Newfoundland and Labrador Hansard — Members' Statements; Statements by Ministers — 19 October 2020 (49th General Assembly, 1st Session, Vol. XLIX No. 53)
2020-10-19
Newfoundland and Labrador — Debates (Hansard)
PDF Version
October 19, 2020
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS
Vol. XLIX No. 53
The House met at 1:30 p.m.
MR.
SPEAKER (Reid):
Order, please!
Admit strangers and start the broadcast.
A few things before we start today.
First of all, we're making history, I think, today in
terms of we have a visitor on the floor of the House, baby Alexander.
Welcome, baby!
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
Also, before we get into the Members' statements, a point of order and a point
of privilege that I want to comment on.
First of all, I would like to rule on the point of
order raised in the House on October 7, 2020. The Member for St. John's East -
Quidi Vidi raised a point of order under Standing Order 44. The Standing Order
requires Members to address themselves to the Speaker and not to each other.
In reviewing
Hansard , I did find that there is a point of order in the manner in which
the minister responded. I ask the minister and all Members of the House to
refrain from personal addresses and instead to address their comments to the
Chair in the course of debate.
Thank you.
I would also like to comment now on the matter raised
by the Member for Cartwright - L'Anse au Clair on October 8, 2020. Parliamentary
privilege enables Members to fulfill the parliamentary functions for which they
were elected and it enables Parliaments to function.
Privilege is the freedom from obstruction,
interference, intimidation and molestation in the carrying out of a Member's
legislative duties.
In raising her point of privilege, the Minister
Responsible for the Status of Women articulated very well that language used in
debate matters. The Member for Conception Bay South responded to the point of
privilege that was raised based on his remarks. He withdrew his remarks and
stated that he apologized, unequivocally. Therefore, a prima facie matter of
privilege has not been established; however, I see no reason why principles of
respect and civility should not apply to debate within this Chamber.
I draw Members' attention to the fact that language and
tone used in debate is a choice and they do matter. Members of the House are
bound by a Code of Conduct and we have all sworn an oath or affirmed that we
will govern ourselves in accordance with it.
Further, the House recently adopted a Harassment-Free
Workplace Policy governing our interactions outside this Chamber.
The Privileges and Elections Committee spoke to
gender-based issues in both the interim and the final report. Gender-based
matters were a predominant theme as identified in the reports, and the Committee
heard from a number of outside organizations on these matters including Equal
Voice, the Women's Policy Office, the Human Rights Commission, the Provincial
Action Network on the Status of Women and Egale Canada.
The final policy recommended by the Committee and
adopted by the House integrated a number of gender-based considerations further
to advice provided by these groups. In the report accompanying the policy the
Committee stated as follows: “The House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador
is committed to a safe and respectful work environment for Members and employees
that is free from harassment, bullying and violence. It is everyone's
responsibility to foster a healthy work environment; to promote a culture of
civility; to demonstrate respect; and to recognize every person's right to be
protected and supported.”
The policy adopted by the House of Assembly indicates
that it is the responsibility of all Members to: Act respectfully in dealings
with all Members of the House of Assembly and employees; respect the diversity
brought to the workplace by others; and challenge inappropriate
behaviour/objectionable conduct when it happens and refuse to participate in
that behaviour.
Further, the policy now requires all Members to
complete respectful workplace training. It is mandatory here in the House.
I want to remind all Members that each and every one of
us has completed that training since February 2019.
I reiterate that, while the policy does not apply to
our interactions within this Chamber given parliamentary privilege and the
related freedoms of speech that Members enjoy, I see no reason why the
principles accepted by the House and adopted in policy should not apply to
debate here as well.
I ask all hon. Members to examine the language they use
in the House and to ensure that it is temperate, appropriate and respectful.
Thank you.
Statements by Members
MR.
SPEAKER:
Today we have Members' statements from Members for the Districts of Harbour
Main, Windsor Lake, St. John's Centre, Topsail - Paradise and Placentia West -
Bellevue.
The hon. the Member for Harbour Main.
MS.
CONWAY OTTENHEIMER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Today I speak in this hon. House to recognize the
dedication, hard work and sacrifice by residents, employees and management of
personal care homes and community care homes since the beginning of the world
health pandemic.
Within the Harbour Main district there are seven care
homes: Admirals' Coast, Hazelwood Community Care Home, Tobin's Guest Home,
Butter Pot Hi-Haven, Woodford's Comfort Care Home, Eason's Personal Care Home
and Callingwood Downs.
Mr. Speaker, the endurance shown in these difficult
times by our seniors and others with special needs is truly inspiring. Our most
vulnerable were isolated from family and friends for months and still are
restricted to a limited number of visitors and yet they adapt with grace and
serenity. As well, the compassion and hard work of staff and administrators in
skillfully adapting and keeping our senior's safe and secure in the face of such
hardships is a remarkable feat indeed.
I ask all hon. Members to please join me in
congratulating the extraordinary people who live in these homes and the staff
and administrators of Newfoundland and Labrador care homes for their
perseverance, leadership and ultimate triumph over adversity.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for Windsor Lake.
MR.
CROSBIE:
Mr.
Speaker, I would acknowledge Emma Reelis, who received the Seniors of
Distinction Award.
Emma has spent years respectfully advocating and
providing social and cultural support for both individuals and communities.
Emma has worked with various women's groups, youth
groups and other deserving members of the community. Emma is an elder and
residential school survivor; and when I spoke with her this morning she
remembered my involvement in the legal action for collective healing and
reconciliation.
Emma has been a board member of First Light, the St.
John's friendship centre among whose many services for clients is jobs
placement. Emma embodies the definition of an elder. She is wise, respectful to
all and has a passion for sharing her traditions and knowledge to keep her
culture alive for coming generations.
Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. Members to join me in
congratulating Emma Reelis on receiving the 2020 Newfoundland and Labrador's
Seniors of Distinction Award.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.
MR.
J. DINN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Wangari Maathai said: “Until you dig a hole, you plant
a tree, you water it and make it survive, you haven't done a thing. You are just
talking.”
As an environmental activist and founder of the Green
Belt Movement, Wangari Maathai knew a thing or two about planting trees. The
same can be said about Chris Shortall and the Tessier Park Neighbourhood
Association.
On September 26, I joined about 40 volunteers to plant
about 175 fruit trees and shrubs at Tessier Park, a small green space in St.
John's Centre. With funding from Tree Canada, and support from the City of St.
John's, the Botanical Gardens and Sobeys on Merrymeeting Road, Chris's goal was
to establish a fruit tree forest in the heart of the city. I believe he
accomplished that.
We spent hours digging, planting, watering and talking.
That's what made the day a success. People of all ages who love and are
committed to the future of their neighbourhood came together to plant trees.
After all, we do not plant trees for ourselves but for future generations.
I ask Members to join me in recognizing the Tessier
Park Neighbourhood Association for making our world just a little bit greener.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for Topsail - Paradise.
MR.
P. DINN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It is an honour for me to congratulate Judy Sparkes of
Paradise Centennial Lions Club, Lion of the year 2019-2020, in recognition of
her outstanding service and loyalty within the community.
After retiring from a 35-year career with Canadian
Forces in 2016, Judy returned to her hometown of Paradise and dedicated her free
time to helping those in need wherever they may be.
She is a dedicated Lion and involved in many club
projects and continues to give back to her community. Judy will be found at the
community cleanups, fundraisers, food drives, Santa Claus parade, The Gathering
Place and Ronald McDonald House just to name a few.
Judy, a charter member, holds the position of secretary
where she received the Best Secretary Award for District N4 for 2018-2019, which
was chosen out of 51 clubs. She is also chairperson for New Voices for women, a
program developed by Lions International to celebrate women's contributions to
Lionism.
Mr. Speaker, I ask all Members of this House of
Assembly to join me in congratulating Judy Sparkes for her dedication,
commitment and loyalty to her community.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for Placentia West - Bellevue.
MR.
DWYER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I bring honour today to a very honourable man in my
district, the beautiful District of Placentia West - Bellevue, Fire Chief Alex
Coady of the Marystown Volunteer Fire Department, as he hangs up his bunker suit
for the last time and is retiring after 35 years of remarkable dedication and
service.
Mr. Speaker, on Saturday night past, the brigade held
an award ceremony that I was very honoured to attend and present the years of
service awards. During the ceremony, the firefighters showed their respects to
Chief Coady and honoured him for his legacy, not only locally but provincially
as well, acknowledging his training and mentorship to many. Chief Coady in his
retirement is joining a very prestigious honour roll of lifetime members.
I ask all hon. Members to join me in giving Chief Coady
their sign of gratitude for 35 years of selfless commitment to his community,
region and province.
Thank you, Chief, and thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
Statements by Ministers.
Statements by Ministers
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology.
MR.
A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Today is the kickoff to Innovation Week, hosted by the
Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Technology and Innovation, which
includes workshops, seminars and networking events focused on promoting our
technology sector and showcasing inspiring, good-news stories.
I'd like to continue that theme today and note that our
tech sector is already estimated at a value of $1.6 billion in Newfoundland and
Labrador, with approximately 165 companies and 4,000 employees; and demand is
expected to exceed 2,000 new tech jobs over the next three years.
Our tech sector is driving growth across all sectors
and diversifying our economy. Today at the kickoff, the Premier highlighted
three innovation projects for which we are investing a total of $1.7 million.
Mitacs is supporting business innovation and technology
commercialization throughout the province while training the next generation of
graduate students in advanced and applied research and development.
The Iron Ore Company of Canada is undertaking a
research and development project that is looking to solve one of the largest
technical challenges for the iron ore industry in the Labrador Trough region –
the recovery of fine iron.
Resource Innovations Inc., based in Corner Brook, is
purchasing updated mapping software to support its geographic information
systems. This is essential as this industry is witnessing a major shift to
digital data management and remote data collection and processing.
Mr. Speaker, countries and provinces with robust
innovation and research and development activity see improvements in
productivity, economic growth and job creation, and have more resources
available to support spending in education, health, infrastructure and other
areas.
I'd like to congratulate NATI, which is also now known
as techNL, and all of the organizers of Innovation Week. I look forward to
participating in a panel discussion with them tomorrow and highlighting the
fantastic work of our tech sector.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for Conception Bay South.
MR.
PETTEN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the minister for an advance copy of his
statement.
On behalf of the Official Opposition, I take this
opportunity to recognize this week as Innovation Week. While Innovation Week
draws our attention to the technology and innovation sector, the Industry
Association, NATI, works tirelessly throughout the year to support growth,
champion new innovation and promote expansion within the industry. The
innovation technology sector is a bright spot within our province and a sector
which we can all be inspired by, as it will help us withstand the economic
consequences of this pandemic.
Mr. Speaker, through new products, new technologies and
new research, this industry can help our province achieve greatness.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for Labrador West.
MR.
BROWN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement.
I wish all those participating in Innovation Week a
great and productive summit. I'm also glad to see the Premier and minister have
listened to my request of investing in mining technology and improving the
industry with Made Right Here solutions, along with investments in research in
other industries. I hope the minister continues to be receptive to the insights
of those living and working in the province's mining regions.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
Further statements by ministers?
The hon. the Minister of Children, Seniors and Social
Development.
