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March

2, 2017

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLVIII No. 62

The

House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Osborne):

Order, please!

Admit

strangers.

Today,

we welcome to the public gallery: Patricia Hynes-Coates, who is the National

President of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada, as well as her husband, Terry

Coates, the President of MADD Avalon, along with other members of MADD.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Also in the gallery today is

Mayor Tony Keats, who is the Mayor of Dover, and the Vice-President of MNL.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

Statements by

Members

MR. SPEAKER:

Today, we have Members'

statements from the Members of the Districts of Burin Grand Bank, Terra Nova,

Ferryland, Fortune Bay Cape La Hune, Bonavista and Mount Pearl South.

The hon.

the Member for Burin Grand Bank.

MS. HALEY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise

today to recognize two residents from my District of Burin Grand Bank, both

members of the Canadian Coast Guard, Ray Cuza, originally from my hometown of

Point May, now residing in Fortune, and George Bennett of Grand Bank.

Mr. Cuza

recently travelled to Ottawa to receive an Exceptional Sailors award, the first

recipient from the Atlantic region, Mr. Speaker. Through their quick actions,

Mr. Cuza and another crew member were able to rescue a colleague who had fallen

into the sea while attempting to board a tanker. Mr. Cuza prevented the

individual from drowning and got him safely aboard the

Leonard J. Cowley .

Meanwhile, last month George Bennett was recognized for 30 years of service when

the Lieutenant Governor presented him with the Exemplary Service Medal and bar.

Both Mr.

Cuza and Mr. Bennett are shining examples of the dedicated personnel who serve

with the Canadian Coast Guard, Mr. Speaker.

I ask

all Members to join me in congratulating two outstanding individuals on their

well-deserved awards, and in thanking all members of the Canadian Coast Guard

for helping protect our marine environment and for keeping our mariners safe

while at sea.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the

District of Terra Nova.

MR. HOLLOWAY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise

in this hon. House to pay tribute to a long-time community volunteer from my

district.

Born in

Hodge's Cove, Trinity Bay, Mrs. Florence Green attended a one-room all-grade

school from where she graduated in 1950. In July 1952, Mrs. Green joined the

Royal Canadian Air Force and spent three years at various posts in Ontario and

Quebec.

Upon

returning to Newfoundland and Labrador, Florence spent the next 40 years

teaching school at Loreburn, Norris Arm, Goobies, Hodge's Cove and Little

Heart's Ease, where, as vice-principal, she retired in 1991.

Throughout her life, Mrs. Green has been a prominent member of the Hodge's Cove

United Church Women's Association. As well, her initial six-month appointment to

the Dr. G.B. Cross Memorial Hospital's board of directors resulted in a nine

and-a-half-year tenure.

Florence

finished with the board in October 1996, but remained as an active member of the

Ladies Auxiliary Committee until a fall in December 2016 necessitated her

present stay at the Clarenville Retirement Centre. Now into her mid-80s, Mrs.

Green continues with her devoted work by telephone.

I ask

all hon. Members to join me in acknowledging Mrs. Florence Green for her

long-time dedication as a teacher and community volunteer.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the

District of Ferryland.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, I stand in the House today to recognize the Goulds Atom B Pacers

players and coaches who took home the gold medal at the 24th Annual All Star

Invitational Christmas Hockey Tournament that was held in Mount Pearl from

December 27-30. The Pacers, aged nine and ten, played five regular games over a

four-day period before moving on to the championship game against St. John's

Caps, where they defeated the Caps 3-1 to claim their gold medals.

Members

of the winning team are: Colton Chafe, Jackson Collier, Aiden Curtis, Kalem

Dalton, Christopher Fagan, Colby Howlett, Azlan Hubley, Ingo Jonsson, Harrison

Lynch, Jacob McDonald, Kirk Noel, Daniel O'Brien, Owen O'Driscoll, Ben Ryan,

Brendan Ryan and Adrian Whelan. Coaches were: Bob Lynch, Peter Ryan, Colin

Howlett and Andrew McDonald.

I would

like to congratulate the players on a job well done and working together to win

the tournament. I would also like to acknowledge their coaches and volunteers

for giving so freely of their time and for the great job they do in training and

preparing players for their game.

Mr.

Speaker, I ask all Members of the House to join me in congratulating the Goulds

Atom B Pacers team on their accomplishments.

Thank

you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the

District of Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.

MS. PERRY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise

in this hon. House to pay tribute to Dr. Ragaie Diebes, our incredibly dedicated

doctor to the residents on the South Coast for over 42 years. Recently, Dr.

Diebes received much deserved recognition from Wow the World and took his place

on our Pathway of Heroes at the St. Alban's Community Park.

Wow the

World celebrates the extraordinary stories of everyday people making a

difference, and it surprises none us that Wow's most read and liked story of

2016 featured our very own Dr. Diebes.

We have

felt very fortunate and grateful that Dr. Diebes chose our rural area to call

his home. First, he practiced from the fondly remembered old doctor's house,

with limited equipment and staff, and then later opened the Bay d'Espoir Medical

Clinic in 1974 where he still practices today. He is not only our doctor, he is

our friend.

Mr.

Speaker, I ask all Members of this House to join me in thanking our local hero

for all his years of mending our cuts, bruises, broken bones and also helping us

through many family illnesses. Dr. Diebes devotion to medicine and our region

continues to wow us and we are so proud of his presence on our Pathway of

Heroes.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the

District of Bonavista.

MR. KING:

Mr. Speaker, on the weekend

of December 9 and 10, Discovery Collegiate in Bonavista played host to the

School Sports Newfoundland and Labrador 3A Boys Varsity Volleyball Provincials.

Eight teams from across the province competed in this tournament, including the

host Destroyers who went undefeated in winning the championship.

The

Discovery Collegiate Destroyers boys' volleyball team is comprised of members

who are mainly in grade 12 and have been playing together for over four years.

In fact, there are members on the team who are part of the selection process for

the NL Canada Games Team.

After

going 3-0 in the round robin, Discovery faced Pasadena Academy in the semi-final

winning in a hard fought match in straight sets. The final saw a three-set

thriller between the host and Jens Haven Memorial Huskies from Nain.

Discovery won the first set, with the Huskies taking the second. The third set

came down to the wire with the Destroyers eking out a 15-13 victory. Special

recognition goes to Joshua Maloney for winning the Sportsmanship Award for

Discovery and Piccadilly Central High for winning the team award.

I ask

all hon. Members to join with me in congratulating Discovery Collegiate on their

win and all teams on their strong performances and sportsmanship.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the

District of Mount Pearl Southlands.

MR. LANE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It's my

privilege to rise in this hon. House to offer congratulations to a group of

individuals who have made a significant contribution to sport in my community.

Once again, this year's Mount Pearl Athletic Awards was a tremendous success

which highlighted the achievements and emphasized the important role that sport

has played and continues to play in the development of youth and adults alike

within our great city. There were a number of very worthy nominees again this

year in five categories.

Congratulations to this year's winners: Peter Halliday Executive of the Year

award winner; Melanie Hallett of Campia Gymnastics; Coach of the Year, Andrew

Murphy of the Mount Pearl Soccer Association; Female Athlete of the Year,

Jennifer Boland, and Male Athlete of the Year, Daniel Kelloway, both

representing Pearlgate Track and Field; and Team of the Year, the Mount Pearl

First Choice Haircutters Men's Challenge Cup soccer team.

Mr.

Speaker, I would ask all Members of this hon. House to join me in congratulating

these individuals on this significant accomplishment and wish them all the very

best in their future sporting endeavours.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Statements by Ministers.

Statements by

Ministers

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Transportation and Works.

MR. HAWKINS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It's a

pleasure for me to rise today and tell you that the Department of Transportation

and Works is focused on finding innovative ways to develop and improve vital

road infrastructure in Newfoundland and Labrador.

This

week, the Department of Transportation and Works issued a tender for an asphalt

testing pilot project that will examine what asphalt specification is best

suited for our climate and our environment. As part of this project, Mr.

Speaker, 4.7 kilometres of the Trans-Canada Highway between Foxtrap and Holyrood

will be paved with four different mixes of asphalt. These four sections will

then be annually monitored to develop and determine which specification is best

for our environment and our road conditions.

This is

an innovative approach to future road infrastructure and something that has not

been done before in the history of our province. We are all well aware of the

issues that we have with rutting and the same areas having to undergo repairs

year after year. This is not an effective use of taxpayers' dollars.

Mr.

Speaker, finding the best asphalt specification is a much better way to spend

the public's money. Working with the Heavy Civil Association of Newfoundland and

Labrador, this asphalt testing project will be evidence-based and share the

vision of The Way Forward , enabling us

to do more with less, improve outcomes, be more efficient and provide better

value for the money we spend.

Our

government looks forward to seeing the results of this project and to finding

even more ways that we can improve long-term outcomes for all Newfoundlanders

and Labradorians.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want

to thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement. We acknowledge that

the province's harsh environment, particularly our wonderful winter season, and

how it can create problems for road longevity and maintenance.

Our

administration was exploring different methods and mixtures of asphalt in

attempts to find products better suited to our challenging conditions.

Hopefully, this initiative will build on the past work and create further

improvements.

Mr.

Speaker, seeing the government is keen in exploring ways to improve our

province's roadways, perhaps they can reinstate the 24-hour snow clearing

program after eliminating it in the 2016 budget. I want to remind the minister,

it's irrelevant how great the asphalt is if it's covered in six inches of snow

and ice.

Thank

you, minister.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

And it

is good to see this much needed asphalt testing pilot project finally taken on

by the department.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS. MICHAEL:

Our province's roads are in

atrocious condition. I do have some questions for the minister. He notes annual

monitoring of the four text sections. When will the results of the work be

ready? How long will it take, and has research been done about other parts of

the world with similar climatic and environmental conditions that we can use in

the interim?

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further statements by

ministers?

The hon.

the Minister of Service NL.

MR. TRIMPER:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

I rise

today to provide an update on the work we are doing to raise public awareness on

the importance of tackling climate change.

accomplish that goal, we have updated our Turn Back the Tide website to provide

user-friendly information about climate change and energy efficiency.

On the

site, people can find information about saving energy, reducing waste

generation, and being more fuel-efficient on the road. Businesses can find

information on reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and operating costs and

improving their environmental sustainability while communities can access

resources on improving resilience to our changing climate through

infrastructure, land use planning and emergency management.

I'm

especially proud of the

section on schools which helps children learn about

climate change. We have created a new interactive tool that will allow teachers

to educate students on this issue and how they can take action in the classroom.

