Newfoundland and Labrador Hansard — Members' Statements; Statements by Ministers — 21 March 2013 (47th General Assembly, 1st Session, Vol. XLVII No. 80)
2013-03-21
Newfoundland and Labrador — Debates (Hansard)
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March
21, 2013 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS Vol.
XLVII No. 80
The House met at 1:30 p.m.
MR. SPEAKER (Wiseman): Order, please!
Admit strangers.
Today, before we start, I want to welcome some special guests to our
galleries. Today we have the 2013 Purple Day Ambassador Joey Callanan, and his
father Laus Callanan, Pam Anstey of Epilepsy Newfoundland and Labrador, Gail
Dempsey of Epilepsy Newfoundland and Labrador, and the President of the Canadian
Epilepsy Alliance.
Welcome to our gallery.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: I am also very pleased to have Mr. Todd Churchill, who has
been recently recognized for his efforts to support Easter Seals, Rainbow Riders
and Mazol Shriners. Todd is accompanied today by his wife, Kimberly, and his
sons, Hunter and Carter.
Welcome, too, to our galleries.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
Statements by Members
MR. SPEAKER: Today we have members' statements for the Member for the
District of Conception Bay East Bell Island, the Member for the District of
Bay of Islands, the Member for the District of Cartwright L'Anse au Clair, the
Member for the District of St. John's North, the Member for the District of
Humber West, and the Member for the District of Bonavista South.
The hon. the Member for the District of Conception Bay East Bell Island.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. BRAZIL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I stand in this House to acknowledge a special citizen of my district and the
impact he and his family has had on the community and a number of worthwhile
charities. I speak of Mr. Todd Churchill from Portugal Cove St. Phillips who
has constructed a large backyard rink to raise money for three charities whose
support and resources are invaluable to families like his, Easter Seals, Rainbow
Riders and Mazol Shriners.
The Churchill's two-year-old son Carter, who was diagnosed with cerebral
palsy and acute hearing impairment, is the motivation for this family's
commitment to helping improve the lives of children who benefit from the
services offered by these not-for-profit organizations.
Todd, a professional engineer, has spent several months designing, building
and maintaining the rink as a means of both raising awareness of these charities
and soliciting corporate donations in the form of rink sponsorships to help fund
these vital community services offered by these charities.
To date, the Churchill's have raised over $45,000 for these charities with
this and other projects such as the Easter Seals' Drop Zone in the past two
years. The Churchill's feel they are proactively supporting Carter through these
charities.
I ask all members to join me in congratulating the Churchill's.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Bay of Islands.
MR. JOYCE: Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to extend
congratulations to the Sacred Heart Elementary Grade 5 girls' basketball team.
On Saturday, March 9, this group of fine young players won the 2013 West
Coast Provincial Grade 5 Girls' Basketball Tournament. These players worked hard
all year, and the dedication and commitment to the team was always paramount.
Mr. Speaker, the Grade 5 team includes: Laura Greene, Emma Welshman, Megan
Allen, Olivia Porter, Madison Hackett, Morgan Young, Kristen Buckle, Abigail
Power-Petten, Jenna King, Holly Mackey, Emily Butt, and Arianna Sheppard.
Mr. Speaker, despite their coach, and with the guidance of the assistant
coach, Lisa Young, these young players exemplified true sportsmanship and are
great representatives of Sacred Heart Elementary School. I am very proud to have
had the opportunity to work with these young athletes, and I am confident they
will continue with their basketball careers.
Mr. Speaker, I ask all members to join me in congratulating these young girls
with all the best in the future. Go Sabres, Go!
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Cartwright L'Anse au Clair.
MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I would like to pay tribute to a company that amidst the strife and
challenges within the fishing industry in our Province. The Labrador Fishermen's
Union Shrimp Company has been successful in meeting the challenges of the
industry and continues to provide economic opportunities for the Labrador
region.
Led by a competent board of directors and management team, the shrimp company
has been able to live up to its objectives since its inception. With Mr. Frank
Flynn as President, Mr. Gilbert Linstead as General Manager, and Mr. Ken Fowler
as Assistant General Manager at the helm, the company continues to grow its
business and seek opportunities to expand its network. Together, with their
board of directors, they have taken the shrimp company into the twenty-first
century as the ideal fisheries model for our Province.
The shrimp company operates plants in L'Anse-au-Loup, Cartwright,
Charlottetown, and Pinsent's Arm, and is constructing a state-of-the-art crab
plant in Mary's Harbour. They employ over 500 people on a seasonal basis and
services 600 fishers throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.
I ask members to join me in offering congratulations to all of their
volunteers and the staff of the company, and also to congratulate Mr. Frank
Flynn, Mr. Gilbert Linstead, and Mr. Ken Fowler on their thirty years of
progressive leadership in this company.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. John's North.
MR. KIRBY: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate a teacher at St.
Andrew's Elementary for receiving the NLTA Bancroft Award recognizing
outstanding service at the branch level from the Newfoundland and Labrador
Teachers' Association.
Today, Brenda Beresford teaches Grade 3 at St. Andrew's, but she attended her
first NLTA meetings when she had just started her teaching career in St. Mary's
Bay. She moved to St. John's and continued her involvement with the NLTA.
Shortly after moving here, she became the association's rep for her school and
then ran to be a delegate to the NLTA's Annual General Meeting, now a biennial
meeting.
She has been an active member of the Marconi Branch executive and has, at
various times, been the branch's secretary, vice-president and president. This
year, she will be serving as the executive's past president.
Outside her school and local branch, Brenda has been a member of the NLTA Ad
Hoc Committee for Teacher Allocation, presenting valuable input from the
perspective of primary and elementary teachers.
I ask all hon. members to join me in commending Brenda Beresford for her long
and valuable service both to her students and to the NLTA.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Humber West.
MR. GRANTER: Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, February 23, I had the opportunity
to attend the Silver Medal Duke of Edinburgh's Awards of Achievement
presentation in Stephenville. Awards were presented by the hon. John C. Crosbie,
former Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador.
To qualify for an award, participants must undertake a balanced program of
leisure-time activities and meet the prescribed standards in four different
areas of self-development, including community service, adventurous journeys,
physical fitness, and skill development. Over the past few years, members of the
Corner Brook D of E School Group have been involved in many challenging and
worthwhile activities under the direction of committed volunteer leaders.
Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. members to congratulate Laura Allen, Ryan Antle,
Michael Fost, Blake Gillespie, Adolf Hamann, Ashley Higgins, Zachary Hiscock,
Kelsey Hogan, Andrea Hollett, Roshni Kollipari, Taylor Lidstone, Christian
Sharpe, Heather Simmons, Danika Snelgove, Danny Staples, Dylan Thomas, Maike van
Niekerk, and Evan Wheeler on being presented Duke of Edinburgh's silver medals
and wish all of them well in their gold medal pursuit.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Bonavista South.
MR. LITTLE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Honourable colleagues, I rise in this House today to congratulate the members
of Heritage Huskies female volleyball team, who are students at Heritage
Collegiate High School, located in Lethbridge, in the District of Bonavista
South.
During a tournament over the weekend of March 2 and 3, the team took home the
banner, beating Holy Spirit High School in the final of the 18 Under Provincial
Female C-Tier Championships in St. John's. This is the second banner the team
has won this season.
These ladies could attribute their success to hard work and many hours of
practice, plus the great leadership of Coach Carol Blundon.
Special mention goes to Haley Gould and Laura Blundon, who were named as
all-stars, and Lindsay Ralph, who was named Most Valuable Player of the
tournament. The other members of the team include: Alicia Holloway, Macailyn
Pitt, Amy Chatman, Jenna Blagdon, Shania Butt, and Chelsea Holloway.
Mr. Speaker, hon. colleagues, please join me in congratulating each of these
young ladies on a job well done. Their success was well earned and well
deserved. Thanks to Coach Blundon for her time and dedication that helped make
the team's success possible.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Statements by Ministers.
Statements by Ministers
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. HEDDERSON: Mr. Speaker, each of us has a responsibility for the
sustainability of our planet and every action, big or small, collectively helps
to make a difference. I rise in this hon. House today to draw attention to Earth
Hour 2013 taking place this Saturday at 8:30 p.m., when every resident in our
Province is asked to join together in solidarity for our earth and turn off
their lights for one hour.
Since Earth Hour began as a single-city event in Sydney, Australia in 2007,
it has grown to a global phenomenon involving more than 7,000 cities and towns
in 152 countries and territories with hundreds of millions of participants
across seven continents. It has quickly grown to be the largest ever voluntary
action whereby people, businesses, and governments comes together to celebrate a
commitment to a common cause the earth.
While Earth House has helped raise the profile of sustainability issues, Mr.
Speaker, it is important that we pledge to do more than switch off our lights
for one hour each year. The 2013 I Will If You Will concept invites individuals
and organizations to challenge others to an ongoing environmental commitment
beyond the hour.
Mr. Speaker, there are many sustainable practices we can adopt beyond
observing Earth Hour. We can ensure we turn off our lights when not in use,
recycle wherever possible and whenever possible, ensure vehicle tires are
inflated properly, compost, and install water-saving devices, just to name a
few.
To assist the people of our Province to take action, our government launched
the Turn Back the Tide public awareness campaign last fall on climate change and
energy efficiency. At the heart of the campaign is a Web site,
www.turnbackthetide.ca, which is designed to be a user-friendly one-stop shop
for information and advice targeted at individuals, businesses, and communities.
From a global perspective, Mr. Speaker, actions taken by individuals around the
world can positively affect the future of our planet. Our Turn Back the Tide
initiative can help Newfoundlanders and Labradorians extend our commitment to
the planet long after we turn the lights back on this Saturday evening.
I encourage every household throughout Newfoundland and Labrador to join the
worldwide movement at 8:30 p.m. local time on March 23 and share in one hour of
darkness for the Earth. Together, our actions really do make a difference for
our environment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.
MR. EDMUNDS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement. Mr. Speaker, I,
too, would encourage residents of our Province to participate in Earth Hour this
Saturday at 8:30 o'clock. In all likelihood, some of the communities across this
Province will probably have power failures anyway, so it probably will not be an
issue.
Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt our world is facing some of the most critical
environmental challenges in its history. It is important that we all work
together to tackle these challenges, and events like Earth Hour are very
important in educating people on climate change. It is key that we encourage
residents of our Province not only to participate in Earth Hour, but to find
ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle in their everyday lives.
Mr. Speaker, society must remember and be guided by an Aboriginal proverb: We
do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's East.
