal pressures.

As I've indicated, we know we will have to borrow in the '16-'17 budget.

In order to continue to avail of the market opportunities, we need to

begin to establish our borrowing authority this year. The

Loan Act, 2016 will give us

interim authority, Madam Chair, to borrow $1.6 billion to begin and

continue our borrowing program for '16-'17.

Our total borrowing requirements, as I've said earlier, for the budget

for '16-'17 are outlined in the budget and are $3.4 billion. Our

government is working very hard to make sure the cost of borrowing money

is the lowest it can be so we don't need to borrow even more money. A

budget is not an easy one for any finance minister, but I can say with

confidence that had we done nothing, the debt of our province would have

doubled in five years.

The unprecedented fiscal situation left us demands that we have a loan

bill in place as early as possible for '16-'17. We cannot miss an

opportunity, sadly, to borrow funds while the budget approval process is

ongoing. The success this government has seen in the long-term market in

the last couple of months is a testament to the fact that the Premier

has been having many conversations over the last months, as I have, with

our financial advisors.

I personally spoke to the major banks earlier this week, as a result of

the budget, as we continue to listen to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians

on their concerns about the difficult nature of this budget. We are

giving our lenders confidence that despite the difficulty this budget

brings on, that we are beginning to get our province back on the path

forward, a path to recovery and a path to getting our province back to

stable financial ground.

With that, Mr. Speaker Madam Chair, my apologies I will take my

seat. I look forward to continuing to discuss the government's financial

plan on how to reshape Newfoundland and Labrador's fiscal future, and

how I need to continue to explain to my 12-year-old that his mother

continues to borrow record amounts of money on behalf of the people of

the province.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

CHAIR:

Order, please!

Before debate continues, I will ask the Clerk to read a correction into

the record.

CLERK:

That it is expedient

to bring in a measure to authorize the raising from time to time by way

of loan on the credit of the province a sum of money not exceeding

$1,600,000,000.

CHAIR:

The hon. the Member

for Mount Pearl North.

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Madam

Chair.

Like the Finance Minister, I'm also not pleased to rise and speak to

this bill today, but it is a necessary bill. I thank the Minister of

Finance for providing an overview of the legislation that we're debating

in the House this afternoon here in Committee.

This bill will authorize government to raise money by the way of a loan

to a maximum amount of $1.6 billion. It's important that we have an open

and frank debate about all aspects and all implications of this budget.

The need to borrow that kind of substantial amount of money definitely

needs to be subject to debate in this Legislature.

It also highlights the concern that I think a lot of the members of the

public have, but certainly Members on this side of the House have, about

the approach that the Liberal government has taken to this budget. It's

very much about taxation; it's very much about borrowing, with no

reduction in spending. Overall, in addition to borrowing more money to

pay the bills and keep government running, this government is going to

spend, in this fiscal year, an additional $400 million over last year.

I recognize we're receiving some criticism right now as well. I

understand people are angry. I understand that people are frustrated. I

have to say, Madam Chair, we take responsibility for decisions that

we've made in the past, and they haven't always been easy decisions

either.

Over the last decade or so, we've seen record investments in

infrastructure in our hospitals, in our schools, in our roads, in our

ferries, in our bridges. We've seen tax cuts. We've seen improvements to

social programs that are much needed. I am prepared to stand here and

defend many of those decisions and those investments. I'll also

acknowledge that we were far from perfect and we made mistakes. This

government will certainly be far from perfect and will make mistakes as

I believe, I'll respectfully say, they're making with this budget.

The decisions aren't easy. Facing this complex fiscal challenge that we

face is not easy. I would suggest, Madam Chair, the answer can't be

simply about increase levels of taxation and increase levels of

borrowing, without any real plan to stimulate and grow the economy.

This loan is, unfortunately, necessary, but overall, in terms of the

budget, there is a better way forward. It can't just be about taxing and

borrowing. Fundamentally, no matter who is in government right now,

there are difficult decisions that must be made around the level of

government expenditure. One of my biggest concerns with this budget is

the Liberal government has failed to make those tough decisions to

reduce spending.

Government spending has grown at an unsustainable pace, and those of us

who were in government have to acknowledge that as well. I'm very

surprised that we're not seeing significant reductions in spending.

