May 22, 2007 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY

PROCEEDINGS Vol. XLV No. 16

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Hodder): Order, please!

Admit strangers.

Statements by Members

MR. SPEAKER: This afternoon we have members' statements as follows: the

hon. the Member for the District of Windsor-Springdale; the hon. the Member for

the District of Grand Bank; the hon. the Member for the District of Kilbride;

the hon. the Member for the District of Burgeo & LaPoile; the hon. the

Member for the District of St. John's North; and, the hon. the Member for the

District of Carbonear-Harbour Grace.

The Chair recognizes the Member for Windsor-Springdale.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. HUNTER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, and fellow hon. Members of the House of Assembly, I rise in this

hon. House today with great pride to congratulate the Green Bay South Minor

Hockey on their banquet held on May 7, in Triton.

The banquet was a time to present awards to this year's achievers in Minor

Hockey. Dylan Walsh was named Bantam Player of the Year; Ryan Burton won the

Atoms Player of the Year; Daniel Roberts received the Calvin Fudge Memorial

Award for Most Valuable Player; Jarvis Budgell and Mackenzie Roberts were both

awarded Peewees Player of the Year. The two youngest winners, Ty Winsor and

Clarke Burton, both age four, had the honour of cutting the banquet cake to

start off the event.

A Coaches Appreciation Award was presented to Dino Winsor by the Green Bay

South Squirts. The awards were presented by the following people: Rod Woodford,

Heather Fudge, Roger Roberts, Kevin Rideout, Gary Roberts and Terrance Roberts.

It takes dedication, determination and long hours to be involved in children's

sports, and I would like to thank everyone involved in the Green Bay South Minor

Hockey League for making it a success.

I would ask all hon. members to join with me today to congratulate the Green

Bay South Minor Hockey League.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Grand Bank.

MS FOOTE: Mr. Speaker, I rise in this House today to recognize the seven

CEOs from this Province who were honoured amongst the "Top 50 CEOs in

Atlantic Canada" at a gala hosted by the Atlantic Business Magazine

this past week in Halifax.

These annual awards by the Atlantic Business Magazine are a salute to

excellence in corporate leadership. Those awarded have shown recognition of the

important connection between economic and social development, and as such have

displayed dedication to growing their organization, advancing their respective

industries and improving the quality of life for all Atlantic Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, the winners from this Province come from many different

industries within the business community, from construction to publishing. In

alphabetical order, the winners from Newfoundland and Labrador were: Jerry

Byrne, President and CEO of D.F. Barnes Group; Allison S. Chaytor-Loveys, CEO of

the Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union; Debbie Hanlon, CEO of Coldwell

Banker Hanlon; Christopher Hickman, Chairman and CEO of the Marco Group of

Companies; Guylaine Joncas, Manager of the Minaskuat Limited Partnership in

Happy Valley-Goose Bay; Earl A Ludlow, former President and CEO of Fortis

Properties and current President and CEO of Newfoundland Power; Axel Meisen,

President and Chancellor of Memorial University.

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

congratulations to these CEOs for their continued leadership in the business

community and their exemplary service to the people of this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

the four Grade 6 classes at Goulds Elementary School who, on Monday, May 14,

2007, received their graduating diplomas for this year's DARE Program.

The DARE Program is the Drug Abuse Resistence Education Program offered by

the RNC in collaboration with educators, students, parents and the community.

Its purpose is to help students recognize and resist the many direct and subtle

pressures that influence them to experiment with alcohol, tobacco, marijuana,

inhalants or other drugs, or to engage in violence. The program tries to equip

the children with knowledge, skills, confidence and self-esteem to deal with

pressures in the future. Students are encouraged to use positive peer pressure

to counteract negative peer pressure.

There were approximately 100 Grade 6 students who graduated from the DARE

Program last Monday. Each student had to write an essay about the ten-week

program they had just done. At the end of each essay was the student's

personal pledge. One student from each class was selected to read his or her

essay to the audience.

I ask all members of this hon. House to join me to congratulate the kids,

their teachers: Mrs. Bavis, Mrs. Phelan, Mrs. Spencer and Mrs. Higdon for a job

well done.

I would also ask that we show our thanks and appreciation to Constable Nixon

who taught the DARE program on behalf of the RNC.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Burgeo & LaPoile.

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise in this House today to acknowledge Jodi Osmond, a Port aux Basques

native honoured to be part of the Easter weekend events commemorating the

ninetieth anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

Leading Seaman Osmond, is the daughter of Jerry and Beatrice Osmond of Port

aux Basques. Jodi is a marine engineer technician with the Canadian Forces,

currently stationed onboard the HMCS Montreal based in Halifax. Ms Osmond was in

France as part of a thirty-two person naval gun crew, and along with other

military personnel for the commemorative events, which included the dedication

of the newly restored National Canadian Vimy Memorial.

Mr. Speaker, thousands of Canadians participated in the ceremonies in tribute

to the solders who participated in this battle. The Battle of Vimy Ridge began

on April 9, 1917. Canadians captured the Ridge, but at a cost of more than

10,000 casualties, of which some 3,598 were fatal.

According to Ms Osmond, "On the morning of the Vimy ceremony, my Petty

Officer First Class asked me to play the role of assisting the prime minister

with the laying of the wreath. I said yes. I was very nervous, but was honoured

to be picked for that part of the ceremony. It was the greatest feeling in the

world, and one of the best things I have done, or probably ever will do, in my

military career."

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

congratulations to Jodi Osmond on her involvement and participation in the

ninetieth anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDGLEY: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate a long-time member

of the public service on receiving the Certificate of Merit award from the

Canadian Council of the Blind, the CNIB, during "White Cane Week."

On May 14, 2007, Mr. Albert Williams, a budget analyst with the Budget

division of the Department of Finance, was honoured for his special contribution

to the well-being of blind, visually impaired and deaf-blind Canadians. During

the CNIB "White Cane Week" Mr. Williams was nominated to receive the

Certificate of Merit for his efforts to ensure that budget documents are

produced in Braille.

Some five or six years ago it was brought to his attention that a visually

impaired member of the community wanted a copy of the Budget. Knowing that the

Budget documents were not available in Braille, Mr. Williams took it upon

himself to ensure that the Budget Speech and related tables were converted into

Braille and he has continued to do so ever since. Budget 2007 is the fifth

Budget that has been converted into Braille. Actually, "White Cane

Week" took place in February, but due to his busy schedule, Mr. Williams

was unavailable to receive his award until last week.

Mr. Williams has been an employee with our provincial government since June

17, 1968, so next month he will celebrate thirty-nine years of service. He began

his career in the Economics and Statistics Branch before moving into the newly

created Treasury Board Secretariat where he remained until a couple of years ago

when the Secretariat was reconfigured and became a part of the Department of

Finance.

Mr. Williams has gone beyond the call of his job related duties to ensure

that all members of the public, regardless of their physical limitations, have

equal access to this public document. He is to be commended for his sheer

thoughtfulness and outstanding contribution to the public service. Mr. Speaker,

I might also add another positive note, he is a fan of the Montreal Canadiens.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDGLEY: I ask all Members of the House of Assembly to join me on

congratulating one of our own workers, Mr. Albert Williams, on receiving the

Certificate of Merit award from the Canadian Council of the Blind.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Carbonear-Harbour Grace.

MR. SWEENEY: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend congratulations to the

Carbonear Collegiate Sentinels Female Basketball Team, who have won its first

girls' basketball provincial banner.

The Carbonear Collegiate Sentinels hosted the School Sport Newfoundland and

Labrador Provincial 3A Girls Basketball Tournament March 30 and April 1. Teams

from Labrador City, Baie Verte, Ferryland and Salmonier were all vying for the

provincial banner in the biggest female basketball tournament of the year.

Members of the Carbonear Collegiate Sentinels Female Basketball Team are:

Laura Jenkins, Jessica Andreasen, Victoria Ralph, Rebecca Sparkes, Amiee Slade,

Ashley Hutsell, Catrina Winsor, Ashley Clarke, Sara King, Jannah Earle, Jessica

Ash, Sarah Blake, Carolyn Horwood, Jessica Harris and Coach Ed Jarvis.

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

congratulating the Carbonear Collegiate Sentinels Female Basketball Team who are

the School Sport Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial 3A Girls Basketball

Champions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Statements by Ministers.

Statements by Ministers

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, I was at Memorial University this morning to

welcome more than 100 students from across Canada for a week-long national

forum. The interchange on Canadian Studies offers young Canadians the

opportunity to participate in a bilingual forum on issues of importance to the

country. This year's conference is focused on the environment.

Each year, the host jurisdiction shifts between provinces and territories.

Hosting students welcome fellow student delegates from across Canada into their

communities and homes. They then have the opportunity to travel to the home of

their billet for a one-week period, completing the interchange.

The conference is co-sponsored by the Department of Education and the Eastern

School District. Throughout the week, students will enjoy thought-provoking,

informative sessions, and hear from nationally recognized keynote speakers. This

morning the students listened to Bob MacDonald, a well-known science reporter

and host of CBC radio's Quirks and Quarks.

Tomorrow they will have the pleasure of hearing from Dr. Elizabeth Penashue.

We all know, Mr. Speaker, Dr. Penashue has been an outspoken opponent of

low-level flying in her native Labrador. She promotes the traditional Innu

lifestyle and its important relationship to the land. To quote Dr. Penashue,

"She is the voice of the people. She is the voice of the animals. She is

also a voice for the environment." And she is the perfect presenter for a

conference such as this.

It was encouraging to see such an enthusiastic group of young people who

share a dedication to the environment. They have come to this Province eager to

learn and determined to make a difference for their homes and their country, and

they are truly an inspiration.

While the students are here, they will take daily field trips to areas of

interest and participate in many work-shops. They also have a full week to enjoy

the hospitality that is the backbone of Newfoundland and Labrador. In the end,

Mr. Speaker, they will return home as ambassadors for our Province.

Mr. Speaker, half of the students registered for this forum are from

Newfoundland and Labrador. Clearly, they share concerns affecting the

environment and they are willing to do something about it. This is a tremendous

opportunity for them. We want our young people to have a well-rounded

educational experience so they are ready to take on the challenges and

opportunities that lie ahead.

More than $1 billion is allocated in Budget 2007 for education to ensure our

students will continue to perform strongly on the national and international

stage. But, more importantly, Mr. Speaker, they will lead our Province to a

future of prosperity and self-reliance.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Port de Grave.

MR. BUTLER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to thank the minister for a copy of her statement and say welcome to

the 100 students from across the country. My understanding is, like the minister

said, fifty of them are from here in our own Province.

I can assure you that the theme they have focused on this year, the

environment, is a very, very important one here in our Province. The two keynote

speakers they mentioned, I am sure - Ms Penashue, we all know the lady and I am

sure they could not pick a better choice to speak to the youth on the

environment.