MR. MURPHY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I would also like to thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement
today. The one thing that Earth Hour reminds everybody of is that we have to pay
more attention to our environment and the things that are happening, and this
Province is no different. I say to all hon. members of this House, this Province
is under a lot of pressure these days due to possible future economic
developments, so we have to make sure we are ever vigilant in protecting our
resources, particularly like water, which we talked about yesterday. We know we
are under pressures from the oil industry and from such things as fracking, Mr.
Speaker.
I would like to also remind the people of the Province to get out there and
help us increase awareness about the environment and participate in Earth Hour.
Thank you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Does the hon. the Member for St. John's South have
leave?
AN HON. MEMBER: No.
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to inform this hon. House that March 26 is Purple
Day for Epilepsy in Newfoundland and Labrador.
On the twenty-sixth day of March, people are encouraged to wear the color
purple to show their support for people with epilepsy and to increase public
awareness of this disorder.
Mr. Speaker, nine-year-old Cassidy Megan of Nova Scotia was motivated by her
own experience with epilepsy to create Purple Day in 2008. She chose the color
purple after the international color for epilepsy, lavender. The lavender flower
is often associated with solitude, which is representative of the feelings of
isolation many people affected by epilepsy and seizure disorders can feel.
Cassidy's goal in creating Purple Day was to get people talking about
epilepsy in an effort to dispel myths and inform those with seizures that they
are not alone. Purple Day has quickly gained grassroots support and is now an
international effort dedicated to increasing awareness around epilepsy
worldwide.
Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological conditions and approximately
one in twenty-six people will develop this disorder at some point in their
lifetime. More than 10,000 people in Newfoundland and Labrador are affected by
epilepsy.
Mr. Speaker, Purple Day is intended to help raise the awareness of epilepsy
and reduce any stigma that exists around the disorder. I encourage people to
visit the Epilepsy Newfoundland and Labrador Web site to learn about epilepsy,
the different types of seizures, and to become familiar with the correct methods
of first aid.
Mr. Speaker, I would also like to offer congratulations on behalf of the
provincial government to Epilepsy Newfoundland and Labrador on its thirtieth
anniversary. This organization continues to provide vital support and education
to individuals with epilepsy and their families.
I invite the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador to participate in Purple
Day activities in their communities and to wear purple next Tuesday as a show of
support for people living with epilepsy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the minister for the advance copy of her statement.
I also would like to say welcome to our special guests who are watching
today. I am very proud to wear my purple wristband here today and I will make
sure to have my purple on, on Tuesday as well.
Epilepsy is not a disease, as we know, but a disorder of the central nervous
system. It is touching to read about the choice of the lavender flower, as it
represents solitude. This would relate to the stigma around epilepsy stemming
from not understanding the condition.
Epilepsy throughout history has typically been misunderstood and regarded
with superstition, and in history it has also been mistreated in very strange
ways. Purpleday.org provides very helpful information on helping someone who is
having a seizure, and I would encourage everyone to read this.
I would also like to congratulate nine-year-old Cassidy; a fantastic idea
from someone so young. She is obviously very wise beyond her years. Awareness is
key, and with this and knowledge we can better equip people with an
understanding that we need, and we can all do our part to raise awareness of
epilepsy in this Province.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.
MS ROGERS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I too thank the minister for an advance copy of her statement, and I will
proudly wear purple next Tuesday to help raise awareness.
There is still stigma around epilepsy, and because of that often people are
afraid to say if they or someone close to them has this condition. The fact is
that people living with epilepsy can have full lives. With 10,000 people in the
Province living with epilepsy, we need to do everything possible to combat this
stigma.
I, too, congratulate Epilepsy Newfoundland and Labrador on their thirtieth
anniversary. It is imperative that government support their effort to help both
adults and children better understand epilepsy. I am sure everyone in this House
would like to join me in saying: Bravo, Epilepsy Newfoundland and Labrador for
the work you continue to do.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Oral Questions.
Oral Questions
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yesterday the government had to admit they had spent $16,000 on the sanction
party for Muskrat Falls, but this is really a drop in the bucket compared to the
$408,000 they spent on the Muskrat Falls PR campaign.
I ask the Premier: How can you justify laying off hardworking Newfoundlanders
and Labradorians, cutting services to our Province, and still choosing to spend
over $400,000 on a PR campaign?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, Muskrat Falls is an important project to the people of this
Province and it was important that they understand the facts; facts that were
not forthcoming from Opposition parties, Mr. Speaker. When we announced the fact
that we will provide a householder to the people of the Province describing what
we were going to do in Muskrat Falls, the only question we got from the other
side, Mr. Speaker, was could they have some money too?
Now, Mr. Speaker, it is important to communicate with the people of the
Province on important issues. That is what we did on Muskrat Falls, Mr. Speaker,
and we make no apologies for that.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL: Mr. Speaker, with a campaign of over $400,000 and making no
apology to that, maybe we need to tell some people, like the coalitions of
people with disabilities who are looking for a lot less than that for what they
need.
The Premier knew last year that significant deficits were looming, but yet
decided to proceed with this glitzy, taxpayer-funded PR campaign on Muskrat
Falls. We know that the Department of Natural Resources spent over $400,000. We
also know that Nalcor spent another $17,000 on the Muskrat Falls Web site.
Aside from the $425,000, how much was actually spent on the PR campaign for
Muskrat Falls?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, let me address the Leader of the Opposition's
preamble first,
when he talks about cuts to community organizations by this government. Let me
say, Mr. Speaker, that we contribute over $80 million annually to community
organizations.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER DUNDERDALE: What we were doing in the EAS program is making sure
that funding was focused to the client, Mr. Speaker. There has been no cut in
EAS
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
PREMIER DUNDERDALE: funding, Mr. Speaker. Some of the people who lost
funding under EAS not to deliver that program any more, Mr. Speaker, received
hundreds of thousands of dollars of support in grants from this government. We
are glad that they do it, Mr. Speaker, because they are great givers to our
community, they are great doers in our community.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
There is no question that these are great organizations and great people, but
yet in polling you went ahead and said: You bet, we stacked those polls. It was
not the right thing to do Premier. Last year the Premier spent $37,000 to send
flyers of very selective Budget highlights to every householder in this
Province.
How much are you planning to spend this year on your Budget PR campaign?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, only the Leader of the Liberal
Opposition would have the face to get up here and talk about somebody calling in
to a radio poll, when they in their time in government had two full-time people
in the Premier's office whose only job Tom Hann and Sue Kelland-Dyer, let me
remind people of the Province was to call in to Open Line to carry the party
line, Mr. Speaker, and to influence people of the Province. Now, Mr. Speaker,
that is the truth.
Mr. Speaker, we were quite open about what our agenda was when we decided
that we would make available Decision Gate 3 numbers, that we would hold a
special debate here in the House of Assembly if the Opposition parties were
willing. We would ensure that the people of the Province had the facts in their
hands, Mr. Speaker, not the spin that they are famous for.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I am just wondering when the Premier is going to accept the responsibilities
for the decisions that she is making. She wants to continually go back to before
2003. I was not around in the day. I am not sure if those people actually did
that polling or not. You were there. You know. You know it was your members who
were padding the polls.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
MR. BALL: Mr. Speaker, the deadline for public employees to opt into the
government's voluntary retirement incentive was yesterday. When launched earlier
this month, the Minister of Finance said there would be 400 eligible employees.
I ask the Premier: How many employees took you up on the offer of the
voluntary retirement?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. KENNEDY: Thank you.
When I checked earlier today, Mr. Speaker, there were more than 200 people
who had made applications, but not all people who make applications will be
eligible, for various reasons. I expect to have a final number later on today,
but I do expect it to be around 200 people. Of course, this will fit nicely with
what we are trying to do here, Mr. Speaker, in terms of not laying off as many
people as possible and hopefully and-or reducing positions.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, in early March government made a unilateral
decision without talking to doctors and other medical experts to stop paying for
skin disorder treatments. This oversight and complete disregard left patients
with complex medical issues such as lupus affected by government's decision.
I ask the minister: Will you now admit that by rushing through such a crucial
decision, patients were left out in the cold by your careless actions?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, we have committed to, have always committed to, and will
continue to commit to any service that is medically necessary in this Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, facial telangiectasia is not covered anywhere
else in Canada. It is not covered, I want to repeat that. It is not insured
anywhere else in Canada.
Governments have to govern, Mr. Speaker. We have to make some tough decisions
sometimes, there is no question about that, but in this case the decision that
we made is to continue to support people who need medical attention. If their
condition is medically necessary to be treated, it will be treated, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, the NLMA asked for a meeting in January on
this issue and they ignored the request. Yet the minute they found out that the
media was involved, there was a mad scramble to meet with them. We have been
warned of cuts to health care in this Budget, but you are obviously not
consulting with medical experts.
I ask the minister: What kind of mess will you leave the Province's health
care system in before it is all over?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, 40 per cent of this Province's budget is spent
on health care 40 per cent.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, that is a fine bit better than it was when we
took control of health care or of any other department in this government. To
say that health care in this Province is in a mess is absolutely irresponsible
and absolutely shocking.
The people of Newfoundland and Labrador who contact me on a regular basis,
Mr. Speaker, have something quite different to say. Anybody in this House who
has had need of the medical services that are offered in this Province have told
me differently as well. I take that as the insult it was meant to be. That is
totally, totally irresponsible and unacceptable.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, what is irresponsible is not meeting with
medical experts, then making decisions, and then having to go back on them
after, admitting their mistakes after they have been made. Many patients have
been affected by government's unilateral decision to cut treatment for skin
disorders.
Given the fact that this decision was rushed through without proper
consultation with medical experts, I ask the Minister: Will you now admit your
mistake and immediately reverse the decision until proper consultation has
occurred?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I met with the NLMA this morning. They have just put out a news
release which I would be happy to table as well in which they said they were
happy to continue to collaborate with me as the minister and with the department
in general. I will table that if they would like to see it. They are happy to
continue their consultations and collaboration with us.
Mr. Speaker, I will reiterate, because he wants to ignore the fact every
single time and spin it out differently: the fact is, if the condition needs to
be treated medically, it will be.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS: They might be happy to collaborate, but they are
certainly not happy when they are not consulted and then decisions are made
without their input.
Mr. Speaker, there are about four to five children with cancer in this
Province at any given time who do not have insurance to cover anti-nausea drugs
in the months following chemo. The C17, the council of seventeen pediatric heads
across the country, say our Province is the only one having this struggle.