Mr.

Speaker, our government is committed to advancing action on climate change, and

this is only one example of our public awareness efforts. Other initiatives

efficient building practices. We continue to engage on the Pan-Canadian

Framework on Clean Growth and will develop a provincial climate change action

plan to build strong communities and a prosperous, low-carbon economy.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want

to thank the minister for an advance copy of his statement. Mr. Speaker, climate

change is indeed an issue within our province, and I encourage all residents to

do their part to not only protect our environment but to protect the environment

of our future as well. Whether it be for community groups, school groups or

families, the Turn Back the Tide website does indeed have some very valuable

resources. However, Mr. Speaker, I must make mention of a recent move to

dismantle the Department of Environment and Climate Change. As a result of this,

there are a number of important environmental files which are lost in the

shuffle. Even the ministers opposite aren't sure of their responsibilities.

Furthermore, I would like to make mention of the government's climate change

management plan. The government also seems unsure if they are now following

their own made in Newfoundland solutions outlined in Bill 34 or are they now

following the made in Ottawa approach.

Thank

you.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I

thank the minister.

It's

interesting, the minister puts this forward without a provincial plan with teeth

or resources to help fight climate change. Other provinces have great

publicly-funded innovative programs, retrofitting homes and businesses with

progressive green energy programs. What do we have? Environment separated from

climate change, Muskrat Falls demanding we use every kilowatt of astronomically

expensive power, impoverishing our province, while huge carbon emitters are

still only being studied.

Climate

change

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS. ROGERS:

it's government's climate that must change.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Further statements by

ministers?

Oral

Questions.

Oral Questions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well,

Mr. Speaker, after only a couple of days of negotiations this government has

made an unprecedented move so early in negotiations by requesting the

conciliation board's intervention.

I ask

the Premier: Why are you filing for conciliation so early in the process? You've

just begun negotiations.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, I want to

correct the Member opposite. Negotiations have been ongoing since last fall. A

number of the collective bargaining units have met on numerous occasions. There

have been informal and formal discussions with the negotiating tables, with the

union leadership at NAPE, and we believe that applying for conciliation in a

small number of these particular bargaining units at this time is the right step

so that we can have the opportunity that's provided through conciliation to

reach an agreement with our public sector employees.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

With

some of these groups that they filed for conciliation we're told there's only

been eight to 10 hours of formal negotiations of actually sitting at the table

with each other. Now the minister can correct that if it's wrong, but the

minister should know that negotiation is tough business. It means sitting across

the table day after day for many hours trying to work out a plan.

Now, the

minister has been on the record as saying that they're going to bargain in good

faith. Minister, explain to your public servants why only eight to 10 hours of

formal negotiations is bargaining in good faith and looking after those very

well-respected public servants. Tell us how that is.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, again, the

Member opposite is incorrect.

There

have been numerous discussions at the bargaining table and a series of informal

and formal discussions. It is the priority of this government let me be clear

for all Members of this House. It is the priority of this government to ensure

that we are doing everything we can to reach an agreement with our public sector

employees.

Mr.

Speaker, our province faces a very difficult fiscal situation, and collective

bargaining represents the contracts that we have with our employees, represents

45 per cent of our overall spending. We take this extremely seriously. We also

take extremely seriously the important priority of coming to terms with an

agreement with our unions on behalf of our very valued public sector employees,

Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well,

I'll ask the minister a very direct and simple question.

We're

told that some of these bargaining units have only sat across the table at

formal negotiations for 10 hours or less. Can you confirm or deny that?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, I would suggest

that the Member opposite probably needs to provide himself with the opportunity

to do some research and ask some questions. Referring strictly to a press

release is not necessarily the best way to provide questions in this House.

What I

can tell him is that, as I've said to the media today, as I have also

communicated in my conversation with Mr. Jerry Earle earlier this afternoon,

that we have provided several options, several opportunities to have dialogue at

the table since early fall. We have provided an opportunity for those

discussions to happen.

The

unions, NAPE's case in particular, has been inflexible at the table. We feel

that conciliation is an opportunity for us to work towards finding an agreement.

If the Member opposite doesn't think that finding an agreement is a priority,

then he can continue to ask questions.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I can

speak for this Member myself and tell you that you find agreements by sitting at

the table and hammering out an agreement with the public servants that she just

said she respects so much.

Well,

Mr. Speaker, you get information we're provided information all the time and

we come to the House here and ask questions. That's how we find out the facts,

but the hard

part is we don't get any answers from the Members opposite. That's

the problem there, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. P. DAVIS:

Mr. Speaker, the Finance

Minister has said that she had hoped the negotiation table would be a productive

and open dialogue. You can't sit at the negotiating table for eight or 10 hours

she hasn't denied that that was the case. You can't sit at the negotiating

table for eight or 10 hours and expect magically that something's going to

happen.

Last

year she disrespected the people of the province by the tax increases and fee

increases they burdened the people of Newfoundland and Labrador with, and today

they're disrespecting public servants, Mr. Speaker.

So I ask

the minister: Will you go back to the table and do your job and sit at the table

with the representatives of your public service?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, I can assure

that Member opposite, that no one in this House takes their responsibility,

based on the circumstances that we find ourselves in, more seriously than this

side of the House, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS. C. BENNETT:

That Member, he asked a

question about the amount of time that has been spent in bargaining. I have

corrected him several times. There have been numerous discussions in a variety

of informal and formal discussions. There has not been progress in some of these

particular bargaining units, and, as such, we feel it is appropriate to avail of

a neutral third party who can work with both sides in an effort to reach an

agreement that is in the best interest of the people of the province and the

best interest of our employees, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I can

tell the minister, if she wants to know the impact that this decision is having

because we've heard directly from public servants who feel insulted by the

actions of the government today and the actions they've taken through

negotiations. They insulted the executive members of their team, the deputy

ministers and assistant deputy ministers last year when they sent a bunch of

them packing, but brought in their Liberal friends. They've also insulted

managers when they've created competition in the workplace where they have to

compete for the job they've held, in some cases, for many, many years.

So,

Minister, what we're hearing from people is we're asking they're saying the

best process here is to do the hard work at the table, and it's a tough job.

I've sat at the table in negotiations on both sides, and I know how tough and

difficult it can be.

I ask

you once again: Will you agree to go back, sit across the table from the public

service representatives and make an attempt, a good attempt, a long, hard

attempt, to work out a contract agreement with them?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, we are at the

table with our unions. Conciliation is a part of that ongoing dialogue that

happens at the table. We are participating in this in a very transparent way

with the public sector unions. We are eager to work towards making progress

around the offers that they've presented and we've presented that we are

discussing at the table.

Conciliation provides us an opportunity to engage a third party, a neutral third

party who can help both sides work towards what an agreement might look like.

And, Mr. Speaker, that process is ongoing. I think for the Member opposite to

suggest anything other, I think is irresponsible.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

For

many, many months the government has contracted outside assistance and support.

They've actually spent now $200,000 or more. The last update we had was $200,000

on advice for public sector negotiations. They've actually sat at the formal

table for a couple of days. It's unbelievable, Mr. Speaker, that they would at

this point in time bring in a conciliator to sit between them in two different

rooms. Negotiation happens across the table, Mr. Speaker.

What

happened last week was also an insult and a problem for public servants. They've

got managers in government, managers that operate government, directors, who are

now pitted against each other.

Minister, can you explain to us how you came up with a process to cause a

workplace where people have to compete against each other for a reduced number

of jobs?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, the Member

opposite likes to use a

preamble with a tremendous amount of information, and I

won't lose the opportunity to correct the information that he erroneously puts

out in his

preamble before I answer his question.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS. C. BENNETT:

Conciliation is a normal part

of bargaining. It is a process that allows both parties to use a third party, a

neutral party to continue the dialogue at the table. Quite frankly, I believe

Mr. Earle even referenced it today himself, that he was considering

conciliation. It is a mechanism that is used with the ability to be able to

provide an opportunity for us to reach an agreement with our employees.

If the

Member wants to ask me the question that he finally asked after his long

preamble about the important work our managers do, I'll be pleased to answer

that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well,

last week the government decided to use the two-tiered approach. They identified

individuals and terminated their jobs and put them out through the door at the

time. And they've also created a circumstance now where managers have to compete

against each other. I know cases where four managers have to compete for one

job. I've heard of one where nine managers have to compete for one job.

I'm

going to ask the Premier: When those people lose those competitions three out

of four will not be successful, eight out of nine will not be successful will

they be entitled to the same compensation and benefits as those who you pointed

the finger at and sent out the door last week?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, as we shared

with the people of the province during the very difficult decisions that we had

to make around the position that this government had on leaner and flatter

management, we communicated to our employees impacted that when positions were

either restructured or consolidated, the actual position and job description,

that we would provide employees impacted with the opportunity to apply for those

positions.

The

numbers that we released last week of 287 positions that were being eliminated,

90 of those positions were vacant and funded, and our position is to provide the

opportunity for employees through a process that is recognized by the Public

Service Commission an opportunity to participate in a competition that allows

them to retain a job if they so choose, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Again,

the minister, I really don't think, answered the question, but I'll try and

simplify it for her and ask a direction question here.

For

those who have been identified, they have to compete with people they've worked

side by side with for, in some cases, many years; will there be an independent

job competition, including interviews, conducted to determine who will be the

successful applicants, or are they just going to hand-pick who they want, like

they've done before?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, I also happen to

be the Minister Responsible for the Public Service Commission. I take my

responsibilities as the minister responsible for the public service act very

seriously.

As part

of this process, we had meaningful dialogue between the Public Service

Commission and the Human Resource Secretariat to establish a process that is

reflective of the act that would allow us to ensure employees had the

opportunity to participate in competitions for the positions that were being

created.

Mr.

Speaker, for the Member opposite to suggest that employees are not provided that

opportunity is, I think, disingenuous. I also think that the importance of

respecting the difficult circumstances that these employees fine themselves in

right now and letting them work through that process should be respected.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Again,

she never answered the jobs. So I'll ask the minister very clearly: Who is going

to pick the successful candidate? Are you, the Premier, ministers able to pick

or will it be done independently by the Public Service Commission?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, I'll provide the

Member opposite with the communication that went out to deputy ministers and the

equivalents from the Human Resource Secretariat deputy minister, providing the

details of the process that is currently underway in the departments, for his

review. That will help him more poignantly and sharply position his questions

because, obviously, he doesn't understand the process. I'm happy to provide that

information for him.

Mr.

