April

25, 2012 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLVII No. 21

The House met at 2:00 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Wiseman): Order, please!

Admit strangers.

Today I would like to welcome to our galleries members of the Provincial

Advisory Council on the Status of Women: President and CEO Linda Ross and her

staff, Jessica Gallant, Sarah Flynn, and Gillian Spurrell.

Welcome to our galleries.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

Statements by Members

MR. SPEAKER: Today we have private members' statements from the Member

for the District of Bonavista North; the Member for the District of St. John's

West; the Member for the District of Kilbride; the Member for the District of

Torngat Mountains; the Member for the District of Exploits; and the Member for

the District of Mount Pearl North.

The hon. the Member for the District of Bonavista North.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. CROSS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It gives me great pleasure and honour to rise today, Mr. Speaker, and declare

that I have proof that love was in the air in 1941 and 1942 in Bonavista North.

I am just as convinced that same love endures today, Mr. Speaker.

On March 18, 1941, Arthur Wicks and Eunice King were united in matrimony at

Port Nelson in Bonavista North. Many members and most Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians would easily recognize the name Art Wicks as a fisherman, union

activist, and Open Line contributor. Mr. and Mrs. Wicks reside at Badger's Quay

today. They have happily raised four children, ten grandchildren, and fifteen

great-grandchildren. Art is ninety-two years young and Eunice is ninety. Art

still lives in the family house, but Eunice's health requires her to reside at

Bonnews Nursing Care Facility. Art spends about ten hours every day lovingly and

patiently sitting by her bedside at the home.

Also, a year later, on March 12, 1942, Nathan Humphries married the love of

his life, Melina Stagg, at Cape Freels. The calendar tells us that uncle Nat is

ninety-five, but his looks could cheat at least twenty-five years from that. On

my visit he stated that they moved to Badger's Quay in he thought it was

1977, to get closer to the fish plant; she quickly corrected him and said it

was 1967, and he said, just as quickly: She has been doing that for seventy

years. The Humphries' have eight children, eighteen grandchildren, and a growing

number of great-grandchildren.

I request that I can speak in one voice to represent this entire assembly in

wishing the Wicks and the Humphries', as we call them, a happy seventy-first and

seventieth anniversary respectively. Their love and commitment has certainly

withstood the test of time.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's West.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. CRUMMELL: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Noel "Jake"

Stanford, a resident of St. John's West and winner of the Newfoundland and

Labrador 2011 John Drinkwater Memorial Coach of the Year Award.

I had the pleasure of being in attendance as Jake was presented with this

award during the 2012 Annual Stars and Legends Awards Gala held April 14 at the

Sheraton Hotel.

Mr. Speaker, Jake Stanford has had a long and successful sporting career and

he had very impressive results with the soccer teams he coached in 2011. His

Under-16 Girls Soccer Team was undefeated in the provincial league and won gold

at the Provincial Championships. They also placed third in the Senior Ladies

Jubilee League. Jake also coached Holy Cross/Kirby Senior Men's Team to first

place in Challenge Cup Soccer with just one loss during the season. This team

won the Challenge Cup Provincial Championship and also placed fourth at the

national competition.

Mr. Speaker, Jake's leadership and coaching knowledge has proven invaluable

to his teams and he is very deserving of this award.

I ask all hon. members to join me in congratulating Jake Stanford on being

named the Newfoundland and Labrador 2011 Coach of the Year.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Kilbride.

MR. DINN: Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to congratulate

the Waterford Lions Club on the occasion of its thirty-second anniversary

commemorated on Saturday, March 10, 2012.

The Waterford Lions Club was chartered thirty-two years ago in April, 1980

with a mandate to work with the residents and staff at the Waterford Hospital to

provide services and financial help wherever a need was identified.

Over the past thirty-two years, this group has raised funds to organize

Christmas parties, dinners and dances, bingo games, and movies for the residents

of the Waterford Hospital.

For many years, the Waterford Lions club provided scholarships for children

and staff attending high school. This practice has since been discontinued and

now the club sponsors a Leo Club organized at Beaconsfield Junior High School.

At the charter night event, March 10, several awards were presented to

individual Lions Club members. The Lion of the Year award was presented to

Lorraine Pearce for her outstanding devotion, loyalty, and hard work. Walter

Bishop received an appreciation award for outstanding service and nearly all

members were recognized for 100 per cent attendance.

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

congratulating the Waterford Lions Club on its thirty-second anniversary.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Torngat Mountains.

MR. EDMUNDS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise in this hon. House today to pay tribute to the late Garfield Flowers.

Mr. Speaker, Garfield spent his childhood in Flowers Bay, his ancestral home

situated between Hopedale and Natuashish, before moving to Hopedale.

Garfield persevered through residential schooling, Mr. Speaker, and went on

to become a very successful entrepreneur in Hopedale. Mr. Speaker, Garfield

created multiple businesses and was recognized for his efforts in business, not

having acquired a single cent in the form of a grant or a loan from any

government.

Mr. Speaker, Garfield was a driving force behind the creation of the Combined

Councils in 1973, and he was a regular attendee for years after. He was a

respected councillor and a very strong voice for the North Coast of Labrador.

Garf, as he was more commonly known, was a loving father and grandfather, and as

many individuals of his era, an expert hunter on both the land and the sea.

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

tribute to the late Garfield Flowers, a leader from Hopedale and a leader from

Northern Labrador.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Exploits.

MR. FORSEY: Mr. Speaker, it is not always easy to make choices,

especially when it is between two sports that you are passionate about playing.

That is what happened to several players on the Bishop's Falls Junior Men's

Broomball team on the weekend of February 9 to 11 when Bishop's Falls hosted the

Provincial Junior Championships, and the school hockey team, Leo Burke Academy,

were competing for the Confederation Cup in St. John's on the same weekend.

Mr. Speaker, several players chose to go to St. John's, leaving the

three-time defending broomball provincial champions without some of their top

players.

Mr. Speaker, with only eleven players they competed in the provincial

tournament and after round robin play, they qualified for the crossovers,

defeating Goose Bay two to one in overtime, which placed them in the gold medal

game.

Mr. Speaker, the championship game was exciting, which saw Stephenville - and

I am sure my colleagues from Port au Port and Stephenville East will be glad to

hear that Stephenville won the game in a close final one to nothing.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members to join me in congratulating the Bishop's

Falls Junior Men's Broomball team on their determination and accomplishment.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl North.

MR. KENT: Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to congratulate a

young resident of Mount Pearl and a member of the Junior Blades, nine-year-old

Zachary Dean. Zachary was selected to attend the Canadian Tire NHL Junior Skills

Competition held in Ottawa in January of this year.

Zachary was one of the top finishers among children his age across Canada

following regional competitions. His skill is shooting. Zachary is to be

commended for his extraordinary hard work and dedication. He is committed to the

sport of hockey and works tirelessly to improve his skills.

I would also like to extend congratulations and best wishes to Zachary's

parents, and the Mount Pearl Junior Blades. Without their support, I am sure

that Zachary would not have had the opportunity to travel to Ottawa and compete

on the Rideau Canal.

While in Ottawa, Zachary also attended the NHL All Star Game, which was no

doubt a highlight of the weekend for him and his fellow competitors. What a

wonderful experience for a nine-year-old hockey player.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of this House to join me in congratulating

Zachary on his achievements thus far in the sport of hockey and wish him all the

best as he continues his journey as an athlete. I am sure that we will all be

watching his progress.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Statements by Ministers.

Statements by Ministers

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

and the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

women recently appointed and reappointed to the Provincial Advisory Council on

the Status of Women for three-year terms.

The advisory council plays an integral role in our government's efforts to

advance the status of women by bringing forth the concerns and issues of diverse

groups of women in Newfoundland and Labrador. Input of the advisory council is

sought and respected not only by government but by external agencies and

organizations Province-wide. These latest appointments help ensure that the

advisory council will continue providing quality advice.

I am pleased to have this opportunity to announce three new appointments to

the advisory council, each of whom will fill vacancies on the board:

Lorraine

Hearn, who is a long-standing women's equality activist from Central

Newfoundland with extensive involvement in the prevention of violence against

women throughout our Province;

Cynthia Benoit, who has a background in social work and communications, and

is from Conne River;

and,

Melita Collier, who has experience working to advance many women's issues,

including supporting violence prevention in the south coast region.

Mr. Speaker, I am also pleased to announce the reappointment of the advisory

council's other board members. They are: President and CEO, Linda Ross;

Vice-President, Carolyn Lavers; Yamuna Kutty; Hilda Whelan; Michelle Murdoch;

Kelly Power; Mary Pia Benuen; and, Stephanie Flowers. These board members

represent women from all walks of life in Newfoundland and Labrador, including:

multicultural women; women with disabilities; women in skilled trades;

Aboriginal women; young women; women in leadership positions; as well as women

from Labrador and rural regions of our Province.

With these latest appointments, the advisory council will continue to play a

key role in advising not only the Women's Policy Office, and government but

all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians on social, political, legal, and cultural

issues, which are important to women of our Province.

I look forward to our continued work together to ensure equality, equity, and

inclusion for all women in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for an advance copy of her statement. I would also like

to congratulate Lorraine Hearn, Cynthia Benoit, and Melita Collier on their

recent appointments to the Provincial Advisory Council on the Status of Women,

and to certainly congratulate those who have been reappointed for another term.

Mr. Speaker, the work of the Provincial Advisory Council is primarily to

advocate on behalf of the issues of women in this Province and to make

recommendations to government for change. Their job is definitely a difficult

one when you look at the plight that women are faced with in Newfoundland and

Labrador today.

We are hearing already about the growing demand and the growing need at food

banks. We know that many of the people who are going to these food banks are

women in our Province, women who still live in poverty and women who still

suffer the challenges of finding housing and transitional housing in times of

violence, Mr. Speaker. Those are very critical issues, which need to continue to

be addressed.

Not only that, Mr. Speaker, there are many other issues that face women. One

of those issues is definitely around being a caregiver and family caregivers, an

issue the government opposite said they would address in their last election

campaign, which still has not materialized.

These are very significant issues that face women every day in our Province,

and I wish the advisory council well and I wish them success in being able to

tackle those issues and making life easier for all the women of our Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. John's Centre.

MS ROGERS: I would like to thank the minister for the advance copy of her

statement. These are wonderful appointments to the Provincial Advisory Council

on the Status of Women, representing the diversity and strength of women across

our Province. Congratulations to all of those new and returning to the council.