So I ask the minister: With only four to five kids needing this coverage, can
you not find the $100 a day total to keep them from feeling sick all the time?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Any drugs that are on our drug formulary are there as a result of expert
review. There are three review processes that we engage in, Mr. Speaker, in
order to put drugs on the formulary. In particular, when we talk about cancer
drugs, then we look at the pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review. That drug review,
based on evidence, will tell us which drugs ought to be on the formulary and
which drugs they suggest we would not include on the formulary. We rely on
evidence-based information to make our decisions as to the drugs that are used.
Admittedly, there are doctors who prefer other drugs, but the drug reviews
that are recognized right across this country advise us as to what it is that we
ought to include.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS: I would say: Why are we the only Province that is not
doing this?
Instead of covering the anti-nausea drug that oncologists across the country
recommended, our Pharmaceutical Services Division has suggested using steroids;
oncologists advise against this.
I ask the minister: Given your Pharmaceutical Services Division is suggesting
drugs that are not advisable for children with cancer, why aren't you listening
to oncologists for what is best for children?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the Pharmaceutical Division of my department does not make the
recommendations. As I just outlined, we rely on experts in the field. We do go
to the drug review committees. There is an Atlantic drug review committee that
we use, but in particular, when it is related to cancer drugs, Mr. Speaker, we
consult the experts who are the pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review.
Mr. Speaker, they review drugs not just for us but right throughout this
country. Mr. Speaker, we rely on their evidence and on their expertise. I am not
about to take direction from parties opposite over there when we have experts
out there who advise us.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS: I say again, Mr. Speaker: only Province in Canada not
doing this.
Adam is a twenty-two-year-old with cystic fibrosis. With no family support,
Adam works and goes to school full-time. The medication government covers takes
too long to prepare each day. If Adam had access to the Podhaler, it would take
just ten minutes; meaning he would be less likely to be hospitalized.
I ask the minister: Why are patients like Adam not receiving the same
standard of care as higher income patients?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, once again, he is referring to two particular types of
medication. I think it is TOBI and the TOBI Podhaler are the two that you would
be referring to, but you can clarify that when you stand up and ask your next
question on this issue.
Mr. Speaker, both of those particular drugs has been reviewed, again by the
expert committees, and both have recommended that evidence does not show them to
be superior to the other drugs which we do cover.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, there are fifteen CF patients under the
Prescription Drug Plan who need access to the TOBI Podhaler. This would cost
government about $100,000 extra per year. This investment would reduce
hospitalizations, which cost about $15,000 each, and would prolong time to first
lung transplants, saving millions.
I ask the minister: Will you cover the inhaler in this year's Budget?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, I think I just answered the question when I
said that what we do is we review the drugs through the professional experts who
are out there. They have reviewed both of these. They have concluded that these
two drugs, according to evidence, are not any better than the drugs that we are
already covering, Mr. Speaker.
We are covering a drug that very much suits the needs of people with this
particular disorder, with cystic fibrosis, Mr. Speaker. We are covering it with
a drug that has been recommended, and we will continue to do that.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, government will cover Tobramycin, an IV drug
not designed for inhalation. It is not PH balanced for the lungs and it is toxic
to the kidneys, causing hearing loss and loss of equilibrium. Only when a
patient's lungs begin to fail on that drug will government cover a better one.
I ask the minister: Will you listen to CF Canada and local experts and cover
the inhaler in this year's Budget? Or do you think it is responsible health care
to only cover better medication when the patient's lungs are failing?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, once again, I take exception to that. Mr.
Speaker, we intend in this Province to provide the best medical service that we
can.
Mr. Speaker, again, I am not sure where he gets his advice. He talks about
local experts. If you have experts who are any different from the expert review
committees that we engage, then I would like to meet with them. I would like to
hear about what it is that they have.
Mr. Speaker, we have had these two drugs that he is referring to reviewed.
They have been reviewed on a number of different occasions. On each occasion,
they have come back to us and said the same thing: We do not recommend these two
drugs. They are not any more effective than the drugs we are covering, Mr.
Speaker. That is what the experts tell us.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Bay of Islands.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
MR. JOYCE: Mr. Speaker, yesterday in Corner Brook we heard the third
announcement for the new hospital in Corner Brook. It is finally confirmed the
project is still
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
MR. JOYCE: It is finally confirmed that the project is still in the
design stage. The new complex, as it is now being called, will have 260 beds and
will include an acute care centre, a separate long-term care facility with
in-patient mental health services, and a hostel. The Minister of Finance said
100 of these beds will be for long-term care.
I ask the Minister of Health: What is the breakdown of the 260 beds into
acute care, long-term care, mental health, and the hostel?
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, what a great day we had in Corner Brook yesterday.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, what great response we had from the people of
Western Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, they were absolutely overwhelmed when we told
them that the number of beds would increase from 200 to 260.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, they were really interested when we explained
to them that a large part of the problem that we were having and a large part of
the problem that was experienced had to do with the fact that at any given time,
25 per cent of the 200 beds that are in the acute care centre were in use by
long-term care patients. Mr. Speaker, that is 50 beds out of the 199 that were
over there.
Mr. Speaker, when we heard that we made the right choices to give the right
care
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
MS SULLIVAN: at the right time, and there is also now a long-term
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Time for a quick question without
preamble.
MR. JOYCE: Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister: How is reducing the number of
acute care beds in a hospital bursting at the seams rightsizing for the people?
Tell the people who are out there in the hallways there are fewer acute care
beds in the hospital.
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services, for a quick response.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I think I am hearing that the member opposite does not want this
facility built over on the West Coast. That is what I think I am hearing over
there. Mr. Speaker, again, this is the mixture between fact and spin that he
likes to put on it every single time.
The facts of the matter are there will be sixty more beds. Now, Mr. Speaker,
I need to tell him again: fifty of the beds that were acute care can now be
freed up (inaudible).
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Third Party.
MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, Memorial University's Rural Internship Program has provided
funding to enable teachers in training to gain experience in the rural schools
and communities that need them. Yesterday the university announced that rural
internships scheduled to begin next month have been cancelled and the entire
program is suspended because of cuts made by the Department of Advanced
Education and Skills.
So, Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: Can she tell us why her government is
balancing its books at the expense of teacher trainees and rural education?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS SHEA: Mr. Speaker, in a time when we have to look at the Budget,
unfortunately there are some programs that cannot proceed. Let me assure the
Leader of the Third Party what this government is doing for post-secondary
students, and in particular post-secondary students from rural Newfoundland and
Labrador.
Mr. Speaker, we have the best student-aid package in all of Canada, we
eliminated interest on the provincial portion of the student loan, and we have
the lowest tuition rate anywhere in Canada right here in Newfoundland and
Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS SHEA: Mr. Speaker, for the students from Newfoundland, from our rural
parts, who have to come to St. John's or into Corner Brook to study, we have 700
new residence beds for the students of Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.
MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
As usual, no direct answer to the question.
Mr. Speaker, the federal loan guarantee for Muskrat Falls clearly stipulates
the federally-appointed independent engineer has access to all information
related to the projects and access to management and employees of the proponents
and borrowers as required, far more access to information than the people of
this Province who are actually paying for the project get.
So I ask the Premier: Does the federal government allow her access to the
independent engineer's reports?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. MARSHALL: Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the loan guarantee does call for the provision of an independent
engineer. The independent engineer will be paid for by Nalcor. The independent
engineer will make sure on behalf of the people of the Province and on behalf of
the government of the Province that this project proceeds in a robust, fair,
economically feasible, and fiscally feasible manner.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.
MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I asked a very direct question. I want to know: Does the Premier have access
to the information that the independent engineer is giving to Nalcor in its
reports?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Absolutely, Mr. Speaker, all of the information that is made available to the
independent engineer will come from Nalcor. We have been completely open and
transparent about this project. We will continue to do so because it is right
for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. It creates the lowest rates for
ratepayers. It creates thousands of jobs for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians,
something the NDP clearly does not support.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.
MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
So if the Premier is going to get these reports, yes or no will she make
those reports public?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, whatever information that can be made available to the people of
the Province without interfering with proprietary commercial contracts, we will
make that information available. We are proud of Muskrat Falls. We are proud of
the fact that we are bringing energy to this Province, not only for ratepayers,
but as an enabler for industrial development. We are proud of the thousands of
jobs we are creating. We are for development, unlike the NDP, who does not want
any of those things for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.
MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Government continues to insist the $8 billion-plus Muskrat Falls Project has
no bearing on the Province's current fiscal crisis. The Federal Loan Guarantee
term sheet
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
MS MICHAEL: says the Province bears responsibility for 100 per cent of
the financing until financial close at the end of this year.
Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: Will she explain to this House and to the
public how she plans to meet this responsibility without affecting our fiscal
situation?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. KENNEDY: Mr. Speaker, as I said to the Leader of the Third Party last
week, she should really read @TelegramJames' blog. He explains it very concisely
and very neatly, Mr. Speaker.
The money that we are investing in Muskrat Falls is an equity investment. We
will, this year, provide, until financial close, a certain amount of money, but
we will get that money back, Mr. Speaker. All of the money will be paid back,
because we are investing in a project that is a sustainable project for the
future of this Province, Mr. Speaker.
Also, and need I remind the Leader of the Third Party, it is creating
high-paying union jobs which she does not support.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. John's Centre.
MS ROGERS: Mr. Speaker, last night Bill C-279,
An Act To Amend The
Canadian Human Rights Act And The Criminal Code (gender identity and gender
expression) was passed, explicitly protecting the rights of trans people,
joining the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Ontario, and soon
Quebec.
I ask the minister: Why is he not willing to amend our Human Rights Act to
include gender identity? What is the problem?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, it is certainly no problem, and I have never said
that I am unwilling to do that.
I am very familiar that the federal government has made a decision to change
their act. As I have said many times in this House to the member opposite, our
current legislation around the provision of human rights for people in
Newfoundland and Labrador provides for that same security and protection that
the member is advocating for.
I have talked to the member on many occasions, just several days ago in this
House as a matter of fact, and I am quite prepared to do that again as we need
to. Currently, our legislation does not prohibit the protection of the
individuals that the federal government referenced in their legislation last
night, and I will continue to monitor that.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. John's Centre.
MS ROGERS: Mr. Speaker, his own Human Rights Commission is strongly
recommending, in fact, that we do change our Human Rights Act. He is not
listening.
Mr. Speaker, today my office was informed that we can longer contact the
Newfoundland and Labrador Prescription Drug Program on behalf of our
constituents.