Instead, we're seeing government tax and borrow. I think it's

irresponsible and I think it's unfortunate. I think it's part of the

reason why a lot of people are upset with this budget.

We will debate this afternoon Bill 10, which is

an Act to Authorize the

Raising of Money by Way of Loan by the Province. It gives us an

opportunity it gives all Members of this House an opportunity to talk

about the implications of this budget and to talk about any other matter

that they wish. I think, given the nature of this bill, it is a good

opportunity to talk once again about the budget. I hope Members on all

sides of the House, from all parties, will take the opportunity to speak

and share their views and hopefully, also take the time to express

concerns on behalf of their constituents.

The Minister of Finance acknowledged in her remarks that she's hearing

from her constituents and she's hearing from people of the province. I

also acknowledge that she's in a very difficult situation right now.

When I spoke to the budget unlike most Members of the House, I did

take the opportunity to participate in the budget debate on a couple of

occasions so far. I hope we'll hear from all Members in the days ahead

in this House.

I made a point that I want to emphasize again. You can be angry, you can

be frustrated, you can be upset, but there's no need for us to attack

individuals and their families. I don't support the decisions the

Premier and the Finance Minister have made I don't but the personal

attacks I don't believe are warranted. I appreciate the frustration of

Members who are being subjected to that at this point. They're taking

the brunt of it, but we're certainly seeing those kinds of attacks on

our side as well. I think there's a better way to have public debate and

discussion about the decisions of government without getting nasty and

personal.

People are upset. They're legitimately upset because this government

promised a plan and doesn't have one. Taxing and borrowing us to death

is not a plan and it's not sustainable. It's actually going to make our

problems in this province worse.

We had a plan. One of the things I've heard repeatedly during the last

couple of weeks that the budget has been a hot topic everywhere in our

province is what was the PC's plan? We campaigned on our plan. We

brought down a budget last year and Members opposite have said that

didn't go far enough. I recognize that we would have had to go even

further based on the further drop in oil prices that we saw later in

2015 and into 2016.

We did have a plan and clearly people of the province made a decision,

which I respect. They chose the Liberals. They were made a lot of

promises back in the fall and they received a huge vote of confidence

from the people of the province. So I respect that the people spoke.

We had a plan. People didn't like it, but at least we were honest about

what our plan was, Madam Chair. Was it perfect? No, it wasn't. Would we

have had to adjust it based on the further decline in oil revenue?

Absolutely, we would have, but we were honest about what we were

prepared to do and not do.

Our plan was not simply to increase spending, increase borrowing, raise

taxes and raise fees that will impact every person and every family in

this province. There is a better way. I hope during this budget debate

that will ensue while we're talking about bills like this, and also in

the formal budget debate that we'll have an opportunity to talk about

some of those ideas.

What I'd like to do, as I speak to Bill 10 this afternoon, Madam Chair,

is also highlight some of the concerns that I'm hearing from

constituents. Not just my constituents but people from districts right

across the province, many of whom are now represented by Liberal MHAs.

The Minister of Finance referenced some of the concerns from her

constituents. I have a note here from one of her constituents that was

copied to many Members of the House of Assembly. We're all receiving

many, many emails.

I'm also receiving a lot of replies to emails from the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island who has mastered the reply all

function in Microsoft Outlook. I thank him for being prompt and thorough

in his responses to emails. He's definitely responding and it's

important to respond.

It's a huge volume. I would say to everybody out there, just because

your MHA hasn't responded yet doesn't mean they won't. I know I'm

getting dozens and dozens a day that do require a thoughtful response.

It's sometimes impossible to get to them all right away. I'm sure

Members opposite are facing an even greater influx of correspondence

from their constituents, but I hope they will all get responded to.

This constituent from Windsor Lake is writing regarding the proposed

2016 Budget. She says while she finds the budget as tabled to be

regressive and overall lacking any vision or innovative thinking, there

are two particular points she strongly opposes that I'd like to

highlight. One is the Debt Reduction Levy, the Liberal levy. I haven't

talked to anybody yet in this province who's supportive of that

approach.

We will stand on this side of the House and oppose that levy. We will

fight for the Liberal government to eliminate that levy and come back

with a better plan, with a better approach. The two points this

individual, from the Finance Minister's district, is most concerned

about: one is the Liberal levy and the second is the fuel tax increase,

which has gotten some discussion during the public dialogue about the

budget. There are issues like the levy that seem to be getting even

greater attention.