I look forward to their wisdom, their courage, and their generosity as they work

on the many outstanding issues vital to the full participation of women in our

society, particularly, for example, the critical lack of an affordable,

accessible, publicly funded, and publicly administered child care program.

I thank and celebrate the council for their great work on behalf of all the

women of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister Responsible for the Voluntary and

Non-Profit Sector.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. McGRATH: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge and celebrate the

tireless efforts of volunteers throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. Last week,

I was honoured to attend several events across the Province and celebrate the

vital role that volunteers play in communities throughout our Province. This

year's theme was Volunteers Passion, Action, Impact which reflected the

desire and the dedication of those who step up to make a difference. Their

passion gives birth to action, which in turn has an enormous positive impact on

our communities and beyond.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, we have almost 200,000 volunteers who

contribute more than 35 million hours of valuable time to communities and

community organizations every year, Mr. Speaker.

Our Province continues to lead the country as it relates to giving. According

to Statistics Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador boasts the highest donor rate of

time or money to charitable and non-profit organizations in 2010 with the rate

of 92 per cent, significantly higher than the national average of 84 per cent.

As volunteers in Newfoundland and Labrador continue to make time for others,

they become amazing role models for our children while improving our quality of

life. Our government continues to support young volunteers as they will be the

future leaders of our Province. As a government, we celebrate the role of the

voluntary, non-profit sector and its immense value and importance to the social,

economic, and cultural fabric of our communities.

Mr. Speaker, last year our government launched a new multimedia campaign

designed to celebrate volunteers in our Province. The Who Cares? campaign

is raising awareness about the impact and the importance of our volunteer sector

through the television advertising and on-line promotion.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage everyone to visit www.whocaresnl.ca and thank a

volunteer in their community. While National Volunteer Week has passed, it is

important that we celebrate and thank volunteers and non-profit organizations

all year long.

I ask all hon. members to join with me in honouring the valuable work that

the volunteer and non-profit sector contributes to our great Province.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement.

Truly, this is somewhat easy to do today, to stand and thank all the volunteers

for the tremendous work that they do. There is no question the theme being

Passion, Action and Impact, we can look at any community we want and at any

family we want, we can actually see the impact that volunteers have on our

community. I am not surprised to know that there are 200,000 volunteers putting

in 35 million hours of volunteer work every year.

We need not look any further than our food banks, our fire departments, our

search and rescue, our teachers for instance, our minor hockey coaches, even our

scouting movement. There are many people in our communities day-in and day-out

who do this and they do it with ease, and really, they do not ask for anything

in return. They are not here looking for recognition for the work they do, but

yet, indeed, it is nice for us to be able to stand and say thank you.

I thank the minister for the work that his department is doing in this. We

cannot do enough to recognize our community volunteers; they actually serve as a

foundation and the ability to grow our communities on a day-in and day-out

basis. I appreciate this opportunity once again.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement. I too am happy to

stand and applaud the outstanding contribution of the volunteers of this

Province. Indeed, each of us in this House owes many volunteers our gratitude

for helping get us elected.

Volunteers are the heart and soul of our community; government must ensure

that they are not burdened with work which should be done by government, and

that is a danger, Mr. Speaker. We must celebrate their generosity of spirit but

take care not to exploit it.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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.

Since 1971, government has published a Budget document called Salary Details.

This document contained details of every part-time and full-time job within the

department along with the salary range. This is a critical document used for

tracking and comparing government payroll and cost.

My question is to the Premier: Why has the government refused not to release

this information this year?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury

Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, that particular document is not linked to any

of the public accounts or the public statements of the Government of

Newfoundland and Labrador. If the information is required, it will certainly be

made available, but it was felt in view of the fact that it is not linked to the

public statements, there was really no need to publish it. If the information is

required, it will be made available.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Typically, from what I understand, it has been like forty years now that this

document has been available. I know in Estimates, people who use it found it to

be quite useful.

If they do not want to print it we were told yesterday that maybe the

printing cost was an issue could it be available to us on-line?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury

Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, if the Leader of the Opposition wants that

information, we will be happy to provide it.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Public sector contracts expired at the end of March, and yesterday in the

media, the minister stated that individual departments would have to find

savings to pay for any potential increase in public sector salaries.

I ask the Premier: Where do you expect these departments to find this money?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, this is normal practice. It has been followed since time

immemorial in terms of the House of Assembly and our negotiating. Surely, the

Leader of the Opposition is not suggesting we put an amount in the Budget that

can clearly be identified for negotiations. It would not be a whole lot of work

to it, I do not think, and I do not think it would be particularly wise.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I do understand that you would not want to put that amount there, but if you

are not willing to increase the deficit, you are only left with a number of

options: one is that you have to cap the salary; two, you will have to have

service cuts; or three, you will have to lay people off. So what is it going to

be?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, this will not be our first round of negotiations with the

wonderful people who work for the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and

the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Given our record, Mr. Speaker, we have not done badly

and we have not had to fire people, lay people off, and close down programs as a

result of our negotiations, nor do we expect we will have to do the same this

time either.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL: It will be difficult to find the money inside the department

without doing one of those three, I am sure.

Yesterday, the government also announced that $664 million will be

transferred to Nalcor this year. Of that total, $655 million will be

specifically for Muskrat Falls.

I ask the Premier: Why are you committing almost 9 per cent of your entire

Budget to this unsanctioned project?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition well knows, or ought to well know,

as does everybody else in this Province, that we are going to make a sanctioned

decision with regard to Muskrat Falls some time this year, likely in the fall.

If that sanctioned decision is to move ahead with the development of Muskrat

Falls, that will require some finances to do it. We have made it quite clear

that Muskrat Falls will be financed through a combination of debt and equity,

and that will be our contribution, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL: Mr. Speaker, I guess I want to ask the real obvious question

then, according to those comments: Are you saying now that you are going to

sanction this project regardless of what you get in analysis?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Now, I know the Leader of the Opposition is new to all of this, especially

the budgeting, and you have not had an opportunity yet to draw up a budget, Mr.

Speaker. We have to consider what is going to take place in the next year, and

we have to provide for it.

This money is in the Department of Natural Resources. If we do take the

decision to develop Muskrat Falls, the money will then be transferred to Nalcor,

Mr. Speaker. We have to provide for a yes decision, Mr. Speaker, especially in

view of the fact that there have not been any real roadblocks put in the way; no

information that has been brought forward that would deter us at this point from

developing Muskrat.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The fact of the matter is that, thanks to legislation that we currently have

put in place by this government, we cannot as an Opposition or people of this

Province see how this money will be used in Nalcor. We are not able to look at

the books.

Do we know the $655 million that is allocated for Nalcor how it would be

used? That translates to $1,300 for every man, woman, and child. How will this

money be used, or do we know?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I am really glad that the Leader of the Opposition has asked

this question, because first of all, the money is within the Department of

Natural Resources and the Auditor General certainly has the ability to audit

everything within government.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Let me point out to the Leader of the Opposition, and

the Member for the Bay of Islands, that the Auditor General can report on

everything that happens within government to the public, yes. Mr. Speaker, I

have to tell you, this is news from the Member of the Bay of Islands, that the

Auditor General

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: investigates what happens in all the departments of

government but cannot report it to the public. That is news to all of us, Mr.

Speaker. Not only can they do that within government, Mr. Speaker, they can do

it with Nalcor.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Nalcor and the government have already started work on Muskrat Falls, almost

as if it was a sanctioned project. They are proceeding with road construction to

the site and other site work as well.

I ask the Premier: You continue to act as if the project is sanctioned when

it is not. How can you seriously look at all of the other options, such as

natural gas, when you have already committed so much to Muskrat Falls?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to finish my answer to the previous question. The

Auditor General has the ability to audit Nalcor and it makes a general report to

the House of Assembly, which I suggest is very public. Mr. Speaker, if there are

serious exceptions that the Auditor General notes, he reports to the Cabinet and

it is made public that he has made such a report to the Cabinet. There is

nothing hidden over at Nalcor.

Mr. Speaker, hundreds of millions of dollars has been spent in the planning

for the development of the Lower Churchill. The most significant amount of it,

Mr. Speaker, has been spent by former Liberal Administrations.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: I am not criticizing that, Mr. Speaker, that is good

planning. It is called front-end loading, where you study a project, when you

take it under consideration, every aspect of it, so you know what you are

getting into before you commit to it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate the fact that we are willing to do all this front-end work, and

a lot of work, which I am glad to hear today, because we would consider for

people of this Province that that same level of detail would be done on natural

gas, too.

Mr. Speaker, my final question for today is - as you are sadly aware, the

Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre in this Province was finally shut down this week by

the Harper government, as you know. As a show of protest against this closure,

the City of St. John's has lowered its flags to half-mast. I understand the

Premier has been asked to do the same.

My question is to the Premier: Will you show solidarity on this issue and

lower the flags at Confederation Building and other provincial buildings across

the Province?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: No, I will not, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I have no intention of lowering flags. What I do have an

intention of doing is to consider to press our case with the federal government

and to make real arguments that have a chance of having an impact instead of a

show for public support. I am not interested in that, Mr. Speaker. I am

interested in real action that has a chance of bearing some kind of a result for

us that we want.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Premier might be interested in real action but we have yet to see it from

the other side.

Anyway, Mr. Speaker, my question is with regard to a commitment that she and

her government made in the 2011 election, and that was they would provide for

family caregivers in this Province. In the Budget yesterday we still never saw

any program to look after that commitment to family caregivers in Newfoundland

and Labrador.

I ask the government: Why did you make the commitment in the middle of an

election if you had no intentions of honouring it?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we are very clear on what it was we offered in our Blue Book.

What we offered to the people of this Province is the ability for family members

to be considered to give the care to people who need it when they have been

approved for such care.

Mr. Speaker, we have a policy in the Province at the moment, a long-standing

policy, that when somebody is approved for home care services, they are not

permitted to have somebody from their immediate family hired to do that work.

That has caused hardship in certain parts of the Province when others have not

been available to give that care. That was our commitment in the Blue Book, to

release that criteria, and to allow family caregivers to provide such to their

(inaudible).

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

If the Premier looked a little further, she would have also found out there

was an exemption program within her government for immediate family to give care

to family members, because I have gotten it for constituents of mine.

How is your commitment any different from what already existed? Why did you

go out there and convince people in this Province that are at home today caring

for elderly parents and adult children of disabilities that when your government

came into power they would receive a family caregiver allowance? That is the

impression you left to the public; there was no explanation.