Speaker, the positions and decisions will be made through the established

process that the Public Service Commission has communicated to employees, as has

the HRS department communicated to employees.

Might I

add, the question he asked me earlier that he hasn't re-asked was around if

employees are unsuccessful in the competition, they absolutely will be treated

fairly, like every single other employee that we have to deal with because we're

faced with a financial situation that they created.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Well, I thank the minister

for telling me that they will be treated fairly, but the question was: Will they

be entitled to the same compensation and benefits as those who were shown to the

door last week?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, as the Member

opposite would have heard when he sat a couple minutes ago in a press conference

downstairs, all employees who are finished with government, and qualify, have

the opportunity to receive severance pay.

Individuals who lose their position as a result of reorganization or

restructuring receive pay in lieu of notice, and we've made a commitment that

those employees who are not retained will receive their pay in lieu of notice,

Mr. Speaker. I'm not sure what the Member opposite doesn't understand.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Minister, that was the

question because I don't think the communication that went out because we do

have a copy of it, actually we've had several people send us copies of it, but I

don't think it clearly articulated the pay in lieu of notice, and we just wanted

clarification because there was some misunderstanding based on what people have

been told versus what was written and so on.

Minister, we've had a long discussion after hearing the importance of

negotiations and I want to ask you one more time and get you clearly on the

record. Negotiations, I know, happen at the table and they're best served

sitting across the table from each other. You've called in a conciliator earlier

than ever before in the history of our province.

Will you

do what's right, sit across from the table with the public servants and try to

work out a deal? I know it takes time and I know it's hard work, but will you

commit to do that here today?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, let me be clear

for the Members of this House, and for those listening at home, and for the

media that are in the gallery, our priority is to reach a negotiated agreement

with our unions, specifically around the collective bargaining contracts that we

have in discussions now. We are going to do everything we can to reach a

negotiated settlement. And as long as there's progress, we're going to continue

to sit and participate at those tables.

Mr.

Speaker, a conciliator to provide a neutral third party to discuss what are the

issues on behalf of the employer and on behalf of the employees is a very

prudent decision, we feel, and one that we feel will help provide an opportunity

for us to reach an agreement.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. P. DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I did

attend the minister's press conference just before coming into the House this

afternoon. And during the press conference, she made a comment that NAPE has

been inflexible at the table.

Minister, can you tell us how they've been inflexible at the table, and why is

it that you're not staying there trying to change that inability to be flexible

and have a discussion with them?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, I'm not going to

discuss the contract discussions, in light of the specifics that are at the

table. What I said, and I will say it again here in the House for the second

time, NAPE has been inflexible to this point and we believe that it is important

for us to bring a conciliator into the discussion so that we can continue to

work on how to progress towards the opportunity of achieving a collective

agreement, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Opposition.

MR. P. DAVIS:

Well, Mr. Speaker, if the

minister wants to fan the flames and upset the public service, I'm sure by

saying NAPE has been inflexible is certainly going to do that.

She

doesn't want to talk about what's happening at the negotiating table, but she

took about 35 or 40 minutes a little while or 30 minutes, just before coming

to the House this afternoon, to lay out a long list of position points that the

government finds themselves in. I'm sure they're positions points that were

discussed at the table.

So she

won't tell us what's happening at the table, she will throw out that NAPE is

being inflexible, but she won't say how and, in all of this, she's refused to

sit across the table from public servants.

How does

this instill respect and co-operation with your public service, Minister?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, again, the

Member opposite is incorrect. The information that I shared as part of the press

of items about a half a dozen, I believe, items that are contained within the

current collective agreements.

And I

felt, and we felt, it was important to share that information, because we're

getting a lot of questions about that. Mr. Speaker, that information was shared

that are in our current collective agreements.

Our

priority, Mr. Speaker, and I say to the Members opposite, and I say to my

colleagues, our priority continues to be a negotiated settlement with our public

sector employees with their union leadership.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, on May 11, 2016, this House passed a private Member resolution to

advocate to the federal government seeking amendments to federal legislation to

ensure pensioners are given priority on secured creditors with Wabush Mines

during the bankruptcy protection process.

So I ask

the Premier: What have you done to assist those pensioners since then?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House

Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker,

and I'm certainly happy to have a question of that importance from the Member

opposite.

We all

know that there are certainly tough times up when it comes to Wabush and, in

fact, we know recently there's been some work done in the Quebec courts. We've

been receiving numerous pieces of correspondence from people that are affected

by this decision, and it's something we take very seriously.

However,

as the Member opposite knows, changing legislation does take time, takes review,

and the fact is that you cannot just simply change legislation willy-nilly. In

fact, you can make serious mistakes.

So it's

something we take seriously; we're looking at it. In fact, we have a number of

people within multiple departments working on a daily basis trying to make sure

that we can do the best thing possible for the people of this province,

especially by people that are affected by this decision, and at all times our

thoughts are with these people that are going through a very serious time.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Mr. Speaker, further to that,

I will ask the Minister of Justice I know it's ongoing in the courts in

Quebec. If your government obtains a judgement for the Newfoundland Court of

Appeal, pensioners could possibly move to the top of the list and get access to

their compensation.

I ask

the minister: Are you considering action in the court here, Court of Appeal, in

Newfoundland?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House

Leader.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Our

government is certainly considering a number of options here. But, again, it's

something that has to be taken very seriously. Going to the Court of Appeal,

like going to court on any level, it's a serious matter and you have to consider

the repercussions and implications of doing so.

Again,

this is something we take seriously. I know that various ministers, and

certainly our parliamentary secretary have been working very hard on this. So

it's something that we know it's timely, but we have to consider everything

before we take a decision, but at all times guiding us through this is doing

what's best for the people of this province, and especially those affected by

this very negative situation.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.

MS. PERRY:

I ask the minister: Was any

analysis completed on what the impacts would be when you decided to cut

positions which focused on violence prevention?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board and the Minister Responsible for the

Status of Women.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I don't

believe there has been any communication and, as a matter of fact, I know

there hasn't been as to the flatter, leaner management structure for

government. As a matter of fact, I've said repeatedly in this House, and I said

yesterday to the Member opposite, the one who is asking this particular

question, that until the employees who need to be spoken to and also have the

opportunity to avail of the restructured positions that are inside the

management ranks of the government, we will not be providing specific details on

individual departments. When we have that information, I will be pleased to

provide it to the Member opposite and pleased to provide it to this House.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.

MS. PERRY:

I ask the minister: When do

cuts to the Violence Prevention Initiative what is it that cuts to the

Violence Prevention Initiative during Violence Awareness Week, last week and

minister, we are aware that the position was cut. What does that tell us about

your government's commitment to addressing the problem of violence in the

province?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The Minister Responsible for

the Status of Women.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, I would suggest

to the Member opposite that she would probably be best served in waiting and

ensuring that she has the full picture as opposed to making assumptions and

reactions based on hearsay and information that is not complete.

Mr.

Speaker, violence prevention, which lies within my mandate, is something that I

take very seriously. We have worked very closely with the community over the

last year to identify the gaps that were in the prior administration's Violence

Prevention Initiative, and we are working on meaningful actions that respect the

work that people in the community are doing around violence prevention.

And, Mr.

Speaker, I would say that members of the public would be horrified to know that

500,000 vehicle magnets were paid for as part of their Violence Prevention

Initiative.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.

MS. PERRY:

Mr. Speaker, we've made leaps

and strides, the great volunteers in this province in increasing awareness

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS. PERRY:

of violence against women,

Mr. Speaker, and that work needs to continue.

How can

the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women justify travelling to New York

to speak to the United Nations on cyberbullying while at the same time she's

gutting the office of the Violence Prevention Initiative?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. Minister Responsible

for the Status of Women.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, I would agree

with the Member opposite wholeheartedly and passionately, that violence

prevention work that's being done by community is extremely important and

critical.

The work

of the status of women's centres, the work of the transition homes, the work of

community members that are actively working on the results of violence but also

actively working on the things we can do to change how people in this province

see violence is extremely important. I would agree with her on that. But, Mr.

Speaker, for that Member opposite to suggest that we have done anything other

than work very hard on this file is coming from a position of ill-informed, Mr.

Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the District of Cape St. Francis for a quick question

without

preamble.

MR. K. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, last week the

management's position responsible for community enhancement programs was cut.

I ask

the minister: Is the program cut like the position?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Municipal Affairs and Environment.

MR. JOYCE:

Mr. Speaker, I just say, you

should get a better researcher because your

preamble to the question is

absolutely wrong. There's consolidation within the department. The program

hasn't been cut. There will be someone that will deliver the program. The

program will be there.

As most

of the people on the other side are calling me on a regular basis looking for

additional funding, you know the program is there. If not, you wouldn't be

calling me asking me for additional funding.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board described

current public sector collective bargaining as difficult.

I ask

the minister: How does she think calling public sector workers bargaining agent

inflexible will assist in achieving a negotiated settlement in these difficult

circumstances she's created?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

MS. C. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, collective

bargaining in the current environment that we're faced with is in fact

difficult, but it's not a difficulty that I created. It was a difficultly

created from the financial situation that we find ourselves in as a population,

as a government, and as a people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

I have

reached out to the unions. I have spoken to Mr. Earle myself and have met with

labour leaders and encouraged them to provide us with innovative ideas on what

they see as being options that we can consider. I would encourage any labour

leader in this province, including the leader of NAPE and CUPE, to work with us

to come up with an agreement that respects the employees but also respects the

financial situation that we find ourselves in in this province, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I ask

the House to consider: Who's being inflexible now? We see where the

inflexibility is.

Mr.

Speaker, the serious lack of instructional resource teachers and student

assistants to support the inclusive schools initiative means that regular

classroom teachers are not able to meet the needs of all students in the

classroom. The Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development has himself

said publicly that inclusive education is not working.

I ask

the Minister: When will he provide the resources immediately needed for

inclusion to work properly in our schools?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Education and Early Childhood Development.

MR. KIRBY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I really

appreciate the question. Prior to the election in 2015, the Premier had the

wisdom to I guess he was then Leader of the Opposition to promise the people

of the province that we would have a Task Force on Improving Educational

Outcomes, to review the education system, to do a comprehensive review of

kindergarten to grade 12.

When he

formed that task force last fall, part of the mandate was specifically inclusive

education. That task force has been travelling around the province. There's been

a survey that's been provided to teachers, to parents, to high school students.

There's been a lot of public engagement. I expect it will have a lot of

recommendations regarding inclusion and other issues once the task force reports

to the Premier sometime this summer.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

I've

listened and I've read some of the presentations and the minister knows, as well

as I do, that people are so frustrated and there are things that are needed

urgently, that he'd better start listening himself, not just his task force.