MR.
WARR:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Today I recognize the United Nations International Day
for the Eradication of Poverty, which took place Saturday, October 17.
The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
was first observed in 1993. It is a day to promote awareness of the need to
eradicate poverty and destitution in all countries. Acting together to achieve
social and environmental justice for all is this year's theme.
Our government recognizes that these are challenging
times for individuals and families. Poverty is complex and there is no
one-size-fits-all solution. Our focus is to empower people across their lifespan
to prevent, reduce and alleviate poverty.
Programs supported through
Budget 2020 focused on poverty reduction include assistance for
expectant mothers, ensuring that school-aged children receive nutritious meals,
providing affordable housing and preventing homelessness, new resources for the
K to 12 education system, supports such as $25 a day child care and benefits for
low-income seniors, individuals, families and persons with disabilities.
Through my Department of Children, Seniors and Social
Development, we are leading the development of a renewed 10-year poverty
reduction strategy in consultation with other government departments and
agencies, as well as leaders, stakeholders and community experts, including
people with lived experiences.
In fact, I recently met with
representatives from the Coalition for a Just Recovery NL. This group consists
of a growing number of agencies from across the province outlining a vision for
an inclusive, empowering and just recovery for Newfoundland and Labrador. It is
groups like this that will be engaged as work begins on a renewed strategy.
As a government, we will continue to explore, develop
and implement new options and approaches that best meet the needs of
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR. SPEAKER:
The hon. the Member for Placentia West - Bellevue.
MR. DWYER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I would like to thank the minister for an
advance copy of his statement.
I join the minister in recognizing Saturday, October
17, 2020, as United Nations International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
This year marks the 33rd anniversary since the first commemoration of the event,
which occurred in Paris, France, October 17, 1987.
This year's theme asks us to act together to achieve
environmental and social justice for all. Our PC Opposition believes that in
order to overcome these challenging times we must stick together and get down to
work on solutions that will appeal to everybody facing poverty right here in our
own province.
A 10-year poverty reduction strategy is just the
beginning. There must be more done in order to ensure all Newfoundlanders and
Labradorians have a healthy, active and poverty-free lifestyle. While working
together with the people of the province, stakeholders and agencies, we will
reach our end goal ending all poverty here in our province.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.
MR.
J. DINN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I, too, thank the minister for an advance copy of his
statement and join him in recognizing the UNs International Day for the
Eradication of Poverty. In 1989, the Parliament of Canada unanimously adopted a
resolution to eradicate child poverty by 2000 but we still have a ways to go.
I applaud the efforts of government to reduce poverty,
but I also strongly encourage the provincial government, in this unprecedented
time, that it follow the recommendations of End Homelessness St. John's and the
would go far in eradicating poverty here.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
Further statements by ministers?
Oral Questions.
Oral Questions
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR.
CROSBIE:
Mr. Speaker, federal Cabinet representative O'Regan says the Liberal government
will not make an equity investment in West White Rose.
Has the minister spoken with Husky officials since
O'Regan's announcement, and what hope can he offer jobless workers that West
White Rose will not be mothballed?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology.
MR.
A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yes, we continue to chat with Husky. Like any operator,
we're trying to figure out solutions to the huge problems that face this
industry worldwide. What I can say is, in fact, there's another call, I believe,
lined up tomorrow afternoon.
At this point, we've been focusing on what this
provincial government is able to do as it relates to this issue. We've spoken to
them about trying to be creative. As we know, the previous request was not
something this province could accommodate.
We're also looking at, with our new task force, ways to
spend the $320-million investment that's been made. We're still having good
conversations and we look to continue those conversations into the near future.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR.
CROSBIE:
I'm
glad to hear the minister mention the $320 million because the flare boom,
helideck and living quarters for West White Rose are about 80 per cent complete
at Marystown.
Will the provincial government use some of the federal
support money to incentivize Husky to bring back jobs for workers at Marystown?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology.
MR.
A. PARSONS:
Absolutely, Mr. Speaker, we look on this side, as we all do together, to try to
figure out solutions to the problems that face the workers in this industry. I
spoke to a number of them over the weekend, just talking about the challenges
they face.
What I will say is that we just recently announced a
21-member task force that is made up of industry experts, academia and labour.
We've asked them to come together and they've agreed to do so on behalf of this
entire industry. They've met already; they met last week. They have multiple
meetings scheduled this week. They will help us determine how best to spend the
$320 million as we move forward.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Leader of Official Opposition.
MR.
CROSBIE:
thank the minister for that answer; however, the workers I've spoken to believe
the government is approaching the whole question of dispersing that money with
far too little urgency.
Does the minister think jobless Husky workers should
wait until after Christmas to know whether they'll be asked to go back to work?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology.
MR.
A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Again, I would invite anybody to feel free to reach
out. I've tried my best to respond to everybody that has and the conversations
I've had so far – basically, these people realize that, as a provincial
government, there's not much we can do as it relates to a global pandemic and an
oil industry that worldwide is being ravaged right now. They realize, and, in
fact, what I've gotten so far is an appreciation that we are trying to do our
best.
What I can continue to say to them is that we are going
to try to do our best. We have the best and the brightest minds in the industry
that are on that task force. We have people made up from labour, people made up
from academia, just people from all over who have agreed to come together to try
to help out this industry. We're so lucky and appreciative to have them.
Hopefully, with the help of this, everybody pulling together, we can help get
some solutions.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR.
CROSBIE:
Mr.
Speaker, we're all cheered to know that the government is doing its best, but
we're also mystified as to why it would take until next winter to decide on
disbursement of the money.
Does the minister agree that the money provided by the
Trudeau government for offshore support amounts to hush money, which is too
little to get most laid off workers' jobs back?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology.
MR.
A. PARSONS:
I'll just say, Mr. Speaker, to that comment about hush money, that's just
absolutely ridiculous. What I can say is that I'm working, along with the task
force; we all have a vested interest in making this work. Everybody that is on
that task force feels the same as us that we're going to try to do our best to
come together in many ways to deal with a situation that is beyond us and that
is worldwide.
The fact is that we are able to make solutions very
quickly and as fast as we can come up with them. We all know that there is no
home run to this. In fact, when it comes to the province, we'll try to pull the
levers at our disposal when we can, as we did with an exploration incentive –
that's just one of them.
As this expert committee comes together and provides
input and solutions, we will do our best to put them to use as soon as possible.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR.
CROSBIE:
Mr.
Speaker, I've noticed the minister has a habit of referring to completely
legitimate questions asked on behalf of the interests of jobless workers as
absolutely ridiculous. I might remind him of the remarks that you, Sir, the
Speaker, made just a few minutes ago about respect for decorum in the House.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
CROSBIE:
When Minister O'Regan announced the federal funding for the offshore, he said he
wanted it used for workers.
Why should jobless workers have to wait until next
winter to see how the money is going to be used for their benefit?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology.
MR.
A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I will say to the Member that when you refer to
taxpayers' money as hush money, I still believe that is ridiculous, and if
you're going to make assertions like that, I will continue to apply that
terminology to them.
Now, going back to the second part of your question,
which is certainly a legitimate question, no one is saying that these workers
have to wait until next winter. If we can have solutions presented to us, we
will put them in place as soon as we can. But we must realize that this is not a
Newfoundland and Labrador issue only. This is an issue that affects every single
oil and gas jurisdiction in this world.
We will do our best and we want to see these people
back to work as soon as possible as well.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.
MR.
CROSBIE:
Hush money is money which is inadequate to the need and intended mainly to keep
people quiet. Many think that the Trudeau Liberal government is dominated by
people who want oil and gas jobs to wither and die.
Is this why the Premier has been unable to get
meaningful leverage with his Liberal friends in Ottawa to save oil and gas jobs?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology.
MR.
A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The fact is that we were just given, by the federal
government, $320 million to put towards this very beleaguered industry right
now. So what I'm going to do, as a member of this provincial government, is
continue to work with the experts in this field to deal with the situation as we
find it; one that I would suggest is found all over this world.
One thing I will remind the Member, if we want to talk
about federal politics, it is the deputy leader of the Conservative Party who
when they mentioned energy-producing jurisdictions in this country, named every
single province except one: Newfoundland and Labrador.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for Placentia West - Bellevue.
MR.
DWYER:
Last week, the media reported that there are now three companies interested in
purchasing the Come By Chance oil refinery.
Can the minister provide an update on the refinery
situation and has he met with all three companies?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology.
MR.
A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
What I can confirm to this House is I certainly haven't
heard that number. I know that I can go by what I've said. What I've said is
that we obviously have one company that is known, that is Origin. Yes, we
continue to work with them and work as much as we can, given the fact that it's
two private industries.
What I've also said is that there is other interest
that is out there. They've expressed it; they've said that they want to continue
to work with us. As a provincial government and as a department, we've been
working with anybody that is willing to express interest here because we want to
get a solution to this problem.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for Placentia West - Bellevue.
MR.
DWYER:
Workers at the refinery are worried about their future, while consumers are
worried about the supply of petroleum products in the province.
When will the province know the fate of the Come By
Chance Refinery?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology.
MR.
A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
While I can say that we share the fears that people
feel right now – it certainly is a fearful time when it comes to this refinery –
I cannot supply any answer because the provincial government does not have any
decision-making authority when it comes to a private transaction. For me to put
a date out there, I think would be disingenuous and I don't think would be fair.
What I can say is we fully realize the importance.
We're consuming huge amounts of time and energy to try to help any interested
parties, as well as the current owner, to come to a solution so that we can get
this refinery back up and running.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. Member for Placentia West - Bellevue.
MR.
DWYER:
The
owners of the Come By Chance oil refinery have reportedly asked the provincial
government to provide financial support to keep the oil refinery on hot standby.
Will the government provide this support in order to
keep the possibility of the sale of the refinery alive along with the hope for
jobs for the workers in the area?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology.
MR.
A. PARSONS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Again, I've said this in the House before, while I
would love to disclose all of the details that I may or may not be privy to, the
realization is that this is a private transaction between parties and it would
be inappropriate and perhaps we would be under certain liability if I were to
disclose any information.
What I can say is that when it comes to these
negotiations and discussions, we've been doing what we can. We've said that we
are willing to consider any option, but right now I think our primary focus is
on finding a willing and able buyer to come in and be able to complete this
transaction, and that's where our focus has been.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.
MS.
EVANS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Serious Incident Response Team, SIRT, was created
to provide independent oversight of policing in this province. Last week an
incident occurred in Happy Valley-Goose Bay between an officer and an Inuk man.
Has this been referred to SIRT for review?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Justice and Public Safety.
MR.
CROCKER:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the hon. Member for the important
and serious question.
At this point in time, it hasn't. I'm not sure if it's
fits in the mandate of SIRT. I know the Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay issued a
release – I think it was yesterday, I became aware of it – with regard to they
are reaching out for a third party investigator. At this point in time, I'm not
sure what or who that third party investigator would be.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.
MS.
EVANS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
This incident highlights the lack of support and
services for homeless people in the community.
When is this government going to take real action to
get homeless people off the street and into appropriate housing? Homelessness is
tied to poverty, Mr. Speaker.
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development.
