May 10, 2006 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY

PROCEEDINGS Vol. XLV No. 19

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 Grand Bank; the hon. the Member for the

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

& LaPoile; the hon. the Member for the District of Bonavista South; the hon.

the Member for the District of Fortune Bay-Cape la Hune; and the hon. the Member

for the District of Trinity North.

The Chair recognizes the Member for the District of Grand Bank.

MS FOOTE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to extend congratulations to the members of John Burke

Masquerade, the drama troupe from John Burke High School in Grand Bank on their

performance of MmmBeth, which is a take off, of course, on Macbeth. The

performance won the praise of both the audience and judges of the 2006 Burin

Peninsula Regional Drama Festival held at Marystown Central High School

recently.

The troupe were crowned the festival's overall winner and also picked up

the Audience Choice Award for the play written by Canadian writer, Allison

Williams, and directed by John Burke High'S drama teacher, Yvonne Powell.

John Burke High student, Brittany Matthews, was named the best female actor

in the festival.

The performers will travel to Grand Falls-Windsor, May 11 to May 13, to

represent the Burin Peninsula at the thirtieth annual provincial high school

drama festival hosted by the Nova Central School District.

The cast of the John Burke Masquerade include: John D'Eon; Kurt Warren;

Jessica Prior; Nigel Warren; Brittany Matthews; Jennifer Lake, Rebecca Stuckey;

Robyn Matthews; Danielle Billiard; Robyn Kearley; Jason Stewart; Tyler Engram;

Cindy Hillier; Stephanie Eveleigh; director Yvonne Powell, and assistant

director Carol Callahan.

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

John Burke Masquerade on their win and wish them well at the provincial high

school drama festival.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDGLEY: Mr. Speaker, today I would like to highlight the efforts of

St. John's Clean and Beautiful, a non-profit, volunteer-based organization

that is dedicated to reducing litter through increasing environmental awareness

and encouraging beautification projects by involving the community.

St. John's Clean and Beautiful was established in 1991 and became

incorporated in 1992 as a non-profit organization and, since that time, has won

numerous awards and received other forms of recognition for its programs and

achievements.

One indication of the contribution that has been made by this organization is

the fact that, since 1991,over 85,000 volunteers have invested almost 200,000

hours making St. John's a cleaner, more beautiful city. This has obviously

served to create a spirit of pride in our capital city and makes it one of the

most attractive tourist destinations in North America.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, May 15, marks the start of: Take Pride - Take Action,

a five week program undertaken by St. John's Clean and Beautiful designed to

motivate citizens to organize litter cleanups in their neighbourhoods. I

encourage neighbourhood groups, schools, tenant associations to get involved in

this campaign.

I ask all members of the House to join me in congratulating St. John's

Clean and Beautiful on past accomplishments and to wish them every success in

this current venture.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am pleased to rise today to congratulate Burgeo Academy students, as well

as the junior and senior choirs, who travelled to Stephenville to participate in

the annual Stephenville Rotary Music Festival and would also like to recognize

the amount of talent these students have.

The junior choir received 84 per cent on their performance at the festival

and the senior choir received 86 per cent and second place overall. As well as

the choirs performing, several other students performed at the festival: Dylan

MacDonald; Jeremy MacDonald; Jeanette Tucker; Dominique Ingram and Tyson Cutler.

Mr. Speaker, when Burgeo Academy held their annual spring concert a few days

after the festiva,l there sure was a lot of talent displayed. The talent

included piano, karaoke, recorders, guitars and singing. Zachary Clothier was

the MC for the evening; Miss Kendall's Grade 4 to 7 music classes played

pieces on their recorders; the piano students performed pieces they had been

working on; senior students Tyler Neil, Shane Crant and Nolan Short played

guitars and sang; Sara Durnford accompanied by Travis Durnford played guitar and

sang; and the junior and senior choirs, accompanied by local talents Tom Cutler,

Stacey Pink and Derrick Mercer, entertained the audience.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all Members of the House of Assembly to join with me in

congratulating the students of Burgeo Academy on their wonderful musical talent

and on the success the students had at the Stephenville Rotary Music Festival.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for District of Bonavista South.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. FITZGERALD: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, recently I had the opportunity to present four members of the

Lethbridge and area Volunteer Fire Department with long-term service awards: Mr.

Wesley Holloway, Mr. Randy Diamond, Mr. Ewan Palmer and Mr. Jacob Barber. Each

of those recipients received a certificate signed by the Premier and by the

Minister of Municipal Affairs recognizing their twenty years of service with the

Lethbridge and area Fire Department.

Mr. Speaker, this particular fire department is a bit different, I think,

from every other fire department in this Province. It is probably the only

volunteer fire department that exists without any form of local government.

Those people go out and raise money not only to buy equipment and to repair

equipment, but they go out and raise money to pay the light bill, pay the phone

bill, and operate all the functions that happen in their fire hall.

Mr. Speaker, I am sure every member here in this Legislature joins with me in

saying congratulations, not only to those four individuals who got recognized

for twenty years of service but to all firefighters in the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Fortune Bay-Cape la Hune.

MR. LANGDON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the life of Dorothy Johnson.

I had the privilege to attend yesterday's services at St. Bartholomew's

Anglican Church in Harbour Breton. It was filled to capacity with family and

friends from the Connaigre and Central Newfoundland region.

Mr. Speaker, Dorothy Johnson - Dot, as she was known to all of us - was born

in Harbour Breton on February 9, 1962, to Ethel and the late Clayton Pierce. Dot

grew up with two brothers, Randy and Robbie, and her sister Leanne. On November

4, 1983, she married the love of her life, Edward, and together they shared in

the birth of their child, Gina, on October 16, 1984.

After achieving her high school diploma, Dot attended the Western Memorial

School of Nursing. In 1983, she started her first job at the Harbour Breton

Cottage Hospital as a staff nurse.

Being an ambitious person, she furthered her career by moving into a Nurse

Manager position. With a number of years of experience and studies, Dot became

the Senior Operating Officer of the Connaigre Peninsula Health Care Centre as

well as Senior Operating Officer for Hugh Twomey Centre in Botwood and the North

Haven Manor in Lewisporte. Eighteen months ago, she was seconded to the Primary

Health Care Project for the Connaigre Peninsula Health Care System.

Mr. Speaker, her goal was to provide the people of the Connaigre Peninsula

and surrounding areas with the best health care possible. While Dot enjoyed her

life's work, a year into her battle with cancer caused her to stop and look at

the important things in life, thus encouraging her to spend more quality time

with the loves of her life, Edward and Gina. This was a time spent up at the

cabin enjoying fun, fellowship and friends.

Reverend Buffet, in his Homily, referred to her as a servant and a leader.

Although they appear to be contradictory, Mr. Speaker, they are not. Dorothy was

a great person, and anyone who had the opportunity to know her had their lives

enriched by her presence. May the work she has done speak for her. Her memories

will be cherished forever.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Trinity North.

MR. WISEMAN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to acknowledge the dedication of Kerri Barron of Southport.

Kerri is a nineteen-year-old graduate of Southwest Arm Academy who was recently

inspired by an advertisement she read promoting Canada World Youth, a national

charitable organization founded in 1971 with the mission of expanding the role

of youth in developing countries and promoting world peace. Kerri has spent the

last six months as a member of CWY, and the last three-and-a-half of those

months, Mr. Speaker, she spent in a tiny village in Indonesia.

Mr. Speaker, to participate in this program, Kerri went through a screening

process and was one of ten Canadians selected to be a part of that team in early

2005. The Canadian team was involved in various projects, including opening a

Mr. Speaker, not only was this a tremendous learning experience for Kerri,

but already at a young age she has made her mark and has had an influence on the

young lives of children who she describes as not having very much, but probably

the happiest people she has ever met.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. members to join with me today in congratulating

and also thanking Kerri for the contribution that she has made to improving the

lives of people less fortunate.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Statements by Ministers.

Statements by Ministers

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Order, please!

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today, during National Mining Week, to provide a

breakdown of the improvements this government is making to the Province's

Mineral Incentive Program with the nearly $1 million increase in funding

announced in the provincial budget. At $2.5 million this year, this is the

largest budget in this program's history.

As a result of the increased funding commitment, I am announcing today the

addition of a new initiative to encourage more prospecting and development of

dimension stone, building stone and industrial minerals.

Mr. Speaker, we are spending $250,000 toward providing non-repayable grants

to cover 75 per cent of the cost of exploration and resource assessment on new

or undeveloped natural stone prospects, up to a maximum of $50,000 per project.

This initiative is designed to encourage companies or individuals to take new or

inadequately assessed prospects to a more advanced stage.

The funding will allow for identification of alternate uses for existing or

inactive stone quarries, and increase the known reserves of natural stone in

this Province. It could, for example, result in identifying the potential to

develop countertop stone from quarries originally used for monument stone or

vice versa, which is a significant and growing market.

Mr. Speaker, we are also making improvements related to junior exploration

and prospecting. We are modifying the $1.9 million junior exploration assistance

component to include, for the first time, a $500,000 allocation specifically for

grassroots exploration. This is a critical part of the exploration cycle and

will include geophysical surveys conducted on the ground or from the air.

We are enhancing assistance for prospectors by offering an extra $2,000 in

funding for helicopter or float plane support to explore remote properties not

accessible by any other means. We are able to do this as a result of increasing

the prospectors' assistance budget from $250,000 to $300,000.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, the department is expanding - and I think significantly

so - the two-week Prospectors Training Course into Labrador. It is currently

offered in Stephenville and is open to all residents of the Province. The course

will be offered in Happy Valley-Goose Bay this summer. We also have preliminary

plans to offer this course in other parts and other regions of Labrador.

By delivering a Prospectors Training Course at different locations in

Labrador, we hope to provide the maximum benefit and opportunity to all

interested people in Labrador, which can only lead to a much higher potential

for new mineral discoveries in Labrador, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, these initiatives represent a significant commitment by this

government to promoting and encouraging mineral exploration in Newfoundland and

Labrador, and it is a pleasure to announce these during National Mining Week.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate and thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement here

today.

We certainly would have nothing but praise for this program given that it

was, in fact, the creation of the former Liberal Administration in 1999.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. PARSONS: Unfortunately, to see the minister's positive spin today,

of course, in the 2004 Budget this program was chopped to its lowest level of

funding ever - but it is good to see. Notwithstanding that, it is a very good

program. Indeed, it is a very good program and it is good to see that government

has finally recognized the value and the worth of this program and are putting

the monies back into it that it ought to have. It certainly will encourage

further investment and development in this sector, and hats off to not only the

prospectors we already have, but to hopefully the many new prospectors we will

get as a result of these training courses, and the junior exploration companies.