Mr.

Speaker, we were told no full-day kindergarten class would have more than 20

students. But five classes in St. John's have had more than 20 students since

September, creating major problems for teachers and children.

I ask

the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development: What is he doing to

fix this problem?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Education and Early Childhood Development.

MR. KIRBY:

It's ironic to get this

question from the leader of the NDP caucus because I remember during the

election campaign I got a leaflet in my mailbox at home that said the Liberal

party is backing away from its pledge to have full-day kindergarten. Then when

it actually came, push to shove here in the House of Assembly, the Liberal party

was the only caucus here in the House of Assembly that actually supported early

learning to the extent that we would implement full-day kindergarten, which was

promised by each of the three political parties in the election.

So I

find it highly ironic that the Member threw kindergarten kids and kindergarten

teachers under the bus last year and now she has all these concerns.

We're

working through some of the bumps in the road. When you implement a new program

there are always things that need to be resolved. We're doing the best we can

under the challenging circumstances we're in.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Once

again another example of how this government has made decisions without putting

the resources in place in the educational system to make their decisions work.

Fix these classrooms, I say to the minister.

I have

heard from parents and educators about high-achieving students whose needs are

not being met since enrichment was cancelled in 2004. These children finish work

quickly. They're bored. They're given a book or a computer game or used as

little tutors for other's having trouble.

I ask

the minister: What is he going to do to enrich the learning opportunities for

high-achieving students?

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon.

the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development.

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, again, I thank

the Member for the question.

There

was over $30 million to respond to the first part of that. Over $30 million

invested in full-day kindergarten in the three years leading up to the program,

and $13 million additional operating funds invested in that. So to suggest

that's not investing resources is completely disingenuous. It's contrary to the

facts.

We know

that we need to refresh and review some of the things that are going on in our

schools. That's why, like I said, the hon. Premier struck the Task Force on

Improving Educational Outcomes. Inclusive education, and I would include

education for gifted students and enriched curriculum in inclusive education as

part of the mandate, and they will report on that. We'll develop an education

action plan as a result.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. KIRBY:

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The time for Question Period

has expired.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Tabling

of Documents.

Tabling of

Documents

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Fisheries and Land Resources.

MR. CROCKER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, I have a document I wish to table in response to a question yesterday

from the Member for CBS. So I table the document for the Member.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further tabling of documents?

Pursuant

section 8 and

section 10 of the Public

Tender Act , I hereby table the Report of Public Tender Act Exemptions for

August, September and October of 2016, as presented by the Chief Operating

Officer of the Government Purchasing Agency.

Notices

of Motion.

Answers

to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's Centre.

MS. ROGERS:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS government plans to remove the provincial point-of-sale tax rebate on

books, which will raise the tax on books from 5 per cent to 15 per cent; and

WHEREAS an increase in the tax on books will reduce book sales to the detriment

of local books stores, publishers and authors, and the amount collected by

government must be weighed against the loss in economic activity caused by

higher book prices; and

WHEREAS Newfoundland and Labrador has one of the lowest literacy rates in

Canada, and the other provinces do not tax books because they recognize the need

to encourage reading and literacy; and

WHEREAS this province has many nationally and internationally known

storytellers, but we will be the only people in Canada who will have to pay our

provincial government a tax to read the books of our own writers;

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

of Assembly to urge government not to impose a provincial sales tax on books.

And as in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

It's

very interesting, Mr. Speaker, to stand now and to talk books and stories. If

someone were to sit down and write a story about what this government has done

in terms of making literacy even worse in the province they couldn't have done

anything worse, except maybe close the schools. Maybe that's next; who knows?

But to attempt to close libraries, to impose extra taxes on books and to be the

only place in Canada that does that, when we have the lowest literacy rates in

the country; if someone were to write that in a book, in a story and say

imagine, this is what a government did, they would say no, this much be some

kind of sarcasm. It's inconceivable, Mr. Speaker, that that's actually what

we're dealing with.

We know,

in fact, what we should be doing is that government should be making books more

accessible, that government should be putting money into literacy programs, that

government should be doing everything it possibly can to ensure that our people

are as educated as they possibly could be. Not only so that they can weather

this storm, but that we also encourage a better future for all the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador.

Our

greatest renewable, sustainable resource is our people and the best way that

they can be resourceful is if they are educated, and this flies in the face of

it. Mr. Speaker, again, if you were to read this in a book you would say: What

kind of dystopian government is this? It's inconceivable and the people are

pushing back.

Thank

you very much.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Cape

St. Francis.

MR. K. PARSONS:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

To the

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

school-age children are walking to school in areas where there are no

crosswalks, no traffic lights and there are areas without sidewalks; and

WHEREAS

this puts the safety of children at risk;

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

of Assembly to call upon the House of Assembly to ensure safety of all children

by removing the 1.6-kiliometre busing policy where safety is a concern.

Mr.

Speaker, I live in a district where this is a real concern for me. On Torbay

road, on a regular day, there are probably about 12,000 to 13,000 or 14,000 cars

that travel on that road, and there are no sidewalks. There are no traffic

lights and the crosswalk a lot of times there's a very narrow crosswalk by

Convent Lane and Marine Drive that gets used periodically and the signage is not

well there. There are no lines across; it's just two lines straight across that

shows the crosswalk.

This is

very dangerous, and I've had calls from so many parents it's unbelievable

because they really fear most of them will try to get their children to school

in the morning and arrange that one of the parents who is working, they'll drive

there's a lot of driving in the morning. But in the evenings, a lot of people

can't get off work and the child has to walk home. And with no sidewalks

especially in the wintertime, it's a real concern in the wintertime, because as

we all know we get a fine lot of snow. There are ice conditions and there are

very narrow side areas of the road and shoulders of the road, so this becomes a

real concern for a lot of people.

I know

that the Minister of Education, I heard him lots of times in this House, get up

and present a petition basically on the same issue that I'm talking about here

today. And I really believe that we need to have a look at it. I know that the

1.6 kilometres is something that is in place, but in areas where there's high

traffic, areas where there are no sidewalks and areas where there are no traffic

lights, we should really have a look at this.

The

safety of our children has got to be put forward. The safety of kids that have

got to walk along roads that are slippery with no sidewalks and very little

shoulder, and no lights this is a real concern for parents in my area and

parents in areas just like it.

So I ask

the minister: You understand this problem, you've brought the same petition

basically to the House of Assembly several times; please have a look at it and

do the right thing for the safety of our children.

Thank

you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

To the

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned petitioners:

WHEREAS

many feel their problems and concerns are not being addressed in an appropriate

and timely manner;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly call upon the House of

Assembly urging government to use all-party town hall events as an avenue

whereby people can express their concerns to all parties.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners ask to be heard.

I'm very

pleased to present this petition this afternoon, Mr. Speaker. It was brought to

me by a concerned citizen who has the initiative to go door to door and engage

with hundreds, and I think multiple hundreds of others regarding the democratic

deficit that exists in our province and in our House of Assembly.

Our

caucus has been addressing this democratic deficit since at least 2007 and it

has been a long-standing policy of our caucus to curb this deficit by

implementing all-party committees. If we had all-party committees dealing with

legislation, and especially difficult legislation, those all-party committees,

which would be called Standing Committees actually, would be committees part of

the House of Assembly and would be an automatic part of the discussion of

legislation.

If you

go to the House of Commons, for example, you can look up the

schedule for

Standing Committees and you will see them meeting on the different bills that

are being discussed in the House because in committee, especially when you have

a very thorny issue and you really need more research done, the Standing

Committees call in witnesses.

When you

go to the House of Commons, again, you'll see where the bill stands, what it is

the committees are discussing with regard to the piece of legislation, what

witnesses are being called, what days there are witnesses, and the public can go

to those Standing Committees and speak freely with regard to the issues that

concern them, that we then make decisions on here on the floor of the House.

So if we

were to put our Standing Committees in place and really use them, as it's

outlined already in our Standing Orders we can do, the whole process is there in

our Standing Orders, we would be able to have the kind of open discussion, open

to the public, open to the electorate that this petition is calling for.

I was

really quite excited when this petition came to me because I thought this is

wonderful; this is really a grassroots move by this woman who has been out there

knocking on doors getting these signatures. And I understand there are many more

that are going to be coming to me that I will be happy to present in this House.

One of

the things I've done as an MHA, and my colleague has done over the years, is to

hold town halls and we know how effective they are.

Thank

you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Opposition House

Leader.

MR. HUTCHINGS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, I'm pleased to rise today to present a petition on behalf of the people

of my district.

To the

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland

and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

the Witless Bay Line, Route 13, is a significant piece of infrastructure linking

the Southern Shore to the Trans-Canada Highway and it's a crucial piece of

economic infrastructure and means of service delivery to the region;

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

of Assembly to urge government to provide resources to complete immediate

upgrades to this significant piece of infrastructure and enhance the flow of

traffic to and from the Trans-Canada Highway, and further to ensure that the

upgrades over the past years continue this construction season.

Mr.

Speaker, this is, as I said, a piece of infrastructure that connects the

Southern Shore and Route 10 to the Trans-Canada Highway, a significant piece of

infrastructure. Over the past number of years there has been significant

upgrades to that piece of infrastructure with the intent obviously, a

significant piece of infrastructure like that, it needs to done over a period of

time. Over the past number of years, I think there's something like $1.6 million

been invested to upgrade a number of kilometres and stretches of that particular

highway. There's certainly more to be done.

Significant traffic on that piece of highway is certainly related to commerce,

economics, residents, others, professionals that use the highway to transport

back and forth in regard to their employment. You look at industries like the

crab industry in the summertime and the amount of traffic that's a part of that

highway in terms of transporting services, either back from harvesters on the

Southern Shore or into the processing facilities along the Southern Shore.

As well,

just recently, and ongoing today, it's the Pennecon Energy Marine Base in Bay

Bulls. A lot of the generators and various large pieces of infrastructure

related to Soldiers Pond, related to Muskrat Falls, and even some of the other

equipment that's needed in Muskrat Falls, this piece of highway is being used to

transport some of those significant pieces of equipment. So it's essential to

the region.

There

are sections of it over this time of the year that needs some patchwork done,

but it's important that the government recognizes this. It certainly fits in the

whole economic development and economic plan. I'd certainly urge government this

season to take a look at that, and recognizing it can't be all done at the one

time, but provide those improvements that continues the economic benefit for the

region.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay East Bell Island.