I ask the minister: Why has she instituted this new policy to interfere with
the work that I must do as an elected MHA on behalf of my constituents?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I do not know if anything happened when I was away yesterday,
but there is no new policy up in my office that I am aware of. The same process
that we always used for having your questions answered is the process that is in
place today. If you have a question that needs to be answered, then there are
two people in my office, an executive assistant and a liaison, and they were
both there. They were not with me. You can contact them at any time.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. John's Centre.
MS ROGERS: Mr. Speaker, we were able to contact the drug program before
directly, and as of today we can no longer do that.
Mr. Speaker, fifty-one-year-old Rosemarie Tulk has lost both legs to
diabetes, and now risks going blind from diabetic macular edema. Her only hope
is a series of expensive injections recommended by her doctors. These treatments
are not covered by the Prescription Drug Program, so Rosemarie is forced to sit
at home and go blind. She is afraid. These treatments are covered in other
provinces and by 97 per cent of private user insurers and recommended by the
Common Drug Review.
I ask the minister: Why can't this government help Rosemarie Tulk?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, we spend over $150 million every single year through the NLPDP
and we are very proud of that. Obviously, we can continue to put money into the
NLPDP on a daily basis. We will never have all of the drugs covered, but all the
drugs that are important to the people of this Province we have included on the
NLPDP whenever and wherever we can. It is a commitment we have made; it is a
commitment we have stayed with.
Mr. Speaker, we are proud of that $159 million investment. We will continue
to invest in the people of the Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. John's Centre.
MS ROGERS: Mr. Speaker, Rosemarie Tulk is forced to sit at home and go
blind. She is afraid.
Mr. Speaker, Eddie Gillard is a thirty-six-year-old construction foreman from
Badger who desperately needs a liver transplant. He needs significant dental
work done: $6,239 worth. The Province will cover only $1,400 worth of
extractions. He cannot have this life-saving transplant without it. Eddie's
Canada disability will be $826 a month. He has two children and his wife must
stay home to care for him.
I ask the minister: Why is this required dental work
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
MS ROGERS: not part of the transplant program?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS SULLIVAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, we have $6.7 million in an adult dental program, one of the only
provinces in Canada to do that. Mr. Speaker, if it was so important to the two
parties on the other side, I have no idea why it was not even part of your
election campaign, was not part of your platform even to do anything around
adult dental. It was not considered to do anything around adult dental.
Now, Mr. Speaker, they get up and they criticize the $6.7 million that we are
spending. We continue to invest in adult dental, Mr. Speaker, and we are going
to continue to spend that (inaudible).
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
One quick question without
preamble.
MS ROGERS: Mr. Speaker, I ask this minister: What is the point of
reversing and undoing the gains that were made by the new Adult Dental Program
by creating yet another generation of people desperately in need of dental care?
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, we brought in this program in response to the
fact that absolutely nothing had been done.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MS SULLIVAN: That is the reason that we brought in the program, Mr.
Speaker. We put into place something that can help thousands of people in
Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker, and it has helped them. It will continue
to help them, Mr. Speaker. That is more than I can say for people on that side
of the House who did not even bother to include it in a platform when they were
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
The time for Question Period has expired.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
When the Speaker stands, the House should be silent. If it reoccurs, I will
name the members who did not obey.
For the rest of the day we will deal with Presenting Reports by Standing and
Select Committees.
Tabling of Documents.
Notices of Motion.
Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.
Petitions.
Petitions
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. Barbe.
MR. BENNETT: Mr. Speaker, a petition to the hon. House of Assembly of the
Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of
the undersigned residents humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS there has been an agreement between the Federation of Newfoundland
Nation Band; and
WHEREAS persons submitted applications, with required documents, for
registration in the Band up to the application deadline of November 30, 2012;
and
WHEREAS the reported number of applications received by the Qalipu Mi'kmaq
First Nation Band is in excess of 100,000; and
WHEREAS the number of applicants now registered as members is approximately
22,000; and
WHEREAS the agreement between the Federation of Newfoundland Indians and the
scheduled to end on March 31, 2013; and
WHEREAS the Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Band Chief has requested, but has not
received, an extension to the agreement to process the remaining applications;
and
WHEREAS to date there is no decision on how to deal with the remaining
applications;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the
House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to work
provide a fair and equal review of all our applications.
And as in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr. Speaker, the deadline is fast approaching and the number of petitions is
accelerating. They are coming in on a daily basis. People are absolutely really,
really concerned that their application is not going to be processed. They have
set up a Web site for the people. More than 5,000 people have already signed up
on a Facebook Web site in the last couple of weeks.
Mr. Speaker, this is an issue of fairness. It is an issue of fairness. If
similarly situated people who have applied for a potential government benefit
within the required deadline, for them to receive fairness their application
must be processed. This is not saying these people are absolutely entitled but
clearly many of them are, maybe the vast majority of them are, but until their
applications are processed they will have no way of knowing if they are entitled
to recognition as part of this band.
Mr. Speaker, as you can see if only 22,000 have been registered and there are
in excess of 100,000, that means there are nearly 80,000 more people who need to
have their applications processed. It would be a simple matter for the House of
Assembly to impress on the provincial government to insist that the federal
government and this would be a good time with a federal by-election for the
only seat held in the House of Commons by the governing party. It would be a
good time, Mr. Speaker, for our House of Assembly to impress on our government
of the importance and urgency to deal with this matter.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
The hon. the Member for St. John's East.
MR. MURPHY: 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 of Newfoundland
and Labrador, humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS the process of slickwater hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, injects
hazardous chemicals into rock formations to extract oil, and is polluting
groundwater and air across North America; and
potential environmental impacts of shale oil and gas extraction in Canada,
including fracking; and
WHEREAS Quebec, Nova Scotia, and a number of US states have halted fracking,
and others are introducing regulations specific to fracking; and
WHEREAS it is incumbent upon the provincial government to ensure that our
natural environment is protected from harmful industrial processes.
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the
House of Assembly to urge government to impose a moratorium on slickwater
fracking until it develops comprehensive regulations and ensures that each
proposed project undergoes a conclusive environmental assessment to determine
whether it is safe for the environment and the integrity of water supplies and
to human health.
As in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr. Speaker, again today we are talking about an environmental issue. We were
talking earlier about Earth Day and we were talking about the Earth Hour, and
the whole idea behind Earth Hour was about conservation and about our
environmental awareness. Well, Mr. Speaker, these people who signed this
petition are using their voices to talk about that, talk about their
environment, because they are inherently worried about it and so they should
be, under a process such as fracking, until proper regulations are developed.
That is all they are asking for, proper regulations, and the guards and the
protections that this government can give at its best initiative and its best
ability so that these people are going to have that insurance of good, clean
water, that they are going to have the security of knowing that their
environment is 100 per cent safe, and that there are not going to be any
repercussions to industrial development on the shores of their Province.
Mr. Speaker, this petition comes from little places that some of us have not
visited, probably pristine areas when it comes to tourism, which is another good
reason why we should be guarding this: Stephenville, Port au Port, Fox Island
River, Aguathuna, Campbells River, Boswarlos, Port au Port again this is
coming from all over the place Stephenville Crossing, and Kippens. We have a
number of communities here.
AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).
MR. MURPHY: (Inaudible) Mr. Speaker, I will state
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
MR. MURPHY: for the Official Opposition that we are not against
fracking, only a dangerous form of fracking that is known as slickwater. We need
to see an in-depth study done of this, and until these people see that the
proper studies have been done, Mr. Speaker, there is no reason why we should
rush into it with undue care and attention.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.
MS ROGERS: 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 of Newfoundland
and Labrador humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS transgendered people face high risk of discrimination, violence,
underemployment, and lack of access to housing and other services; and
WHEREAS a recent EGALE Canada survey found that 90 per cent of transgender
youth hear transphobic comments regularly from other students and one-quarter
hear such comments from teachers; and
WHEREAS the Public Health Agency of Canada reports that nearly half of trans
youth seriously considered suicide and one-fifth attempted it in the previous
year; and
WHEREAS all individuals should have equal opportunity to live their lives and
meet their needs without being hindered or prevented by discriminatory practices
based on gender identity or gender expression;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the
House of Assembly to urge government to amend the Human Rights Act to include
gender identity and gender expression in the list of prohibitive grounds of
discrimination.
As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to state once again that last night we saw a
wonderful amendment to the Human Rights Code in Canada. The amendment was
supported by all three parties. It was not a partisan ploy. In fact, there is a
growing realization not only in Canada but around the world that this is the
right thing to do. It is the right thing to do to explicitly state gender
identity in human rights legislation.
Our own Human Rights Commission, the Human Rights Commission of Newfoundland
and Labrador, has asked this government to amend our Human Rights Code to
include gender expression and gender identity. I am not sure why this government
is dragging its feet. There is no need to. It costs no money. It does not take
rights away from anyone else. As a matter of fact, it updates our Human Rights
Code and makes it in-line with what is happening around the world, Mr. Speaker
not even just in Canada, but around the world.
It is time to do it, and I have every confidence that this Minister of
Justice will want to do the right thing. Let us just get it done. There is no
valid reason now not to proceed. I would happily join you. Our party would
happily join you. I am sure the Liberals will happily join you in supporting
such an amendment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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 Newfoundland and Labrador currently has the highest unemployment rate
in Canada; and
WHEREAS the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador anticipate a labour
shortage of 70,000 people by 2020; and
WHEREAS eliminating the career practitioner knowledge base is contrary to
attaching people to the labour market; and
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!
MR. A. PARSONS:
WHEREAS Employment Assistance Services agencies are
grassroots hubs in communities, providing services like skills development,
resume development, interview skills, facilitating attachment to the labour
market and the community; and
WHEREAS EAS agencies help individuals with complex needs find and maintain
employment in communities throughout the Province; and
WHEREAS EAS agencies have been serving thousands of people for years,
building expertise and rapport; and
WHEREAS loading the workload of 226 employees onto 139 Advanced Education and
Skills employees would be an overwhelming expectation, increasing staff turnover
and thus decreasing rapport with clients; and
WHEREAS EAS spending comes from the EI fund, built by workers to help them
when and where they need it most; and
WHEREAS moving services away from people who lack the means to travel long
distances is not in line with the Labour Market Development Agreement's
principle of citizen-centred service;
WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the
House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to reverse
the decision to cut funding to EAS agencies in the Province.
And as in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr. Speaker, as you know, this is one I have entered on a number of
occasions. I am going to continue entering it at every opportunity I get.
This one just happens to be signed by people from Mount Pearl, Paradise,
Portugal Cove, but I am pretty sure I have some on the way from the District of
Bonavista South. I know the Member for Bonavista South was in the newspaper
talking about how great this was that we were going to be making this move and
how it is a good move. I am just wondering if he has communicated that to the
people who are losing their jobs and to the people who will not have access to
these services in the future. I put that there.