It is good to see, and it can only be good for parts of this Province,

particularly rural Newfoundland, when we see things happening like they are in

Labrador West with extensive expansions planned for that particular area.

Certainly in rural Newfoundland, which is not a very promising sector right now

of our economy, we need to see these types of development. It is good to see

that we have a brighter light onshore than we have offshore, where apparently

everything is stalled.

I wish everybody the best during Mining Week. Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Labrador West.

MR. R. COLLINS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the minister for an

advance copy of his statement.

I would like to acknowledge, Mr. Speaker, during Mining Week, the

contribution that mining makes to our Province.

Any money that is used to support industries in mining or in dimension stone,

Mr. Speaker - with just one development of a mine or dimension stone industry,

the money that government invests into programs like this will come back many

times over. It is a worthwhile investment, I say to the minister, and it is good

to see that it is taking place.

I particularly note, Mr. Speaker, the $2,000 in funding for helicopters or

float planes, because many times, particularly in Labrador, without a network

road system, that is the only way to get access to areas where these finds may

be able to take place.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. member's time has expired.

MR. R. COLLINS: By leave, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: By leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: Leave is granted.

MR. R. COLLINS: I am also happy, Mr. Speaker, to see that this course

will be offered in different regions of Labrador. I know there are a number of

prospectors in Labrador West today, and a number of other people have expressed

interest to me in having this course made available, because the have an

interest in pursuing this. I say to the minister, this program is very

worthwhile and it is good to see it increased in funding.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: Further Statements by Ministers.

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. T. OSBORNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise in this House today during National Nursing Week from May 8-14, 2006

to recognize the dedication of nurses across our Province who provide quality

health care to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The theme of this year's National Nursing Week is Nursing: Promoting

Healthy Choices for Healthy Living . In acute, long-term and community care

settings, nurses are constant advocates for healthy living, patient and resident

care and community well being. As we move forward with our Provincial Wellness

Plan, nurses across our Province will be an integral

part in reinforcing the

importance of nutrition, active lifestyles and staying smoke free.

Mr. Speaker, nurses are vital to the health care system, playing key roles in

the delivery of services and programs. Nursing administer treatment, advise on

health and wellness and provide vaccinations. Nurses are on the front lines of

patient care and also working behind the scenes in management and administration

to ensure the health and safety of our population and the efficient operation of

our health care system.

In Newfoundland and Labrador we have a strong workforce of over 8,000 nurses,

including registered nurses, nurse practitioners and licensed practical nurses.

We are proud to have the highest rate of full-time nurses employed in the

country, with close to 100 per cent educated right here in Newfoundland and

Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, we are committed to providing health initiatives which will

improve access to health care services while increasing employment opportunities

for nursing professionals in all regions of the Province.

In Budget 2006, we invested $1.5 million to add thirty-nine new nursing

positions over the next two years to strengthen the public health capacity.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. T. OSBORNE: Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, through the expertise of the

Province's Chief Nurse, we will continue to ensure that a nursing perspective

is reflective in future health policy and planning initiatives.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House today to join me in paying

tribute to nurses across the Province for their dedication and their

contribution to their profession and the health of the people of this Province.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We, on this side of the House, as well, want to recognize the contribution of

the men and women who work in the nursing profession in our Province. The work

they do is highly commendable, and no doubt, they work long hours. They quite

often have to give a lot of their time and their services to the people in this

Province and they do so very willingly. They are, no doubt, the front line

workers in our health care system and it is so important that the integrity of

this profession be protected and upheld and that it be staffed adequately.

Mr. Speaker, I certainly feel that nurse practitioners out there in our

Province today should be given a larger role in the health care system to play,

that they should have more positions in more hospitals around this Province than

we have today.

Also, I feel that mental health services and nurses need to be added to our

system, I say to the minister, because these are the people who are dealing with

the crisis that is facing our Province today. As we continue to see the

disintegration of rural communities around this Province, more and more demands

are being put on mental health nurses who are out there working in our fields.

Many of them are on stress leave on a regular basis, and I know that from

talking to them. So this would be a good week, I say to the minister, to

increase that service -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The member's allotted time has expired.

MS JONES: Just a minute to clue up, Mr. Speaker, if I may?

MR. SPEAKER: By leave? Has leave been granted?

AN HON. MEMBER: Yes.

MR. SPEAKER: Leave has been granted.

MS JONES: Mr. Speaker, the other area of nursing which I think needs to

be looked at very clearly are positions that are being vacated in places like

Hoyles-Escasoni, where in the last two-and-a-half years very few of those

positions have been filled on a permanent basis but rather on a temporary basis.

So, today, as we commend and recognize the work of people in the nursing

profession in our Province, I think it is important to recognize that there are

still a lot of gaps that need to be filled, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. HARRIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am certainly happy to join in paying tribute to the dedication and

contribution of the nurses in our Province, some 8,000 strong, who provide a

level of care and service in this Province second to none.

Mr. Speaker, nursing week theme is Promoting Healthy Choices for Healthy

Living. During this week I have to raise some concerns about the health of

nurses themselves, Mr. Speaker. I am advised that they are increasingly being

asked to do more call and more overtime, and that full-time jobs for those who

retire are not being replaced. In fact, I was told by one nurse last week -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The member's allotted time has expired.

MR. HARRIS: By leave, Mr. Speaker?

MR. SPEAKER: By leave?

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: Leave is granted.

MR. HARRIS: - that of the 168 hours in a week, seven times twenty-four,

she was either on call, on duty or working overtime for 135 of those hours.

Mr. Speaker, we do not want to slip back into a situation where we were a few

years ago, where we had difficulty retaining nurses because the wages being paid

in other provinces are greater and that nurses who are graduating from our

nursing schools only have access to casual work. So, I hope that some changes

are made by government as to how nurses are treated in this Province by the

Ministry of Health.

MR. SPEAKER: Further statements by ministers?

Oral Questions.

Oral Questions

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

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My first question is to the Minister of Justice. I ask the minister if he has

asked for or received a legal opinion on whether or not the provincial

government, under the FPI Act, has the authority to tell FPI where to process

its quotas? If so, are you prepared to release those opinions?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, and

Aboriginal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, the Province -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. RIDEOUT: The Province from time to time seeks legal advice from the

Department of Justice, or externally for that matter, on FPI and other matters.

These are for the advice of government and for the advice of ministers to help

us in our decision making process.

In terms of FPI and where they can process fish or where they can land fish,

it is like I said to the hon. gentleman yesterday, Mr. Speaker, the member knows

fish is landed in the Province, then it becomes the responsibility and the

jurisdiction of the Province. It is on that basis that we attach conditions to

licences, and we enforce them as best we can.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is obvious that he has not asked for and he has not received a legal

opinion.

Mr. Speaker, the Deputy Premier accused me yesterday of going around saying

that the sky was falling. Well, I say to the Deputy Premier, the sky fell on

Harbour Breton eighteen months ago and it fell on the town of Fortune thirteen

months ago, and what have we heard from this government? Nothing only rants and

raves and rhetorics.

We heard, since that time, a lot about the threats that government has made

about changing the FPI Act to protect the workers. We have heard about charges

being laid against FPI. We have heard about the government buying quotas for,

not only Harbour Breton but for Fortune as well. We have heard about Bill Barry

going into Harbour Breton and Cooke's Aquaculture going into Fortune. We have

heard about Bill Barry buying FPI, but what have we seen from this government,

Mr. Speaker? Absolutely nothing! What we have seen is a mass exodus of people

from those communities.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier: When are we going to see some action, or are

you waiting until there is no one left in these communities and the lights are

turned out?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, and

Aboriginal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, it is like I said to the hon. gentleman, I

believe it was yesterday, he can get on with any rant that he wants, he can

paint all the negative pictures that he likes, but the fact of the matter, Mr.

Speaker, is that this government is working diligently to try to find solutions

for communities in this Province - whether it is Harbour Breton, whether it is

Fortune, whether it happens to be any other community in the Province,

Stephenville or wherever - to try to make life better for the people who are

remaining in those communities.

We are not deliberately, Mr. Speaker, forcing people into vehicles and go out

of this Province. What a foolish, silly proposition that the Leader of the

Opposition puts forth. Mr. Speaker, no wonder he has no credibility, no wonder

nobody in the Province listens to a word he is saying because most of it is just

nonsense. On the other hand, this government is doing the best it can under

difficult circumstances to help people all over rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Personal attacks again. I ask again: What have you done? You have done

absolutely nothing to help the people in those affected communities.

When you talk about Stephenville, all I have heard you are about to do is set

up some kind of a manpower centre so that the people in Alberta do not have to

come here anymore to take our people, they will be sent from a centre that you

are about to establish in Stephenville.

Mr. Speaker, here is something that the minister can do something about. He

says he cannot do anything else about other things in the fishery. As we speak,

Gulf shrimp is continuing to be trucked off the Northern Peninsula, against

government policy, while plants in that region remain closed.

I ask the minister: Is he going to allow this to continue until all the Gulf

shrimp has been harvested and processed elsewhere in the Province?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, and

Aboriginal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, if an aquaculture equity investment program is

doing nothing, then this government is doing nothing. If a loan guarantee

program to attract investors into the aquaculture market in this Province - in

rural Newfoundland, not Water Street - is doing nothing, then we stand accused

of doing nothing, but the facts speak for themselves.

The Leader of the Opposition is not going to proclaim the good news, but we

will proclaim the good news, every opportunity we get, and the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador know the difference. That is why this government is

more popular today than it was two-and-a-half years ago.

Now, in terms of 4R shrimp, Mr. Speaker, let me repeat what I have said to

the hon. gentleman before. I am taking a very cautious approach to this matter,

and here is why. As we speak today, every plant that is operating on the

Northern Peninsula is operating at capacity. If I do something that interferes

with that, I will have harvesters on my back before the day is over. So, we have

to have a balance.

I understand that Black Duck Cove is opening next week. I understand, as

well, that Daley's are gearing up in Anchor Point. If those two things happen,

the problem will resolve itself over the course of time. If it does not then I

am prepared to act, but I am prepared to be cautious as well, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I ask members for their co-operation. In the last exchanges, the

preambles

have meant that members have exceeded their allotted times. This was true for

both the questioner and for the minister replying. I would ask members if they

could keep their questions and their answers within sixty seconds.

The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I say to the minister and the Deputy Premier, if he can find good news in the

fishery this year, he should tell the convoys that have left Harbour Breton and

those that are leaving every other fishing community in the Province today.

Mr. Speaker, I have spoken to union officials who are concerned that the

price of shrimp may go down in June, as has happened in the past, and that could

mean that nobody will be harvesting or processing shrimp by the end of June.