Mr. Speaker, here in the Province we have many environmental issues. We hear

on a daily basis about the waste management and the concerns that towns are

having, and many of them are finding it financially difficult. We have issues

where old oil tanks that are being dug up are causing major issues. It is good

to see fifty of our young people who are becoming involved in the environment.

I say to the minister, maybe there is some other programming - I know much is

being done - that can start at the various levels in our high schools and

elementary schools to help children have a greater respect for our environment

and protect it in the future.

On behalf of all members in the Official Opposition, I want to thank the

sponsors - I think this is a worthwhile project - and wish them every success in

the week ahead.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

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

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

I recognize the wonderful program that these 100 students are involved in. I

am absolutely delighted to see that the organizers had the wisdom to invite Dr.

Elizabeth Penashue to speak. Dr. Penashue has shown through her life that she

just does not talk the words, she just does not speak what she is thinking, she

puts her life on the line for what she believes in.

I think all of us in this Province, and in this House, are aware of the

degree to which she has put herself on the line with regard to saving her land

in Labrador. I hope that we are all, in this House, open to the lessons that I

hope these 100 young people will learn from Dr. Penashue as she speaks to them

today.

I think, too, that we need, as the people in this House -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. member's time has lapsed.

MS MICHAEL: By leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: Leave is granted.

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

I hope that all of us in the House, and especially those in the

decision-making position of government, are willing, too, to put our money where

our mouth is when it comes to the environment and to look at things that these

young people are going to learn about in their own - especially those from an

urban setting, things like retrofitting their residential homes for better

climate, for better air, to save our environment. We just cannot educate; we

also have to put resources into helping the people of our Province in dealing

with the environmental issues in their own lives.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Human Resources, Labour and

Employment.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SKINNER: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to inform the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador that on May 4, 2007, the provincial government amended

the Labour Standards Regulations to enhance provincial job protection for

workers who wish to access the federal compassionate care benefit to provide

care for terminally ill family members.

This amendment builds on measures taken in 2004 when the provincial

government amended the Labour Standards Act to ensure job protection for workers

who needed to access the compassionate care benefit to care for an immediate

family member.

The steps we took at that time ensured that workers accessing the

compassionate care benefit were provided the same legislated protection from

being disciplined, demoted or dismissed that existed for those accessing

maternity and parental leave benefits.

In June 2006 the federal government broadened its definition of family member

for which workers can access the benefit so that they are able to provide

critical care, not just for immediate family but extended family and close

relations.

Our amendment to the Labour Standards Regulations mirrors this change in

federal Employment Insurance Regulations.

The provincial government recognizes the valuable contribution made by

workers in this Province. By extending this additional measure of job

protection, the provincial government has taken a significant step forward to

protect the rights of working people in Newfoundland and Labrador.

I believe this change is particularly significant for the women in our

workforce who are more likely to answer the call to provide care for those who

are critically ill.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BARRETT: I want to thank the hon. minister for an advance copy of his

statement.

It was, I guess, the former Liberal government in Ottawa that extended the

Unemployment Insurance Benefits so that a person of the immediate family could

stay at home and receive benefits and look after an immediate family member, and

subsequently they extended that to include people who are close to you. I think

it is very, very important.

I think most of us in life can really identify with this, because most of us

always end up with some immediate family member who is critically ill and needs

extra assistance. Sometimes we can get home care workers, but a member of the

family is probably more important.

I would like to see this extended further in terms of people who are -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. member's time has expired.

Leave has been granted.

MR. BARRETT: I would like to see it extended even further in terms of

some of our disabled people, to make sure that there are family members. I know,

in my years involved in politics, it is always a battle to try to get a person

who is a member of the family being able to get reimbursed to look after

somebody who is disabled. I would like this to be extended even further in the

future to make sure that not only people who are critically ill, but people who

are disabled, can have some member of the family stay at home and look after the

particular individual.

I look forward to another Liberal government in Ottawa that will take such

great initiatives.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

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

I thank the minister for his advance copy of the statement.

I remember well when this change came in, in the federal EI regulations.

Workers in the country, and especially women workers, for the reasons stated by

the minister, lobbied for this for a long time and it was long overdue when it

finally happened. Obviously, I would expect nothing more but the provincial

government to change its legislation to match what has happened federally.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. member's allotted time has expired.

MS MICHAEL: By leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: Leave has been granted.

MS MICHAEL: Thank you very much.

I would encourage the provincial government now to take a bit of leadership

and at the time when they can communicate with the federal government, that may

not be in the present, but to keep in its mind that workers would still say that

there needs to be an extension not so much with regard to who one is caring for

- although I agree with my colleague who just spoke, that should happen - but

extension also with regard to the length of time. It is hard to define critical

illness, I know, but I think the time does need to be looked at as well.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Further statements by ministers?

Oral Questions.

Oral Questions

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My questions are for the Minister of Health.

We had a briefing this morning - I should say, not yet completed - with the

officials of Eastern Health with respect to the ongoing issue involving the

breast screening process, and we are due to finish it tomorrow.

The minister, of course, just held a press conference outside the House, just

before the House convened, dealing with the appointment of a judicial inquiry. I

say to government, I am very pleased that finally, after three days of prompting

last week when the seriousness of this issue was brought to government's

concern, they finally woke up and, at the request of the Opposition, you have

now agreed to do a judicial inquiry. I thank government for that; you are

certainly on the right track.

I ask the minister: In your press release that you just put out, I am a

little confused in that you say, in paragraph four,"Cabinet will appoint a

commissioner, set the terms of reference for the inquiry and authorize an

appropriate budget."

The issue is, "...set the terms of reference for the inquiry...".

Then you go on later in your press release to outline six key questions, you

call it, and you conclude in the second last paragraph by saying that, "The

Commission will make recommendations as necessary to address the issues

identified above."

My questions to the minister: Who decided that these would be the six key

issues, and will the inquiry be limited to just these six or will there be

further Terms of Reference coming from Cabinet?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

There will be additional Terms of Reference provided for the Commissioner. I

think the member has raised an issue around the numbers of questions to be

asked. What is important, I say to the member, is, if you look at the very first

key question - this is one of six - we asked: What went wrong with the ER/PR

tests that resulted in a high rate of conversions when retested? Now, we are

going to prescribe to the Commissioner exactly how you will approach the

inquiry. We provide the Terms of Reference, set the Budget and appoint the

Commissioner. The approach taken by the Commissioner to seek answers to these

questions may prompt many other questions that will need to be posed to come to

an understanding of what the answer to those six key questions would be. We

assume that during the inquiry the Commissioner will, in fact, delve into a

variety of issues that will give rise to his insight into what actually took

place here that will give him the ability to answer that very first critical

question.

Inasmuch as we provided in these six key questions some key issues that we

want to ensure are answered as a result of the inquiry, I am very certain the

Commissioner will explore other issues that will lead him to an understanding of

the issues that we have raised here.

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. PARSONS: Thank you.

Because, Mr. Speaker, we went through this with the fibre optic inquiry

whereby the Auditor General was brought in and we found out a few days later

that Cabinet papers would be exempted, I ask the minister again, for certainty:

Are you telling the people of this Province that whoever is appointed

Commissioner here will not have any limits placed on him as to what they inquire

into when it comes to this breast-screening incident? Can you give that

undertaking to the people?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN: As the member would fully understand, having been a former

Attorney General, under the current legislation, the Public Inquiries Act, the

Commission has the authority basically to run the Commission as he or she sees

fit, but that Commissioner will also have the ability to subpoena witnesses, to

be able to subpoena any information that they want. The rule of evidence that

applies here is very different than what the Auditor General may be going

through, which is the reference that you are making to the other kinds of issues

that have been raised in this House in recent months.

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. PARSONS: Yes, I say to the minister, the six key items that you have

currently identified in your press release deal solely and wholly with the

involvement of the testing, vis- B -vis

the Eastern Health Care authority. I say to the minister, that this issue goes

beyond that. In particular, it concerns the issue of, was there or was there not

any involvement or knowledge, or the level of knowledge and understanding of

officials in the Department of Health, including the Ministers of Health.

I ask the minister: Do you think it is appropriate that you, as the current

minister, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs as a former Minister of

Health, and the current Minister of Justice as a former Minister of Health,

should be a part of Cabinet which is setting the Terms of Reference which

should, in fact, be examining the actions of you people yourselves? Isn't that

a conflict of interest?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. WISEMAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I realize the member opposite just got a copy of the release moments before

we came into the House, but I would ask him to refer to the second page. I would

ask him to refer particularly to the fourth question, which says, "Once

detected, did the responsible authorities communicate in an appropriate and

timely manner with the general public about the issues and circumstances

surrounding the change in test results and the new testing procedures?"

Very clearly, if the Commissioner - in their review of the circumstances

around this ER/PR testing - comes to some conclusions about what information

Eastern Health Authorities had, or what information any minister in this House

would have, or any official in government would have had at that time, they have

been directed, in this question here, to, in fact, report on that, to comment on

that, to bring some conclusion, to get an understanding of who knew what, when.

Clearly, number four very specifically speaks to that particular point, I say,

Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. PARSONS: No, Mr. Speaker. Just so there is no uncertainty here -

because words are very important, and there is nothing worse than saying one

thing today and then trying to fish yourself out of that hole later on and say,

I did not say this or I did not say that - my question was quite simple: Does

the Minister of Health, and the former two Ministers of Health who form part of

Cabinet, and you are saying here in your press release issued a few moments ago

that Cabinet will decide the Terms of Reference, don't you think that is an

obvious conflict of interest when you three, who probably and no doubt will be

summoned as witnesses in this very inquiry, are playing a role in deciding what

the Terms of Reference will be for that inquiry? Now, that is pretty simple. Don't

you see that as a conflict and that you should not be involved in setting those

terms?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN: Mr. Speaker, what I want to assure the member opposite, and

the members of this House and the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, is that

when this government appoints the Commissioner to do this review, this

Commissioner will have the ability to garner what information that person wants

to ensure that they get a full understanding of what actually took place here,

what actually happened, what gave rise to the issue before us, and any

information that Commissioner wants to have, they will have available to them.

If the Commissioner, and I say, Mr. Speaker, if the member opposite has some

real concerns around the Terms of Reference and the questions being posed as

being too narrow in scope, if that is the issue he is raising, I am certain that

the Commissioner, once appointed - if the Commissioner has some concerns about

their ability to carry out the functions because the Terms of Reference or the

questions themselves may be too narrowly defined, we would only be too glad and

be prepared to look at the Terms of Reference to give that person an ability to

be able to get full access to the information that they want, I say, Mr.

Speaker.

There is no intent here at all, none whatsoever on the part of this

government, no intent to restrict what the Commissioner may want to do to ensure

that they get the answers for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, so all of

us in this House and the people of the Province will fully understand what

happened with respect to ER/PR testing with the Health Care Corporation of St.