MR.
WARR:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and certainly the hon. Member raises a very good
question.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation
provides the Nunatsiavut Government with an annual grant of over $500,000 to
support operations of the Housing Hub shelter, which includes a housing support
worker position. This is in addition to a water investment of over $3.6 million
annually to the Nunatsiavut Government to provide supportive housing
arrangements, primarily in the Happy Valley-Goose Bay area.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for Harbour Main.
MS.
CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: Mr. Speaker, we have learned recently that the federal
government has refused to make much-needed appoints to the Supreme Court of
Newfoundland and Labrador to fill a number of vacancies which presently exist.
These vacancies seriously contribute to backlog and delay in our court systems.
What immediate steps is the minister taking to
encourage his federal counterparts to deal swiftly with this matter?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Justice and Public Safety.
MR.
CROCKER:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the hon. Member for the question.
Mr. Speaker, just last week I had the opportunity to
meet with Chief Justice Fry and Chief Justice Whalen and discuss the important
issues of, not only the Court of Appeal, but the Supreme Court as well. There
are a lot of important issues that we are dealing with at the Supreme Court and
the Court of Appeal.
Back in February 2019, we actually submitted our
nominees for the JAC. Again in early 2020, the former minister actually wrote
the federal government encouraging them to move this along. Unfortunately, very
shortly thereafter we ended up in a worldwide pandemic and many matters have
been slowed.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the people at the Supreme
Court and the Court of Appeal for being able to adapt to the situation we find
ourselves in and move forward and make the adjustments necessary. We are in the
process of actually being able to have our jury trials here in this province.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for Harbour Main.
MS.
CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: Mr. Speaker, this is a lengthy process which will take
months, as the committee has to receive orientation, review numerous
applications and forward the list of the recommended candidates to Ottawa. It
will be well into 2021 before any appointments are made.
How is this situation acceptable to the provincial
Minister of Justice whose responsibility it is to ensure access to justice in
our province is not further delayed and denied?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Justice and Public Safety.
MR.
CROCKER:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the hon. Member for the question.
The hon. Member is aware of the three pillars in our
system: the Legislature, the executive and the judiciary, and the reality is we
do not push into the judiciary. That's one of the parts of its independence. We
do encourage, and we have encouraged Ottawa. I have a call later this week with
my colleague, the federal minister of Justice, and this is certainly one of the
things that we will be discussing.
I can assure the Member opposite that coming out of a
situation as we are now with COVID-19, or still in COVID-19, our judiciary is
working quite well. We've been able to have jury trials. We're actually using
the School for the Deaf as a venue to make it work. I can tell you from the
conversations that I had with both chief justices just late last week, they have
many things on their agenda, but this is not one that is really, at this point
in time, inhibiting our justice system.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for Harbour Main.
MS.
CONWAY OTTENHEIMER: Mr. Speaker, I'm glad to hear that the minister
understands his responsibility in this area. Judicial vacancies are causing
serious delays. Justice delayed is justice denied.
Is the minister concerned that these vacancies have
caused the inquiry into Innu children in care to be delayed?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Justice and Public Safety.
MR.
CROCKER:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
That is absolutely incorrect. The delays in the Innu
inquiry have more to do with finding a mechanism or a manner to actually work
within the terms of reference to get that inquiry up. We're doing quite well.
I know I speak regularly to the Minister Responsible
for Indigenous Affairs about this. We are having regular dialogue with the Innu,
with suggestions of how we actually move this inquiry forward, but I can assure
her that there is not justice delayed here, Mr. Speaker. The reality is we're in
a worldwide pandemic. There are no issues right now that we're not working
through when it comes to the situation that we find ourselves in.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR.
BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, rotational workers who are heading home to
self-isolate are not permitted to remain in their cars while travelling on the
ferry to Bell Island. These workers are ordered to leave their vehicle and go to
a common area where other ferry passengers, including cancer and dialysis
patients, are.
I ask the minister: How is this safe?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.
MR.
BRAGG:
Mr.
Speaker, I thank the Member opposite for the question. It's a great question.
It's a great question that's of concern to my district as well.
The former minister, I guess, would know that the
governance of our ferries, the same as our airlines, is done by Transport
Canada. We've been instructed, about two weeks ago, that everyone be out of
their cars. They're enclosed deck ferries. It's a concern, like I said, for
everyone involved. It's a Transport Canada ruling that asks people, not only
asks people, orders people to get out of their cars. If they don't get out of
their car, it's a $14,000 fine per person.
My understanding is that the ferries have put in
allocating the lounge area for anybody who would identify themselves as
travelling from outside the Atlantic bubble area so they could self-isolate in
an area on the vessel. Right now it is a concern, Mr. Speaker, but it is a
concern we're taking very seriously.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR.
BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker
Forty-five per cent of the lounges now have been closed
for social distancing and eliminating certain spots or used for crew purposes,
other than the general public. So the ability for people to isolate themselves
is non-existent.
Mr. Speaker, this situation is not unique to Bell
Island. In fact, it's happening in other provincial ferry services such as Fogo
and St. Brendan's.
Why are Transport Canada rules superseding Public
Health orders, particularly when we had just won our battle with the travel ban
to show that the Public Health order is more important about public safety than
it would be about Transport Canada or other divisions ensuring that people do
not have safe ability to travel in this province?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
MR.
HAGGIE:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
I would, just for the benefit of the House, inform them
that the Canadian Civil Liberties Association has actually filed notice of
appeal for the travel ban; not that that will actually, for the short term,
produce any change until that case is heard. We welcome the view of the
judiciary about the constitutional elements of this, which are of importance to
a lot of people.
In terms of the issue about who has greater
jurisdiction. It is clear from our discussions that Transport Canada has the
mandate and the responsibility to deem what are safe practices on ferries and in
aircraft. That is federal jurisdiction; it is not provincial. We have no way of
influencing that, other than simply by lobbying and persuasion. They have the
ultimate decision, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for Terra Nova.
MR.
PARROTT:
Mr. Speaker, last week, during a photo op at the Corner Brook hospital, the
Premier stated that 85 per cent of the work is being done by locals, which is
unacceptable. Previously, the minister stated that 95 per cent of the work is
being done by locals.
Mr. Speaker, who's correct?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.
MR.
BRAGG:
guess we're talking about averages, Mr. Speaker, so the information I had
previously would have been dated in August. The Premier's would have been
sometime after that.
The accurate information given to me today – so this is
today's date – is there are 240 workers on that site; 24 are from outside the
province, that includes management level and everything. So that's 90 per cent,
the math on that for me.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for Terra Nova.
MR.
PARROTT:
I'm sad to hear the minister saying we're getting worse not better at this.
Mr. Speaker, we continue to hear stories of workers
from Quebec arriving weekly at the site to do drywall and insulation work; work
that can be done by Newfoundlanders; thousands of Newfoundlanders and
Labradorian sit home unemployed.
Mr. Speaker, will the minister commit here today that
the new mental health facility will be built 100 per cent by Newfoundland and
Labrador tradespeople?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.
MR.
BRAGG:
While the construction of that site, Mr. Speaker, is ongoing and the workforce
is in place, I'll be happy to report that on, I think it was, Tuesday of last
week, we did an announcement, a sod-turning event in Goose Bay, in which Moss
Development secured $5.1 million to do a six-bed mental health facility for that
town, who assures me 100 per cent of the people that company is going to employ
will be from Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for Terra Nova.
MR.
PARROTT:
Again, I'll take the answer as a no.
The question to the minister is: Will they commit to
100 per cent Newfoundland and Labrador content and tradespeople doing the mental
health facility, the one that's being built here in St. John's?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.
MR.
BRAGG:
Mr.
Speaker, the contract is called, the terms of that employment has been called.
We had some debate on this some time ago. You talk about 100 per cent; I sat on
a flight from Goose Bay with a gentleman who is doing a shutdown in IOC or
Wabush Mines, one or the other, who told me they could not find enough people to
go to work on their crew. So how can we say 100 per cent of this province if we
need expertise to come in from outside this province? How can anybody say that
on any project?
I ask the hon. Member: If you're going to build a
house, are you going to assure me that everything you put in this house is going
to be made right here in Newfoundland and Labrador?
MR.
PARROTT:
Absolutely.
MR.
BRAGG:
But
you can't – you can't. Where are you going to make a toilet in Newfoundland?
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for Bonavista.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh,
oh!
MR.
SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The hon. the Member for Bonavista.
MR.
PARDY:
Mr.
Speaker, in 2010, Hurricane Igor did significant damage in Little Catalina.
Transportation and Infrastructure replaced a bridge with a culvert that is too
low, allowing salt water and kelp to penetrate and be trapped in the inner
estuary. The result is a very unpleasant stench. Municipal affairs and
environment and Transportation and Infrastructure have been deferring to each
other as to who has been responsible every since.
Will the current Minister of TI, who was last municipal
affairs and environment when this issue was raised, order an immediate permanent
fix?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.
MR.
BRAGG:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the Member opposite for his concern for his
district. I'm aware of the situation. I will have a further investigation on
that situation and I will report back at a later time.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for Bonavista.
MR.
PARDY:
Thank you for the previous answer.
The Port Blandford-Winter Brook Rural Development
Association is looking to rebuild station property in Lethbridge. They applied
to Crown Lands two years ago and received assurances that they would receive the
entire property. Subsequently, Crown Lands have issued a portion to another
applicant.
How can Crown Lands rescind their initial confirmation
and thus impede the community from restoring this historic site and further
developing tourism in the region?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture.
MR.
LOVELESS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the hon. Member for the question.
I don't have the details on that particular issue, but
I would be glad to discuss that with you, if you wish. I can report back to the
House, or we can meet, individually, if you prefer.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Leader of the Third Party.
MS.
COFFIN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The government has announced a collection of task
forces to plan the future of the economy of our province.
I ask the Minister of Finance: Will there be places on
these task forces for the elected MHAs of this province?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Deputy Premier.
MS.
COADY:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Of course these are very important task forces that
we've asked for; one, obviously, to look at the economic opportunities in the
province and another to look at how we can reimagine health care and do a
10-year health accord. I guess those are the two that the Member opposite is
referring to.
The Member opposite has plenty of opportunity in the
House to add voice and add recommendations. Obviously, we also want to have more
integration of meetings. We've invited Members opposite – I know when I took
over as Minister of Finance – to come and give me their input. We'll always
value the input of MHAs in all of these task forces and welcome their voice in
terms of how we can improve things in Newfoundland and Labrador.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Leader of the Third Party.
MS.
COFFIN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I see the answer to that is no. We will have to try and
input on the future of our economy in another manner.
Mr. Speaker, the people of Newfoundland and Labrador
have been through a tough and challenging year. Enough is enough. Now is the
time for action. The people of Newfoundland and Labrador need our leaders to
lead. We do not need another election at this time.
I ask the minister: Will the Liberal government respect
the motion of this House and not call an election in 2020?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Deputy Premier.
MS.
COADY:
Mr.
Speaker, constantly in this House the Opposition has been speaking about an
election. Some Members opposite, some leaders opposite have been musing about an
election.
I can say, Mr. Speaker, that we, the Government of
Newfoundland and Labrador, it is incumbent upon us to follow the letter of the
law as it exists today in this province.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.