That, coupled with the fact that crab quotas will have already been harvested

and processed, could mean the complete shutdown of our shellfish fishery; and

that is by the middle of June, I say to the minister.

Does the minister have any concerns about the ramifications of this, and has

he talked to anybody about an action plan to deal with those in our fishing

industry who are going to be devastated by those events?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, and

Aboriginal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, I have said consistently, and this government

have said consistently, we will put a framework in place to settle price. At the

end of the day we cannot force harvesters to harvest for that price or

processors to buy for that price. That is exactly what is happening out there

now.

If, Mr. Speaker, things get as bad as the hon. gentleman would hope they get

- because I can almost feel the tinge of joy in his voice as he talks about

those devastating things. You can almost detect it, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. RIDEOUT: He hopes it happens, Mr. Speaker. He hopes the roof falls,

Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, I am not going to try to (inaudible) that kind

of response.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair asks the minister if he is finished his reply?

MR. RIDEOUT: Yes, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The Chair recognizes the Leader of the Opposition.

MR. REID: Mr. Speaker, I say that was one pathetic response, to actually

suggest that I would want to see a collapse in the fishery and have thousands of

families in this Province have to leave to find work elsewhere. That is not a

responsible remark made by a Deputy Premier.

Mr. Speaker, some shrimp plants in this Province have not opened yet and

there is speculation that some crab plants may close as early as this Friday. I

ask the minister: Have you had any discussions with any processors as to why

this is happening and what their plans are for this fishing season?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, and

Aboriginal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, I believe it was last Friday, I think it was

last -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, I believe it was last Friday - it was last

Friday - that I had representatives of both processors associations and the

union in the boardroom at the Department of Fisheries to talk a whole range of

things, including: marketing, what is happening with shrimp, what is happening

with crab, what can the government do to be proactive and assist.

Mr. Speaker, we are at it every single day and we will continue to be at it

and help in any way we can to assist the industry that, no question, is going

through a very difficult time. Everybody understands that. The marketplace is

not good, everybody understands that, but we are working together, as

associations and government and union, to try to address those issues, Mr.

Speaker, as best we can.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. REID: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am glad to see that the minister has finally admitted that he is talking to

someone. We are more concerned about what actions you are going to have.

Mr. Speaker, my final question to the minister: Would the minister like to

tell us today if he has any idea as to when the investigation into FPI will be

complete and if FPI will be charged? Not if - when FPI will be charged?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, and

Aboriginal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, my answer to the hon. gentleman is the same as

it has been on any other occasion when he has raised that particular issue. The

process is continuing. When the process is completed, then the matter will be

resolved.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, let me tell the House, that just one count

involved 7,000 pieces of paper, and you are over there asking me when the

process is going to be complete. It will be completed when it is completed and

the matter will be resolved when it is completed. I have no intention of

interfering in that process. As a matter of fact, if I did, the first one on my

back would be the Leader of the Opposition.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MR. REID: Mr. Speaker, I apologize for saying I had my final question.

This will be my final question, Mr. Speaker.

The minister stood in the back of a truck on O'Leary Avenue six weeks ago

and said that FPI broke the law, they broke the law, they broke the law; they

are going to be charged, they are going to be charged, they are going to be

charged. Why does it take 6,000 pieces of paper to determine when you are going

to do it?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, and

Aboriginal Affairs.

MR. RIDEOUT: The hon. gentleman who gets on and talks about rants and

raves and tears and sorrows and misery and all that kind of stuff, would know,

Mr. Speaker, if he had a clue at all, that it is called due process.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair recognizes the Member for Grand Bank.

MS FOOTE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am not sure if the minster said due process or June process, but I think it

will probably take until June.

It is clear to everyone that this government's handling of fishery issues

has been disastrous, but that is only part of the story in terms of this

government's inability to live up to the commitments they made during the last

election regarding rural revitalization. The government's record on rural

areas in this Province since the closure of the Stephenville mill, the closure

of the fish plant in Harbour Breton, the closure of the fish plant in Fortune.

The whole fishery is in a crisis. Raised ferry rates; closed down government

services of rural Newfoundland; increased fees for small businesses, and I could

go on, Mr. Speaker. Last night on the news we heard of another job fare where

companies from Alberta were recruiting skilled workers from this Province.

I ask the Deputy Premier, in the Premier's absence: How many people have

left this Province since this government came to power with their promise to

help revitalize the rural economy, and what does he intend to do about this

exodus?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

Mr. Speaker, I have to answer some of the notions put forward by the member

with respect to her

preamble.

With respect to Stephenville, government reached an agreement with Abitibi

for the Abitibi arrangement. That could not happen after for reasons outside of

government.

Secondly, if you want to look at this record in terms of rural

revitalization, look at the Budget this year. We are about to create 4,500 new

jobs in rural Newfoundland and Labrador because of an infrastructure fund put in

place over four or five years.

Now, to answer her question directly: How many people have left since we

became government? About one-twentieth, compared to the numbers that left when

they were the government.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS FOOTE: Mr. Speaker, in the Premier's message at the front of the

Blue Book for the last election he said, "I want to address the real issues

that are important to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Issues such as job

creation, the economy, outmigration, health care, education, the fishery and

rural development." Further down the message the Premier states, "We

will make significant achievements in our first mandate..."

I ask the Premier or the Deputy Premier, now in the third year of his

mandate: Does he think he has made significant achievements in terms of the

issues of out-migration, the fishery and rural development, or is he ready to

admit what everyone else in this Province knows, that this government has been a

total failure on these issues?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

It is important to put things into perspective that is real and that is based

upon facts, not based upon a political assumption and assertion that serves the

interest of the Opposition only.

Let's speak to the facts. From 1996 to 2000, when that member was the

minister responsible for the development and revitalization of rural

Newfoundland and Labrador, 59,000 people left Newfoundland and Labrador. Now

here is what we are ready to admit to, what the majority of the population

already know, that there are more people working in Newfoundland and Labrador

today, and have been for the last two to two-and-a-half years, than anytime in

our history. That confirms the place where we are in the polls compared to where

they are.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

MS FOOTE: Mr. Speaker, I know the House Leader is not the Deputy Premier,

but that is fine. I do not mind him taking the questions, but I think it is time

that the Government House Leader started to live in the present and not the past

and talk about their record.

Another much touted part of the Premier's election platform was the Rural

Secretariat. The platform stated: A Secretariat will be dedicated to promoting

the well-being of rural Newfoundland and Labrador through a comprehensive

approach aimed at integrating economic social and cultural aspects of rural and

regional development.

I ask the Premier or the Deputy Premier, now in the third year of his

mandate: With a Rural Secretariat that spent close to $2 million last year and

held retreats at Humber Valley Resort and Terra Nova Golf Resort, can he tell us

what the Rural Secretariat has achieved?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

Mr. Speaker, if the question was coming -

MS JONES: (Inaudible).

MR. E. BYRNE: I say to the Member for Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair, if

you want to ask me a question I will answer it, but your colleague has asked me

a question. I would like to answer hers first and then we will get to you right

after that, I say to the member.

If, Mr. Speaker, the question was coming from anybody else it would almost be

credible, and here is why. To answer her question directly, whether she likes it

or not, whether the members like it or not, there are more people working in

Newfoundland and Labrador today, and in the last two-and-a-half years than there

have been in our history.

Secondly, Mr. Speaker -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

A question has been asked and the Government House Leader is in the process

of replying. I ask members for their co-operation.

The Chair recognizes the Government House Leader to complete his answer.

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

Mr. Speaker, I will ask you to ask the Member for Grand Bank, would she like

an answer to her question or not?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Government House Leader.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair recognizes the hon. Member for Grand Bank.

MS FOOTE: Mr. Speaker, the Premier knows he made some very strong

commitments to the people of this Province in the last election, and since then

as well. He should also know that his current inaction is resulting in the

destruction of rural areas of this Province and having a devastating impact on

the lives of thousands of people.

I ask the Premier, or the Deputy Premier, or the Government House Leader, I

do not care which one stands up: When is he going to admit that his current

approach to rural development is a failure and start to listen to people who are

begging him to look outside the overpass and deal with a crisis situation in

rural Newfoundland and Labrador?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

Two quick points, Mr. Speaker. Let's start with St. Anthony. We have just

invested in a Telemedicine centre in St. Anthony. Let's talk about the Member

for Bellevue's district, where we put $1 million in play to keep 250 people in

place.

More importantly, Mr. Speaker, let's talk about the member who asked the

question and what her view was of rural Newfoundland and Labrador revitalizing

it. You can look to places like Gander, you can look to places like Mount Pearl,

you can look to places like Grand Falls, but if you are looking at -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. TAYLOR: Don't want to hear it, don't want to hear the truth.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair recognizes the Government House Leader, and asks him to complete

his answer.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure, but before the next Question Period I am going to

ask the catering plan downstairs to provide lunch for the members of the

Opposition, because they want to ask a question but they don't want to hear

the answer.

The member talked about investing in central regions of the Province. Here is

what you said: But in terms of the people in smaller communities we don't have

the infrastructure and, more importantly, they don't have the skills. That is

not, Mr. Speaker, the philosophy of this government, but was hers when she was

in charge of rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Fortune Bay-Cape la Hune.

MR. REID: What was the significance of that lunch thing?

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. LANGDON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs, a point of

clarification.

Mr. Speaker, in my question to the minister on Monday regarding the

environmental report on the Stephenville flood, the minister said, and I quote:

The report has been referred to as an environmental study done for the Town of

Stephenville. The mayor has said that the report was the department's. The

Citizen's Group has asked, through the Freedom of Information, for the report.

Can the minister, in consultation with the town, clear up the

misunderstanding and have the report passed on to those residents?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

Mr. Speaker, I think it is a good question. I think the confusion arises

whereby the report was done for the Town of Stephenville but was paid for by the

government. I will converse with the Mayor of the Town of Stephenville. As a

matter of fact, I am having people review the report as we speak, and I really

don't see any major problem with releasing it in the not too distant future.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Fortune Bay-Cape la Hune.

MR. REID: When are you going to answer the question?

MR. LANGDON: Good question.

Another question to the minister.

There has been an engineering study commissioned by the department related to

the flood as well, as I understand, and the affected residents are requesting a

copy of the engineering report or interim report that has been prepared.

I ask the minister, if he will release a copy of this report to the

residents, so they can have all the information that is available as they are

trying to put their lives back together.