I ask you today: Why you are changing your tune?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I am very clear on what our intention was and I am very clear on

what I said. As in most things with the Official Opposition, they manage to put

their own spin on it and turn it into something that they hope will work for

them, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, Mr. Speaker, there is the ability for families to get an exemption, but

it is very difficult to do it. Mr. Speaker, you will no longer be required to

get an exemption. When people are fully assessed, when they meet the criteria,

when they are eligible for benefits under home support, they can hire whoever it

is they want to hire to give that care within their home. That is a substantive

difference and important to families in this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In 2008, nearly five years ago, the government committed to a long-term care

strategy for the Province, but yesterday we saw absolutely no money committed

for this particular strategy.

I ask the Premier again today: Why is she going to let another year pass

without any real strategy for community and long-term care in our Province for

people who desperately need it?

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 no intention of letting another year pass. In the coming

weeks there will be a long-term care strategy released by this government. In

the meantime, we have not been doing nothing about long-term care. We have, in

fact, been investing at rates beyond anything ever invested by members opposite

when they were in power. Mr. Speaker, $480 million is not nothing.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, we continue to build on that, we continue to

invest in seniors in Newfoundland and Labrador, and that is a promise we will

continue to keep.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.

MR. JOYCE: Mr. Speaker, in 2007, this government committed to an election

promise to build a new hospital in Corner Brook, and government announced plans

in January 2008 to start the hospital. In this year's Budget five years later

there was only $1 million allocated for this $750 million facility.

I ask the minister: When will the government put meaningful funds in this

project, as not to delay it any further?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury

Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, there has been $18 million spent on the

proposed new hospital in Corner Brook at this time. There is a million dollars

in the Budget this year for planning. If more money for planning is needed, my

colleague, the Minister of Transportation of Works, has an additional $5 million

that can be drawn on for planning. If he runs out of money, they can come back

to me for more money for planning. We are going to build a hospital in the City

of Corner Brook when they are ready to go and they have got the planning done

and they have got the design done and they go to tender. We are going to give

them the money hundreds of millions of dollars, Mr. Speaker to build what is

going to be the state-of-the-art hospital in Western Newfoundland.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.

MR. JOYCE: Five years later and we are still trying to get the design

done.

In March, the Minister of Finance and Member for Humber East argued with

Gerry Byrne, stating that the money was available in the fiscal forecast, and

that his sources the Premier and the Minister of Health were his sources.

I ask the minister: Now that we see these sources are wrong, when will the

residents of the West Coast and Corner Brook have funds allocated to this

project and have the tenders called, and stop the delay on the project, like

they did to the long-term care facility?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury

Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: The delay on the long-term care project my God, the hon.

Member for Bay of Islands talked about that for years and years and years and

did not do it. We built it, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: He talked for years and years about Herdman Collegiate and

he did not do it. We did it, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: And he talked about a hospital for Corner Brook, Mr.

Speaker. The planning is done, and you ask: When we will do it? When they want

the money to do construction, they will get the money to do construction. When

they want money for planning, they will get money to do planning, but when they

want to build, they are going to build it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Bay of Islands.

MR. JOYCE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

If you want to listen to political rhetoric, listen to this, Mr. Speaker.

Yesterday, the Budget announced $3 million to redevelop a wing of the long-term

care facility in Corner Brook. I raised this issue with the minister and I was

told that the beds were open. Once again, we see the same $3 million announced

for the third time.

So I ask the minister: With the design work which you should have checked

on when will the tenders be called to have this open so our most vulnerable

citizens, the senior citizens, be put into a proper facility instead of playing

political rhetoric and have the job done?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, if nothing else we have to enjoy the passion of

the member opposite; however, the fifteen beds that he referred to were done. We

committed to doing that before. We told you they were done. They were done.

You asked for restorative care. Guess what the $3 million is for, Mr.

Speaker? It is for restorative care, like you asked for.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we were told by officials from the Department of

Finance that we could get information on departmental salaries if we asked for

it. Today we were told by members of that same department, when we called to get

the information, that they could not give us the information. If we wanted it,

we were going to have to go to individual departments.

I am asking the minister: Which is it? Are we going to have to go to every

single department to get this information, or is he going to direct his

officials to give us the information?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury

Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: I do not see why it is so difficult to go to departments

and seek information; you have the resources to do that.

Mr. Speaker, I said to the Leader of the Opposition, if they want the salary

listings, we would be very happy to supply that information. Just ask for it and

in due time we will get it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The point I am making is we asked for it today and we were told we could not

get it, so the minister better look to it.

Mr. Speaker, government has over $2 billion in cash assets, which it has

accrued over time and which have not been allocated to any program or expense

since 2004.

I ask the Premier: What is her government's plan for that money, Mr. Speaker?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury

Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, we come forward with a Budget every year that

lays out the financial plan of the government every year. The Budget was laid

out yesterday and the information will be in the plan.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

The minister knows, as I do, Mr. Speaker, that when you look at the

consolidated funds, that is where you find the cash assets and it is up to over

$2 billion. This money is not accruing much interest while government tries to

figure out what to do with it. It is not prudent fiscal management, so I ask the

Premier: Why hasn't this money been invested and that will not be found in the

Budget documents.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury

Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: Mr. Speaker, I can say to the Leader of the Third Party the

money of course is invested. In 2011-2012 we had a surplus of $776 million. Now

we used that surplus to pay for infrastructure. So, we built about $415 million

of infrastructure, new builds, without having to go and borrow for it; that is

what we did with that money. This year, Mr. Speaker, we are going to finance our

deficit and we are going to build another lot of new builds, new infrastructure,

and we will do that without borrowing money as well.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Once again, I did not get a clear answer from the minister.

Mr. Speaker, the unfunded pension liability in this Province is growing at an

alarming rate. Government did put $258 million into the fund this year, but it

had grown by $700 million, Mr. Speaker.

I ask the Premier: Does she have a plan to stem this growing liability, and

will she tell us what it is?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury

Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: If the Leader of the Third Party wants to stem the

liability, the growth in the pension plan, that means you have to cut pensions,

you have to cut benefits. Are you prepared to do that? Is that something that

your party wants to do? I do not think that is right without proper

investigation and consideration, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The minister put forward one option. Obviously, that is not an option we

want. I am asking the Premier, Mr. Speaker: What are the other options to take

care of this liability?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, since this government came in, in 2003, we have put over $3

billion into our pension plans.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Mr. Speaker, the pension plans, because of the way

they are structured, has a great deal of people who rely on them for their

income. Mr. Speaker, even though they are very well managed, we have been

through a very critical time in our economy and they have a taken a battering as

a result. We are very glad that we made the $3 billion investment because if we

had not, they would likely be bankrupt now, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, we have $2 billion cash on hand. We use it to fund our deficit. We use

it to fund new hospitals, new schools, road construction, so we do not have to

borrow.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

The cash on hand keeps growing, Mr. Speaker, so they are not spending.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS MICHAEL: It keeps growing. It goes up every year. Mr. Speaker, in

November of last year government announced an unexpected surplus of $756

million. At that time, the minister said it would be paid directly on the debt.

That was his press release: It would be paid directly on the debt. Yet

government only paid one-third of that surplus on the debt even though the

unfunded liability continues to push us further into debt.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS MICHAEL: Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: Why did government not live

up to its own commitment to put all of the surplus on the debt?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, debt is structured in a number of different ways. When you have

that kind of a surplus and it goes back, Mr. Speaker, a significant amount of it

goes on debt; over $300 million of it went into the pension plan. I am happy to

say, and the people of the Province saw in our Budget yesterday, that we

continue to plan to reduce our debt. As I have said many times, we have reduced

our debt from $12 billion, almost down

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

PREMIER DUNDERDALE: to less than $8 billion, $7.8 billion.

Mr. Speaker, there are not countries in the world that can make that kind of

a boast, let alone provinces in this wonderful country of Canada.

Mr. Speaker, we have a plan, a ten-year plan to reduce our debt down into

reasonable levels.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for The Straits White Bay North.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MITCHELMORE: Mr. Speaker, last June government said there were 450

communities with broadband access. A letter to Minister Hutchings on February 24

of this year states the Rural Broadband Initiative has put broadband internet

into 470 communities. To extend access to twenty additional communities seems to

have required an investment of $7 million from government with another $25

million from other sources.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister: Of the 200-plus communities waiting for

broadband access, how many of them does he hope to extend high-speed internet

access to, with a pledge to invest just $2 million?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Innovation, Business and Rural

Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HUTCHINGS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we are delighted; since coming to power, we have increased

high-speed Internet to over 300 per cent, 312 per cent in Newfoundland and

Labrador. We made a commitment we went to the people last fall in October

that we continue that over the next four years, continue to increase our

capacity, which is 85 per cent on the Island now, in light of the $24 million

investment we made last fall, 95 per cent in Labrador. We will continue with

those initiatives.

Certainly, this is an industry that is federally regulated by the CRTC;

Industry Canada plays a role. While the hon. member advocates here, I certainly

encourage you to advocate with the federal government, Industry Canada, the

CRTC, and private service providers, that collectively they play the role they

need to play. We will be there to partner when we possibly can, when it is in

the best interests of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for The Straits White Bay North.

MR. MITCHELMORE: The minister is certainly showing not a commitment to

the rural areas, those under-serviced areas, by scaling back the funding.

Mr. Speaker, this government touts itself on cutting taxes and leading the

way in Canada, yet when it comes to the small business tax, we rank eight out of

ten provinces. 40 per cent of all workers in this Province are employed by small

businesses.

Mr. Speaker, I asked the minister before Easter break, and he responded by

telling me to enjoy my Easter break. I ask the minister again: Why is the cut in

small business tax not a priority, one that is a

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. MITCHELMORE: responsible investment that will help small businesses

and the economy

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. MITCHELMORE: especially rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury

Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. MARSHALL: I hope the hon. member enjoyed his Easter break.

Mr. Speaker, we have given the biggest personal income tax cut in the history

of Newfoundland and Labrador. We have eliminated the hated 15 per cent RST on

insurance. We are rebating the 8 per cent hated HST on heating. We have lowered

business taxes. We have lowered cuts in fees. I am delighted to say that we cut

licence fees and motor vehicle registrations to seniors to give them a break,

which they deserve, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's East.