I hope he is aware of that when he does that, or the Premier who stood up
today and applauded the move basically and said it was a great thing, which
sounded something like the press release that was put out spinning this off as
if it was rainbows and a great move. When the fact is we have over 200 jobs
being cut here with these people providing services for a labour shortage in
this Province that is here right now.
I have this one today. I am going to have another one hopefully next week. I
appreciate the opportunity, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for The Straits White Bay North.
MR. MITCHELMORE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in
Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland
and Labrador humbly sheweth:
WHEREAS the Western School District is considering a multi-year plan to close
Bayview Regional Collegiate at St. Lunaire Griquet in June 2013; and
WHEREAS it has been proven from students who have graduated from Bayview
Regional Collegiate, they have excelled in their studies to prepare them for the
move ahead and achieve their career choices; and
WHEREAS teachers and staff at Bayview Regional Collegiate are qualified and
continue to provide a strong academic program with a full curriculum to the
students attending; and
WHEREAS Bayview Regional Collegiate has developed a playground, library,
drama club, Kids Eat Smart Lunch Program, school council and other activities
with exceptional community support; and
WHEREAS Bayview Regional Collegiate housed a K to 12 school in the past with
200-plus students who have access to science lab, cafeteria, art room, computer
lab, gymnasium and extracurricular activities; and
WHEREAS the parents, business operators, social groups, concerned citizens
and students of the municipality of St. Lunaire Griquet request to rescind
this proposal;
Since Bayview Regional Collegiate has met and exceeded all aspects set forth
for a viable school, we the undersigned, petition the House of Assembly to urge
the government to ensure that the Western School District is provided sufficient
funding to keep Bayview Regional Collegiate at St. Lunaire Griquet open.
And as in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray.
Mr. Speaker, I have to say that this decision was made back in 2008 without a
plan and without fully analyzing and looking at the overall situation of what
the impact would be on the community, on the children and their education. Their
education is going to be compromised now, and I say that to all hon. members in
the House, because the situation now is looking at in lieu of the eight
communities and the distance, it is adding two buses for about fifty to sixty
students.
It has a stable population. That area has experienced a population growth,
overall. Looking at doing that, it is going to be more costly to the taxpayers
by adding multiple buses and sending all these students to St. Anthony versus
keeping a K to 9 school at Truman Edison Memorial.
It is really these types of decisions when they are made so far out without
any flexibility of looking at revisiting these decisions that are having an
overall impact on a community, on a region, on our future leaders, our children
and our students. It is very disappointing when the school district is making
such statements in the media that the population is declining because that is
simply not the case.
This is a stable population here, a student population as well, and this is
something that is very, very important to the people in the region of my
district, and it is very upsetting to see how districts operate such autocratic
practices.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, in this petition.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Orders of the Day.
Orders of the Day
MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.
MR. KING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Order 2, Committee of Supply. I move, seconded by the Minister of
Transportation and Works, that the House resolve itself into a Committee of the
Whole to consider Bill 62, Respecting the Granting of Interim Supply to Her
Majesty.
MR. SPEAKER: It has been moved and seconded that the House resolve itself
into a Committee of the Whole.
All those in favour, aye'.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.
MR. SPEAKER: All those against, nay'.
Motion carried.
On motion, that the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole, Mr.
Speaker left the Chair.
Committee of the Whole
CHAIR (Littlejohn): Order, please!
We are ready to resume debate on resolution and Bill 62 Respecting the
Granting of Interim Supply to Her Majesty.
The hon. the Member for Cape St. Francis.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. K. PARSONS: Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
It is indeed a pleasure to get up here today, as I always say when I get up,
to represent the District of Cape St. Francis the beautiful District of Cape
St. Francis.
Mr. Chair, as most people know, Interim Supply gives you an opportunity to
get up and, because it is a money bill, we can speak on whatever we feel we want
to speak on in this House. I am going to take a little bit of time in the first
of my speech today and then I am going to get into Interim Supply.
First of all, I would like to send my condolences to the Member for
Lewisporte. I would just like to say to him that I had the opportunity to go to
Lewisporte for the service. You are to be commended, and your family members, on
the great service and the tribute that you paid to Maxine. It really showed what
her life was all about, and it really shows I know your hearts and everything
will be there for the rest of your lives also. My condolences go to you and your
family.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. K. PARSONS: Mr. Chair, the last number of months has been pretty
difficult in my household also. I was going to do a member's statement, but
today is an opportunity that I can get up, and I really want to say thank you.
It is not one side of the House or the other side of the House; I have to thank
everybody in this House for the support they have shown me in the last number of
months. No matter if it was a handshake, an e-mail, a visit to the funeral home,
or to come down to the service, I really appreciate everyone's support in this
House. It really means a lot. It meant a lot to my family, and it meant a lot to
me. I really appreciate it.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. K. PARSONS: One of my brothers joked with me. He said: Kev, you must
be a whole lot nicer in the House of Assembly than you were on the ice. I don't
know what he was talking about. Anyway, like I said, I really appreciate it.
In particular, I really have to mention someone today, and it is the Premier.
A little while ago, when she realized that my mother was sick, and stuff like
that, she really gave me the leeway to do what I wanted to do to support her.
She said to me: Kevin, family is so important.
It is a testament of her, and I think a lot of people in this Province do not
see our Premier like we see her every day. She is a wonderful lady, a wonderful
person, and she realizes the importance of family.
We are a family in here I consider it a family, anyway and I really have
to say the support that she gave me over the last number of months has been
unbelievable. Again, I want to thank her for the wonderful statement that she
did on my father here in the House of Assembly. I have had a chance to read it,
and I have to say she touched all the bases that I would have touched in a
member's statement.
Again, I really want to tell the people of the Province what a wonderful lady
she is, and family comes first. That is really so important, to know the way a
person acts. I had the opportunity to see her one day with her grandchildren,
and you could just see the gleam in her eyes, as any grandmother or any person
would have for their grandchildren.
Again, thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. K. PARSONS: Mr. Chair, I take a lot from my father. He was a true
gentleman and he respected everyone. I think that is the reason why people
respected him. I had a gentleman tell me one day and I took it as a
compliment; most of you might take it as an insult or whatever. He said to me:
You are only half the man your father was.
I looked at him and I said: That is not too bad. If I can be half the man
that my father was, I think I will be in good shape, and I think the people of
Cape St. Francis will be in good shape, because I will do my best, as he did his
best, to represent them, and I will continue to do the same.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. K. PARSONS: Mr. Chair, having all of that said, and having all of
that over with, I want to speak a little bit about Interim Supply. In the last
week or so I have listened in this House, to both sides of the House. On this
side of the House, we spoke about all the good things in our districts, all the
positive things in our districts. I mean, not everything is positive all the
time; we all have issues in our districts.
I listened to the Liberals over across the way talk about their districts,
and things that they needed too. I know the Member for Bay of Islands was a very
happy man yesterday, a big smile on his face with the announcement of monies
going out to the hospital, but we have been spending money in all the districts.
I know the former member there I was looking at some of the announcements,
just going and doing the Google thing, like the Strait of Belle Isle, different
announcements in their district - I know he thanked the hon. Minister of
Municipal Affairs for the new fire truck they recently got out there.
There are a lot of good things that are happening in all of our districts.
The Member for Cartwright I think there were two new schools built in your
district and also another one on the way. The Member for Burgeo La Poile
your father was here in the House and he was talking about that dialysis machine
every single day, and I am sure that he is very happy that we did the investment
that we did.
We have made investments all over this Province. We can say that you want
money for this and money for that, but there is only so much money out there. We
are delivering. Since 2003 and I know that before 2003 the financial situation
of this Province probably was not what it is today, but we have done our best
and we have spread it out. I have a thing there from the schools. If you look,
there is a new school in St. Anthony, three in the hon. members that I just
mentioned, dialysis machines, fire trucks, you name it; we spent it all over the
Province.
I look at the Third Party and sometimes I just shake my head, because the
wishes and what they are looking for are unbelievable. Give us a cost of half
the stuff you are going to be my father always had a saying. He used to say:
Kev, you cannot spend $500 if you only make $400.
Well, we cannot spend $15 billion if we only have $6 billion coming in. We
have to be realistic with the things we are doing.
When it comes to the Third Party, really, really I mean, we all want to see
- I would like to see every senior in this Province live in a beautiful home. I
would love to see every person who is sick in hospital have a beautiful bed,
have the best care that we could possibly give. We are doing our best with what
we have. We have to be realistic with our wishes.
The Third Party the oil companies. They are down on oil companies all the
time. Do you know something? Thirty per cent of our revenue is coming from the
oil industry to do what we want to do, to help the people of this Province for
education, for health care, you name it. That is where our money is coming from.
I really do not think you guys see that at all. It is so important. It is almost
like an anti-development-type party.
Mr. Chair, I have to say, the Member for Kilbride stood up the other day and
he talked a little bit about Muskrat Falls. We all talked about Muskrat Falls in
the last debate. He just basically stood up and gave us a common sense thing:
Listen, we are burning oil out in Holyrood and we are spending for that oil out
in Holyrood. Why not stop burning that oil and use our money to build a clean,
clean, clean, environmentally friendly thing that we can produce energy for our
Province? What common sense. That is all.
I do not understand why they cannot get the common sense part of it. Here is
a party that was environmentally friendly; everything is about the environment.
They are willing to burn oil out in Holyrood. Where is it? I really do not
understand what they are into.
Mr. Chair, like I said, we have all spoken in this House about positive
things that are happening in the House. I listened to the Minister of Tourism
the other day, and it is an investment. What this government is about is making
smart investments. We have invested in the tourism industry through our ads and
through different things, to now, that it has gone to a $1 billion industry.
Just a few stats that he gave the other day, he said about 15,000 employees,
300 new businesses, businesses involved in tourism in this Province. It is a
huge industry. He also said by 2020 he is hoping to see this industry grow to
$1.6 billion. That is huge.
AN HON. MEMBER: How much?
MR. K. PARSONS: One billion and six hundred million dollars is huge. What
an investment this government is making.
I also listened the other day to my friend and colleague from Fortune Bay
Cape La Hune. She talked about our investments in aquaculture. Everybody knows
the fishery was big time in my family. I know when the moratorium came in there
were a lot of things happening. She had fish plants close down in her area.
People did not know what to do.
Today, there are 1,000 people working just in that alone, the aquaculture
industry. The spin-offs; she talked about all the new homes being built in her
area. Those are investments that this government has made that are paying off,
and we are going to continue to make these investments.