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

What was asked of the engineers, Mr. Speaker, was that they would determine a

flood control zone. They determined a boundary based on the information provided

to them by surveyors who were in the field the day after the flood. That

boundary has been determined. There is some concern in the area with people who

are outside the flood control area that the boundary is not accurate. I have no

fears that the boundary is accurate, Mr. Speaker. There have been talks that

they now would want to have another engineer do a further study. They are

talking about having that done themselves. Mr. Speaker, where does it stop? If

this engineer goes out and changes the boundary by three, four or five feet, do

we go then and get another engineer to go out and change that boundary?

The engineers who did the study, who did the report, Mr. Speaker, are

professional consulting engineers. They have done work for the Town of

Stephenville in the past. They have done work for other municipalities in the

Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. They are members of the Association of

Professional Engineers of Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker, and I have no

problem with the boundary as it now stands.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Fortune Bay-Cape la Hune.

MR. LANGDON: I think the minister might have misunderstood my question.

The thing is, the people were wondering if they could have a copy of the

engineering report, not that they want another one done, but the minister can

answer that in the next question.

Mr. Speaker, before the environmental study or the engineering study has been

released to residents and they have had a chance to review the information,

residents are concerned that the town may move forward and do water and sewer

work.

I ask the minister: Will he show some compassion for these residents who have

had to endure a lot over the past year - he knows that - and will he put on hold

any infrastructure work until the residents have the reports and have had time

to review the information in them?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

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

I will first say that this government has shown great compassion for the

people of Stephenville who are victims of the flood in Stephenville. Mr.

Speaker, we are going way beyond, way beyond, anything that has been done in the

past for any flood victims, as the hon. member knows. We are relocating 103

families within the flood control zone, Mr. Speaker. The twenty-three families

that are impacted outside the flood control zone, we are compensating those

individuals for any damage that was done because of the damage to the

infrastructure. We have told them that we would strip the houses to the studs,

to the concrete, there would be environmental assessments done, there would be

air quality control done for those individuals who are asked to go back into

their homes, Mr. Speaker.

With respect to the boundary, the boundary itself, the boundary that was

determined by the engineers was not, as such, an engineering study done. They

were asked to determine the flood control zone. They went out in the field; they

provided the information to the department. The flood control zone was

determined by professional engineers, Mr. Speaker, and I do not know what more

we can do at this point and time.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Fortune Bay-Cape la Hune, on a final

supplementary.

MR. LANGDON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My question was, I think, in number two, would the minister release the

report? In number three it was to ask the town to put it on hold until all of

the information had been received.

Number four, Mr. Speaker, the last question. It has been suggested by some of

the residents that the land has actually shifted under their properties. If the

government refuses to move these people, and leaves their homes in the present

location, there may be problems later on because of the resulting instability.

This could result in major structural damages occurring.

I ask the minister: Will government guarantee that they will cover the cost

of any such future problems?

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. J. BYRNE: Mr. Speaker, as I stated earlier, the victims outside the

flood control zone had damage based on sewer backup or failure of the pipes that

are in the ground. The federal program does not cover that type of damage. We

have said that the government will come up with an extra $8 million to deal with

those individuals outside the flood control zone.

As I said before, which is very significant - it is something that has never

happened in the past in this Province of Newfoundland and Labrador - those

people outside the flood control zone will have their homes repaired to the

pre-flood conditions. As a matter of fact, some of them probably will be better

than the pre-flood conditions. I also stated that if the cost to repair those

homes is equal to or greater than the cost to relocate, we will relocate.

Mr. Speaker, I do not know what else they can ask for.

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

Vidi.

MR. HARRIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My question is for the Minister of Fisheries and Deputy Premier.

On March 29, in this House, the minister stated that his government had the

authority and the determination -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. HARRIS: - to use legislation to force FPI to cross-subsidize its

operations in Newfoundland and Labrador by using its international marketing

assets.

Mr. Speaker, where is the resolve of the government now, when FPI has shut

down Fortune and Harbour Breton before and is now trying to strip the contracts

of its workers through concession bargaining or, as one columnist over the

weekend said, engaged in the piracy and plunder of rural Newfoundland and

Labrador?

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, and

Aboriginal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. gentleman for his question.

Mr. Speaker, the resolve of this government is just as, just as -

AN HON. MEMBER: Strong.

MR. RIDEOUT: - strong today - thank you - as it ever was. We have given

serious consideration to a number of potential amendments to the FPI Act. If and

when -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair recognizes the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, and

Aboriginal Affairs.

MR. RIDEOUT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

If and when, as a government, we decide that those amendments are necessary,

then we will bring them before the House; but, certainly, Mr. Speaker, we have

given a lot of consideration to a number of amendments that could be used to

strengthen -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair recognizes the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MR. HARRIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I think a lot of people are concerned it might be too late for the people in

rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, the Premier and the Minister of Fisheries are on the record

numerous times as saying that all options were open, that everything was on the

table. Mr. Speaker, when did they reject the one option that might give the

solution to the problem, acquire all the quota that FPI has, ensure that there

will be cross subsidization and ensure there is management in place that would

follow the spirit and intent of the FPI Act? When did the Government of

Newfoundland and Labrador reject the option of acquiring FPI for the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, and

Aboriginal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, the government has, and still has, any and all

options open to it regarding FPI. We would prefer -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The Chair asks members for their co-operation. A question has been asked by

the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi and the minister is giving a reply. I ask

all members for their co-operation.

The Chair recognizes the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, and

Aboriginal Affairs.

MR. RIDEOUT: Mr. Speaker, I was about to try to say to my colleague from

Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi, the government would prefer not to purchase FPI. That

would be our preferred position. What in God's name - why would you want to

buy and try to manage and operate FPI? We would prefer not to do that. Have we

said categorically that we would not do that if we had to, Mr. Speaker? No, we

have not. So, in terms of options, all options are open to us. At some point we

are going to have to make some decisions, but that is not today.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The time allocated for Question Period has expired.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Tabling of Documents.

Tabling of Documents

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

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table the 2004-2005 Annual Report

for the Women's Policy Office, and the 2004-2005 Annual Report for the

Provincial Advisory Council on the Status of Women.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Further tabling of documents?

Notices of Motion.

Notices of Motion

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

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will on tomorrow ask leave to

introduce a bill entitled,

An Act To Amend The Students' Financial Assistance

Act. (Bill 29)

MR. SPEAKER: Further notices of motion?

The hon. the Government House Leader.

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

I want to give notice, pursuant to Standing Order 11, that on the next day

the House meets, which I believe is Monday, the House not close at 5:30 p.m. and

give further notice in accordance with Standing Order 11 that the House not

close at 10:00 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER: Further Notices of Motion?

Answers to Questions for Which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

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

MR. JOYCE: Mr. Speaker, I stand again today on a petition concerning the

dump site in Wild Cove. Today I present the petition on behalf of residents from

the Town of Meadows. It is concerning the dump site in Meadows.

Mr. Speaker, I must clarify something, because the minister mentioned two or

three weeks ago to me that he would meet with the residents. I know the Minister

of Municipal Affairs is in the process of arranging the meeting. I thank the

minister for that. I am sure the Minister of Environment and Conservation will

be arranging a meeting with the mayors on the North Shore also, in the very near

future. I thank the minister for that also, because a lot of the times, Mr.

Speaker, when there is a decision going to be made and when you have a group of

individuals, especially in this case, mayors and residents in the town who are

unaware of any sequence of events or happenings with an incident, you hear so

many rumours, you hear so many other issues that come into play.

The City of Corner Brook has publicly stated that their intent is to extend

the life of this dump site. This is a major concern for the residents on the

North Shore. This is a major concern for the residents travelling the North

Shore for tourism, and for safety on the roads going up on the North Shore

highway. So, these issues have to be addressed. These concerns must be dealt

with in a proper and upfront manner with all the residents.

Again, I must reiterate, the major concern is that this dump site be closed

down and follow the report of having a regional disposable site. This is the

major focus of the residents on the North Shore. I will be presenting another

petition everyday next week. We are getting over 1,000 names now for the North

Shore, the Bay of Islands, for presenting the petitions.

I thank the Minister of Municipal Affairs for arranging the meeting. I have

not heard back yet from the Minister of Environment and Conservation, but I am

sure he will arrange the meeting. I can assure the mayors that the meeting will

be a productive meeting and the concerns will be put forth and, hopefully, all

of us together can find a suitable solution to this.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Grand Falls-Buchans.

MS THISTLE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am on my feet again today on behalf of the residents and the people of the

Buchans area. It has become quite apparent that this government does not want me

to petition government on this very important matter. I have been intercepted by

two Ministers of the Crown since I have been given this petition day after day.

The Minister of Municipal Affairs, he was one of the people who decided to

study the petition form to see if it was in order and ran out after I gave it

one day to get a copy so he could examine it. Yesterday, the Government House

Leader did the same. All of that has been to no avail because I had a proper

petition. Not only that, they are more concerned about a form being right or a

form being wrong that -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I remind the hon. member of the requirements of

section 92 of the Standing

Orders. I will read the Standing Order, "Every Member offering a petition

to the House shall confine himself or herself to the statement of the parties

from whom it comes, the number of signatures attached to it and the material

allegations it contains."

I would ask the member if she could keep her petition relevant to the prayer

of the petition, not to what happened in previous days.

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

I am pleased today, again, to stand on behalf of the residents of Buchans. I

have seven pages of names from the residents of Buchans. What that says is that

in previous days of me presenting this petition -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MS THISTLE: It is clear they do not want to listen to it.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I am asking members to my left, in particular, for their co-operation. The

hon. the member is presenting a petition and the Chair would like to hear what

the member has to say.

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

It is quite obvious that if the members opposite had spent time convincing

their Cabinet colleagues to put funding in the Budget for the Buchans Highway, I

would not be on my feet today if they paid more attention to that than if the

form was right or wrong. The form has been right all the time.

Mr. Speaker, when I look at the

article that was in The Advertiser ,

the Minister of Transportation and Works said: Repairs to the Buchans Highway is

not a top priority. It is not a top priority by this government. He said so, and

I have it here in the paper if anyone wants to look at it. Why isn't it a top

priority? We have two industries in the Buchans area.

I have a letter here, an e-mail, from a nurse afraid to travel over the

Buchans Highway for fear that anyone in the ambulance may not get to the

hospital in Grand Falls-Windsor on time; having to slow down for the bumps in

the highway; being afraid that intravenous needles will come out of a patient's

arm; and afraid that they won't get to the hospital in Grand Falls-Windsor in

time in an emergency situation. That is not a top priority of this government,

so says the Minister of Transportation and Works.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The member's allotted time has expired. I have given the member thirty

seconds for the interruptions that I made.

MS THISTLE: Another thirty seconds?

MR. SPEAKER: I have already give you an extra thirty seconds.

MS THISTLE: By leave?

