March 12, 2001 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY

PROCEEDINGS Vol. XLIV No. 34

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Snow): Order, please!

Before we admit His Honour, and invite him into the Chamber, I would like to

deal with one little matter. Members may recall that last year, on May 11, 2000,

we decided to reactivate an old parliamentary tradition which is observed in

many other Westminister style parliaments and was a tradition in this Assembly

for many years. At that time, the Member for the District of Trinity North who

was elected in a by-election last April was formally introduced by the

Government House Leader. I think we should continue that tradition.

I have been advised by the Clerk of the House of Assembly that Mr. Wallace

Young, the Member for St. Barbe, and Mr. Trevor Taylor, the Member for The

Straits & White Bay North, have each taken the Oath of Allegiance to the

Crown, as required by the Constitution, and have signed the Members' Roll.

[The new members, escorted by the Opposition House Leader, enter the Chamber

and approach the Chair.]

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

MR. SULLIVAN: Mr. Speaker, I have the honor to present to you Mr. Wallace

Young, the Member for St. Barbe, and Mr. Trevor Taylor, the Member for The

Straits & White Bay North, who claim the right to take their seats

MR. SPEAKER: Let the members take their seats.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Premier.

PREMIER GRIMES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

PREMIER GRIMES: Tomorrow, Mr. Speaker, with respect to a more formal

occasion with the Throne Speech, there will be opportunities to more formally

congratulate the two new members who join us here. Today, however, it is with

great regret that I stand on another matter.

I would like to ask you, Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all of us here in the

House of Assembly, if you would pass along our condolences and regrets to the

families of the young men involved in the unfortunate tragedy at Pouch Cove late

last week. That particular incident, and the loss of those three young lives,

has touched not only the families and the community of Pouch Cove, but it has

touched families all over Newfoundland and Labrador, and indeed throughout North

America, from the calls and the representations that I have received personally,

as Premier of the Province. It is a grim reminder for all of us, I think, of the

fragile nature of life in the rather harsh and severe environment that we

sometimes live in, here in Newfoundland and Labrador.

I would ask that you, Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all the members in this

Legislature, pass along condolences to the families and also to the community of

Pouch Cove in particular, as they deal with this most unfortunate tragedy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Cape St. Francis

MR. J. BYRNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We, on this side of the House, would certainly like to be associated with

that correspondence to the families. Oftentimes we use the word

"tragedy" and really throw it around. I spent some time in Pouch Cove

over the past few days and, in actual fact, it is a real tragedy that happened

in Pouch Cove. Three young men: Adam Wall, Jesse Elliott, and Adrian (A. J.)

Sullivan, lost their lives in Pouch Cove last Thursday evening.

Just for the record, it was reported that they were "copying",

panning from ice pan to ice pan, and that was not really accurate. What happened

was - they were close to the shore, of course, being young people; we have all

done it, and a lot worse - one young fellow went in and, a chain of events, two

others happened to be pulled into the water. There was a great rescue attempt by

the people in the area. The media reported all of this type of thing.

Out of that, some good does come. It was great to be there, to see a

community come together. To the families who are having a very, very difficult

time, to see the people like the Volunteer Fire Department, The Ladies

Auxiliary, and the RNC, they have done a great job. The media, in itself, were

very sensitive to the issues all the time that I was there.

I just recently came from - and other members of the House who also attended

- the funeral of Jesse Elliott. To see so many people there from all over the

Province was a good feeling. It was very, very, sad, and something I would not

want to have to go through. As a parent, it goes without saying that it is every

parent's nightmare and every parent's greatest fear, and we had three of

those happen in Pouch Cove the other day.

The saddest part at this point in time is the fact that there are still two

young men whom we have not yet found. I would ask everybody in the House, in the

Province, and across the country, to pray that we find their bodies so we can

put some closure for the families and for the community itself. We are going to

see in the next while, and for a long, long time to come, the parents, I would

say, and the people of the community itself, every time they drive by that

community - the road is so close to the water there - looking for those bodies.

All I can say at this time is that we want to be a part of that

correspondence, and we certainly appreciate - I know the families and the people

of Pouch Cove really appreciate the support they have gotten over the past few

days.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MR. HARRIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

On behalf of our caucus I would certainly like to join with the Premier and

the Member for Cape St. Francis in sending a message of condolence to the

families themselves: the Wall, Elliott and Sullivan families, and all the people

of Pouch Cove who are struck by this tragedy.

As the Premier said, it is something that has touched the hearts of people

across this Province, the country, and internationally as well. It is a real

tragedy when anyone dies but these young men, in their early adulthood, had an

awful lot to look forward to in their lives. What is striking about this

particular tragedy is that even in the mist of tragedy we have great acts of

courage and heroism by the boys themselves, who were victims, by their friends

and passersby in trying to save their lives. We have a case of people losing

their lives trying to save the life of their friend, which I think is a real

tribute to the character of the people involved, and Newfoundlanders in general,

to take these serious acts, to give up their life for the sake of trying to save

a friend.