MR.
J. DINN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Can the Minister of Education tell us if all students
who had a seat on a school bus last year have been accommodated this year?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Education.
MR.
OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I have been advised by the Newfoundland and Labrador
is a process for courtesy seats on buses that has to be followed. I understand
that where space exists that the administrators of schools are looking at the
courtesy seating for those spaces.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for St. John's Centre.
MR.
J. DINN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The fact is, Mr. Speaker, many students who had
courtesy seating last year across this province did not get a seat this year and
this issue has put undue pressure on school administrators.
It has come to my attention that a minister of the
Liberal government is calling school administrators in my district who feel
pressured by the call to find courtesy seating for the minister's constituents.
I ask the Minister of Education: What are parents who
do not have a Cabinet minister as their MHA meant to do to ensure their children
have a courtesy seat?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Education.
MR.
OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, courtesy seating, as has been traditional
in this province, is courtesy seating. It is for students who live within 1.6
kilometres from the school. Every effort will be made where space is available,
as has been the case every year, to look after courtesy students.
It looks different this year than it did in previous
years, Mr. Speaker. The province had to purchase or secure, through private
contractors, an additional 145 buses and the drivers for those buses. So for
some schools there's more courtesy seating than there was last year; for some,
unfortunately, there's less.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
time for Question Period – time for a quick question and a quick answer.
The hon. the Member for Labrador West.
MR.
BROWN:
Mr.
Speaker, the Liberal government boasts about investments in mental health.
Despite this, we've learned this past week of the circumstances of the most
recent death of an Innu child in the government's care, in this past year.
I ask the Minister of CSSD: What are the plans to
ensure that this never happens again?
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development.
MR.
WARR:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I appreciate the question from the Member. Let me say,
first of all, Mr. Speaker, that the death is a sad loss. Certainly a child in
care, it's a tragedy and my heart goes out to the child's family.
Our government recognizes, Mr. Speaker, that the system
needs work, and that's what we're doing. We will ensure that we help strengthen
the social system, and I'll lead the development of that action on prevention
and early intervention.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
time for Question Period has expired.
Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.
Tabling of Documents.
Notices of Motion.
Notices of Motion
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Deputy Premier.
MS.
COADY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I give notice that I will ask leave to introduce a bill
entitled,
An Act To Amend The Revenue Administration Act No. 4, Bill 48.
MR.
SPEAKER:
Further notices of motion?
The hon. the Deputy Premier.
MS.
COADY:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I give notice that I will ask leave to introduce a bill
entitled,
An Act To Amend The Loan Act, 2020, Bill 47.
MR.
SPEAKER:
Further notices of motion?
The hon. the Member for Lake Melville.
MR.
TRIMPER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
WHEREAS Health Canada has concerns about vaping as it
can increase exposure to harmful chemicals and lead to nicotine addiction, with
youth being especially susceptible to its negative effects that include altered
brain development, memory and concentration; and
WHEREAS the Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs
Survey, 2017, reported that 54 per cent of all students thought it would be
“fairly easy” or “very easy” to get an e-cigarette with nicotine if they wanted
one; and
WHEREAS a 2019
British Medical Journal survey of youth in Canada, England and the United
States found that from 2017 to 2018 the prevalence of vaping for teens aged 16
to 19 jumped from 8.4 per cent to 14.6 per cent, representing a 74 per cent
increase year over year;
THEREFORE
BE IT RESOLVED that this hon. House refer the
following reference question to the Social Services Committee for immediate
action and report back with recommendations by March 31, 2021: What can be done
to reduce the prevalence of youth vaping in Newfoundland and Labrador?
This is moved by myself and seconded by the Member for
Burin - Grand Bank.
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Government House Leader.
MR.
CROCKER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Pursuant to Standing Order 63(3), the private Member's
resolution entered by the Member for Lake Melville shall be the one that we
debate this Wednesday.
MR.
SPEAKER:
Further notices of motion?
Answer to Questions for which Notice has been Given.
Petitions.
Petitions
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR.
BRAZIL:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
In his short life, Bell Island native and prolific
entertainer Harry Hibbs recorded many albums and had a number of gold records.
Harry shared Newfoundland and Labrador music with the
country and inspired many to pick up an instrument and to follow their musical
dreams.
Harry's music is legendary and continues to inspire,
delight and entertain people today. His contributions to the musical culture and
heritage of our province and the country are enormous.
We, the undersigned, call upon the House of Assembly to
urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to support the induction of
Harry Hibbs into Canada's Walk of Fame.
Mr. Speaker, I have a bit of kinship with Harry Hibbs,
and I would say it's definitely not in our musical talents. His is in the
stratosphere, mine is sitting right here on this Chair. But we do have a kinship
for our love for our native community of Bell Island, our love for this province
and our love for promoting our culture and our music.
It was an honour for me, growing up on Bell Island, to
have seen Harry Hibbs play a multitude of times, and when I went to university
in Ontario, getting to sit and have a very open heart-to-heart conversation with
him in a whole different venue. So very proud of that, but as I started to dig
deeper into Harry's significance in this country and in particularly in our
province about him promoting our culture and our musical heritage, it became
aware to me that he was a giant among giants. A very unassuming individual,
almost introverted to a certain degree, but when it came to music and promoting
our culture and who he was, he was one who always stood at the top of the heap.
Someone once said if you went into a room of musicians,
you didn't notice Harry Hibbs. If you went into a room of musicians and Harry
Hibbs had an accordion, you didn't recognize anybody else. That talks to who he
was and what he meant to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
Mr. Speaker, we look at his accomplishments. He had
seven gold records in Canada. That would put him at the stellar levels.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
BRAZIL:
Yes, Mr. Speaker, stellar levels of people like Bryan Adams and Neil Young and
people at that level. The height of the Canadian industry.
Harry's claim to fame, from my perspective, was he
didn't forget where he came from. Each year he would take a month, come back to
Newfoundland and Labrador and travel around here. He would buddy up with some of
the noted musicians of the day: the Dick Nolans, the Joan Morrisseys, Tom T.
Hall, a number of other people there, and they would do their tours. They would
go to some of the smaller, isolated areas to ensure that those people still had
an opportunity to know that their culture and their music was being promoted all
over this world.
Mr. Speaker, I remember talking to a reporter a number
of years ago and they said they followed Harry's career and once they reported:
Harry Hibbs, the Elvis Presley of East Coast music. That speaks volumes of who
he was and what he represented around this world.
Don Jamieson – as we know, a former MP and a leader in
our political life, and a super broadcaster, as we all know, promoting our
culture and that – once had said to me in an interview – I was doing something
for the university and we talked about Harry Hibbs and what he meant. He said,
we would measure the level of people's commitment and dedication of patriots to
Newfoundland and Labrador by how many Harry Hibbs records they had in their
household. That was a testament, again, to what he stood for in Newfoundland and
Labrador. A very unassuming individual who always dressed classy to show what he
was doing was very important.
Mr. Speaker, I'll end on one note. Another noted
entertainer, Damian Follett, wrote a song called “Harry's Song” and it says:
“There would be no me without you.” The “me” is a collective, meaning the Great
Big Seas, the Shanneyganocks, the Ennis Sisters and the Eddie Eastmans and
those, all of them would not have gotten their start had it not been for Harry
Hibbs opening the doors for Newfoundland and Labrador and getting people in this
country to accept our culture and our music.
Mr. Speaker, I would hope that we'll have an
opportunity for this House to be able to support Harry's claim to get a star on
the Walk of Fame.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation.
MR.
DAVIS:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It is a distinct honour for me to get to follow my hon.
colleague from across the House. I had the pleasure of touring Bell Island with
him and how proud the people are and how proud he is of Harry Hibbs. But more
importantly than even that, although that's a great accomplishment in and of
itself having the hon. Member being so proud, but I think all of us as
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are proud of the impact that he has made right
across our country. Not just for musicians, although that's been amazing, but as
an ambassador for our province.
As a Tourism Minister and the impact he's made from a
tourism perspective, the fact that he's put Newfoundland and Labrador on a map
early in the '70s, travelling to the capital of Bell Island, I think we'll call
it, up there in Cambridge, but for the most part, he's done a yeoman service for
what the province has put out as a musician and tourism product. In addition to
that, the start of musicians in our province has been made easier by the impact
that Harry has made.
I would be more than happy to work with the hon.
colleague and represent our government in pushing this initiative to get Harry's
star on the Hollywood – on the Canadian Walk of Fame.
HON. MEMBER:
(Inaudible) Hollywood.
MR.
DAVIS:
think that's an important piece. Let's get one step at a time first, I guess.
I think it's an important gesture that the hon. Member
has brought forward to this House. I look forward – I've signed the petition. I
can't wait to write the letter to our colleagues, federally, and get them on
board as well. This is a fitting tribute to a gentleman that has provided so
much to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador in such an unassuming way.
I would just like to thank the hon. Member for bringing
that forward. Seven gold records is not even his biggest accomplishment. I think
his biggest accomplishment is the love he has for our province and the people
that he supported in giving that approach.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the hon. Member for
bringing this forward in a petition form.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
Further petitions?
The hon. the Government House Leader.
MR.
CROCKER:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
I call Orders of the Day.
Orders of the Day
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Government House Leader.
MR.
CROCKER:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
I call from the Order Paper, Motion 1, the Budget
Speech.
MR.
SPEAKER:
Motion 1, the Budget Speech.
The hon. the Member for Grand Falls-Windsor - Buchans.
MR.
TIBBS:
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
I'd like to start off by congratulating the Member for
Mount Scio on her new family addition. She's from Grand Falls-Windsor and we
couldn't be more proud. I know her parents quite well and I'm sure they're very
proud as well. The Opposition wish her the best of luck in her future.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
TIBBS:
Mr.
Speaker, I'll take a minute here and just tell a little story, first of all. I
was working in Alberta in 2012-2013 and when I was up there we went to – I
filled in on an older dingy rig, a big rig, and the rig manager at the time, we
called him a tool push in the oil patch. He tried to order us some new lanyards,
some new belts, so we could climb 110 feet into the air with three-foot sway and
for a year straight he tried to order us new ones. These were old, dingy, oily
and should have been taken out of service a long, long time ago. Cuts – taking
our lives in our own hands some days. He would drop it on a phone call every
single week when he'd put in his requisitions for the next week coming up and
he'd always get turned down. He'd mention it once, mention it again and he'd get
turned down.
We had a new tool push come out and fill in, and the
day he got there he made one phone call after he seen these lanyards and these
fall arrests that our lives depended on. He called the office and said he needs
six sent out today, without any negotiation or there was a stop-work order going
in right away. That rig was billed out at $38,000 a day; they couldn't afford a
stop work.
He slammed down the phone, no negotiations whatsoever.
The phone rang five minutes later and he was told there was going to be six on a
hotshot; $1,200 to get them sent out right away. He made the plea that his men
that worked with him were not going to work one more minute without those
life-saving devices. He fought for us and I'll never forget that man until the
day I die and how he made us feel because he put us first.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
TIBBS:
Mr.