This constituent had left a message with the Finance Minister's office

but hasn't received a response. She describes the levy tax as punitive

and says that it should be removed from the budget. It's unfairly

implemented to the point of undue hardship on low- to middle-income

earners. It's nothing more than a cash grab that will never be repealed.

I think that's where a lot of the concern lies, Madam Chair. The Premier

says over and over again, well, this is temporary. In 1917, income tax

was temporary as well. I recall other forms of taxation and fees

implemented by governments in the past that were supposedly temporary,

but people don't believe that. People feel they've been lied to and they

don't believe this levy will only be a temporary measure for a couple of

years.

Regardless, even if it is temporary, even if you accept that premise,

people still feel the approach is just unfair. Frankly, it's just income

tax by another name. What's even more frustrating is that at the same

time we're going to face this levy, all of us, we're also going to pay

increased income tax. So we're being hit twice just in terms of income

tax alone.

A fee to live sorry, I want to make sure I quote the email correctly.

This individual feels: The fee to live in Newfoundland and Labrador

heralds back to an undemocratic social hierarchy and is governed by a

fish merchant mentality.

This constituent of the Finance Minister is saying: As my elected

Member, I want you to readdress this issue. I want you to revisit it and

come up with a better approach. The astronomical increase in the cost of

fuel as proposed will drive significant inflation on goods and services.

It will limit consumer buying power and confidence and mobility, and

directly hit the tourism sector of our economy. This individual is

absolutely correct. It will do all of those things.

The Leader of the Opposition asked a question to the Premier earlier

this week about the impact on the cost of food. This individual, in the

Finance Minister's District of Windsor Lake, clearly sees the connection

that we are all going to pay more for goods and services. We're going to

have less buying power. We're going to see growing sectors of our

economy, like the tourism sector, impacted by lots of what's proposed in

this budget.

This budget was so poorly planned that in anticipation of its

economically punishing effects, my husband and I have already cancelled

our plans to visit Gros Morne this summer and to attend the Shakespeare

By the Sea Festival. Those are the kinds of discretionary spending

decisions that many, many middle-class families are already making.

We're still trying to get our heads around the full impact of the

budget.

As we dig into it, we're finding there are many things in this budget

that haven't even received a lot of public attention yet that I think

are going to be devastating. The revelation that the Liberal government

plans to shut down 54 libraries in our province, it's devastating to

small communities, Madam Chair.

I think in the days and weeks ahead the full impact of this budget will

be discussed in greater detail. We'll see that as bad as the levy is and

the increases on fuel tax, the increases on insurance and all of the

other taxes and fees, all of the taxing, all of the borrowing and all of

the spending, beyond all of that, there are some other cuts to programs

and services that people are really going to feel.

This constituent of the Finance Minister says: I voted for you and it's

a decision I now deeply regret. This budget, as tabled, is regressive

and it's placed my future as a young Newfoundlander and Labradorian in

jeopardy. The Liberal campaign promises and rhetoric of November have

transformed into quoting the Finance Minister's words a tapestry of

bologna and lies. I have no faith in the dismissive governance that I am

currently witnessing. As your constituent, I ask you to please review

this budget.

When we're voting on Bill 10, when we're voting on the budget and when

we're debating the budget in the House of Assembly, I urge all Members

of this hon. House to listen to their constituents, to bring those

concerns to the floor of the House of Assembly and to speak to them.

That's what we intend to do on this side of the House, Madam Chair.

I thank you for the opportunity to participate in the debate this

afternoon.

CHAIR:

Order, please!

The Chair recognizes the hon. Member for St. John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very

much, Madam Chair.

I had to stop for a minute. I couldn't believe that nobody was standing

up from government. This is unbelievable.

We are dealing here in this House with a budget that I am absolutely

convinced is going to be so hard on low-income people and

low-middle-income people, on people on fixed income, on people who have

no choices. It's a budget like I've never seen before in the 40 years

that I've been involved as an activist, both in community, in social

justice work and also politically, through my party and now as an

elected person in this Assembly.

I've never seen a budget like it. I cannot believe that nobody on the

other side of the House is willing to stand in Committee and explain to

us why they believe in this budget, explain to us why they support this

budget. I can't believe they are not being accountable to the people

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

CHAIR:

Order, please!