MR. SPEAKER: By leave.

MR. E. BYRNE: Thirty seconds.

MR. SPEAKER: Leave has been granted.

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

The impression I want to leave with this government today - I think they

should have it by now - is that this is an important request, that the upgrades

to the Buchans Highway be done, for the economy, for safety and for health

reasons. What else can you say? It needs to be done, please listen, please do

it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. REID: And you are going to be back again.

MS THISTLE: And I will be back again tomorrow.

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

MS FOOTE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Grand Bank, particularly the people who worked at the fish plant in Fortune who

are now finding themselves unemployed, many of them not knowing where to turn in

the sense of having to provide for their families, many who have to leave the

Burin Peninsula and move to Alberta, move to Northern BC, move to Ontario, move

to P.E.I., or wherever there are jobs available. They are doing so reluctantly

because that is not what they want to have to do.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MS FOOTE: They have families on the Burin Peninsula -

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. E. BYRNE: Sorry, Mr. Speaker. Sorry!

MR. SPEAKER: The Chair is having difficulty hearing the hon. member. I

ask all members for their co-operation.

The Chair recognizes the Member for Grand Bank District.

MS FOOTE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is a serious issue and I really appreciate that you brought some attention

to it, so that we can, in fact, hear what is going on here.

This petition that I am presenting on behalf of hundreds of people on the

Burin Peninsula really does need the attention of the House. Again, I want to

speak on their behalf, because this petition is all about the fact that the fish

plant in Fortune has closed. People don't know what the future holds for them.

They really don't know what to expect in terms of Cooke Aquaculture.

What they are asking in this petition is that the government recognize and

respect the importance of the fishing industry to the area, and take whatever

action is necessary to ensure that the quota traditionally processed by Fishery

Products International for the area remains within the region for the benefit of

the people and the communities. That is what we keep asking in this House of

Assembly, and I will continue to ask it on a daily basis, Mr. Speaker, until we

get some sense from the government that they are prepared to do that.

I know that whenever I bring this up and I suggest that with the existing FPI

Act that is possible and I am being told that is not the case, then I beg to

differ with the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture; because, if you have an

act that has control over the company and this piece of legislation does, in

fact, give the government authority, then, in fact, you have control over the

assets, and the quota happens to be an asset of FPI at this point in time. Does

it have to remain an asset of FPI? I would think not, Mr. Speaker, given that

quotas are assigned by the federal government and they are assigned, I

understand, on an annual basis, so there is no reason why FPI should continue to

have the quota that is traditionally processed in Fortune.

So, again, I am calling on the government to acknowledge this, to recognize

this, to speak with Minister Hearn, the federal Minister of Fisheries, to try

and make some sense out of this whole issue and make sure that the quota that is

traditionally processed in Fortune continues to be processed in Fortune.

I have heard other people very knowledgeable in the fishing industry, people

like Mr. Gus Etchegary, speak to this issue, speak to the fact that quotas can

be assigned to communities, that you do not have to go out buying quotas. Who

wants to go ahead and buy a quota from FPI, for heaven's sake, when that very

company are the ones destroying communities.

I would suggest that what the government needs to do here is take matters

into their own hands and recognize that this is a serious issue here, in

particular on the Burin Peninsula, and we know the same thing on the Connaigre

Peninsula, and make sure that the quotas that are traditionally processed -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. E. BYRNE: By leave, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Leave has been granted.

MS FOOTE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate the leave.

- both on the Burin Peninsula and the Connaigre Peninsula, that those quotas

that are traditionally processed in those communities at the plants continue to

be processed there.

It is on behalf of the people, in fact, in my district, in the District of

Grand Bank, that I raise this petition. They have signed this, hundreds of them

have signed this, from communities throughout my district; because, of course,

it is not just Fortune that is impacted but many of the communities, whether it

is Lord's Cove, Lamaline, Grand Beach, Grand Bank, Point au Gaul, Point May,

they are all impacted by what has happened at the fish plant in Fortune. Of

course, it is not just people who worked in the plant but the fishermen

themselves who traditionally sold their product to Fishery Products

International and the business that are now feeling the crunch because, of

course, people do not have the money to spend that they traditionally had to

spend because they were employed.

So, again, I am calling on the government to recognize the seriousness of the

situation and to ensure, take whatever action is necessary to ensure, that the

quota traditionally processed at the fish plant in Fortune continues to be

processed at the fish plant in Fortune.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Further petitions?

The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate an opportunity to make a petition on behalf of the citizens of

Rose Blanche-Harbour Le Cou and Diamond Cove. I thought to do it yesterday but

we got bogged down in some procedural wrangling and I did not get an

opportunity.

In any event, this is the eighth or maybe ninth time I have had to bring this

to the attention of the House of Assembly. The petitions just keep coming in

from that particular area. Of course, it concerns the closure, or possible

closure, of the elementary school in Rose Blanche-Harbour Le Cou. There is going

to be a meeting on May 18 in that area. The Western School Board has given

notice to the particular residents of that area that it may be considering

making a motion to close St. Michael's. That school currently has twenty-one

students in it. It is a K-6 school, and if it is closed, of course, that means

these students will have to be bused up the road to the nearest school, which is

Grandy's River.

Now, there are all kinds of issues here, including: Does Grandy's River

have the physical capacity to contain them? What are the proprieties of sending

young kids like this over that distance, particularly during the winter months

and particularly during hazardous travelling conditions over treacherous roads?

There is also a question of: Is it necessary at all? Because, if the school has

remained opened for some years based upon an enrollment that is there, and that

enrollment is going to be out there in the foreseeable future, because we have

no statistical information to indicate that the enrollment is going to decline,

is it even necessary to consider it?

With regard to the physical condition of the building, if that were the case,

we have no indication that it is - it is certainly not the physical structure of

the school that would require the closure.

So, we are looking forward to a very open and informative meeting next

Thursday night. I have invited the Minister of Education who, no doubt, lives in

the district and represents the district next door and, being new to the

portfolio of Education, would probably find it very informative and educational

herself to take

part in one of these community board operations to see how they

work and how they impact the people. That invitation, as I say, has been

extended to the minister and we look forward to her and her officials,

hopefully, showing up next Thursday evening in Rose Blanche to show the interest

that she has, no doubt, in being aware of these types of problems and how they

impact people in rural Newfoundland.

I have requested some information from Dr. Elliott. I have not received it to

date, particularly any studies and assessments of the physical condition of the

building. He sent me some stuff about what he has in terms of when the building

was built, and those kinds of things, which we already had, but there is a whole

pile of information we would like to get from him so we can have an open,

completely informed discussion. The people of that area are particularly

well-informed about the facts they do have possession of, and the reasons why

this school should not be closed, and they will be presenting those arguments in

a very logical, rational fashion to Dr. Elliott. We feel certain that, once the

information is relayed to him, and the concerns are relayed to him, and the

full, detailed comprehensive hearing is heard of all the circumstances, that

this board will find it simply unreasonable and unnecessary to proceed with this

matter any further.

Thank you very much for the indulgence, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Further petitions?

The hon. the Member for Bellevue.

MR. BARRETT: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of

may not know where that is located.

These residents are very, very concerned about the closure of the school in

What the board is proposing is that they will be relocated to Terrenceville. It

is a forty-five to fifty minute ride on bus over some of the most treacherous

conditions that exist in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Most people are well aware that the Burin Peninsula is unique in terms of

weather conditions, unique in terms of its geography and its terrain. Right now,

we have the high school students, seven to eleven. This community has given a

lot over the years in terms of contributing to the Province of Newfoundland and

Labrador and they are requesting that the kindergarten to six students stay

within the community. We are talking about kindergarten students going to a

school - the school board has promised, or said, that they will build a new

school in Terrenceville. They have not even submitted the plan to the Department

of Education for a new school yet, let alone putting a new school there.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

MR. BARRETT: Right now, there is no cafeteria existing in the school in

Terrenceville. All that is being served in the cafeteria by the staff of the

school are hamburgers, processed meat and sandwiches. Kids have to use a

microwave to heat up their food. We are going to be asking four-year-olds and

five-year-olds to go to a school that is not equipped.

Le Pierre - which I have submitted a petition - are asking is that the school

board hold off on this decision and wait.

school, there is no doubt about it, is a community school. It has community

spirit within the school, and everybody in the community supports the school. It

is a beautiful building. Not only does a building make a great school, but the

East have been very committed to the school.

Mr. Speaker, the people on the Burin Peninsula right now, as the Member for

Grand Bank has mentioned, are going through very trying times.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. member's allotted time has expired.

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: Leave has been granted.

MR. BARRETT: Right now, the least they want to have to consider is the

East over the years has been very, very heavily involved in the fishing

industry. Most of the skippers and the mates and engineers who have worked on

Harbour East and are very talented, and all of the kids who have come out of the

school go on and have great careers in the various industries in Newfoundland

and Labrador and across the mainland. What this community is asking now is that

the school board continue to operate this school.

In 1999, the previous government that I was a part of designated this school

as a necessarily existent school, and for very good reasons. The same reasons

exist now. The word from the school board today - I have a letter, a

communication, from Mr. Lambe, and this is directed to the Minister of Education

from the school board. The school board is saying to the Department of

Education: If you continue on with the necessarily existent designation of this

school, the school board will keep it open.

So, it is right on the minister's desk now. All she has to say is yes or

not and this school will remain open. I am calling on the Minister of Education

to continue on with the designation of this school as necessarily existent, and

continue having their schools within their community, at least until the new

school is built in Terrenceville or wherever the new school is going to be

built.

Mr. Speaker, I am calling on the Minister of Education and the government

today to listen to the people in this community.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Further petitions?

The hon. the Member for Carbonear-Harbour Grace.

MR. SWEENEY: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to present this petition on behalf of the unsigned residents of

Victoria, for the most part. There are several hundred names here, and the

spirit of the petition, the body, reads:

WHEREAS conditions on Route 70 passing through Victoria and Salmon Cove is in

bad need of repair; and

WHEREAS the traffic travelling over this road includes school buses,

commercial trucks and patients going to hospitals, either by private

accommodation or ambulance; and

WHEREAS this route is part of the Conception Bay North Highway and it has

deteriorated over the past number of years;

WHEREUPON the undesigned, your petitioners, call upon all Members of the

House of Assembly to see that this

section of road is brought up to proper

standards.

Mr. Speaker, as I have said on numerous occasions in the past number of

weeks, Route 70 is a very important

section of highway that serves the

Conception Bay North area. It is the main link between Old Perlican, Bay de

Verde, Northern Bay, Western Bay, up through to Kingston along by Perry's Cove

and through Salmon Cove and Victoria. This particular

section of road from

Victoria to Salmon Cove is almost in an impassable state.