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the

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

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland

and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

there's been an identified lack of mental health services in our province's K to

12 school system; and

WHEREAS

the lack is having a significant impact on both students and teachers; and

WHEREAS

left unchecked, matters can and in many cases will develop into more serious

issues;

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

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

mental health services and programs in our province's K to 12 school system.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, I presented this same petition on Monday, and the overwhelming comments

and the overwhelming contact that I had with people afterwards thanking me for

presenting it and outlining the fact while our school system has a number of

challenges, mental health, unfortunately, is not being addressed in the

mainstream school system right now, because there are other challenges there

around our academics, around our overcrowding, around some of the challenges.

So, I

felt on the urging of a number of organizations that we keep this alive in our

school system, particularly as we get close to decisions being made around our

budget and around investments in our education. On an everyday basis, arguing in

all the sectors from the NLTA to the parents' associations to all the other

the administrators and teachers out there are arguing about investments in the

education system to get back to an acceptable level. Sometimes we have to

address some of the other occurring issues that were always there but were never

front and center.

As we

look at that, mental health in our school system is one. Times have changed, our

society has changed. The challenges on young people, the challenges in the

households with economic issues, stressors, travel issues within the households,

young people being exposed to things they normally weren't in previous times

around bullying and some of the challenges around those type of things; about

performance, being able to actually excel in certain areas. Being able to select

exactly what it is they're comfortable in the school system, and some of the

other challenges as we integrate people into mainstream school systems.

These

all add to stressors within the school system, and have an impact on mental

health. As is indicated here, the issues has been determined by all

professionals here, and everybody who work in the field, the issues within the

younger age category, if not addressed, if not given supports and if not

engaged, will obviously lead to other more serious issues around mental health

as people progress into their teens and their adulthood.

What

we're looking at here is that the education system has a captive audience, has

these young people in an engaged, safe, healthy, open environment, and what an

opportunity to address some of the mental health needs of those particular

individuals, but equally as important is being able to educate other students

and staff around how you address mental health issues. How you lend support to

people that may have some challenges around those. How you support the family

themselves. So these are all very important things we need to be cognizant of

when we talk about investing in the education system.

The

mainstream education system is very important, the integration is very

important, but all the factors that have an impact on people's ability to learn

must be addressed too, and one of those key things is mental health. Because of

the influence that will be necessary to address those at a younger age, we want

to ensure the mainstream system is put in place, systems that can benefit people

as they progress in their adulthood.

So, Mr.

Speaker, there's no doubt I'll have an opportunity to present this numerous

times before we get to the budget decisions.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

Orders of the Day

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Acting

Government House Leader.

MS. COADY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I move,

seconded by the Minister of Health and Community Services, for leave to

introduce a bill entitled,

An Act the public safety act.

AN HON. MEMBER:

Patient Safety.

MS. COADY:

Patient Safety Act my

apologies.

Bill 70,

and I further move that the said bill be now read a first time.

MR. SPEAKER:

It is moved and seconded by

the hon. the Acting Government House Leader that she have leave to introduce

Bill 70 and that the said bill be now read a first time.

Is it

the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

All

those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

Motion,

the hon. the Minister of Health and Community Service to introduce a bill, An

Act Respecting Patient Safety And Quality Assurance In The Province, carried.

(Bill 70)

CLERK (Barnes):

A bill,

An Act Respecting Patient Safety And Quality Assurance In The province.

(Bill 70)

MR. SPEAKER:

Bill 70 has now been read a

first time.

When

shall the said bill be read a second time? Now?

MS. COADY:

(Inaudible.)

MR. SPEAKER:

Tomorrow.

motion, Bill 70 read a first time, ordered read a second time on tomorrow.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Acting

Government House Leader.

MS. COADY:

Mr. Speaker, Order 4, second

reading of Bill 68.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Service NL.

MR. TRIMPER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I move,

seconded by the Member for Burin Grand Bank, that Bill 68,

An Act To Amend The

Highway Traffic Act No. 5, be now read a second time.

MR. SPEAKER:

It is moved and seconded that

Bill 68 be now read a second time.

Motion,

second reading of a bill,

An Act To Amend The Highway Traffic Act No. 5. (Bill

68)

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Service NL.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. TRIMPER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Before I

read my prepared remarks, I'd like to draw attention to as you did earlier

Patricia Hynes-Coates who is in the audience, along with her family, other

members of MADD, because this next couple of hours, frankly, represents a lot of

work on their behalf, as well as all members of government and many

organizations and community leaders across the province.

Mr.

Speaker, driving is a privilege, not a right. Those who chose to abuse this

privilege by driving under the influence of alcohol in Newfoundland and Labrador

will now face tougher consequences once the amendments that we're going to

discuss today come into force.

Mr.

Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to explain the changes that we are

proposing. I'm certain that my hon. colleagues in this House will agree that

there are far too many stories in the news about impaired drivers. There are

also instances where people have been charged with impaired driving multiple

times on the same day. These proposed amendments will allow us to take action to

curb this blatant disregard for public safety.

Currently, the province's vehicle impoundment program does not apply to impaired

driving offences; however, we will begin impounding vehicles at roadside when

drivers are found to have a blood-alcohol content above the legal limit or when

they refuse to provide a breath sample. For a first offence, impaired drivers

will lose their vehicles for three days. For their second such offence, within

10 years, they will lose their vehicles for a week.

Mr.

Speaker, as I was saying, impaired driving has had devastating and far-reaching

effects on our communities and families. And just by way of further background,

I did want to just change my remarks to indicate that in the 2015 report from

Statistics Canada, the capital region of St. John's, Mount Pearl has the highest

impaired driving rates per capita for any municipality in the country truly

not something to be especially proud of.

Impaired

driving is the leading criminal cause of death in our country. On average, four

people are killed every day in impaired-driving crashes in Canada and nearly 60

per cent of the motor vehicle crash deaths are related to impaired driving.

We've all heard heart-breaking stories about impaired driving in Newfoundland

and Labrador communities. Frankly, I can speak for myself and I'm sure for many

people listening and watching we have all lived those heartbreaks. So it is time

for us to change the story on impaired driving in our province.

I'm

sorry; I just wanted to go back now to my remarks on impoundment and what we are

doing. In terms of moving forward, we are now catching up with eight other

provinces and territories in our country that already have mandatory impounding

for impaired driving; three of these have discretionary impounding.

Another

change that we are going to be proposing today is to prevent repeat impaired

driving offences, Mr. Speaker. This involves what's known as a mandatory

Ignition Interlock Program. Currently, drivers who are serving a suspension of

their driving privileges for impaired driving can volunteer to participate in an

Ignition Interlock Program. That's a voluntary program. However, with these

amendments, we are proposing that that will now be mandatory; it will be a

restriction as a condition of re-instatement of a driver's licence after an

impaired driving suspension has been completed.

The

ignition interlock system is an in-vehicle, alcohol-breath screening device that

prevents the vehicle from being started when alcohol is detected. The system

also requires the driver to provide breath samples at random times while the

engine is running. If drivers fail the interlock test while driving, it

activates an alarm much like an anti-theft alarm, with lights flashing and the

horn beeping, until the engine is stopped.

Any time

that an interlock test is failed, the system registers that attempt to drive

while impaired. With this data available, the interlock requirement may be

extended at the discretion of the registrar of motor vehicles if it is

determined that the driver still poses a risk to the public. The requirement for

a mandatory interlock system will appear on the driver's licence as a

restriction. Under this new program, the terms for the mandatory interlock will

be one year for a first conviction, three years for a second conviction within

10 years, and five years for a third or subsequent conviction within 10 years.

Mr.

Speaker, young drivers are at greater risk of death or injury due to impaired

driving crashes when compared to their older counterparts. According to recent

Transport Canada data, young drivers also have the highest impaired driving

rates of any other group of drivers. Recent data from Mothers Against Drunk

Driving indicate that alcohol is a factor in nearly 60 per cent of all crash

deaths among young people. That is why we are amending the

Highway Traffic Act to require zero tolerance for alcohol

consumption for drivers less than 22 years of age.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. TRIMPER:

Under this new legislation,

drivers under 22 will be required to maintain a zero per cent BAC that's blood

alcohol content while driving. Mr. Speaker. We already have this requirement

under the Graduated Driver Licensing Program in the province, where young

drivers must maintain a zero per cent BAC for their first 20 to 24 months after

obtaining their driver's licence.

In most

cases, the people who enter the Graduated Driver Licensing Program do so at age

16 and this first 20 to 24 months would, of course, often end by the time they

the age of 18. With this amendment today, young drivers will have additional

time to develop a habit of separating driving from the consumption of alcohol.

It is our hope that this requirement will help establish a new generation of

drivers who never drink and drive.

Mr.

Speaker, we will be working with the Department of Education and Early Childhood

Development and the Department of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour to raise

awareness of these new rules with young drivers through high schools and

post-secondary institutions. We will also be working with the Newfoundland

Labrador Liquor Corporation to raise awareness for all drivers through their

social responsibility programs.

summary, Mr. Speaker, these amendments will make it tougher for impaired drivers

to continue to ignore our impaired driving laws. They will also help us

establish a societal change by instilling within our young people the habitual

separation of drinking from driving at a time when they are developing their

safe driving skills.

With

these changes, we are sending a message that the time has come to end impaired

driving in Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. TRIMPER:

Mr. Speaker, government alone

cannot solve the problem of impaired driving. This is the responsibility of

every single citizen in this province. Parents, educators, municipal leaders,

business owners and the general public all have a role to play.

Mr.

Speaker, I would like to acknowledge the roles of some of our key partners in

developing this legislation. I would like to particularly thank Patricia

Hynes-Coates for her dedication to this cause.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. TRIMPER:

Mrs. Hynes-Coates is the

first Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to ever hold the position of national

president of MADD Canada.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. TRIMPER:

Her work in impaired driving

advocacy began in 2013 when her stepson Nicholas Coates was killed by an

impaired driver.

Mrs.

Hynes-Coates and her Mothers Against Drunk Driving counterparts and there are

some 12 locations throughout Newfoundland and Labrador have dedicated their

lives to changing legislation across the country to put an end to impaired

driving.

MADD has

active chapters, as I say, throughout the province and these are staffed by

dedicated and passionate volunteers including, frankly, in my District of Lake

Melville. Speaking to my colleagues, I have heard that many of them are also

actively engaged with their own local chapters and several of them are here.

Mr.

Speaker, I'll say, yesterday, we had a technical briefing on this matter to

prepare and it was standing room only. It was very inspiring to see the level of

interest in my colleagues and in the Opposition; frankly, every Member of this

House.