MS. MICHAEL:

of this

province, Madam Chair, that they're not seeing their opportunity to be

accountable to the people who elected them, to be accountable to the

people that they go back and face in their constituencies as I do. I'm

in shock.

To have a Minister of Finance stand in her opening comments and paint

this as a personal responsibility, what is she trying to do? Once again

I ask the question, Madam Chair: Do they think the people who are

watching, do they think the people out there are stupid?

What kind of heartstrings is she trying to pull on; how do I explain to

my 12-year-old son how I signed a cheque? We're not talking about

personal issues here. We're talking about a government doing its work.

Bringing it down to that level is completely unacceptable. I can't

believe it. You would think the Minister of Finance had put up her own

personal assets for the loan.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MS. MICHAEL:

I couldn't

believe it. That was unbelievable and unprofessional. That's not the

level of a government budget. A government budget is something they are

responsible for. A budget is not difficult, a budget is a process.

There's no such thing as a difficult budget. They may have found it

hard, but that doesn't make a budget difficult. A budget is a process. A

budget is how government looks at how they're going to give the services

to the people of the province, how they're going to take care of people

and how they're going to find the money to do it. It's not a thing. It's

not an object. It's not something difficult.

For the minister to be putting it down to the level of her personal

responsibility just completely belittles what the budget is all about. I

can't believe it; I absolutely cannot believe it.

She better learn how to explain to her 12-year-old son what politics is

all about and what economics are all about because economics is not

about mommy signing a cheque. That's not what it's about.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

CHAIR:

Order, please!

MS. MICHAEL:

I ask the

minister, when the minister speaks in this House about the budget, to

please treat us all as adults and realize that people watching are

adults. They know it has nothing to do with her as a person and her own

personal responsibility for putting her signature on a cheque.

If they want to take responsibility over there, why aren't they all

standing up and explaining why they're supporting this budget instead of

sitting silently. That's what I ask.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

CHAIR:

Order, please!

MS. MICHAEL:

Madam Chair, the

bill we're dealing with is asking for us to approve a loan of $1.6

billion. That's not problematic. What's problematic for me is that this

government wants us to approve a loan of $1.6 billion to keep things

going obviously, as a government, and to put in place their budget I'm

not going to call it a plan because it's not a plan but without really

explaining things to us.

I have a 10-page document here, Madam Chair, a document done by

government. It doesn't actually say which department of government put

it together. I presume it must be Executive Council because it takes

every single division of government.

It looks at the measures that are in the budget. It talks about those

measures and what you have is the initiative, the measure that's in the

budget; you have what the budget was in 2015-16 for that line item; you

then have the savings in the 2016-17 budget; the annualized savings, and

then you have what's called the rationale.

I was really happy when we were in the budget lock-up to receive this

document because I thought it was going to explain to me what the

means giving the reason behind something. Well, when I read through

these what, 12 pages I think it is, 14 pages actually. When I read

through this I looked at it and I said rationale? This is the rationale?

I had to try to figure out for myself what government meant.

There are sometimes when what they have listed there is a reason, it is

a rationale. In other cases I'm going to choose one; this one is under

Health and Community Services. Here's the initiative: Eliminate the

Adult Dental Program coverage for clients of the NL Provincial Drug

Program under the Access and 65+ plans. That's the initiative, get rid

of the Adult Dental Program.

In getting rid of the Adult Dental Program, government is going to save

$2.5 million. Here's the rationale: Program will be modified and

brought in line with similar programming in other jurisdictions. That's

not a rationale, that's just stating a fact. What was the rationale for

doing that? Did the government, for example, look at the situation of

people in this province who access this program?

At the town hall we held last night, we had a denturist who stood at the

microphone and told us how overwhelmed she was when this program was put

in place. What she was overwhelmed by were the numbers of people living

all around poverty who were eligible for the program, for the Access and

the 65Plus Plans. They were eligible. They were just above poverty, they

were in poverty, they were just under. She was overwhelmed by how many

people.

As a denturist, she has really been worried and concerned about the fact

that since last September so this happened going way back her

clients, people needing dental plates were coming to her, were waiting

and waiting and waiting; waiting for months to have the approval for

them to get the dental plates they needed, since last September. We're

told there are 1,600 people on a waiting list that now is meaningless.

Overnight, the day after the budget came out, she had clients calling

and saying, Joanie I've gotten word, I can't get the plate.