John's between 1997 and 2005.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I hate to belabour the point, but it is pretty straightforward, very

straightforward, Minister. Don't you see that it is an obvious conflict of

interest when you, as the Minister of Health, Minister Ottenheimer and Minister

Osborne, who were former Ministers of Justice while this was going on, are in a

conflict of interest? Will you agree to exempt yourself from any consideration

as to what the Terms of Reference are? It is not about what the Commissioner can

or will or shall do, it is about: Do you think you should be part of that

decision-making process? That is pretty simple, and if you do not, you have

tainted the process from day one. If you are going to do this, do it right.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN: Mr. Speaker, clearly, the member opposite is standing in

this House today prejudging what the Terms of Reference might say. When the

Terms of Reference are developed, Mr. Speaker, the member opposite will have an

opportunity if he wants. If he reviews the Terms of Reference, because it will

be public, if, in fact, members opposite or anyone in this House sees the Terms

of Reference and feels they are so restrictive that the Commissioner will not

have an ability to come to the right conclusions and to gain an understanding -

but to stand in this House today and suggest that a Terms of Reference, that

have not yet been developed, would be restrictive and would, in fact, not allow

the Commissioner to have an ability, whether or not there is a conflict here,

let's judge that based on whether or not the Terms of Reference in any way

handicap the Commissioner, I say, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. PARSONS: Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I did not think this was such a complicated issue; and, with all

due respect, Minister, there is a big difference. What I am asking here is not

whether the Terms of Reference will ultimately be fair, be broad enough, be

expansive enough, to do the job that needs to be done. My question is to you:

Don't you see it is an obvious conflict of interest for you, the minister in

charge of the Department of Health, which is going to come under the examination

of this commission, to be deciding what the Terms of Reference should be?

Now, what is so difficult about you responding to that? Can't you just say

you will not take

part in it or you are going to take

part in it? Just let us

know, which do you plan to do?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair recognizes the hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN: Mr. Speaker, in my capacity as Minister of Health and

Community Services, I have a duty and a responsibility to the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador. When we participate as a Cabinet, we participate in

the development of the Terms of Reference for this commission, we will, in fact,

have the best interests of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador at heart.

There will be no interest, no intent and no desire - and, in fact, the Terms of

Reference will clearly reflect that - to, in fact, conceal anything, to hide

anything, or to try to, in fact, protect anyone who may have been involved in

this whole process.

This is a very transparent process, and that is why we have selected a

commission to do this, so it will be open, it will be transparent. The people of

Newfoundland and Labrador can participate if they wish. As I understand it,

there is a process where people can contact the commissioner if they want to

make a contribution; so they can, in fact, have that input if they want.

I say, Mr. Speaker, at the end of the day, the interest of this government is

to ensure that we fully understand, and the people of Newfoundland and Labrador

fully understand, what happened in this set of circumstances. That commissioner

will be able to comment on that.

I say to the member opposite, before you start judging what the Terms of

Reference might be, wait until you see them in print.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

References to the Chair should never be made in the House.

The Chair recognizes the hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is obvious the minister is fudging on his answers. This is pretty

straightforward questioning here, and I am sure the media and the people of this

Province are going to put it to you again, but you cannot duck it like you can

here in Question Period.

Will you or will you not play a role in deciding the Terms of Reference? That

is the issue, and you will have to deal with that in your conscience.

Now, I am talking to the same individual across this House today, Mr.

Speaker, who was here last week putting litigation above the system, about

safety, and this is a person who is asking us to trust him and what he says.

I say to the minister again - a simple question, Minister, a simple question

- your press release of a few moments ago, number four, when you used the words

"responsible authorities", can you give us your undertaking that

responsible authorities will include the Department of Health and any other

function of government that needs to be examined? Can you say that?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN: Mr. Speaker, if that is what the hon. member was asking, why

didn't he ask the question instead of that song and dance? Because, very

clearly, the answer to that is yes, absolutely yes.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. PARSONS: Thank you.

Pulling teeth again, Mr. Speaker, with this crowd.

One final question. I will get an opportunity, obviously, once I have had

more time to go through this, and we can ask further questions in the days to

come.

For example, we talk about the independence of this commissioner. I ask the

minister - I assume that in the interest, again, of total openness and

transparency - would government consider, when they choose the commissioner

here, that you, of course, will look for, no doubt, the best person to do it,

but also not necessarily confine to within the Province?

For example, when we did the Lamer Inquiry into the justice system, we chose

the former Antonio Lamer, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, which

brought - to me, he was beyond reproach to do that inquiry.

I am just wondering if the minister can assure us that we will not be

restricting ourselves. Not that there are people in this Province who are not

capable - I am sure there are - but that we will also look wherever we need to

look to get the best person to do the job outside of the Province, if need be,

and to ensure the absolute independence that is necessary here.

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN: I say to the member opposite, I want to assure him and

members of this House, that is exactly what we will do. We want to make sure

that we have the best person available to us to do this job, regardless of where

they live.

The member has our assurance, and the people of this Province have our

assurance, that the person that we select to be the commissioner for this

inquiry will be a person who has the credentials, has the ability, has the

independence, to be able to do this job and do it appropriately to give the

people of Newfoundland and Labrador exactly what they deserve in this inquiry.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Humber Valley.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BALL: Mr. Speaker, one of the many issues that has arisen as a result

of the problems associated with breast screening is a shortage of health care

professionals in the Province, and how this many have contributed to the

problems in the health care system today.

As confirmed this morning in our meeting with Eastern Health, we are already

at a 30 per cent shortage of pathologists in the Province. We also recognize

that the work of the pathologist and the oncologist, they determine the

treatment levels for women diagnosed with breast cancer.

I ask the minister: What is this government doing to address recruitment and

retention of pathologists in the Province?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

There are some twenty-one pathologist positions in the City of St. John's,

under the Eastern Health Authority. Since 1997, and predating that time, there

has been some turnover in that position. In fact, during that period we have

probably had about a 50 per cent turnover. What we are experiencing in the last

two or three years is no different than was being experienced by Eastern Health

in the proceeding five, six, seven and eight years.

One of the most significant changes that we have made recently, we have made

a tremendous enhancement to their compensation package that has recently been

put in place for them, which we hope will make a major difference in our ability

to be able to recruit, and to retain those that we have. We now have a

compensation scheme that makes us competitive with the Atlantic Provinces.

One of the things that is interesting, Mr. Speaker, about this particular

discipline, there is a major shortage in the entire country. In fact, the

programs across the country, the residency programs across this country, are not

generating enough to satisfy the demand in the entire country. We are one of

many provinces, many jurisdictions, that is not uncommon to be out continuously

recruiting pathologists.

We have had some success, we have had some turnover, but we now have made

ourselves much more competitive compensation-wise.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair asks members to keep their questions and their responses to roughly

a minute.

The Chair recognizes the Member for Humber Valley.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BALL: One of the things we might want to do, I say to the minister,

is put more focus on what we do with our own graduates, I guess, Newfoundland

graduates in particular.

Mr. Speaker, Eastern Health stated this morning that it was never the

intention to ignore the issue of incorrect breast screening results and, once

they were identified as an issue, they would be acted upon as quickly as

possible.

I ask the minister: After two Ministers of Health became aware of this

alarming situation, why was this information never released to the public, and

only released based on a court affidavit?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN: Mr. Speaker, I have said in this House, and said outside

several times, that the responsibility for the delivery of programs and services

has been given to the four health authorities in this Province. As a government,

we respect their ability to be able to deliver programs and services. We take

advice from them on critical issues facing health care, the advice that they get

from the experts within their organizations. The advice that was provided to

Eastern Health in this particular circumstance was to, in fact, focus on those

individuals who needed a change in their treatment regime, and that is exactly

what they have done here.

The exploration of what happened here - and I think beyond what I have

shared, which are just statements of fact in terms of the timelines here, who

knew what, when, and what information we had available to us, I think became

statements of fact that I have made here, and others have made, in and outside

the House, particularly Eastern Health.

The member opposite now is starting to explore an area where I think is one

of the reasons that we have, in fact, put in place an inquiry. We need to fully

understand what happened here, the why and the how come.

I say, Mr. Speaker, some of the questions that are -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair recognizes the Member for Humber Valley.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. BALL: Mr. Speaker, we learned today that there are other problems

that have arisen in our health care system; in particular, those regarding a

radiologist on the Burin Peninsula. In that instance 3,500 people are

potentially affected and a toll-free number has already been put in place to

handle those inquiries.

I ask the minister, and we asked this in the House on last Thursday: Why is

this government refusing to set up a similar toll-free line to address questions

from women affected by or concerned with the incorrect breast screening results?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN: I do not think we have ever refused - we have never said,

regarding Eastern Health, we would never set up a toll-free line. I think what I

have said in this House, and I think Eastern Health has said to you in response

to questions: They would make contact with the patients who have been impacted.

They have indicated that those whose test results have changed, that they have

made contact either directly with them or through their family physicians. I do

not think either Eastern Health or ourselves have said, as a government, that we

would not do certain things. What we have been clear about, and Eastern Health

has been clear about, is they want to ensure that the people who have been

impacted understand what took place here. As I understand it, Eastern Health has

made themselves available to answer questions with respect to inquiries from

individuals who have been impacted as a result of some of the media outlets that

carried stories in late 2005 and 2006. There were many inquires at that time,

Mr. Speaker, and they, in fact, made efforts to make contact directly with

patients and their family physicians. There has been no attempt not to provide

information, I say, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Grand Bank.

MS FOOTE: Mr. Speaker, confidence in our health care system in this

Province has to be eroding by the hour. Eastern Health has just issued a press

release about a review of the services being provided by a radiologist at the

Burin Peninsula health centre. The radiologist in question has been temporarily

relieved of clinical responsibilities.

I ask the minister: What concerns have been raised regarding the quality of

the services provided by this radiologist?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN: Mr. Speaker, as the member would know, a radiologist role is

to read and provide the results of certain X-rays, CAT scans, mammographies and

ultrasounds. A radiologist provides that information to family physicians and

other individuals who are treating patients. Mr. Speaker, what Eastern Health

has identified is they have a concern about the results of those tests, the

reports that are being provided to family physicians. What they have done here

is they have taken a step to ensure that they protect the patients who are

involved on the Burin Peninsula and ensuring there is accuracy in those reports

that are going out to family physicians and other treating specialists, Mr.

Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Grand Bank.

MS FOOTE: Mr. Speaker, we all know what a radiologist does, but I was

asking the minister: What are the concerns as a result of the testing that has

been done and the services provided by this radiologist?

Mr. Speaker, there are 6,000 reports on 3,500 patients in question here. Was

the minister made aware of these concerns? And, if so, when was he briefed?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN: Mr. Speaker, I became aware of this on Friday past and I had

a briefing of the details on Friday. This is today, Tuesday, and I think Eastern

Health has been very prudent in what they have done today. They have made sure

that the people who were having access to that service have been advised. The

family physicians who are referring patients have been contacted. The

examinations that have been done are now under review.