We also

appreciate the support of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and the RCMP in

developing these recommendations.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. TRIMPER:

The members of both of these

law enforcement agencies encounter impaired drivers and deal with the

consequences of impaired driving on a daily basis and their role is invaluable

in enforcing these laws. Even as I have been sitting here, Mr. Speaker, I've

heard from several members of the RNC and the RCMP, sending me messages. So it's

a great emotional feeling to be here today and seeing this collaboration come to

this floor.

I would

also like to acknowledge Service NL staff who have worked tirelessly to bring

Bill 68 to the House today.

Last,

but certainly not least, I'd like to recognize the hon. Minister of Municipal

Affairs and Environment, and I'm not able to say his name but I think we all

know who that is. We also know what a huge role he has played until recently

as the Minister of Service NL.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. TRIMPER:

It was certainly under his

direction, as well as his EA, who I've seen here today. I know how closely they

worked on this legislation and I thank them again for their hard work.

I know

this was a very important set of amendments to him. He worked tirelessly to make

sure that this be brought forward to this sitting of the House.

closing, Mr. Speaker, the legislation that we are bringing forward today is

another example of how our government listens to people and then creates

beneficial change with their feedback. It is the result of collaboration between

government and active stakeholder groups, and it is an example of how, when it

comes to public safety, we can all work together for the greater good.

I hope

that we will look back on today as a turning point in the story of impaired

driving in Newfoundland and Labrador.

I thank

you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Cape

St. Francis.

MR. K. PARSONS:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

There

are times in this house when we get the opportunity to all come together and do

the right things for people of Newfoundland and Labrador. It's so important that

when legislation does come through that we recognize good legislation on both

sides of the House.

I've

been here now for nine years, and I look across and there are only a couple of

Members on the other side that were the Minister of Municipal Affairs and the

Minister of AES have a lot of time in politics and they realize that there are

days like this. There are days in government that politics and the political

part just gets thrown away because sometimes it's the right thing to do. We're

here to represent people of Newfoundland and Labrador. No matter if you're on

this side of the House or you're on that side of the House.

This is

one of the days I feel proud to be here, to be part of the 40 people who are in

this House of Assembly to be able to do things that, hopefully down the road,

will save lives, and hopefully will save families and hopefully will save what

grief the families have to go through.

It's an

emotional time, I'm sure, today. I heard down to the news conference today, it

was very emotional for people. So it is, when you lose loved ones and people

that are dear to you because of impaired driving. So today is a great day for

this legislation. I'm very proud to be here. I'm very proud of the work that has

been done.

I, too,

minister, want to congratulate some people. I, too, want to congratulate you for

bringing in this legislation today. I want to congratulate my good friend, the

Minister of Municipal Affairs. I'm sure he did a fine lot of work on this and I

congratulate government. I really do congratulate government.

I really

want to congratulate MADD Canada. I'm very proud to know that the chairperson,

Ms. Coates, is from Newfoundland and Labrador. It's a great thing to have a

person from our province to be in charge of such a great thing that really works

for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

I also

want to make sure that we realize our law enforcement people, our police workers

and policemen, both the RNC and the RCMP. A lot of times media, and especially

these days, sometimes it's not so public that people are really looking out

there, but we're so lucky to have these people on the roads protecting us day

and night. I really feel glad that this is something that will help them also do

their job. They don't have to go to the scene of an accident where there's a

young person that's killed, or an old person or anybody, because of impaired

driving. The steps that are done here today, I hope protect lives, save lives,

and like I said, save families.

I also

want to thank the people I'm sure as we're here today, there's a lot of work

that is done with this to make sure this legislation was brought in by people at

Service NL. I was over the other day and had a briefing. I really felt those

people really put their heart and soul in this. I really want to thank them for

what they've done.

I'm

going to go over it just a little bit; I know the minister mentioned a good few

things that I'm also going to mention, but when you see that St. John's has the

highest impaired rate among all Canadian cities, that's really something that

we, as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, can be just shaking our heads because

it something that's it's just not right.

Today's

announcement, and the steps that are taken here today, let's hope that the next

time they do these stats, we're the lowest.

Again

today, we look at what's been done here with young people. I know if you look at

16 to 25-year-olds, alcohol and drugs play a 50 per cent factor in crashes and

yet there are only 13 per cent of the people that are on the road are between 16

and 25. Yet, 33 per cent of the people who cause impaired charges and impaired

driving accidents, 33 per cent of the whole total is that age group.

So this

legislation today, some people will look at it and may say it should be for

everyone, it should be whatever, but the intent today, and I heard the minister

just say it a minute ago, if we can encourage young people it's like when seat

belts first came in. I know for a fact myself, it was hard to get adjusted to

the seat belt, but young people were already wearing their seat belts and even

today you see they're all still wearing their seat belts. So this is something

that if a young person, right from the time he gets his licence and the habits

that he has then, will really help down the road because it's a habit that

hopefully he will keep for the rest of his life: he or she.

Again,

the amendments here today, I know MADD Canada was really pleased with it, and

I'm sure the general public is.

I just

want to go through a little bit of the legislation and the actual amendments.

The first one is zero tolerance under age 22. So usually now when a person gets

their licence they can do I think there are two groups that you can do, and

this is mainly for insurance purposes that you can take programs and stuff like

that. It's 20 to 24 months that you're not allowed to have any alcohol

consumption. So then they go from a 16-year-old to an 18. So it's 18 to 22 now

that this is zero tolerance for your blood alcohol level. That's really, really

good because it's the habits, like I said, of young people that hopefully will

bring into the future. I know the recommendations are similar to the ones that

are done in Ontario, New Brunswick, Quebec and Manitoba.

The

second one is a very interesting one. It's the mandatory interlock. All others

jurisdictions except Newfoundland and Labrador and I think the Northwest

Territories are the only other places that don't have this in place. The

interlock intermission is done; it's a period of time with restriction after you

get your licence back. It is one year for the first conviction, it's three years

for the second conviction within 10 years, and it's five years for the third

conviction also within the 10 years. But the thing I like about this and,

Minister, I think I'm right when I say this, you can correct if I am wrong. But

if a person goes to try to drive that car while this system is on, it will

register and if you can notice that the person has tried to drive, then he can

be extended longer than the one year that is there.

This is

a great for some people out there that still want to do it time and time after

again, this will show, listen, it's not going to be tolerated and if you even

try to do it, then we can recognize it and the extension will go longer again.

So it's a really great you hear too often, too often we'll hear tell of people

who get charged with impaired driving and then they get the second charge while

their licence is suspended and stuff like that. We hear it all the time on the

news. So it's very important that this this is a great thing to do.

The

other one is the impoundment. On the impoundment, I remember only I think it

was a couple of months ago I heard on the news that a person got picked up for

impaired twice in the one day. I mean, seriously, it's just unbelievable that

that could happen, but it does happen. There has to be some way that we can make

sure this doesn't happen. So this impoundment coming in right now is really,

really good.

It's

three days on your first offence, seven days on your second offence, 30 days on

the third offence. If you get caught the third time you lose your vehicle for 30

days, but it will also keep those people off the road for that period of time

because, like is said, I heard it a couple of weeks ago that someone got charged

twice in the one day for impaired driving which we just can't tolerate. So

that's a great part of this also.

Before

then, the only time we could really impound a car was if they had an invalid

licence or if mechanically it wasn't fit to be on the road or they were driving

without insurance. An impaired charge, if you get picked up for impaired your

car is impounded, and that's where it should be. So there are a lot of things in

it.

The main

thing I want to talk about today is really public safety. That's what this bill

is about. No matter what, we as legislators in this House of Assembly, anytime

we can all work together and get together and make sure people's safety is

foremost, our children, our family members, our neighbours, our friends, anybody

and this part of the legislation today really makes it safer for everybody

else on the road. I want to applaud everybody, like I said who worked on this.

Driving

is not a right. When you drive a car you have to make sure you respect the

people that are on the road. It's a privilege for us to be able to do what we

do, to live in the country that we live in.

I can

remember when I got my first vehicle. I was on the fish truck making money all

summer long knowing that my birthday was coming in November and there was a

change to get that right to be able to drive. And I'm sure young people today,

they get their jobs, they work at Tim Hortons, they work all over the place just

to be able to make the money so they can get and a lot of them have parents

that help them out. I helped my two out a little bit, but it's a privilege to

get on the road and be able to do this.

So when

you get that privilege you have to make sure you respect it and know that you're

out there, you're driving a vehicle that can kill people. You're driving a

vehicle that could cause injury to everyone out on the road. So it's important

that we make sure we understand what it's doing.

I have

to say, it's disappointing when you see us we're very proud Newfoundlanders

and Labradorians, but when you see a national average of impaired driving rights

and we're down we're not even close to where we should be. Then, like I said,

the City of St. John's, the St. John's area, to be the highest city in all of

Canada.

So we

have a problem. We have a problem and we need to fix that problem. And today I'm

hoping this is part of fixing the problem. It's great to see that all parties,

I'm sure, in this House will support this and send a message to the people out

there that we really want to make sure our roads are really, really safe.

I'm also

glad Service NL will work with all government departments, and it's important

that we do get that message out there. Newfoundland and Labrador co-operation

the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation, it's important they have a

great awareness program. So this is another way we really have to because

awareness is key. I also believe not only is awareness key, but education is

also key.

I spoke

to a person a little while ago and they were telling me about MADD Canada and

what MADD Canada does in the classrooms. It's a simulator they do and it shows

the children what could happen at an accident. It's not a very good scene they

show but here it is this is what happens. It's eye opening when you look at it.

You come upon a scene where people are injured, and there are people hurt and

there's blood. There could be death there and it's very traumatic to the people

that really see that. So it's important that we and government really make sure

that our children, our educators, and everyone puts an emphasis on this. This is

a huge item for everyone.

I have a

couple of questions, Minister, when we do get in Committee on it, just a couple

of questions to see how things are going to be run, timelines and stuff like

that. Myself, I'm very happy to be here today. I'm very happy to be a part of

this legislation today, and very happy to be here as a Member of the House of

Assembly today to represent the beautiful District of Cape St. Francis.

I think

this is going to be a great thing. I hope, I pray that it saves lives. I hope it

saves families. And like I said, impaired driving, we'll see people that like

the Coates' that are here today, what happened to them. Let's not hope it

happens to anyone else.

Thank

you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MADAM SPEAKER (Dempster):

The Speaker

recognizes the hon. Member for Labrador West.