I only hope, Mr. Speaker, that the love and support of family, of friends, of

all the people of Pouch Cove and this Province, will somehow give some strength

to the families and help to ease the pain of this terrible loss.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: Mr. Speaker, His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor has

arrived.

MR. SPEAKER: Admit His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor.

Mr. Speaker leaves the Chair.

His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor takes the Chair.

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: Ladies and Gentlemen, it is the wish of His Honour the

Lieutenant-Governor that all present please be seated.

HIS HONOUR THE LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR (A.M. House, C.M., M.D., FRCP):

MR. SPEAKER AND MEMBERS OF THE HONOURABLE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY:

The Second Session of the Forty-Fourth General Assembly of this Honourable

House of Assembly is about to be prorogued, but before releasing you from your

duties, I wish to thank you for the careful and sympathetic attention given to

the important matters brought before you by My Ministers. Your commitment to

your work and diligence deserve our appreciation and acknowledgment.

MR. SPEAKER AND MEMBERS OF THE HONOURABLE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY:

Forty-one pieces of legislation were enacted during this Session of the

Honourable House of Assembly. In particular, legislative initiatives were taken

in municipal affairs, health and community services, finance and the fishery.

As stated in My Address opening this Session, My Government introduced

amendments to the Fishing Industry Collective Bargaining Act to implement a new

labour relations dispute settlement model known as final offer selection. This

model was the subject of a pilot project and is considered an effective

mechanism by government, parties to negotiations and other fishing industry

stakeholders.

As well during this Session, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Act, 1992

was amended to provide that in the event government and the representatives of

the Constabulary members are unable to negotiate a collective agreement the

matters in dispute between them would be settled by binding arbitration.

MR. SPEAKER AND MEMBERS OF THE HONOURABLE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY:

During this Session four major areas of the law were revised by this House;

namely, the Residential Tenancies Act, Environmental Assessment Act, Urban and

Rural Planning Act, and the Income Tax Act. A new law to facilitate the

Enforcement of Canadian Judgments by giving full faith and credit to civil money

judgments from the provinces and territories of Canada was enacted. The Labour

Standards Act was amended to extend the period of parental leave, making the law

consistent with the extended parental benefits available under the Employment

Insurance Act of Canada.

An Act Respecting Prepaid Funeral services was also

passed during this Session. There were also enacted amendments to the Child,

Youth and Family Services Act, the Pharmaceutical Association Act, the

Psychologists Act, the Mineral Act, the Lands Act, the Municipalities Act, 1999,

the St. John's Assessment Act and the Highway Traffic Act.

MR. SPEAKER AND MEMBERS OF THE HONOURABLE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY:

As part of My Government's continuing effort to reduce smoking in public

places and among our young people, again during this Session My Government

introduced further amendments to the Smoke-Free Environment Act and the Tobacco

Control Act. The amendments to the Smoke-Free Environment Act will prohibit

smoking in food establishments and in public places that are frequented by

children. The Tobacco Control Act was amended to prohibit the sale of tobacco by

pharmacies and to refine the inspection provisions as well as increasing the

penalties under the law.

Indicative of My Government's concern in finding a solution to some of the

problems affecting our Innu communities in Labrador, this Honourable House

enacted amendments to the Liquor Control Act to provide municipal councils in

the Northern Labrador area of our Province with the authority to control the

transportation, purchase, sale and consumption of alcohol within those

communities. The amendments to the Act also provide for the election of alcohol

committees to establish counseling services and education programs with respect

to alcohol consumption.

MR. SPEAKER AND MEMBERS OF THE HONOURABLE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY:

By unanimous consent of this Honourable House,

an Act to Establish Holocaust

Memorial Day in the Province was enacted as a day of reflection about the

enduring lessons of the Holocaust. Our Province joins the other provinces in

observing a day to remember the victims of the Holocaust and to honour those who

fought to defeat the tyranny and genocide of the Nazis and their collaborators.

This Honourable House of Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution urging My

Ministers to implement the use in this Province of the ignition interlock device

to help protect the public from death and disablement caused by drunk driving.

MR. SPEAKER AND MEMBERS OF THE HONOURABLE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY:

I thank you for the large measure of supply you have granted. I assure you

that the appropriations that you have granted have been and will be expended by

My Ministers with care and efficiency.

MR. SPEAKER AND MEMBERS OF THE HONOURABLE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY:

It is my pleasure that the Second Session of the Forty-Fourth General

Assembly now be prorogued and is prorogued accordingly.

His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor leaves the Chamber. Mr. Speaker returns to

the Chair.

MR. SPEAKER (Snow): Order, please!

Pursuant to His Honour's Speech, this House now stands prorogued.