MR. MURPHY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs. I could

not let you off with it, Sir. The government has decided there will not be a new

municipal funding formula until we get rid of the deficit, and that may be by

2014. This is patently unfair, Mr. Speaker, to those municipalities that are

really trying to make things better for the people who they serve. We are seeing

a delay in negotiating better terms with municipalities, but their problems are

not going away, no matter if the Province is in the red or in the black.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister: Why is he not working on a new fiscal

arrangement now rather than later, to ensure that municipalities can provide

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians with the most basic of services?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: Mr. Speaker, the first thing I have to say to the hon.

member - he is into the pricing of gas all over the Province and I see he is

having a decrease in the next day or so, as predicted by VOCM or whatever it may

be. As well, this provincial government is trying to do what they can for the

people they serve. Not only do municipalities serve the people of Newfoundland

and Labrador, so does the provincial government and the people who sit in this

House of Assembly and that is exactly what we do.

In regard to a fiscal arrangement, we have to have something that is

accountable, something that is transparent, something that is affordable, and

something that is sustainable long into the future of Newfoundland and Labrador.

I, as the Minister of Municipal Affairs, have no intention of bringing in a

formula or even entertaining a formula that is not sustainable and affordable to

the people of this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John's East; time for a very

short question.

MR. MURPHY: Mr. Speaker, municipalities are in urgent need of a new

fiscal arrangement now to meet the service needs. They cannot wait any longer.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister: Why did his government decide not to enter

into a new fiscal arrangement with the municipalities this year but chose to

wait until 2014? That is a simple question.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs, time for a very

short answer.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O'BRIEN: Mr. Speaker, I cannot guarantee you a short answer today. I

can guarantee you that when I get wound up, even if the light goes off.

I will tell what we did do. We extended the $4.6 million that we put on top

of Municipal Operating Grants in this particular Budget to support our

municipalities in Newfoundland and Labrador. We will continue to do that

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The time for Question Period has expired.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees

MR. SPEAKER: Pursuant to

section 16 of the House of Assembly

Accountability, Integrity and Administration Act, a Members' Compensation Review

Committee of not more than three individuals must be appointed at least once

during each General Assembly to prepare a report respecting salaries,

allowances, severance payment, and pensions for Members of the House of

Assembly. This report is presented to the Speaker, who brings the

recommendations to the House of Assembly Management Commission for review.

As required under subsection 16(2) of the House of Assembly Accountability,

Integrity and Administration Act, I have consulted with the Government House

Leader, the Official Opposition House Leader, and the Leader of the Third Party

on this appointment, and now reporting to the House.

I am pleased to report that Judge Jacqueline Brazil of the Provincial Court

has agreed to undertake this assignment. I understand that the Government House

Leader will be giving notice later today with respect to the resolution.

Tabling of Documents.

Notices of Motion.

Notices of Motion

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KENNEDY: Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will ask leave to move the

following resolution:

Be it resolved by the House of Assembly as follows:

WHEREAS subsection 16(1) of the House of Assembly Accountability, Integrity

and Administration Act requires that a Member's Compensation Review Committee of

not more than three individuals be appointed at least once during each General

Assembly to conduct an inquiry and prepare a report respecting the salaries,

allowances, severance payments and pensions to be paid to Members of the House

of Assembly; and

WHEREAS in accordance with subsection 16(2) of the House of Assembly

Accountability, Integrity and Administration Act, the Speaker has consulted with

the Government House Leader, the Official Opposition House Leader, and the

Leader of the Third Party on the appointment; and

WHEREAS they have agreed with the introduction of this resolution; and

WHEREAS subsection 16(4) of the House of Assembly Accountability, Integrity

and Administration Act requires that a report, with recommendations, must be

presented to the Speaker within 120 days of the appointment;

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that Jacqueline Brazil, a Judge of the Provincial

Court, be appointed to fulfill this requirement, with the appointment to become

effective on August 6, 2012; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Judge Brazil conduct her inquiry and present her

report to the Speaker on or before December 6, 2012.

MR. SPEAKER: Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Burgeo - La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to enter a petition to the hon. House of Assembly for the

Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament Assembled.

The petition of the undersigned residents humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS home care allows the elderly and people with disabilities to remain

within the comfort and security of their own homes, home care also allows people

to be discharged from hospital earlier; and

WHEREAS many families find it very difficult to recruit and retain home care

workers for their loved ones; and

WHEREAS the PC Blue Book 2011, as well as the 2012 Speech from the Throne,

committed that government would develop a new model of home care and give people

the option of receiving that care from family members; and

WHEREAS government has given no time commitment for when government plans to

implement paying family caregivers;

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

House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to

implement a new home care model to cover family caregivers in the 2012-2013

Budget.

And in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray.

Obviously, Mr. Speaker, this is a petition that was signed before the Budget

came out yesterday but it is something that has been on the minds of my

constituents during the campaign and since I was elected. It is an issue that is

affecting a lot of people all over this Province. Unfortunately, we did not

receive any word yesterday on when family caregivers are going to be able to

care for their loved ones and not have to give up their jobs or take reduced

employment in order to take care of loved ones, especially in rural Newfoundland

and Labrador.

I know this is an issue that affects many constituents, and many different

members of this House, all over this Province. So, I guess what I am saying here

today is this is just the first one of these petitions that I intend to bring,

Mr. Speaker. We need to ensure a high standard of care and support for our aging

and for seniors. Again, it is important that we allow these people the

opportunity to remain in their home and in their community. Certainly, there is

a deficit in terms of housing that is available for seniors in this Province. We

recognize that is an issue.

We also recognize, especially in rural communities, that it is hard to find

caregivers to take care of our loved ones. So, being able to give family

caregivers an opportunity to be paid for the work that they provide to take care

of the families is certainly a priority I hope it is a priority and I look

forward to seeing the policy that is being designed, hopefully, is going to come

forward soon. I will raise another petition soon enough dealing with

constituents from a different area of my Province.

Thank you very much for this opportunity, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The Member for St. John's East.

MR. MURPHY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am humbled to be presenting a petition on behalf of the people of the Burin

Peninsula region who have entered into getting this petition presented in the

House. I will read the prayer:

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 weather cameras are needed on the Burin Peninsula Highway for safety

of residents who are traveling during unpredictable weather conditions;

We, the undersigned, petition the House of Assembly to urge government to

install weather cameras on the Burin Peninsula Highway.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

It is signed by several residents, of course, in the Burin Peninsula area.

Mr. Speaker, I cannot say how urgent the need would be for cameras down on the

Burin Peninsula Highway, but we are all in tune with the fact that the Burin

Peninsula Highway can be a very dangerous road, especially during the winter

time. The road, at times, is narrow. I was down there last week and I know that

it is a long drive; a little bit of a lonely drive for some. This is an area of

the Province that is ever-burgeoning when it comes to a booming economy, and

there are a lot of people down there who are going to be working particularly

from the Burin Peninsula area in the Long Harbour area. There are a lot of

people who, in fact, use that road. As well as that, there is spotty cellphone

coverage in a lot of areas down there, and it is a direct safety concern that

the residents of the Burin Peninsula have.

Like I said, we have a very busy industry, a very busy economy on the Burin

Peninsula these days, and I would certainly hope that government would take it

into consideration over the next little while that they would address the

concerns of the highway users down there. We do know that every time we turn on

the news the one thing that a lot of people look at are the highway cameras

through Foxtrap right on over to Port aux Basques, and of course, up in Labrador

as well. These residents have a very unique concern and a very important

concern, if they just turn on their computer and pretty much be able to closely

monitor the road conditions we do hope the government will pay this petition

some heed.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

MR. EDMUNDS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I table the following petition:

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

Parliament assembled. The petition of the undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS there is an identified need for all levels of care in all regions in

Labrador; and

WHEREAS the Paddon Home is suitable for all levels of care;

We, the undersigned, urge every member in this hon. House to call upon the

government to reopen the long-term care facility in Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, many, many of our constituents in all districts and most of

the signatures on this petition today comes from the district of my hon.

colleague for Upper Lake Melville. Mr. Speaker, the number of seniors is coming

fast upon us and they need a safe and available location to enjoy life, as we

all promised. Mr. Speaker, Labrador is no different than the rest of our

Province, the rest of our country.

Mr. Speaker, I have seen many beautiful seniors' homes around this Province,

but in Labrador it is to a point where it is impacting the ability of our health

care system. All of this strain is causing many setbacks and in the meantime,

Mr. Speaker, we have a building up there that is designed for seniors that sits

idle.

Mr. Speaker, many constituents in Labrador are hopeful that all members of

this hon. House urge this government to reopen the Paddon Home for its intended

purpose: to help out those who have paved the way for our existence our

seniors.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

Orders of the Day

Private Members' Day

MR. SPEAKER: This being Wednesday, Private Members' Day, I now call on

the Member for Bellevue to introduce the motion that is on the Order Paper in

his name, Order 7.

The hon. the Member for Bellevue.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. PEACH: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It gives me a great pleasure to rise in this hon. House and take my place as

the MHA for the great District of Bellevue and represent my constituents. Mr.

Speaker, I will read into the record the motion that was read by me yesterday

and seconded by the hon. Member for Baie Verte Springdale:

WHEREAS Newfoundland and Labrador's sealing industry is ecologically

sustainable, economically valuable and among the world's most highly regulated

and well-managed humane animal harvests; and

WHEREAS the provincial government is investing in a sustainable sealing

industry in this Province through initiatives such as communications and

advocacy campaigns and the provision of a $3.6 million loan to Carino Processing

Limited for the purchase of raw material, which will ensure products are

available as the market grows while at the same time enabling hundreds of

harvesters and plant workers to secure an income; and

WHEREAS the federal government, in agreement with our government's request,

is challenging the discriminatory trade practices of other countries;

THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that this hon. House supports the actions and

investments of the provincial government to advance the growth of a sustainable

and professional sealing industry in Newfoundland and Labrador; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House encourages the federal government to

continue its efforts to support the Canadian sealing industry and to challenge

the discriminatory actions of countries that violate trade laws.

MR. SPEAKER: The House has heard the motion.

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion as read?

The Member for Bellevue.

MR. PEACH: Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure for me to introduce such a

motion that is so vital to the sealing industry of Newfoundland and Labrador. It

is so important to the industry, to Carino Processing Limited, to the

harvesters, and also, Mr. Speaker, to the future existence of our cod stocks. It

is also a great pleasure to speak on such an important motion, which affects the

future of the seal hunt.

I feel optimistic that when our world economy bounces back, Mr. Speaker, our

seal hunt will come back. Mr. Speaker, the dignity, pride, and self-reliance

will be with the people of our great Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Our

government will remain committed to a future harvest that continues to provide

an important economic benefit to our coastal and northern communities in rural

Newfoundland and Labrador.

The sealing industry has always been a historical hunt, a tradition to

Newfoundland and Labrador communities, and most of all, a means of providing for

families in small outport communities. That is why it is so important for our

government to continue our support for the seal hunt.