Speaker, I kind of want to relate this to our issues here with Ottawa. Over the
past little while here, the past year, the past five years, we've been asking
for Ottawa – the new Premier campaigned on the fact that his friends in Ottawa,
his relationships in Ottawa were going to get us what we needed. Everybody in
the province were quite smitten with that, we were hoping it was going to
happen. Nothing has happened yet.
We can talk about $320 million all day long, but, at
the end of the day, it's pennies in a bucket for an industry that is hurting.
It's hurting here in Newfoundland and Labrador and, more, it's hurting the
families and the workers that work in that industry.
One of two things are happening here and the people of
the province deserve to know. It's either this current provincial government is
satisfied with their friends in Ottawa, in which case, in my opinion, they don't
deserve to represent the province. Or this current provincial government does
not have the guts to take on Ottawa and fight to put Newfoundlanders and
Labradorians first, in which they do not deserve to represent the province.
Mr. Speaker, in order to take on Ottawa, in my opinion,
more needs to be done. I truly believe that if this was Bombardier in Quebec or
some sort of car factory in Oshawa, there would be more money coming. I truly
believe that the silence is deafening from this government to their friends in
Ottawa and it's absolutely sickening to the people across the province.
For all the levers that are pulled and all the stones
that are being turned, Mr. Speaker, that's the jargon that we've been hearing
for the past couple of months, when I thought about that rig manager, I thought
to myself, for a year the old rig manager, the old tool push did what he could –
he said he did what he could. It didn't work so something different had to be
done. I feel as though we're at that point now and something different has to be
done. We need a government here in Newfoundland and Labrador that's going to
stand up for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and put us first when it comes to
Ottawa and the rest of the country.
Those guys in Quebec, those guys in Ontario, they get
what they want because they care about their people and they put them first.
They'll fight tooth and nail to make sure they get what they want. We are a
province in the country of Canada, the greatest country in the world. We are, in
my opinion, the best province in Canada. We need to get exactly what we deserve
as well. I feel as though there's nobody fighting for us in that fight. We need
to do better and we can do better.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
TIBBS:
Mr.
Speaker, the people of Grand Falls-Windsor - Buchans elected me, they had faith
in me and to tell you the truth, they didn't even know me at the time, but they
did take a chance on me and I couldn't be happier for that. It truly gave me an
opportunity to sit or stand here today and speak on behalf of them, but it's
extrapolated across the province. I'm not just speaking for them; I'm speaking
for everybody in the province.
We have a lot of issues here in the province. We hear
all day long how we can see the glass half full, how there are all kinds of
different announcements and whatnot, sod turnings, signing beams. Mr. Speaker,
it's almost time to get out of your office and get out onto the streets and talk
to the real people of the province and their issues. Go to their homes.
I've been doing it since the day I got elected. I do
house calls. I'll go to somebody's home all week long and I'll sit and talk with
them because I truly care. I believe a lot of people care in this House, but
sometimes it gets lost within the politics itself. Eventually, you lose sight. I
promise the people of Grand Falls-Windsor - Buchans I'll never lose sight. If
the day comes where I lose sight, I'll pack my bags and walk out the back door.
I'm done. But for now I'm going to keep them in mind and for now I'm going to
fight for them, just like I hope the rest of us do here.
Mr. Speaker, it's beyond me how, these phone calls with
Ottawa, we're not getting a daily update. It's beyond me how somebody hasn't put
their arse on a plane and brought themselves to Ottawa and sat and spoke with
the prime minister or spoke with his people. That's all we hear all day long is
that we're working on it; we're working on it; we're working on it. We are out
of time. The people of this province are out of time.
Do you know how scared the people of the province are
because of Christmas, what should be an absolutely joyous time? The people of
the province are terrified of Christmas because there are people who are going
to have to look at their children, who have worked 25 and 30 years –
MR.
SPEAKER:
Order, please!
The hon. the Member for Lake Melville.
MR.
TRIMPER:
I'm not sure what I heard, but I'm quite sure I heard some unparliamentary
language just a phrase or two ago. I just remind you to perhaps look at
Hansard and review if you didn't hear
it yourself .
MR.
SPEAKER:
will review the transcript and rule on that.
The hon. the Member for Grand Falls-Windsor - Buchans.
MR.
TIBBS:
It's good to see where the Member's thoughts are today instead of the people of
the province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
TIBBS:
apologize for nothing, Mr. Speaker. I'm telling it like it is here today. I sit
with these people day in and day out, and I suggest everybody do the exact same
thing. If I can get back to my point, Mr. Speaker, like I was on before I was
rudely interrupted.
The people of this province have Christmas coming up.
There are people in this province who have worked 25 and 30 years, worked their
butts off, 60 and 70 hours a week some weeks, that have to look at their kids
now and tell them there can't be any Christmas presents, Christmas tree,
Christmas dinner. This is almost poverty, Mr. Speaker. It truly is. We have to
work together and try to get them out as best we can, and try to work for the
province, work for the people of the province.
In Grand Falls-Windsor - Buchans in the past year and a
half, what have we seen from the government? Little to nothing. I tell you what,
when I took office a year and a half ago we had a building; we had a million
dollars in the bank for the Lionel Kelland Hospice. There's no building to be
built. We need some renovations to get some people in there to die with dignity.
Nothing's been done with that yet. Where in God's green earth do you have a
building, a million dollars in the bank from the community, I might add, and
nothing gets done? Why? Whose district is it? I'm going to call it out.
Mr. Speaker, just down from the Lionel Kelland Hospice
– which I would like to see being built very, very soon because a lot of people
are depending on it. We are the only province in Canada that does not have a
community hospice. It's absolutely ridiculous.
Mr. Speaker, just down the street from that, we have
the long-term health care centre in Grand Falls-Windsor. We talk about 95 per
cent or 90 per cent or 85 per cent. We have to go down there, we have to look at
six plumbers, seven insulators and I know you're going to look at the numbers.
If I can make a suggestion to the government across, get your nose out of the
books, stop looking at numbers and go visit the place. I guarantee you; you'll
see a difference in your numbers and from what's down there.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
TIBBS:
Mr.
Speaker, I have people in Grand Falls-Windsor, I have plumbers who have worked
in the trade for 20 years literally on Scott Avenue, living across the street,
watching Quebec workers come in from the hardest hit COVID province in this
country to do the work that they can do. Numbers don't mean a damn thing when
you hear about that – nothing.
The numbers, you could have them all day long but when
it comes to the workers, go visit with them. Go talk to them. These workers are
passing through the hallways with other workers and they're supposed to be
isolating. We'll isolate our own people but we'll take them in from Quebec all
day long without anything. That is a shame. That is a complete shame.
We just talked about the Member for Terra Nova. He was
asked: Would you have everything in your house local. I would have it as local
as I could, but the real question is: Would you have local people build your
house? I'm sure you would. I'm sure you'd have local people build your house
because we need jobs here in Newfoundland and Labrador. This place will sink if
we do not have jobs. We have to fight for those jobs, just like the other
provinces are doing.
This Liberal federal government is no friend of
Newfoundland and Labrador, let me tell you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
TIBBS:
They are oil and gas job killers, and I do not need a lecture or a notebook to
find that out because I've lived it.
Mr. Speaker, I was talking to a friend of mine in
Alberta last night. He's lost three friends, three dads, who have committed
suicide. I'm being told – and I don't know the numbers so don't quote me on it,
but he is telling me now that suicides have claimed more lives throughout
Western Canada, especially in Alberta, than COVID-19. That's sad.
This Liberal government wants to go towards green
initiatives. I couldn't agree more, but there's a time for that. That transition
has to be done. In Canada, we have the fourth largest oil reserve on the planet.
This oil and gas is going to be around for quite some time and it's going to be
on the market for quite some time. Those other countries are going to scoop it
up and gobble it up and they're going to have jobs galore, while Canada and
Newfoundland and Labrador are left in the dark once again because we do not have
somebody fighting for our jobs here in Newfoundland and Labrador. I'm sick of
it. I'm tired of it, and so are the people across the province and we won't have
it any more.
Mr. Speaker, in Grand Falls-Windsor - Buchans we do
have some people working in the oil and gas as well. They depend on it. Their
families depend on it. We constantly hear the Minister of Energy talk about
there's a worldwide pandemic; there are problems with oil and gas around the
world, throughout Canada. It doesn't matter, we're in Newfoundland and Labrador,
let's focus on that. I'm sure we could focus on that.
Like I say, if this was Bombardier in Quebec, there'd
be money on the table for them because they have somebody fighting for them.
They have somebody yelling for them, and we need to. Forget about pulling
levers, rip the thing off the wall and throw it and get somebody's attention,
that's what I say, because we need attention here and we're not getting it.
The government are supposed to be our voice in Ottawa
and we're searching for that voice still because we haven't seen it yet. All
these non announcements on stage with the Natural Resources minister, the
federal one, they mean nothing. They only make people more upset. Stop with the
non announcements, work to get it done and get us an announcement that works for
us.
Two hundred million dollars to a casino in Ontario, is
that what I heard? Two hundred million dollars to a casino in Ontario and we're
given $320 million to save one of the biggest industries for the whole province.
It's absolutely shameful and we won't have anymore of it.
Mr. Speaker, I'll take a quick moment here to just talk
about my own District of Grand Falls-Windsor - Buchans. I have a constituent of
mine, John Shearing, 63 years old, been cutting wood since he's been six years
old. He's being sent on the Bay d'Espoir Highway to get wood now while 20
truckloads of wood leave our area to go east or west. Now, I'm all about fair
play and getting good business on the go. I don't mind it at all, but we need a
comprehensive review of Central Newfoundland and the people and their ancestors
who have cut wood there for over 100 years. They're being left out in the cold.
Why? I want to know why.
Eric Osmond has been cutting wood for 65 years – he's
almost 80 – up in Millertown. He can't get wood. He cannot get wood, and he owns
a sawmill in Millertown and employs seven people. The town only has 85 people in
it and he employs seven, and he has trouble getting wood. Literally, those
trucks have to pass by his house every single day and it absolutely disgusts us
up in Grand Falls-Windsor - Buchans.
Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of health care waits of
course in Grand Falls-Windsor and right throughout the district; many people
have health care waits. We talked a while ago about one in five people do not
have a family doctor. You have walk-in clinics and stuff like that; you can
revert to them, but let me tell you what that looks like.
When somebody calls for a doctor and they're told we're
not taking any more patients, we're not taking any more patients, we're not
taking any more patients. Do you know what that makes somebody say? That makes
somebody say, well, it's a small pain or it's a small ailment, we'll ignore it,
we'll let it be. That small ailment or pain can quickly turn into something much
more serious. It can turn into a cancer, and that's exactly what's happening.
I've had people in Grand Falls-Windsor - Buchans who couldn't get in to see a
doctor and now they have cancer and are waiting to get it cut out and are
waiting a long, long time still. That, too, is shameful.
Mr. Speaker, we talk about the Buchans Highway, it's
not in bad shape. There are some places that could be fixed up, but I've wanted
brush cutting up there for a long, long time now and we still haven't seen it
this summer. Derm Corbett, the mayor of Buchans himself, I was up to see him on
Friday, he said he almost hit two moose the night before, very barely missing
one. We know how important brush cutting is to our district, to all districts
throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. It's our first line of defence. God forbid
if somebody gets hurt up there, it's going to be sad.