I think Eastern Health, today, made a prudent decision in letting people know

the status of those reports and they have taken a prudent step in dealing with

their ability to be able to provide an accuracy in the reporting coming out of

the Burin Peninsula health facility, I say, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Grand Bank.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS FOOTE: Mr. Speaker, I ask the minister again: What is the nature of

the concerns with respect to the services being provided by that radiologist?

There are 3,500 patients out there today, 6,000 reports, and these patients are

wondering: What is the issue here?

I am asking you again: What is the nature of the concerns with respect to the

services provided by this radiologist?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN: Mr. Speaker, the reason I gave her an explanation of what a

radiologist does is so she could understand the nature of what it is we are

dealing with here.

If there is a concern about a service being provided by a radiologist, it

obviously speaks to the

interpretation of those X-rays that are being done. I

guess what we are seeing here is a concern has been expressed by Eastern Health

about the nature of those reports and their accuracy. What they have done, as I

said a moment ago, in terms of their response, they have been able to identify a

process to have those reevaluated. They are putting in place a mechanism, as we

speak, so that people on the Burin Peninsula can make direct contact by phone or

in person at the Burin Peninsula health centre, to be able to get the answers to

the questions that they have. They are initiating a process to make direct

contact with the patients who have been impacted by it.

Mr. Speaker, what we are witnessing here is a health authority recognizing,

through their quality assurance initiative, that we have a problem, and they are

moving forward to correct it. That is exactly what is taking place here, nothing

more, nothing less, I say, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Grand Bank, on a final

supplementary.

MS FOOTE: Mr. Speaker, I report we are talking about 6,000 reports here

on 3,500 patients.

I ask the minister, again: What exactly was wrong here? Why has it taken

6,000 reports by this radiologist for Eastern Health to act? What are you doing

to ensure that this extensive review is going to take place in a timely manner,

not in five weeks or ten weeks or fifty weeks, but in a timely manner?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN: Mr. Speaker, we fully understand and appreciate the gravity

of the issue before us. You do not have to preach to us about what has happened

here. We understand fully what has taken place. I think what we are talking

about here is an ability - Eastern Health has initiated a process to have those

same films, those same X-rays, those some ultrasounds, those same CAT scans,

those examinations reread by another radiologist so we are able to ensure that

there is accuracy in the reporting, I say, Mr. Speaker.

The member opposite is anxious to know what is taking place today to ensure

that this will not happen. I am trying to tell her exactly what is taking place.

Eastern Health, I think, has acted prudently in their action today. Their

response today is appropriate to ensure we understand what has taken place here,

Mr. Speaker. I am not sure what the member would want to have.

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

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

Having just received the press release with regard to the judicial inquiry

after I had sat in the House, I am trying to get my thoughts together because I

do have a lot of questions.

When the minister spoke in response to the Opposition House Leader, he

indicated that the Opposition would have an opportunity to see the Terms of

Reference after they are put together. If the minister is open to input into the

Terms of Reference, then why wouldn't the minister set up - and this is my

question for the minister - a process whereby the two parties in Opposition

could have input into the Terms of Reference before they are finalized?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The questions raised by the House Leader of the Official Opposition are

clearly around wanting to make sure that the Terms of Reference were broad

enough to ensure that the Commissioner would have an ability to get answers to

all of the questions that would be necessary to bring closure to this review and

to gain an understanding of what has taken place here. I gave the member

opposite the assurance that it was our government's intention to ensure that

the Terms of Reference were broad enough to allow that Commissioner to get those

kinds of answers, so there would be no conflict here. It would be quite open,

and I wanted to give him an assurance that when - in fact, he was commenting

today and criticizing what might be in a Terms of Reference before they are

published. My point was very clear. These Terms of Reference will be broad

enough to ensure that happens, and that the commissioner will not be restricted

in any way by the Terms of Reference that they have to work within.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS MICHAEL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The implication of the minister is that the minister and the Cabinet have all

the wisdom and that there is no possibility that perhaps the two parties in

Opposition might have something to add.

I did hear the minister say that you would be able to have your input after

they come out; the public could have input into the Terms of Reference after

they come out. I do not know what he meant by that, so I am asking once again:

Why wouldn't you consider getting input to draft before you finalize the Terms

of Reference, Mr. Minister?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN: Clearly, Mr. Speaker, what I had said, when questioned

earlier, in my answer earlier, was that, when the Terms of Reference were made

public, I had made a commitment and an undertaking that they would be broad

enough, they would be clear enough, they would not be restrictive, and that they

would not reflect any kind of an attempt by government to conceal information

that might protect either the health authority or current ministers or former

ministers or anyone in Cabinet, I say, Mr. Speaker.

What we will have in this Terms of Reference will be very broad. It will give

the commissioner an ability to be able to do the review in a very thorough, a

very open, a very transparent and a very unbiased fashion, I say, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS MICHAEL: Mr. Speaker, I just have to say that we have just gone

through a very, very intense, difficult week, and the public has been speaking

to us about their concerns.

The minister is asking me to be confident in what he and the rest of the

Cabinet are going to come up with. I now know that three Ministers of Health had

reports made to them by the Eastern Health Board on this issue, that they all

chose, with Cabinet, I assume - I cannot say for sure - did Cabinet join them in

saying this information does not go public?

Mr. Minister, are you asking me to have faith in you when three ministers did

not see the need for this information to go public until the information came

out in affidavits?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. WISEMAN: Mr. Speaker, I am not sure if there is a question in that

rant anywhere, but just to make sure that the member has a clear understanding,

I was clear in this House today that the Terms of Reference that will be

developed by the Cabinet of this government will, in fact, make sure that this

commissioner has an ability to conduct a review in a fair and open fashion. In

no way whatsoever will these Terms of Reference restrict the commissioner's

ability to look at any decisions that were made by this government, this

minister, former ministers, anyone in Cabinet, Cabinet as a whole, the health

authority.

If the member would read question number four in the release that was

distributed today, it was clear, abundantly clear, that the commissioner will be

asked to address that very specific question about responsible authorities. The

responsible authorities in question would be the health authority itself and the

government of the day, I say, Mr. Speaker. I do not know how clearer that can

be.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The time allocated for Question Period has expired.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Special Committees.

Tabling of Documents.

Tabling of Documents

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

In compliance with the Public Tender Act, I am pleased to table the Report of

the Public Tender Act Exceptions for the month of March 2007.

Further tabling of documents?

Notices of Motion.

Notices of Motion

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

MR. BYRNE: Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will ask leave to introduce

a bill entitled,

An Act To Amend The Taxation Of Utilities And Cable Television

Companies Act. (Bill 22)

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Education.

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will ask leave to introduce a

bill entitled,

An Act To Amend The Schools Act, 1997. (Bill 24)

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Government Services.

MS WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will ask leave to introduce

a bill entitled,

An Act To Amend The Highways Traffic Act. (Bill 23)

Thank you.

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

MR. RIDEOUT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

An Act To Amend The Elections Act, 1991. (Bill 21)

MR. SPEAKER: Further notices of motion?

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 11, I give notice

that I will move that the House not adjourn at 5:30 p.m. nor at 10:00 p.m.

tomorrow, Thursday, May 24.

MR. SPEAKER: Further notices of motion?

Answers to Questions for Which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to present a petition on behalf of the people on the Great

Northern Peninsula, of the Roddickton-Englee area in particular.

Mr. Speaker, last week there was some issue around a company in that area,

Wood Product Industries, that had originally signed a deal with government to

get a sawmill and particle board plant going in that particular region. One of

the issues around that was a wood allocation that they had been committed to, of

21,000 cubic metres of wood.

Well, Mr. Speaker, the people in that area were dependent upon this

allocation, many of them, as harvesters, to earn a living, and I think the real

question that they have, and the real reason behind this petition, is in asking

government: what their intentions are for this wood allocation, when it will be

issued on the Northern Peninsula, whether it is going to be to this company or

to another company, and when that is going to happen, because many of these

people are dependent upon that allocation of wood to have employment in that

area.

While I know, Mr. Speaker, that 21,000 cubic metres of wood is not

necessarily going to provide for a full sawmill and particle board plant, it

would certainly go a long way in that area to create some jobs of substance for

the people in that particular region.

Mr. Speaker, the petition itself, I guess, is directly related to the wood

allocation but it certainly speaks to the company as well, and the company's

involvement there, and the fact that they are prepared to make a commitment for

the long term.

Mr. Speaker, what the residents of this area are asking is that government

make some decision in terms of this wood permit, where it is going to be

allocated - if to this company or to another company - and when it is going to

be put to use in this region of the Roddickton-Englee area to create jobs for

the people in that particular area.

Mr. Speaker, maybe some time this afternoon in Budget debate we may be able

to get some response from the government on this particular petition, and some

explanation as to why the permit is being withheld in the Department of Natural

Resources at this particular time.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Further petitions?

Order of the Day.

Orders of the Day

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

MR. RIDEOUT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to call Motion 6. I move that the House, pursuant to Standing

Order 11, not adjourn at 5:30 o'clock today, May 22.

MR. SPEAKER: The motion is that this House, pursuant to Standing Order

11, not adjourn today, Tuesday, May 22, at 5:30 p.m.

All those in favour, aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

MR. SPEAKER: All those against, nay'.

The motion is carried.

Motion carried.

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

MR. RIDEOUT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to move Motion 7, that the House, pursuant to Standing Order 11,

not adjourn today at 10:00 o'clock, today being Tuesday, May 22.

MR. SPEAKER: The motion is, pursuant to Standing Order 11 that this House

not adjourn today, Tuesday, May 22, at 10:00 p.m.

All those in favour, aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

MR. SPEAKER: All those against, nay'.

The motion is carried.

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, I would like to call motion 1, which is the

adjourned Budget Debate. I do believe that the debate was adjourned by my

colleague, the Member for Terra Nova, and I believe that he has somewhere around

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. RIDEOUT: What? I understood that my -

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Andersen? My notes said Mr. Oram. Mr. Andersen, the last

speaker? Well, then the speaker is on this side next.

All right, if that is the case, then thank you, Mr. Speaker. I call motion 1,

the adjourned Budget Debate. Did Mr. Andersen have time left?

MR. SPEAKER: Motion 1, the Chair needs to consult - the Chair's notes

indicates that the hon. Member for Terra Nova had already spoken.

MR. RIDEOUT: Well, Your Honour, perhaps we need a minute. My notes

indicated that - let me see here now. The Budget Debate, my notes indicated that

the hon. Member for Terra Nova adjourned the debate and when we checked with the

Table we understood that he had ten minutes left. Now I am told from the floor

that did not happen, that the Member for Torngat Mountains finished speaking.

So, I will need some advice. If the member spoke, he spoke, and we will go on to

the next speaker, that is all.