Mr. Speaker, there are a number of school buses using this every day,

students from Western Bay commuting to Carbonear, being jostled to pieces on a

school bus. Ambulances connecting the lower part of the North Shore area to the

Carbonear area and on to the Health Sciences Centre and other facilities here in

St. John's are using this road, and they find it very uncomfortable. I hear

constant complaints from people who are taking different means of transportation

going over this highway, complaining about how their loved ones are being

treated in an ambulance or in a private vehicle trying to get to a health care

facility.

Mr. Speaker, another side of this - and what is happening here, and why this

road is so important - is the tremendous expense that is being incurred by the

people who live in the area, the cost of repairs to their vehicles. A person

showed me a rim the other day; $250 it cost to replace a rim on her car, where

she hit a hole. Struts - any of us who have had any experience in having their

vehicles repaired can attest to the extreme cost that is involved. Mr. Speaker,

I think it is only fair that this government give some consideration to

repairing this road in a timely manner.

Another particular annoyance is the continued noise all night long; people

trying to sleep in their homes, and the tractor trailers and the other

transportation going back and forth all night long hitting these ruts and holes,

causing undue stress upon the people who are living in these homes. I have heard

myself, first-hand -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The member's allotted time has expired.

MR. SWEENEY: Just to conclude?

AN HON. MEMBER: By leave.

MR. SPEAKER: By leave.

MR. SWEENEY: Mr. Speaker, I have more to say on this and, as the time

progresses over this session, I will.

The Minister of Finance need not find this funny, because it is not funny to

the 200-plus people - the 300 people - on this petition.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

MR. E. BYRNE: We are at Orders of the Day, are we, Mr. Speaker?

MR. SPEAKER: Orders of the Day.

Orders of the Day

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

MR. E. BYRNE: Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, Motion 2, first reading of a bill,

An Act To Establish The

Council On Higher Education. (Bill 21)

MR. SPEAKER: It is moved and seconded that the hon. the Minister of

Education shall have leave to introduce a bill entitled,

An Act To Establish The

Council On Higher Education. (Bill 21)

Is it the pleasure of the House that the hon. the Minister of Education shall

have leave to introduce Bill 21?

All those in favour, aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

MR. SPEAKER: All those against, nay'.

Carried.

Motion, the hon. the Minister of Education to introduce a bill, "An Act

To Establish The Council On Higher Education," carried. (Bill 21)

MR. SPEAKER: It is moved and seconded that Bill 21 be now read a first

time.

Is it the pleasure of the House that Bill 21 be now read a first time?

All those in favour, aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

MR. SPEAKER: All those against, nay'.

Carried.

CLERK: A bill,

An Act To Establish The Council On Higher Education. (Bill

21)

MR. SPEAKER: Bill 21 has now been read a first time. When shall Bill 21

be read a second time?

MR. E. BYRNE: On tomorrow, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: On tomorrow.

On motion, Bill 21 read a first time, ordered read a second time on tomorrow.

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

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

Motion 3, first reading of a bill,

An Act To Amend The Workplace Health,

Safety And Compensation Act No. 2. (Bill 24)

MR. SPEAKER: It is moved and seconded that the hon. the Minister of Human

Resources, Labour and Employment shall have leave to introduce a bill entitled,

An Act To Amend The Workplace Health, Safety And Compensation Act No. 2. (Bill

24)

Is it the pleasure of the House that the hon. the Minister of Human

Resources, Labour and Employment shall have leave to introduce said bill?

All those in favour, aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

MR. SPEAKER: All those against, nay'.

Carried.

Motion, the hon. the Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment to

introduce a bill, "An Act To Amend The Workplace Health, Safety And

Compensation Act No. 2," carried. (Bill 24)

MR. SPEAKER: It is moved and seconded that Bill 24 be now read a first

time.

Is it the pleasure of the House that Bill 24 be now read a first time?

All those in favour, aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

MR. SPEAKER: All those against, nay'.

Carried.

CLERK: A bill,

An Act To Amend The Workplace Health, Safety And

Compensation Act No. 2. (Bill 24)

MR. SPEAKER: Bill 24,

An Act To Amend The Workplace Health, Safety And

Compensation Act No. 2 has now been read a first time. When shall this bill be

read a second time?

MR. E. BYRNE: On tomorrow, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: On tomorrow.

On motion, Bill 24 read a first time, ordered read a second time on tomorrow.

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

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

Motion 4, first reading of a bill,

An Act To Amend The Human Rights Code.

(Bill 25)

MR. SPEAKER: It is moved and seconded that the hon. the Minister of

Justice and Attorney General shall have leave to introduce a bill entitled, An

Act To Amend The Human Rights Code. (Bill 25)

Is it the pleasure of the House that the hon. the Minister of Justice and

Attorney General shall have leave to introduce the said bill?

All those in favour, aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

MR. SPEAKER: All those against, nay'.

Carried.

Motion, the hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General to introduce a

bill, "An Act To Amend The Human Rights Code," carried. (Bill 25)

MR. SPEAKER: It is moved and seconded that the said bill be now read a

first time.

Is it the pleasure of the House that Bill 25 be now read a first time?

All those in favour, aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

MR. SPEAKER: All those against, nay'.

Carried.

CLERK: A bill,

An Act To Amend The Human Rights Code. (Bill 25)

MR. SPEAKER: Bill 25,

An Act To Amend The Human Rights Code has now been

read a first time. When shall Bill 25 be read a second time?

MR. E. BYRNE: On tomorrow.

MR. SPEAKER: On tomorrow.

On motion, Bill 25 read a first time, ordered read a second time on tomorrow.

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

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

Order 5, second reading of a bill,

An Act To Amend The Child, Youth and

Family Services Act. (Bill 18)

MR. SPEAKER: It is moved and seconded that Bill 18,

An Act To Amend The

Child, Youth and Family Services Act be now read a second time.

Motion, second reading of a bill, "An Act To Amend The Child, Youth and

Family Services Act." (Bill 18)

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

MR. T. OSBORNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This bill would allow for the appointment of an additional Director of Child,

Youth and Family Services in the Labrador part of the Province.

Mr. Speaker, a community capacity building is a key element of the Child,

Youth and Family Services Act and the provisions of the Director of Child, Youth

and Family Services specific to Innu communities of Sheshatshiu and Natuashish

confirms government's commitments to assisting communities to support the

safety, health and well-being of their children and youth.

The creation of this position, Mr. Speaker, to the Innu will promote the

opportunity for community capacity building with families and community leaders

by building on strengths and supporting these communities in their efforts to

respond to the needs of their children, youth and families. Through the hiring

of this position, as well, Mr. Speaker, government wishes to support the Innu

communities in their efforts to collaborate on finding solutions for those

communities.

I am very pleased, Mr. Speaker, to be introducing and speaking on this bill

today.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader

MR. PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate an opportunity to have a few comments with respect to Bill 18.

My colleague, the Member for Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair, is intending to

have a few words on this bill, but in the meantime, in advance of her comments,

I would just like to say that there are some explanatory pieces, I guess, that

we would feel more comfortable with if the minister could take it upon himself -

we certainly understand the reasoning for wanting to have an additional director

in the sense of some sensitivities regarding the Labrador area in particular. I

am wondering if the minister could explain what resources we currently have in

the Labrador area and why it is necessary to have another director appointed?

Has there been any decision making taken place yet with regards to where this

director would work out of? What geographic area in Labrador would that director

be responsible for? Is there a particular cultural area that the new director

would be responsible for? Surely, I would think, some thought has, in fact, gone

into that piece.

I notice it says in here that - with the approval of the minister, of course.

This is getting the legislative authority to appoint such a director, of course,

an additional Director of Child, Youth and Family Services and, where an

additional director is appointed, each director shall exercise the powers and

perform the duties given to a director under this act. Of course, the act we are

talking about is the Child, Youth and Family Services Act.

I am wondering if the minister might give us some further explanations so

people know, of course, that there is, indeed, a director there already? How are

the two directors going to coexist in terms of geographic and in terms of

responsibilities?

I am sure the minister will get an opportunity, if he would before closing

debate - after we have had an opportunity to hear from the Member for

Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair on this bill - to give us some comments in that

regard.

MR. SPEAKER: Further debate on second reading?

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

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I wanted to have a few words as it relates to Bill 18. I understand, Mr.

Speaker, that this amendment to the legislation would be to appoint an

additional Director of Child, Youth and Family Services for the Labrador region.

I guess just a couple of questions.

First of all, would the position be based in Labrador and would it come under

the Labrador-Grenfell Health Authority or would it be under the Child Advocate

offices, is what I was wondering? I understand, from the minister nodding, that

it is under the Labrador-Grenfell Health Authority.

Mr. Speaker, no doubt, government has obviously assessed a need in the

Labrador region. I am sure that this has been put forward and supported by the

health corporation there to have a director position added. I understand that

this will be an addition, minister, to the other directors of Child, Youth and

Family Services that are present in the Labrador region. This would be an

additional position, in addition to the other director positions that are

already there.

It is obvious, Mr. Speaker, that this is a region of our Province,

unfortunately, that has put a tremendous amount of demands on the child welfare

system. I do not think that is any surprise to anyone who has worked, lived in

that region, and is familiar with the amount of cases that are often handled

through that particular corporation.

Mr. Speaker, I think we only have to go back a few months to find out how

really strained the resources are in the Labrador region as it relates to Child,

Youth and Family Services. We quite often hear of instances where workers are

having to fly in the middle of the night to communities all over Labrador to

deal with emergencies, to deal with critical issues as it relates to children

and youth and families in our system.

I know, firsthand, many of the people who work in this particular field, I

know the kind of work that they do, and I know, Mr. Speaker, that it isn't

easy, it is very, very difficult. It is always difficult when you have to go

into a home and take children out or go into a home that has been a home, I

guess, that has gone through physical assault and violence. It is very

difficult. These people, these directors of Child, Youth and Family Services,

and their staff, Mr. Speaker, are the front line people. They are the people who

have to deal with these issues on a day-to-day basis no matter how significant

they are, how difficult they are, and how hard it is sometimes, because I know

it is hard for many of them. I have had friends who worked in child welfare in

Labrador for a number of years, to the point, Mr. Speaker, where they were

stressed on a regular basis and had to relocate to other parts of the Province,

because of the tremendous workload and caseload that goes with this job in that

particular region of our Province.

Mr. Speaker, it is not just dealing with those particular cases of front

lines in the home and dealing with children and families, but it is all the

other work that comes after that as well. We have often heard stories in

Labrador where we have had shortages of people working with family court and the

fact that a lot of these families don't have the support they often want to

have from even a legal perspective. Quite often, it is directors of social work

who they turn to, to try to get advise, to try and get answers, and to try and

nurture them through that particular process.