I want to say, Mr. Speaker, that I was visiting a couple of the fishing

communities in my district over the Easter holidays. I went to the waterfront

and talked to some of the guys on a nice, calm day. They were getting aboard

their boats. To see the pleasure of being able to go out and hunt the seals, and

the comments that were made with regard to the Government of Newfoundland

putting the $3.6 million into the Carino industry to be able to allow them to

again this year take

part in a seal hunt, was certainly a great pleasure for me

to be there as the MHA and talk to these people about this.

Mr. Speaker, if all else fails, we will not be dead in the water, so to

speak. The seal hunt will rebound, Mr. Speaker. Our government, processors, and

the federal government working together will open doors. We can do research,

explore new opportunities, and explore more new markets in China, Asia, Russia,

Korea, and India. The federal government can break down the barriers that are

challenging the discriminatory trade practices of other countries.

Mr. Speaker, we can find a way to utilize the whole seal carcass. There are

so many people around the world with very little food, and we have so many seals

that could be a good food source for other countries. Seals are an important and

valuable natural resource to many Newfoundland and Labrador families. Mr.

Speaker, I will just tell you a couple of little stories going back when Mr.

John Efford was in government. He spoke several times on his support of the seal

fishery, and he talked about how he had diabetes, and how he had problems with

the circulation in his legs and things like that. He said that by taking the

seal oil, seal capsules every day, it certainly helped him with regard to that

problem that he had through diabetes.

If anybody was listening to the Open Line show and they listened to Percy, a

guy under the name of Percy and it was not Percy Barrett, now, but it was a

guy by the name of Percy and he compared the seal flippers to Viagra, Mr.

Speaker. So, that is just a couple of notes I made, and a couple of nights ago I

was listening to Peter Soucy talking about that, and some of the people made

comments about that. I just want to say we are growing older, too, Mr. Speaker.

Harp seals rank fifth of the total landed volume in our Province. Seals are a

part of our culture, vital to our economy. Most of all, Mr. Speaker, the seal

hunt plays an important

part in controlling the growth of our cod stocks. This

year, Mr. Speaker, Carino will purchase 100,000 seal pelts. While this is not a

large number, it will enable the Carino company to employ twenty-five full-time

personnel, and fifteen seasonal, for a total of fifty people. This will allow

them to be able to process for three months at raw material, and nine months at

tanning, for a total of twelve months. This funding of the $3.6 million will

have an incremental effect on the future of the seal fishery and the industry

and the markets, Mr. Speaker. It is very important to the seal plant workers at

South Dildo and area. This seal plant is the largest tannery plant in the world,

and its operations are in the District of Bellevue.

Mr. Speaker, back a couple of years ago the plant in Norway brought

everything over to South Dildo through GC Rieber. All of the industry in Dildo

right now, it is the largest in the world, and all the products are being put

through that plant. The one in Norway has now been closed, indefinitely.

Mr. Speaker, the sealing industry is significant to the people of my district

and many of my colleagues' districts across the Province of Newfoundland and

Labrador. It is imperative to the small boat fishermen who hunt seals in the

bay. It is imperative to the crews who go to the ice to hunt seals. Having said

that, Mr. Speaker, this year those who can sell pelts at the plant in South

Dildo not only have to have a sealing licence this is being done in a humane

way, because I talked to the plant owner the other day, or the plant manager, I

should say, about the process they have to go through this year. In order for

people to sell pelts at the plant this year in South Dildo they had to take a

training course and they have to have a certificate. They have to show a

certificate in order to sell the pelts. In Carino over the last few years that

has not been a practice, but this year, because of the quality of the pelts and

to have good quality to go to market - also, Mr. Speaker, under the food

inspections because they are selling the oil and things like that, under the

food inspections they have to make sure that the seals are handled properly and

when they come to the plant they are harvested in a proper way.

The seal harvest has much historical significance to our Province. There is

evidence of Aboriginal and Viking dependence on seals. The commercial seal

harvest dates back to the 1700s and peaked at 700,000 animals in 1844. For

hundreds of years it provided income and food to coastal communities for their

survival. There are approximately 12,500 licensed sealers in the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador; however, the number of active harvesters varies from

year to year based on ice conditions, market demand, or the start up of other

fisheries. Typically, the number of active sealers participating in the harvest

can be up to 3,000 annually.

Participation in the industry fluctuates annually, based on market

conditions, ice conditions and competition from more lucrative fisheries, such

as the crab fishery. For example, Mr. Speaker, approximately 390 people had

participated in the harvest in 2010. This number is down significantly from

2009, which reported 1,755 active participants. Similarly, the number of active

vessels in 2010 dropped to 106 from 540 active vessels in the previous year. The

total value of seal landings has been decreased since 2006, when it was valued

at over $34 million and sealers received $100 a pelt. In 2012, it is in the

order of around $27 for the pelt and pet. Some sealers have stated that up to 35

per cent of their annual income is from the sealing industry.

Processing companies undertake primary processing which enables removing the

blubber from the pelts, curing the pelts and rendering the blubber into

consumption grade omega-3 oil. In 2012, these two companies merged to operate

out of the GC Rieber plant in South Dildo, known as Carino Processing Limited. I

talked earlier about how they had merged from Norway into South Dildo.

Over the years the sealing industry has contributed hundreds of millions of

dollars to the provincial economy. Even in the last few years it has contributed

$100 million. Seal oil processing is becoming the primary industry driver, and

seal oil is used in omega-3 health products to fight medical conditions such as

heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis. There has also been promising research

on the use of seal heart valves in humans. Over 80 per cent of seal oil products

are sold to Asian markets such as China, South Korea, and Norway.

Seal meat exports are generally destined for South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and

Hong Kong. In 2008, 91 per cent of all seal meats exported was destined for

Japan. The remainder went to South Korea and France. There are indications of

significant markets for seal oil and meat in China, more than we could supply.

GC Rieber Skinn is the world's leading supplier of dressed seal furs to

garments, footwear and accessory manufacturers. At their tannery, seal furs are

processed in accordance with traditional craftsmanship passed down through four

generations. Building on 130 years of expertise, they are still creating new

effects. They are the provider of choice for international fashion designers -

working closely with them to produce high-quality furs with varied

characteristics, adapting to changing styles and making new exclusive fashions

possible.

GC Rieber Skinn is a vital part of the GC Rieber Group. Bernie Halloran, a

person at Vogue I think probably the manager at Vogue said that one out of

every eight who goes into his store buys a product. Mr. Speaker, we saw there on

the news just a while ago when the minister was there trying on their product,

and I think he looked pretty smurfy' by the way I should say sealy'.

GC Rieber Skinn AS is proud to be a number one supplier of the finest seal

furs from fur-tanned skins for garments, hats and accessories to chrome-tanned

furs for footwear. Furs from seals presented in a variety of colours and

finishes are both distinctive and versatile. Any fur used in their production is

from seals caught according to the international agreements about wildlife

protection and the maintenance of our mutual natural seals.

Mr. Speaker, some of the things that have been made out of those products,

like beaters, the silver-grey with dark spots, you can make garments, hats,

collars, shoes, slippers. Then we have the saddlers, the old harp seals; shoes

and slippers are made out of that. Then we have klappmyss, silver-grey with dark

spots, and the product from that are shoes and slippers as well.

Hides and skins were the original focus of Christian Rieber ever since he

secured his trade since 1879. So, he has been around a long time, Mr. Speaker;

his company has been around a long time. Today, GC Rieber is the world's leading

supplier of dressed seal furs to manufacturers of garments and footwear and

accessories.

Mr. Speaker, I am going to leave it at that because I only have a few seconds

left. I certainly want to stress to the people that this is a very important

motion that we have on the floor here. It is very important to the sealing

industry, it is very important to the fishers, it is very important to the

people of our Province, and it is very important to our economy. I will sit and

I will listen attentively to what some of the others say.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The member's time has expired.

The hon. the Member for St. Barbe.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BENNETT: Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I assume that the members opposite are applauding because I am

about to give a mark of B to the $3.6 million. B is pretty good, but it is not

an A. The private member's motion clearly is entitled to an A; but, the

government's efforts a B, not an A.

Clearly the sealing industry is very important in this Province. It is more

important in this Province than in any other province in Canada. Right now, it

is as if there is a plague of locusts, being seals in the ocean, and they are

eating practically everything that they can find. Why wouldn't they? These 250

pound to 300 pound and 400 pound animals need to eat, and they do eat a lot.

The importance of the sealing industry in small towns early in the spring and

late in the winter can hardly be overstated. Many of these small towns have seen

very little cash from late in the fall, for whatever the fishery might have

been, until the sealing industry starts. If they can be paid $25, $30, or $50 a

pelt for prime beaters and if a small boat could get a hundred or a couple of

hundred, then they can easily generate $3,000 or $4,000 per household in less

than a week. This cash comes fast. It comes with hard work. It is dangerous

work. Going out in twenty, twenty-five, and thirty-foot open boats harvesting

seals among the ice flows is not easy work. It comes with an expense. The

expense is to outfit the boat. Typically, boats that have insurance are not able

to get insurance for sealing. They can only get insurance for the fishery.

This government initiative for $3.6 million is certainly to be applauded. I

understand that the sources at Carino say that this means they will be able to

buy probably 100,000 seals this year; however, the quota is 400,000 and the seal

population, we are being told, has a range of anywhere from 7 million or 8

million to 10 million, and the Greenlanders say 13 million or 14 million.

We would not want to rely on figures from DFO because we know what happened

when we relied on figures from DFO for the cod fishery: We ran out of cod. When

the fishermen were saying we are running out of cod, DFO was saying there was

lots of cod. Now when a lot of the small boat fishermen say there is lots of

cod, DFO says there is no cod.

This initiative, Mr. Speaker, could have been improved with a federal

contribution. We have demonstrated precedence between this Province and the

federal government in dealing with matters related to our fishery, and in this

case it should be our sealing industry, whereby the federal government has quite

often contributed 70 per cent to any sort of initiative. So, the Province should

be congratulated for coming up with the $3.6 million; however, it seems to have

been done in a hasty manner to respond to an emergency.

While our federal colleagues were wearing seal skin ties in Ottawa and

congratulating themselves on the importance of the fishery, why were they not

contributing 70 cents for every dollar of an overall program so that the

provincial $3.6 million would then be matched with $8.4 million from the federal

government? That would then be $12 million that would be available to the

industry instead of $3.6 million. That would mean that instead of 100,000 seals

being taken out of circulation, this year we probably could satisfy the entire

quota of 400,000 and begin to start trimming those numbers.