MR. SPEAKER: The Chair will recess the House momentarily so we can

consult with the Table Officers.

Recess

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair has consulted with the Table Officers and we find that the hon.

Member for Terra Nova had spoken and that his time has expired.

The Chair recognizes the hon. Member for Mount Pearl.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DENINE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Again, today I want to talk about the Budget that was presented a couple of

weeks ago and shows the vision of what this government is all about.

Mr. Speaker, when I go back through the Question Periods and listen to the

questions from the Oppositions - I know there have been some very important

issues, no doubt about that. Today was no exception, a very important issue,

but, you know, Mr. Speaker, I cannot even remember - maybe one or two questions

on the Budget Speech. That is all the Opposition had, one or two questions. Now

they can correct me on that, and (inaudible).

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. DENINE: Obviously, I did not.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. DENINE: Mr. Speaker, if I can do my little twenty minutes here

uninterrupted - and obviously I cannot, but I will try to get through it.

Obviously, of the Leader of the Opposition: Did you hear, did you hear? Were you

here? I was here for every one, all the Question Periods and all the questions.

Contrary to what the Leader of the Opposition is saying, there were very, very

few questions on the Budget, very few questions. Now -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. DENINE: Mr. Speaker, this Budget was probably one of the best budgets

that was implemented in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador's history.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. DENINE: Now, I can see why they did not ask questions, Mr. Speaker,

because they did not want to bring out the good points of this Budget. They did

not want to bring out the good points that this Budget presented to the people

of Newfoundland and Labrador, obviously.

Now, Mr. Speaker, what did our Budget do? Well, if we take our first Budget

to this Budget, it was certainly a significant improvement, there was no

question about that, because we were basically looking at the record that was

left by the past Administration - which I am not going there, that is enough of

that. We have gone beyond that vision. We are leading the way. We are showing

the light of what is going to happen in the Province of Newfoundland and

Labrador to come.

Mr. Speaker, what did we do in the Budget? We hit the pockets of every

Newfoundlander and Labradorian. We increased the disposal income of every

Newfoundlander and Labradorian today. They are getting a certain amount of money

back so they can put it back into the system and buy things that they could not

normally do. Now, where did that come from? That came from a number of issues, a

number of areas in our Budget.

One of the first ones was the personal income tax reduction. Who did that

benefit? That benefitted all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Everyone who was

earning money, and it was taxable income, they received the benefit from that.

It may be small in some cases, depending on how much you paid in. It was a

benefit for everyone in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Then there was money for seniors. The benefit income tax threshold was

increased for seniors, and that put money in the pockets of seniors. So, when

you look at it, what did it do? Again, it put money in the pockets of our

seniors.

Mr. Speaker, one of the things we looked at, basically, is our poverty

reduction. I said some things about it the other day: What did our poverty

reduction do? It was a document that was developed by this government. It showed

a vision of how we want to reduce poverty in this Province of Newfoundland and

Labrador. It was a document that was taken, not put on the shelf like a lot of

documents are. It was a working document. When I talk about a working document -

I have been with HRLE, I have been in Municipal Affairs, and now I am with the

Department of Education. Every time there is a policy being developed, one of

the first questions asked: Well, what does it do to help reduce our Poverty

Reduction Strategy, or reduce poverty in Newfoundland and Labrador? How does it

incorporate our vision for reduction of poverty? Every piece of document that

has gone through Cabinet has had that question asked.

Mr. Speaker, in Canada, I think we are one of two provinces that have,

really, a working vision of reducing poverty in this Province. We have been

complimented by many, many people across this country, congratulating us on a

great job in reducing poverty. We put in a total of $91 million over the last

number of years to help reduce poverty, and this again helps promote a healthy

society in which we are to live.

Some of the things we did - and I am not going to go into them all - for

example, Mr. Speaker, one of the things we did was to eliminate school fees.

That was the year before, two budgets ago, eliminated school fees, and what did

that do? That put the extra $50 or $60 or $70 in the pockets of people who need

it most, because those are the people who could ill afford to pay those schools

fees. Where did that money go? That money went into the pockets of the parents

and guardians of those children. They were able to take that money and spend it

on clothing and other necessities for the starting up of school. That is what it

did, and that has helped reduce poverty.

We also initiated free textbooks. Now, again, what did that do? It put money

back into the pockets of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, free textbooks for

children - nine to twelve. When students start school in September, especially

in the high schools, the books are fairly expensive. Even though they were

subsidized sixty-forty, it was still a fair amount of expense for parents to

incur. We looked at that, and sometimes it was $250 to $300 depending on the

courses which the child was doing. Now, what did that do for the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador? They will find that out in September. They do not

have to put that money out. They can take that money and put it into the

children's needs in the home, put it into clothing, put it into food, put it

into whatever they feel fit, as a parent or a guardian, they want to do. What

did that do? Again, Mr. Speaker, that is what it did: it helped us along

tremendously with our strategy.

We have also given a reduction in Newfoundland and Housing rents to people

trying to better themselves, and that helps reduce poverty. That puts money back

into pockets.

Let's go back. When you look at what we have done and how we have come

about this, everything I have spoken about today has put money back into the

pockets of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. That is what it has done. That is

the whole vision, to be able to put more disposable income into people who need

it most. That is what this government has done.

Mr. Speaker, when I also look at what we have done, we have increased the

minimum wage by fifty cents - and this is the second increase, I believe, since

our government has taken over - on October 1, 2007, and a further increase in

the minimum wage in April, 2008. Thus, the minimum wage will be $8 per hour

effective April 1, 2008.

Some would say, well, why don't we increase it to $10? Mr. Speaker, we have

to take one step at a time to make this happen. Should it be $10? It probably

should, but we have to look at the impact on the industry when we start

increasing the minimum wage. There is an impact. I have talked to some of the

smaller businesses and they can certainly see an impact on it.

What does the minimum wage do for us, and do for Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians? Again, it puts money back into the pockets of those who need it

most. That is what we are doing. That is our vision. That is what we have in

mind, and that is what we are doing.

Mr. Speaker, also, we invested, this year, $140,000 to update the provincial

strategy on our literacy plan. This, Madam Chair, Mr. Speaker - you are not

usually in the Chair when I speak so I get kind of used to Madam Chair when

other people are in the Chair - this strategy is to redevelop where we are going

to go in the future. What are we going to look at as far as literacy is

concerned? If you look at what we have done for literacy, and another thing that

we have done for the reduction of poverty, to help people along, is to further

their education, to come back to schools, to increase their literacy rates, to

make sure that everyone has - Mr. Speaker, what we did, we made it accessible to

all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Last year, Mr. Speaker, what we did was put it in thirteen new locations.

That is what we have done. What does that do? To the people who are into the

skilled trades, if they want to upgrade their literacy skills, that is what we

have done. We have done that for them. We have done it for the people who want

to go back to upgrade, to go and further their education. We want to make sure

of that, because a lot of people in Newfoundland left school for numerous

reasons. They left for many reasons, why they did not finish off education. It

could be a family matter, economic reasons, and other reasons that we do not

know. We want the people of Newfoundland and Labrador to avail of all

possibilities of upgrading themselves to further their education.

Mr. Speaker, when I look at what we have done with education, this Budget has

had the highest infusion of money in the Province's history in education. Over

$1 billion has been put into education. Now, what does this say about our

government? Well, this says a lot about our government because, if we want to

development an economic future for our Province, we have to have a well-educated

society. We have to have people who are going to become our leaders, our leaders

of the future. Those people are going to take over when we retire. There are

going to be forty-eight new people here in about ten more years, or fifteen more

years - not next year. Well, some people will be new, but not very many on this

side, on the other side.

Mr. Speaker, when we look at education, to put that money into education, I

thought, as a former teacher and educator, that this was a very strategic move.

What did we do? The retention of 137 teachers into the system - 137 that, if we

go strictly by the Williams-Sparks formula, would have been lost, they are

retained. Retained this year, put back into the system to help reduce the stress

of teachers.

What else did we do? We put thirteen teachers in for growth areas in certain

parts of the urban areas of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador that are

experiencing a significant amount of growth. New subdivisions are going up, new

families are moving in, and the workload of the schools, the pressure that is

being put on the number of schools in the urban areas, is significant. So, what

did we do with that? We put thirteen new teachers in.

Also, Mr. Speaker, we put twenty-five new teachers in to help out with the

math program. It is part of an $11 million strategy to improve the math skills

of the students of Newfoundland and Labrador. That is what we have done, and we

have done it because we want to make sure, not only are we adequate, not only

are we good, we want to become the best people in math in the Province, in the

country, so that our students are as good and better than all the other

provinces of Canada.

Mr. Speaker, we also invested in the skills. We put equipment in twenty-five

new schools last year. I think this year we put it into eight more, for a total

of thirty-three schools. Thirty-three schools will have, in their school, over

$100,000 worth of new technical equipment to help the students in those high

schools to learn new trades, to learn what trades are evolving around. Trades

today, Mr. Speaker, are a whole lot different ball game than they were

twenty-five or thirty years ago. The technology involved with skills today are

significant.

I talked to a cabinetmaker, who I know lives in Mount Pearl, and we had a

chat on what skills are needed in that industry. When he told me, he did not

really want carpenters, carpenters was only one part of it - years ago

carpenters were the ones that did it. Today they want people who are computer

literate, people who are able to go to a computer, press a button and out comes

the molding that they are going to use for cabinetmaking, and it takes a lot of

skill to do that. So that is what our program will do. It will help prepare our

students for the skills and technology that is needed for the future. That is

what we have to do, because we have to look to the future and look at what is

required of our students when they graduate. What skills are they going to need?

What skills do they need to possess, and what do they need to know to better

themselves and make this Province a better place to live? That is what we looked

at, that is what we wanted and that is our vision.

MR. JOYCE: Sit down, boy (inaudible).

MR. DENINE: Mr. Speaker, it is too bad the cameras of the House of

Assembly cannot pan because the Member of Bay of Islands, if the people of the

Bay of Islands could see him now. If they could only see him. It is too bad they

cannot.

Mr. Speaker, when we look at our education, we also look at the

post-secondary. Again, I think we probably have the lowest cost of

post-secondary education, pretty close, in Canada; probably second to only

Quebec.

Over the last four years tuition has been frozen, and that cost this

government a significant amount of money. Again, why should we do it? We should

do it because it is an investment in our future. We need educated people. We

need an educated workforce and that is one way of making sure that when they go

to university they get that education.

Then, Mr. Speaker, we also introduced the up-front, needs based grant; a

grant that when students are in need in university, they fill out the regular

form for a Canada Student Loan and when it is assessed, if they come above the

$140 per week provincially, what is past $70 will be an up-front, forgivable

grant. For example, if someone is assessed at $100, then they will get $30 a

week, up-front, interest free, not repayable grant. That is what it will do.