We heard stories over the last year or two years about the lack of legal aid

services in Labrador. I think the Minister of Justice moved swiftly to try and

correct those problems, because he knew that there was a need for it and that it

needed to be done. We certainly appreciate those efforts too, Mr. Speaker. This

is obviously a move in the right direction and it speaks well of the government

because it is a recognition of the fact that there is a need in this area and

that there is a gap that is not being filled.

Mr. Speaker, I think back to the case of a small Innu child who was in foster

care with the Tulk family in Pasadena back before Christmas and the incidents

that arose around that particular child being in the custody of the Crown. Mr.

Speaker, it was certainly a case where there was a lack of Child, Youth and

Family Services workers to carry out the responsibility that was required in the

Labrador region at that time. Apparently there were social workers contracted -

contracted, which should never happen - to deal with this one particular case,

and contracted from an office on the Island portion of the Province.

I do not want to see those things happen ever again - ever again - simply

because I feel that any children who are in the custody of the government or of

the Crown, and under the direction of a Director of Child, Youth and Family

Services, they should have the adequate staffing and the adequate resources to

deal with these important cases; because they are very, very important, I say to

you, Mr. Speaker. They should have the resources to deal with these particular

cases to make sure that there is not an incident like happened with the Tulk

family in Pasadena back in November or December of this past year, because that

was a very unfortunate situation.

Mr. Speaker, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that an additional

Director of Child, Youth and Family Services will be a welcoming position in

Labrador, there is absolutely no doubt about that. Because you can build all the

hospitals that you want, you can improve all the infrastructure that you want,

you can put all the seniors' vans on the road that you want, but, at the end

of the day, if you do not have the people, the human resources, to deliver the

programs and deliver the services, Mr. Speaker, you have fallen short on the

job, there is no doubt about that.

This is certainly a region of the Province where the demands on the system

have been far-reaching. They have been probably more so than any other region of

the Province, and that is for a variety of reasons. Not only in this part of the

Province do you have a lot of communities spread out in both the North and South

Coast, but many of those communities are isolated, they do not have a lot of

front-line workers who they can depend upon, and quite often their first point

of contact would be through the hospital in Goose Bay, or something of that

nature, in which workers have to be dispatched to northern communities to carry

out the work that is required of them.

So, Mr. Speaker, you are just dealing with a social workers who is going to

be in an office in downtown St. John's, but rather one who is going to be in

an office in Labrador, who is going to be flying and reaching out to people in

all regions of Labrador as the need arises. That, in itself, is a challenge, and

it is very difficult.

As well, Mr. Speaker, you are dealing with a very diverse culture of people:

a society that is made up not only of transient military personnel from various

countries around the world, a community of Labrador within itself that is not

only just made up of people who have been born and raised there and of one

background, but of diverse cultures. You have three Aboriginal cultures in that

region, as well as the people who move in and out from other parts of the

Province, so there is a very diverse culture of people, and often with different

cultures there comes a different need, a different balance that has to be met.

There is no doubt that Child, Youth and Family Services have an important

role to play in all of those particular issues, so, Mr. Speaker, I am just happy

to see that the office will be located in Labrador, that the additional resource

person will be there. I would also like to know if there are going to be any

additional employees hired. Maybe the minister, when he stands, could give me

the answer to that, if there will be any additional workers hired to work with

this new Director of Child, Youth and Family Services in Labrador. Also, maybe

he could tell me when the position will be starting, when we can hope to see the

additional resources on the ground to be able to deal with the problems that are

existing there. I guess the other question was, if he anticipates there will be

any problem in filling this position. Because, as I said earlier, I know that

government, back in response to a study two years ago on Community Health

Services in Northern Labrador and in Central Labrador, increased the number of

social workers in the region, but the real challenge came not in securing the

money for the positions but in securing the people for the positions, because

the recruitment component of it was very, very difficult.

I guess I would like to know if he anticipates any problem in recruiting for

this position. I think, as I said earlier, the problem with recruitment there is

no doubt the responsibility that goes with the job, the area that you have to

often cover, and also, Mr. Speaker, the number of cases that get dealt with

through this particular office is probably much higher than any of the other

regions per capita in the Province that are dealing with child, youth and family

welfare issues. These are just a few of the questions and concerns that I have

around that position, and I am sure the minister will address that when he rises

in a few minutes.

Other than that, Mr. Speaker, I would just like to acknowledge that this is a

good move on behalf of the government. I am pleased to see that they have

recognized that there is a problem there, and I commend them for taking the

actions that they are in putting an additional person there to be able to

fulfill those responsibilities and to carry out the work that is needed in

Labrador.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

MR. HARRIS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I just want to say a few words on Bill 18,

An Act To Amend The Child, Youth

And Family Services Act.

I listened very carefully to the remarks of the Member for Cartwright-L'Anse

au Clair and I do want to echo them, to some extent, because this is the same

view that we have concerning the special circumstances of Labrador and the need

for a stronger focus by the department in that particular area because of its

special circumstances.

The Member for Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair outlined them very well, but

Labrador is a unique place in this Province, Mr. Speaker. Because of the special

nature of the communities that are there, the fact that we have the three

Aboriginal cultures - the Innu, the Inuit and the Metis - as a very important

part of our whole provincial culture, but obviously working in various

communities in Labrador with their own special difficulties, particularly with

children and youth. Some of them have received some prominence, Mr. Speaker, but

what you see on the TV is not the whole story. On the community level there

needs to be a greater level of support. In fact, looking at alternatives to

using the Child, Youth and Family Services Act to deal with the problems, that

sometimes comes after the problems have been going on for some time. A great

deal of attention has to be paid to the issues, the family issues in Labrador.

Young people who are in need of services, there needs to be coherent policy

framework and there needs to be someone on the ground who is in charge of that,

who understands and has total focus on the particular needs of the families and

young people in Labrador.

We have had, as everyone knows, and the member previous alluded to it, a

situation of fostering, with the Tulk case in Pasadena. That was a very

unfortunate circumstance, Mr. Speaker, when someone came and took that child

without really any warning, without any special provisions being given.

When the minister defended it at the time, the previous minister, I think the

statement was that all of the procedures had been followed. Mr. Speaker, if that

was the case then I guess we have to say that maybe there is something wrong

with the procedures. I understand that this matter has been referred to the

Child and Youth Advocate for consideration. No doubt, that is one of the things

that the Child and Youth Advocate would undertake to consider, whether the

procedures and policies were adequate in circumstances where you have these

significant cultural issues with respect to an Aboriginal child being in foster

care in a different cultural environment. I think, despite the circumstances of

the tough case, there is an underlying policy to respect the culture of an

individual. Even in a fostering situation, a person of Aboriginal culture is

entitled to have an understanding of that culture and the ability to be able to

live in that culture if he or she so chooses.

So, I think there is a level of sensitivity that is required both in the

fostering system and the procedures that are used. I think that this kind of

consideration can best be given by having someone on the ground who has the

right level of training, who has the right level of understanding and who has

the support of the minister and the support of a government knowing that person

is able to focus totally on the needs and particular circumstances in Labrador.

It is not just the Aboriginal culture, as the previous speaker indicated, we

have a fairly transient population, particularly in the Happy Valley-Goose Bay

area with respect to the military activity. We have families and individuals, in

historic times, from various parts of Europe. We have long historical patterns,

of course, of settlers from Europe becoming part of the Labrador culture over

the last number of generations.

Labrador West itself, as a senior mining town within the Province, has its

own circumstances, too, that require a level of service that may be different

from other parts of Newfoundland and Labrador because of the remoteness from

other population centres, because of travel issues, because of the size of these

communities. There needs to be a level of service there recognizing these

special needs as well.

So, I do support this legislation. It is very straightforward, focused and a

specific piece of legislation that provides that there can be an additional

Director of Child, Youth and Family Services for Labrador, specifically to

provide services for children, youth and families in the Labrador portion of the

Province. I wholeheartedly endorse this amendment and I hope that the new

director who is chosen and appointed will be able to address some of the

concerns that have been raised. If that person is unable to address them, to

make sure that the gaps in service, that the deficiencies, that the needs are

brought to the attention of the minister so that they can be addressed.

We have had, unfortunately, a long history where the people and families of

Labrador have been, to some extent, neglected by government. We had an operation

called Labrador Services which was initially intended to provide services to

Coastal Labrador and that, in some cases, tend to be the only services that were

provided without having the full type of services that need to be available

which can address the problems that young people have throughout the Province

but, particularly, excruciating kind of problems that we have seen in Labrador

in some of the communities. Hopefully, the new Director of Child, Youth and

Family Services for Labrador will be able to address these issues in a more

efficient way and a more focused way. As I said a moment ago, where the

resources are inadequate, to make sure that the attention of the minister and

the officials in the department are brought to bear on that fact so that these

deficiencies can be addressed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER (Fitzgerald): Order, please!

If the hon. Minister of Health and Community Services speaks now he will

close the debate on Bill 18,

An Act To Amend The Child, Youth And Family

Services Act.

The hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

MR. T. OSBORNE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to thank the members opposite for their support of this.

Government recognizes some of the unique challenges - including retention,

social challenges, cultural challenges - that exist here.

Some of the questions that were raised by the Member for Cartwright-L'Anse

au Clair, Mr. Speaker, I can certainly answer. One of them was about the hiring

of this individual. The individual has been hired, has been in place now for

sometime on a very temporary basis. That has proven to very effective. The

person is from the community of Nain, who has a knowledge of the cultural issues

in the area. We felt that as a result of the great need for another director in

Labrador because of the challenges, somebody who has a specific knowledge of the

Innu culture would be very, very helpful. That is the reason we are looking to

change this particular legislation, to allow for a permanent and full-time

position of a director within that area. So, I hope that answers your questions.

That position is in place. There are challenges, obviously, as the member

pointed out. Even with the funding available sometimes for physicians or for

nurses and so on, there are challenges with recruitment and with retention, but

the person, being from the community, being from the area, and with a very

strong understanding of the culture and the issues, can be a very, very strong

asset to the department.

I would like to thank, again, the members opposite for their support of this

particular piece of legislation.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

Is it the pleasure of the House that Bill 18 be now read a second time?

All those in favour, aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Aye.

MR. SPEAKER: All those against, nay'.

Carried.

CLERK: A bill,

An Act to Amend The Child, Youth and Family Services Act.

( Bill 18).

MR. SPEAKER: This bill has now been read a second time.

When shall this bill be referred to a Committee of the Whole House?

MR. E. BYRNE: Later today, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Later today.