She told us about the person who was made public in the media today. She

told us about him last night, an elderly man who, for health reasons,

had all his teeth taken out with the expectation of having plates put

in. He has learned that he can't get his plates put in. Now he's left

without any teeth in his head, can't eat, can't chew, just has to

swallow mush. That's what's happening. They don't have that in there, do

they, as their rationale for getting rid of the Adult Dental Program.

That's what you call a rationale. What was the reasoning there? To make

our elderly people suffer? They did no analysis of who was needing this

service and what was going to happen to the people who needed the

service. Not one person over there is going to stand and speak to Bill

10 allowing us, really, the whole government, to borrow $1.6 billion.

I see my time is up, Madam Chair. I look forward to standing up again.

CHAIR:

The Chair recognizes

the hon. the Member for Conception Bay South.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Madam

Chair.

This is my first go about with budgets, but, you know, it's amazing when

the email accounts are full, the airwaves are full. You can't turn. I

flicked on the radio this morning, the Premier is on defending it or

the news tonight. No one will get up and speak on the budget or the

bills or anything. It's amazing.

AN HON. MEMBER:

It's not a

budget b'y (inaudible).

MR. PETTEN:

Yes, it's a money

bill. It's all the same, it's a budget.

Madam Chair, on that note, like I said, it is amazing but I will speak

on the bill is raising I mean they're raising the loans for

borrowing.

As my colleague said, there's been wastage over the years, no doubt. I

don't think there's a government ever going to be elected in any

province or any country that's not going to be guilty of wasting money

from time to time. Mixed with that, what some classify as waste, there's

been an awful lot of great investments made. Some not so great, but

overall the intent was always there to do the right thing.

It's fine to look in the rear-view mirror and say that maybe this

shouldn't have happened or that shouldn't have happened. At a time when

not only this previous government but many governments, when they have

the ability to provide different programs, different services, they tend

to always do so because when you have people coming it's easier to say

yes than say no when you have bona fide, qualified programs or asks, I

should say.

The road to hell is sometimes paved with good intentions I guess. When

you look around at the great investments that have been made in the last

10 years and longer, it's a job to say many of them are a waste of

money.

I had the privilege to get up last week and speak. I highlighted a lot

of those so-called wastes of money. I could go through that again, but I

have some other items I'd like to speak on today.

We all hear everyone is talking and all you hear is levy. Everyone

talks about the levy. Sure, fair enough, that's after hitting a nerve

with a lot of people. The tax on insurance is having an equal effect on

residents just as much as the levy is. In some cases it's having a

bigger impact.

As my colleague, the Leader of the Opposition had questioned today

during Question Period, a family with two teenaged children who have

their licence and are in university, trying to keep insurance on their

home and their vehicles and whatnot, it's a thousand dollars, which is

more than the highest end of the levy. That's an eye-opener. I know from

a personal standpoint the tax on insurance was removed by the previous

government and a lot of people were very happy about it because our

insurance rates are very high. If you put 15 per cent on insurance, it

hits the pocketbook. People feel it.

A lot of emails I get from residents, they seem to be very focused on

the levy like I said. I've had discussions with them. When you're back

and forth, it's almost like to say, yeah, that's true, they're not

really playing into the insurance tax.

The gas tax being another one; there's not a lot of talk about that

because there's focus on the levy. When you take all of those together,

your insurance tax, your gas tax, your levy, your personal income tax

speaking of the levy and your personal income tax, no one knows how the

levy is going to be collected.

I had a gentleman this morning that stopped me out in my district; he

doesn't know how you're going to get it from employers. How are

employers going to collect this? He's not a rich man but he gets three

small pensions. Who collects the money? There is no clear direction.

The Minister of Finance keeps saying that we're all over the place with

it and the Premier will say, no, you're going to collect it from

paycheques, you're going to collect it in income tax, you're going to

collect it in July but no one really knows the answer.

This gentleman today was in no way he wasn't pointing fingers, he

wasn't nasty. He just wanted to know how is that going to be done.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Members opposite seem to know

all the answers. I have no doubt they probably do but the public want to

know the answers as well and they're not getting them. We, as an

Opposition, would like to know a lot of answers and we're not getting

them.