That will affect 7,800 students in our Province. That is what it will do, and

that is what we, as a government, want to do. We want to put our future in the

hands of our young people and that is putting the money where our mouth is.

Now, Mr. Speaker, when we talk about debt reduction, we talk about debt

reduction in terms of the post-secondary students coming out of their training,

coming out of their courses, owing a significant amount of money. Now, what we

have done with that - prior to this year's Budget they would pay back 2.5 per

cent over prime. In order to recoup costs and administrative costs, 2.5 per cent

was added to the loan; interest on the loan.

Mr. Speaker, what did that do to our students in post-secondary? Well, what

it did, in most cases if they borrowed the maximum, I think a reduction of 2.5

per cent back to prime basically gave them $6,000 that they did not have to pay

back. What did that do? Again, what does it do? It helps our post-secondary

students again, and puts the money in the hands of them so that they can

reinvest it back into the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. That is what we

have done. All these initiatives that I have spoken about since I started has

put money back into the pockets of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, every cent.

Mr. Speaker, I know I do not have time, my time is running out, but what I

want to do -

MR. REID: Talk away.

MR. DENINE: I think I have some leave. I think the Leader of the

Opposition is really intent on what I am saying. He wants to hear more,

obviously, and believes everything I am saying. I will go back to it, because

the lack of questions on the Budget -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. member's allotted time has expired.

MR. DENINE: By leave?

MR. SPEAKER: Leave has been requested.

AN HON. MEMBER: Leave to clue up.

AN HON. MEMBER: Be very short.

MR. DENINE: Oh, I will be short, don't you worry about that. I am never

long-winded.

MR. SPEAKER: Leave is granted

The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl.

MR. DENINE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

There are a couple of other things I want to talk about. In this Budget,

there is a projected surplus of $261 million. We took that and we did not put

any cost to that. We did not spend it. That is an investment. We put investment

in drugs, investment in dental, investment in roads, investment in economical

development, investment in attracting businesses, and in health care.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you, I ask the people of the Province of Newfoundland and

Labrador, this is a Budget that we can all be proud of, on this side, and this

is why - and I said it in a couple of speeches that I had here - I am not sure

but I think this may be the first Budget in history that is going to be passed

unanimously.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Grand Bank.

MS FOOTE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It was interesting to listen to the Member for Mount Pearl make reference to

the fact that no one on this side of the House speaks to the Budget when they

get up to debate the issue. One of the things I thought was really interesting

that he said was how this Budget hits the pockets of every Newfoundlander and

Labradorian. Nothing could be said more clearly than that. Indeed, it does hit

the pocket of every Newfoundlander and Labradorian, Mr. Speaker. In fact, the

problem we have here is that we have a government that has taken great pride

since it has been in office in taking money out of the pockets of

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. I think we all can speak to that when it comes

to paying $180 to get your vehicle licensed, and it does not matter whether you

are a senior citizen or whether you are a teenager or whether you are middle

age. They do not discriminate, I will say that for the government. It is going

to be $180 to get your vehicle licensed, and we do not care what age you are.

How about $125 for ambulance fees? Again, no discrimination here. It does not

matter that you are sick. It does not matter that the last thing you can afford

is to pay $125 for an ambulance fee. You are going to pay it. Yes, this

government has ensured that they have hit the pocket of every Newfoundlander and

Labradorian because in a lot of cases what you will find is that, if you have a

senior citizen who is sick, a lot of them cannot afford the $125; so, of course,

they have to turn to family.

I know an example of a senior citizen who, in fact, passed away a couple of

weeks following this, I am sad to say, but she went to the Cottage Hospital in

Grand Bank. You are only allowed to stay overnight two nights in the Cottage

Hospital and then you have to go home. What the family would do, because the

lady wanted to be where there was health care available to her - she was nervous

about being at home, wanted to be in the hospital in case anything went wrong -

she would go up there, they would have to get an ambulance to take her to the

hospital, she would stay there for two nights and they would have to get an

ambulance to take her back home, she would spend one night at home and then they

would have to get an ambulance again to take her back to the hospital and then

get an ambulance back to her home. Four nights, and that is what the cost was to

her, Mr. Speaker, back and forth, the cost of an ambulance.

As I said, unfortunately, that dear lady passed away. When the family was

going through this, the family was going through this knowing that she wanted to

be in the hospital and they felt obligated, of course, to make sure that she was

where she was comfortable in her dying days. That is the kind of thing that we

are dealing with from this government, when you talk about hitting

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians in the pocket.

Let's talk about the insurance tax, 15 per cent insurance tax. Whether it

is on your home, whether it is on your vehicle, whether it is on your marine

equipment, Mr. Speaker, 15 per cent insurance tax. Do you know what the

government is pocketing as a result of that tax? Thirty nine point five million

dollars coming out of the pockets of every taxpayer in this Province. Like the

Member for Mount Pearl said, no doubt about it, this government hit the pockets

of every Newfoundlander and Labradorian with this Budget.

I listened to him speak, Mr. Speaker, and I have to ask where he lives. I

have to ask where the Member for Mount Pearl lives. One thing I can say, it is

certainly not in rural Newfoundland. I can attest to that, and certainly my

constituents can attest to that. In fact, I think he must be living in a

wonderland, certainly not in Newfoundland and Labrador. We have people moving

out of this Province on a daily basis. You know, if there was an employment

opportunity here for them, they would not be moving. They would not be going to

Alberta, or to B.C., or to some other province in this country looking for work.

When the member stands and talks about a Budget that hits the pocket of every

Newfoundlander and Labradorian, I know of constituents who are moving off the

Burin Peninsula, and not just my constituents, constituents of the Member for

Burin-Placentia West; they are leaving and going out West. That is the sad thing

about this, that this Budget does nothing to create jobs, nothing to create

employment opportunities for people who want to stay in Newfoundland and

Labrador. Again, I say to the member, you must be living in wonderland, because

I know people who are leaving the Connaigre Peninsula who would much rather be

in Newfoundland and Labrador but cannot afford to stay here because there are no

employment opportunities for them.

Now, there is this creature called the Rural Secretariat. When I get asked

what the Rural Secretariat does, I really have to say, I don't know. I really

don't know what the Rural Secretariat does. Now, it is funny because when you

look at the activity plan for 2006-2008 for the Rural Secretariat, it says: The

vision of the Rural Secretariat is of sustainable regions with healthy,

educated, prosperous people living in safe, inclusive communities. It says: The

mission of the Rural Secretariat is, by 2011 - 2011, Mr. Speaker - the Rural

Secretariat will have implemented effective tools and processes required to

ensure the consistent and formalized consideration of regional impacts in the

development of public policy.

Now, that is a mouthful. It is a mouthful for me and, I can assure you, it is

a mouthful for those people who are having to leaving this Province in search of

employment, who are saying: What do you mean, 2011? Where do you think we are

going to be in 2011? We are having to leave on a daily basis now to go to

Alberta, to B.C., to P.E.I., to New Brunswick, and the Rural Secretariat is

talking about 2011, in gobbledygook, that anybody would have to ask a question:

Well, what about me? What does this mean for me in terms of a job? It means

absolutely nothing.

Do you know what that is costing? Let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, what that is

costing. The Rural Secretariat, the salaries alone just for the Rural

Secretariat is close to $1 million. It is almost as much as what they spend on

salaries in the Premier's department. In the Premier's Office, your salaries

are close to $1.4 million. The Rural Secretariat, just to have this creature

that, who knows what it does - whatever it does, it is not going to happen until

2011 - close to $1 million. We have an Assistant Deputy Minister; we have a

Director of Regional Partnership Development; we have a Director of Research and

Analysis; we have a Program & Policy Development Specialist; we have ten

Regional Partnership Planners; we have a Manager of Financial Operations; and,

we have a Clerk Typist III. Close to $1 million, and yet we have to see anything

- anything - that would give us any reason to believe that this is money well

spent.

The Rural Secretariat, most people don't know but that is something good to

eat. Those of us who have been listening to this government for the past

three-and-a-half years tout the virtues of the Rural Secretariat, are shaking

our heads. Shaking our heads because that close to $1 million is just for this

year. They have spent that in other years. So you are talking three-and-a-half

years here of money being spent, to do what? When we have so many people who

need help.

When we talk about the Budget, let's talk about money that is not being

well spent. The members opposite like to talk about: the government is doing

this and the government is doing that, but talk about money that could be used

for a better purpose, and one of the areas would have to be the Rural

Secretariat. When you talk about close to $1 million, the jobs - earlier we

said: Wait now, the Rural Secretariat has not created any jobs. Well, I take

that back, Mr. Speaker, because, in fact, do you know something? The Rural

Secretariat has created sixteen jobs, but they are all in the Rural Secretariat.

It reminds me of money that is being spent in the infamous Department of

Business. When questioned in Estimates about how the money was being spent: How

many jobs were being created? The minister was truthful. Not one job, he said.

Not one job was created by the Department of Business. Now, he said: Oh, wait

now. We have fourteen new jobs that are now being created and they are all in

the Department of Business.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS FOOTE: Fourteen new jobs in the Department of Business. Sixteen jobs

in the Rural Secretariat. Then the Premier stands up and says: Wait now, we are

going to create 1,000 new jobs in the public service. Well, I can tell you where

they can create some jobs. I do not care what part of the Province it is in, but

when you have a call centre that is operating out of Montreal, where you have to

call to book space in a provincial park, there is something wrong

with the system. There is something wrong with those who are making the

decisions that would see that happen.

The cost of making a reservation - oh, and by the way, there is a cost of

making the reservation and that does not include the cost of the actual

reservation, what you have to pay when you are there. Guess what, Mr. Speaker?

If you change your mind, if you make a reservation for two weeks and you decide:

No, I am only going to go for one week, there is a cost associated with

cancelling, a cost associated with changing your mind. I think it is $8. So,

there is something wrong with the system when we are supporting a call centre

out of Montreal for making reservations in a provincial park.

My colleagues have said before: When we have to take people up to Montreal to

explain to those who are going to be answering the phone, explain to them about

this Province, where our parks are located, what is in them, there is something

wrong. Just the cost that the government incurs in doing just that. Then tell me

that somebody in Montreal, when answering the phone, will be able to tell

whoever is on the other end of the line how long it will take you to get from

Port aux Basques to Clarenville, how long it will take you to get from Deer Lake

to Grand Bank. They do not know. These are questions that I think they should be

able to answer if we are going to be able to upscale our tourism market, if we

are going to be able to take advantage of the person answering the phone, which

is what it is all about; which is what marketing is all about.

Someone might call and say: I want to go to Swift Current. Whoever is on the

other end of the line might say: Well, you know, if you are going to Swift

Current did you think about taking in Woody Island? These are opportunities that

are being missed because this government has made a decision to have a call

centre in Montreal take reservations for the provincial parks in Newfoundland

and Labrador.