Just yesterday it amazed me because it was only on the fourth page of The
Telegram ; if one word had been changed it would have been on the front page:
our wait times in our hospitals and investments that we are making. Our wait
times are among the best in Canada the best in Canada.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. K. PARSONS: Those are investments we are making as a government. We
have to be realistic. We would love to be in the bubble that some people think
they should be in. Let me tell you something: the investments this government is
making over the last number of years are paying off, and they are paying off big
time for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
I only have a few seconds left. Ten minutes go way too fast. There are huge
investments made in my district over the last number of years: new school, new
road, and new arena. These investments are paying off, too, because people are
moving to my district. People are enjoying the new road. I talked to a lady who
is twenty-eight years in education; she said she never saw anything like the
investments this government is making in education.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
CHAIR: The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.
MR. JOYCE: Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I thank the Member for Cape St. Francis for the tribute to his dad, and to
the member for his wife also. We are all here and we are all a little
brotherhood when it comes to it. We all get affected. Great job. It is a great
tribute to your dad and it is well deserved.
Mr. Chair, I am just going to stand here and have a few words today about the
hospital in Corner Brook.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. JOYCE: I know the crowd over there, Sir, and I remember when Pete
Soucy did a little skit on someone on one of his shows, like someone hauling up
his shoulder. That is what it sounds like over there when someone stands up.
They are almost like puppets: they have to be told when to put their hands up
and when to clap, Mr. Chair, because there is an announcement made.
Let us look at behind the hospital announcement in Corner Brook, Mr. Chair.
Let us go back at it. In 2007, the announcement was first made about the
hospital, the size of the hospital, the cost that it was going to be, and the
number of people who were going to be able to be in the acute care beds at the
hospital back in 2007.
Then it was re-announced back in 2011 during the provincial election that the
construction would start in 2012, which obviously never happened. That was
during the election time of 2011 when the Minister of Natural Resources, the
Member for Humber East, and the Member for Humber West were out there touting
that the construction of the new hospital would start in 2012. Everybody was
happy. So was I, but obviously that did not happen.
Here we are now and we have another announcement. Guess what the announcement
is? Construction may begin in 2015 may begin in 2015, Mr. Chair.
Once again, here I am as a person in the Corner Brook area, a person of the
Bay of Islands, after the announcement was made in 2007, which did not follow
through, the announcement was made in 2011 that construction was starting in
2012, it did not come through. They made another announcement yesterday saying
they may start in 2015. So I am supposed to be happy? I am supposed to be happy
that there is another commitment made without any guarantees that the hospital
is going to start?
Just the start of it alone, Mr. Chair, the amount of times that it was
announced and the amount of times they said what work was already done on the
facility would make someone skeptical, would make anybody skeptical. When the
Minister of Health goes: Oh, what a great announcement. What is the
announcement? That it is delayed now going on eight or nine years before we are
going to start the construction. Now all of a sudden I am supposed to be jumping
up with glee about the hospital?
Mr. Chair, I was in here in the Estimates. The only person on the government
side, the only person who was upfront with me about the hospital in Corner Brook
was the Minister of Environment and Conservation, who is the Minister of
Transportation and Works. When everybody was saying how the design was done back
in 2011, how the construction was going to start in 2012, I sat here in the
Estimates with the Minister of Transportation and Works at the time, the
Minister of Environment and Conservation now, and I asked him straight up. He
went and said straight up that it is in the pre-design stage. There is no design
done.
A lot of other members opposite were telling me I did not know what I was
talking about. The only minister at the time who was upfront was the Minister of
Environment and Conservation. Yesterday I thanked him because he was the only
one who was being forthright on the hospital in Corner Brook. I recognized that
yesterday and I want to recognize that publicly.
When I was out saying the design was not done, when I was told I did not know
what I was talking about, when I was told: oh, you are foolish, you do not know
what you are talking about, the Minister of Transportation and Works at the time
confirmed it and stood up and said no, the design work was not done. That was
back in 2011.
Guess what, Mr. Chair? The big announcement made in Corner Brook yesterday,
guess what? To continue on with the design work which I was told two years ago
was done, a year-and-a-half ago. They were up saying how the design work is
already done. Construction was supposed to have started in 2012 and all the
design work was done.
Now I have to jump up with glee because all of a sudden they are making an
announcement. They told the people on the West Coast it was done for the longest
time. That was never done. That was not done. The only one who was upfront was
the Minister of Transportation and Works at the time who told me it is in the
pre-design stage. I just want to recognize that for the minister.
Mr. Chair, there is another part about this hospital now that has to come
through. We can take it all aside; we just have to look at the facts. You are
always wondering why I am asking questions about, is the hospital being cut?
I challenge anybody to look at The Western Star where the Minister of
Natural Resources made a comment yesterday. If anybody in this House or anybody
in this Province wants to know why I am raising this issue, look at his comment.
When the long-term care facility was being built in Corner Brook, the original
design was 279. They scaled it back to 215. The last wing is still not open. So
we are down to 200 beds.
What did the minister say yesterday? We made a mistake with the long-term
care facility. We made a mistake, let's not make the same mistake. I have been
saying that for the longest while. If the Minister of Natural Resources
misquoted in The Western Star , correct it, because I am just going on the
quote that they quoted you in The Western Star . That is what I am going
on.
I have been saying it for the longest while, is that when the big
announcement with the long-term care facility was 279 beds and you brought it
down, there is going to be a need in the long-term care facility right away
before it is even cut back. Before it is even built it is going to be filled.
There is going to be a waitlist; but, no, I did not know what I was talking
about. Going back years ago, I did not know what I was talking about.
Once again, I had the wrong information, but I am glad the Minister of
Natural Resources confirmed everything I have been saying for a long while, that
when it was cut back it was a mistake. It was a mistake. The mistake said there
were not enough long-term care beds. That is why I am saying on this hospital,
that when the hospital is built for a certain size, when the hospital is built
for a certain region, Mr. Chair, when it is built for a certain region it should
be adequate. We should not have to go back and look at this.
When I asked a question today in the House about the number of acute care
beds, it could not be answered. If you look at the press release that was sent
out yesterday, look at the press release that was sent out, there are 260 beds,
100 long-term care
MS SULLIVAN: A point of order, Mr. Chair.
CHAIR: A point of order, the hon. the Minister of Health and Community
Services.
MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Chair, he just referenced the fact that he, the Member
for Bay of Islands, asked a question around the number of acute care beds and
that could not be answered. I very clearly answered in terms of the number of
acute care beds.
CHAIR: There is no point of order. Thank you.
The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.
MR. JOYCE: I know it is not a point of order. I was hoping the minister
was going to be wrong, because what she said today, there is a decrease in acute
care beds. If this proposal goes ahead there will be a decrease in acute care
beds.
Now, Mr. Chair, I will tell you something now. With the decrease of acute
care beds in Corner Brook, I want the minister or the Minister of Natural
Resources to go out and tell the people who I have been speaking to today they
have people out in the hallways for the last two or three days, people down in
emergency who cannot get a bed that: by the way, when we build your new
hospital, we are going to have a decrease in acute care beds.
If I am wrong, I challenge anybody to stand up, because the math is there. If
there are 260 beds and you are taking 100, as the Minister of Finance said
yesterday and the Minister of Health said today, for long-term it should have
been built with the facility we are down right now to 160 beds; there is a
decrease of fifteen acute care beds. There should be an increase. There should
be an increase of acute care beds.
I am just saying what the facts are and people can stand up and I even
called the hospital today. I called and got the numbers. I called today out to
Western Health before I came into this House. I called over and got the numbers.
I actually made the call; I said, give me a breakdown of the number of the beds.
I can tell the people of Corner Brook that if the facts are coming through
here that the ministers themselves and the Premier and the people opposite are
saying, there is a decrease of acute care beds. Those are just the facts.
Instead of decreasing the acute care beds, we should increase it. We need the
increase because there are people out there now even with the 199 beds in
the hallways. I am sure I will be speaking again about the hospital. I just want
to thank you for the opportunity.
CHAIR: The hon. the Member for Lake Melville.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. RUSSELL: Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I would just like to say, Mr. Chair, that it is certainly an honour to rise
today and speak to Interim Supply. I would like to welcome everybody back to the
House. I am glad to be here, obviously.
Mr. Chair, I will start off by reading out a few notes that I have made over
across some of the debate here. We listened to our hon. Minister of Finance
who has done a great job up to this point talk about some facts about where we
have come from. When you look at 2001 versus 2012, Mr. Chair, we went from $1.2
billion to $2.9 billion in health care investments, a 142 per cent increase.
In terms of education alone between those two dates, Mr. Chair, we have had a
71 per cent increase from $700 million to $1.2 billion. That is certainly a
government that looks at the priorities for the people and does what is needed
in order to foster education and good health care in this Province and make sure
that people are looked after, Mr. Chair.
We have seen our investment in MUN, Mr. Chair, tripled up to $380 million.
That is a focus on our youth: the next generation, the next leaders of our
Province. Infrastructure roads, our hospitals, our schools we have seen
increase 270 per cent while this government has been here.
AN HON. MEMBER: How much?
MR. RUSSELL: Two hundred and seventy per cent. That is no small feat.
That talks about a commitment to the Province, it talks about the commitment to
the crumbling infrastructure that we inherited when we took over government, Mr.
Chair. It has not been easy.
We have all heard the Minister of Finance get up here in this hon. House. He
has talked about the $500 million in raises that we gave to the public servants.
We have talked about the money that we did not get through equalization and
through the Atlantic Accord, another $500 million. We have talked about Terra
Nova and White Rose going down for long-term maintenance. It cost us another
$500 million. Mr. Chair, all that time we still managed to reduce our debt by 25
per cent with the knowledge of that $1.5 billion of issues that we are going to
have with our revenue streams.
I would like to talk about these efficiencies that we are all talking about
that we need to find. We look out to consultants; we look to our own officials
who are experts in their own fields. We recognize and the people from across
the way have added their comments there; they recognize we do have duplication
of services, yet they still out of one side of their mouth talk about us
spending, overspending; sometimes we have heard words such as mismanagement. We
have even heard the word fraudulent put in here, Mr. Chair. This is what it
takes in order for good governance to occur. We have to be stewards of the
people and stewards for the Province, Mr. Chair.