The 70/30 ratio is what the federal government and the provincial government

agreed upon for the cod moratorium. It is the figure that the provincial

government set forth in the MOU from more than a year ago when the provincial

government said that we will go to the feds and look for a 70 per cent

contribution. So, if the $3.6 million is enough overall which in my submission

it is not we should be entitled to a 70 per cent refund from the feds, but

better yet, that we should gross up that amount from $3.6 million to $12

million, make it available to all players in the sealing industry; if it is more

than is necessary for the harvesting initiative, then clearly it should go into

the marketing initiative.

Now, the marketing initiative in sealing seems to be practically

non-existent. Mr. Speaker, I can say that within the past week I have had a

telephone call from a small seal buyer in my district who has a market for 6,000

whole seals in South Korea, and he is not able to get a permit to export 6,000

whole seals at full price to sell the pelt, the fat, and the meat the meat at

a dollar and a quarter a pound in South Korea. He was unable to get an export

licence last year. He is unable to get an export licence this year, so that

means 6,000 seals which could be harvested in St. Barbe district by a small

processor, a small seal buyer, will go unharvested, and is not affected at all

by these funds. So, these funds, in my view, should have been leveraged.

The government in the Budget yesterday, and through all of its discussions,

talks about leveraging provincial money to get more federal money to get a

bigger bang for the buck, they say. In this case, rather than running off and

writing a cheque for $3.6 million, the provincial government ought to have

engaged the federal government and asked for, at the very least, a matching

contribution. It was a matching contribution of 50/50 that they received from

the lobster initiative, which is not going very well. However, 70 per cent would

be more appropriate and that would give us a $12 million budget to be able to

address the sealing industry.

At this point, it seems that while we are still focused on seals, Ottawa has

forgotten about the seals, and all of the people who were going around the House

of Commons wearing seal skin ties and giving the photo ops have now forgotten

about the sealing industry. We have not forgotten about the sealing industry,

but we need to remember that we have federal partners and they ought to be

partners. They are the ones who are taking the federal initiative to lobby on

our behalf and to challenge the discriminatory practices that are referred to in

the private member's resolution. Clearly, the federal government should be

called upon to provide a 70 per cent contribution to increase this amount of

money to $12 million. If the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture is of the

notion that maybe this year we needed to do this in a hurry and there was no

time to get the program right, then I would encourage him: Go back to the

federal government, look for a matching or better contribution, and put into

place an overall and proper seal harvesting and seal marketing strategy.

Clearly, the Province is on the right track right now, but by going off on

its own when this is a national issue has failed to take full opportunity of the

federal cheque book, that we could have had maybe as much as $12 million to do

the same job.

Mr. Speaker, as I started out, I said that I could give the resolution an A,

but the $3.6 million only a B, because the $3.6 million would be increased to an

A if we were to get a federal contribution of anywhere from 50 to 70 per cent of

the overall program.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER (Kent): Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Baie Verte Springdale.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am certainly delighted and appreciate the privilege of speaking to this

motion today that was introduced by my colleague, the Member for the District of

Bellevue. I would like to thank the Minister of Fisheries and the Government

House Leader for the opportunity to speak to this motion and also applaud the

Minister of Fisheries for a stupendous job that he is doing.

I would like to say up front, Mr. Speaker, that I am so pleased that our

Premier and our government are supporting, and have supported, the sealing

industry, because the sealing industry is very important, not only to my

district but to the entire Province. Although we are facing marketing challenges

today, right now, but we as a government, we are confident and optimistic that

the industry will move forward under the leadership of our Premier and our

minister. We believe in the value of our sealing industry. We believe it has

value for rural Newfoundland and Labrador. We know that we will overcome the

challenges that confront us right now. That is why we offer tangible ways to

show our support.

Mr. Speaker, for hundreds of years the sealing industry has been thriving in

Newfoundland and Labrador, and we expect that continue. The seal resource has

played a critical and pivotal role in the evolution of many of our coastal

regions and coastal communities. It has shaped our future, it is part of our

heritage, and it has defined us as a people of which we are very proud indeed.

It is intricately linked to the economies of our region, employing over 6,000

people part-time. It has been a traditional way of life for the Coast of

Labrador, for communities along the East Coast and the Northeast Coast of the

Province, especially in my district of Baie Verte Springdale.

My district, historically, has been attached to the sealing industry. For

example, Nippers Harbour according to Mr. Carl Wright, who was an avid

fisherperson over the years; he is probably the last living person in the area,

in the era, that canned and tinned seal meat in Nippers Harbour back in the

early 1900s. In fact, Nippers Harbour operated four businesses canning seal

meat. It closed its doors around 1960.

Of course, my district is also the home of the Northeast Coast co-op that is

operating out of Fleur de Lys. They started in 1986. Of course, my district is

also the home of Mr. Mark Small, who is a tireless advocate of the sealing

industry. He is the face of the sealing industry for sure in this Province, and

probably in the entire nation.

In my remarks today, Mr. Speaker, I would like to deal with two issues that

relate to the sealing industry: number one, the humaneness of the harvest; and

number two, the ecological and environmental significance or impact. Number one,

the humaneness of the harvest; in terms of humaneness, the anti-seal and the

animal rights movements, out of self-interest and greed, have spewed out poison

propaganda that the harvest is cruel and barbaric. They depicted us as

Newfoundlanders, as Canadians, and as Labradorians as cruel, mean people. We

know the difference, of course. We are kind people. We are tender-hearted

people. Nothing could be further from the truth, Mr. Speaker. These groups have

misrepresented the facts for their own benefit.

In terms of the humaneness, again, of the harvest, the Canadian seal harvest

is one of the best-managed harvests of animals anywhere in the world, Mr.

water, and in the air. In 1964, the first seal protection regulations were

established; in 1965, a clear definition was given for the harvesting of the

humane, for example, annual quotas, and the dates.

In 1985, DFO introduced regulations that specified the means and tools to

harvest the animal in a most humane and effective manner. In 1987, DFO adopted a

policy to prohibit the harvest of white coat and blueback seals for commercial

purposes; the use of vessels larger than sixty-five feet was also banned. In

1992, DFO created the first seal harvest management plan. In 1993, the marine

mammal regulations were adopted and these regulations were focused on furthering

the humane practices of the hunt, such as using the proper ammunition.

The international or the independent veterinarian report, which was around

2005, has reviewed the harvest and noted that it operates with a low level of

unnecessary pain and suffering for the animal, around 5 per cent, Mr. Speaker;

this is in fact lower than killing practices in animal processing operations. In

2009, Mr. Speaker, a three-step harvesting process was introduced, requiring

sealers to carry out a three-step process, which is designed to ensure that the

seal has expired before the sealers would carry on its processing of the animal.

To further ensure that the seals were harvested humanely, the industry has

been increasing its level of training. The goal is to have mandatory

certification of professional sealers. DFA, as part of sealers, the federal

government, and other special groups such as the Canadian Sealing Association,

the FFAW, implement these training sessions to help out. To date, over 3,500

sealers have been trained.

The focus remains, Mr. Speaker, on a sustainable harvest based on solid

science and sound conservation principles. The focus remains on the full

utilization of the animal, Mr. Speaker, and the focus also remains on the humane

harvesting methods, with zero tolerance for any inhumane practices. Our

government is totally committed to these three principle cornerstones by which

we can develop or advance the industry even further.

Mr. Speaker, these principles are complemented by the management measures of

As we can see, Mr. Speaker, the commercial harvesting of seals is more tightly

regulated today than ever before in its history, and it fosters humane

harvesting. Humane harvesting practices are supported by the industry, it is

interesting to note, and are strictly enforced. So we have a choice. Who are we

going to believe? Will we believe Paul McCartney's report? Will we believe

Heather Mills report? Will we believe Pamela Anderson's report? Will we believe

Paul Watson's report? No; a resounding no.

I would rather believe veterinarian experts whose research on the modern day

sealing industry concluded that seals are harvested in a humane manner. I like

to rely on the sound, practical knowledge and common sense of people like Mr.

Mark Small, people like Mr. Jack Troake, people like Mr. Carl Wright. Their

common sense and their wisdom will surpass the animal rights propaganda.

Number two, in terms of the ecological and environmental impact. Mr. Speaker,

if the commercial sealing industry is shut down completely it will have very

grave, serious consequences to the marine ecosystem. Given the fact that there

are 7 million, 8 million, 9 million harp seals off the East Coast, given the

fact that an average harp seal consumes about 1.4 metric tons of fish per year,

which equates to about 11 million or 12 million tons of fish per year for one

animal, that is more than 10 per cent of Canada's total annual seafood harvest.

Given that fact, that research has shown that over 120 species of fish and

invertebrates are found in the stomach of harp seals, given all these facts,

Grade 6 science applies, Mr. Speaker. That is the concept of predator-prey

relationship. As an effective predator, which a seal is, it is clear this

consumption by seals would hinder the recovery of fish stocks, especially our

cod stocks. This is supported by two former science directors at the Bedford

Institute of Oceanography at Nova Scotia. Just listen to their findings, Mr.

Speaker. They support the arguments of fisher people, such as Mr. Mark Small,

such as Mr. Jack Troake, such as the late Mr. George Walsh, who was from Fleur

de Lys in my district. They have long blamed seals for preventing the recovery

of cod stocks.

Mr. Speaker, the commercial seal harvest will help bring balance to the

marine ecosystem. Shutting it down will only devastate, will only decimate the

seafood industry. It will disrupt the food chain; it will disrupt the food web.

The harvest keeps the seal population in check. If it goes unchecked, as I just

said, fish stocks would be decimated. As part of the marine ecosystem, the seal

population must be managed by maintaining a reasonable, well-regulated, common

sense commercial harvest like we have today.

What do we have today, Mr. Speaker? I know you are interested. It is

sustainable, it is humane, and it is based on full utilization of the animal. It

balances out the ecosystem. Of course, we cannot forget how important, how

pivotal the sealing industry is to the economy of small coastal communities in

rural Newfoundland and Labrador; like Fleur de Lys, like La Scie, like Shoe

Cove, like Nippers Harbour in my district, for example. Of course, every MHA

here can name their communities as well. Vitally, it has a tremendous impact on

the livelihood it supplements their income, Mr. Speaker.

We depend upon the sealing industry to put bread and butter on our tables. I

applaud the sealers who go out on the Front, because I think I would get sick if

I entered a bathtub. So, they are brave, they are courageous, and I admire them.