Now I know what the minister has said and what the Premier has said, they

went to public tender, there was only one response and it happened to be a call

centre in Montreal. Well, guess what, Mr. Speaker? Governments can change their

mind. Governments can change their mind, and now we are in a situation where we

have so many students out there who really do not know what they are going to do

in terms of summer employment because of a decision made by the federal

government. What an opportunity for this government to employ those students. An

opportunity missed, Mr. Speaker, but that is not uncommon with this government.

The Member for Mount Pearl talked about, again, this Budget and how good it

was. Well, let's talk about the strategy, or the lack of a strategy for

implementing the use of insulin pumps, insulin pumps that mean so much to people

who desperately need them. No strategy, but we do know that when you turn

nineteen you can no longer avail of this service. What happens when you turn

nineteen? Do you just drop by the wayside?

There is another drug, Mr. Speaker, that this government should consider and

should have been part of their Budget, Avastin. It is a drug to deal with age

related macular degeneration. I had calls from people who are going through the

most trying time of their lives. In fact, without this drug it is not even a

possibility, we do know that they will go blind. We have people who are making

every effort. We have people who are calling all their MHAs. We have people who

are fundraising. Mr. Speaker, given the cost of this drug and how often you have

to use it, it will take a lot of soup suppers, it will take a lot of bake sales

to be able to avail of this drug.

AN HON. MEMBER: Fifteen-hundred dollars a treatment.

MS FOOTE: Fifteen-hundred dollars a treatment; just for one treatment.

There is something wrong, Mr. Speaker, when in a Province we can be spending

close to $1 million in salaries for a Rural Secretariat, which, according to the

government's own documents, says that 2011 the Rural Secretariat will have

implemented effective tools and processes required to ensure the consistent and

formalized consideration of regional impacts in the development of public

policy.

I repeat, Mr. Speaker, a mouthful, a mouthful that means absolutely nothing

to the people who are suffering with age-related macular degeneration, to the

people who need insulin pumps, to the people who have to pay $125 for an

ambulance, to the people who have to go and pay $180 to get their vehicle

licensed, to the people who are paying 15 per cent on their insurance cost.

So, tell me again about this Budget because you are absolutely right, I say

to the Member for Mount Pearl, this Budget hits the pockets of every

Newfoundlander and Labradorians, but it is not something I would stand up and

take pride in. It is not something I would stand and pat myself on the back for;

because, on the contrary, we have people who are suffering, people who could

have been helped, while this government brags of a surplus. We have people

moving away, trying to find employment, people who really do not know where the

next cent is going to come from, and at an age when they have never had to leave

home before. So, while these people are suffering, while these people are

finding it very difficult to make ends meet, we have a government that stands up

and pats itself on the back because this Budget hits the pockets of every

Newfoundlander and Labradorian.

People in Newfoundland and Labrador want to be heard. They want a government

that understands their needs. They want a government that listens. They want a

government who does not have to be pressured into doing things that are right.

They want a government that is going to make a difference in their lives, a

difference that matters, a difference that is good, not a difference that costs

them more money to live, not a difference that costs them money just to live a

comfortable life, not a difference that costs them an arm and a leg for a

treatment to prevent them from going blind.

I do not know how many of you can relate to that, but I can tell you that my

grandmother went blind and it is not pretty. It is not pretty, to watch someone

lose their eyesight.

I met a lady the other night -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. member's allotted time has expired.

MS FOOTE: Time to clue up, Mr. Speaker?

MR. RIDEOUT: Time to clue up, sure.

MR. SPEAKER: Time has been granted to make some concluding comments.

The Chair recognizes the Member for Grand Bank.

MS FOOTE: Thank you.

I met a lady the other night who needs this drug. She has had a couple of

treatments - of course, they have had to pay for it themselves - but her husband

is so frustrated because he really cannot afford to provide these treatments for

his wife. Do you know what he did? He went on-line to see if there wasn't some

other remedy, and he found an alternative medication. Now, he does not know if

it is CSA approved, he does not know if it has been tested, but guess what? He

has ordered those capsules. I think he said it is going to cost maybe $80, and I

think they last maybe a couple of months. That is what people have to resort to,

because this drug that will make a difference is not being made available.

It is time that this government listened and realized - you brag about a

Budget that you say hits the pockets of every Newfoundlander and Labradorian.

Understand that you are doing so in a detrimental way.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Placentia & St. Mary's.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. COLLINS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I am absolutely floored by one of the comments of the hon.

member across the way who says the people need a government that listens. My

goodness, from going through this Budget, I do not know what else this

government has done if it has not listened. The people need a government that

makes a difference - if this government has not made a difference in this

Budget, then God help future governments. The people need a government that does

not cost them more money to live - we could spend hours on our anti-poverty

strategy in answer to that question.

Anyway, I digress, Mr. Speaker. I want to get into my own comments here. I

just want to make some general comments about this Budget before I get into some

specifics. It is not very difficult to put together twenty minutes on this

Budget. All you have to do is take any of the documents and start commenting.

The name of this Budget: Vision, Action. This government has both - the vision,

and they have taken the action. It represents the Province making strategic

investments to encourage economic growth, social programs and modernized

infrastructure. This, Mr. Speaker, with a projected surplus of $261 million in

an election year, unheard of, especially in this Province.

We had, in the last two years, in 2006, a surplus of $76 million. We reduced

our debt by $70 million. In 2007-2008, we are going to have a $261 million

surplus, we are forecasting. In addition to that, we are going to reduce our

debt by $66 million; and, in addition to that, we are going to reduce debt

servicing costs by $51 million, all while have a surplus of $261 million.

Mr. Speaker, some of the highlights in general terms: Reduction in personal

income tax rates puts more money, as our esteemed Member for Mount Pearl stated,

into the hands of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and has increased the

Province's competitiveness, the lowest tax cuts in Atlantic Canada.

More than $100 million to attract businesses to invest in programs to grow

the economy. For the first time, over $1 billion in education. A budget of $2.2

billion for health and community services, and additional spending of $28.9

million for Poverty Reduction Strategy, giving us a total this year of $91

million, a model for the rest of Canada.

Another $440 million to go into infrastructure spending as part of a $2

billion, six year program. A commitment of $55 million in new spending over the

next five years for the Northern Strategic Plan for Labrador.

These are some of the highlights of the Budget, Mr. Speaker, and you could

spend hours on any one of these.

I just want to say a few words about the tax cuts. As the hon. member before

me mentioned, this will put money into the pockets of Newfoundlanders. The total

cost of these reductions, $111.3 million in 2007 and $160.5 million annually,

once they are fully annualized. Never before in history have we been able to do

that. I just want to be specific for a minute. A one-income family or a

single-parent family with a taxable income of $15,000 annually does not pay any

tax. Those earning $35,000 will save $469 and those earning $50,000 will save

$814.

Now, Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition made hay the other day over

the fact that he thought this was a tax break for the rich. Well, when you look

at the proportion of tax returns, it is the lower income people who get the

biggest break. It is the lower income people who get the biggest break.

Tax on the first income tax bracket are reduced from 10.57 per cent to 8.7

per cent. Tax on the second bracket from 16.16 per cent to 13 per cent. Tax on

the third bracket from 18.2 per cent to 16.5 per cent. In addition, to protect

the taxpayers from the effects of inflation, most of the tax brackets and most

non-refundable tax credits and certain benefits will be indexed annually,

beginning July 1, 2007.

I want to speak for a minute about the new thresholds that have been

established, and these are important and they are significant. Not only are they

significant for the anti-poverty reduction program, they are significant to put

more money in the pockets of taxpayers and they are significant for rural

Newfoundland. In 2006, a single person with income of less than $12,000 was not

required to pay provincial personal income tax. Effective January 1, 2007, this

threshold has been adjusted to $13,000 and this amount will be indexed in 2008.

For families, including single-parent families, the income threshold has been

adjusted from $19,000 to $21,000. In 2008, approximately 31,100 individuals will

receive a low-income tax reduction compared to 25,900 under the old system, an

increase of 5,200 beneficiaries, of which 4,000 will no longer pay any

provincial income tax. That is significant, Mr. Speaker, that is significant.

The Seniors' Benefit for married seniors enhanced by (inaudible) a

qualifying threshold. In 2006, a senior couple received a full Seniors'

Benefit if their combined income was less than $15,032 and received a partial

benefit with combined income up to $21,482. Now, Mr. Speaker, for 2007, the

income threshold has been adjusted. The full benefit is now up to $25,000, a

$10,000 increase. The partial benefit is up to $31,587, a $10,000 increase in

the threshold for the Seniors' Benefit. About 3,800 senior couples will

receive a Seniors' Benefit cheque for $768 in October this year. Another

32,000 will receive a cheque for a partial benefit. That is going to increase

the total of the Seniors' Benefit to $12.2 million and increase it more than

$4 million over last year. As a result, Mr. Speaker, and here is the important

figure, in 2008 approximately 7,000 senior couples will receive the Seniors'

Benefit compared to 1,100, an increase of 5,900 couples. That is just amazing.

Now, as a former educator, I cannot get through this presentation without

referring to that part of the Budget dealing with education. Now, the Member for

Mount Pearl has done that on a number of occasions and being involved in that

department, of course, he is close to it. There are so many things to say about

education that it is pretty hard to pass it over.

I want to begin with K-12. Budget 2007 increased the funding for the K-12

system by $41 million. Free textbooks amounted to $12.8 million. All the money

going into maintenance and renovations, construction of new schools - and

incidentally, I am getting one of these myself in Placentia in my district -

improvements to the curriculum and additional teachers; $49 million for repairs

and maintenance in new school construction. Now that is $12.3 million over last

year.

One of the big figures here that school boards are so happy with, and people

like the CEOs of school boards, 67 per cent increase in their operating grants;

fifty-five cents and ninety-two cents per square foot. That is going to do

wonders for our maintenance programs in our schools. Increased by over $14

million to give each school board increased funding for maintenance of their

schools. That is a tremendous infusion into our education system, and one which

makes school boards very happy.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. COLLINS: Other investments that come to my attention, and one that I

want to comment on in a few minutes, is the investment in the future of skilled

trades and technology pilots in our high schools. While I am on that subject I

should point out that we are all aware in this Province about the issue of

skilled shortages in this Province. I have a friend who is the CEO of one of the

bigger construction companies in this Province. He keeps telling me the same

story all the time. He just cannot get workers. He cannot get employees, cannot

get skilled employees. Even when increasing the wages significantly, he still

cannot get them. It is not only a phenomenon that is unique to Newfoundland, all

of Atlantic Canada. He also conducts business in Ontario and he says the same

thing is true there, you just cannot get workers.

This government will invest $6.7 million in this Budget to help people take

advantage of new opportunity to skilled trades and to ensure a highly qualified

workforce to meet industry demands.