We heard our Minister of Finance get up and mention housing starts. We have
had 3,880 new houses put up, Mr. Chair, simply because there is a reason to be
here. We have prosperity. We have megaprojects. We have a reason for people to
come home, raise their families here, build their houses here, and enjoy their
own prosperity getting to a place in life, Mr. Chair, if you will, where they
are going to have a higher level of disposable income to increase the quality of
life for themselves and their families, and at the same time be able to shoot
for the stars, dream a little, and make something more of their lives. It is a
wonderful time here, Mr. Chair.
AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).
MR. RUSSELL: Absolutely.
We have also heard our Minister of Finance talk about our relationship with
the federal government in terms of those transfers that have taken place. We
have seen a decrease from 34 per cent down to 10 per cent. We have had
acknowledgement of our Province as the have Province, Mr. Chair. We do not need
to rely on the feds. We have our own revenue streams; we have our own prosperity
right here at home.
We have also heard our Minister of Finance get up and talk about the Third
Party in terms of how they just do not see the use of surpluses as a good
expenditure towards paying down our debt. How can you not look at the debt
situation in our Province and say that when times are good, when revenues are
coming in, and when we have that money available to us? We should absolutely be
putting that down on our debt, Mr. Chair. It is the responsible thing to do.
During my getting the heads-up that you are going to have your ability to get
up here and contribute to the House, contribute to the debate, and give your ten
minutes, Mr. Chair, I tasked my office with just putting together a few numbers
in relation to what is happening in Labrador in regard to how this government
treats Labrador and how government treats the people of the Province when it
comes to infrastructure and our investments.
In Budget 2012, I will get into some details about the Trans-Labrador Highway
here. It is fabulous if you have driven that road, Mr. Chair; $65.8 million last
year just for the Trans-Labrador for Phase I, bringing it to over $250 million
since we started. It makes it one of the largest infrastructure projects in the
Province's history, no small feat indeed.
Just recently, back in January, we had our minister stand side by side with
federal ministers and talk about an additional $85 million for Phases II and III
of the Trans-Labrador Highway and talk about the widening and the surfacing of
that road. It is a link to the Island for the people of Labrador, connecting us,
providing everything from vacationing opportunities, tourism opportunities, and
economic development opportunities, and we are certainly going to see a lot more
of that in relation to Muskrat Falls.
Mr. Chair, we have continued to put money into our health care. We have had
$25.7 million into Lab West for the new health centre there. I could go on and
on. I am going to read out a few really quickly. I see my time is running out
here. I only have a couple of minutes left.
We have put in over $250,000 to enhance the dialysis services at the Labrador
Health Centre in my district, which is a wonderful thing; over $250,000,
$275,000 to be exact, for the ambulance road base in Cartwright; and over
$100,000 for a pharmacist position for the Captain William Jackman Memorial
Hospital in Labrador City. We have put over $400,000 into the Co-Management
Board for Torngat Wildlife and Plants and the Joint Fisheries Secretariat.
To go on and on, we put $150,000 into Destination Labrador to support tourism
product development in Labrador, Mr. Chair. Anybody who has been up to Labrador
can say that it is an untapped resource right now. It is unlimited in terms of
what we have to offer people. With the completion of the Trans-Labrador Highway,
Mr. Chair, you are going to see a lot more people coming in to see what Labrador
has to offer, spending their money, generating some economic stimulus in our
communities, a truly wonderful thing.
Also, in tourism, while I am on that topic, we have also put in another
$7,500 just in my district alone, into the Lake Melville Tourism Association, to
allow them to work towards bettering our product in terms of our local district
as well, Mr. Chair.
In terms of providing support to local organizations, Mr. Chair, for the last
three years we have put in $50,000 a year to Them Days Magazine .
This is an organization that works tirelessly to preserve the culture, the
heritage, and the traditions in Labrador through storytelling and through
preserving the personalities, if you will, that come from Labrador that have
added to the richness of our culture in Labrador.
We have supported individual businesses, Mr. Chair. We have put playgrounds
in communities such as in Northwest River, which is also in my district. Mr.
Chair, there are just too many here. I have about twenty pages of things I could
talk about about what we have done in terms of supporting the things in my
district, Mr. Chair, in terms of Municipal Operating Grants, in terms of working
with both Northwest River, with Goose Bay, special assistance grants we have had
for Safe Drinking Water Workshops and to do with the fire that we had in Lake
Melville, which was a wonderful support as well, Mr. Chair.
We have had improvements to our town hall totalling $1,669,000 also added to
that, Mr. Chair, to get things up to par there. We have had help within Goose
Bay with the construction of our access road and parking facility of $800,000
and $530,000 respectively, Mr. Chair.
We have certainly also looked out towards the community of Mud Lake by
providing $19,000, Mr. Chair, for the incinerator over there because they are
geographically challenged in terms of where they are, in terms of having to go
by ski-doo in winter and boat in summer, Mr. Chair.
I will just close, seeing that I only have a minute here, Mr. Chair. I want
to talk about what we are doing as a government for the people of Newfoundland
and Labrador. What we are doing is we are prepared. We are ready to take the
hard road. We are going to be good stewards of the people and of the Province,
Mr. Chair.
We are not going to tell them what they want to hear; we are going to tell
them what they need to hear, Mr. Chair. We know that looking for efficiencies
and acting on the advice of our consultants and our officials is not going to be
popular, but it is the right call and it is the right thing to do. We have to
make sure, Mr. Chair, that we are constantly looking out for the people and
being responsible as a government.
I would say to the NDP we hear them talking about spend, spend, spend. They
always want us to involve them in all-party committees, Mr. Chair. I would say
the NDP should change their name to the NRP, the New Rumpelstiltskin Party,
because they simply must have some secret about spinning straw into gold. They
talk out of one side of their mouth, calling us fraudulent at times, and out of
the other, saying: Do you know what? We just want you to spend, spend, spend,
Mr. Chair.
With that, I will end my remarks. Thank you very much.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
CHAIR: The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It is a pleasure to stand today to speak to Interim Supply. I have had plenty
of opportunity
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
CHAIR: Order, please!
The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.
MR. A. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I am very happy to stand and speak to Interim Supply today. This is a very
important bill, something we have been talking about for a number of days now.
Hopefully this will not be my last time, but again, I just wanted to talk about
something that I had an opportunity to ask questions about in this House today,
and that is health care in this Province.
One of the things I just wanted to bring up because we keep hearing about
the money spent on health care: we have put this much money and we have put that
much money in. The problem is that none of the members, Mr. Chair, are standing
up and speaking about outcomes. The investment is worth nothing if you are not
getting the outcomes for the spending that is taking place. We can put all this
money in, but if we are not getting results, then it is not worth talking about.
The other thing that really scares me, Mr. Chair, is that this government
talks about high investments, but the fact is we know the cheque book is cut. We
know that these cheques are going to get smaller now. We know that the amount of
investment is getting smaller. If we are getting the worst bang for our buck in
terms of health care spending in this country with such a high investment, what
kind of investment or what kind of service are we going to get when that money
starts to reduce?
I put that question out there. I asked a number of questions today; of
course, I did not get very many suitable answers to those very serious
questions, so I am going to speak a little bit about that today, some very
important issues in this Province. One of them is cystic fibrosis; one of them
is the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association, the NLMA, and the press
conference that they had today; and one of them is something that fortunately
does not affect a large number of people in this Province: that is children
dealing with cancer in the Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!
CHAIR: Order, please!
MR. A. PARSONS: I am going to continue to speak about these issues. I
will start off; we hear this terms consultation consultation. I believe the
minister in her response to a question today said that the NLMA released a press
release saying that they were happy to collaborate, and I would say, of course
they are; they want to collaborate, but they have also been speaking to the
media saying that they were not consulted when it came to this latest round of
cuts. They were not consulted and now government is going to have to go back and
fix the mistake that they made because they were short sighted. They did not
listen to the experts.
It is not just with the NLMA; they did not consult the Dental Association,
they did not consult the oncologists, they have not consulted CF experts in this
Province, and I do not know if they are consulting the patients. I put that out
there. It is one thing to talk about consultation; it is another thing to do it.
It is not happening and we are seeing some serious results here.
I am going to go to a topic that I asked about today. I think it is very
serious, and like I said, thank God we do not have many patients of this nature.
I want to talk about youth with cancer. There are only about ten or so in this
Province at any given time maybe a bit higher thankfully. I think the
numbers I have, about half of these children, their parents have insurance
coverage, but there are about half whose parents do not have health insurance.
The problem we have is that a lot of these children as they are going through
the chemotherapy are starting to get sick; they are suffering nausea. There is a
pill out there that could help these children and that pill costs about $20 a
day $20 a day that would take their nausea away and would allow them to go
to school. Right now they are not allowed to have it. Government will not pay
for it. Government is not doing what is being done in every other province in
this country. They are not listening to the actual experts, the pediatric
oncologists of this country.
We have children who cannot go to school because they are too sick to go,
because the government will not spend $20 a day on a pill will not spend $20 a
day. We have $400,000 for Muskrat ads and we have $16,000 for the Muskrat party,
but we do not have $100 a day for children who have nausea and cannot go to
school because they are sick from the chemotherapy. That is shameful, Mr. Chair.
I would put that there.
In fact, one of the recommendations coming from the NLPDP is saying: take
these steroids, that will do it but that is not advisable. Many of these
parents are resorting to making their children these children who have been
afflicted with this horrible condition take Gravol. The fact is not only are
they sick, then, but they are too drowsy to go to school. It is bad enough
suffering from this illness and now they cannot go to school. They want to go to
school; they want to be with their friends. Their education is suffering as
well.
There is a group out there that government the minister will not meet with
them. I put that out there. I am hoping that we can stop looking at I have all
the names here for the different groups, the ACDR, and there is CADTH and all
these different groups. The fact is, it is being done in every single other
Province, but we do not do it here.
I would say let us get past the foolishness and let us make sure that we help
these children. Let us make sure these children get help. I know we talk about
spending and we talk about sustainability, but do you know what? I think we can
sustain $100 a day for these children. We seemingly are able to sustain a number
of other things that I would think would be cut before that.
I am going to continue on. Again, there are experts in this Province. They
are paediatric oncologists, and they are making these recommendations, but we
are the only Province that will not listen to them.
I want to just move forward to another health issue I asked questions about
today, and that is the NLMA. Now, contrary to what the minister said, contrary
to that, the NLMA is actually saying these doctors are saying - we were not
consulted. We are concerned about the cuts. We need to work together here to
make sure we are getting proper coverage, but we are not doing that. We are
making these cuts without going to the people.
It is the same thing we did with the dentists. We put in a great dental plan
and then after a year we cannot sustain it, because they did not talk to the
people doing the work. They did not talk to the people. A year after that, these
people cannot get the work.