Crown Lands is another one, Mr. Speaker. I don't know
why people are waiting 90 days just to get an application number, and then
waiting years upon years to get a piece of Crown land. A lot of people are
getting very frustrated with it. It's a department – and it's no reflection of
the people that work in the department themselves, but something needs to be
done. People are waiting too long for this stuff and they're getting fed up with
it to the point where they withdraw their application. To me, it's not good
enough, not by any means.
Mr. Speaker, I'll just take the last couple of minutes
here to talk about mental health issues. They're on the rise, there's no doubt
about it. Not only are the mental health issues on the rise, the addictions that
come with it. COVID-19 has certainly set in the addictions, whether it be
alcohol or drugs, here in the province, it's definitely on the rise. With that
also comes crime. Crime will be on the rise as well. So it's something that we
all need to keep an eye on as we move forward here.
I implore anybody across the province, check on your
elderly, check on your neighbours, check on those who you think may be lonely or
may be left out in the dark, because a dinner invitation or a sincere: How are
you today? That can go a long way and I implore everybody across the province to
do that with your neighbours and your family because it seems like it's going to
get a lot worse before it gets better right now. I think I alluded to it last
week, Mr. Speaker, mental-health sickness is going to take more lives than
COVID-19. I guarantee it will and it already has, in my opinion, in some places.
We need to make sure we keep an eye on that. When I
look at those families out there that are really suffering, they're looking to
us for solutions, for answers, and I truly believe that we do not have a voice
in Ottawa, and that is a big thing. We're not going to Ottawa looking for a
handout, again; we are looking for a hand up. It's taxpayer's money. How much
money has the oil and gas generated for the rest of the country? It just seems
like this federal government just wants to put a foot on the head of those that
are drowning now, and that's just sad to see. I think that if we were a lot
louder and we took the time to maybe go up there, talk with them, do your
two-week isolation when you get back. But we need a stronger voice in Ottawa,
and I'll say that moving forward, Mr. Speaker.
So for all of those out there, I know that we're trying
to do the best that we can on this side. When we have Question Period and we ask
questions across the way and they get scoffed at or laughed at, I can guarantee
you that those questions don't come from just my head. We are the representation
for the people of the province; those questions come from the people of the
province. If they were sat here today, they would be asking you, and that's
exactly why I'm sat here. Somebody said to me a while ago: What makes you so
popular? I said: I don't know. They said: I'll tell you. I said: What? They
said: You're one of us. And I'll continue to be one of the common people here in
the province, Mr. Speaker, and they have a voice in me until the day I die.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, I bide my time.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Minister of Education.
MR.
OSBORNE:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It's a pleasure to speak on the Budget Speech today. I
was thinking earlier, this is actually the 26th Budget Speech that I've spoken
to. You would think I would be used to it by now, but I find that you always
learn something new and there's always something different as you're debating
the budget and listening to others speak.
I will say that when you look at this year's budget
compared to other budgets in other jurisdictions, we've done very, very well. I
know that it's unprecedented times. We've kind of been put back on our heels a
little bit, but no different than any other jurisdiction in Canada, or globally
for that matter.
When you look at the budget put forward in this
province, yes, we've got, not the highest deficit the province has ever had,
although it's probably the most difficult year that we've had financially in the
province since the collapse of the cod fishery, Mr. Speaker. But the reality is
when you look at our province compared to other provinces who were expecting
surpluses and have billion-dollar or multi-billion-dollar deficits, we've
actually fared relatively well, given the difficult circumstances, the
unprecedented times and what's happening as a result of COVID within the economy
and the fact that the economy had essentially been shut down for two or three
months.
When you look at what's happening in this province in
handling the pandemic, we've done exceptionally well, and I would say probably
looked at by many jurisdictions, globally, to see how it is and what it is we're
doing in dealing with the pandemic. Yes, that's not to speak lightly of the
people who have been affected because COVID and the effects of COVID are very,
very serious, but when you look at how this province has dealt with it and
minimized the number of cases and community spread, I would say that we're
probably the envy of many, many jurisdictions globally.
Mr. Speaker, I wanted to talk about some of the things
that are happening in the province and some of the opportunities that are there,
even though we faced some challenges with COVID, but some of the opportunities.
If you look at the tech sector, the speed and the growth within the tech sector
and the opportunity within the tech sector in this province, and techNL, or
formerly known as NATI, the work that they've been doing with some of the
companies that are national and global leaders like Verafin, Kraken, GRi and
Bluedrop or others.
I guess the concern or the problem with naming some is
that you can't name them all, but there are many tech companies in this
province, Mr. Speaker, that are competing globally, are known globally for the
work they're doing and employing a lot of people in this province. You can work
in this province as easily as you can work in Silicone Valley or in London, the
UK, or in Toronto, Ontario, you can work anywhere in the tech sector. This
province has seized that opportunity. The companies in this province have seized
that opportunity and have grown and done very, very well.
There is an opportunity, and as techNL have pointed
out, we will need and be able to provide thousands of jobs over the next two or
three years in this province through the tech sector. Our government has
introduced coding in schools, Mr. Speaker. We're looking at other opportunities
to help provide the workforce of tomorrow as this industry grows but there is
tremendous opportunity in the tech sector.
We have to look at one of the challenges in the tech
sector is the fact that there are more jobs than there are people going into
those jobs. When somebody signs up at Memorial University or the College of the
North Atlantic to go into one of the IT programs, long before they're finished
they're offered a job in the IT sector because there is such a demand for those
workers.
We need to look, within my department, at expanding the
number of seats and expanding the availability of courses to people in this
province because it is a job where people can train here. They can work here;
they can live here. If we can produce more graduates, Mr. Speaker, every one of
those graduates will get jobs. It is something that we need to look at. I've had
discussions with our public post-secondary institutions and a couple of our
private post-secondary institutions on that as well.
We have been working with techNL and our educational
system on other opportunities that may be available within the tech sector and
to get more people into the tech sector, Mr. Speaker. It's certainly something
that as a government and as MHAs we have a responsibility to let people going
through the high school system, even let them know that this is a tremendous
career opportunity and a very, very solid career within this province. It's an
area where we're able to keep people in this province and, in fact, attract
newcomers to the province as well.
When you look at the College of the North Atlantic,
over the last couple of years we've looked at the Centre of Excellence for
aquaculture, for example, on the Burin Peninsula. The reason we chose
aquaculture: again, it's a growth sector. If you look at Norway – and I can't
remember the exact numbers – they produce about 60 per cent of farmed salmon
globally, I believe is the number. We're producing about 5 per cent of what they
produce.
We have 27,000 kilometres of coastline here. Not all of
our coastline is suitable for aquaculture, but certainly along the South Coast
and in those areas we have lots of area for growth in the aquaculture centre.
It's something that this province has looked at as part of
The Way Forward .
Again, looking at the College of the North Atlantic on
the Burin Peninsula and redefining that as a Centre of Excellence for
aquaculture. Mr. Speaker, if we can grow the industry – things such as smolt or
the netting and cages, for example, currently it's not viable to produce that in
this province. If the aquaculture industry grows, as we believe it will and as
we believe it should, Mr. Speaker, we will have the opportunity with the growth
of that industry to see spinoff industries and the growth of spinoff as well.
You can look at the production of feed as one of those
areas. As I said, the smolt or producing the netting and cages for the
aquaculture industry. So there's plenty of opportunity there. If you look at the
Irish model as an example, where you educate first and, if you educate, the
opportunities will follow. That's part of the reason we looked at the Centre of
Excellence for aquaculture on the Burin Peninsula.
Looking at that, we've also – similarly, the College of
the North Atlantic in Corner Brook for the agriculture and forestry sector. I
had the opportunity to visit that recently, Mr. Speaker, and the opportunity out
there and training people for the agriculture industry.
I've said in the House on previous occasions, we
produce about 10 per cent of the root vegetables that are consumed in the
province. If you go back 60 or 80 years ago, as my colleague across the way
would know, the province produced far greater numbers of what was consumed here.
About 70 or 80 years ago, 100 per cent of what was consumed here was produced
here in terms of root vegetables. We now have a greater reliance on other
jurisdictions for that, Mr. Speaker.
So it's an area of growth. We've seen more and more
young people get into the agriculture industry. Again, part of the reason we've
designated the Corner Brook College of the North Atlantic to focus primarily on
agriculture and forestry is because there are growth opportunities there.
Government, in the last two or three years, has designated more land
provincially to be used only for agriculture. The future use of that land will
only be agriculture.
As the industry grows, looking at items like cold
storage to allow the industry to grow and expand the sales season for that
industry and the opportunity for farmers to have considerably more months of
sales and lengthen that season, it will create more opportunities as well. We're
looking at areas where traditionally – in addition to the new areas like the IT
sector, but traditionally would've provided greater numbers of employment and
greater opportunity in the province. So, Mr. Speaker, we're looking at that.
I've visited the Marine Institute several times. Twice
now since becoming Minister of Education, but I visited prior to that. For any
Member of the Legislature who hasn't been there, I encourage you to go and have
a look. It is known globally for ocean technology and the education they provide
to those that work in the marine fields. It's an incredible facility. If you
look at the simulators, and they have a number of simulators there, it's
absolutely incredible.
We actually cut the ribbon last week on one of the
simulators that was manufactured by a local company, GRi, and Kraken was
involved, I believe, with the robotics for that simulator. So there were a
couple of companies involved in that. As I said, these companies are known
globally for what they do. They're providing their expertise globally. The
simulator that we cut the ribbon on last week at the Marine Institute was
essentially built by these local companies and it is absolutely incredible.
I had the opportunity, and while I'm not one of the –
my generation is long before the Xbox or PlayStation, Mr. Speaker, so I was a
little concerned when I sat in the chair. The chair is where you sit with all of
the controls. It looks like something that would have come out of
Star Wars or
Star Trek , very high-end robotics and controls. Absolutely
incredible.
When I sat in the chair and was asked to perform one of
the underwater simulations, I was a little nervous not having that – the kids
today, where they're used to the videogames and Xbox and so on, I imagine would
walk into the simulators and just know how to operate them almost immediately.
It was incredibly easy to operate, and it speaks to the expertise in building
this simulator.
We took an underwater craft, robotics to – it was
actually a submarine, Mr. Speaker, that had gotten caught in some cables and
netting under water and was essentially stuck on the ocean floor. So we took the
underwater robotics in, we grabbed the cable and cut it. It was all simulation,
but this simulator prepares students for the real world. It is so lifelike in
how it operates that when our students leave the Marine Institute, after the
education and operating these simulators, they can go anywhere in the world and
operate the underwater robotics.
In fact, Mr. Speaker, there will come a day – and in
some cases it's happening now – where you can sit in St. John's, where the
expertise is as a result of the Marine Institute, and operate robotics somewhere
else in the world. That can happen right now today. That's the growth of that
industry and how we see that industry.
If you look at Canada's ocean economy, many people in
the province don't realize but we own about 50 per cent of the entirety of
Canada's ocean economy. When you look at things like the ocean supercluster and
the advantages that's going to provide, tapping into that, Mr. Speaker, this
province is going to benefit significantly from that.