Mr. Speaker, in Placentia Bay - and I alluded to this in an earlier

presentation - over the next four or five years we are going to see expanded

industry in commercial development with the INCO project, the CBRD project, the

second refinery at the head of the bay, and now the Liquefied Natural Gas

project is holding its hearings. There is going to be a tremendous demand for

skilled labour in Placentia Bay. In fact, in the construction stages of the INCO

plant and the refinery we are talking 6,000 people, 6,000 workers in the

construction phase. They are just not there. If both of these projects take off

together, then we have an enormous problem on our hands with respect to getting

skilled labour for those jobs.

This government is investing $3.9 million in this Budget to expand career and

employment services. These will include almost $1 million to expand the delivery

of career and employment service outreach in rural Newfoundland by establishing

five new Career Information Resource Centres; $1.5 million to implement

employment and business development projects to rural areas of the Province to

enable people to participate in the labour market; over $1 million to expand the

graduate retention program to help an additional 100 graduates strengthen their

attachment to the labour market; $500,000 to hire ten career information

officers to work with teachers, guidance counsellors and students in the K-12

system to identify career information and labour market trends, and provide

career education supports. The high schools are very excited about that, Mr.

Speaker, because that is where it all starts.

A few years ago, and not all that long ago, we felt that our kids had to go

to university when they got out of high school. The skilled trades were looked

upon as secondary occupations. If our kids did not go on to university and

become professionals then we felt that we, as parents, had done a bad job. Well,

that is no longer the case, thanks be to God. Now we are putting our emphasis on

the skilled trades, because that is where it is at. The provincial government

recognizes that people need to make better career decisions, and are investing

significantly in our skilled trades and in our high schools.

In support of the Skills Task Force, which made its report the other day, it

brought together a partnership of businesses and labour and government and

post-secondary institutions to make plans for developing a skilled trades

program in this Province. The provincial government is now investing $2.8

million in support of that Skills Task Force to improve the responsiveness of

the skills training and the apprenticeship system in this Province. Now, that is

going to include $660,000 to expand post-secondary programming in the skilled

trades and technology offerings at the College of the North Atlantic to meet the

increased demand for skilled workers; $567,000 for national apprenticeship

standards, including $200,000 to introduce standardized examinations.

What I like about this Budget, too, Mr. Speaker, is that there is $596,000

put into it to strengthen the participation of women in skilled trades; $96,000

to introduce a Youth Apprenticeship Program in the K-12 system and, along with

that, $75,000 to establish twenty-five scholarships of $1,000 each to encourage

youth participating in Youth Apprenticeship Programs to continue their studies

at the post-secondary level, and then another twenty-five scholarships of

$2,000, post-secondary awards.

Mr. Speaker, this government is putting the emphasis where it should be, on

the K-12 system in developing the skills programs. Being an ex-educator, and

knowing what has happened in the school system over the years, this is very

exciting to see that development in the high school system. That is where the

foundation is going to be laid, and that is where the whole thing starts in

order to attack this problem we are going to have in the next few years of a

shortage of skilled trades in this Province.

With respect to post-secondary education, a $14.4 million investment this

year by this government to help current and former students reduce their debt

load. Talk about a government who listens. The students came to us, this

government, met with caucus, met with Cabinet representatives, and this

government listened. As a result, this government now has made the following

changes to the student loan program valued at $14.4 million: dropped the

interest on student loans from prime plus 2.5 per cent to prime, at a cost of

$3.7 million. This is going to have an immediate impact, Mr. Speaker, on 46,000

people who are in repayment of their student loans.

Government also introduced an up-front, needs-based grant program, providing

financial assistance of $10.7 million, so that the students who could, before,

borrow $140 a week on the provincial portion of their student loan, now that

will be reduced to $70 because they will have an up-front grant of $70. That is

cutting in half the amount of money they will have to pay back. This is also the

first time, since this loan was introduced, we now include the two year program

at the College of the North Atlantic; those people also qualify for the

non-repayable grant.

What this means, Mr. Speaker, is that this Province is leading the country

with the lowest interest on student loans. Couple that with the freeze on

tuition rates and this government has listened to students and has responded,

and responded big time. As I mentioned, Mr. Speaker, it is hard to get through

the Budget without talking about the big ticket issues, education being one of

them.

I want to go on and pay some attention to the anti-poverty program that this

government is pursuing. We have added almost $29 million this year to the

current annual investment of $62 million; we are now up to $91 million in

Poverty Reduction Strategy. That is in addition to the drug enhancement

programs.

The last member who spoke across the way mentioned the government not funding

the drug having to do with vision care. Many of us received e-mails over the

last couple of weeks from different people talking about that particular drug.

The minister, in his response here in the House a few days ago, made that

perfectly clear how this policy is dealt with and how it works. There are so

many diseases and so many drugs and so many problems that you could address in

health care, Mr. Speaker, the list is endless and it is impossible for this

government to address every health care problem that exists.

With respect to anti-poverty and low-income families, some of the things we

have already mentioned, some of the education initiatives, like, for example,

free textbooks, $12.8 million for free textbooks, it is going to go a long way

to help low-income families. Two point three million for enhanced dental

services for children between the ages of thirteen and seventeen is a tremendous

incentive, as well as $500,000 to develop the enhanced home visiting model;

$650,000 to increase the Newfoundland and Labrador Child Tax Benefit; $300,000

to increase the Mother Baby Nutrition Supplement, and money to the Kids Eat

Smart Foundation, all of these are tremendous initiatives undertaken by this

government in the interest of anti-poverty legislation.

With respect to helping women, $250,000 to help low wage income earners

access legal services, especially with regard to family law matters. This is a

very, very significant initiative by this government. An increase in grants for

the Province's eight Women's Centres and so on. The list goes on and on with

regard to anti-poverty initiatives of this government.

Mr. Speaker, there are a couple of other things I want to touch on, that I

think are important. They have been mentioned already and they will be mentioned

again, obviously.

MR. SPEAKER (Fitzgerald): Order, please!

I remind the hon. member that his time for speaking has lapsed.

MR. COLLINS: Mr. Speaker, I will leave it at that because I have a number

of things here to get into and I do not think you are going to me enough time to

get into that.

AN HON. MEMBER: (Inaudible).

MR. COLLINS: Okay.

MR. SPEAKER: Does the hon. member have leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. member, by leave.

MR. COLLINS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to just briefly refer to rural Newfoundland, and what is in this

Budget for rural - because it comes up so often that there is nothing in the

Budget for rural Newfoundland. Everything in this Budget is for rural

Newfoundland. Everything is for rural Newfoundland.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. COLLINS: One final thing is something that is near and dear to my

heart, because it is the biggest need in my district. If I went and knocked on

doors in my district, door-to-door, nine out of ten doors would say the same

thing: roads, roads and more roads.

This is the second year now of the government's investment of over $2

billion over a six year period: $440 million this year going into

infrastructure, $160 million into roads, including $66.5 million for a

provincial roads improvement program. We could do with another $60 million, Mr.

Speaker.

A project of mine, and a pet peeve of mine, in this Budget I would like to

see a lot more money going into roads. Then, again, money has to be

proportioned. You cannot have money for everything. That is why I say to the

members opposite, when you look at money for health care services, you cannot

handle all health care services, you cannot solve all of your needs at the one

time. It will take us years to catch up on the roads, with thirty years of

neglect in my district. With thirty years of neglect of our roads, they have

gone to the state where they are almost impassable in some cases, but we will

get to them. We will get to them year by year. It will take some time to do it,

but at least we are started on them; we have a program to do it. We had a

release today in my district, for example, outlining the amount of roadwork that

would be done this year, and that is a tremendous start to solving these

problems.

Mr. Speaker, I will end there.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. BARRETT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Indeed, it is a pleasure for me to rise today and to participate in the

Budget debate.

I guess, looking at it, it is the eighteenth time that I have participated in

a Budget debate in this House of Assembly. Since 1989, I have been either on the

government side or on the Opposition side participating in the Budget debate.

It is nice to come after the Member for Placentia, I guess. It is not very

often you get two people from Placentia Bay speaking back-to-back in the House

of Assembly, so this place should be abuzz with knowledge before I am finished,

after just coming from the Member for Placentia & St. Mary's and his

participation in the debate.

Will I be voting for the Budget? I guess that is the question. The answer is:

I will not be voting for the Budget, and there are various reasons why I will

not be voting for the Budget.

As a person who grew up in Placentia Bay, on a small island in Placentia Bay,

I guess, back in the 1960s, under the great Liberal governments, the Liberal

government of Joey Smallwood, I guess the Liberal government at that particular

time saw the young people in our Province as the greatest resource that we had.

There is no doubt about it. In the 1960s in this Province, and in the 1970s, the

early 1970s, I guess former Premier Smallwood saw that the future of

Newfoundland and Labrador lay in its greatest resource, which was its young

people. The government of the day, they invested heavily in education, invested

heavily in post-secondary education. As a matter of fact, some of the greatest

initiatives of this Province took place in the 1960s in terms of post-secondary

education, in terms of the creation of Memorial University of Newfoundland and

Labrador and the great deal of money that was put into Memorial University.

I guess the other thing that we had in 1963, and I have spoken before in

terms of the great initiative, and I like to give credit where credit is due, in

that we had a Prime Minister of Canada, also, who saw the Canadian young people

as a great resource. In 1963, one of the best acts was ever passed in the House

of Commons, and it was not passed by a Liberal government, it was passed by a

Conservative government, and it was passed under the leadership of Prime

Minister John Diefenbaker. I give credit where credit is due. It was very, very

innovative. The Occupational Training Act which was passed in the House of

Commons at that particular time provided the vast wealth for post-secondary

education and training.

We talk a lot about skills training, and the great initiatives about skills

training. We have not even touched the surface in terms of what is available, in

terms of - there is no wonder we have a skill shortage in this Province and in

this country, because we do not provide the resources any more. We do not

provide the resources for our young people.

I was one of the Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who graduated from Memorial

University with no debt - no debt whatsoever. I never had a debt when I

graduated from Memorial University. I also graduated from the Clarenville

Vocational School in 1965. I graduated from the Clarenville vocational school as

an electrical apprentice in 1965, and when I received my certificate I was debt

free.

MR. JACKMAN: How many schools have you gone to?

MR. BARRETT: If the Member for Burin-Placentia West listened he might

learn something for a change.

I graduated in 1965 from the Clarenville vocational school and I graduated

debt free, and I worked in that particular trade.

The thing about it was, the reason I graduated from the vocational school

debt free was that there was free tuition - free tuition! - at that particular

time, thanks to John Diefenbaker and Joey Smallwood. Not only did I get free

tuition at the vocational school, but I also received $100 a month allowance in

addition to free tuition. That was tremendous, being able to go out - I was able

to work at the Holiday Inn and the Arts and Education Building in Memorial

University, and I graduated and got a hefty eighty cents an hour salary at that

particular time.

After that, I went to Memorial University and did an education degree and I

graduated