MR. LETTO:

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

And it's

certainly a pleasure to rise in this hon. House today. I'm very pleased to rise

to lend my support to Bill 68, which is

An Act to Amend the Highway Traffic Act.

As my

colleague, the Minister of Service NL and the Member for Cape St. Francis

MR. K. PARSONS:

The beautiful District of

Cape St. Francis.

MR. LETTO:

The beautiful District of

Cape St. Francis.

They are

right when they say driving is a privilege and it's not a right. We should all

keep that in mind. This issue of impaired driving certainly affects us all and

it's unfortunate that so many families have been affected by drunk driving

crashes. We know all too well what the outcomes of those are.

So it's

a privilege today to stand in this House and to be representing this government

who has brought this bill in, in the first week of the spring sitting of this

House of Assembly, to put this into legislation. It's long overdue, but it's

here today and we're very proud to be able to stand in this House and support

this bill today.

Madam

Speaker, this past March, the hon. minister and I I'm not sure if you were

there or not, but we met with the Labrador West

chapter of MADD. I hate singling

out people because you tend to forget somebody, but the MADD

chapter in Labrador

West are very, very active, a very strong chapter, and people that I know very

well. But there's one person I have to single out, and that's Josephine

Gaulten-Rowe who's been relentless and has put so many hours into lobbying for

what we have on the table today. She's been relentless. I tell you, every time

is see her and every time we meet, there's always the talk about drunk driving

and what we need to do, as a government, to make it safe for our children and

people who are on the roads.

I just

want to say that, because they have a great group; very active, as I said. The

Red Ribbon Campaign, I haven't missed one yet and I don't intent to. They

certainly make sure that I'm notified and that I'm there and they try to

accommodate me the best way they can. So I just wanted to say that today on this

very special occasion.

A major

problem we have seen in recent years, Madam Speaker, is the issue of repeat

offenders when it comes to impaired driving, and that's the unfortunate part of

it. We've all heard about the impaired drivers who are charged and then return

to driving their vehicles only to get charged again on the same day, in some

cases, which is very, very unfortunate. We've also been frustrated to hear about

repeat offenders who are charged again and again over a number of years but

never seem to get the message that impaired driving is a dangerous habit that

puts lives at risk every day.

We were

given a briefing yesterday by Service NL, and this is where I want to say my

accolades for that department because I've been there for the past year or so

with the minister who is now the Minister of Municipal Affairs and

AN HON. MEMBER:

Environment.

MR. LETTO:

Environment it keeps

changing. I want to commend the minister and the staff from Service NL who have

put countless hours into preparing this legislation. They've heard from a lot of

people. MADD has been a very, very strong advocate for these measures that we're

putting in today.

We've

listened. I think what we're doing here today puts us because when you look at

it, Newfoundland and Labrador don't have a good track record when it comes to

drunk driving and crashes and whatnot. Our legislation was at the bottom of the

list, pretty near it was pretty near at the bottom of the list, but after this

legislation is introduced, we'll move to the top. We're the trendsetter now.

We've gone from just about the bottom to the top. So we're going to lead the

country now in regulations and legislation with regard to drunk driving. I'm

very proud of that. I think we all should be, no matter what side of the House

we're on. We should all be proud of that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. LETTO:

Because when you look at some

of the statistics, Madam Speaker, it's frightening. In 2015, Statistics Canada

report and it's nothing against the people of St. John's or it's nothing

against the city, but unfortunately we're wearing it; because, in 2015, St.

John's had the highest impaired driving rate among major cities in Canada. It's

unbelievable. And when you look at it, when you look at the chart, we're twice

the Canadian average. That's nothing to be proud of, I can guarantee you. So

obviously, we are lacking something. I think the measures that we're putting in

today will go a long way hopefully to improve that statistic and bring us

down to where we should be.

course we'd all like to be at zero. That's where we'd all like to be. But

sometimes we have to deal in reality and there are some times that people just

don't pay attention to legislation or regulations. But hopefully, we'll see a

major improvement in the statistics that we have here.

Even

more disturbing I think is that young people have the highest rates of traffic

death and injury due to impaired driving. And that's sad. That's sad. Because

that's the time in your life that you should be learning to drive, learning the

rules of the road, learning what to do, what not to do and it's unfortunate that

that's the statistic we're living with as well. Motor vehicle crashes are the

leading cause of death among 16 to 25-year-olds. And alcohol and/or drugs are a

factor in 50 per cent of those crashes. Not a great statistic.

And 16

to 25-year-olds constitute 13.6 per cent of the population in 2010, but made up

almost 33.4 per cent of the impairment-related traffic deaths. Again, it's

scary. We do have a graduated licensing program; it's called the GTL. For the

first 20 to 24 months of driving, for novice drivers, which has a zero point

zero blood-alcohol content restriction, and that's good. But obviously, it's not

doing the trick.

We also

have a voluntary Ignition Interlock Program, but it's voluntary. We also have a

vehicle impoundment program, but guess what? It does not include impaired

drivers. You can be stopped for your car could have a bad wheel bearing, or

bald tires, or whatever, something wrong with your car, and it will get

impounded. But you get stopped for impaired driving, we don't have that

authority. So obviously, these are the changes that have to be made.

So these

amendments that we're seeing here today, I think, will go a long way to do that.

And these are the things that we're implementing. We're setting a zero per cent

blood-alcohol content for drivers under 22. Instead of the first 20 to 24 months

now, it's under 22; keeping in mind that the drinking age of course is 19.

I think

that will go a long way. Because most young people today, they got their learner

permits at 16, they get a driver's licence at 17 and they're on the road. And

this is at a time when we were all young at one time.

AN HON. MEMBER:

Some of us still are.

MR. LETTO:

Some of us still are.

Unfortunately, I am not one of them. But that's neither here nor there; I can't

do anything about that.

AN HON. MEMBER:

What a truth teller.

MR. LETTO:

What a truth teller.

These

are the times in our lives when we're wild and fancy-free, but we have to learn

to take some responsibility. Whether we're on the road or wherever we are, we

have to learn to be accountable for our actions. I think putting this age up to

22 allows them more time to learn the rules of the road, to learn, as I said,

not to drink and drive, because they become more mature. So I think it's a great

move.

Impose

the mandatory interlock as a condition of licence reinstatement for impaired

driving offences; I won't go through all the nuances with that and what the

limits are because that's been done by the minister and also the Member for Cape

St. Francis, the beautiful District of Cape St. Francis. But it's something I

think that will go and I've seen this personally in use, by the way.

Not that I've used it or had to use it; don't get me wrong. But I have seen it,

and guess what? It works it works. I think the measures that we're imposing

here today, the mandatory interlock system, will go a long way as well.

Just for a matter of information, I guess, and a little

service broadcast there. I just want to give the locations where they are

located in the province. We do have fixed sites where these units can be

installed. They're in St. John's, Clarenville, Gander, Grand Falls, Corner

Brook, Labrador West and Happy Valley-Goose Bay. You can get them installed in

either one of those places, and there are mobiles units that will move around,

obviously, on the Northern Peninsula, Southern Labrador and in Stephenville and

Port au Port. I think with these locations and access to these ignition

interlocks, there's no reason why that can't be implemented and that can't work.

The

third and final one is: Provides the authority to make regulations to require

the roadside impoundment of vehicles for impaired driving offences. As I said

earlier, you get stopped now on the highway and your tires could be bald, you

could have a broken axle, windshield, or anything and your vehicle can be

impounded. But if you get stopped for impaired driving, just leave it there and

go back and get it when you sober up. Basically, that's what it is, or get

somebody else to drive it home for you.

So, at

this point, with this new legislation, the impoundment goes into effect and the

cost of the impoundment sits with the driver. So they're charged for and if

they're far away from home, you got to get a tow truck or whatever, that can get

pretty expensive. Nevertheless, it's the price you pay for breaking the laws of

the road and breaking the drunk-driving issues.

Again, I

won't get into all the particulars about all these measures that we've taken,

because they've been outlined by the minister. I'll just go through it briefly.

I think that the changes we are making today, it will be much more difficult for

impaired drivers to show such blatant disregard for our impaired driving laws. I

think it shows blatant disregard for the driving public. Certainly anybody who's

witnessed and had family members, friends or whatever being a victim of a drunk

driving crash know all too well the consequences of that and what we have to

live with after, and how really needless it is to have happened in the first

place because of drunk driving.

Under

the new rules, as I said that's why, I guess, if you find you've been

operating a vehicle in an unsafe manner, your privileges are suspended until you

can prove that you've learned this most important lesson and that lesson is not

to drink and drive.

Madam

Speaker, again, I want to congratulate everybody who has been a part of this. I

want to certainly congratulate MADD Canada for being such good advocates, strong

advocates, and never giving up. It goes to show that if you have something you

believe in, please, you should never give up because sooner or later you will

meet somebody who understands what you want to do and are willing to listen to

your cause and are willing to do what is necessary to make it right.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. LETTO:

There are nine chapters of

MADD in Newfoundland and Labrador, by the way. As I said, I

MR. TRIMPER:

Twelve.

MR. LETTO:

Twelve, no. Well, this is

wrong.

MR. TRIMPER:

(Inaudible.)

MR. LETTO:

Okay, right. Thank you.

Anyway,

there are many chapters of MADD in the province and I want to congratulate them

all. We've had a lot of them in our boardroom. Like I said, we met with the ones

in Lab West. They've all been good advocates, but to have such a great person

and a dedicated person as Mrs. Patricia Hynes-Coates as now the president of

MADD Canada, I think that speaks well for the work that the MADD chapters in

this province have done.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. LETTO:

You're a great example of how

an organization, a volunteer organization, should work and does work when we all

work together for a common cause.

Madam

Speaker, with that, I'll take my seat. I want to say in closing that public

safety, to us, is a top priority. Driving is a privilege; it's not a right. And

driving while impaired will now have much tougher, tougher consequences, which

is a very good thing.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. LETTO:

The proposed amendments that

we are introducing today will reduce impaired driving I'm confident of that

in Newfoundland and Labrador and make our roads and highways safety for

everyone.

Thank

you, Madam Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MADAM SPEAKER:

The Speaker recognizes the

hon. the Member for Conception Bay South.

MR. PETTEN:

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

It's a

pleasure to get up today and speak on this bill. It is an important piece of

legislation, as my colleague for Cape St. Francis and colleagues opposite,

minister and the Member for Labrador West, just pointed out. I don't plan on

getting into the bill. I think they've done a great job on elaborating on it.