Maybe if we had better answers to some of these questions we'd be able

to help you communicate this because right now the general public are

angry. I've never seen it before. I know some of this becomes an email

campaign. You'll get groups that will email you en masse but I get a lot

of emails from your average, regular family who live in all of our

districts. We all get them.

I said it before; a lot of them really pull at your heart strings. One

stuck with me today, this lady from my district emailed and she was

saying: I feel compelled to add my voice. I cannot recall a time when I

have felt so stressed and anxious about my family's future in

Newfoundland. How am I going to provide for my children? We don't go to

Disney, we do local tourism.

Anyone is welcome to read that email. I have it there. I get a lot of

those emails and I'm sure you all do, too. You're not human if you don't

read those emails and feel something inside your own self. This is not a

party thing and a blame thing. This is a reality. It's a reality we're

all living.

As my colleague for Mount Pearl North said, we're getting it on this

side too. We get some fingers pointing, but it's a general sense of

anxiousness and anxiety. People want answers and they're not getting the

answers. They're very frustrated. I told a gentleman this morning, I

said we'll try to get you an answer. I was sincere. When we get an

answer, we'll let you know. He's just asking out of courtesy. He doesn't

know how this is going to work.

That to me, when you add in the stress of the measures brought forward

in the budget, you put that on the average families and we all hear

about the levy, but there are a lot more things in there outside the

levy that's going to cause a lot of grief to a lot of people. It's going

to make life tough on them. Middle income families it's not cheap to

live in our province now as it is. The cost of living, as we all know,

is going to make it very difficult.

I really would like someone to provide answers to the people because

that's all I'm hearing. I said this before, if anyone wants to read my

emails, I'm not into bashing people, I don't. I just try to answer the

question or I'll sympathize. I'll say I understand where you're coming

from.

That's not me, but I have to say it is pretty frustrating because you're

going back to people and you're not giving them the answers they want.

You know they're anxious. You know they're stressed. They feel you

should have the answer. You're the representative. I agree, but we're

having trouble getting it. I don't know maybe Members opposite are

having trouble getting the same answers. If they're not, feel free to

share the information because I'm sure all Members on this side of the

House would love to hear it because I know the general public would.

You flick on the radio this morning I heard the Premier on. With all

due respect, he's on taking calls. That's good. That needs to be done.

It's getting your message out there. I give him full credit on that.

It's not easy to do, but a lot of these answers are never clear. We say

to them sometimes a plan to make a plan, we play politics, whatever you

want to call it but they're not clear answers. I don't know if the

comments that have been said you make it up as you go, but I know people

are pretty desperate, frustrated. They're looking for answers and not

getting them. Madam Chair, the public do deserve to have their voice

heard.

The time is getting close. I received a lot of emails lately too on

another budget items: class sizes, teacher cuts, I guess, peer teaching

and I suppose really the full-day kindergarten thing. A lot of people in

my district have concerns. There are a couple of schools there that say

they're not prepared to handle full-day kindergarten. There are a lot of

teachers and parents concerned about the class sizes and the number of

students in classes. They don't feel it's the same quality of education.

Then on top of that, yesterday, we heard about all these library

closures across the province.

It just seems like every day there are new things coming up and it's

causing a lot of stress on individuals. I can't be more sincere in

saying people want to know the answers. I'd love to know the answers

because, as I said, as the representative I feel it's incumbent upon me

to answer their questions. That's what we're elected for. We're supposed

to represent our districts and provide reasonable answers.

Until I get those answers, I have no ability to pick up the phone or

pick up my Blackberry and give them the answers they require. I really

would like to start getting some clear answers so we can message it to

our people.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

CHAIR:

The hon. the Minister

of Municipal Affairs and Service NL.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. JOYCE:

Thank you, Madam

Chair.

I'm just going to spend a few minutes on this, Madam Chair. This is a

bill for the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador to borrow. Of course,

I just push it off as a Member who's a rookie, he just don't understand

what this bill is. It is to give us to borrow. I'll just give you an

example. There hasn't been a Member over there yet who said here's what

we need in our district for capital works for roads. How are we going to

do it if you don't stand up and say yes, we need to borrow this money?

You can stand up as much as you like and rant, but at least speak to the

bill.