There was a very serious question asked today about a gentleman out in
Badger. This person cannot get the treatment he wants. It is absolutely amazing,
and I know people this is not a political thing. This is a life and death
thing. This is somebody who cannot get treatment because they are too
short-sighted to make the right decisions.
I get frustrated at this, Mr. Chair. I get frustrated because we have to do
the right thing. It is not about politics. It is about talking to the people who
do the work. Consult with them. Let's work together with the amount of money we
have and the issues we have and do the right thing; but, no, we go ahead.
I will just go back to the NLMA. We made this cut today. Then it turns out
that the department is actually acknowledging, yes, because we rushed this
through we missed stuff. Now, this is a group who asked to meet in January. They
asked to meet in January but they were turned down. They were going to have a
press conference yesterday. They were going to have that conference.
Once the government heard about that, once the department heard about that,
they said, okay, we are going to meet with you, and they met today. They could
have had this meeting in January and made the right decision, but no, we are
going to go ahead and do what we have to do. Again, the wrong decision was made
here. We are talking about fee code cuts. Let's talk to the doctors, let's talk
to the experts and make sure we are making the right decisions here.
This is what they call and this is coming from the doctors a unilateral
decision. Now, I am hoping we can avoid this. I know the NLMA will collaborate
with government because they want to collaborate with government. They have to
collaborate with government. They want to make sure that the right thing is done
here. Again, there are a lot of people out there people who have lupus are
going to have issues because of this decision.
We will go back to the dental plan talking about people who have emergency
situations, they have to get authorizations filled out now for emergency
situations. There is no common sense applied here, none. It is not applied. We
are not doing the right thing.
My time is starting to run out. I want to get this in, in case this is my
last opportunity to speak to it. Cystic fibrosis, CF, this is something we hear
quite a bit about. I have done my own research and met with some people. It is
truly hard to understand the routine that CF patients and families have to go
through with this life-altering affliction. The fact is they have to go through
a two-hour routine just about every day to make sure that they can function.
Take the young gentleman I met with, someone who is working, going to school,
and trying to contribute. He is doing it in spite of this affliction. He cannot
get the proper medication because the NLPDP is too stubborn and inflexible, and
will not listen to the CF experts.
I will just put this out there. It is the most common, fatal, genetic disease
affecting Canadians. I think I have a number there. We only have about seventy
people in this Province with CF, about seventy people. Now, the fact is they
will cover tobramycin, which if you ask anybody with CF it is inconvenient. It
is not the right decision. It is not the right treatment. They will not cover
the TOBI Podhaler, which is more expensive, but it gives them a greater quality
of life.
They will only cover Cayston, which is just the same amount of convenience
but is actually more expensive. They will do that when their lungs start to fail
and they have been in the hospital and cost us $15,000 in hospital stays. They
do not want to be in a hospital. They want to have a quality of life but are not
getting it because of inflexibility and rigidness in the drug program. We need
to work with these groups and make it happen.
I am going to take my seat now. I am hoping somebody can enlighten me as to
if I am wrong here. If not, maybe I will get another opportunity to speak to it
again after.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
CHAIR: The hon. the Minister of Natural Resources and Attorney General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
MR. MARSHALL: Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Chair, after yesterday in Corner Brook, it is obviously very exciting for
me to stand in my place as the Member of the House of Assembly for Humber East,
which takes in the eastern part of Corner Brook, and to say how pleased I am and
express my gratitude to Premier Dunderdale and to my colleagues on this side of
the House for the decision to proceed with not only a new hospital in Corner
Brook, but four other buildings as well that will make up a hospital campus.
That will consist of an acute care bed facility. It will also consist of a
long-term care facility. The third building is going to be a shared
administration and out-patient clinic building. There is also going to be a
shared central service building for food services, laundry supply, and
management.
There is also going to be, and I heard a lot of very good things about this,
a forty-eight bed hostel so that people from outside Corner Brook, patients and
their families, can have a place to stay when they come in, which recognizes the
fact that this is a regional hospital. People from the whole West Coast and
people from other parts of the Province, of course, will come into the city and
some will have difficulty finding a place to stay. This will certainly help
there. Also, there are a lot of medical residents, medical people, who come and
need a place to stay as well while they get their training and while they serve.
Mr. Chair, the Minister of Health also was present and announced that this
project was now back on track and that the project would have an estimated cost
of between $500 million and $600 million. Of course, this is a large and
expensive project, but it is a regional hospital, it is greatly needed, and the
long-term care beds are very much needed as well, which was a bit of a surprise.
It might be helpful to go back and I guess, with all of us, our political
history starts with the day we entered public life. I remember when I decided to
enter public life. I remember going on a tour of the long-term care homes that
were in the City of Corner Brook at the time with then Premier Wells, and then
Premier Williams. I remember it was at that point that there was an announcement
that it would be a commitment of our party to build a new long-term care home in
the City of Corner Brook.
At the time, there were a number of issues that were being discussed. There
was a need for the redevelopment of what was then known as the Herdman High
School. There was a need for an MRI machine. There was a need for a long-term
care facility. I remember the demand and the people wanted these; the people
wanted the best health care. So, we went to work after we got elected.
The MRI machine was the first thing done; that was put in. Of course, before
the MRI could go in, there had been no planning for any space for that machine
so we had to first fix up some additional space at the hospital so that machine
could go there. The machine was finally put there and then they doubled the
number of hours. First of all, you could only go during the day and then they
doubled it so you could then go at night as well.
The school was redeveloped and it was redeveloped with the double gym, the
name was changed, and everything has worked out very well there. We are now
proceeding with the next step, which is the new junior high school. The former
Regina building will be redeveloped into the new junior high school and then
after that, there will be other schools in accordance with the plan that the
western school board has come up with for the Corner Brook area.
The long-term care facility, this very, very important facility and I asked
the question at the time. I said: Why do people want a long-term care facility,
why not a new hospital? This was back in 2003. I was told it was because acute
care beds in a hospital were being taken up by people who had been medically
discharged. They did not need acute care services any more, but they needed a
place to go. They needed a long-term care bed to go. They needed support in the
community such as home care, or they would go to a personal care home, if that
level of care were available.
It was important to build the long-term care facility and it was built. As it
was designed and as it was being built, there were four protective care units
which were very, very successful. If there is one thing that there has been
nothing but good news about is the protective care units because of the family
atmosphere it still provides.
I have heard nothing but good things of people who have gone into these
protective care units. I have heard people say things like we have mom back,
because living in that residential thing with friends had people who formerly
may have sat in a hospital room somewhere and did nothing but sit. This type of
care that is made available in the protective care units I think is much more
suitable for people in long-term care.
Then you needed a nursing home for those who have severe mental incapacity.
While it was being designed and while it was built, there was a letter to the
editor written I think by someone who worked in Western Health. It said: You are
not putting enough beds there. We looked at it and we said: With the money for
planning, we hire all these experts and we hire on these consultants, surely, we
got it right in terms of the numbers that were needed.
The government took a look at it, and based on that it was decided that there
was need for another floor. Then there had to be a redesign done and that cost
more money. That cost the taxpayers more money to make sure that we had enough.
We learned a valuable lesson from that. The total cost of that building I
think was around $70 million $65 million to $70 million, and we had to make
that change. The hon. Member for Bay of Islands talks about the mistake we made,
but then he puts a spin on it. The reality was it was because of the letter to
the editor written I think by a young woman who worked with the health care
system and said that there were not enough beds there.
Thank God, we looked at it and we rectified the mistake and redesigned the
building to put in an additional floor, which turns out to be well needed. If a
mistake like that was made with a $500 million, $600 million hospital, which can
also cost much more than that, can you imagine the cost of rectifying that.
We had to be very, very careful with this system. That is why it was
necessary to have a second set of eyes look on this. That is why it was
necessary to get Stantec to come in and say: Are we doing this right? This is a
huge project; it is the biggest project that we have undertaken as a government.
We had to make sure we are getting it right.
What we found out as a result of this report, much to my surprise, was that
25 per cent of the acute care beds in Western Memorial Hospital in Corner Brook
were again being taken up by people who did not need acute care. They were
taking up the acute care beds, but they needed to go to long-term care
facilities; the long-term care facilities are full, in spite of the fact that in
the Corner Brook facility there were forty beds available in the protective care
units there was four of those with ten each and then I think there were 236
in the nursing home itself.
Now there are fourteen extra beds; there was some space in the building that
had been allocated to Memorial University of Corner Brook and they wanted to do
research on aging. There was an agreement to allow them to have one wing or part
of one wing, but it was always subject to: if we needed the beds we would get it
back.
The beds have been returned from Memorial and money was put in the Budget
this year to enable that wing to be developed so there are fourteen beds. The
contract was let a couple of months ago and we expect that the work will be done
for those fourteen beds in June. I know they are doing the work right now.
That is 200 and what, 290-odd beds; 236, plus forty, plus fourteen. That is a
lot of beds. In spite of all that, we have now found, as a result of having
Stantec come in they said, hey, you still need more. I am grateful that the
government has recognized that. The government has now agreed to build a
facility on the site of the new hospital in Corner Brook that will contain an
extra 100 beds for long-term care. They are very, very well needed. Thank God we
had the second look; thank God we got these consultants to come in and to make
sure we are doing it right.
Mr. Chair, I see I am now running out of time. I hope to have an opportunity
in the debates that are going to follow this debate on Interim Supply; maybe in
the Budget debate I will get to talk again and then we can continue this
discussion. I certainly want to address some more of the misinformation that the
hon. Member for Bay of Islands has been putting out.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!
CHAIR: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.
MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I am very pleased to have the opportunity to stand again during the
discussion of Bill 62, our Interim Supply legislation that will allow government
to continue before the new Budget is in place and we have new money to approve
for spending.
It is an interesting time here in this Province, Mr. Chair, a time when
after years of making money from the oil industry, after years of a government
that has taken in billions of dollars because of the production of oil we have
a government telling us we have a fiscal crisis, that we have to lay off people,
that programs have to be affected, that we have to tighten the belt, and that we
have to be scared.
Mr. Chair, it really causes us to look at this government and wonder: how did
they get us to where we are? How could they after these years of being in
government, since 2003? Within a very short time after that, the money from the
production of oil started pouring into this government and here they are now,
ten years later, telling us we are in a crisis.
I have looked at this, Mr. Chair, and have tried to figure out what is at the
bottom of all this. The thing that strikes me, the thing that I have been
talking about, the thing that I have been mentioning and that I do not stop
talking about, is what I think is at the bottom of all of it: that this
government does not do long-term planning. This government does not ha