I guess

what I felt important to speak on; I want to recognize Patricia Hynes-Coates and

her husband, Terry, and the Coates family, actually. They're from Conception Bay

South, my community, and I welcome them here and I congratulate her and their

group on the passion they've put behind the cause, and my colleague from Lab

West just pointed out, you have to admire that. You know, we have a lot of these

groups. They're activists. They're fighting for their cause. We all commend them

and we recognize them, but I'd like to be on record to really, truly commend

them for the work they do, they've done and they will continue to do on such an

important cause as this. I want to acknowledge that, Madam Speaker.

Drinking

and driving, we hear about it in the news, you read about it in the papers and I

guess it astounds me sometimes that it's an ongoing issue. As was alluded our

rates are so high. It's amazing that in this day and age, and I think I spoke

about this in a previous bill sometime last year, I'm still amazed today that

this is such a problem. I realize it's a societal problem. It needs to be

addressed. There are a lot of reasons. This legislation will reduce the the

hope is, and I certainly hope it does, reduce the rates of drinking and driving.

realize this is under 22 years of age, but I guess on that note, maybe the

challenge should go out to all drivers, no matter what your age, to have zero

tolerance, zero alcohol rate whenever you sit behind the wheel, regardless if

you're 22 or you're 62. I think that's something that we, as a society, should

try to achieve that goal.

On a

personal note, I've got that notion of, if I have one drink of anything, I don't

drive. It's something I'm proud to say and something I continue on. It's always

easy to pay that cab ride home and get your vehicle the next day; it doesn't

make any sense to me, personally, and to a lot of people I know maybe that's

something we all should try to achieve regardless of our age, Madam Speaker.

On this

topic, I mentioned I know the Coates family and I know the tragedy they've dealt

with. You can't fathom it. I know a couple of other families as well, and a

former member of MADD probably still is a member, I think is former president

of MADD lost his son some years ago and it really motivated him and activated

him. Actually, he's a sitting councillor in CBS now, Richard Murphy, who has put

a lot of time and effort over the years into this cause as well. I wanted to

recognize him because, I guess, in the CBS area he brought the MADD cause to the

forefront for me, personally. I became more aware of what MADD was about after

the unfortunate death of his 20-year-old son. I believe he was 20.

Madam

Speaker, another thing and these are personal anecdotes but stuff that's stuck

with me. There was lady in my previous life; we worked together for some years.

She was a very quiet person, but there was a certain time of the year that she'd

be very down and I didn't understand. So, anyway, the story of it was her

daughter was on the way home from a dance, a teenage dance, she was 16 years

old. It was her only child. As she was coming home, she saw her daughter through

the living room window and was getting ready to go to bed, waiting for her to

come home and she got struck by a drunk driver and passed away.

I guess

stories like that, and I can tell others, but that was one stuck with me

forever. That was 20 years back I heard that story. I still see her memory on

Facebook every year. I see her and she still pays tribute. It's pretty

heart-wrenching stuff.

We're on

this topic today, and I know it's a very emotional issue for a lot of people. I

don't think any of us can unless you experience it I don't think you can

actually put yourself, walk a mile in someone else's shoes, but I felt it

important on a couple of issues on a personal note that I wanted to be on record

as saying or commenting on.

Just

before I got up to speak, I noticed the bookmark from MADD and this picture of

this young gentleman here, D.J. Hancock. I mean, that's so telling. It's so

tragic. We see a lot of these things and you can't put it into words, I guess,

is the only way to describe it. It's unfathomable.

Madam

Speaker, something else, too, on a personal note because I wanted to just speak

very personally about the bill without getting into details of it. I understand

government I commend them for bringing this legislation forward and trying to

anything we can do to reduce impaired driving rates is a good thing. But,

unfortunately, and this is why I put out the challenge to any driver, it's a job

to legislate. You can't always legislate common sense.

As hard

as we try, and we do try as a society and as a government and our organization

such as MADD, I think that the public awareness I encourage each and every

person to take it seriously, be very cognizant of what they're doing when

they're out to a social event or what have you. That one drink or two drinks,

you see the commercial sometimes; it doesn't take much. It can make a huge

difference in someone else's life. It's something that I think we all should

endeavour to try to do and make a personal challenge for each and every person

out there.

I don't

plan on going on much longer, Madam Speaker, but I just want to, I guess,

commend government for bringing this legislation in. I want to commend MADD for

the work they do because a volunteer group to fight a cause like that deserves a

lot of admiration and recognition. I know they've gotten a lot and deserve

everything they've got.

So, on

that note, I'm going to take my seat, but I just want to say in closing that I

think this is a good piece of legislation. It's a good step forward to reducing

drinking and driving and impaired rates, to bring us down well below it's not

a nice thing to see our rates where they are compared across jurisdictions,

across the country. So, hopefully, this works to reduce those numbers and to

make our streets safe and to make it safer for everyone out there, Madam

Speaker.

Thank

you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MADAM SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister for

Transportation and Works.

MR. HAWKINS:

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Certainly, I count it a privilege today to stand, particularly, on this piece of

legislation because this is truly a historic day for this province. It's been

long overdue, but I am so proud to be able to stand today to support this piece

of legislation because I know that many people have actually been advocating for

this for quite some time.

I'd just

like to recognize my colleagues, certainly the Minister of Service NL and also

the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment for the tremendous amount of

work they did. Obviously, Madam Speaker, none of this comes easy when we have to

put together a piece of legislation that has certainly been shamefully neglected

for so long. I think the time has come and I think it's important for us today

to recognize that. That we are certainly making great strides when it comes to

putting in provisions that will, hopefully, totally, eliminate impaired driving.

Madam

Speaker, I'm not really going to get into the specifics of the legislation. I'm

going to talk a little bit more about, as the hon. Member opposite talked about,

I guess a somewhat personal and I know I've been connected with MADD for quite

a number of years now. I think it really hit home to me several years ago when I

first met Terry and Trish Coates I'm sure she don't mind me calling her Trish

and the family. It was the first ceremony because we have a candlelight

vigil every year in Grand Falls-Windsor, and I'm going to talk about that in a

minute. It was the first time, since their son had lost his life in that crash.

At that

time, Madam Speaker, it had an impact on me, as a person. I couldn't relate to

them in a sense that I lost someone through a crash. I don't like using the word

accident because it's not really that. People who choose to drive impaired, it's

not an accident; it's a crash; it's a crime.

And from

that moment on, I knew that I, as a person, I thought it was important for me to

be an advocate for what MADD was doing, and the tremendous amount of work that

they had been doing for many years. I think it was from that moment on, and then

last year when we, as a government, met in the caucus room and the members of

MADD people who have been impacted. They haven't been impacted for a day, or a

week; they've been impacted for their entire life.

I had

several conversations with Terry and Trish after that and I said if there's

anything that I can do as an individual, that I can do as a Member of this House

to make sure that we move this forward, then you have my commitment to do so.

And I am so proud today to be able to stand in this House to support this

legislation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. HAWKINS:

Madam Speaker, I'm going to

read a couple of paragraphs: Dear friends, the day is coming when there will be

no more impaired driving crashes, a day when we will no longer need to hold a

candlelight vigil for victims and survivors of this horrible crime. But until

that day, we need your help, right now, so that we are there for grieving people

to offer them a safe place to express and share their sorrow. I hope you'll make

the decision to be there for victims, survivors, for your own family, for your

own friends, by supporting MADD today.

Madam

Speaker, these are not my words; these are words from Patricia Hynes-Coates. And

I want to tell this House today that this government is here for that purpose.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. HAWKINS:

Madam Speaker, I am not proud

of the fact that our community, the community of Grand Falls-Windsor, has a

monument, I wish we didn't have the monument but it's there. I just want to

applaud the people who recognize the fact that the people who have lost their

lives from impaired driving crimes are recognized, people who have lost loved

ones are recognized, and that while their lives are unnecessarily taken and why

they were taken from us in such a senseless, senseless act, let's never, ever

forget the important that means to all of us.

While we

have that monument, Madam Speaker, I do want to recognize the many people who

worked hard to make sure that every single year we take time to remember, to

reminisce, to cry, to laugh, to share and an opportunity for us, as a community,

to heal to some degree, as we remember and as we walk up and as we light the

candles in memory of those people that have been impacted by impaired driving.

Madam

Speaker, I'd like to recognize the tremendous amount of work that my local

chapter of MADD, Kim Brown and all the volunteers that are so passionate about

what they're trying to achieve and, hopefully, Madam Speaker, this piece of

legislation is just another tool that we'll have so that the general public, so

that people who choose to drink and drive, will know the consequences.

Madam

Speaker, I encourage every Member in the House, on June 10 we normally have it

every June on Saturday, June 10, we will have our vigil as we do every single

year in Grand Falls-Windsor and I would invite all Members on this side, the

opposite side, and anyone who's listening, if you really want to get the feeling

or really want to empathize and really want to get some sense of what these

families are going through, I invite you, all of you, to come to Grand

Falls-Windsor on June 10 and be a part of that ceremony because, Madam Speaker,

it would change your life. You will see and you will sense and you will feel the

anguish and the pain that has been caused by these senseless crimes.

It's always a daunting piece for me, when I walk into that

and I see in MADD's promotion, when I look at and realize, they have pictures of

people who've had tremendous potential and opportunity in life, that's no longer

there.

Families have to go through that every day, as long as they

live. They have to realize that in cases and situations and circumstances and

many of us have been fortunate enough that our children or families have not

been impacted have to realize that there are occasions that they're not going

to be able to share with their loved ones.

Madam Speaker, for me as an individual, for me as a Member

of this House, I think it's totally long overdue waiting for this time to come.

I just want to applaud all who have had some

part in making this happen today

because I believe it will make a difference. I believe the message will get out

and through education and through many of us advocating and speaking a voice for

those who no longer have a voice, it's going to be important for us. If we can

save one, two, three lives, it's all worth.

I think, Madam Speaker, it was evident in the words that

Trish Coates said, she is looking forward and her family is looking forward to

the day when there will be no

more impaired driving. I, as an individual, I, as a Member of this House, I,

too, am looking forward to that day, Madam Speaker.

Thank

you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MADAM SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East Quidi Vidi.

MS. MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Madam

Speaker.

Like the

rest of my colleagues, I'm quite pleased and happy to stand here this afternoon

and to speak in support of Bill 68, the

Highway Traffic Act relating to impaired driving.

W giving

a lot of recognition, and very rightly so, to MADD, to the families and to the

friends of those who have lost loved ones because of people who've been impaired

drivers. We're recognizing all the work that they have done. I think we also

shou