I am confident that our government will continue to support the sealing

industry. Behind the strong leadership of our Premier and our Minister of

Fisheries, the sealing industry, to our mind and we are optimistic will

overcome its hurdles, will overcome its problems that we have today, such as

marketing, and we are going to move forward into the future, and the sealing

industry will again thrive like it did historically.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am pleased to rise today to speak to the motion put forward by the member

opposite with regard to the sealing industry in Newfoundland and Labrador, and

to extend that, probably the sealing industry in Canada.

The sealing industry has been a long traditional industry of the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador, and certainly a long traditional industry for the

Aboriginal peoples of our Province. In fact, Mr. Speaker, it was the Aboriginal

peoples who first invented many of the unique, I guess, products that were

affiliated with the sealing industry. If you go back to the very early years, my

colleague, the Member for Torngat Mountains, would know because they still use

the sealing oil lamps for ceremonial purposes in a number of their communities

and in their culture. They used the seal oil, they used the pelt, they used all

parts of the seal that they could, that was edible, and they made full

utilization of the animal. That was the way and the culture of the Aboriginal

people, not just of Northern Labrador but of the Arctic regions across Canada.

Mr. Speaker, back in the 1980s when the sealing industry was shut down, to a

large extent, in Canada, one of the groups that never did get compensated,

ironically, were the Inuit people of Northern Labrador. I think my colleague

would probably know this a lot better than I would, but it was in the 1980s and

there was a huge settlement at that time through the Canadian Sealers

Association. None of that compensation was paid out to Labrador sealers and

hunters. Obviously, that was discouraging for many of those people in the

industry at that time.

As they progressed, we did see the Royal Commission on Aboriginal seals and

sealing in Canada. That Royal Commission focused very particularly on the

sealing industry of Labrador, on the culture, and the affiliation of the culture

with that particular industry. I referenced the Royal Commission on many

occasions in my time as a member in the House of Assembly simply because it

allowed not only for the humane harvest of animal like the seal and the full

utilization, but it also distinguished the unique culture and the role that the

seal played in that particular culture.

Mr. Speaker, I grew up in the sealing industry, not unlike many people in

rural communities across Newfoundland and Labrador. My grandfathers were

sealers, my father was a sealer, and my brothers are sealers today. They have

all gone to the front. They went to the front on big ships to hunt seal and they

fished from shore in small boats. I have seen a lot of different aspects of the

sealing industry and I have been engaged in many different aspects of it myself.

My mother is a traditional crafter and she makes products of sealskin, which she

still does today. The seal pelts she buys from the plant down in Dildo right

now is where she is getting them she uses them in the sealskin crafts and

products that she makes.

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately the seal hunt has become a target for people who

have no respect and regard for the culture of our people. It has become a

money-making opportunity for many of those animal welfare groups that are out

there throughout Canada, the United States, and the European Union. They have

used something that has been a symbolic and necessary part of our culture to

capitalize on financially and to boost the ratings and the profits of their own

particular organizations. That is very, very sad. They all did so without ever

living a day in our communities, without ever walking in the shoes of a sealer

and their families, without understanding the real tradition and the culture of

what the seal means to us and to our lifestyles.

Mr. Speaker, sometimes I wonder because when I hear decisions like was made

in Russia just last year when they had the ban on the seal in Russia and I

really question this because Russia is a country that has always prided itself

on the fur industry. It is a country that has traditionally used the furs that

are native to their particular country for clothing and for all other kinds of

commodities in which they could find a use for it. Then, all of a sudden, they

ban the seal, the Canadian seal, and it makes absolutely no sense. Because if

you turn on your TV today and you are watching any program from Russia, you are

still watching people in that country walking around in furs.

I wonder how that could have happened, and I really have to question what the

motive of the Canadian government was and why they could not bridge a deal with

Russia with regard to the import of seal products. It is not like Russia was

banning all fur products. They were banning one product, and that was a Canadian

product. This is a country where we have done trade with before many times in

our lives. I really question why we have seen the ban by countries like Russia.

In countries like Europe I understand it a little bit more. You are dealing

with more mixed culture and you are dealing with more grandstanding by the

animal welfare groups, and much of their protest is concentrated in that

particular part of the world; therefore, it is probably more systematic that

they would buy into that kind of an attitude and a culture that is perpetrated

by animal welfare groups, but not Russia. I really question that.

I question, Mr. Speaker, whether, as a national government, our government

has really done enough in Canada to develop the new markets that the potential

is there for, especially in China. I know there has been work done with China,

but we are dealing with a country today that has a growing demand for all

commodities that they can import. In addition to that, they have a booming

population base. There is the potential to really, I think, develop products

that are high in protein, high in vitamins, and be able to export that into

their country. The seal gives us that.

Someone mentioned today about John Efford, when he was the Minister of

Fisheries. If there was one thing that John Efford did as a Minister of

Fisheries was he was able to raise the profile of the seal oil capsule. That was

one thing he did do. He was a diabetic. He went out there, he took those seal

oil capsules, and he promoted it. I know people all over my district today,

people who are diabetics and have arthritis, who swear by the seal oil capsule.

They take it everyday faithfully, because they see the medicinal benefit they

get from that particular capsule.

Mr. Speaker, we know what the real benefit is from the seal. We know how good

it is to our diet. We know how warm it is in the kind of climates we live in. I

wish that every person in Newfoundland and Labrador could actually afford to own

sealskin products. I wear my sealskin coat that I am very proud of, and I feel

very fortunate to have the opportunity to be able to own it. When I go in and

out of many communities, I have so many people say to me: I wish that I could

have a coat like that. They honestly do mean it, because they would love to have

the ability to buy one of those coats and be able to wear it. It is too bad that

the products are not more affordable to people in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, I have been a big promoter and a defender of the seal hunt, my

entire life. I have been, Mr. Speaker, on the hunt. I have been there with my

father and with my brothers. Seal was always a major part of our diet. I never

learned how to make crafts from it like my mother did. She is much more talented

than I am in doing those things. We had a lot of our things that were made from

sealskin, our mitts and our boots. I still wear sealskin mitts and boots today.

Actually, my boots today are not made by my mother; they actually come from the

plant down in Dildo. They are made by the fine people down in the member's

district who brought forward the motion today. I have had the opportunity to go

down to that plant and to see what they are doing there, the production, to walk

through and see like 20,000 beautiful seal pelts that are already done and ready

for market. In fact, the day that I was there, there was a German buyer there

buying 6,000 pelts for a clothing factory that they make a specific product

from. It was really good to see that it was employing people.

A few years ago I had a seal processing plant in my district. Unfortunately,

it ended up closing, like we have seen a lot of them do across the Province,

because the business just was not there. When the processing plant was in

operation, it was employing twenty-five and thirty people. It was good jobs and

they were making good money, but it was also a great avenue for the sealers to

be able to go out in their small boats, land it right there and be able to sell

their pelts.

Mr. Speaker, I have been a promoter and a protector, and I say that because I

have been on the protest lines many times. I have lobbied and been on the

protest lines with sealers and their families in my district when the animal

welfare crowd were flying back and forth to the ice in helicopters with all of

their expensive armoury and cameras and all of these things with them, when our

poor people were just trying to get enough money to put fuel in their boats so

they could actually go to the ice and hunt.

I stood on those protest lines, and I am not ashamed to say it. We stopped

those helicopters from landing in our communities; we chased them out of it. We

filled the helicopter pads and we blocked the runways. They were not able to

land and they had to move on. Mr. Speaker, I joined in protest on the Quebec

North Shore, where the fishermen and the families there are no different than

the ones I represent in my own district. They live right across the border from

me.

There were times, Mr. Speaker, when we have had protests that went on up to

three and four days, where there were animal welfare people who were trying to

interrupt with the lifestyles of the people in those areas. They checked into

hotels and no, they did not let them out of hotels. Let me tell you, I had many

e-mails horrible e-mails, very nasty, hateful things said to me on the e-mail

system by people who were supporters of the animal welfare. In fact, at one

point, Mr. Speaker, about five or six years ago, my entire database actually

crashed, I had so many e-mails from people who were anti-sealers.

Mr. Speaker, I will continue to support the sealing industry and the seal

hunt. I will continue to buy the products, wear the products wherever I can, and

I will certainly continue to promote the industry in every way possible.

For two years now I have done a fashion show on the sealing industry. I did

one in Montreal three years ago where we had over 500 people at this show. We

showcased products from the Northern Peninsula. I think the member there will

speak again. We showcased products from Dildo, products from Vogue Furriers in

St. John's, and products from all over Labrador, Mr. Speaker. We had 500 people

in Montreal for that showcase of the sealing industry. This year, Mr. Speaker, I

was able to do one in Ottawa, as part of the Northern Lights conference. We did

one in Ottawa; there were over 600 people there. It was a tremendous promotion

of the sealing industry and seal products from all over the country and all over

the Northern regions, especially in Northern Quebec, Northern Nunavut, and in

Labrador and Newfoundland.

Mr. Speaker, I want to encourage people in this Province to continue to speak

up for the sealing industry. I want to encourage the government to continue to

invest. I like what you did this year in providing the loan. I think that was

important. I think we have to support our own industries when they ask for that

help, if there is a way that we can do it. I really believe, Mr. Speaker, that

the nutrients, the vitamins, the pharmaceutical, and the municipal benefits of

the seal will one day allow us to see this industry thrive and grow again, but

it is going to take work and it is going to take a lot of promotion by everyone

who is involved.

Mr. Speaker, every opportunity that you get, support the hunt. Tomorrow night

there is a Home from the Sea Campaign and the big seal dinner. I am going to be

there. I am sure the minister is going to be there as well. I would certainly

encourage any member in the House of Assembly to go to support it. This is a

monument to the sealing industry in this Province and they are raising the money

for it.

Sometimes in big ways, as governments and Legislatures, there are things we

can do in terms of loans, grants, marketing, research and promoting the

industry, but there are lots of things that we can do as individuals as well;

and I encourage you to keep doing that.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear , hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY: Mr. Speaker, it is certainly a pleasure to have an

opportunity to speak today on this motion brought forward by my colleague the

Member for Bellevue. This motion about the seal hunt from my own perspective,

and certainly I represent a district that sits squarely in the front of the

sealing activity with some thirty-seven communities and a number of harvesters

who have been keenly involved and participated in the seal hunt for years, it is

certainly a pleasure for me to be able to make some comments and be able to

support this motion today.