The model used by the Marine Institute I've often spoke
about, where they have such a close connection with industry and work with
industry as they look towards the future in what programming will be needed and
what courses will be needed, is certainly a model we can look at with not only
our public, but our private post-secondary institutions as well, and create
that.
On that note, the public post-secondary review, we
anticipate getting the report from them within the next couple of months, Mr.
Speaker. I know when they set out to do that review, part of it was looking at
post-secondary education and what it looks like for the future, focusing on how
our post-secondary institutions build their relationship with private industry,
looking at training people for tomorrow.
One of the things that I hope we see come out of that
is how we stay ahead of the curve; how we look at training people for jobs that
exist as opposed to training people for jobs that don't exist and having people
graduate and educate people simply so that they would have to move away. There
are opportunities here, as I said, in the tech sector.
One opportunity where we should be training more
people, because there is such a huge demand in the tech sector for employees. We
need to start focusing and staying ahead of the curve so that the training we're
providing in our post-secondary institution will be training people for the jobs
that exist and for future jobs. That's something that I hope to see come out of
the post-secondary review.
Mr. Speaker, I know there are a couple of minutes left
on the clock in my time to speak. I do want to speak a little about some of – I
know in some of the seniors' buildings, for example, in my district, I'd be
there constantly for social events. I miss that because of the restrictions as a
result of COVID. When you look at COVID, not only has it affected the economy,
Mr. Speaker, but you look at how it's affected families and sometimes the
ability for people to get into a building where visitation or visitors are
restricted. We're learning to deal with that and how that looks in the future.
I know I can say, certainly, as one individual looking
forward to the time when COVID is not such an impediment or doesn't consume so
much time and energy and resources in trying to deal with or live with COVID,
looking forward to the time when we're able to get life back a little bit more
to normal and visit the places that we're used to visiting and getting into, Mr.
Speaker, or even going to a shopping centre and not having to wear a mask, for
example. I'm looking forward to those times.
Having said that, as I've indicated at the outset of
this, our province is the envy of the world in how we've dealt with COVID and
how we've protected our people. For that, I really have to send kudos to our
public health officials, the chief medical officer of Health and our Minister of
Health for the job they've done here in protecting this province.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
SPEAKER:
The
hon. the Member for Topsail - Paradise.
MR.
P. DINN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'd like to start by first talking about the wonderful
District of Topsail - Paradise that I represent. I do appreciate the confidence
that the residents have placed in me. It's a job I take very seriously. I thank
them for their support and hopefully their continued support.
My approach has always been, whether I was volunteering
or on the town council or in my last two years as a Member, is if one person
brings an issue to you or a thousand people bring an issue to you, it's an issue
that's worth addressing. The other thing residents would have heard me say: I
don't care if the person has two horns and a pointy tail, if they have an issue
and in my district, I'm dealing with it.
The District of Topsail - Paradise, of course, is a
wonderful district. I'm not going to get pushed out of that district any time
soon. I suspect I'm there for the long term. It's very much a rural setting but
with all the urban amenities. There are a huge number of young families in the
district. They participate in a lot of sports activities, arts programs, Scouts,
Guides. In the surrounding area I have four schools, K to 6 schools, a K to 4
school. A new school opening, hopefully, in the fall, a middle school. A lot of
school kids.
I guess like any other community too, a huge, huge
volunteer group. I think all would agree, we'd be nowhere without our volunteers
and probably more so now during these uncertain times with COVID.
Our seniors certainly are very involved. I have two
50-plus clubs that operate in the district: the Worsley Park 50+ Club and the
Paradise Adventure 50+ Club. They do quite a lot of activities throughout the
year. I know they're finding it hard now with the COVID restrictions, but I
think they're slowly getting back to a sense of normal, with their darts, their
talent nights and open mic. We have a huge arts community that deals with art
fairs, craft fairs and fundraisers.
So it's a wonderful district. It's not without some
issues that I deal with on a daily basis. Some of the larger issues for the
district, of course, is the 1.6-kilometre busing. I know earlier, late last week
or the week before, in Estimates the minister responsible indicated that his
focus is on dealing with the busing concerns around COVID and that the 1.6
probably would not be addressed this year. So I'm really hopeful that it
continues to be on the agenda and it gets addressed sooner rather than later,
because it's an extremely important issue and a safety issue.
We also have some issues on Route 60 through Topsail, I
raised them again and again with the past minister who was responsible and the
current minister and I'll continue to do so. We have other issues that haven't
come to the forefront yet, but when you talk about the federal regulations now
on waste water fluid treatment, that's going to be a huge expense for the
district that we need to talk about and, as well, there's areas within the
district without water and sewer.
A wonderful district, but we do have some concerns that
need to be addressed and I'm going to continue to push those issues and get
something done with them, sooner rather than later. I know the district looks
forward to a time when they can return to some sense of normal with everything.
Going to the budget, and we're talking about the budget
here, I have a number of thoughts with limited time, but I'll do what I can with
it. Firstly, what I noticed with the budget, the theme that ran through the
Budget Speech had to deal with the theme of reimagine. In fact, the word
“reimagine” was mentioned a number of times. It talked about reimagining
government. It talked about reimagining service delivery. It talked about
reimagining health. It talked about reimagining our economy. It talked about
reimagining our programs and services. It talked about rethinking accessible
transportation. It talked about a renewed poverty reduction strategy. I find
that troubling, that after five years of this government that they're now
rejigging to rethink, to recreate, to reimagine when we waited five years for
something to happen.
I don't know, did Newfoundlanders and Labradorians just
imagine this or was it just a bad dream? Newfoundlanders and Labradorians cannot
afford another moment of rethinking, reimagining and recreating. Newfoundlanders
cannot afford any more time of dreaming of a way forward. I think
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians want, demand and need action.
I looked at
Budget 2016 , the first budget that came in with this government, and I'll
quote what it says. It says: “Led by our Premier, backed by the strength and the
skill of the Cabinet and Caucus, we will gather the facts, analyze the data,
make plans and execute and evaluate our performance.
“We will hold ourselves accountable. We will get
results.”
HON. MEMBER:
five year's time.
MR.
P. DINN:
Five years ago. I go back and here we are reimagining, rethinking, redoing,
recreating. Maybe you want to recycle; recycle our poverty reduction plan if you
want to “re-” anything.
This is the time. Time is not on our side. We now have
a new Premier who says we will be doing things differently, because it appears
to be much of the same. The new Premier – we're going to do things differently.
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians want action and results. Wow, five years;
figured that one out.
After five years, this government is establishing a
task force on Oil and Gas Industry Recovery, but it's not that long ago this
government created the Oil and Gas Corporation. “The oil and gas corporation” –
again, this is their literature – “will work with industry stakeholders, and the
department, to support the implementation of Advance 2030. It will continue to
focus on developing oil and gas resources and attracting exploration investment
to our province. The corporation will also focus on local supply and service
industry opportunities, which will help create jobs and business opportunities
for the people of the province.”
I go back to the Premier's point, doing things
differently. That was never done, there's nothing differently happening here,
just another task force established.
Then you move to a Rate Mitigation Team. Another team,
rate mitigation, government released this plan on rate mitigation. It touted
that their solution was going to be 13.5 cents per kilowatt hour. Now, it
appears they misspoke and we now have to rethink that plan, so what better way
than create another team. Even though everyone in this House was an elected
official and people depend on us to make the decisions and work and our
expertise, we have another team on rate mitigation. I can guarantee you, I can
almost bet that 13.5 cents commitment will no longer exist – doing things
differently again.
Now they've established an Economic Recovery Team –
doing things differently. Government created a team to “review expenditures
across government, analyze our fiscal capacity and reimagine government service
delivery.” Sound familiar?
This government spent $1 million to have McKinsey &
Company develop an Economic Growth Strategy for the Province of Newfoundland and
Labrador to identify areas that can stimulate growth, provide detailed sector
plans, cross-cutting approaches and enable the collaboration and commitments of
improving government operations.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh,
oh!
MADAM SPEAKER (P. Parsons):
Order, please!
MR.
P. DINN:
just did that.
MADAM SPEAKER:
Order, please!
I'd like to ask everybody to keep the noise volume down
so I can hear the speaker.
MR.
P. DINN:
appreciate that, Madam Speaker.
Again, doing things differently.
MR.
BRAGG:
(Inaudible.)
MADAM SPEAKER:
Order, please!
MR.
P. DINN:
appreciate that the Member for Fogo Island - Cape Freels over there is a bit
appalled at the factual information I'm presenting here, but I would let him
speak, I prefer he'd do the same for me as well.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
P. DINN:
Here we also look at a renewed 10-year poverty reduction plan; another team,
another plan, another reimagine. “Our government plans to develop a renewed
10-year poverty reduction” plan to rethink approaches.
In 2005, the PC government of the time released a
poverty reduction strategy. This was applauded as a leading-edge approach and
resulted in the poverty rate being reduced from 20 per cent to 11 per cent. As I
said earlier, if you want to rethink, redo, recreate, I have no problem. Recycle
that plan if you want to address poverty. Again, doing things differently.
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have tasked us as
elected officials with looking after their best interests, district by district
and as a province as a whole. They didn't task committees, they didn't task
companies and they didn't task surveys. Those are helpful tools, but when you
use up all the tools in the box, it's probably time to get down to action,
probably time to drive that nail. We're not there yet, after five years.
As an Opposition, we have been doing what we can to
hold government accountable – that's our job – and to advocate on behalf of
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. We pushed for affordable child care and we're
happy to see government see the benefits in affordable child care. We've pushed
for the expansion of the Insulin Pump Program and we are happy government heard
us loud and clear. We pushed for –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Oh,
oh!
MR.
P. DINN:
Action is good, but I call it delayed action, five years later. Anyway, that's
another matter.
We pushed for more incentives in the offshore
exploration and government appears to be starting to listen. They appear to
start to be listening.
MS.
COADY:
More action.
MR.
P. DINN:
appreciate the Deputy Premier commenting. Thank you for that. You're looking for
what we're looking for: action. We want to see some action. Not reaction, but
action.
We have brought to the forefront concerns
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have had related to an array of issues such as
our declining population; the lack of incremental, long-term meaningful
employment; the need for better broadband and many industry- and
resource-related improvements. I'm really hopeful they'll start to listen. If
they can't do anything to help, then step aside and we can jump in there – any
time, any day.
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, they want actions and
they want solutions and they deserve actions and they deserve solutions. They
deserve a full and honest picture and they want the whole picture. I'll give you
an example. People want to know right upfront what we're dealing with. We work
for them. We report to them. We're not the bosses here. I'm so honoured and
privileged to sit in this House and work for the people of Topsail - Paradise,
and I'm going to continue to do that.
As an example, when government is touting the
tremendous success of the MyGovNL website and how registration has grown by
1,400 per cent since March, now I'm not sure if they're trying to insult us by
implying that that's a fabulous site. It may be a fabulous site. I question the
results. I don't think Newfoundlanders and Labradorians out there are naive to
think that that 1,400 per cent increase is the result of this fabulous site.
This is a result of COVID. This is a result of government sites, government
front desk operations not being available. Residents had to go to MyGovNL, but
what's also missing here is some residents could not go to MyGovNL. So let's
keep the story real; tell it like it is.