I was not going to bring politics into it, but the Members opposite are

talking about here's what we're doing over here. How about the 1,300

people who were laid off last year? Does that make a big difference? How

about the 1,300 now you're going out to rallies; oh, what a sin. There

were 1,300 people laid off, gone out through the door. All of a sudden

we're the big, bad bullies. The same people who laid off twice as many

as when they were on this side.

Madam Chair, I don't usually get too upset but I can tell you, I know

the Member here for Coley's Point the school and the Member there

for Conception Bay East Bell Island.

AN HON. MEMBER:

(Inaudible).

MR. JOYCE:

Well, wherever

he's from Conception Bay Bell Island. Here's the hypocrisy. This

Member is standing up and saying: How about Coley's Point school? You

can't vote for the budget. Where was Glenn Littlejohn for the last three

years when the school wasn't done? Where was Glenn Littlejohn? Did you

see him standing up and saying, oh, I can't vote for the budget? How

hypocritical.

Here's something even worse. Do you know the Minister of Transportation

and Works who was supposed to do the design for the school was the same

Member who is asking questions, why isn't the school done? The same

Member who had it in his office to do the design work for the school for

Coley's Point and he delayed it himself personally, and he's standing up

now being the big hero for Coley's Point when he personally, as the

minister, was supposed to get the design done and never got it done.

Now, Madam Chair, I don't mind in here but when you want to attack

someone in this House, especially someone who's coming in and it's the

first year and don't have the history that some of us have. I know what

this minister did last year with capital works for highways for the Bay

of Islands. So don't speak to me about being fair and honest.

Two days before the tender he told the department take back the $500,000

for the Bay of Islands. There is a place there called Plant Hill, there

were two accidents there this winter and he personally got the money and

took it back two days before the tender. Madam Chair, do you know how I

know that? I went out with orders from the department to measure up what

the priorities were. We did that, myself and the regional manager.

When you get in government you can see who did what, and he personally.

This is the same Member who was the Minister of Transportation and Works

who is now saying, oh, you can't vote for the budget because Coley's

Point is not in it, but Glenn Littlejohn stood up, clapped every time

the budget came through. This is the same minister who sat right there,

Madam Chair, and wouldn't even do the design work for the Coley's Point

school. How hypocritical.

Now, Madam Chair, this bill is about borrowing money for the budget. We

heard, what's good in the budget? I don't have time to go through it

all. I will just look at Municipal Affairs.

I hear the Leader of the Opposition and I hear a few more over there:

how about Ottawa? How about Ottawa? I can tell you one thing, this

Premier wasn't sitting outside the doors of the Prime Minister at minus

20 degrees because he kicked him out of the office.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. JOYCE:

Here's what this

Premier got done with Minister Judy Foote. First of all, there was $34.9

million they didn't even sign off on. They didn't even bother the only

province in Canada that didn't even sign off on it.

AN HON. MEMBER:

Why not?

MR. JOYCE:

They didn't have

time. That wasn't a priority, $34.9 million to the province. Judy Foote

and the other MPs from Newfoundland and Labrador have come through with

a Canada Build Fund, with a green fund, with a picnic fund, Madam Chair,

that there's going to be over $600 million of capital works in the

Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear,

hear!

MR. JOYCE:

Madam Chair, this

is not a knock. I know the Members opposite, and I sat down with a lot

of them and said, what can we do to help your district? I'm not knocking

because that's what you should do. This is what this bill is for, so we

can do the things.

I know the Leader of the Opposition got up and tried to embarrass us

saying: every day they came and asked for more and more and more. Don't

you find that hypocritical? How many of you guys have to come over and

say here's what we need? But I don't blame you. That's part of being an

MHA, but you should tell your leader that. You should tell your leader.

That's part of your duties as an MHA, to bring concerns to the

government. I applaud you for it. I sit down, I do it. I did it last

year myself.

AN HON. MEMBER:

I can't

wait to get up.

MR. JOYCE:

I can't wait for

you to get up either.

That's what bothers me. I'll tell you another thing that bothers me,

Madam Chair.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

CHAIR:

Order, please!

MR. JOYCE:

When we get in

there, Madam Chair, you find out a few things. This is all for the

Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. If you want to talk about the

mess we have to clean up here on this side of the House, I'll give you

one little mess.

There was $30 million put aside for three years capital works. The

Member for Mount Pearl North started it. In two years the $30 million

for capital works was all spent. They sent out a letter to every

municipality last year saying we need the letters in by November 3 for

capital work