I certainly want to start by perhaps echoing some of the comments made by the

hon. Member for Cartwright L'Anse au Clair and that is around the whole aspect

of culture and the importance of the seal hunt to our culture, because I do not

believe people have really taken the time to understand and to get a sense of

truly what it means. It is not only for the Inuit culture as well. I look

through our own community and we see a gentleman like Jack Troake who is

obviously very well known, a very outspoken personality in this Province on

fishery issues. I have talked to Jack on a number of occasions and he references

the fifty years that he went to the ice, out seal hunting, and times he walked

to Lewisporte to catch the train to St. John's to go out for the seal hunt. When

you speak to people like that, you hear about their passion, their commitment

and their love for the seal hunt and the opportunity to go out and make a

living.

As well, if you look back through my grandmother's diaries and you see a

sense of important things written down; so-and-so got so many seals today and

these kinds of things, speaks to the importance of the seal hunt and what it

meant in every spring of the year in our communities. I know even in our

education system in the Cassie Brown's book, Death on the Ice , it is

certainly a very revealing book about the history and culture of the seal hunt

for our communities. Personally, as well, my great grandfather Skipper Chum

Greenham, I recall the story he told and we have it recorded, thankfully

about the time when he went to the ice in 1914 and he was a part of the rescue

crew who actually came upon the men frozen in the ice, and he tells that story.

It just speaks to the passion of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, those who

make their living on the water. It speaks to the culture and importance and the

reason why we must continue to support the sealing industry and continue to do

all that we can.

Mr. Speaker, the other side, the culture side obviously there is an

economic side; it has been referenced here today. An opportunity to start their

fishing season early, an opportunity to earn an income, and these days with

challenges in our fishery, without question, that becomes even more and more

important. I do know that the investment this year, the support of a $3.6

million loan, will help kick start the industry that looked very desperate,

bleak, and unlikely to happen. We are delighted to be able to support Carino and

to support the seal hunt. I know people from my own community who are very

actively engaged in the hunt and by all accounts have been very successful so

far. Already I think there have been more seals taken than last year. So it is

very promising.

Mr. Speaker, this industry without question has been met with challenge.

Challenge is not new for this industry. We look back in our history. Back in

1972, the US banned seal products and created a big challenge. The EU had a

temporary ban in 1983 that we had to overcome. Perhaps one of the most

significant blows to our seal industry was in 1987 when they banned the hunt of

the white coat, the traditional hunt. What that essentially did, Mr. Speaker,

was change the hunt, for good reason. It changed the hunt. It changed the focus

on markets and where we are trying to get to. It was significant at the time,

and I highlight that was twenty-five years ago. Still today, anti-sealing groups

through their propaganda continue to try to exploit the hunt of the white coat,

which has been banned for twenty-five years, Mr. Speaker.

So these are some of the challenges we have had to overcome, along with the

constant pressure from anti-sealing groups. Despite all of that and despite all

of the challenges, the industry stakeholders have been resilient. The people

have been committed, Mr. Speaker, and they have been committed to overcome these

challenges. The industry has been able to survive. Things like culture, the

economy, the economics of it, a chance for livelihood and in recent years,

because of the explosion of the seal population to 8 million to 10 million, and

the concern on our fish stocks all of these factors have driven those people

to ensure the industry survives and driven the people who are passionate about

it and believe we have a right and have an opportunity to be engaged in the seal

hunt and to ensure that it helps the people in the economy of Newfoundland and

Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, all of these challenges if we look back in history and perhaps

reflect on it there is probably no challenge any greater than what we are

facing today. Perhaps our most difficult challenge is global trade matters. In

the motion today, we reference global trade issues, and I would just like to

speak about that today a little bit. There are many external factors, perhaps

beyond our control to some extent, that have had a negative influence and a

downward shift in the industry as a result of some of these factors.

We see the EU ban that banned seal products in European markets. We see the

Russian ban that banned sealing products. We know it had a crippling effect on

the commercial sealing industry. As well, last January there were efforts put

forth from our provincial government and certainly the federal government to get

a China-Canada agreement to allow seal products to enter into China, and that

has been somewhat delayed as well. We are confident; we are confident in the

process in what we are trying to do to be able to overcome these significant

challenges.

Mr. Speaker, with China market in particular I have had an opportunity to

speak with some of our manufacturers, one in particular who referenced the China

market of 1.3 billion people. If we can just get into the Chinese market, there

is an opportunity; they want our seal products. The market conditions are there;

the problem is getting it into the countries. We have a tremendous product in

this Province from large manufacturers. Even in my own district I have a lady

in Change Islands who makes absolutely fabulous seal skin products. There are

opportunities there and all the more reason why we have to continue to look at

these efforts.

In looking at the global trade issues, and particularly the Russian ban, it

is significant. It is significant, Mr. Speaker, because some 90 per cent of our

seal products were going into Russia, and with the ban there is a real fear that

the industry would die altogether. We know, and I am sure the harvesters know,

and the people like Jack Troake know full well, that if it dies and it is gone,

it is even a greater challenge to resurrect it in the future. That is why we

have to do things, we have to be continuously vigilant as a government and as a

federal government to continually be vigilant and supportive; the reason is why

the $3.6 million is so important for this year.

Mr. Speaker, the EU ban again, we were obviously very disappointed in the

EU parliamentarians' vote that favoured to ban seal products. We believe,

without question, they were misled by anti-sealing activists. Unfortunately,

they chose to vote to support the anti-sealing activists rather than look at

Canada's sustainable, humane, and certainly valuable sealing industry.

The Province has written letters to ambassadors of many of the EU member

states. The Minister of Fisheries has taken every occasion to meet with

ambassadors and senior diplomats who have some impact and some influence in the

EU, so that we can continue to promote the message promote the message that we

do have a hunt that is sustainable, humane, and indeed valuable throughout our

Province and throughout Canada.

Mr. Speaker, three years ago we stood in this House and passed a motion

calling on the federal government to look at what is happening with our sealing

industry with respect to the world trade barriers. At that time there was a G-20

summit, and the leaders of the G-20 summit, including our Prime Minister, in

recognizing the global economic challenges, agreed that this was not the time

for protectionism. The time was to ensure that we do not put up any new barriers

to trade. Mr. Speaker, we believe, we firmly believe that the EU ban on seal

products is indeed a trade barrier. For that reason we called on the federal

government, and the federal government has proceeded to take trade action,

through the World Trade Organization, to file a complaint that the European

Union Ban on trade of seal products is basically discriminatory and, indeed, in

violation of world trade agreements.

Mr. Speaker, so that people know what Canada has requested, is that the World

Trade Organization establishes a dispute settlement panel to address the EU ban

on seal products. What this panel will do and hopefully the panel will be in

place by this summer. The panel will assess the information, take a look at all

the details and determine whether violations had actually occurred. When the

violations are found, Mr. Speaker, a report is filed, and there are

recommendations in the report that will allow these EU member states an

opportunity to meet their obligations and to comply with the laws and

regulations around the trade agreements.

Mr. Speaker, the panel itself and I think this speaks to why we, as a

government, have to continue to support the industry in any way we can. The

panel proceedings take, on average, a year and a half. After a year and a half,

Mr. Speaker, there is generally a report made to the public. Obviously, once the

report is made, there is an appeal process as well, which could take up to six

months to take place. Mr. Speaker, if the EU is found to have violated World

Trade Organization obligations which we firmly believe they have they will

be given an opportunity to comply and to obviously reassess where they are in

compliance with the trade barriers.

Mr. Speaker, our position has been clear, and we continue to make it with the

federal government. They are supportive that the EU ban is mistakenly based on

the impression put forth by anti-sealing groups that the seals are not harvested

humanely. Again, Mr. Speaker, to echo my earlier comment and I am sure

harvesters and people like Jack Troake would well know - given all the

regulations we have in our industry today, there is no question that Canada's

seal harvest is one of the best managed and the most humane harvests of wildlife

in the world. I think that point has been lost and what we need to challenge at

the World Trade Organization. So, we continue to call on the federal government,

continue to support them as a province, encourage them to go forward with the

World Trade Organization action and stay focused on the illegal trade barriers

that have been put in place.

Mr. Speaker, the World Trade Organization is a powerful group. They are set

up to make the rules of trade between nations on a global level. There are some

120 countries involved in the World Trade Organization. They are there to look

at trade agreements, to negotiate trade agreements, and they are also there to

help settle disputes.

The fundamental principle of the World Trade Organization, Mr. Speaker, is to

ensure that trade flows as freely as possible. That is an organization that we

believe. When the information is put forward and the arguments are made, we are

confident and we will continue to support the federal government to see to that

the World Trade Organization gives us a fair hearing. Hopefully, we will get a

favourable outcome with respect to our seal products entering into the European

Union.

Mr. Speaker, just in a couple of minutes, because there are a number of

comments that have been made on the importance of the seal industry, there is a

piece of activity that is taking place that is ongoing, four very significant

initiatives with respect to trade barriers that are being challenged globally.

That will have a significant impact. If we can just move forward on either one

of these, it will have a significant impact on our sealing industry.

We do have the World Trade Organization challenge to the European Union. As

our colleague referenced in terms of the Inuit culture and the importance of

sealing activity to the Inuit, they too feel that their rights have been

violated. I understand there is a European Court of Justice legal challenge as

well on the EU ban. We are also very active in trying to ensure and to bring the

parties together so that the China-Canada agreement will allow seal products to

enter into China. We can move forward with that. That would be a significant

accomplishment as well. We are continuously calling on the federal Government of

Canada to come up with some resolution to the Russian ban, as well.

Mr. Speaker, these activities, as we well know, could take a year or two

before we see any resolution. That is why it is important with a motion like

today, an investment of $3.6 million, every opportunity that we can to support

the sealing industry, because we have to keep it going. We have to keep it

alive. We have to ensure that it survives. We have to help bridge this gap until

we can get some significant feedback on these initiatives that are taking place

in other parts of the world.

So, Mr. Speaker, we need to do what we can. We need to ensure we keep it

going, whether it is for cultural reasons, economic reasons, or whether it is

because the 8 million to 10 million seal population has the potential to

devastate some of our fish stocks. All of these are reasons, Mr. Speaker, for us

to continue to give loans, continue to lobby, continue to write letters, and

continue to engage as a government and engage the people of Newfoundland and

Labrador to recognize the value of the sealing industry.

Mr. Speaker, I am confident today that we will have the support and I am

certainly pleased to have an opportunity to speak to the motion.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for The Straits White Bay North.

MR. MITCHELMORE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the Member for Bellevue for putting forward this private members'

motion and to have the opportunity to speak about the seal hunt and the

importance of it to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, and certainly to all of

the other members today who made that contribution to the discussion and