To sum up to close, this budget in its own words is
reimagining, rethinking and rejigging a five-year plan that went nowhere.
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians cannot afford anymore time, lost time. As I
said, there have been some bright spots and it seems that government is starting
to listen to the people, through the Opposition. That seems to be happening.
I just go back to how I started. I was elected by the
people of Topsail - Paradise to look into their interests and I will continue to
do so for them and the province as a whole. I really don't care where the
solutions come from – I really don't – as long as they are destined to have a
positive impact on our residents. I hear people say there's a reason your
windshield is bigger than your rear-view mirror, so you continue to look ahead.
You look ahead to where you're going.
I saw another quote that says: Our eyes are in the
front because it's better to look ahead than to look back. Don't dwell on things
of the past, learn from them and keep moving forward. We owe it to our residents
to be open, accountable and transparent and dedicated to the jobs that we were
elected to do.
It's great to use the little sayings, we're going to
turn over every rock, every stone, every whatever we can. We're turning it over.
We've turned it over. I say we could build a whole berm or breakwater with
what's been turned over here.
You get to the lever; we're going to pull every lever.
Now, this is what goes back to rethinking, reimagining, rejigging and
recreating. I'm going to pull the lever on that slot machine and hope I get
lucky. This is far too serious a situation we are in to try and gamble on luck
and broken promises and hope and reimagining again. This is terrible.
I look at you talk about the connections with our
federal counterparts. I read the headline from our federal Minister of Natural
Resources. This was his headline now. This was his headline when he spoke about
no equity share. We're going to have the $320 million. The headline, this is
his: “This Is What I Wanted.”
I don't care what he wanted. We're here for what the
people want. We're not here for what –
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MR.
P. DINN:
the Natural Resources minister wants, really and truly. I can't believe he had
the kahunas – I guess I'm allowed to say that, I don't know – to say that,
really. I really don't.
Anyway, I'm down to my last few seconds. I really do
hope we get together and start seeing some real progress here. If not for the
sake of us individually, but for our province as a whole.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Hear, hear!
MADAM SPEAKER:
Thank you.
The hon. the Member for Placentia - St. Mary's.
MS.
GAMBIN-WALSH:
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Just for the people at home who are watching, we're
here today and we're discussing Budget
Madam Speaker, the District of Placentia - St. Mary's
has a population of just over 13,000 people. It covers a land mass area of over
3,800 kilometres. It literally has four sections. It has the St. Mary's Bay
North section; it has the Cape Shore section, the Placentia and Trinity South.
It's a very big district. However, Madam Speaker, as I have said every single
time I get an opportunity, there is one very important issue that has been a
very active issue since the day I was elected in the District of Placentia - St.
Mary's and that is roads and road
infrastructure.
Madam Speaker,
Budget 2020 allocates $4.6 million to
replace heavy equipment for winter highway maintenance. A significant number of
the residents of the District of Placentia - St. Mary's commute in over the
Trans-Canada Highway daily to work. Madam Speaker, many seniors and those who
are ill travel over the Trans-Canada Highway in ambulance to access emergency
services here in St. John's. So heavy equipment is a much needed investment and
I applaud Budget 2020 for having the
$4.6 million allocated to this new equipment.
Madam Speaker, our
children travel up to 40 minutes on a school bus in the winter, so winter
maintenance is very important; $2 million has been allocated to brush cutting
along our provincial highways. The communities of St. Joseph's, Old Shop and
Hopeall literally have brush touching the side of the road right now as I speak
here in the House of Assembly, and we have numerous areas where moose are
crossing. We have one 80-kilometer road between North Harbour and Branch that
has a significant number of moose crossing. We've had numbers of near misses and
a lot of accidents.
SOPAC, the Save Our
People Action Committee, has the following statistics on their website. “On
average there are over 700 moose vehicle accidents in the province, involving
several human deaths, not including accidents under $1,000 or near misses.
“Hunters have a
moose kill ratio of about 73%. Out of the 33,000 licenses about 20,000 are
filled. Since 40,000 calves are born each year, the resulting population is
growing.”
Madam Speaker,
brush cutting is
an act of maintaining safety on our highways. It's a needed
investment. It's a good investment in
Budget 2020.
Madam Speaker, road infrastructure is very important to
the residents of the District of Placentia - St. Mary's and it's very important
to the residents of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. If you cannot get
around the province, you cannot promote it and you cannot sustain it.
A tender was just awarded for Route 100 for Dunville.
They will pulverize and pave approximately 3.1 kilometres. Route 91, Southeast
Placentia, again, paved and pulverized, 3.1 kilometres. So that's a little over
six kilometres in the District of Placentia - St. Mary's. There will also be
some guide rails put in around Ferndale.
Madam Speaker, I have been encouraging all the
residents of my district to express their opinions on road infrastructure when
the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure opens up the consultation
portion on engageNL in the very near future. Road infrastructure is outlined in
Budget 2020 and it's a very good
investment. I'm sure every Member in this House of Assembly agrees that road
infrastructure is a good investment.
Budget 2020
includes $23 million for upgrades to existing health care facilities; $20.4
million will go towards the construction of the adult health and addictions
facility right here in St. John's. This is a facility that we have been
advocating and promoting for a number of years. We are very happy that our
government has been able to turn the sod and start this building.
Madam Speaker, I was a Member of the All-Party
Committee on Mental Health and the voice of the community was very strong. We
heard loud and clear that a new facility needed to be physically located in a
place that would help alleviate stigma, and our government acted on that. The
new facility will be attached to the present Health Sciences complex. Every
person in Newfoundland and Labrador deserves to have their medical needs
attended to without the fear of stigma. Equality for physical and mental health
is the objective and it is the goal.
Budget 2020: Today. Tomorrow. Together. reflects our commitment to control spending and
prioritize investments. We are focused on easing pressures on families, growing
the economy and ensuring the health care system is equipped to respond to
pressures from COVID-19. Close to $100 million is available for pressures
associated with COVID-19. This will allow our government to respond to demands
for such things as personal protective equipment and testing.
Madam Speaker, small businesses are the glue that keeps
rural Newfoundland and Labrador thriving. Our government understands the value
of small businesses. We know that COVID-19 has had a huge impact on small
businesses; therefore, $30 million of COVID-19 Small Business Assistance Program
was introduced in Budget 2020 . It will
be retroactive and it will help offset expenses incurred due to this pandemic.
In the District of Placentia - St. Mary's, we have
businesses dating back to the 1800s, like John J. Gibbons Ltd. and we also have
businesses like the Dildo brewery that are brand new and are thriving.
Madam Speaker, on October 16, the Department of
Environment, Climate Change and Municipalities announced approximately $600,000
in funding to support community arenas and pools throughout this province. The
funding is intended to assist municipalities, registered non-profits, private
organizations or partnerships operating arenas and/or pools. There are two
arenas in my district. There's one in Placentia and there's one in Whitbourne.
This $10,000 grant is very welcomed. It is definitely needed. We, as a province,
need to continue to invest in the health and the wellness of our citizens.
Just a couple of weeks ago the District of Placentia -
St. Mary's was hit very hard by a storm; in actual fact, we were hit the hardest
in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Five culverts had to be replaced
between Colinet and North Harbour, another culvert had to be replaced between
North Harbour and Branch and another one on the main road in Whitbourne. We had
numerous washouts throughout the district. I had one resident in Freshwater who
presently cannot go back into their home, there was such a significant washout
underneath their home. We had a lot of people that were stranded in their homes
as their driveways were washed out.
We do have aging infrastructure, Madam Speaker, we know
we have aging infrastructure, but that is why we allocated funding in
Budget 2020 to deal with this
infrastructure. Budget 2020 allocates
nearly $116 million for communities to improve infrastructure and enhance
services. This includes funding for such programs as the federal Gas Tax
program, the Municipal Operating Grant program and the Special Assistance Grant
program.
Water, clean water, good quality water is the second
priority throughout the District of Placentia - St. Mary's and the Trinity South
area. Residents of the Gaskiers, St. Bride's and Dunville have been struggling
with poor quality water for years. They cannot wash their white clothes and when
they fill their bathtubs, the water looks brown and muddy. So we have allocated
almost $10 million under the Municipal Capital Works program to support projects
that prioritize water, waste water, disaster mitigation and regional
collaboration. Communities in my district will be aiming to access these
resources.
Madam Speaker, despite the ever-growing cost of Muskrat
Falls – I believe $12.7 billion is the last number we have – and the debt this
project has put just over 500,000 residents of Newfoundland and Labrador in, we
are working toward meeting the needs of our seniors, our children and our
residents of this great province; $3.3 million has been allocated annually for
the expanded Insulin Pump Program; $500,000 has been allocated to support a new,
modern radio telecommunications system for first responders; over $200,000 for
Seniors' Social Inclusion Initiative to support 50-plus clubs and advance
initiatives that promote social inclusion.
Madam Speaker, our efforts to support our resource
sectors on land and at sea will provide strength and stability for rural
communities during this period of uncertainty and beyond.
Madam Speaker, despite the debt we inherited in 2015,
despite the $12.7 billion price tag of Muskrat Falls, despite the debt of
COVID-19 impacts, I am proud to represent the people of the District of
Placentia - St. Mary's and I strongly believe that this is a good, solid,
stable, strong budget.
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
MADAM SPEAKER:
Thank you.
Do we see any further speakers? No further speakers?
The Member for St. John's Centre.
MR.
J. DINN:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
MADAM SPEAKER:
Madam Speaker.
MR.
J. DINN:
Madam Speaker. I'll get that straight.
Madam Speaker, I represent the District of St. John's
Centre, and unlike some other MHAs, like my colleague from Mount Pearl, I too
can walk from one end to the other in maybe an hour or less, or less than an
hour, but it's densely populated.
When it comes to campaigning, it's going up one step
and down the other, and that's the way it is. Also, it has a number of green
spaces, four schools. If you go around Ropewalk Lane you'll see, certainly, the
various small businesses that exist there. You have middle-class homes and you
also have poverty in my district. I deal with housing issues, precarious food
insecurity, precarious housing, inadequate housing – you name it.
I want to talk a little bit about, I guess, budget
based decision-making and needs based decision-making. Last year – well, no, not
last year. Almost two years ago in 2019 I learned the term of zero-based
budgeting and about finding efficiencies. I'm going to focus on two aspects:
schools and poverty.
Budgets have significant impact on schools.
Budget 2016 , the one that I remember
when I was president of the Teachers' Association, was definitely budget based.
It had and still has long-lasting effects on the school system, because we did
see the introduction of combined grades. We saw basically the elimination of
late French immersion as a result of this. We saw class size increase. We saw
the reduction of administrative positions. That has had an impact on our
schools.
Education is something that's important to me. As I've
said here already, I taught for 32 years. I served as president of the Teachers'
Association and served as a vice-president of the Canadian Teachers' Federation,
so I got to see it not only from my own district but also from across the
country. For teachers it's about needs: the needs of their students. They pick
up the slack.
I don't know if many of you have done
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
or Covey training. One of the things it talked about in that is you protect, you
look after and you nurture the goose that lays