On motion, a bill, "An Act To Amend The Child, Youth and Family Services

Act," read a second time, ordered referred to a Committee of the Whole

House presently, by leave. ( Bill 18)

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

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

Order 6, second reading of a bill,

An Act To Amend The Occupational Health

And Safety Act. (Bill 9).

MR. SPEAKER: It is moved and seconded that Bill 9,

An Act To Amend The

Occupational Health And Safety Act, be now read a second time.

Motion, second reading of a bill, "An Act To Amend The Occupational

Health and Safety Act." (Bill 9)

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

MS WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, this amendment simply does one thing: It changes

the prosecution period of two years to when an official of the Occupational

Health and Safety Branch becomes aware of an offence.

Previously, the prosecution period was two years from the offence allegedly

taking place. By making this distinction, all employers are on equal footing for

prosecutions when an offence happens. Previously, it was conceivable that if an

employer knew about an offence but failed to report it until close to the

two-year period, or after, there was little recourse for prosecution of the

offence itself.

The system now will treat all employers fairly, as no employer will be able

to avoid the statute of limitations by not reporting an incident. The statute of

limitations of two years provides the Occupational Health and Safety official

time to conduct an investigation, time to interview witnesses, consult with the

Department of Justice, to determine if any charges will be laid against the

employer.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak to this bill today, and this concludes my

remarks.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Bellevue.

MR. BARRETT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This bill is not a major piece of legislation. I guess what it is doing is

determining what is a minister and what is an assistant deputy minister - the

definition. I guess a lot of this is shuffling around, because a lot of the

responsibilities of the Department of Labour have been switched to other

departments. There is no Department of Labour any more in this government. They

decided, when they formed the government, that it was no longer necessary to

have a Department of Labour, with a Minister of the Department of Labour sitting

around the Cabinet table.

What they did was eliminate the Department of Labour and they turned certain

responsibilities over to HRE and other responsibilities over to Government

Services and Lands. I guess it gave the people in the Province, particularly the

people within the labour movement within the Province, where this government

stood, its priority in terms of where they stood in terms of labour within the

Province, and we saw what they did in terms of the public service and all the

other unions that were involved, in legislating people back to work.

It is interesting, we did have a Department of Rural Development - a business

department - already existing, and they kept that particular department. They

also created a Department of Business to promote business within the Province,

but they did not see fit to set up a Department of Labour to look after labour

issues and the things that pertain to the labour movement and to our workers

within the Province.

I guess any amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act to make it

more efficient, more effective, to protect our workers and protect the

conditions of our workers - I find it disturbing. I observe a lot, what is going

on in terms of construction around the Province, particularly in terms of small

construction, and I notice more and more that there seems to be a lot more

ignoring of safety equipment. I think we need to do more enforcement in terms of

what is happening out there in the workplace.

I recently saw somebody in a mall, putting up Christmas decorations, up on

about a thirty-five or forty-foot ladder, and the worker was up there

practically with high-heel shoes on and no safety equipment and no hard hat or

anything. I think we need to look at, more and more, some of the things, and how

we enforce the occupational health and safety with this Province. Let's face

it, we have had too many tragedies within our labour movement, within our

workforce, so any move in this to make more effective the Occupational Health

and Safety Act, we will approve.

The only problem I have is the problem I have with this government in terms

of what it considers in terms of its priority for labour, and I think there

should be a Department of Labour if we could put an extra minister in the

government, set up the Department of Intergovernmental Affairs, a very, very

important department. He wasn't going to increase the Cabinet size, but we did

find the money to set up a Department of Intergovernmental Affairs. We didn't

find the money to be able to set up a Department of Labour which would give the

focus for the labour movement and the people working in the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, those are the only few comments I have to make. I hope the

minister will impress on her Cabinet colleagues, and on the Premier, that they

need a new Department of Labour within the Government of Newfoundland and

Labrador.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Labrador West.

MR. R. COLLINS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to say a few words on Bill 9, a few short words.

The change that is indicated by the minister is not one that we have any

disagreement with, I say to the minister. The change that is intended here is

certainly one that we can support.

I do want to echo the comments of the previous speaker, because I think they

are very important comments when it comes to the Division of Occupational Health

and Safety. Its rightful place in any government branch, no question, Mr.

Speaker, no question at all, is under the Department of Labour. It has a focus

under the Department of Labour. The people who deal with Occupational Health and

Safety for the most part, people who are responsible for the implementation of

it, people who deal with it on a daily basis through enforcement in the

workplace, the joint committees, are all covered under Labour. This Act, Mr.

Speaker, the Occupational Health and Safety Act, should also be covered under

the Department of Labour.

Most times, I say to the minister, with no disrespect to her department,

people who are dealing with labour issues, more often than not, are familiar

with the people in the Department of Labour more so than any other government

department. Why it was taken from the Department of Labour, back some years ago,

and placed into the minister's department today, I have no idea, but its

rightful place - no question - is under the Department of Labour. It is all part

of the workplace, the workforce, in the Province, the joint committees that

operate in each and every workplace, the reports. They should all go to the

Minister of Labour who ultimately has responsibility for workers in this

Province.

The only minister, I say, Mr. Speaker, who workers in this Province have is

the Minister of Labour. Any other group in this Province can probably transcend

different departments and cross over. The Chamber of Commerce deals with

business, deals with government affairs, and probably intergovernmental affairs,

industry, trade and technology, and these sort of things. But, labour,

generally, only deals with one minister, and that is the Minister of Labour for

the most part, and that is where the Occupational Health and Safety legislation

should fall.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I will conclude my remarks.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for Grand Falls-Buchans.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS THISTLE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you to the Minister of Finance for his support when I rose to my feet

that time.

I am pleased today to speak to Bill 9,

An Act To Amend The Occupational

Health and Safety Act. I concur with previous speakers who have said that this

act really belongs with the Department of Labour. Having been the Minister of

Labour, I know how important occupational health and safety is.

It was only a couple of weeks ago, I think it was April 28, that all of us

took

part in the acknowledgment of the day for injured workers and those who

have died in the workplace. This is another facet of labour issues that is so

important, occupational health and safety. I think the importance of our labour

issues in this Province have been diminished somewhat by this new government in

combining it with other departments.

I have to give credit to a former Premier, Roger Grimes, who saw the

importance of a separate, stand-alone Department of Labour. Many of the issues

that had been kicking around for up to twenty-five to thirty years had been

dealt with. You can talk to anybody from the business or labour unions in our

Province, they said that a lot was accomplished in those couple of years when we

had a stand-alone Department of Labour.

Mr. Speaker, I want to bring to your attention today, too, an issue that

involves all of us here in this House of Assembly because actually, we are

really a part of Occupational Health and Safety. An incident happened in this

House of Assembly on Monday evening. It was directed directly at me, the Member

for Grand Falls-Buchans. I have to say, I was personally offended. It is

relevant to the bill that we are discussing here today.

When I left here on Monday evening I was sitting down in my livingroom at

around 9:00 p.m. and I listened to the VOCM news, Mr. Speaker. I could not

believe what I heard on VOCM news at 9:00 p.m. I had heard that two backbenchers

in this current government were making allegations against me. What they were

saying is that I voted against the Budget, and by me voting against the Budget,

I was voting against the cancer clinic in Grand Falls-Windsor. Now, that is what

was alleged about me, and I was personally offended by that. The members in

question are the Member for Windsor-Springdale and the Member for Exploits.

Immediately upon hearing that, I decided I would call VOCM Open Line.

MR. E. BYRNE: Mr. Speaker?

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

Is the hon. the Government House Leader standing on a point of order?

MR. E. BYRNE: I am, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Government House Leader on a point of order.

MR. E. BYRNE: If the member has difficulty with what members of

government have said about her, that is one thing, but to say that has something

to do with

An Act To Amend The Occupational Health And Safety Act and the

Explanatory Notes are pretty clear. Clause 1 deals with: "...the

Occupational Health And Safety Act by updating the

definitions of assistant

deputy minister' and minister.' Clause 2 of the Bill would amend the Act

by changing the limitation period during which offences under the Act or

regulations may be prosecuted."

Mr. Speaker, I submit to you that the member's debate on Bill 9 really -

and this bill has nothing to do with what she is talking about and I would ask

you to make a ruling with respect to relevance with respect to this particular

bill.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

Is the hon. Member for Grand Falls-Buchans speaking to that point of order?

MS THISTLE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to say that the issue at hand really affected my occupation and

also my health. I really want to elaborate and talk about this bill.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

There is a point of order being raised.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

There is a point of order raised regarding the relevancy of the member's

comments. I say to members, when they speak on second reading of a bill their

comments should be kept relevant to the bill. While it can be broad ranging,

because in second debate we talk about the spirit of the bill and not individual

clauses. So I say to the hon. member, maybe she can rein in her remarks and keep

it to the relevancy of the bill being discussed, Bill 9.

Thank you.

MS THISTLE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, and occupational health and safety is so very important. This

government, of course, has been on the record as promoting health and safety.

Anyway, when I had the opportunity I called in. I wanted to say to the

members who had made that statement, number one, I was not in the House on last

Tuesday night when the Budget was voted upon. I went to my friend's funeral in

Baie Verte. I left the House of Assembly on Tuesday evening, and 6:30 p.m. I got

on the road and I drove to Grand Falls-Windsor. Then the next morning -

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I say to the hon. member, if she is going to raise those issues that she is

bringing forward today in debate as relevancy to this bill, I would ask her to

let the Speaker know what the relevancy is of what she is debating as it

concerns Bill 9,

An Act To Amend The Occupational Health And Safety Act.

MS THISTLE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This act regarding occupational health and safety is an important one because

we all know that what happens in the workplace is relevant to your personal

health and safety; very relevant. Of course, if a person is brought in to

question when there is no question, naturally it affects your health and

well-being. In order for people to function with integrity and keep their

principles and their morals intact, they have to be looked upon as being

sincere, honest and doing their work as they were elected to do. So this is all

relevant to a person's health and well-being.

When you look at the fact that a person's integrity was taken into account

and questioned without ever a chance of being able to explain the reason. Not

only that, these kinds of news releases did not come on the proper Web site of

the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, it came from the house of a party

organizer. Now that would be the same thing as myself asking Tom Lush to put out

a news release for me, which I will never do.

Mr. Speaker, there is a lot at question here for anyone's health and

well-being. I want to say that you cannot really tarnish a character of someone

without affecting their health and well-being. You cannot besmirch anyone's

integrity without affecting their health and well-being, particularly when that

person has been working hard and long, and that person actually is the critic

for Finance. That person who is in question here today is a critic for Finance.

Now, what is the job of a critic for Finance? The